Post by D6 on Dec 30, 2018 0:26:51 GMT -5
Buckle up. The Lions are headed for even more turnover.
…………………………
Injuries had a massive negative impact on the Lions in the 2018 season. The same can be said for many other teams. This realistically could have been a 10 to 11 win team if the Lions remained as healthy as any team in the NFL. But there wasn't enough margin of error for the Lions to overcome impactful injuries. Some teams have the depth to overcome such injuries. The Lions weren't one of them or even close to that.
In the Lions case, the shoulder injury to Ziggy Ansah during the opener against the Jets when Ansah was already making a huge positive impact on the game for the Lions, is a play the Lions never truly recovered from. Though Romeo Okwara has played well overall ( he wasn't active for the Jets game after being claimed off waivers only a few days earlier ), the Lions lost an essential piece to the puzzle. There were valid reasons why the Lions put the Franchise Tag on Ansah.
T.J. Lang's body betraying him as an NFL player also had a huge negative impact on the Lions season. Bob Quinn rolled the dice in March, 2017, signing Lang instead of re-signing Larry Warfield. With Lang's age and injury history, there was reason to be concerned then if Quinn made a good decision. The bottom line is Warford is a starter for a Saints team that's the # 1 seed in the upcoming NFC Playoffs. Lang probably has played his last down with the Lions and should be advised to retire. The drop-off from Lang proved very costly in a number of Lions losses. Kenny Wiggins gives his best on every play. But he's a noticeably limited athlete.
After the huge disappointing loss vs. Seattle, the Golden Tate trade occurred. Once that trade was made, it felt like the Lions were headed for a losing record. The injuries that occurred after that all but ensured a losing record. At Miami in Game # 6 and in the following days after Damon Harrison was acquired from the Giants, I thought the Lions were in position to make a serious run at the NFC North Title. Things changed dramatically very soon after.
Moving forward, players not buying into Matt Patricia's program are going to have to be replaced ASAP. The difference between how Jim Caldwell ran the Lions compared to Matt Patricia is something that at least some players didn't buy into the way that was needed.
Positive notes:
The Lions run Defense did improve greatly after Damon Harrison came to the Lions. Another positive is the vast improvement of A'Shawn Robinson, after he was declared inactive for the opener vs. the Jets. IMHO, Robinson was the most improved player on the Lions by a wide margin in the 2018 season.
The Lions Special Teams Coverage also got better as this season moved along, after a very disappointing start to the season.
The Lions running game also made huge strides, even with the injuries to Lang and Kerryon Johnson.
Hence, combining these positives with the overall Lions 2018 Draft Class, there's hope for the 2019 season based on what transpired in 2018. But plenty other things need to change for the better.
…………………………
Injuries had a massive negative impact on the Lions in the 2018 season. The same can be said for many other teams. This realistically could have been a 10 to 11 win team if the Lions remained as healthy as any team in the NFL. But there wasn't enough margin of error for the Lions to overcome impactful injuries. Some teams have the depth to overcome such injuries. The Lions weren't one of them or even close to that.
In the Lions case, the shoulder injury to Ziggy Ansah during the opener against the Jets when Ansah was already making a huge positive impact on the game for the Lions, is a play the Lions never truly recovered from. Though Romeo Okwara has played well overall ( he wasn't active for the Jets game after being claimed off waivers only a few days earlier ), the Lions lost an essential piece to the puzzle. There were valid reasons why the Lions put the Franchise Tag on Ansah.
T.J. Lang's body betraying him as an NFL player also had a huge negative impact on the Lions season. Bob Quinn rolled the dice in March, 2017, signing Lang instead of re-signing Larry Warfield. With Lang's age and injury history, there was reason to be concerned then if Quinn made a good decision. The bottom line is Warford is a starter for a Saints team that's the # 1 seed in the upcoming NFC Playoffs. Lang probably has played his last down with the Lions and should be advised to retire. The drop-off from Lang proved very costly in a number of Lions losses. Kenny Wiggins gives his best on every play. But he's a noticeably limited athlete.
After the huge disappointing loss vs. Seattle, the Golden Tate trade occurred. Once that trade was made, it felt like the Lions were headed for a losing record. The injuries that occurred after that all but ensured a losing record. At Miami in Game # 6 and in the following days after Damon Harrison was acquired from the Giants, I thought the Lions were in position to make a serious run at the NFC North Title. Things changed dramatically very soon after.
Moving forward, players not buying into Matt Patricia's program are going to have to be replaced ASAP. The difference between how Jim Caldwell ran the Lions compared to Matt Patricia is something that at least some players didn't buy into the way that was needed.
Positive notes:
The Lions run Defense did improve greatly after Damon Harrison came to the Lions. Another positive is the vast improvement of A'Shawn Robinson, after he was declared inactive for the opener vs. the Jets. IMHO, Robinson was the most improved player on the Lions by a wide margin in the 2018 season.
The Lions Special Teams Coverage also got better as this season moved along, after a very disappointing start to the season.
The Lions running game also made huge strides, even with the injuries to Lang and Kerryon Johnson.
Hence, combining these positives with the overall Lions 2018 Draft Class, there's hope for the 2019 season based on what transpired in 2018. But plenty other things need to change for the better.
