Post by D6 on Aug 9, 2024 18:39:58 GMT -5
Thoughts in ****
Instant observations: Hendon Hooker injured in Lions’ preseason loss to Giants
Instant observations: Hendon Hooker injured in Lions’ preseason loss to Giants
Updated: Aug. 09, 2024, 8:06 a.m.|Published: Aug. 08, 2024, 10:13 p.m.
By Kyle Meinke | kmeinke@mlive.com
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Hendon Hooker was among the lone bright spots in a tough debut for the Detroit Lions offense. Then he went down too, and eventually made his way to the locker room during the fourth quarter of a 14-3 exhibition loss on Thursday night against the New York Giants.
Hooker came off the bench in the second half and immediately sparked an offense that managed just one first down and three points before intermission. He was especially impressive with his feet, needing just four scrambles to run for 34 yards, making him the Lions’ leading rusher on the night.
Sixteen of those yards came on a particularly impressive run that moved Detroit into the red zone for the first time. Working out of a play-action boot, Hooker beat the edge defender to the corner, then turned upfield before lowering his shoulder to truck a Giants defender. You don’t see that every day from a Lions quarterback, and it offered a pleasant reminder that the former Heisman Trophy frontrunner has a unique skill-set to back up Jared Goff someday.
Hooker stayed in the game after his big run, carried the ball for another 6 yards to the goal line, but threw high to Donovan Peoples-Jones on third down and then had his pass batted down on fourth down, ending the scoring threat at the 3-yard line.
Hooker returned to the sideline, then made his way to the blue medical tent to be evaluated by doctors. He was eventually escorted to the locker room, forcing Nate Sudfeld back into the game.
While the severity of the injury remains unclear, it’s yet another tough break for Hooker. He blew out his ACL while at Tennessee two years ago, then spent most of his rookie season recovering from the injury. Hooker finally started getting quality reps this offseason, and all expectations were he was heir to Teddy Bridgewater as QB2 in Detroit. But Hooker dislocated a finger on his throwing hand during the first OTA, and struggled with his accuracy after that.
He has improved dramatically during training camp, but has still been plagued by mistakes throughout the summer, including throwing picks in back-to-back practices last week, then losing a fumble during joint practices with the Giants.
In his Lions debut, Hooker quickly showed why the Lions are so keen to develop the young quarterback. While Hooker completed just 5-of-9 passes for 36 yards in New York, he was far better than Sudfeld. That should help his case of winning the QB2 job, although if he misses practice time moving forward, that could make his bid more difficult.
**** Hendon Hooker suffered a concussion. Beyond most importantly the concern for Hendon Hooker's health beyond football, the concussion could be a major setback for Hooker and the Lions if Hooker is finished for the pre-season. He definitely needs game reps and practice snaps. Hooker had some positives in this game. But his accuracy needs to be better and he can't put himself in harm's way with his legs with regularity. Otherwise, Hooker's NFL career is going to be short. ****
Sudfeld has been the more consistent quarterback in camp, and had a chance to make a statement for the backup job by earning the start against New York. But he was horrific while trying to play in a driving rain in New York. He didn’t see Daurice Fountain running free in one-on-one coverage on his first series of the game and took a bad sack. Two series later, Sudfeld missed Craig Reynolds high on a short pass to the left sideline, then missed Fountain way high on the right sideline before overthrowing Kaden Davis deep. He completed just 1 of his first 5 passes, while leading the Lions to just 47 yards of offense, 2.7 yards per play and netting 1.3 yards per pass in the first half.
Sudfeld finished 13 of 24 passing overall for 96 yards, never led a touchdown drive and threw one interception. With Hooker now battling another injury, the state of the backup quarterback position remains unclear heading into the second week of the preseason.
**** Nate Sudfeld is probably a substantial asset on the practice field, in the locker room, and in the QB room. But as a QB in games, he's not remotely the answer as a # 2 NFL QB. That much more for a team like the Lions that expects to contend. The Lions brass needs to seriously consider making a trade for a better veteran QB option to be insurance as the team's # 2 QB. ****
Detroit will travel to Kansas City next week to face the Chiefs, and plenty of questions about what will happen if Jared Goff goes down this season.
Let’s get to some more instant observations:
-- If you tuned in to watch your favorite player, well, here’s betting you didn’t see him. The only practice starters who saw the field were cornerback Terrion Arnold and receiver Daurice Fountain, while Amik Robertson -- one of the leading candidates to replace injured nickel Emmanuel Moseley -- also played.
**** The play by Terrion Arnold as an outside CB was a major positive from this game, even factoring in that Arnold wasn't in the game that long. ****
A list of notable players who did not log a snap in New York: Quarterback Jared Goff; offensive linemen Taylor Decker, Graham Glasgow, Frank Ragnow, Kevin Zeitler and Penei Sewell; tight end Sam LaPorta; running backs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs; receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams; defensive linemen Aidan Hutchinson, Alim McNeill, Levi Onwuzurike, Kyle Peko and Marcus Davenport; linebackers Alex Anzalone, Derrick Barnes and Jack Campbell; and defensive backs Carlton Davis, Kerby Joseph, Brian Branch and Ifeatu Melifonwu.
**** With the Lions having 2 Joint Practices with the Giants, it definitely was the right decision keeping out none-rookies the Lions are counting on heavily this season.****
-- One of the lone offensive bright spots was rookie running back Sione Vaki, who finished with 29 yards on four carries in his NFL debut. Vaki is a former college safety who drew interest as a running back with just one team -- and the Lions liked him so much as a running back prospect, Brad Holmes decided to trade up for Vaki to open the final day of the draft.
Vaki flashed early in camp on special teams, and earned the start at kick returner against the Giants. But he where he really stood out was in the offensive backfield, where he instantly showed the instincts that intrigued Detroit in the draft process. He also has some impressive wiggle, crossing over one linebacker on a 9-yard run late in the first half, then doing the same to a defensive back on a 15-yard gallop on his next touch.
**** Sione Vaki helped his cause for playing time on Offense early in the season.****
Craig Reynolds started at running back against New York, but didn’t have much room to run behind the backup offensive line. Vaki didn’t either, but made something happen. Will be interesting to see if the rookie gains enough trust from the coaching staff to unseat the veteran Reynolds for the RB3 role this summer.
**** Craig Reynolds will probably begin the regular season as the Lions # 3 RB, with Vaki as the Lions # 4 RB. Reynolds had a good Special Teams performance, which is a huge part of the role for a # 3 RB. ****
-- On the defensive side, first-rounder Terrion Arnold got to play, but it was another rookie cornerback who really popped. Second-rounder Ennis Rakestraw generated a third-down stop on the first series of his career, then was the first man down the field on his first snap on punt coverage and stopped Jalin Hyatt for no gain.
**** Ennis Rakestraw Jr. was one of the best all around players for the Lions in this game. He's a gamer! Very encouraging. I expect Rakestraw to see snaps on Defense early in the regular season. In this game, he was used as an Outside CB. ****
-- Jake Bates also really helped himself. After an up-and-down start to camp, Bates made his Lions debut by piping a 53-yarder with plenty of distance to spare, accounting for the Lions’ only points on the night. The leg strength is not in doubt, although the consistency is. There have been bad days for Bates in camp. Given he had never attempted a field goal until signing with the UFL’s Michigan Panthers in the spring, you had to figure Detroit would embrace the opportunity to put Bates in a pressurized situation to get a better idea of what exactly they have in the kid. Playing in a driving rain made the kicking even more difficult, and Bates passed his first test admirably, splitting the uprights with plenty of distance. There are bigger tests to come, but this was a good starting point as the Lions’ search continues for the right kicker.
**** This was one of the most important outcomes in the game for the Lions. Yet, Jake Bates needs more FG (and PAT opportunities) in the Pre-Season, in terms of experience, confidence, and evaluation purposes.****
-- Maurice Alexander hurt his bid to make the team by fumbling the first punt of the preseason, then nearly fumbling on the next punt too. He lost the football on the play, but the play was blown dead by the officials. There are opportunities to make the team in the back end of that receiver room, but the competition is stiff. And Alexander -- who has made some very nice plays in camp -- certainly didn’t help himself on a rainy night in New York.
****Agreed. Isaiah Williams didn't help his roster cause as a Punt Returner either, as he let a Punt bounce that he should have Fair Caught.****
-- After failing to generate a takeaway in the first eight days of training camp, Ennis Rakstraw got things going by picking off passes in three straight practices. On Thursday night, it was young safety Brandon Joseph who got the first (unofficial) turnover of the season, stepping in front of a Drew Lock pass over the middle before weaving 18 yards upfield on a nice return. Joseph once looked like he might be the third safety this season, although Brian Branch’s move to that position -- plus the return of Kerby Joseph and Ifeatu Melifonwu -- have cast some doubt on his chances of making the team.
**** Very good job by Brandon Joseph in coming up with the interception. He clearly needs to become a more consistent overall Safety but a takeaway is huge.****
-- In addition to Hooker, receiver Antoine Green, defensive lineman David Bada, offensive lineman Connor Galvin and linebacker Nate Lynn also left the game with injuries. Green laid head first on the ground for a while before being escorted off the field by trainers, while Galvin and Lynn were carted to the locker room. That ended a nice night for Lynn, who hit the quarterback twice and sacked him once.
**** It wasn't Nate Lynn who got carted off on Defense for the Lions, it was DT David Bata ( # 61). Lynn helped his cause with the Lions greatly in this game, especially as a pass rusher but also against the run. Antoine Green came back into the game during the 4th QTR.****
-- The game was the first opportunity to see the Lions’ new uniforms, and yes, they still look as clean as they did when they were unveiled over the summer. The white tops and blue pants are a classic look, while the blue facemasks really popped under the lights at MetLife Stadium. The changes were subtle, but the new unis evoke a ‘90s vibe that feels right for this team.
****Agreed.****
-- In a sign of the growing anticipation for this season, Lions president Rod Wood said on the radio broadcast that the waiting list has grown to about 15,000 or 16,000 for season tickets at Ford Field. Keep in mind, the Lions had never even sold out Ford Field until last season. The times, they are a’changin’.
**** Lions fans have bought into the Lions. But there are depth issues at QB, WR, and on the Offensive Line that showed up in this pre-season game,that are very concerning.****
This new thread is a continuation of the following thread:
Lions at Giants preview: Pre-Season Game # 1 (2024)
detroit-lions-forum.proboards.com/thread/2197/lions-giants-preview-season-game