Bengals quite literally drafted Andy Dalton as soon as Carson Palmer left. Nice try though.
The OFFICIAL DETROIT LIONS 2015 OFFSEASON THREAD: Operation WOO SUH
- Thread starter Ed MOTHERFUCKING G
- Start date
Bengals quite literally drafted Andy Dalton as soon as Carson Palmer left. Nice try though.
The only part of the post that didn't include bullshyt intangibles were rookie performance. I'm not certain if you are aware of this, but the Lions went 0-16 in 2008. That means Stafford was surrounded by remnants of that team along with street free agents and draft picks. Quite literally the worst situation a rookie QB could be in, aside from an expansion team. Bridgewater is better than Stafford when he's better than the Stafford. Playing the "he will be" game for a QB in the NFL is fukking stupid. Especially when many qbs see their best seasons between age 29-31.
You're playing the he will be game yourself. According to u, he will be better at a certain age. I mean using a certain age range to determine when a qb peeks has got to be the dumbest shyt I ever read.
In your eyes you're basically giving Stafford two more free passes because he's only 27. He will be 29 in his ninth season and that's when a qb really tears it up and hits their peek according to u
I mean at this point there's no reason to even reply to your silly reasonings.
Oh and my examples were fine about their rookie seasons. Teddy didn't have an all world offense around him in case u forgot.
They went 4-12 in Palmer's last season. Nice try though.
InstantKlassik
...
We get respect because of our offensive POTENTIAL. I think players around the league respect Stafford's comeback ability in pressure situations even tho it hadn't been against great teams, there's always that threat of him finally breaking thru. I think players also respect our Mega/Tate tandem.But people only respect us because of our D and honestly God knows how that's gonna turn out after losing suh. Aside form megatron, nobody outside of lions fans gives two fukks about our players and team
You're playing the he will be game yourself. According to u, he will be better at a certain age. I mean using a certain age range to determine when a qb peeks has got to be the dumbest shyt I ever read.
In your eyes you're basically giving Stafford two more free passes because he's only 27. He will be 29 in his ninth season and that's when a qb really tears it up and hits their peek according to u
I mean at this point there's no reason to even reply to your silly reasonings.
Oh and my examples were fine about their rookie seasons. Teddy didn't have an all world offense around him in case u forgot.
I'm not giving any free passes to Stafford. He's a good QB, if we can obtain a better QB, I'd acquire a better QB. Where he at tho?
Yes an outlier bad season vs the Lions who was out of the playoffs for a whole decade before Stafford. Stafford replaced years of nothing at the position. A QB that made the playoff with a defense that gave up 626 yards in a game. Can't say that for Andy.
ALLEN PARK — Golden Tate was a 1,000-yard receiver last year. He was one of the best wideouts in the game.
Yet everyone wants to ask him about Eric Ebron.
And he doesn't mind one bit.
"You guys have been seeing the same thing I've been seeing," Tate said. "That's why you keep asking the questions. He's producing for us."
That, he is.
Ebron was humbled during a rocky rookie season with the Detroit Lions last season. So the former 10th overall pick returned home to North Carolina determined to right some wrongs.
He worked his physique, though that was never really the issue. He worked his mind-set, which really was. And the tight end returned to the Lions this offseason with a renewed sense of professionalism.
He's pored over his playbook. He's obsessed over Calvin Johnson and Brandon Pettigrew and other veterans, gleaning tips on routine and scheme and whatever else. And it has all come together for him over the past few weeks, with a standout performance during minicamp, then a star turn during the first week of training camp.
Outside of Calvin Johnson and Matthew Stafford, maybe nobody was better than Ebron on offense the past week. He capped it by hauling in a team-high five passes during Saturday's scrimmage, and did so on just six targets.
He joined Johnson as the only players to catch touchdown passes, a 7-yarder over the middle.
"Ebron is getting a better," coach Jim Caldwell said. "We're still working with him and seeing if he can gain that consistency that we need. But he's certainly making progress, and I think Matthew (Stafford) feels that comfort level with him.
Stafford has worked diligently on his chemistry with Ebron throughout the offseason. That includes both in Allen Park during OTAs and minicamp, as well as some off-site workouts in Atlanta over the summer.
The Lions block reporters from describing specific practice formations, but generally speaking, it's clear the team wants to get Ebron into one-on-one matchups over the middle and in the flat. They've worked Ebron extensively in those parts of the field, and it is easy to see why.
With Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate drawing so much attention on the outside, Ebron is bound to draw one-on-one matchups in the middle of the field. And with his size (6-foot-4, 266 pounds) and athleticism, that is something he can exploit.
Just consider what happened the first day of camp, when he was tightly covered by Stephen Tulloch, one of the team's better defensive players. But it didn't matter, because he's bigger and more athletic and was able to haul in the pass anyway.
"He's big. He's fast. He's a mismatch on a lot of guys," Tate said. "I mean, you put a linebacker on him, it's a mismatch. You put a nickel on him, it's a mismatch. So we're expecting him to come up big for us this year."
Watch Detroit Lions reporters offer thoughts on team's scrimmage and camp's early MVPOK, so Calvin Johnson standing out isn't so interesting, but it was an action-packed day at the practice facility as the offense and defense went head to head.Ebron's lack of productivity last season -- 25 catches for 248 yards and one touchdown -- hinged largely on his outsized self-confidence. He figured the athleticism that got him to the league would be enough.
"I think sometimes, as a young fella, you think because you dominated in college that you just have it at this league," Tate said. "Especially when you're drafted so high. Not saying that's what he went through [editor's note: Ebron has said this is what he went through] but this year you definitely notice that he's hanging around Calvin more often. He's hanging with Pettigrew more often. He's asking more questions.
"When he does mess up, which is rarely, he's coming back to the sideline, 'Yeah, I should have did this.' So he understands what he's doing right, and wrong, and he fixes it."
One such example: Ebron dropped a pass Friday, and could have gotten down on himself, or let himself be taken out of the game. That's what happened a lot last year. But this time, he answered his mistake by coming back and immediately making two really tough catches in traffic.
"One thing I've noticed, he's not a repeat offender," Tate said. "He's not making the same mistake over and over."
Detroit wants Ebron to become the offense's third aerial threat, behind Johnson and Tate, and after one week of training camp, there is no reason to think he can't be exactly that.
"100 percent," Tate said.
Ebron declined multiple requests for comment for this story. Or any story in training camp, for that matter. He's insistent on letting his play do the talking.
And so far the Lions have to like what they see and hear.
Yet everyone wants to ask him about Eric Ebron.
And he doesn't mind one bit.
"You guys have been seeing the same thing I've been seeing," Tate said. "That's why you keep asking the questions. He's producing for us."
That, he is.
Ebron was humbled during a rocky rookie season with the Detroit Lions last season. So the former 10th overall pick returned home to North Carolina determined to right some wrongs.
He worked his physique, though that was never really the issue. He worked his mind-set, which really was. And the tight end returned to the Lions this offseason with a renewed sense of professionalism.
He's pored over his playbook. He's obsessed over Calvin Johnson and Brandon Pettigrew and other veterans, gleaning tips on routine and scheme and whatever else. And it has all come together for him over the past few weeks, with a standout performance during minicamp, then a star turn during the first week of training camp.
Outside of Calvin Johnson and Matthew Stafford, maybe nobody was better than Ebron on offense the past week. He capped it by hauling in a team-high five passes during Saturday's scrimmage, and did so on just six targets.
He joined Johnson as the only players to catch touchdown passes, a 7-yarder over the middle.
"Ebron is getting a better," coach Jim Caldwell said. "We're still working with him and seeing if he can gain that consistency that we need. But he's certainly making progress, and I think Matthew (Stafford) feels that comfort level with him.
Stafford has worked diligently on his chemistry with Ebron throughout the offseason. That includes both in Allen Park during OTAs and minicamp, as well as some off-site workouts in Atlanta over the summer.
The Lions block reporters from describing specific practice formations, but generally speaking, it's clear the team wants to get Ebron into one-on-one matchups over the middle and in the flat. They've worked Ebron extensively in those parts of the field, and it is easy to see why.
With Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate drawing so much attention on the outside, Ebron is bound to draw one-on-one matchups in the middle of the field. And with his size (6-foot-4, 266 pounds) and athleticism, that is something he can exploit.
Just consider what happened the first day of camp, when he was tightly covered by Stephen Tulloch, one of the team's better defensive players. But it didn't matter, because he's bigger and more athletic and was able to haul in the pass anyway.
"He's big. He's fast. He's a mismatch on a lot of guys," Tate said. "I mean, you put a linebacker on him, it's a mismatch. You put a nickel on him, it's a mismatch. So we're expecting him to come up big for us this year."
Watch Detroit Lions reporters offer thoughts on team's scrimmage and camp's early MVPOK, so Calvin Johnson standing out isn't so interesting, but it was an action-packed day at the practice facility as the offense and defense went head to head.Ebron's lack of productivity last season -- 25 catches for 248 yards and one touchdown -- hinged largely on his outsized self-confidence. He figured the athleticism that got him to the league would be enough.
"I think sometimes, as a young fella, you think because you dominated in college that you just have it at this league," Tate said. "Especially when you're drafted so high. Not saying that's what he went through [editor's note: Ebron has said this is what he went through] but this year you definitely notice that he's hanging around Calvin more often. He's hanging with Pettigrew more often. He's asking more questions.
"When he does mess up, which is rarely, he's coming back to the sideline, 'Yeah, I should have did this.' So he understands what he's doing right, and wrong, and he fixes it."
One such example: Ebron dropped a pass Friday, and could have gotten down on himself, or let himself be taken out of the game. That's what happened a lot last year. But this time, he answered his mistake by coming back and immediately making two really tough catches in traffic.
"One thing I've noticed, he's not a repeat offender," Tate said. "He's not making the same mistake over and over."
Detroit wants Ebron to become the offense's third aerial threat, behind Johnson and Tate, and after one week of training camp, there is no reason to think he can't be exactly that.
"100 percent," Tate said.
Ebron declined multiple requests for comment for this story. Or any story in training camp, for that matter. He's insistent on letting his play do the talking.
And so far the Lions have to like what they see and hear.
ALLEN PARK -- The first rule of covering an intrasquad scrimmage during training camp is do not overreact to what you see. The second rule of covering an intrasquad scrimmage during training camp is do not overreact to what you see.
But having said that: What we saw from the first-team offense was straight fire during Saturday's scrimmage in Allen Park.
On quarterback Matthew Stafford's four drives, he threaded one touchdown pass to Calvin Johnson, another to Eric Ebron, and directed the offense to the goal line on a third drive before George Winn was stuffed on a fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line.
Stafford finished 17-of-27 passing with two touchdowns and no interceptions, and was actually better than that. He was 17-of-24 at one point, before misfiring three straight times during situational stuff toward the end of the scrimmage.
His best stretch came on his third drive, when several penalties should have derailed the possession -- except, Stafford simply wouldn't miss. He completed 9-of-10 passes on the drive, four of which went to Ebron, including a 7-yard score over the middle.
In live action, Stafford might have been sacked on the play. Still, the refs did not blow the whistle to kill the play, and his patience in the pocket paid off with a bullet through the seam of the defense.
All told, it was an impressive performance from the seventh-year quarterback, and a possible sign he -- and this offense -- are really maturing after they fell to just 20.1 points per game last season.
At least that's what the defense thinks. You know, a defense that ranked second overall in the league last year -- but was chewed up Saturday morning by Stafford.
"He's making some crazy, crazy throws out here," safety Glover Quin said.
"He's playing some of the best ball I've seen him play since I've been here," safety James Ihedigbo added.
"He's got the strongest arm I've ever seen," cornerback Darius Slay said. "He guns it. I don't understand how he still has a rotator cuff, because he throws that thing."
The thing is, Stafford has had prodigious arm strength for ages. That's what made him the No. 1 QB recruit coming out of Highland Park High School, and the No. 1 overall draft pick coming out of Georgia, and the fastest quarterback in NFL history to 20,000 yards.
But he hasn't always been great in his pro career because of everything else -- and that's maybe the biggest difference thus far in 2015. Everything else.
Stafford has talked extensively about how much more comfortable he feels in this offense in Year 2, and it's allowed him to develop things like his lookaways. Several defensive players have noted Stafford's done a much better job there, which has given them fits.
"That's something that takes a little bit of time for guys, specifically when they're learning a new offense," receiver Lance Moore said. "But this being his second year, and getting a lot of reps each and every day, I think he's starting to learn and understand those little, tiny things."
Moore was the beneficiary of one such lookaway during Saturday's scrimmage. It was third-and-21 and Moore was well-covered over the middle of the field, but Stafford tracked his eyes away from Moore to move the defense out of the way. That opened a tight window, and he did not miss it.
Stafford turned a third-and-21 into a first-and-goal from the 10, and hit Ebron for a touchdown a couple plays later. Those are winning plays in a real game.
"For me, I had the easy job. Just run and catch the ball," Moore said. "He had to weave it in there, and kind of get it in between traffic. And he did a nice job fitting the ball into a tight window."
Kellen Moore operated as the Lion's No. 2 quarterback during the scrimmage. Dan Orlovsky was on the third team. And neither did much of anything, combining for more interceptions (three) than touchdown drives (zero).
This offense could be in trouble if Detroit is forced to turn to either reserve quarterback.
But on the top line, Stafford showed glimpses of turning a corner. He still has the big arm, but his growing comfort in the scheme is turning him into a more complete package.
"I just feel like we're more comfortable overall," receiver Golden Tate said. "The difficult things back then are simple things now. We don't have to think about them as much. Now we can dig into the details of things.
"It starts with (Stafford). He has a big year, we're all going to have a big year. We have a lot of confidence in him, obviously, and the guy can make every throw on the field. He knows the offense better than anyone out there. So we're excited."
But having said that: What we saw from the first-team offense was straight fire during Saturday's scrimmage in Allen Park.
On quarterback Matthew Stafford's four drives, he threaded one touchdown pass to Calvin Johnson, another to Eric Ebron, and directed the offense to the goal line on a third drive before George Winn was stuffed on a fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line.
Stafford finished 17-of-27 passing with two touchdowns and no interceptions, and was actually better than that. He was 17-of-24 at one point, before misfiring three straight times during situational stuff toward the end of the scrimmage.
His best stretch came on his third drive, when several penalties should have derailed the possession -- except, Stafford simply wouldn't miss. He completed 9-of-10 passes on the drive, four of which went to Ebron, including a 7-yard score over the middle.
In live action, Stafford might have been sacked on the play. Still, the refs did not blow the whistle to kill the play, and his patience in the pocket paid off with a bullet through the seam of the defense.
All told, it was an impressive performance from the seventh-year quarterback, and a possible sign he -- and this offense -- are really maturing after they fell to just 20.1 points per game last season.
At least that's what the defense thinks. You know, a defense that ranked second overall in the league last year -- but was chewed up Saturday morning by Stafford.
"He's making some crazy, crazy throws out here," safety Glover Quin said.
"He's playing some of the best ball I've seen him play since I've been here," safety James Ihedigbo added.
"He's got the strongest arm I've ever seen," cornerback Darius Slay said. "He guns it. I don't understand how he still has a rotator cuff, because he throws that thing."
The thing is, Stafford has had prodigious arm strength for ages. That's what made him the No. 1 QB recruit coming out of Highland Park High School, and the No. 1 overall draft pick coming out of Georgia, and the fastest quarterback in NFL history to 20,000 yards.
But he hasn't always been great in his pro career because of everything else -- and that's maybe the biggest difference thus far in 2015. Everything else.
Stafford has talked extensively about how much more comfortable he feels in this offense in Year 2, and it's allowed him to develop things like his lookaways. Several defensive players have noted Stafford's done a much better job there, which has given them fits.
"That's something that takes a little bit of time for guys, specifically when they're learning a new offense," receiver Lance Moore said. "But this being his second year, and getting a lot of reps each and every day, I think he's starting to learn and understand those little, tiny things."
Moore was the beneficiary of one such lookaway during Saturday's scrimmage. It was third-and-21 and Moore was well-covered over the middle of the field, but Stafford tracked his eyes away from Moore to move the defense out of the way. That opened a tight window, and he did not miss it.
Stafford turned a third-and-21 into a first-and-goal from the 10, and hit Ebron for a touchdown a couple plays later. Those are winning plays in a real game.
"For me, I had the easy job. Just run and catch the ball," Moore said. "He had to weave it in there, and kind of get it in between traffic. And he did a nice job fitting the ball into a tight window."
Kellen Moore operated as the Lion's No. 2 quarterback during the scrimmage. Dan Orlovsky was on the third team. And neither did much of anything, combining for more interceptions (three) than touchdown drives (zero).
This offense could be in trouble if Detroit is forced to turn to either reserve quarterback.
But on the top line, Stafford showed glimpses of turning a corner. He still has the big arm, but his growing comfort in the scheme is turning him into a more complete package.
"I just feel like we're more comfortable overall," receiver Golden Tate said. "The difficult things back then are simple things now. We don't have to think about them as much. Now we can dig into the details of things.
"It starts with (Stafford). He has a big year, we're all going to have a big year. We have a lot of confidence in him, obviously, and the guy can make every throw on the field. He knows the offense better than anyone out there. So we're excited."
iceberg_is_on_fire
Wearing Lions gear when it wasn't cool
I know, the slanted press is disturbing. Acting like GAWDers ain't about to hit us with the
InstantKlassik
...
Right. We've heard a report like this the last 2-3 years but once the season starts it's the same shyt. Not to mention, Stafford always looks good in practice/ camp as someone with his skill set should, it's those pressurized game situations that matter and that's where we struggle most against the teams that matter.
I know, the slanted press is disturbing. Acting like GAWDers ain't about to hit us with thetwice this year.
The Packers aren't that good, that is a Rodgers carry job who's time is up.
