The 2010 season made it hard to give an honest review of the Detroit Lions running backs. For most of the season the Lions running game was non-existent, and yet, there were some extraneous circumstances to say the least. The best I can do is give the good and bad of each player.
Jahvid Best:
The Detroit Lions traded with the Vikings to move back into the first round and take Best with their second 1st round pick of the 2010 draft. He showed some flashes of what he can be but suffering two turf toe injuries held him down. When healthy, Best has extreme speed as well as great shiftiness with decent vision to help him escape tackles.
Many fans believe Best is better off being used like a Reggie Bush type of player. Those analogies come from the fact he was injured and not being the prototypical size for a running back. I for one, am not one of those believers. If you look back through the best running backs in history, many of them are the 195 to 205 pound speedy and shifty kind of players.
If Best can stay healthy, he can be an every down starter, but he will be dependent on the Lions willingness to throw the ball down field. He needs the defense to be on their heels to give him that little extra running room. But then, every running back needs that.
Kevin Smith:
He looked like he might be a decent running back in his rookie season but has not shown that since. A lot of fans like him. They believe he is a great compliment to Jahvid Best. I don't see it. Smith has mediocre speed, and mid level running power. He has very good vision and is a good blocking back, but those two things without speed or power are nothing to get excited about. In no way is he a threat to a defense. He simply cannot break away for a long touchdown and he will not break many tackles either. Pile his inability to stay healthy on top of that and he becomes the least valuable running back on the team.
Smith is an average running back who is injury prone. Not something the Lions should be spending a roster spot on.
Maurice Morris:
Morris reminds me of Thomas Jones but just not as good. He is the kind of running back who always seems to play well when given a chance to carry the load, but nobody ever wants to let him continue to carry the load. When Smith went down in 2009, Morris came in and played well. When Best and Smith were injured in 2010? Morris came in and had some of the best running games of the season for the Lions. Yet most fans see Best and Smith as the top running backs again for 2011.
Maurice Morris runs north and south and runs with above average power. He is not extremely shifty, but he has the ability to hit the hole on the run and burst through it. He would make an outstanding backup running back to give Best a break when he needs it. Unfortunately the Thomas Jones in him will relegate him to third string while a player with lesser talent and injury prone is placed above him.
Aaron Brown:
When he gets the chance, he often makes decent yardage, but he lacks vision and patience. Brown runs hard and goes all out to get yardage, but he does not change directions to hit open field or make players miss. He is a bee line runner who lets his speed get as many yards as possible before he runs into a defensive player.
Jerome Felton:
Listed as a full back, Felton is more of a large running back, and though the fans seem to like him, he is really wasting a spot on the roster. The Lions need a fullback who can lead block and blow the linebackers or safeties out of the holes to free Best for longer gains. Something Felton is not very strong at. It is rare the Lions will use him to lead block and instead, he is often used to run the ball. Yet he does not run with any true power. I have never heard any player comment on how he hates to run into Felton.
Felton is a big running back who runs with more power than anyone else on the Lions roster, but not with a lot of power in comparison to other fullbacks in the league. The Lions would be better of acquiring a fullback who hits like a train.
Stefan Logan:
In Logan, the Lions may just have a very special player, but they don't seem to realize just how special. They see him as a great return man who can come in and give an odd play here and there. In the CFL, Logan had over 7 yards per carry and his ability has shone through in his limited chances with the Lions. In 2010 he only had 15 carries but gained 93 yards for 6.3 yards per carry. This coming in a season when the Lions running backs had very little room.
Logan has great speed, is extremely quick and shifty and is the rare case where his lack of size is actually a good thing. He is only 5' 6" tall and 190 lbs. That small size allows him to get lost behind the big guys battling in the trenches and the linebackers and safeties have a hard time following him. If the Lions would use him more, he may just show what he can do.
2011 Outlook:
Likely the RB situation will be the same as 2010, with Best and Smith leading the troops and Morris and Felton backing them up. Brown may make the roster another year but likely it would be his last.
If I had it my way however, I would see Best as the starter and Morris as the backup and Brown and Felton holding down the reserves. I would try to get anything I can for Smith and I would work Logan much more into the picture than he was last year. I would even like to see some two RB sets with Best and Logan together. I would be rid of Smith and maybe even Brown and look to sign a true fullback.
The running game will really depend on the passing game however. If the Lions will throw down field and force the defense to back off a little, the RBs will find more room. If Stafford gets hurt again however, and Hill becomes the starter? The Lions will once again find themselves without a running game because Hill tends to never throw the ball more than 7 yards deep.
1/30/11
Lions Post 2010 - Quarterbacks
Matthew Stafford:
After playing in only three games in 2010 (finishing only one of them), Stafford now has only played in 13 of a possible 32 games in his NFL career. Yet, in these three games this year, he showed us some signs of what kind of quarterback he can become if he can stay healthy. Stafford completed 57 of 96 pass attempts for 535 yards while throwing 6 touchdowns and only one pick. In a 16 game season (if he could stay healthy) that would equal out to be 304 of 512 attempts, 2,853 yards, 32 TDs, and 5 interceptions. The yardage and completion % would only be decent but the 32 TDs to 5 picks would be outstanding. With a full season of staying healthy, he would definitely be a quality starting quarterback and possibly a true star in the future.
Shaun Hill:
Many fans look at the last two victories and think Hill is a good quarterback. I look at the entire season and believe he is not. Don't get me wrong. I believe Hill has the ability to be a solid starting quarterback in the NFL. He can read defenses well, he has decent accuracy and he has a stronger arm than most fans give him credit for. My problem with Shaun Hill is not his talent, but his mentality.
Take a look at his play in most games of 2010. Almost consistently, Hill would come out and throw down field in the first drive and sometimes the second drive as well. Those are the scripted plays the coordinator planned for that opponent specifically. After the first two drives, Hill would become an extremely conservative quarterback. He would only throw down field if the receiver was wide open, refusing to take a chance on a single covered Calvin Johnson. If the receiver was even close to covered, Hill would check down and throw a short pass. It was very rare that Hill would throw the ball more than 10 yards in the air. When the fourth quarter came along and the Lions were behind and forced to go into catch up mode, The defenses would also go into prevent mode and leave the receivers open for short to mid range passes, making sure they didnt get beat deep. With the receiver more open, Hill would start throwing down field again.
If Hill would be more agressive throughout the game, he could be a much more dangerous quarterback, but his conservative play continues to hurt the team rather than help it. If a quarterback will not throw the ball more than seven yards, the defense does not need to fear being beaten deep, so the linebackers and safeties will cheat in and guard against the short routes. With the defense in tight, the running backs have less room to run. Hill has all the ability to be a good QB, but his conservative mentality hurts his offense and for this reason he is the last quarterback I would want to see on the field for the Lions if Stafford gets injured again.
Drew Stanton:
Most fans did not like him. Following the Lions forums, most fans seem to think he was a horrible quarterback. In three starts in 2010, Stanton completed 58% of his passes for 780 yards, 4 TDs and 3 picks. The numbers were nothing more than decent at best, but there are a few things that made him a worthy quarterback on the field. 1)- The biggest compliment I can give him is that he showed he is a gamer. In the Green Bay game, both offenses were horrid. The Lions were down in the 4th quarter and neither team could move the ball. In crunch time, when the game was on the line, Stanton did not give up and he was not overwhelmed. He pulled himself together, made some down field passes, extended the drive with his legs when he needed to and brought the Lions back for a come from behind victory. In his three starts, Stanton had two wins, both voctories coming when he made late drives to win in the last minutes. He is not a star quality quarterback, but he is a QB who, when the game is on the line, he plays at his best. 2)- His legs. Stanton wants to make plays in the air if he can, but when he needs to, he has very good running abilities and is a threat to any defense because of that. 3)- Stanton is not afraid to throw down field. He is not very accurate, but the simple threat that he "will" go deep forces defenses to respect the deeper pass.
Between his willingness to throw deep and his ability to run with the ball, Stanton forces the defense to step back and worry whether he will throw deep, run with the ball or hand it off. Because a defense does not know which is coming, the running backs often have more room to run.
2011 Outlook:
Right now Stafford is the guy. The Lions believe he can come back and stay healthy. After surgery, he very well could do just that. IF he stays healthy there are no worries at quarterback. However, if Stafford falls again, the Lions are once again in trouble. It is questionable whether Stanton will return and Hill (who is already signed) will lose too many games because he is not willing to throw down field enough to be a passing threat. He will allow the opponents to stay in the game rather than put them away.
Because of the questionable health risks of Stafford, the Lions need to prepare for the possibility of life without him. Their best move would be to spend a mid to late round pick in the draft on a QB who has a strong arm, has poise and is accurate but may need some developmental time to reach his potential.
After playing in only three games in 2010 (finishing only one of them), Stafford now has only played in 13 of a possible 32 games in his NFL career. Yet, in these three games this year, he showed us some signs of what kind of quarterback he can become if he can stay healthy. Stafford completed 57 of 96 pass attempts for 535 yards while throwing 6 touchdowns and only one pick. In a 16 game season (if he could stay healthy) that would equal out to be 304 of 512 attempts, 2,853 yards, 32 TDs, and 5 interceptions. The yardage and completion % would only be decent but the 32 TDs to 5 picks would be outstanding. With a full season of staying healthy, he would definitely be a quality starting quarterback and possibly a true star in the future.
Shaun Hill:
Many fans look at the last two victories and think Hill is a good quarterback. I look at the entire season and believe he is not. Don't get me wrong. I believe Hill has the ability to be a solid starting quarterback in the NFL. He can read defenses well, he has decent accuracy and he has a stronger arm than most fans give him credit for. My problem with Shaun Hill is not his talent, but his mentality.
Take a look at his play in most games of 2010. Almost consistently, Hill would come out and throw down field in the first drive and sometimes the second drive as well. Those are the scripted plays the coordinator planned for that opponent specifically. After the first two drives, Hill would become an extremely conservative quarterback. He would only throw down field if the receiver was wide open, refusing to take a chance on a single covered Calvin Johnson. If the receiver was even close to covered, Hill would check down and throw a short pass. It was very rare that Hill would throw the ball more than 10 yards in the air. When the fourth quarter came along and the Lions were behind and forced to go into catch up mode, The defenses would also go into prevent mode and leave the receivers open for short to mid range passes, making sure they didnt get beat deep. With the receiver more open, Hill would start throwing down field again.
If Hill would be more agressive throughout the game, he could be a much more dangerous quarterback, but his conservative play continues to hurt the team rather than help it. If a quarterback will not throw the ball more than seven yards, the defense does not need to fear being beaten deep, so the linebackers and safeties will cheat in and guard against the short routes. With the defense in tight, the running backs have less room to run. Hill has all the ability to be a good QB, but his conservative mentality hurts his offense and for this reason he is the last quarterback I would want to see on the field for the Lions if Stafford gets injured again.
Drew Stanton:
Most fans did not like him. Following the Lions forums, most fans seem to think he was a horrible quarterback. In three starts in 2010, Stanton completed 58% of his passes for 780 yards, 4 TDs and 3 picks. The numbers were nothing more than decent at best, but there are a few things that made him a worthy quarterback on the field. 1)- The biggest compliment I can give him is that he showed he is a gamer. In the Green Bay game, both offenses were horrid. The Lions were down in the 4th quarter and neither team could move the ball. In crunch time, when the game was on the line, Stanton did not give up and he was not overwhelmed. He pulled himself together, made some down field passes, extended the drive with his legs when he needed to and brought the Lions back for a come from behind victory. In his three starts, Stanton had two wins, both voctories coming when he made late drives to win in the last minutes. He is not a star quality quarterback, but he is a QB who, when the game is on the line, he plays at his best. 2)- His legs. Stanton wants to make plays in the air if he can, but when he needs to, he has very good running abilities and is a threat to any defense because of that. 3)- Stanton is not afraid to throw down field. He is not very accurate, but the simple threat that he "will" go deep forces defenses to respect the deeper pass.
Between his willingness to throw deep and his ability to run with the ball, Stanton forces the defense to step back and worry whether he will throw deep, run with the ball or hand it off. Because a defense does not know which is coming, the running backs often have more room to run.
2011 Outlook:
Right now Stafford is the guy. The Lions believe he can come back and stay healthy. After surgery, he very well could do just that. IF he stays healthy there are no worries at quarterback. However, if Stafford falls again, the Lions are once again in trouble. It is questionable whether Stanton will return and Hill (who is already signed) will lose too many games because he is not willing to throw down field enough to be a passing threat. He will allow the opponents to stay in the game rather than put them away.
Because of the questionable health risks of Stafford, the Lions need to prepare for the possibility of life without him. Their best move would be to spend a mid to late round pick in the draft on a QB who has a strong arm, has poise and is accurate but may need some developmental time to reach his potential.
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