They’ll be badass, this year (on the DL). Somewhere between good and awesome. LBs need some work.
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This. ROk/JOk/Flowers/Onwuzurike/Barnes. We need one more offseason to fine tune the front 7. That is assuming we dump Flowers and Collins after this season.
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Yup - I wanna see what our pass rushers look like (especially McNeil).
See if we need a pass rusher or not. 
If Flowers leaves (most likely) I’d be totally down with spending our highest pick on his replacement, if there was someone worthy fo being taken there.
Yep, if you go back to last season, we played a lot of the games close, yet on 3rd down and in the 4th quarter, Patricia would result into typical play calling and rush 3 and cover with 8 playing man to man, usually with a backer cover a slot receiver
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If the defense takes that long to become good Holmes and Canpbell are likely fired before they get good.
The idea that a team has 3-4 drafts to get good is a stupid thing to say/type:
This team has solid veterans in Michael Brockers, Trey Flowers and Jamie Collins. We have young and exciting talent in Okudah (just 22 years old…Feb Bday), Amani Oruwariye (25 years old), Julian Okwara (23 years old), Romeo Okwara (26 years old), Derrick Barnes (22 years old), Ifeatu Melifonwu (22 years old), and then our new DTs. Levi is 23 and Alin is 21 and we have Penisini who is 24. There are concerns at safety but the guys we have are at least fast…they have played poorly and that is a concern (Tracy Walker and Will Harris).
This team has pretty solid answers on that side of the football but legit questions about our safeties and LBers should keep all of us from thinking this is a great unit. They aren’t. But could they be a mid-point defense? I think so. Giving up say between the 14th and 18th most points? Yes that is possible ESP. if Collins is a BEAST and our CBs play well.
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Honestly I’m not expecting McNeill to look like he did as a rusher at NC State. I think they are going to bulk him up a bit and have him as the starting NT (who still has a little juice) flanked by Onwuzurike (that’s your interior rusher) and Brockers who’ll mostly set the edge. Call me crazy (like a fox) but I think JOk is a better 3-4 OLB pass rusher than Flowers is right now this second. If he takes off this season like I expect him to, as THE most purely explosive guy we’ve got (including his bro) then we may not need to take an EDGE guy high up. I think we are going to prepare to move way up to to the very top to take the QB next year (in an unfortunately weak class at this point), unless Goff shows out big time. TBD.
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He must be Cowherd deciple
It kinda sucks that we now have the players to be a good 4-3 defensive line and now we’re switching to a 3-4. I’d much rather see flowers and Okwara play with their hand in the dirt than in space.
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I actually think the front 7 is much improved compared to last year with the additions of Brockers, Levi, and Alim. Add a healthy Flowers and Okwara coming off 10 sacks, plus his brother has some real juice coming off the edge if he can stay on the field. Collins is a solid LB.
The LB depth is the real question mark to me though, the D-line is in the best shape it’s been in since Suh and Avril were together. Next year I could see us using one of our first rounders on an impact pass rusher to replace Flowers, who is likely going to be cut following the 2021 season due to his ridiculous contract.
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No one with that last name is allowed to have an opinion on the Lions that is taken seriously.
So sayeth the Doctor…
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What if the team has 4-3 drafts, or the always controversial base nickel drafts?
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I understand the trauma Joe Lombardi caused our fan base, yet the good Doctor should know that the apple Michael fell far from the Joe and Vince tree.
To be fair I think those slot receivers were on his fantasy team and he needed the points.
I’m Really interested to see what McNeil brings. Hoping he can surprise you, my man! Also hoping you are flat out on point about Okwara. That would be amazing, if it shook down that way.
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That apple fell from the tree, rolled down the hill into a river, which carried it to the ocean, which took it to a different continent. LOL
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And also quickly evolved into a peach or orange, not even from the same tree lol
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Why would they bulk up McNeill 6’2" 317 an can move no reason to add more an slow him down. The will play as base 3-4 two gap.
Likely inside 3 will be Brockers McNeill an Levi with Flowers an JOK as OLB’s
Now they will rotate depending on down an distance. It will be all about limiting rushing attack early then pressure on QB.
your looking at 265 pound guys coming off the edge with 305 317 300 coming up in two gap on short yardage you can drop one OLB off an add say Penisini with McNeil an Brockers 325 317 305 add Hand at 300 Flowers played as Hand in dirt last season a lot Jok didn’t. With new staff you see all out Blitzes an i would say now 75% snaps will have a blitz Keep Mc Neill quickness with Levis fast snap why slow anyone down.
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I think the emphasis on attack and playing fast is going to make all the difference. The new 3-4 base and nickel will be a 180 from MPs 3-4/nickel/sit back and quote Star Wars “wait for it, wait for it…”
In retrospect was MPs whole defensive philosophy based off that scene from Star Wars just before they blew up the Death Star? “Wait for it… wait for it… wait for it…”
Except instead of blowing up the Death Star they all just got blown to hell and mission fail.
Kayvon Thibodeaux, EDGE Oregon
If we can get this stud with our top pick next year the line instantly vaults into the upper echelons of elite. He is a Myles Garett/DeMarcus Ware type pass rusher who can absolutely scream off the edge and run down QBs with bad intentions.
Yes, we probably need to find a way to add a QB to build around unless Goff flashes, but it looks like we are going to have him for 2 years min. What’s wrong with adding an elite edge rusher and a high grade WR with our first rounders next year, see what the team looks like in year 2 of the rebuild, and then if we need that QB, package picks and get a franchise guy in 2023?
I know, it’s a long wait under that scenario, but unless you think there’s a Drew Brees or Kyler Murray available up top in 2022, I just don’t think it’s worth passing on a blue chip talent on D or at WR in order to take a flyer on someone like Rattler.
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The lions are going to be a 3 man over/under front with 1 gap responsibilities. Brockers talked about it when he was traded to the lions
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