Duds and studs, Lions

[milani]

No kidding. Hubby taped the game and we are now watching it. I lost a lot of respect for Brady who acted surprised the #32 was ejected. Branch and the Lions should be glad the NFL doesn't have targeting like the NCAA.

That weather yesterday looked miserable. I remember a playoff game against SF in conditions like this in the 90s. It took me 2 days to dry off and warm up.

Desmond Howard!!

 

[milani]

I’d have to disagree. I think both were hurtful, but our RB dropping a TD pass at the 3 yard line and Wicks not making that grab thrown slightly behind him in the paint likely cost us 2 TD’s. Those added points easily put us in this game without any other help and also would’ve allowed us to not press the throws as it would’ve been 7-10 at halftime. Thats after the INT.
It’s also likely the clock runs more and this game is never more than a 1 score game to the end. Those drops change the way the game unfolded.

Sooner or later youth has to mature. In SB 45 we do not win unless players like Nelson and Jennings make the catch. Nor could we have won it with all those penalties.

 

[milani]

Let me start by saying I'm gonna have someone on both lists for different reasons this week, so nobody come at me.

Studs:

Defense: Kept the Lions under or around 300 yards and with as abysmal as the team played yesterday the Lions should've easily doubled that.

Offensive Line: So THAT'S what it looks like to not have a Center get thrown at Love's head, and not be totally lost in open field? Is THIS what it looks like to not have the middle of the O-Line get shoved back in short yardage? WOW!

McDuffie: I see very little in this guy but I have to give credit when it's due. He made a couple great plays, again though in the running game

Duds:

Love: He was arming every thing and barely able to step into his throws. It looked like Rodgers at times the last 5 years of Rodgers' time as a Packer. The INT made no sense at all, as to what he THOUGHT he saw.

Skilled Players: 322 drops in a game is too much, no discipline, unacceptable and I hope LaFleur puts them all outside in the elements with the jugs machine and makes them catch 100 wet balls in a row before allowing them inside to dry off.

Announcing: Brady is abysmal, he didn't know WHICH black guy was playing Center for us...read a number Tommy.

Officiating: On the opening kickoff the 15 should've gone against Detroit NOT Nixon.

Elgton Jenkins: Have to clean it up, you may be the answer at Center, gotta learn to snap a wet ball.

Defense was not dominant but did a good job against a powerful offense and maybe the best O line in the league. Had we played better on the other side of the ball we could have forced Detroit out of the run game. Instead they were content to run clock.
Center and guard play hurt yesterday. I think Brady still sees himself on the field as a game manager trying to make decisions for a young kid. Actually, he sounded like Belichick on the sideline telling players AND coaches how to think in the moment of the game.
They never were able to pinpoint that Nixon penalty. Said it may have been behind the play. It made no sense.

 

[Pugger]

I’d have to disagree. I think both were hurtful, but our RB dropping a TD pass at the 3 yard line and Wicks not making that grab thrown slightly behind him in the paint likely cost us 2 TD’s. Those added points easily put us in this game without any other help and also would’ve allowed us to not press the throws as it would’ve been 7-10 at halftime. Thats after the INT.
It’s also likely the clock runs more and this game is never more than a 1 score game to the end. Those drops change the way the game unfolded.

The unforced errors we committed kept putting us behind the eight ball. There is a big difference between 2nd 5 and 2nd and long. I just think penalties are more troublesome. It shows a lack of discipline.

 

[Pugger]

Let me start by saying I'm gonna have someone on both lists for different reasons this week, so nobody come at me.

Studs:

Defense: Kept the Lions under or around 300 yards and with as abysmal as the team played yesterday the Lions should've easily doubled that.

Offensive Line: So THAT'S what it looks like to not have a Center get thrown at Love's head, and not be totally lost in open field? Is THIS what it looks like to not have the middle of the O-Line get shoved back in short yardage? WOW!

McDuffie: I see very little in this guy but I have to give credit when it's due. He made a couple great plays, again though in the running game

Duds:

Love: He was arming every thing and barely able to step into his throws. It looked like Rodgers at times the last 5 years of Rodgers' time as a Packer. The INT made no sense at all, as to what he THOUGHT he saw.

Skilled Players: 322 drops in a game is too much, no discipline, unacceptable and I hope LaFleur puts them all outside in the elements with the jugs machine and makes them catch 100 wet balls in a row before allowing them inside to dry off.

Announcing: Brady is abysmal, he didn't know WHICH black guy was playing Center for us...read a number Tommy.

Officiating: On the opening kickoff the 15 should've gone against Detroit NOT Nixon.

Elgton Jenkins: Have to clean it up, you may be the answer at Center, gotta learn to snap a wet ball.

I don't think Brady is any good either. Tom, Love didn't panic. He saw Jacobs right there and threw a lousy pass for a pick 6. And Branch targeted Melton. He went helmet to helmet on a defenseless receiver. Hit Bo square in the face. Then acted like the donkey he is flipping off fans on his way to the locker room. What a guy.

 

[Pugger]

Just wanted to say that I didn't have a problem with Brady. And am wondering about objectivity here.

I would be saying this no matter who was getting hit. IMO Branch and the Lions are lucky this is the NFL and not the NCAA. He can still play next week.

 

[Krabs]

I figured there would be a lot of negatives here and people wanting to blame this player or that coach or......

The bottom line is this. The Packers made way too many mistakes yesterday to win games. Statistically, the offense played really well, but big mistakes cost them a ton of points. I don't even think the defense played all that bad. 7 of the Lions points were off the pick 6. Where the defense played poorly was untimely penalties and forcing zero turnovers in a wet, windy game. Layer that with Ben Johnson knew exactly how to extract needed yards to keep drives going and the Lions offense did enough to win the game.

I posted this in another thread, but yesterday triggered one thing in me that has been brewing for a long time. Lions OC Ben Johnson absolutely schooled the Packers defense and totally showed me why MLF needs to give up play calling and bring in a skilled and proven OC that can do it in 2025. I used to blame Adam Stenavich for poor calls, but I am now pretty sure it is MLF calling all the plays. Don't get me wrong, I think MLF has a brilliant football mind, but I'd prefer a separate coach calling the offensive plays. I think MLF has gotten a bit predictable, not all that creative and doesn't make a lot of in game adjustments. When a defense is shutting you down on swing passes or runs up the middle, figure it out, go to something else.

Yeah, I can't agree with that. MLF has called and won 2.5 games with Milik Willis at QB. I agree much more with your thoughts on the mistakes. Way too many penalties to keep it competitive against an NFL power.

 

[Sanguine camper]

I think the Packers have way bigger problems than play calling. If you drop the pass, the play call really doesn't matter. When you make a stupid penalty, the play calling doesn't matter. When Love makes a horrible decision, the play call isn't much to blame. I just think they play like a soft team that looks satisfied with being 10-7 or 9-8.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Yeah, I can't agree with that. MLF has called and won 2.5 games with Milik Willis at QB. I agree much more with your thoughts on the mistakes. Way too many penalties to keep it competitive against an NFL power.

I think the Packers have way bigger problems than play calling. If you drop the pass, the play call really doesn't matter. When you make a stupid penalty, the play calling doesn't matter. When Love makes a horrible decision, the play call isn't much to blame. I just think they play like a soft team that looks satisfied with being 10-7 or 9-8.

While I do get both of your points and they are most definitely valid, let me ask you this. Who called a better game on Sunday, Ben Johnson or MLF?

At times, we seem to be headed in the same direction with Matt as the one we saw with McCarthy. Solid coach, solid roster, but often getting outcoached and outsmarted.

 

[Magooch]

It's also not specifically a matter of play-calling, but I think you can make a case that at some point issues of execution, discipline, etc start to reflect on the coach. Yes, players make their own mistakes and the staff can't always coach that away. But when the same problems seem to come up over and over and over again - not just game after game, but month after month and even year after year - eventually you have to start asking why that's the case.

 

[gopkrs]

The sky is falling. I am waiting somewhat patiently for The Pack to really improve. Have to cut down on penalties. That should not be difficult. It should be a mindset. The coaches have to spend 10 to 15 seconds during practice in the face of the perpetrator stating the obvious. Our receivers do not seem to be a better outdoor team in bad weather. Especially receivers on the whole. So having homefield advantage may not be an advantage for us. The coaches need to fine tune players positions. VanNess for example. Seems like they could try and work creatively with him. Use his strength and drive. Not just 95 percent of the time running into the L tackle. We have had some costly injuries as of late and that accounts for not being a well oiled machine. But penalties should be emphasized in practice like I said. If players need to be embarrassed; well so be it. I think we are a team that is going to win on offense. Moving the ball and scoring. And not just by the run. The pass is our more formidable way of moving the ball. I mean, we are not good at short yardage when it counts. What great running team has that problem? Not a time to panic but a time to learn our identity and execute.

 

[Pugger]

I think the Packers have way bigger problems than play calling. If you drop the pass, the play call really doesn't matter. When you make a stupid penalty, the play calling doesn't matter. When Love makes a horrible decision, the play call isn't much to blame. I just think they play like a soft team that looks satisfied with being 10-7 or 9-8.

I wouldn't call them soft. Undisciplined? Yes.