2014 Detroit Lions

[Cincinnati_Kid]

"Ivory was running like a fiend and gashing us hard up the gut."


He does that to most teams. I had hoped the Lions would go after him in a trade, when he was with
N.O. Didn't happen though. He's a good back, runs angry. Lions have another running team coming in next week with the Bills. They need to lock down Spiller and Jackson.

[Thruster315]

A fine victory and for the second straight week, and third time in four games, a time-killing drive at the end of the game.

Being able to close out a contest by controlling the clock is a new and refreshing trait, a trait I will do not mind seeing more of.

Another trait that we used to bitch about until we were long in the tooth was the amount of penalties this team used to take under Jim Schwartz. I dunno what Caldwell & Co. is feeding them but they sure seemed to have backed off on a LOT of them. Seriously, in years past you could almost book it that someone on the D line would jump the snap and sustain the other team's drive. It was almost a given. We used to shoot ourselves in the foot so many damn times it was maddening because we wanted our front four to be ruthless; instead they turned out to be dopes.

More coaching kiss ass here has me digging what Caldwell has done with the team's psyche as well. After a pretty emotional high of beating the Packers, he's managed to keep the team's focus on the immediate game. There was no emotional roller coaster with this bunch. They played smart, focused and didn't turn the ball over.

We need Waddle back, real bad, and a limping Calvin is ungood, toss in a brain bruised Bell and we have a slew of goo. The holes in the defensive backfield have not - yet - been exploited. We are missing Tulloch and that ain't looking solid.

I think we'll be okay for another week taking on Buffalo. They have a semi-potent running game with Spiller but I'm also curious to see Sammy Watkins and see if he was worth the hype lumped on him last year. I'm hoping that with Kyle Orton manning the helm on short notice, they won't connect too often and torch us.

people love to complain, more than sing praises, it is what humans do. Nothing to worry about.

Thanks gnome-sie for keeping it real.

[Thruster315]

I know this is one place where I can bitch about the media and be somewhat understood but I'm just silently rolling my eyes at the New York media as they started that rumor about Suh leaving Detroit after the season to go to the NY market.

Now whether the big fella stays or goes is anyone's guess. It's his choice obviously because he holds all the cards. What gets me is that the OTHER big name free agent in this town is Max Scherzer of the Tigers. I don't recall anyone badgering his ass they way the media wants to climb all over Suh for his future plans. They leave Max be and let him do his job. Has anyone noticed a decline in Suh's play for us? I don't see any of it so let the man play his ass off for us and be done with. Leave him be and be freakin' thankful he still plays as hard as he does.

Not meaning to compare any of us to Suh or Scherzer but how many of us are even asked about our NEXT job while we're still currently employed? It doesn't happen, but I get it to a certain degree; these guys are multi-kajillionaires and play on a different level than most of us mortals. I even heard the report that supposedly Suh left some presser yesterday angry and was slamming doors only to have it contradicted by some of the local reporters that were there- and there wasn't any anger in Suh's voice. He, Caldwell and the Lions management have been steady with the line that they won't talk about it- so why the hell does the media continually bash them [[and waste everyone's time) on this contract topic? It's insane and piss poor journalism; it's leading and not even reporting. Quit trying to make a story where there isn't one…. YET.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

^^ Not to mention, Scherzer was not once vilified for turning down that 148 million dollar extension earlier this year, yet Suh is punished for not revealing his desire to stay or leave Detroit.
I wonder if Jay-Z being his agent has something to do with it?

[Thruster315]

14-3 halftime lead.

I'm disappointed. Not in the score but I'm thinking Stafford's accuracy is sucking eggs. He seems to have plenty of time back there and yet can't connect with his receivers. He's seems to be throwing behind and just not zeroing in on the guys who should be open. We getting a case of the dropsies again? Ebron, Collins and Bush should'a could'a and it doesn't help.

Now don't get me wrong, Buffalo's D is decent but we still should be able to carve them up. Stafford's getting hurried, bumped & thumped even with a fresh Waddle back there.

Defensively it's what I'm anticipating against a rusty Orton. I feel no pity for Buffalo imploding with their penalties either.

I'm curious as to how Caldwell will adjust at halftime. I don't think it was something that Schwartz did when he was coach here. I'm hoping for a stronger second half on all fronts.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

The Tigers need a bullpen and the Lions need a FG kicker..... WTF? They had this game won, 3 missed FG's, and the last one wasn't even close. Buffalo's kicker nails a 58 yarder.

[Thruster315]

The Tigers need a bullpen and the Lions need a FG kicker..... WTF? They had this game won, 3 missed FG's, and the last one wasn't even close. Buffalo's kicker nails a 58 yarder.

Will someone pull my damn shoe out of the effin' television? 0 for 3 on field goals??? Really?? ineffective offense the second half and a kicker that is so woefully pathetic it's not even funny. He left 9 points on the board for the picking.

The vein in more forehead is protruding from the frustration. We shouldn't have gotten smoked by Kyle Freakin' Orton.

[Hypestyles]

the first quarter was cool to watch. the last quarter was hard to watch. When Jason Hanson retired, that apparently left a void.

[Smirnoff]

Washed up Orton LED them to the win [[great comeback!), Stafford is worthless [[nothing new), great job from the coaching staff seeing all the talent regarding FG Kicker Alex Henery.......0-3! Time to enact FGK'r Plan C, E, or F.

BTW: The Lions are just 1-of-9 on attempts of longer than 30 yards this year....great job.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

The only other negative seen besides Henery blowing the game, is the Buffalo players carrying Gym Shorts off the field on their shoulders, like they just won the Super Bowl. Very disheartening.

[Ray1936]

Goes further than that. Detroit press has been playing up Stafford as the greatest quarterback to ever come down the pike. Face it, he's just an average yahoo. Joe Montana he ain't and never will be.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

Goes further than that. Detroit press has been playing up Stafford as the greatest quarterback to ever come down the pike. Face it, he's just an average yahoo. Joe Montana he ain't and never will be.

Although I agree with you about Stafford, and he wasn't great today, the loss is on the kicker. He left 9 points off the board. Hate to see anyone lose their job, but he should be waived tomorrow.

[401don]

Rumor has it Lions are planning to sign some guy named Inge that kicked a 50 yarder a couple of yrs. ago.

[Smirnoff]

Goes further than that. Detroit press has been playing up Stafford as the greatest quarterback to ever come down the pike. Face it, he's just an average yahoo. Joe Montana he ain't and never will be.

Just like they did with Joey Harrington, Chuck Long, Andre Ware to name a few.....ship it now!

[Smirnoff]

Rumor has it Lions are planning to sign some guy named Inge that kicked a 50 yarder a couple of yrs. ago.

Strong rumor is Matt Prater who kicked an NFL record 64-yard field goal last year.....Lions will need to buck-up [[$) for this FGK'r.

[ParisianLesion]

Goes further than that. Detroit press has been playing up Stafford as the greatest quarterback to ever come down the pike. Face it, he's just an average yahoo. Joe Montana he ain't and never will be.

All this Stafford bashing seems grossly off base. Take a look at Montana's or Elway's first five year stats and compare them to Stafford. Not too different. Before today's game, Stafford claimed the highest passing yardage/game of any QB in NFL history. And, as for today's game, he was under heavy pressure all day. Now, I don't know whether he's going to develop in to an all-time great or not either, but it takes a long time for QBs to develop and Joey Harrington or Scott Mitchell he ain't either.

[ParisianLesion]

And no I'm not Matthew Stafford posting under this name LOL

[Thruster315]

All this Stafford bashing seems grossly off base. Take a look at Montana's or Elway's first five year stats and compare them to Stafford. Not too different. Before today's game, Stafford claimed the highest passing yardage/game of any QB in NFL history. And, as for today's game, he was under heavy pressure all day. Now, I don't know whether he's going to develop in to an all-time great or not either, but it takes a long time for QBs to develop and Joey Harrington or Scott Mitchell he ain't either.

That's because all of these Stafford bashers only come out when he plays poorly. They hide in the wings and can't bear the thought of heaping any sort of praise on him when he does well.

I don't mind being critical of him when he doesn't perform; let's be fair with him now. Sometimes he's just plain bad but sometimes [[like earlier today) you have to give it up to the Bills for being in his grill all night. Maybe pass on some of that blame to the offensive line but let's not forget the guys whose job it is to disrupt our offense. Them Bills played like frickin' hungry ass wolves looking to dine. Our offensive line didn't exactly do much to help him out.

Anyone want to hazard a guess how Joe Montana would fare under these conditions? Not well I'd bet. Seriously some of these Stafford bashers put their idols [[Montana, Elway, Brady, etc.) up on such a high ass pedestal, they forget that they were beat by damn good teams too.

Now today I thought Stafford's aim was bad on the 10-15 yard routes. I personally liked one stretch when they were doing the little flares to the wideouts or to Reggie stepping across the line and seeing what they could do after the catch. They had a rhythm going there for awhile in the first half with those. The sticks kept moving. I know if the Bills sniff one of those out it's a Pick 6, but it got the team moving. We just couldn't get into any sort of rhythm at all with this game. Whether it was penalties or whatever, the team just couldn't sustain a consistent drive. The offense had more sputters and spurts than my '89 Oldsmobile's carb. But again, hats off to Buffalo for being so aggressive in their D.

Both teams played a solid defense. It wasn't a shoot-out. It wasn't like Buffalo had that much momentum either. They couldn't run the ball either, but what they did have was a rhythm late in the game. And I'm not forgetting the missed field goal opportunities either- that accounts for keeping the flow going too.

[Thruster315]

Although I agree with you about Stafford, and he wasn't great today, the loss is on the kicker. He left 9 points off the board. Hate to see anyone lose their job, but he should be waived tomorrow.

Hell, I felt for Freese when he got cut too. He was a drafted rookie full of hope & promise, but here comes the business side of things, baby! Those 9 points weren't just points but they were also momentum stuffers and morale killers. All of those guys on offense who busted ass to get the team within range just had their asses handed to them when they walk away with no points and sweet ass field position for the other team. They were all makeable kicks too and that's what smarts.

If Caldwell knew this was going to happen with the kicker, I'm sure he would've punted on those 4th downs, pin them back, and hope for better field position. Whoda thunk in this day and age of pro football we'd be undone by a wonky foot. Damn.

[Bham1982]

All this Stafford bashing seems grossly off base. Take a look at Montana's or Elway's first five year stats and compare them to Stafford. Not too different. Before today's game, Stafford claimed the highest passing yardage/game of any QB in NFL history. And, as for today's game, he was under heavy pressure all day. Now, I don't know whether he's going to develop in to an all-time great or not either, but it takes a long time for QBs to develop and Joey Harrington or Scott Mitchell he ain't either.

Someone comparing Stafford to Montana and Elway? Now I've heard everything...

And it doesn't "take a long time for quarterbacks to develop", at least not for the great ones. Montana won the Superbowl [[and MVP) in third season as starter, Rodgers won in second season as starter, Brady won in first season as starter, Manning and Elway were elite by Year 2. Andrew Luck is statistically the best QB in the NFL in Year 3. Even Eli Manning won SB by Year 4.

We already know Matt Stafford. He's a veteran at his career peak. He's average, at best. He's another ho-hum type [[Jake Locker, Jay Cutler, Ryan Tannehill, Brian Hoyer, etc.). Not bad enough to bench/replace, not good enough to have a shot at SB.

[ParisianLesion]

[QUOTE=Bham1982;453850]Someone comparing Stafford to Montana and Elway? Now I've heard everything...

And it doesn't "take a long time for quarterbacks to develop", at least not for the great ones. Montana won the Superbowl [[and MVP) in third season as starter, Rodgers won in second season as starter, Brady won in first season as starter, Manning and Elway were elite by Year 2. Andrew Luck is statistically the best QB in the NFL in Year 3. Even Eli Manning won SB by Year 4.


Matthew Stafford

PASSING
Year	Team	G	Att	Comp	Pct	Att/G	Yds	Avg	Yds/G	TD	TD%	Int	Int%	Lng	20+	40+	Sck	SckY	Rate
2014	Detroit Lions	5	179	113	63.1	35.8	1,397	7.8	279.4	6	3.4	4	2.2	67T	18	5	17	99	89.1
2013	Detroit Lions	16	634	371	58.5	39.6	4,650	7.3	290.6	29	4.6	19	3.0	87	62	10	23	168	84.2
2012	Detroit Lions	16	727	435	59.8	45.4	4,967	6.8	310.4	20	2.8	17	2.3	57	63	9	29	212	79.8
2011	Detroit Lions	16	663	421	63.5	41.4	5,038	7.6	314.9	41	6.2	16	2.4	73T	64	16	36	257	97.2
2010	Detroit Lions	3	96	57	59.4	32.0	535	5.6	178.3	6	6.3	1	1.0	36	4	0	4	36	91.3
2009	Detroit Lions	10	377	201	53.3	37.7	2,267	6.0	226.7	13	3.4	20	5.3	75T	26	6	24	169	61.0
TOTAL		66	2,676	1,598	59.7	40.5	18,854	7.0	285.7	115	4.3	77	2.9	87	237	46	133	941	83.5

John Elway

PASSING
Year	Team	G	Att	Comp	Pct	Att/G	Yds	Avg	Yds/G	TD	TD%	Int	Int%	Lng	20+	40+	Sck	SckY	Rate
1988	Denver Broncos	15	496	274	55.2	33.1	3,309	6.7	220.6	17	3.4	19	3.8	86	0	0	30	237	71.4
1987	Denver Broncos	12	410	224	54.6	34.2	3,198	7.8	266.5	19	4.6	12	2.9	72T	0	0	20	138	83.4
1986	Denver Broncos	16	504	280	55.6	31.5	3,485	6.9	217.8	19	3.8	13	2.6	53	0	0	32	233	79.0
1985	Denver Broncos	16	605	327	54.0	37.8	3,891	6.4	243.2	22	3.6	23	3.8	65T	0	0	38	307	70.2
1984	Denver Broncos	15	380	214	56.3	25.3	2,598	6.8	173.2	18	4.7	15	3.9	73	0	0	24	158	76.8
1983	Denver Broncos	11	259	123	47.5	23.5	1,663	6.4	151.2	7	2.7	14	5.4	49T	0	0	28	218	54.9
TOTAL		234	7,250	4,123	56.9	31.0	51,475	7.1	220.0	300	4.1	226	3.1	86	351	70	516	3,785	79.9

Anybody can talk. It takes a little effort to know what you're talking about.

[KJ5]

This was vintage Lions today

[Bham1982]

Anybody can talk. It takes a little effort to know what you're talking about.

I guess you mean to write "Anyone can cut and paste. It takes a little effort to read a forumers post before responding".

I assume through your response you're trying to prove that Stafford=Elway because they have had similar seasons statistically, ignoring the fact that Elway played 20 years ago, in an era, where top QBs had fewer passing yards than the worst QBs today, as it wasn't a passing league back then.

Considering you didn't bother addressing any of my points [[and I'm not sure how someone can argue Superbowls and MVPs), I'll assume you're just another Stafford fanboy, just waiting that his breakout season is just around corner. We all know that fearsome Buffalo defense is a challenge, and Stafford has only had the best offensive weapon in football the last five years, but maybe next year...

[Thruster315]

I guess you mean to write "Anyone can cut and paste. It takes a little effort to read a forumers post before responding".

I assume through your response you're trying to prove that Stafford=Elway because they have had similar seasons statistically, ignoring the fact that Elway played 20 years ago, in an era, where top QBs had fewer passing yards than the worst QBs today, as it wasn't a passing league back then.

Considering you didn't bother addressing any of my points [[and I'm not sure how someone can argue Superbowls and MVPs), I'll assume you're just another Stafford fanboy, just waiting that his breakout season is just around corner. We all know that fearsome Buffalo defense is a challenge, and Stafford has only had the best offensive weapon in football the last five years, but maybe next year...

At least Parisian Lesion brings facts as to the comparison. You're basing it on a gut call and your eyeball tests… and I'm not wholeheartedly disagreeing with you either. But I'm also seeing a pattern here where you're nowhere to be seen when Stafford does have a good game. You were like ether when he played well against the Jets & the Packers. Where's the balance in your observations? it's just Stafford bashing after a losing game. Talk about swinging for the low fruit, dude. Is bashing our team's quarterback all you have to bring to a discussion?

And you also pin SO much of your argument on one player too. I'm not against lambasting an individual player for a sh!tty performance but I at least look at the other team he's playing against [[Buffalo was playing some pretty stout defense on Sunday) and how the rest of the team is doing too. Stafford's O line was out to lunch today. There's always two sides to the equation and two teams on the filed too.

I also look at QBs like Phil Simms, Doug Williams, Jeff Hostetler, Trent Dilfer, Mark Rypien, and Brad Johnson- they were all Super Bowl winning QBs. They won because they played in the right system with their teams. I wouldn't even consider any of them elite by any stretch but they were the guys who won the big prize at the end.

[Thruster315]

We already know Matt Stafford. He's a veteran at his career peak. He's average, at best. He's another ho-hum type [[Jake Locker, Jay Cutler, Ryan Tannehill, Brian Hoyer, etc.). Not bad enough to bench/replace, not good enough to have a shot at SB.

Ask any legit intelligent GM in the league who they'd pick first for their QB out of your bunch here- and toss in Matthew Stafford. I'd be willing to bet they'd still take Stafford over any one of those. I'd say he's got a helluva bigger upside than any of those guys you mentioned.

Hell, go ask any Fantasy Football geek and they'd still go with Stafford first over your list.

I'm going to have to call bogus argument here on your part.