The Detroit Lions will host the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, and this game is anyone's guess! Yes I know many fans will say the Lions are going to crush them. Let me fill you in a little secret. The Vikings fans are saying they will do the same to us.
On paper, this is the Lions 2nd victory. Looking at the talent level across the board, this is a Detroit win. But if you look at the entire scope of the game, the Lions may be in for some big trouble.
Detroit is 1-2, while the Vikings are 2-1. Yes the Vikings beat the Jaguars, who pretty much stink, but they also beat the 49ers. Something the Lions could not do. Yet the Lions have lost to the Titans who really are not very good.
You have faith in Stafford and Calvin and the rest do you? You remember the vast amount of points the Lions scored last year and the yards Stafford threw for? Do you remember the Lions offense stumbling along in the first half so often last year too? They are making the same mistakes and this year are not making the great come backs.
The Lions have faced Bradford, Smith, and Locker. Do you list any of them as great QBs? How about really good quarterbacks? I dont. Locker has the ability to become a great QB, but in his first season as a starter, he is decent at best. Yet all three of these QBs have completed over 60% of their passes against the Lions. Ponder this year, has completed 70% of his passes. He will likely only improve that stat against the Lions secondary.
The Lions should win this one. But that will depend solely on the coaches. Linehan will need to have one of his two or three games a year where he actually calls a good game. If he waits until the second half yet again, to get the ball moving down field, the Lions wont come from behind to win. Ponder and company are playing too well right now and the Lions secondary is so scary bad, the Lions could find themselves in a deep hole and not make it back out. But if the Lions try to help their talent deprived secondary too much, Adrian Peterson will have a field day.
Linehan needs to understand that it is the passing game this team is built around. They have needed a good running game in a bad way, but not to run first to set up the pass. They needed a run game to keep defenses honest. To extend drives on 3rd and short. If he tries to be a run first team yet again, with an under powered center and no run blocker, and Stafford continues to throw 3 yard outs and not down field, the Lions will lose this game before they ever get in it.
Lions should win this contest, 30-27, but it would not surprise me if they lose by a touchdown either.
Showing posts with label 2012 Pregame. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2012 Pregame. Show all posts
9/28/12
9/13/12
Lions vs 49ers Pregame
The Detroit Lions go on the road in the 2nd week of the season and will face the San Francisco 49ers at 8:20 PM on Sunday Night Football. And this could get interesting!
Jim Schwartz will tell us the "Hand Shake" from last year is over and done and has no part in this game. The players will say that it means nothing to them this week. Don't you believe it! Schwartz is a fiery guy and has a lot of pride. He was bothered by the way Jim Harbaugh shoved him out of the way at the end of the game last year. There is no way anyone can tell me that Schwartz was not upset over losing to them and that rough dismissal by Harbaugh was seen as rubbing salt in the wounds. What Harbaugh did was unsportssman like, unprofessional, and uncalled for. And Jim Schwartz remembers it clearly.
Some are sick of hearing about the handshake. I see it differently. I see it as the beginning to a beautiful rivalry. And lets face the facts. There is nothing more sacred in sports than a good old fashion rivalry! If it is a rivalry you want, then there is one thing that will feed it beyond any article we write. A Lions victory would fuel it more than anything else. If the 49ers win, they will have won two games in a row and would easily be able to dismiss the Lions as worthy rivals. The Lions fans would hate the 49ers for beating them twice in a row, but it takes two to have a good rivalry. I Lions victory however, would be like a little payback medicine and both teams would be even in the matches. They would be even because the games between the two teams would not count from years before. They werent played between these two coaches. But the big question is, how can the Lions beat the 49ers?
A tough question. The Lions lost last years match-upin Detroit. This year they play in San Francisco. This has to be an advantage for the 49ers. In the off-season it has been very debatable whether the Lions have improved or gotten worse as they only added depth and watched their secondary get worse. There is no doubt the 49ers have gotten stronger by adding good players and filling holes. The 49ers beat the Packers last week while the Lions barely escaped with a win against the lowly Rams! All strong points for why the Lions cant beat the 49ers this coming Sunday night! But as they say... "That is why they play the game!" Because however sure you are the Lions will lose to the 49ers, there are actually reasons to believe the Lions can win!
The Lions offense has gotten better! Forget the three picks by Stafford in the first half last week. Stuff happens and that was one of those things you wont see repeated very often. Stafford is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL and he has one of the best receivers in the history of the game to throw the ball to. Toss in the likes of Burleson, Young, Broyles, and Pettigrew and the Lions receiving core is about as good as it gets. Where they have improved however, is the running game. The Lions have actually shown they can run block some. Personally I think it was a bad case of bad D-line that allowed the Lions to run the ball, but it doesnt matter. The fact is, the Lions ran the ball last week, and that means the 49ers defense will have to show it some respect.
More importantly, the reason the Lions can win this game is not the great offense they have, but on the defensive side of the ball. Everyone knows the Lions weakness is in their secondary. A good QB with good WR's will destroy them this year. Thankfully the 49ers do not have the good quarterback. Even if you are a 49ers fan, you have to admit that the 49ers dont look to beat teams with their great passing game. They look to win games with their great defense and their running game! Against the Packers, the 49ers ran the ball 32 times and passed it only 26 times. That plays right into the Lions hands.
Frank Gore ran mad on the Lions in 2011, but Detroit has made some adjustments since then. Last week against the Rams, the Lions never allowed Steven Jackson to break free as they kept him contained all game. They are better against the run this year and Gore will not have the kind of game he had last year. The Lions will force the 49ers to air it out if they want to move the ball. This does two things.
One- It means the Lions terrible secondary will have to play well to keep the 49ers from taking advantage of them. That might be asking a lot.
Two- It means the Lions will come hard after Alex Smith. And this year, Smith will not be facing a team with players like Suh struggling to keep his head on straight, or Fairley hampered by injury. Smith will face a tougher pass rush than last year.
So the question really comes down to this. Who has the better advantage. Alex Smith over the Lions secondary, or Stafford and company over the 49ers secondary? And that my friends is a much closer match than most might be willing to give the Lions credit for.
Do I believe the Lions will win? Honestly? No! But I believe they can win and for these exact reasons. This game is no sure win for the 49ers. It should be a much closer match-up than expected. It might end up being the Lions biggest victory this year.
Lions 27
49ers 30
But don't bet on that!
Jim Schwartz will tell us the "Hand Shake" from last year is over and done and has no part in this game. The players will say that it means nothing to them this week. Don't you believe it! Schwartz is a fiery guy and has a lot of pride. He was bothered by the way Jim Harbaugh shoved him out of the way at the end of the game last year. There is no way anyone can tell me that Schwartz was not upset over losing to them and that rough dismissal by Harbaugh was seen as rubbing salt in the wounds. What Harbaugh did was unsportssman like, unprofessional, and uncalled for. And Jim Schwartz remembers it clearly.
Some are sick of hearing about the handshake. I see it differently. I see it as the beginning to a beautiful rivalry. And lets face the facts. There is nothing more sacred in sports than a good old fashion rivalry! If it is a rivalry you want, then there is one thing that will feed it beyond any article we write. A Lions victory would fuel it more than anything else. If the 49ers win, they will have won two games in a row and would easily be able to dismiss the Lions as worthy rivals. The Lions fans would hate the 49ers for beating them twice in a row, but it takes two to have a good rivalry. I Lions victory however, would be like a little payback medicine and both teams would be even in the matches. They would be even because the games between the two teams would not count from years before. They werent played between these two coaches. But the big question is, how can the Lions beat the 49ers?
A tough question. The Lions lost last years match-upin Detroit. This year they play in San Francisco. This has to be an advantage for the 49ers. In the off-season it has been very debatable whether the Lions have improved or gotten worse as they only added depth and watched their secondary get worse. There is no doubt the 49ers have gotten stronger by adding good players and filling holes. The 49ers beat the Packers last week while the Lions barely escaped with a win against the lowly Rams! All strong points for why the Lions cant beat the 49ers this coming Sunday night! But as they say... "That is why they play the game!" Because however sure you are the Lions will lose to the 49ers, there are actually reasons to believe the Lions can win!
The Lions offense has gotten better! Forget the three picks by Stafford in the first half last week. Stuff happens and that was one of those things you wont see repeated very often. Stafford is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL and he has one of the best receivers in the history of the game to throw the ball to. Toss in the likes of Burleson, Young, Broyles, and Pettigrew and the Lions receiving core is about as good as it gets. Where they have improved however, is the running game. The Lions have actually shown they can run block some. Personally I think it was a bad case of bad D-line that allowed the Lions to run the ball, but it doesnt matter. The fact is, the Lions ran the ball last week, and that means the 49ers defense will have to show it some respect.
More importantly, the reason the Lions can win this game is not the great offense they have, but on the defensive side of the ball. Everyone knows the Lions weakness is in their secondary. A good QB with good WR's will destroy them this year. Thankfully the 49ers do not have the good quarterback. Even if you are a 49ers fan, you have to admit that the 49ers dont look to beat teams with their great passing game. They look to win games with their great defense and their running game! Against the Packers, the 49ers ran the ball 32 times and passed it only 26 times. That plays right into the Lions hands.
Frank Gore ran mad on the Lions in 2011, but Detroit has made some adjustments since then. Last week against the Rams, the Lions never allowed Steven Jackson to break free as they kept him contained all game. They are better against the run this year and Gore will not have the kind of game he had last year. The Lions will force the 49ers to air it out if they want to move the ball. This does two things.
One- It means the Lions terrible secondary will have to play well to keep the 49ers from taking advantage of them. That might be asking a lot.
Two- It means the Lions will come hard after Alex Smith. And this year, Smith will not be facing a team with players like Suh struggling to keep his head on straight, or Fairley hampered by injury. Smith will face a tougher pass rush than last year.
So the question really comes down to this. Who has the better advantage. Alex Smith over the Lions secondary, or Stafford and company over the 49ers secondary? And that my friends is a much closer match than most might be willing to give the Lions credit for.
Do I believe the Lions will win? Honestly? No! But I believe they can win and for these exact reasons. This game is no sure win for the 49ers. It should be a much closer match-up than expected. It might end up being the Lions biggest victory this year.
Lions 27
49ers 30
But don't bet on that!
9/7/12
Lions vs Rams Pre-game
As crazy as it sounds, the first game of the season could almost be labeled a "Must Win" for the Lions.
Let us not beat around the bush. The Rams this year, are not a good team. However high some thought of Bradford, he will never be near as good as Stafford is now, much less how good Stafford will be. The Rams lone bright star is their Running Back, Steven Jackson. Stop him and you virtually stop the Rams offense. On the other side of the ball, the Rams defense simply does not have a chance to stop the Lions high powered offense. The Lions will score points. This is not a game the Lions should lose, and a loss here would nearly be an early end to the Lions season.
Yes I know there are sixteen games in a season and one loss is not the end of the world. But one loss can be close to it in the NFL if it happens the right way.
Some say the Lions will win 10 games in 2012. There are many, like me, who predict a step back and a 9-7 season. Whatever you predict, everyone has the Lions beating the Rams. To lose this week, the Lions would be taking a loss where a sure win was expected, and those are not easy to make up for.
The Lions would have a bad loss to start the season and then have to go into San Francisco where they are expected by most to lose. If the Lions start the season off 0-2, I would almost be afraid to read the ensuing articles.
It is a good thing the Lions wont have to worry about that.
Stafford is one of the best QBs in the NFL. I dont care what the experts rank him. He is throwing to the absolute best WR in the NFL in Calvin Johnson. With good WR's like Titus Young, Nate Burleson, and Brandon Pettigrew also roaming the field, their is just too many good receivers for the Rams to cover. The Lions will be without their only true hope of a good running back this year, with LeShoure serving a two game suspension. They wont need him this week. The Rams defense just isnt good enough to stop the Lions passing game.
If there is a real reason to worry, it would be the Lions defense. I am not a believer that Bradford is good enough to win games that depend on his arm. But then again, he wont face too many secondaries as bad as Detroits. IF it comes down to a shootout, the Lions should still win, but if there is a way the Rams could possibly pull it out, thats how it would happen. If the Lions secondary cannot even stop Bradford, they will be in for a long year.
I am not even worried about it. Stafford will throw for over 250 yards and two touchdowns, and the Lions will get three sacks to start the season, 1-0.
Lions 27
Rams 17
Let us not beat around the bush. The Rams this year, are not a good team. However high some thought of Bradford, he will never be near as good as Stafford is now, much less how good Stafford will be. The Rams lone bright star is their Running Back, Steven Jackson. Stop him and you virtually stop the Rams offense. On the other side of the ball, the Rams defense simply does not have a chance to stop the Lions high powered offense. The Lions will score points. This is not a game the Lions should lose, and a loss here would nearly be an early end to the Lions season.
Yes I know there are sixteen games in a season and one loss is not the end of the world. But one loss can be close to it in the NFL if it happens the right way.
Some say the Lions will win 10 games in 2012. There are many, like me, who predict a step back and a 9-7 season. Whatever you predict, everyone has the Lions beating the Rams. To lose this week, the Lions would be taking a loss where a sure win was expected, and those are not easy to make up for.
The Lions would have a bad loss to start the season and then have to go into San Francisco where they are expected by most to lose. If the Lions start the season off 0-2, I would almost be afraid to read the ensuing articles.
It is a good thing the Lions wont have to worry about that.
Stafford is one of the best QBs in the NFL. I dont care what the experts rank him. He is throwing to the absolute best WR in the NFL in Calvin Johnson. With good WR's like Titus Young, Nate Burleson, and Brandon Pettigrew also roaming the field, their is just too many good receivers for the Rams to cover. The Lions will be without their only true hope of a good running back this year, with LeShoure serving a two game suspension. They wont need him this week. The Rams defense just isnt good enough to stop the Lions passing game.
If there is a real reason to worry, it would be the Lions defense. I am not a believer that Bradford is good enough to win games that depend on his arm. But then again, he wont face too many secondaries as bad as Detroits. IF it comes down to a shootout, the Lions should still win, but if there is a way the Rams could possibly pull it out, thats how it would happen. If the Lions secondary cannot even stop Bradford, they will be in for a long year.
I am not even worried about it. Stafford will throw for over 250 yards and two touchdowns, and the Lions will get three sacks to start the season, 1-0.
Lions 27
Rams 17
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
