Lions face opportunity, NFL power rankings and injury updates
The Detroit Lions have their best opportunity to make noise in the NFC since drafting Matthew Stafford. Can the Motown gang take advantage of it?
In 2009, the Detroit Lions were coming off an 0-16 season. They finally bottomed out after a decade of utter ineptitude. With the first pick in that spring’s draft, Detroit selected Matthew Stafford, a rocket-armed quarterback from the University of Georgia.
The idea was that Stafford’s talent would pair with Calvin Johnson to lead Detroit out of the doldrums. Going into Stafford’s ninth season, the Lions are still waiting for their first postseason win since 1991. This year represents their best chance to attain one since going winless 10 campaigns ago.
Still, Detroit has much to prove before it can cash in on promise and potential, something long unfulfilled.
This offseason, the Lions had a strong showing. They replaced guard Larry Warford and tackle Riley Reiff with T.J. Lang and Ricky Wagner, respectively. Both represent an upgrade for a unit that desperately needed one. With second-year man Taylor Decker on the left side, Stafford should enjoy the best protection of his career.
Defensively, Detroit general manager Bob Quinn signed Paul Worrilow and drafted Jarrad Davis to bolster the linebacking corps. Alongside Tahir Whitehead, and behind Ezekiel Ansah and A’Shawn Robinson, the Lions have a powerful front seven. This to aid a quality secondary which includes Darius Slay and Glover Quin.
Yet issues remain on the home front. The running game has been a mess for years in Detroit, as one back after the next has gone by the wayside. Since Stafford’s arrival in 2009, only Reggie Bush churned out 1,000 rushing yards, doing so in 2013. Last year, Theo Riddick led the Lions with 357 ground yards, the fewest of any team leader. In Stafford’s eight seasons, Detroit has produced seven different single-season rushing yard leaders. Only Jahvid Best repeated, and he gained just 945 yards — combined — in those two years.
Quinn didn’t solve that problem this year, despite having both Dalvin Cook and Joe Mixon available in the first round. Detroit will once more be relying on a running back by committee approach with Zach Zenner, Ameer Abdullah and Riddick. If the Lions have designs of winning in January, they must rank better than 28th in rushing yards, something they haven’t done since 2013. Detroit has not ranked in the top half of rushing yardage in the Stafford era.
“It’s not for a lack of trying,” said Dave Birkett, the Lions beat writer at the Detroit Free Press since 2010. “They just haven’t made the right decisions.”
Then there is the unanswered question of Stafford’s true worth. At 29 years old, he has already thrown for 30,000 yards and 187 touchdowns, putting him on track for Hall of Fame numbers. Yet his 0-3 postseason record and failure to win a single division title haunts. For now, Stafford is today’s version of Jim Hart. The statistics are shiny, but the accomplishments are few.
Over the last six seasons, Detroit has a regular-season record 48-48 with three playoff appearances. Throughout that span, Stafford and the Lions are 5-32 and opponents that reached the playoffs later that year.
“Most Lions fans are realistic about Stafford,” Birkett said. “He’s not a top five quarterback but he’s done some really good things. The Lions have a better quarterback situation than most.”
Detroit has been the epitome of average, often despite above-average talent on the roster.
Still, for all their problems in the past and potential pitfalls in 2017, there is reason to believe this season will be different. Chief among them is the NFC North, which appeared to be a burgeoning powerhouse only a few years ago, but has devolved into a group of the lousy Chicago Bears and three teams that elicit wide-ranging opinions.
The Minnesota Vikings have serious offensive issues, with the lack of a single top-end playmaker. There are also questions about whether Teddy Bridgewater will even play again after suffering a non-contact leg injury last offseason. Minnesota’s defense can win games by itself, but the unit wore down last year as a 5-0 start turned into an 8-8 finish.
While the Green Bay Packers remain top dog, they also have significant issues. Aaron Rodgers is arguably the league’s best player at the sport’s premier position, but the supporting cast has eroded.
The offense is talented with Randall Cobb, Martellus Bennett and Jordy Nelson, but the line took a hit with the departures of Lang and center JC Tretter. Defensively, Green Bay general manager Ted Thompson allowed Swiss army knife Micah Hyde to leave for Buffalo. Julius Peppers also departed, while a porous secondary went without repair.
If there is ever a year for the Lions to overtake a flawed Packers team, this is it.
Power rankings
Top 10 coaches on the hot seat for 2017
1. Todd Bowles, New York Jets
2. Chuck Pagano, Indianapois Colts
3. John Fox, Chicago Bears
4. Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati Bengals
5. Jim Caldwell, Detroit Lions
6. Jay Gruden, Washington Redskins
7. Bill O’Brien, Houston Texans
8. Doug Pederson, Philadelphia Eagles
9. Mike Zimmer, Minnesota Vikings
10. Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints
Quotable
"“Yeah, they are still having a hangover from two years ago if you can believe it or not about losing that Super Bowl in the last minute with the interception on the 1-yard line. And with a lot of guys, it just kind of rubbed them the wrong way and they just haven’t gotten over it. This team will not be able to move on and really do what they want to do which is win another Super Bowl unless they can somehow put that behind them. There are certain guys on the team that just haven’t been able to do that and until they are able to do that they are going to continue to keep having a very good football team but a team that is going to probably come up short of there goals because of not being able to let go of the past and letting those things become a hindrance to their success.”"
– Warren Moon, Seahawks commentator and Hall of Fame quarterback, on team’s mindset
The Seahawks suffered a heartbreaking loss in Super Bowl XLIX against the New England Patriots, but they need to move on. Richard Sherman is reportedly still bitter toward Russell Wilson over Wilson’s game-ending interception, and it’s both short-sighted and petty.
Seattle had a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter, but the defense did nothing to stop Tom Brady and Co. roll down the field for two touchdowns. Yes, Wilson made a horrific throw. But Wilson didn’t call the play or give up 14 points in the final quarter.
If the Seahawks plan on dethroning the Falcons in the NFC, let alone become better than the Cowboys and Packers, they need to forget the past.
Random stat
Over the past two seasons, Derek Carr and the Oakland Raiders are 2-10 against playoff teams. They beat the Denver Broncos in 2015 and the Houston Texans last season, both quarterbacked by Brock Osweiler.
Info learned this week
1. Ravens sustain tough injuries
Every year, a team loses an important piece to its puzzle in OTAs. This spring, it was the Baltimore Ravens who watched corner Tavon Young sustain a torn ACL, ending his season. Young was going into his second season as the starting slot corner for Baltimore.
Then, a day later, it was tight end Dennis Pitta who re-injured his hip, going down for the third time in four seasons. With a dislocated hip confirmed, Pitta’s career is potentially over a year after he led the Ravens with 86 receptions.
Without Young and Pitta, Baltimore faces an even tougher challenge to reach the postseason. The Ravens are already trying to recover from the retirements of Zachary Orr and Steve Smith Sr., along with the free agency departures of Ricky Wagner and Elvis Dumervil.
2. Rams not committed early to Goff
The Los Angeles Rams were dreadful last year, and it brought wholesale changes to the coaching staff. First-year head coach Sean McVay is shaking things up, starting early with the declaration that Jared Goff will have to earn his starting job back after a rough rookie season.
Goff was brutal, throwing five touchdowns against seven interceptions while completing 54.6 percent of his throws. Still, to open up the competition so early when a first-overall pick is involved? McVay clearly wants to cause a disturbance. Considering the Rams haven’t made the playoffs in over a decade, it might be a smart move by the young coach.
3. Stars missing OTAs, but not a concern for teams
The OTAs are voluntary around the league, per CBA compliance, and some players have decided to stay home. Among the notable are Odell Beckham of the New York Giants, Justin Houston, Marcus Peters and Eric Berry of the Kansas City Chiefs, Le’Veon Bell of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Melvin Ingram of the Los Angeles Chargers.
While some fans are worried, they needn’t be. Bell and Ingram are on the franchise tag, and are likely to hold out for leverage until either long-term deals come, or we hit the latter stages of training camp. In Kansas City’s case, it appears Houston and Berry are staying in fine shape, while Peters is likely readying for a third All-Pro season in as many years.
Beckham’s absence is the most high-profile, mostly because he’s spending it with Johnny Manziel. It also comes on the heels of his partyboat excursion the week of a playoff game — that the Giants lost. Still, Beckham will be there when it counts, and for now, that’s all New York should care about.
4. Should Broncos worry about Paxton Lynch?
It’s June, but there is already some talk about whether the Denver Broncos will be able to start Paxton Lynch come September. The former first-round pick is in a quarterback battle with Trevor Siemian for the first-string spot, and if Will Parks’ Snapchat leak is any indication, Siemian might have the upper hand.
On team footage, we see Lynch throw two horrible passes in OTAs last week. One was far in front of his target, while the second was woefully late and behind the receiver. It’s only two throws, and Lynch theoretically may have been phenomenal the rest of the week. There’s a long way until Week 1, but if Lynch winds out losing the battle to a bottom-tier starter in Siemian, the Broncos have to start worrying.
5. Browns seeing pattern with Coleman?
The Cleveland Browns are trying to improve, but they need some better luck to do so. In OTAs last week, second-year receiver Corey Coleman fell on a football and is now likely out until training camp. Coleman, who was hurt throughout last summer and was then limited to 10 games in the regular season. Additionally, Coleman is hampered by a hamstring issue.
The Browns have been stockpiling picks for years, but the rewards are yet to show themselves. Cleveland did a nice job this offseason, upgrading the offensive line and taking the consensus top player in the draft, Myles Garrett. Still, Coleman’s injury has to be troubling, as it is forming a pattern.
History lesson
In 1982, the NFL saw its longest in-season labor disruption. Due to a players strike, the regular shortened from 16 games to nine. That year, the defending champion San Francisco 49ers finished 3-6, their last losing season until 1999.
Meanwhile, the postseason was expanded from the then 10-team format to an NBA/NHL system of 16 qualifiers, with eight from each conference. Additionally, the seeding was only determined by record, not division winners and so forth.
The result was a gaggle of a few franchises making unlikely appearances. The St. Louis Cardinals reached the playoffs for the first time since 1975 and wouldn’t get back until 1998. Green Bay also made its only postseason appearance between 1973-92, ironically beating the Cardinals before losing to the Cowboys. In Tampa Bay, the Buccaneers would see the playoffs for the last time until 1997, but were beaten by Dallas in the First Round.
Detroit made the dance for the first time since 1970 as an eighth seed, but fell to the Redskins. The season would end up with Washington defeating the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl XVII.
A little-known fact of that ’82 season centers around the Baltimore Colts, who went winless (0-8-1), only tying the Packers.
Parting shot
The release of Jeremy Maclin by the Chiefs came as a surprise on Friday night, leaving a quality 29-year-old receiver on the market. Kansas City, which cut Maclin after only two years of a five-year, $55 million deal, is banking on increased workloads for young star Tyreek Hill, and third-year man Chris Conley.
Meanwhile, Maclin becomes a free agent for the second time in two years. The Buffalo Bills seem an obvious suitor, having little talent behind Sammy Watkins on the depth chart. Some believe the New England Patriots make a run at the veteran with their ample cap space, but at some point, too many weapons is a real thing.
The Tennessee Titans drafted Corey Davis with the fifth-overall pick in April’s draft, but could certainly use a top target to aid Marcus Mariota. Additionally, the Carolina Panthers might want some insurance on the outside, with Kelvin Benjamin showing up to training camp overweight. If the Panthers have designs of dethroning the Atlanta Falcons in the division and conference, they could stand to use some firepower.
Wherever Maclin ends up, he’s a great pickup this late in the game.