Post by D6 on Aug 26, 2024 2:10:31 GMT -5
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Thoughts in ****
Instant observations: Bubble players who helped, hurt roster chances in Lions win
Instant observations: Bubble players who helped, hurt roster chances in Lions win
Updated: Aug. 25, 2024, 11:07 a.m.|Published: Aug. 24, 2024, 4:06 p.m.
Lions vs. Steelers in 2024 preseason finale from Ford Field
By Kyle Meinke | kmeinke@mlive.com
DETROIT -- The Lions sold out of standing-room only tickets for their ... wait a second, is that right? A preseason game?
What’s that you say? A preseason finale?
**** I can't recall hearing a louder crowd at an NFL Pre-Season game than the Ford Field crowd at the Lions pre-season finale vs. the Steelers! Incredible! It sounded louder than most NFL regular season games! ****
There is nothing more meaningless than exhibition finales, when most teams dump their benches onto the field to determine the final few spots on their rosters, while protecting their starters for the regular season. Unless you’re the Pittsburgh Steelers apparently, who played most of their starters -- including both of their top quarterbacks, star receiver George Pickens and top running back Najee Harris -- against Detroit’s second- and third-team defense on Saturday afternoon at Ford Field.
The Steelers jumped to a quick 14-0 lead, as you might expect given who was on the field for each team, before sending their backups onto the field too. Then Detroit found a groove, as quarterback Hendon Hooker ran for 93 yards, Jermar Jefferson pounded in two touchdown runs and Jake Funk caught another in a 24-17 exhibition win against the Steelers.
Detroit finished the preseason 2-1. Just don’t read anything into it.
Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown and pretty much anyone else who will start a game this season did not play at all. But that paved the way for plenty of bubble players to make a final statement before roster cuts arrive in the next few days. And if the crowd on hand is any indication -- a standing-room only crowd! In the preseason! -- this place will be bananas when that roster takes the field for the season opener against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday Night Football.
Bring earplugs, folks.
**** It's realistically possible the crowd at the Lions SNF home opener vs. the LA Rams will even be louder than the crowd at the 1st Round playoff game vs. the LA Rams this past January.
While the result of pre-season games in this era isn't an indicator of what's ahead in the regular season, unless a team loses key players to injuries in the pre-season, it was good to see the Lions that did play in this game respond favorably in winning the game after being down early 14-0. ****
Let’s get to some more observations:
-- Dan Campbell said he was dying for a receiver to step up in the back end of that rotation. With the preseason now concluded, well, let’s just hope the Lions coach was being metaphorical about that whole dying thing. Donovan Peoples-Jones, a big, fast veteran with proven production in Cleveland, opened camp as the favorite to win the WR3 job. But he did almost nothing in practice, and turned nine exhibition targets into just six catches for 31 yards. Yikes. Then there’s Daurice Fountain, who opened camp as the most productive WR3, then went into a funk the last couple weeks and turned six exhibition targets into just two catches for 15 yards. That includes dropping a bomb that caught him in both hands against Pittsburgh. Then there’s Antoine Green, who suffered a season-ending injury and was released.
**** Donovan Peoples-Jones and Daurice Fountain didn't earn roster spots, based on their pre-season play. ****
The only receiver who seemed to help himself during the preseason was Isaiah Williams, who went from the top name in the UDFA class to catching a team-high 11 passes for 123 yards during the preseason. He had just one catch against Pittsburgh, but it was an impressive touch where he caught a quick slant, stuck his left foot in the ground and then cut back to the right for 17 yards to set up a score. Williams also averaged 13.7 yards per punt return heading into the weekend -- third best in the league -- then added a 16-yarder against Pittsburgh. He also broke a kick return for 37 yards.
Credit the kid for making the most of his opportunities. Here’s the problem though: At 5-foot-10, Williams fills the same kind of slot/return role as All-Pro wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown and former All-Pro return man Kalif Raymond. The Lions would prefer more size to complement what they already have at the position. Williams ain’t that.
In the end, expect Raymond to start alongside St. Brown and Jameson Williams to open the season. Isaiah Williams could make the initial 53-man roster too, because Dan Campbell loves to reward players who perform their best in the biggest moments -- think Tom Kennedy coming out of previous preseasons -- but Williams might not last long either if Detroit finds better size on the waiver wire once cuts hit next week.
**** Isaiah Williams performed well in this game, except that he didn't run through a crossing route, which resulted in Hendon Hooker throwing an interception to former Lions CB Cam Sutton.
Most importantly for Williams, he was more reliable on Returns in this game than in the other 2 pre-season games. With sizable gains resulting as well.
I hope that Williams survives the cutdown to 53, as I think he has the potential to be a versatile winning level option on Offense and on Returns. I also like his efforts as a blocker. Exposing Williams to waivers is very risky.
Kaden Davis is the only other Lions WR after the top 3 that I think warrants consideration to be on the Lions initial 53 man roster. He probably will fall short. If that happens and Davis clears waivers, which is likely, but not close to a given, I think he has earned a P.S. opportunity with the Lions. ****
****
-- Sticking with the passing game for a moment, Hendon Hooker will be hearing from his mother after this one. The quarterback joked a couple weeks ago about how his mother would like him to slide more after he sustained a brain injury while running over a defender against the New York Giants. He obliged during two quarters of work in Kansas City last week. But given three quarters to show his stuff against Pittsburgh, Hooker ran well, often, and aggressively. He finished with 10 carries for 93 yards, and strung together the best offensive performance by a Lions quarterback in the preseason. He was more of a mixed bag through the air though, especially when Pittsburgh’s starters were in the game. He took three straight sacks at one point, finished with five sacks overall, completed just one 20-yard pass -- on a catch-and-run to Maurice Alexander -- and finished 12 of 20 overall for 114 yards and one touchdown. He didn’t throw a pick, but did lose a fumble.
All told, it was an encouraging step forward for the second-year quarterback, although his performance against Pittsburgh’s starters offers a reminder of his development to go. He is expected to sit this season behind Jared Goff and Nate Sudfeld -- who never touched the field against Pittsburgh -- but his dual-threat skill-set is a fascinating developmental piece. His ceiling is high for a backup quarterback, no doubt about that. And when was the last time we could say that about a backup QB in Detroit?
**** Hendon Hooker definitely needs to use better judgment in terms of putting himself at risk as a runner.
Overall, I'm not optimistic about Hooker winning the Lions # 2 QB job to begin the regular season. But Hooker clearly has potential to be at least a high end # 2 QB. ****
-- The Lions are sitting on an embarrassment of riches at running back. David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs are one of the best 1-2 combos in the league, while rookie Sione Vaki has been so impressive with his feet and hands in the preseason that he didn’t even log a snap against Pittsburgh. That kid’s ready. Same goes for Craig Reynolds, a fourth-year backup who blocks extremely well. That’s a deep rotation with an assortment of running and blocking styles, and there are even some interesting options for the practice squad. Jermar Jefferson scored two touchdowns against Pittsburgh, including a go-ahead 7-yarder in the fourth quarter. And then there’s Jake Funk, who played ahead of Jefferson, ran for 27 tough yards on six carries, plus caught a touchdown pass.
**** I believe Zonovan Knight is ahead of Jake Funk in the Lions RB pecking order and more likely than not is ahead of Jermar Jefferson, who had a good performance as well. Funk dropped what would have been a Jake Fromm TD pass, in the 4th QTR.
Craig Reynolds was injured in practice on Wednesday. If the injury is expected to keep him out for multiple games, Reynolds could end up on IR, especially sometime after the Lions initial 53 man roster is set. ****
-- Here’s the deal. Kicker Jake Bates has an absolute hose. You don’t kick three 60-yarders in your first UFL season without one, and he booted a 64-yarder in practice after joining the Lions. He also made a 53-yarder in the rain in New York and a 55-yarder with plenty of room to spare in Kansas City, plus canned the winner from 43 yards at the buzzer. So why is he firmly on the bubble? In a word, consistency. The Lions are going to head into the regular season as one of the favorites for the Super Bowl, and need to know they can depend on their kicker. And it’s unclear whether Bates has earned that trust despite improving throughout camp. He didn’t help himself in the finale either, leaving one kickoff short of the landing zone (look it up you guys, it’s a thing this year) and pushing another out of bounds, while pushing a 30-yard field goal wide right. Yes, 30 yards. That should be automatic for any NFL kicker. Bates -- who did make a 46-yarder -- is an intriguing prospect, and should at least make the practice squad as a developmental player. But man, given one last opportunity to deter Detroit from going looking for help when cuts are made in the next few days, Bates struggled with his consistency once again.
**** I still expect Jake Bates to be the Lions opening day Kicker. However, there's a very realistic chance the Lions will add a Kicker to the Practice Squad to provide competition and insurance. ****
-- It’s going to be fascinating to see what the Lions do at tight end. James Mitchell is a former fifth-round pick who is entering his third season, but could find himself dangerously close to the bubble in the coming days. He’s underwhelmed over the summer and had a bad drop against Pittsburgh. Shane Zylstra, meanwhile, had four catches for 29 yards. Mitchell is the better blocker, and perhaps the Lions go with that skill-set behind Sam LaPorta and James Mitchell. But the lack of depth at receiver could entice Brad Holmes to look for more pass-catching ability, and Zylstra clearly offers more than Mitchell there.
**** Parker Hesse is in the mix as well. With the Lions likely going with 3 QBs to begin the season, I'm anticipating the Lions will only go with 3 TEs to begin the season. With two being on the P.S. None of the TEs stepped up enough from my point of view. I think Shane Zylstra though now has a slight edge to be the Lions # 3 TE, with P.S call ups being used to help provide more blocking. ****
-- With John Cominsky out for the long term, the Lions could use some help in the back end of their edge rush. And I don’t think James Houston is the lock some people think. He logged a lot of snaps in the preseason finale -- which usually means a guy hasn’t sewn up a roster job -- although seemed to help himself with a sack and two quarterback hits. Two more names to watch are Isaac Ukwu and Mitchell Agude, who have played their way into consideration for roster jobs. Ukwu finished in fine fashion too, opening this game by literally pushing offensive tackle Devery Hamilton into the quarterback for a sack on the first play from scrimmage. That’s grown-man stuff.
**** While I believe James Houston has a pretty good chance of surviving the cutdown to 53, I believe that Isaac Ukwu now has the edge over Mitchell Agude for the # 5 Edge player spot. ****
-- I don’t think Ty Summers has a chance to make a linebacker rotation that is led by Alex Anzalone, Jack Campbell, Derrick Barnes, Malcolm Rodriguez and Jalen Reeves-Maybin -- and based on the snap counts against Pittsburgh, it seems Ben Niemann might have made this team too. But you have to tip your cap to Summers, a mid-camp signing who played well right away. He racked up six tackles, 1.5 sacks and two quarterbacks on just the first four series against the Steelers, and finished with eight tackles overall.
**** Ty Summers should be a P.S. priority for the Lions, if he clears waivers. Abraham Beauplan also played well enough to earn a P.S. opportunity, if the Lions go with 2 Off the Ball LBs on the P.S.. Both players deserve a lot of credit for playing as well as they did in the final two pre-season games, after joining the Lions days before the pre-season game in Kansas City. ****
-- Defensive tackle Brodric Martin left the game late in the third quarter with a lower-body injury. He also had a weird holding call before departing, which gave Pittsburgh a first-and-goal at the 1. He did not record a tackle. At this point, he looks firmly behind interior defenders like Alim McNeill, DJ Reader, Levi Onwuzurike and Kyle Peko.
**** Broderic Martin is a candidate for Short Term I.R. after the initial 53 man roster is set. ****
*****
This new thread is a continuation of the following threads:
Lions projected 53 man roster ( 2024 season )
detroit-lions-forum.proboards.com/thread/2210/lions-projected-roster-2024-season
Lions vs. Steelers preview: Pre-Season Game # 3 ( 2024)
detroit-lions-forum.proboards.com/thread/2217/lions-steelers-preview-season-game
Lions 2024 Training Camp Preview
detroit-lions-forum.proboards.com/thread/2177/lions-2024-training-camp-preview[/font]
Thoughts in ****
Instant observations: Bubble players who helped, hurt roster chances in Lions win
Instant observations: Bubble players who helped, hurt roster chances in Lions win
Updated: Aug. 25, 2024, 11:07 a.m.|Published: Aug. 24, 2024, 4:06 p.m.
Lions vs. Steelers in 2024 preseason finale from Ford Field
By Kyle Meinke | kmeinke@mlive.com
DETROIT -- The Lions sold out of standing-room only tickets for their ... wait a second, is that right? A preseason game?
What’s that you say? A preseason finale?
**** I can't recall hearing a louder crowd at an NFL Pre-Season game than the Ford Field crowd at the Lions pre-season finale vs. the Steelers! Incredible! It sounded louder than most NFL regular season games! ****
There is nothing more meaningless than exhibition finales, when most teams dump their benches onto the field to determine the final few spots on their rosters, while protecting their starters for the regular season. Unless you’re the Pittsburgh Steelers apparently, who played most of their starters -- including both of their top quarterbacks, star receiver George Pickens and top running back Najee Harris -- against Detroit’s second- and third-team defense on Saturday afternoon at Ford Field.
The Steelers jumped to a quick 14-0 lead, as you might expect given who was on the field for each team, before sending their backups onto the field too. Then Detroit found a groove, as quarterback Hendon Hooker ran for 93 yards, Jermar Jefferson pounded in two touchdown runs and Jake Funk caught another in a 24-17 exhibition win against the Steelers.
Detroit finished the preseason 2-1. Just don’t read anything into it.
Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown and pretty much anyone else who will start a game this season did not play at all. But that paved the way for plenty of bubble players to make a final statement before roster cuts arrive in the next few days. And if the crowd on hand is any indication -- a standing-room only crowd! In the preseason! -- this place will be bananas when that roster takes the field for the season opener against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday Night Football.
Bring earplugs, folks.
**** It's realistically possible the crowd at the Lions SNF home opener vs. the LA Rams will even be louder than the crowd at the 1st Round playoff game vs. the LA Rams this past January.
While the result of pre-season games in this era isn't an indicator of what's ahead in the regular season, unless a team loses key players to injuries in the pre-season, it was good to see the Lions that did play in this game respond favorably in winning the game after being down early 14-0. ****
Let’s get to some more observations:
-- Dan Campbell said he was dying for a receiver to step up in the back end of that rotation. With the preseason now concluded, well, let’s just hope the Lions coach was being metaphorical about that whole dying thing. Donovan Peoples-Jones, a big, fast veteran with proven production in Cleveland, opened camp as the favorite to win the WR3 job. But he did almost nothing in practice, and turned nine exhibition targets into just six catches for 31 yards. Yikes. Then there’s Daurice Fountain, who opened camp as the most productive WR3, then went into a funk the last couple weeks and turned six exhibition targets into just two catches for 15 yards. That includes dropping a bomb that caught him in both hands against Pittsburgh. Then there’s Antoine Green, who suffered a season-ending injury and was released.
**** Donovan Peoples-Jones and Daurice Fountain didn't earn roster spots, based on their pre-season play. ****
The only receiver who seemed to help himself during the preseason was Isaiah Williams, who went from the top name in the UDFA class to catching a team-high 11 passes for 123 yards during the preseason. He had just one catch against Pittsburgh, but it was an impressive touch where he caught a quick slant, stuck his left foot in the ground and then cut back to the right for 17 yards to set up a score. Williams also averaged 13.7 yards per punt return heading into the weekend -- third best in the league -- then added a 16-yarder against Pittsburgh. He also broke a kick return for 37 yards.
Credit the kid for making the most of his opportunities. Here’s the problem though: At 5-foot-10, Williams fills the same kind of slot/return role as All-Pro wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown and former All-Pro return man Kalif Raymond. The Lions would prefer more size to complement what they already have at the position. Williams ain’t that.
In the end, expect Raymond to start alongside St. Brown and Jameson Williams to open the season. Isaiah Williams could make the initial 53-man roster too, because Dan Campbell loves to reward players who perform their best in the biggest moments -- think Tom Kennedy coming out of previous preseasons -- but Williams might not last long either if Detroit finds better size on the waiver wire once cuts hit next week.
**** Isaiah Williams performed well in this game, except that he didn't run through a crossing route, which resulted in Hendon Hooker throwing an interception to former Lions CB Cam Sutton.
Most importantly for Williams, he was more reliable on Returns in this game than in the other 2 pre-season games. With sizable gains resulting as well.
I hope that Williams survives the cutdown to 53, as I think he has the potential to be a versatile winning level option on Offense and on Returns. I also like his efforts as a blocker. Exposing Williams to waivers is very risky.
Kaden Davis is the only other Lions WR after the top 3 that I think warrants consideration to be on the Lions initial 53 man roster. He probably will fall short. If that happens and Davis clears waivers, which is likely, but not close to a given, I think he has earned a P.S. opportunity with the Lions. ****
****
-- Sticking with the passing game for a moment, Hendon Hooker will be hearing from his mother after this one. The quarterback joked a couple weeks ago about how his mother would like him to slide more after he sustained a brain injury while running over a defender against the New York Giants. He obliged during two quarters of work in Kansas City last week. But given three quarters to show his stuff against Pittsburgh, Hooker ran well, often, and aggressively. He finished with 10 carries for 93 yards, and strung together the best offensive performance by a Lions quarterback in the preseason. He was more of a mixed bag through the air though, especially when Pittsburgh’s starters were in the game. He took three straight sacks at one point, finished with five sacks overall, completed just one 20-yard pass -- on a catch-and-run to Maurice Alexander -- and finished 12 of 20 overall for 114 yards and one touchdown. He didn’t throw a pick, but did lose a fumble.
All told, it was an encouraging step forward for the second-year quarterback, although his performance against Pittsburgh’s starters offers a reminder of his development to go. He is expected to sit this season behind Jared Goff and Nate Sudfeld -- who never touched the field against Pittsburgh -- but his dual-threat skill-set is a fascinating developmental piece. His ceiling is high for a backup quarterback, no doubt about that. And when was the last time we could say that about a backup QB in Detroit?
**** Hendon Hooker definitely needs to use better judgment in terms of putting himself at risk as a runner.
Overall, I'm not optimistic about Hooker winning the Lions # 2 QB job to begin the regular season. But Hooker clearly has potential to be at least a high end # 2 QB. ****
-- The Lions are sitting on an embarrassment of riches at running back. David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs are one of the best 1-2 combos in the league, while rookie Sione Vaki has been so impressive with his feet and hands in the preseason that he didn’t even log a snap against Pittsburgh. That kid’s ready. Same goes for Craig Reynolds, a fourth-year backup who blocks extremely well. That’s a deep rotation with an assortment of running and blocking styles, and there are even some interesting options for the practice squad. Jermar Jefferson scored two touchdowns against Pittsburgh, including a go-ahead 7-yarder in the fourth quarter. And then there’s Jake Funk, who played ahead of Jefferson, ran for 27 tough yards on six carries, plus caught a touchdown pass.
**** I believe Zonovan Knight is ahead of Jake Funk in the Lions RB pecking order and more likely than not is ahead of Jermar Jefferson, who had a good performance as well. Funk dropped what would have been a Jake Fromm TD pass, in the 4th QTR.
Craig Reynolds was injured in practice on Wednesday. If the injury is expected to keep him out for multiple games, Reynolds could end up on IR, especially sometime after the Lions initial 53 man roster is set. ****
-- Here’s the deal. Kicker Jake Bates has an absolute hose. You don’t kick three 60-yarders in your first UFL season without one, and he booted a 64-yarder in practice after joining the Lions. He also made a 53-yarder in the rain in New York and a 55-yarder with plenty of room to spare in Kansas City, plus canned the winner from 43 yards at the buzzer. So why is he firmly on the bubble? In a word, consistency. The Lions are going to head into the regular season as one of the favorites for the Super Bowl, and need to know they can depend on their kicker. And it’s unclear whether Bates has earned that trust despite improving throughout camp. He didn’t help himself in the finale either, leaving one kickoff short of the landing zone (look it up you guys, it’s a thing this year) and pushing another out of bounds, while pushing a 30-yard field goal wide right. Yes, 30 yards. That should be automatic for any NFL kicker. Bates -- who did make a 46-yarder -- is an intriguing prospect, and should at least make the practice squad as a developmental player. But man, given one last opportunity to deter Detroit from going looking for help when cuts are made in the next few days, Bates struggled with his consistency once again.
**** I still expect Jake Bates to be the Lions opening day Kicker. However, there's a very realistic chance the Lions will add a Kicker to the Practice Squad to provide competition and insurance. ****
-- It’s going to be fascinating to see what the Lions do at tight end. James Mitchell is a former fifth-round pick who is entering his third season, but could find himself dangerously close to the bubble in the coming days. He’s underwhelmed over the summer and had a bad drop against Pittsburgh. Shane Zylstra, meanwhile, had four catches for 29 yards. Mitchell is the better blocker, and perhaps the Lions go with that skill-set behind Sam LaPorta and James Mitchell. But the lack of depth at receiver could entice Brad Holmes to look for more pass-catching ability, and Zylstra clearly offers more than Mitchell there.
**** Parker Hesse is in the mix as well. With the Lions likely going with 3 QBs to begin the season, I'm anticipating the Lions will only go with 3 TEs to begin the season. With two being on the P.S. None of the TEs stepped up enough from my point of view. I think Shane Zylstra though now has a slight edge to be the Lions # 3 TE, with P.S call ups being used to help provide more blocking. ****
-- With John Cominsky out for the long term, the Lions could use some help in the back end of their edge rush. And I don’t think James Houston is the lock some people think. He logged a lot of snaps in the preseason finale -- which usually means a guy hasn’t sewn up a roster job -- although seemed to help himself with a sack and two quarterback hits. Two more names to watch are Isaac Ukwu and Mitchell Agude, who have played their way into consideration for roster jobs. Ukwu finished in fine fashion too, opening this game by literally pushing offensive tackle Devery Hamilton into the quarterback for a sack on the first play from scrimmage. That’s grown-man stuff.
**** While I believe James Houston has a pretty good chance of surviving the cutdown to 53, I believe that Isaac Ukwu now has the edge over Mitchell Agude for the # 5 Edge player spot. ****
-- I don’t think Ty Summers has a chance to make a linebacker rotation that is led by Alex Anzalone, Jack Campbell, Derrick Barnes, Malcolm Rodriguez and Jalen Reeves-Maybin -- and based on the snap counts against Pittsburgh, it seems Ben Niemann might have made this team too. But you have to tip your cap to Summers, a mid-camp signing who played well right away. He racked up six tackles, 1.5 sacks and two quarterbacks on just the first four series against the Steelers, and finished with eight tackles overall.
**** Ty Summers should be a P.S. priority for the Lions, if he clears waivers. Abraham Beauplan also played well enough to earn a P.S. opportunity, if the Lions go with 2 Off the Ball LBs on the P.S.. Both players deserve a lot of credit for playing as well as they did in the final two pre-season games, after joining the Lions days before the pre-season game in Kansas City. ****
-- Defensive tackle Brodric Martin left the game late in the third quarter with a lower-body injury. He also had a weird holding call before departing, which gave Pittsburgh a first-and-goal at the 1. He did not record a tackle. At this point, he looks firmly behind interior defenders like Alim McNeill, DJ Reader, Levi Onwuzurike and Kyle Peko.
**** Broderic Martin is a candidate for Short Term I.R. after the initial 53 man roster is set. ****
*****
This new thread is a continuation of the following threads:
Lions projected 53 man roster ( 2024 season )
detroit-lions-forum.proboards.com/thread/2210/lions-projected-roster-2024-season
Lions vs. Steelers preview: Pre-Season Game # 3 ( 2024)
detroit-lions-forum.proboards.com/thread/2217/lions-steelers-preview-season-game
Lions 2024 Training Camp Preview
detroit-lions-forum.proboards.com/thread/2177/lions-2024-training-camp-preview[/font]