Gibby in good company

[BigNatty]

@Richard_Parker

Or sorcery

I like to think it may be both, with a whole lotta handsome mixed in

[BigNatty]

Gibby didn’t sustain a great block on one of Goff’s sacks…buuuut…he also gave the entire offense a series of downs off by blasting around the corner for 70 yard score.

He’s still getting better, and I can’t wait to see his ceiling.

I am guessing that Ben has a few cards up his sleeve for playoff time too, regarding Vaki. My guess is, he’s better than we think.

[argentblue]

@BigNatty

Gibby didn’t sustain a great block on one of Goff’s sacks…

Perhaps he didn’t but he sprung Leaf for that TD two weeks ago by positioning himself as if it was a block downfield. He’s smart and a good/willing downfield blocker when he’s not carrying the rock.

In terms of pass protect, the jump from college to pros is considerable. The size, speed and anger of an NFL demon monster rushing a QB puts Gibbs a little bit at a disadvantage due to his own relative size. BUT he’s willing and getting better.

Put another way, running the ball and laying the wood when you are attacking someone else is easier then planting your feet while waiting for somebody bigger than you to come at you full speed and attack you It’s a total role reversal.

DMO has a little more “meat on the bones” to withstand that rushing collision and IS better than Gibbs at pass protect. Which just happens to be another benefit of the dual threat these two provide.

[argentblue]

@LionFrog

Poor Vaki! Playing behind Sonic and Knuckles at RB, Branch and JKerb at Safety, and Kalif and Dorsey at returns.
I’m sure he’s a weapon, but, he has a rough road to prove it.

I agree and said similar to this when they drafted him. These guys like to draft good players regardless of positional value. So it’s going to be hard for Vaki to make that immediate presence felt.

But because Vaki has so much positional awareness, I feel like he will likely be one of the better long-term contributors of this last draft. Filling only a single roster spot with a guy that can do many things well is perhaps a luxury for MCDS/Holmes. It will be interesting to see when his opportunites arise and what he does with them.

[LionFrog]

@argentblue

But because Vaki has so much positional awareness, I feel like he will likely be one of the better long-term contributors of this last draft

He’s going to need reps in the second half of the season, or he won’t be ready for the playoffs.
Not being able to contribute could be demoralizing.

[Lionpile]

I remember. Barry had 53 yards those first 2 games and finished with 2053. Kind of cool he got 2053 more n 14 games. Old school. Like many others on here, Barry was a my all time fav.

[Lionpile]

@BigNatty

I like to think it may be both, with a whole lotta handsome mix

[LineBusy]

This is one of you knuckleheads, isn’t it?

https://x.com/Roar1934/status/1851069500877389977

[Luke]

@argentblue

If he didn’t have DMO as Knuckles his counterfoil, he’d be putting up astronomical numbers imho

This is how I feel. Without Monty, I think Gibbs would be considered #1 overall with McCaffrey

[stephenboyd57]

@Luke

@argentblue

If he didn’t have DMO as Knuckles his counterfoil, he’d be putting up astronomical numbers imho

This is how I feel. Without Monty, I think Gibbs would be considered #1 overall with McCaffrey

Agreed… Gibbs splits carries pretty much 50/50 with Monty. Gibbs on pace for 1500 yards and 15 tds on about 12 carries per game is wild.

[Sofatso]

@Davicus

This regime has literally drafted a WR and a RB with top 12 picks and an off-ball LB with a top 18 pick, which is close enough to 15.

And that Jack Campbell is suddenly a solid player against the pass as well as the run. He’s getting locked in this year and is rarely lost unlike last year.

[LineBusy]

There’s still much room for improvement with Jack. He’s still not fully locked in, IMO. There are still moments where he’s confused or guessing wrong.

He’s developing a little slower than I expected, but that’s more my fault than his. There’s a version of him coming that’s gonna be compared to players like Roquan Smith.

[Air2theThrown]

I see a player out of position more than you’d expect for someone drafted as high as he was.

I see a player who over peruses too frequently as well.

But I also see a player who has a lot of range. Who’s down hill tackling is above average. Whose football instincts are very good.

He just needs to be more disciplined. Especially in the passing game but I see a player improving in that depart.

Truth is Jack wasn’t a first round talent. He had the physical traits to go that high but he was still a developing player. That’s why I said he needed to go back for that senior year. He wasn’t ready to come out. He clearly knew that and stayed in school.

We drafted him where we did out of upside. We knew we’d have growing pains but LBers with his skillset are rare. I have no issue with the Lions taking him a little earlier than expected. Teams do it every year. Some work out. Some don’t. I think it’s evident that Jack is going to be an excellent LBer long term.

[Air2theThrown]

On the over-persue front. AA played at a probowl level last year. That man was on fire. This year he has declined a tad. Not terribly but he’s playing extremely aggressive and that’s caused him to over-persue. I’ve noticed this several times and each time it resulted in a big play for the opponent.

I’m wondering if these two guys feel the need to do too much with Barnes out? Or if AG is coaching them to be super aggressive. Maybe they’re just rusty and not in playoff level form yet?

Personally I thought they were more disciplined towards the end of last season than they have been lately.