This is going to be no disrespect meant towards players like Christian Izien, Thomas Harper, Bishop Fitzgerald, and others that the Detroit Lions have brought in to fill the gaps left by Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph, but it is beginning to feel like the team is relying too much on backup talent to start for them.
And, it's really beginning to feel like they're forming another year of a 'Legion of Whom' unit to carry through a light schedule, with no guarantee that they'll be able to actually help against "weaker" competition.
The trade deadline is in November, and the Lions likely anticipate that Branch will be back by October or the deadline. However, it feels like the team has to make some sort of move for a starter before things devolve with respect to their starting secondary.
Lions' 'Legion of Whom' 2.0 cannot save them amid easy schedule
With Harper out for Week 3 against the New York Jets, the Lions' safety room looks like it'll be made up of Chuck Clark, Izien, and Bishop Fitzgerald - who just got signed by the team from the Pittsburgh Steelers' practice squad. Rookie Keith Abney II, a cornerback, is also being utilized as an emergency safety for this game. That speaks to the desperation of the Lions at the position.
Can this unit really keep them afloat until Branch is back? It's hard to say, especially without having seen how Izien and Fitzgerald factor into the starting lineup. But, diving into the numbers, it's clear that any change is likely welcomed for the Lions and defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard. It's a part of their quest to find consistency on that side of the ball.
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The Lions have allowed 23 explosive plays through two games, per Sheppard, and he told reporters that 75 percent of those receptions were the fault of defenders messing up their own assignment.
"In Week 1, I believe we had three explosive runs, eight pass, and that kind of flipped in Week 2 to eight run, four pass. And you can say, ‘You nutted up the run and then on four or five plays, what happened?’ Well, no, no, no. That is the single-hand demise to this defense right now that's trickling to the team’s kind of overall success.”
Maybe some fresh faces in the lineup can change Detroit's success on that front, but this feels like a combination of skill issues on their roster and a lack of consistent leadership in the unit, as well. And, these were the same issues that plagued their unit last year due to so many injuries and so much turnover.
If this defense is any more similar to the 'Legion of Whom' from last year, maybe we'll get one shutdown performance, at the very least.
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