MichiganCardinal

Obviously hindsight is 20/20, but I can recall it was not a consensus among fans that they needed to go after 2019. That team started 3-3-1 and then was ravaged by injury. They lost eight games by one score as well. As bad as they were, they weren't Nathanial Hackett or Urban Meyer where you had no choice but to abandon ship. I was wrong (obviously), but I was among those who thought they should be brought back on an extraordinarily short leash for 2020. I like Sheila a lot. I think she cares about the team and about winning more than relationships, and more than either of her parents ever did. I hope she gets the chance to stand in front of Lions fans again at Ford Field next season and gets a much warmer ovation than she received next to Calvin.

I expect nothing out of Levi. If he even makes the team I would be pleasantly surprised. I see Paschal as more of an inside guy than a strict edge rusher the way I see Hutch (or would see Anderson). I still think he could be pretty good if he stays healthy.

I don't think this is true, unless they set him up for failure by placing him over top of the tackle (how they kind of did with Hutch to start the season). If you put him standing up as the 7-tech, I don't think he'll have any issues with durability. If you want to say that Anderson might benefit by gaining 10-15 pounds I won't argue if it doesn't come at the expense of his agility, but I am not worried in the least about him turning into a rotational player in the NFL. His comps have been to Khalil Mack and Shaq Barrett. All three are between 6'2 and 6'4, 240-250 pounds.

This is interesting. I felt opposite, but you bring up good points. My thoughts being that while we know the defensive success (or lack thereof depending on the game) is tied pretty directly to Glenn, we don't know whether the offense is more tied to Ben Johnson or Dan Campbell. With an offensive-minded HC, you would think the Defensive Coordinator is the second most important role on the coaching staff. At the same time, while I like Aaron Glenn, I am not sure he's top ten in the NFL in terms of defensive coordinators. I do think some of the great NFL defensive coordinators (like Fangio and Ejira) could probably come in and improve the defense from day one. Not that I'm advocating for firing Glenn or anything, the grass is definitely not always greener and he's done a pretty good job with the (lack of) talent he's been given. Just thinking out loud...... I'd prefer to lose neither.

I think Glenn would take Duce Staley with him to be his OC. Internally, I think you look at Kelvin Sheppard and Todd Wash, but I think Campbell clearly has a better grasp on the defense than me, because I thought Aubrey Pleasant was doing a good job until they fired him and the defense magically got immensely better. Externally, there are actually quite a few good defensive coordinators out there and available after not working out as a head coach or their head coach getting canned. Brian Flores, Mike Zimmer, Vic Fangio, and Evero Ejira are all possibilities if they don't get head gigs.

I envision Anderson as a a three-down DE / EDGE across from Hutchinson. I don't think he would need to play off ball as a linebacker except in those rare situations where it's drawn up as a disguise (kind of how Hutch got some of his picks this year). I'm also not at all concerned with his ability to set the edge, he had 101 tackles just a year ago. We saw them adjust the defensive alignment last offseason to more of a 4-2-5 base when Hutch was selected, and if Anderson was selected, I think we could see them come out with a lot of 5-1-5 or 5-2-4 looks. We saw a bit of both of those at times last season in the blitz heavy Glenn defense. Running it more often would need our linebacker(s) to be better than Anzalone at protecting against the quick out, but if your edges are athletic, it can be a very successful formation. It virtually guarantees multiple 1x1 matchups across the front.

One of the weird things in evaluating Richardson is not even so much his inaccuracy, but rather the throws he's inaccurate on. It's not usually those long balls. If you watch his highlight film, he can throw some absolute dimes 30-40+ yards downfield that just make you say wow. He's more often missing on the "easy" throws. Crossing routes and check downs, and on plays where he's clearly just not on the same page as his receiver. Obviously these are throws you just need to make as a NFL QB. Why are they difficult for him though? Is it a timing issue? Communication issue? Coaching issue? I'm not a huge analytics guy, but I'd be interested in evaluating some splits on him too, including accuracy in the pocket versus when he is flushed, and his accuracy set against the amount of time he has in the pocket. Florida's offensive line on the pass isn't world-beating, particularly against some of the better SEC defensive lines. Their stats are definitely conflated too by Richardson's evasiveness. If he had a year or two to gain NFL exposure, behind a top tier offensive line, would he gain some more patience and confidence in those shorter throws?

Carter is an interesting one who the next few months will tell a lot on. I believe the reports that there are character concerns. I thought it was pretty funny how defensive the people at Georgia got when the report came out. I trust Campbell and his staff to make that judgment though. If they think that Carter is a football dude who can mature with age and in the right environment, take him. If he'd be toxic to the locker room, cross him off the list. Anderson though I think we disagree. I'm not quite sure what you mean by physical fit though. I don't think there is a single position group on the defense that is off limits from improvement. In fact, the only two guys I would write in pen as being week one starters are Hutchinson and Okudah, and I would very much prefer Okudah not be the CB1... If you're referring to Anderson's traits and the lack of any individual elite characteristic, I hear you, but I'm not sure you can ignore that in just three seasons, he is 2nd all-time in career sacks at Alabama. Almost everyone else in the top ten played 4+ seasons. In his college career, he didn't go a game without a tackle, and in the last two years only went seven games without recording a sack. At some point you have to look away from traits, characteristics, and analytics and just respect the film and the production. I really don't care how he does it if he can do it. I also don't think any other defensive player is particularly "better" than Anderson in evaluating those traits.

This was my thought as well. Possible workplace relationship turned harassment turned creeper.

No matter what you do, Goff won't be around forever. I'm okay with finding his replacement if/when you identify the next Mahomes, and allow that player to sit backstage for a year or maybe two. Three gets excessive. I think that tends to be a recipe for success for the best NFL quarterbacks, and it's what the best NFL franchises do. That said, I don't think this would be a conversation if the trade had never happened and Stafford just had the season Goff had en route to a 9-8 season. Despite being six years older than Goff, we would have our QB and be very happy with who we have. Goff has a much larger perception problem than a talent problem. Short of a deep playoff run, I'm not sure he will ever shake that fully.

Brand New Lions Same Old MotownForums 🤪

I don’t think it’s quite as binary as “Team A wants me to return for the vet minimum of $900k with $300k guaranteed and incentives vs. Team B wants me to sign for $1.2MM with $500k guaranteed and incentives, so I’ll choose Team B”. If you’re a relatively mediocre vet like Anzalone or Buggs who found a useful role in Detroit, your chances of making the 53-man roster aren’t guaranteed (here or elsewhere). You may think staying with the Lions for a lower overall contract value will make more sense, because you have a better chance at playing more, hitting the various incentives, and making more long-term. That being said, I agree with the notion that these players do not “owe” the franchise or fans anything. With the amount of hell they go through in the course of a season and career, they should absolutely make smart monetary decisions.

If Jamo turns into half of what his ceiling is we will end up with the best class by a wide margin.

I think Barnes' ceiling is as quality rotational depth, which is perfectly fine for a 4th round draft pick. I don't think he should be a starter though. I don't think Anzalone should be a starter either, but the coaching staff seems to adore what he contributes in the locker room. Even Rodrigo, I question how many other NFL teams he would start on. Is the rookie 6th round pick really a steal and a quality NFL player, or is he just the best that a lousy position group here has to offer? I'm hopeful this is the offseason that the linebacker position is finally addressed in a meaningful way. I'm not holding my breath though. They just don't seem to seriously value the role the way they do offensive skill positions and the lines.

I think Levi will get a chance to make the team in training camp, but he needs to look like a useful player in the NFL, and he needs to stay healthy. He hasn’t shown either of these things through two years. His clock for patience has expired and we can’t waste a spot on the 53-man hoping he magically starts to rapidly develop.

The latest update I saw on Walker is that he was ahead of schedule, out of a walking boot, and hopeful to be able to participate in OTAs this May. Definitely ahead of where R.Okwara was, and more in line with where Okudah was. Whether he is worse than before is hard to say. I think safety is probably a position that is "easier" to come back from such a significant injury (if such a thing can be easier to come back from) because a lot of the position is about vision and recognition over cuts, athleticism, and raw speed (like corner is). He was definitely a leader on the team before his injury and I think he could be a big piece if he's healthy.

All we know right now on the Matt Weiss police investigation (MaizeNBrew)

I think a realistic expectation for the starting defensive alignment next year: DL: Hutch / McNeill (or rookie) / Paschal / Houston (or rookie) - McNeill or Houston as depth LB: Rodrigo / Anzalone - Rookie as depth that will be fighting for a starting role by the midway point of the season DB: Okudah / Free Agent / Rookie / Joseph / Walker It's not perfect. I think Rodrigo & Anzalone are still probably a bottom-16 pair of starting linebackers. In a league where offense wins championships though, I think it would be good enough to win quite a few games.

I think this is what made Houston so dangerous upon his arrival. Teams had grown accustomed to doubling Hutch and - if you successfully contain him - that being enough. The edge across from Hutch before Houston (whether an injured Harris, Austin Bryant, Julian Okwara, or someone else) were being successfully (and easily at times) managed by the opposite tackle. The introduction of a rookie who was playing like he was shot out of a cannon threw off the entire game plan against the Lions pash rush. Whether Houston can sustain that success or not, the defense would greatly benefit from the introduction of another edge this offseason. Two quality rushers on every down makes both that edge and Hutch better.

Gross.

It's a good thing, but I also think it makes a lot of sense for those three to have a strong desire to return. They are all guys whose career has been made or resurrected in Detroit. Cominsky was released by the Falcons and found his niche as a situational lineman here. Anzalone is a pretty lousy linebacker as far as NFL starters go, but is a really strong leader on this defense and in the locker room. Buggs is a 6th rounder who was released by two teams before finding his role in Glenn's defense. None of them are as likely to find that kind of organizational fit elsewhere at this point in their career. It's also a real possibility that some of them don't make the 53-man after the draft and free agency, whether in Detroit or elsewhere. Much more likely they make it in Detroit than elsewhere though. It would mean a bit more if it was Jamaal Williams or DJ Chark to say they'll re-sign for less (though the former has kind of insinuated such).

I don't have cable, let alone whatever nonsense package or stream is required to watch games nowadays. Getting a chance to listen to this one tonight. Funny to hear this Phoenix Arizona crowd (if the 5,000 can even be called that) get much louder for Wings goals than their own. Also getting to listen to the Wings choke this one from a 1-1 tie to a 3-1 lead to a 3-3 tie against a terrible team in the span of like ten minutes.

I knew that much from watching TCU give up 110 points in the CFP this year!

Per reporting, it's the UMPD investigating (which seems to be very busy lately), not the FBI, Washtenaw County Sheriff, or AAPD, which is probably an encouraging sign for Weiss as to the severity of whatever he's accused of doing. I can't imagine UMPD has a devoted computer crimes division and I would think they would pass along or coordinate high crime investigations of that sort to larger departments. Maybe not but just my thought. "Computer access crime" could be literally anything though. Using someone else's account without their permission... Hacking university files/databases... Crypto-mining, as was mentioned... Telling DoorDash that your order didn't arrive when it actually did... Literally anything.

Can't spell "Michigan Football Scandal JHruh" without Jim Harbaugh.