Jimbo

The bye week is usually a bummer although now that we have the Tigers its not going to seem so long. I wonder how many Lions will attend these games. Seems like a lot of the players are pumped with them.

This is the NFL and it tries to change the rules to increase scoring each year (with safety as its reason). The rule change could explain the issues with tackling this year (with some other things they need to fix). Every team needs to adjust. I know the posters on here are fans of the Lions and are going to focus on what the Lions have done good and what looks bad. I think the secondary is A LOT better this year. This year we are getting way too many penalties but they are right there with the receivers. Last year with the big plays against us, the corners were not even close to the receivers on the big plays. Similar to what some of the plays against Seattle looked like. How many times last year with a big play against us, was Sutton 5-10 yards from the play. If they can improve on the penalties, then we will be fine. When you shut down the run game, your going to get a lot more passes thrown your way. The fact is when you get 56 passes thrown and with a big receiver like Metcalf, you need to be physical. There were a couple of plays that Metcalf looked like he was boxing out for a rebound. How do you defend that when the ref doesn't call it the other way. They need to improve but those that say the secondary hasn't gotten better is just wrong. You can be critical although saying we haven't gotten better is just wrong.

I think its OK to call out your coaches regardless of if they are winning or not. Its part of being a fan. Although some of the comments on here are hilarious. Its like they watch another game and find something that is better than what the Lions are doing (and its never apples to apples comparison) in certain situations and come unglued. I just think Lions fans have been abused so much, they have this negative mechanism to make them make truly ridiculous statements. Arnold is not better than Okudah, the Lions coaches are terrible, trade Goff.....etc. Its OK to make observations and then make a comment without going scorch the earth. For instance......I have noticed that this year, tackling has not been good. Not sure if its a coaching thing, being too aggressive, bad angles, or a combination of things. Its noticeable because that to me has been one of the biggest improvements with this regime. I am concerned although its early in a long season. I would be very arrogant if I said its for sure coaching. A team does not make a straight line from one of the worst teams in football to the Superbowl. There are usually (notice I said usually because there are always exceptions) bumps along the road. Last year had plenty of bumps and we were one or two plays from making the superbowl. And if we don't make it that far this year, its not because horrible coaching or terrible draft picks (specifically Arnold). It usually can equate to multiple things. Relax, its a long season. I think 3-1 at this point is about what I figured we would be. The next 5 games are going to be tough, so don't be surprised if we're 6-3 or 5-4. Doesn't mean we won't win the division or make the playoffs. Minnesota looks like the team to beat in the division (at this point in the season) and maybe the NFC although I am curious how they look halfway through the season. I know its the NFL, but lets see when teams start to really take them serious (similar to our bad stretch last year).

This is an important game. They come back from the bye week and have 4 out of 5 road games against very tough teams. Its been a different NFL season so far and very difficult to predict who is truly a playoff team. There are going to be a lot of Lions fans that are going to have to see a therapist lol.

I know the windows in the NFL are smaller unless you have a great QB although I think this team is different because of how young we are and how good our GM is. At the trade deadline is one thing but I don't seem Holmes making trades for players for early draft picks at this point in the season. We are in win now mode but we can be in win now for the next 4-5 years or more. These injuries are tough although this is the NFL and most teams have to deal with them. Were not making any major trades (and really either is Cincy) this early in the season.

Its actually rare to have any major trades happen this early in the season. GM's want to first see if their depth can replace any injured players. Especially with this team, draft picks are way too important to not be patient. Also teams that are 0-3 are not ready to give up on their season. Only trades you see happen this early are when both teams think they are getting better.

Does a medical retirement cost against the cap?

I think the defense played good. You really can't complain too much when an NFL team only scores 20 points. The issue I had with the defense is the miss tackles. This is actually something the Lions have been very good with since Campbell has been coach. So unless this becomes a season issue, I think their defense will be fine. They definitely were playing bend but don't break. They were willing to give the short passes to prevent from the big plays. As the Rams got to the red zone, the defense tightened up. From a pure strategy standpoint, you go in happy if you can hold the Rams to 20 points.

This felt a lot like the first game last year against KC. Definitely less impressive since it was at home and not against the Superbowl champions. The Chiefs were missing some significant players. The Lions looked like in both games that they didn't play anybody in preseason. Even though they didn't look great, they still came out with a W. BTW I agree with the preseason decision. Its a long season and less chances for injuries even if it means they come out rusty. The miss tackles were very frustrating (and felt a little SOL) because since Campbell has been coach, they have really cleaned that up. Secondary did not look great. Hoping its a fact that besides a few guys, its a whole new group of guys that need to jell. Actually the whole defense has a lot of new faces. I will say that Stafford looked great and played a really great game (minus redzone interception). Especially with OL issues and Nakua going down. There is going to be some comments on how Brown and LaPorta didn't get enough looks or balls thrown their way. I think this was Johnson trying to get Jamo confidence (and Goff confidence in him) and I think he succeeded in that. A lot to clean up and work on.

Worthy reminds me a lot of Jamo. Can't wait to see how Jamo looks on Sunday and hope he can finally justify that 12th pick. I really wonder what time he would of run at the combine and if it would of been around the same time Worthy ran. From game speed I think it would of been close.

Your telling me that if we were in a close playoff series, JV wouldn't get booed? I strongly disagree. Tigers fans love JV. He will be beloved as much as other Tiger greats. Although for that series he would definitely get booed. Maybe not as much as Stafford because the situation is different.

Lets not forget, there was a very loud group of Lions fans that became Ram's fans the year they won the championship. So a lot of fans have a place in their heart for him. Just not when the Lions are good. That takes priority. Not sure if it mattered although if it got in Stafford's head at all during the playoff game then you should make noise or boo (whatever you want) for your team. That is what home field advantage is all about.

If the Tigers were a playoff team and JV came here, he would get booed and it would be loud. I think with Stafford its a different situation. He asked to get traded (no one blames him) and part of that trade was you had to take on Goff's contract. Stafford won a Championship with the Ram's and something very rare happened with Goff. A throw away player ends up being very good for the team he was traded to. I think its just as much of support for Goff as it is against Stafford. If Calvin or Barry asked to get traded (no one would of blamed them either), they would of been booed as well. Then after retirement and they came back, they would of been cheered. Same will be the same for Stafford. Especially if we would of continued to suck. If we win a Championship or more with Goff, the cheers for Stafford won't be as loud because Goff will be more important to this franchise than Stafford. Fans want a winning team and that is above all else. When your team is bad, then you can cheer for individual players that use to be on your team and gave you good memories. I am pretty sure LA would boo Goff in a playoff game or if the game was at LA and that would be worse because he didn't request a trade and was a home grown hero.

I find it funny that anyone feels the need to boo him or not boo him. For me, if it distracts him a little bit and we get the win, I will boo him. I am a Lions first fan. That is all I care about. The Lions success as of late or the failure for all those years was not because of Stafford. The difference in the franchise is clearly Holmes and Campbell. I personally feel like Stafford could of been a success under this leadership. Although I feel like his trade definitely sped up the rebuild because of what they got in return. If you ask me who is truly the better QB regardless of wins or championships when their careers are done. I would pick Stafford (but its very close). Although for age and circumstances, Goff is the better QB for the Lions at this time. The trade was truly one of those trades that worked out perfectly for both teams. I also think both QBs are happy with it as well. I feel like Stafford is a good guy and I like his family. I was never one of those fans that thought any of our horrible years was his fault or wanted him traded. I also was never one of those people that were cheering for the Rams to win the Superbowl because of Stafford. If I was at the game, I would boo the heck out of him. Its not personal.

I think this discussion is kind of ridiculous. Compared to other teams, I am pretty sure we were pretty comparable. None of the injuries were catastrophic although they were significant. This was discussed already although losing Goff would be catastrophic although so would most playoff teams losing their starting QB. This team is not one injury from missing the playoffs (even Goff) although it could prevent them from having a deep run. Like any team if you injure more than 2/3 top ten players (on your team) for more than 8 games, you are more than likely to miss the playoffs. Top 10.....Goff, Hutch, Sewel, St. Brown, La Porta, Decker, McNeil, Ragnow, Gibbs, and Arnold (or you can put in Branch/Davis/Cambell). Lions are a top 5 with depth which means they can sustain injuries, as long as its not for long periods of time or multiple top talents.

We didn't doge the injury bug at all. We had plenty of injuries that RedRamage mentioned. Laporta also got hurt last game of the season. If it wasn't the playoffs I wouldn't of been surprised if he missed at least 2 games and probably 4.

Got of love the over reaction from the first preseason game lol. Brad Holmes has maybe made 3 not perfect picks and everyone is bringing up who they should of drafted in the Hooker pick. OK I am over reacting as well. Although this pick was a take a chance on the guy pick that went later because of an injury. The pick wasn't this draft after you extended Goff. It was an insurance draft pick and from what I saw last night, he can play in this league. We don't want to see him except for blow outs although (just the eye test) if something happens to Goff I feel like he could step in with our first team (top 3 offensive line). I actually think Sudfield can as well because if you give any QB in this league time they can perform. Although he did look terrible last night. Not saying we would be a Superbowl team with either but Goff doesn't make our team a Superbowl team to a terrible team. Any contender would take a step back if they lost there starting QB and chances of winning the Superbowl with out their starter is slim unless you have Willie Beamen lol. I wish they would of kicked some more field goals instead of going for it so we could see more of Bates. I loved the secondary in the first couple of drives. Vaki looked great against 3rd stringers although our 3rd string OL and no other RB we had could do anything. Hooker looked confident, mobility was better than expected, and I liked his stroke (like most hookers lol). Problem with mobile QBs is the injury chances are high (especially with concussions). Pretty uneventful first preseason game. Which is how its supposed to be for a Superbowl contender.

I just don't always think someone is just a bad shooter. Some of it is what they are asked to do or didn't have good technique trained in them. Some just don't have the best hand eye coordination or their body type doesn't help with being a great perimeter shooter. For instance, someone like Shaq could of tried very early on but his body type or big hands make it very difficult. Its the job of the GM to determine if they think they can make certain players better shooters. I also think in a draft when you don't have that many players that are both athletic and good shooters. The thought is being athletic is more natural ability and shooting can be worked on more. Its definitely not always the case and the last 10 years being a Pistons fan has showed that.

We probably won't know what we have in Hooker unless Goff gets hurt. If you ask me if I want Cherubini or Beamen to play if Goff gets hurt and I am going with Beamen.

I definitely think Goff's intelligence is his most underrated quality. He clearly isn't the best QB under pressure although that is most QB's in the league. So much in this league there are are just circumstances (and luck) on how successful a player becomes because there are just so many moving pieces. There are definitely players like Barry and Calvin that will succeed in all situations on pure talent although a lot of the time in the NFL there are players that would of been a lot more successful in different situations. Probably more than any other sport and especially for a QB. We can debate about who was more at fault with the break up of McVay and Goff. I would put more blame on management in these situations because that is your job. Your paid millions, not for your athletic ability but to bring out the best in your players and put them in the best situation to succeed (especially the QB). Now sometimes a player fits better with a certain coach. I think that was the case with both Stafford and Goff. This is one of those trades that I think worked perfectly for both teams. Maybe the Rams gave up a lot for the future although they won a championship and this wasn't a team that was on the up. They needed to win then because a lot of their talent wasn't go to be around for much longer. For the Lions (forget the draft picks for a second), I just don't think Stafford was ready for another regime change and even though they finally got it right it would of been very hard for him to go through that first Campbell/Holmes year without checking out. Goff was motivated and a lot younger so he was willing to listen and learn from the coaching staff. Just a good trade for everyone.

I think this discussion about Mahomes is ridiculous. In an alternate universe and we had our exact roster (and coaches and GM) with Mahomes as our QB, we would be a dynasty team. This has nothing to do with the value of Goff or Stafford. Goff and Stafford contributed directly to what our current situation is both with play and draft picks that directly landed contributing players. I just feel like Mahomes is a one in a generation type player. I feel like that for more than one reason. First is the eye test which I think is underrated when evaluating a player. He's not the most accurate, fastest, or is most mobile. He just has the it factor and makes plays to win games. He (or the team) might look terrible for 3 quarters but he is just the player that wins games when you need him to. Second is he has already done it more than any other current player (he's still a pretty young QB). He has done it with a depleted roster. He has done it injured. In the NFL, you can not win with one player and you do need to have a great coaching staff and GM that results in a good roster. Although Mahomes is the one player I feel like currently in the NFL that could do it with the least amount of quality players around him. Will he be better than Brady (as far as Championships and stats)? If I was betting, I would say no because I just think a lot more still has to happen and he would have to stay healthy and play into his mid 40's. Although if there was a player that had a chance, its him. Goff is a top 5 QB (with good OL and talent around him) and a top 15 QB (with a bad OL and with bad talent around him). Which could be good enough to win one or multiple championships (still to be determined). With Goff, you need to build around. Mahomes would make any team instantly better. He's just that guy.

Has anyone read the ESPN draft class rankings of the 21rst century? It was based the careers of the players and not necessarily what they did for that specific team. It was also before 2021. So Holmes's drafts won't be considered and that means no Detroit drafts were in the top 12 (obviously). # 1 was the 2006 Saints. If they do this 5 or 10 years from now, I think we can safely assume the Lions will have multiple draft years in the top 12. Definitely 2021 and 2023 unless something happens with these players. 2022 is potential based on the career of Jamo.

16th is ridiculous. It really amazes me how someone evaluates players. I definitely think a QB should be evaluated based on multiple things. Win percentage, measurables, eye tests, OL ranking, decision making, stats, durability......etc. How Goff is below half these guys is just plain stupid. You have to put him in the top 10 for his playoff record alone. I have commented multiple times about his play when under pressure. Although that is every QB outside of Mahomes. Even mobile QBs make bad decisions a lot of the time under pressure. It's nice to have the option to run for 20 yards on a broken play but a lot of the time they do something stupid. Its very lazy to not consider changes a QB makes at the line of scrimmage. Or the check downs. Jackson is #2 and don't get me wrong, if I had to choose between having Goff and Lamar, I would pick Lamar (its not a slam dunk though). Although, 14 spots ahead of him is just bad evaluation. All that said, I would put him around 6-8 at this point in his career. Mahomes, Burrow, Jackson, Allen are above him for sure (most will agree with this). Hurts and Herbert could be ahead of him as well. I'm sorry but these guys like Stroud and Love definitely look like studs and could easily be a top 5 QB but you have to do it for more than 1 year. Lawrence, Tua are good QB's and have potential if they can stay healthy but not above Goff. Purdy is Goff with less years and hasn't been on a bad team yet. Rodgers, Cousins, and Stafford are definitely capable of being a top 5 QB but their age should bring them down.

I guess there will be Goff/Stafford comparisons until the end of time. Understood, they have a lot in common. Both were #1 picks, both played for only the Rams and Lions, they were traded for each other, ......etc I honestly think they are very close with talent and production. Stafford definitely has a better arm although Goff's is underrated. Goff is more accurate. Goff's mobility is about as bad as it gets although Stafford isn't exactly Michael Vick. I feel like their pocket presence is about the same. I feel like Goff's decision making is slightly better than Stafford's. Although that's so hard to establish because a lot has to do with the rest of the team. Stafford has gotten a lot better as he's gotten older. If you compare their ability to read defenses and make changes at the line at similar ages, Goff has been better earlier in his career (understand the quality of their teams at the same age is drastically different). They both struggle with bad decisions when under pressure. If you think winning percentage matters than Goff has the edge there. I think they both are liked by their teammates. When Stafford was with us, I was in the camp that if you put a team around him, he can win a championship. I usually stuck up for him when friends would want him traded. I was ready to move on though and loved the trade. I will admit that I thought Goff was a stop gap until we got that QB in the draft. Although I always thought he was a good QB and really was kind of surprised LA wanted to move on so much from him. I do think that if there was a Trevor Lawrence or Caleb Williams in the 2022 draft or if we had the #1 pick in the 2021 draft, we would of moved on from Goff. I am happy with our situation now. We are definitely in the mix for a championship in the next 2-3 years.

It's definitely a factor for a WR as to who his QB is although I don't think Nacua is good just because of Stafford. If you watch his catches and what he does after the catch, they were top WR plays. Now if LA had a worse QB or a terrible OL, then perhaps you wouldn't see the numbers he had. Goff deserves credit but I am pretty sure Brown (and Nacua) would be good WR's on other teams. The eye test is probably the most important factor (on determining how good someone is) in football because there is always so many factors that help or prevent someone from being good. Its also sometimes on the WR to give confidence in his QB. Once that is established, they get more opportunities to prove themselves. I think this is going to be important with Jaymo. It seems like Goff had more confidence in him towards the end. Its also a timing factor. I am hoping discussion on here or sports radio (or even himself) can calm down the Goff respect discussion after he got his contract. Besides the extremes on both sides (he's a horrible QB or he's a top 3) I think most of us think he is a top 10-15 QB. I think we all agreed he deserved the shot at taking the Lions to a championship with a new contract. The cost was the big discussion and now that is done with, I think we can all move on. Where he ranks amongst QBs isn't important anymore. There are so many factors on what makes a great/good QB and variety of who are the best QB's in history shows that. What is important is if he can take us over the top.