Concern with the dline

The War Room Detroit Lions — The Den
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So…my issue with the dline being ‘gassed’ is that…we held the ball for 39 minutes.

We held them to a decent amount of 3 and outs and murray didn’t scramble nearly as much as I thought he would.

Are they THAT out of shape? Is this a teaching moment for MattPatt to tell the guys that this is why showing up to camp in shape is important?

But then again, this dline isn’t about pressure it’s about clogging. our LBs are supposed to be the pressure spots, so is this also a teaching point for MattPatt himself in that he should’ve done that in the 4th and OT like we did for the 3 previous quarters?

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This is where things really get messed up. Its going to sound like excuses, and maybe it is. I think it boils down more to circumstances.

I dont think the dline was gassed from being on the field all day. I think they got gassed in the 4th quarter, because thats when they spent the most time on the field. So it wasnt a cumulative effect of the game, as in 21 minutes out of 60. It was being on the field for over half a quarter. (I dont know what the actual time was).

I dont buy that the Lions D ran their regular defense in the 4th. They didnt. Anyone who could see knows they didnt. They let off the gas, and they got burned. The team got content and sloppy and then things snowballed very quickly, and the team because we STILL lack mental poise, caved.

The Lions had the game in complete control. They were lulled into false security. They tried to run clock, and instead they handcuffed the offense after the Hock TD. Its the right move, but not for this team. They then tried to play prevent defense, keep things underneath and keep the clock moving. Its again, the right move, but not for this team. Then, they collectively panicked and called time out on themselves. Right move, but wrong timing. Then, they allowed their punt to get blocked.

The truth is, the Lions are composed of mental midgets. Unfortunately, this is not an easy fix. Poise isnt something you can buy, or trade for. Its earned, and proven in game situations. Amendola is as experienced a receiver as there is, and he damn lost his mind trying to make shit happen. Thats all caused because of people panicking under duress.

We need to see where this game goes, but the Arizona game is the first game Im admitting maybe Patricia doesnt have the handle or gauge on this team. My hope? This was a vicious learning experience. My hope is for Patricia to say “For all of you who asked for an easier camp, you got it, and you turned this in” and then turn the fire up. My concern? That this is the game that we note is where things turned south

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Yeah, I don’t necessarily buy that they were tired. In fact, you will never be more rested, fresh and healthy than in game 1 after a full offseason and camp. I think the collapse falls more into the term complacency. They got too comfortable, fat, and happy, then didn’t know how to flip the switch back on. Once both sides of the ball started playing to “protect”, they were on their heels.

It also didn’t help that guys like Flowers and Snacks mailed it in from the get go. They weren’t good or even relevant in the first 3 quarters, so they didn’t have very far to fall.

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It happens to guys in the first game all of the time, its not unique. There’s nothing like playing 4 quarters of a real game. Part of the challenge is controlling your emotions and adrenaline. It happens every year and every year the guys are completely back into game shape almost immediately after the first one.

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Two weeks ago it looked like we’d be playing 3rd stringers in the first game.

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Daniel Jeremiah
@MoveTheSticks

1h

It will be interesting to see how the Ravens defend Kyler Murray. The Lions only sent more than 4 pass rushers at him on 8 of 58 dropbacks. The result, 4-8 for 40 yards, 1 INT & 1 sack.

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Our D got no breaks, as they were in no huddle. We could not make substitutions while they were running no huddle.

Also, with the offense going 3 and out. Much more likely that any defense would get tired under those circumstances. Plus, they can say what they want, we were not playing them the same, bringing the same heat as we were early in the game.

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It kills me that we didn’t blitz more often in the 4th. You could see Murray was frazzled when faced with pressure. Instead we let him sit back and get comfortable. The kid can sling it with the best of them. You give him time and he’s going to make plays.

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