The Detroit Lions pounded on the Denver Broncos for a 45-10 win in Denver Colorado. The strange thing is, the game was never as close as the score makes it out to be.
The Broncos drove down the field quickly on their first possession and started the game off with a field goal and a 3-0 lead. After that it was all Lions. 45 unanswered points later, Matthew Stafford was taken out of the game after completing 70% of his 30 attempts for 267 yards and 3 touchdowns. Denver finally scored again once the Lions were in the prevent defense and that was all she wrote.
Maurice Morris ran well again as he gained 58 yards on 13 carries and a TD. Though his longest run from scrimmage was only 12 yards, he was consistent and steady enough to keep Denver's defense honest.
Calvin Johnson was Megatron as always, as he pulled in 6 catches for 125 yards and a touchdown. On the other hand, there was a true Titus sighting as the rookie receiver had 4 grabs for 66 yards and his first NFL touchdown. Staffords other TD came in the way of a 1 yard touchdown pass to Tight End Tony Scheffler, who also helped out on another reception that was filled with acrobatics and concentration. Scheffler had to go up for the ball and fight for it and the ball bounced away. Never taking his eyes from the ball, Tony spun, hopped and reached to bring it in off balance, just before taking a big hit.
The offensive line did an admiral job in giving up only 2 sacks and keeping the pressure off of Stafford for most of the game.
The Lions Defense had one of their better games in Detroit history as they truly shut down the Broncos after their first drive right until they went into the prevent defense in the fourth quarter. The Broncos had a total of 195 yards rushing, but the stats are misleading. When you consider that 50 yards of it came in Denver's first drive and another 46 came in their last two drives with the Lions in prevent, it really comes down to the Lions only gave up another 99 yards rushing throughout the entire rest of the game. Mix that with the fact the Lions only allowed 172 passing yards, of which 85 came in those last two drives with the Lions in prevent, well, let me put it this way....
The Broncos had one decent drive to start the game before the Lions put on the clamps. After that first drive, up until the Lions went into the prevent defense, the Broncos had only 73 yards passing and 99 yards rushing.
In the game, the Lions defense sacked Tim Tebow a total of 7 times, recovered 2 fumbles and Chris Houston had one of two Lions defensive touchdowns with his 100 yard interception return.
Showing posts with label Maurice Morris. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Maurice Morris. Show all posts
10/30/11
1/20/10
Detroit Lions in Review - Running Backs
This is one area that absolutely needs to be addressed. Whether it is in the draft, free agency or trading, the Detroit Lions need to improve at the running back position.
Kevin Smith is simply no better than an average player at this position. After 29 games and 455 carries, Smith has only broken a run for over 32 yards once. It was a fifty yard scramble and he was caught from behind, keeping him from scoring a touchdown. Only one carry for over 32 yards! Kevin Smith is not big enough to be a bruising back who drags defenders for the extra yards and he just does not have the extra gear to break away for long runs. In other words, when he is in the game, the defenses do not worry about him. Grade = ( D )
Maurice Morris is not much better than Kevin Smith in this area. Many fans will look at how well he played after Smith went down with the injury and think he can be a good running back. Don't be fooled, he is nothing better than average himself. Maurice did have one very good run where he broke away for a 64 yard touchdown. Keep in mind however that other than that one long break away, Morris did not have another run for more than 16 yards in his other 92 carries. Grade = ( C- )
The Lions do have one speedy running back in Aaron Brown, but for some reason I have not begun to understand, Schwartz did not feel the need to give him a chance. Every fan who watched the Lions could see their running backs are slow, but rather than give the speedy kid a chance, Schwartz kept him on the bench while he continued to play slower, less talented running backs. I know Brown did not do well as a return specialist, but that has nothing to do with playing running back. In his limited carries, Brown still had a better yards per carry average than the other running backs and he has good hands coming out of the back field. Grade = (inc.)
There is some talk of the Lions looking at taking a running back in the draft. The only way I would even consider this move is if they can get a running back with the entire package. Size, strength, good hands and most importantly, exceptional speed. The only reason I would even consider this is because the upcoming draft is supposed to be loaded with linemen, both offensive and defensive and they can take one player and still have time to take linemen. If the real deal is not available, they have to build the trenches up.
Overall Grade = ( D+ )
Kevin Smith is simply no better than an average player at this position. After 29 games and 455 carries, Smith has only broken a run for over 32 yards once. It was a fifty yard scramble and he was caught from behind, keeping him from scoring a touchdown. Only one carry for over 32 yards! Kevin Smith is not big enough to be a bruising back who drags defenders for the extra yards and he just does not have the extra gear to break away for long runs. In other words, when he is in the game, the defenses do not worry about him. Grade = ( D )
Maurice Morris is not much better than Kevin Smith in this area. Many fans will look at how well he played after Smith went down with the injury and think he can be a good running back. Don't be fooled, he is nothing better than average himself. Maurice did have one very good run where he broke away for a 64 yard touchdown. Keep in mind however that other than that one long break away, Morris did not have another run for more than 16 yards in his other 92 carries. Grade = ( C- )
The Lions do have one speedy running back in Aaron Brown, but for some reason I have not begun to understand, Schwartz did not feel the need to give him a chance. Every fan who watched the Lions could see their running backs are slow, but rather than give the speedy kid a chance, Schwartz kept him on the bench while he continued to play slower, less talented running backs. I know Brown did not do well as a return specialist, but that has nothing to do with playing running back. In his limited carries, Brown still had a better yards per carry average than the other running backs and he has good hands coming out of the back field. Grade = (inc.)
There is some talk of the Lions looking at taking a running back in the draft. The only way I would even consider this move is if they can get a running back with the entire package. Size, strength, good hands and most importantly, exceptional speed. The only reason I would even consider this is because the upcoming draft is supposed to be loaded with linemen, both offensive and defensive and they can take one player and still have time to take linemen. If the real deal is not available, they have to build the trenches up.
Overall Grade = ( D+ )
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