The inconsistent nature of the Detroit Lions' defense has been a big topic most of the year, and the dominance of their offense has been a big reason this is the case. In spite of that, there's always room for improvement.
Detroit has been able to move the ball well most of the season, and is enjoying a dominating run game fueled by Jahmyr Gibbs. Their receivers have stepped up after seeing Jared Goff distribute the ball confidently, and the Lions retain one of the most dependable tight ends in football in Sam LaPorta.
Even such, there are things the franchise could improve upon. One of the bigger stories this season has been the relative absence of wideout Isaac TeSlaa as a major weapon. TeSlaa hasn't emerged much, catching just 11 passes for 206 yards and no scores. That comes just a season after he scored six touchdowns and looked like he was on pace for a huge career.
Former Lions wideout Herman Moore wants to see TeSlaa get unleashed in the second-half of the season. As he recently said on "Lions Nation Unite," he wants to see TeSlaa become the missing piece in the offense to add another dimension.
"You need to strike fear into someone, and the player that I think is missing that they do not use to make that happen is Isaac TeSlaa. I think they're not giving him enough opportunities to use his size advantage. The fact that he's usually going to be going against a nickel or one of their third defensive backs, you have to give him an opportunity. I know there was some concern perhaps about him in preseason, he had some drops. Every receiver goes through that spell. You gotta get him the ball. You gotta give him the opportunity to make plays. If they do that, he will become their playmaker."
Entering into this season, the expectations for TeSlaa were high. Most expected him to take a jump in usage and development, even if he didn't score as many touchdowns as he had last season. In spite of that, he hasn't arrived in a big way as of yet. He's still been an effective teammate and made some big catches along the way, but nothing with consistency.
If TeSlaa is able to get going, that would be big for the Detroit offense. As good as they have been, TeSlaa could likely get them to another level on his own with the potential for big plays.
Scottie Montgomery says leaders are still emerging in Lions' offense
In terms of the Detroit offense, things are proceeding as expected this season. The Lions have managed to develop some of their talent, and as the year has gone on, they have been able to discover their identity.
Montgomery knows that the Lions have seen things emerge well to this point, but also sees the chance for the offense to continue to jell even more in the weeks ahead as players continue to assert themselves and earn trust.
"Schematically, we're growing now to the point where we're knowing each other a lot better. We've had some new pieces kind of placed in different spots. Our offensive line being able to play together a little bit more now, we can understand some of the things that go with that. As we move forward, we'll continue to see the jell of our offense. Also, we have the ability now to kind of see who our playmakers are, the guys that can show up. At this time time of the year, (Week) 8, 9 you've seen some guys make some critical fourth-down plays, some critical third-down plays."
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TeSlaa did figure into that mix in Week 9, making his one catch count on fourth-down to move the chains in a critical early drive. Perhaps this play gets him going. Still, Lions fans probably want to see him featured a bit more than he has been, and at least targeted in the red zone given his large frame and ability to make contested catches.
Moore is right to call for TeSlaa to feature into the offense in a bigger way. If the Lions can find a way to unlock him, it will only make their top offense more of an imposing presence down the stretch and into the playoff push.
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