Hardknocks/Preseason Thread - Including OTAs

[MichiganCardinal]

I’ve seen as high as 11-6 in the national media. I’m not jump off a cliff crazy about them like that, but I do think there is legitimate reason to be excited.

[John_Brian_K]

We have legitimate reasons to be excited for decades....a few of those years were actually decent years...Hope and kool aid is all Lions fans have to grasp onto in the preseason.

I would like to be proven wrong since my decent into apathy about 6-7 years ago, but I would not put any money on it.

[buddha]

7 hours ago, Motown Bombers said:

 

click bait.

(it worked)

[buddha]

i'm still thinking betwen 6 and 8 wins.

[Motown Bombers]

They predict one more win than you did and it's clickbait. 

[MichiganCardinal]

The number of Bears fans in the replies that think their team improved this offseason is concerning for their sanity…. Yet also somehow on brand for their fanbase.

Edited September 1, 2022 by MichiganCardinal

[RandyMarsh]

Its going to come down to health and how their opponents end up being.

If their key players stay relatively healthy and the schedule turns out to be as soft as it looks on paper at the moment I don't think 9 wins is out of the question. Im still sticking with 7 or 8 though cause Im sure they will have their share of injuries and/or tough luck losses.

I think 10 wins would take all the stars aligning, 9 above average luck with things like TOs and injuries, 7 or 8 standard luck and anything worse normal Lions luck. 

[Motown Bombers]

They can easily have a season like the Eagles did last year. Won 9 games by beating up on a soft schedule, slipping into the last spot in the playoffs, and getting overmatched in the playoffs. 

[1984Echoes]

19 minutes ago, MichiganCardinal said:

The number of ( _________ ) fans in the replies that think their team improved this offseason is concerning for their sanity…. Yet also somehow on brand for their fanbase.

Insert:

Lions, Tigers, Pistons, Red Wings for the past... how many years?

[Motown Bombers]

 

[Mr.TaterSalad]

At the end of the day, unless things fall completely off a cliff and Dan Campbell puts himself in Hue Jackson territory by going 1-16, I don't care as much about wins this year as I do clear and obvious competency, growth, and improvement. I'm not firing Campbell short of him going full Hue Jackson and I'm also not expecting Campbell to make the playoffs or achieve X number of wins. While I think they are a 7-8 win team, I'll be happy if things look like they are moving in the right direction in a big way, regardless of the win total at the end of the day.

I want to see this coaching staff look competent and clearly show that they know what they are doing. Coach and manage the game right and put your players to be in the right spot to succeed. Coaches should never be the reason a team loses the game. I want to see growth and improvement from our young players, rookies, 2nd, and 3rd year players. I want guys to take big steps forward from last year to this and look markedly better. 

Edited September 1, 2022 by Mr.TaterSalad

[buddha]

1 hour ago, Motown Bombers said:

They predict one more win than you did and it's clickbait. 

i didnt realize the lions were the only team mentioned in there...

[1984Echoes]

2 hours ago, Mr.TaterSalad said:

At the end of the day, unless things fall completely off a cliff and Dan Campbell puts himself in Hue Jackson territory by going 1-16, I don't care as much about wins this year as I do clear and obvious competency, growth, and improvement. I'm not firing Campbell short of him going full Hue Jackson and I'm also not expecting Campbell to make the playoffs or achieve X number of wins. While I think they are a 7-8 win team, I'll be happy if things look like they are moving in the right direction in a big way, regardless of the win total at the end of the day.

I want to see this coaching staff look competent and clearly show that they know what they are doing. Coach and manage the game right and put your players to be in the right spot to succeed. Coaches should never be the reason a team loses the game. I want to see growth and improvement from our young players, rookies, 2nd, and 3rd year players. I want guys to take big steps forward from last year to this and look markedly better. 

This is exactly where I'm at.

To a "T".

Thanks for saving me from having to type up a lengthy post...!

[Jason_R]

6-9-2

For all the talk about the weak schedule, those weak teams are also thinking, “We can beat the Lions.”

They are still weak up the middle and have an unproven and thin secondary. Offense should be pretty good, but where is the explosiveness with Jaymo out the first part of the season?

If they hit eight wins the season will be a  smashing success. 

[Motown Bombers]

16 hours ago, buddha said:

i didnt realize the lions were the only team mentioned in there...

Oh wow so you think the Lions are going to win the division with 8 wins?

[sabretooth]

It would be really nice to have a well above average OL and give the skill players a chance to shine.  Absent a lot of injuries, that seems likely to be the case.  We'll see if the skill players make the most of it.  Goff, Swift, ARSB, Reynolds....seems like a decent crew.  Give any decent group a lot of daylight and time and they could perform above average.

If we also could scrape together a good DL we'd be on our way.  The front 7 on D doesn't look good at this point as a group, but it will hopefully be fun to watch Hutch zoom around and crash into the opposition.

Here's hoping for a decent season and a stepping stone to something good beyond.

Edited September 3, 2022 by sabretooth

[buddha]

10 minutes ago, sabretooth said:

It would be really nice to have a well above average OL and give the skill players a chance to shine.  Absent a lot of injuries, that seems likely to be the case.  We'll see if the skill players make the most of it.  Goff, Swift, ARSB, Reynolds....seems like a decent crew.  Give any decent group a lot of daylight and time and they could perform above average.

If we also could scrape together a good DL we'd be on our way.  The front 7 on D doesn't look good at this point as a group, but it will hopefully be fun to watch Hutch zoom around and crash into the opposition.

Here's hoping for a decent season and a stepping stone to something good beyond.

i think 7 wins would be a good stepping stone into next season.  Anything less would be a disappointment.

[sabretooth]

11 minutes ago, buddha said:

i think 7 wins would be a good stepping stone into next season.  Anything less would be a disappointment.

I agree.

Just split the one-score games last year and they would have had 6 wins.

So yeah, after a second offseason and the expected gains in cohesion/players, if they don't do at least that well + 1 more that would be a big disappointment.

I don't know whether they have a winning team but they need to launch a legitimate challenge for ".500" (8+ wins).

[MichiganCardinal]

Is anyone committed to making game threads? Might try my hand at it, but don't care nearly enough if someone else "owns" that role.

[MichiganCardinal]

 

It's the Circle of Life.

[1984Echoes]

Ewww.

[RedRamage]

I honestly don't understand this.  Boyle looked awful.  It's not that Blough was that much better, but he was better.  Why would you not try to get Blough back from the Vikings Practice Squad. I guess that assume that Blough wants to come back, but I think even the 3rd string QB on a bad team is preferable to practice squad on a semi-decent team, isn't it?

Edit to make clear: I'm NOT saying that I want Blough or that I think he would contribute towards Lions success.  I'm just just saying that I feel Boyle will contribute even less so if I had to pick between them I'm picking Blough.

[1984Echoes]

I have no interest in Blough, whatsoever.

The interest in Boyle is that he has the arm, but can't get past his mistakes. They're hoping to "coach him up"... because you can't teach NFL arm strength to Blough, he just doesn't have it.

I understand the reasoning for choosing Boyle over Blough perfectly... but, you know, still... ewww!

The correct solution is to find a developmental QB that can develop at least into a backup QB, if not an actual starter. I have no problem with Boyle if the team thinks they can actually coach him up to that level. I just don't think Boyle is that guy. I'd like them to find someone better.

Sudfeld is at least a competent backup QB. That's the level of practice squad QB I'd like to see, a young raw guy who can actually be coached up to at least that level (I do NOT believe that that is Boyle).

[Jason_R]

3 hours ago, 1984Echoes said:

The correct solution is to find a developmental QB that can develop at least into a backup QB, if not an actual starter.

Great idea. I wonder if Brad Holmes has thought of it. 

Or maybe it is just very, very, very hard to find someone who has all of the skills required in an NFL QB, so the best you can do when you are picking through the list after the top 70 or so prospects have been spoken for us to pick a guy with the one irreplaceable skill. 

[MichiganCardinal]

How are we bickering already? Campbell hasn’t even won a toss and elected to receive yet!