Which Dan commented on as well, he went into detail on a successful pressure; what it looked like.
I agree with what you’ve stated including that is worst case scenario.
Arnold may not be a Sauce Gardner as a rookie, I expect him to be a quality starter and an immediate upgrade over Jacobs and Vildor from last year.
I like Robertson but agree he is not a starting outside CB. I think The Raiders would have made a significant effort to keep him if he were. As a depth player he is significantly better than the any of the group from last year.
I have been advocating for a vet Safety all offseason but I have more confidence in Kerby and Iffy than you.
If was the best Lion DB at the end of the season and I don’t think it was a fluke. AG has found the right role for Iffy, and I think it is very reproducible. He just has to stay healthy.
Kerby had a little slump this past season, but I think it had a little to do with the poor play of the CB’s and the tweak in scheme. The heavier blitz rate required greater need for M2M coverage by Kerby and the CB’s, and that is not what they did best. Kerby is best as a rangy deep safety without individual coverage responsibility. He often had a specific player to cover when AG sent 6 players or if playing single high multiple CB’s were getting beat on vertical routes.
I suspect with the emphasis on M2M coverage this offseason he will be better and that all the CB’s will better making it easier for him at Safety also.
I still think Lions need a vet Safety, but Iffy & Kerby are young still improving players and will be fine if they stay healthy.
1 Like
On paper they look very good. At the very least they should be competent. Which is a massive improvement over having nothing. It was basically test dummies.
To be fair Cam Sutton looked like a shut down CB the first half. I was very impressed with him. Then for some reason he forgot how to play. He did make good tackles inside. Coverage was just horrible. Jacobs also had some good INT’s. I’m very surprised they didn’t bring him back to continue to develop. Jacobs was a weird one. In 2022 he was very solid, they were a better defense with him, and he was liked, but somehow fell off.
After Iff went off, and Kerby improved, there was no room for CJGJ. Then he played like a bonehead.
I’m still so damn excited about Arnold.
1 Like
Did he mention that it needs to be under 4 sec? Not trying to be an ass just don’t know if he addressed the time element. I think the NFL average was like 2.5 to 2.75. Now, ours may have been skewed some by facing Fields twice because he bought a lot of time with his legs. At the same time if he got it that far he generally was running. I am really, really looking forward to have DT;s that can collapse the pocket and edge rushers that won’t give them any place to go.
1 Like
Sutton is just not a M2M CB.
He excels in zone coverage but with AG deciding to blitz more to get QB pressure in the middle of the season Sutton was just not able to M2M cover the other team’s best WR.
AG has stocked his roster with a bunch of guys that excel in M2M coverage.
Davis, Arnold, Robertson and Rackestraw should thrive. Hopefully Moseley can come back and contribute as well.
2 Likes
I don’t if he went into the numbers you are talking about but he addressed details. I will find it.
He doesn’t address the exact point with regards to seconds directly with 2.5 etc etc. but he does address the impact of pressures. IMO, they, the pressure impacts, don’t happen unless you get there in a timely manner, not for a sack but for a pressure.
So not to be an ass, back but if you are needing an answer with seconds as part of it I don’t have one but I think he does cover your overall point.
Begin quote
Detroit head coach Dan Campbell said he would “absolutely” prefer to have better sack figures than pressure figures in a vacuum, but he also explained the nuance about sacks versus quarterback pressure rate in depth this week.
“Sacks aren’t that big of a deal as long you’re getting the pressures,” Campbell said at his press conference on Thursday. “As long as you’re getting pressures, and those pressures show up and affect the quarterback negatively, you know? Now would you rather have sacks? Absolutely, I would rather have sacks. The loss of yardage, all of those things, but the pressures … a pressure that affects the quarterback. … We watched a couple clips this morning in front of the team. Quarterback is wanting to step up. He can’t step up, the throw is high. He’s flipping to his right, and he can’t get his hips around. Throw a pick. These things that end up in negative plays as incomplete, as turnovers, whatever, I’ll take those all day long.”
1 Like
Perfectly said. Not sure he could M2M cover anyone though let alone the best. But he’s all they had.
Therein lies the rub. We gave up more 3rd and not just long but REALLY ■■■■■■■ long all the time and I would bet that in most of those plays the QB would have been considered to be under pressure.
In terms of pressure the Lions added Marcus Davenport and DJ Reader. James Houston is coming back. Derrick Barnes should be in an outside role that he is maybe more comfortable with. All of that will help.
Dan Campbell and Aaron Glenn have also developed Iffy as a blitzer and he is great at that. 3 sacks in 2023. Jack Campbell has experience blitzing now too. There are enough tools in the toolbox now though.
The secondary has no excuses anymore. Can they do the job?
I think that answer is yes.
1 Like
Don’t disagree, there were a lot of times that the pressures didn’t have an impact and it showed on those plays. You can get a pressure from Hutch on the outside but if there is no pressure from the inside and the QB steps up then doesn’t have the impact, other times it did.
Hopefully the additions to the line, the new DL coach and new db’s will change all of that and Hutch will get help.
You are 100% right, but I think more than pressure not helping, this speaks to our issues with containment. A pressure doesn’t matter as much when a QB can just step around it and buy himself a lot more time. Purdy killed us with this in the NFCCG. Fields regularly killed us. Lamar, Dak, etc… Our play against QBs who can move in the pocket HAS to improve.
It’s one of the reasons Caleb concerns me so much. The guy has some issues to work through but he’s a savant moving around both in and out of the pocket. If we don’t shore it up he’s gonna kill us too.
1 Like
Well, I believe the moves made this offseason directly go to this issue.
From adding Williams as coach, underrated move.
Adding DL players
Adding dbs
Another year growth from younger players, Jack C, Barnes Iffy etc, all these items were done to address this issue of pressure/containment etc.
Will it work, don’t know, will learn more come September.
1 Like
That would change everything for this defense.
1 Like
I believe the expectations for real improvement have a great deal of merit. The DT and CB positions have changed dramatically. The guys that are here have put in the work and the guys we added should make real improvements. It’s actually hard to believe we were as close as we were to the SB with the D we put on the field last season.
5 Likes
This is huge. We all know guys get dinged or worse. You’re only as strong as your weakest link. This year, next man up brings with it starting talent, not street FA talent. Makes a huge difference.
3 Likes
Right on Cash. Starting street level free agents on defense the past couple years has been hard to watch. Just too many roster holes for Holmes to rebuild. Finally Holmes took CB serious by adding 4 new CBs to this roster. Moseley is back. Vildor is also back but I don’t expect Vildor to make this roster.
I think Gilmore has a real shot at being CB #5 this point. Unlikely to dress on Sundays. Moseley will be brought along slowly.
I sure like where we are at CB at this point.
2 Likes
The secondary was address very well and then the Draft Gods smiled on the Lions and two excellent young CBs fell to them.
D.J. Reader was the best off-season signing that no one is talking about.
With the D-line so improved, the secondary should be lights-out by the end of the season.
3 Likes
I wouldn’t say Holmes didn’t take the position seriously prior to this season.
Last year he signed two free agent CB’s and drafted a third (plus a CJGJ that he was planning to play at slot CB).
That’s 4 new players to the secondary and all were either outside or slot CB’s.
He did the same this year. 4 new players to the secondary and all were either outside or slot CB’s.
1 Like
No games have been played yet, and I think to an extent we all keep our expectations low for various reasons. Fear being one of them which I admit for myself.
But if I push my emotions aside, this 2ndary doesn’t just look improved, they look like a big strength. Overloaded with talent, and versatility. Will any be the next Revis? We never know, but it should definitely be a strength, and not a weakness.
Davis is proven to be an average starting CB. With potential to be better. No one is talking about Moseley and I understand why, but he has proven to be above average with the 49’ers with potential to be better, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he beats everyone out.