So you hit it mostly on the head with your comment on the early Pistons.
My wife coaches HS Softball and we always say that the team will go as far as the bottom 3 of the lineup takes us. And both years she made it to the State Semis (lost unfortunately) she had a Senior laden lineup. With 4 year players in the bottom 3 spots. Experience matters and the ability to perform under pressure often trumps talent.
I feel pretty strongly that a team typically does not lose a game because the top players crap the bed. You lose because your bottom players do not make plays or the moment is too much for them. Where as the top players typically do what they do.
So when looking at the Lions collapse in the Championship game it was all the fringe players that either did not make plays or straight up made bad plays. The issue comes down to this in my opinion. You need to have a whole team that gets accustom to playing in those big games or you need just need uber studs all over. Now we know the dream of an All Star team is likely not reasonable. So the issue really comes down to that the Lions as a team need to be playing the 1st place schedule and playing more prime time games to build up that mental toughness and be relaxed and comfortable in the big games at those big moments.
Looking back on that game. I can not think of one of our “prime time” players really make a huge mistake outside of Gibbs. And again Gibbs was a rookie. If you are relying on rookies to make the plays in your biggest games you are already operating on a narrow margin.
So in summary. While that loss hurt and feels like the Lions crapped away a great chance. The reality was that they need more experience in big games before you can expect the “bottom 3” of the lineup to win the game for them so to speak.
I do not think the issue was in general overall team talent. It was overall team experience. And it is a shame Reynold left because that game will help him build the mental toughness to come through next time.
As far as the Lions moving forward. If they make it to the Championship game next season they will have an almost full squad of players who have been there once before. So the game and moment will not be new or overwhelming.
I think with some of the more obvious ones, this is true. Reynolds, Vildor, Gibbs, etc…
But it’s really hard to know otherwise. Like, did Hutch lose a rush lane on any of those Purdy scrambles? Who got beat to allow the iDL in so quickly on the Gibbs fumble? Ragnow? Was it his fault or was the scheme miscalled from the beginning? Did Goff miss a read on the 4th down where he was forced to scramble? How many blocks/assignments were missed?
I tend to think overall it was a total team effort. Yes, some people didn’t step up when they had the opportunity, but under-recognized mistakes were probably coming from everywhere.
But I tend to agree with something I feel like I have heard Mike Tomlin say. Which is that most games come down to about 3 key plays. And what you do on those plays makes the difference between winning and losing. And when I put in under that light I tend to look at the dropped pass, the doink reception, and the fumble as the 3 key plays. Now I get it. The plays where everywhere and for sure you could probably pick almost any 3 damn plays from the 2nd half and make a case. But those 3 plays were real game changers.
I personally thought the doink reception was the most painful, that was one of those plays where you start to think…oh man this is going bad real quick. Kind of like the helmet reception by the Giants against NE. When 0.0001% plays happen against you it can be tough to keep your head right.
Young player that tries to do too much at times…he’s gotten much better at it, but he’s gotta take better angles and keep the play in the middle of the field. He was awful at that as a rookie…also…our guys need to work on hand strength…there are times when they literally have someone and they escape. That NEVER happened with Suh. ; )
I tenD To lean much farther toward @Spartansd explanation than yours, in terms of players.
Coaches really should have calmed them down more and reminded them of who they are too. The wheels should never come off…& no matter what the defense does, that offense should be able to keep the heat on. They didn’t. Grrrr…
I agree on Hutch. Which is why I am still a buy on him. I think he still has some room and ability to grow, He has shown a remarkable ability to improve YOY since literally his freshman year at UM. This is why I really wanted him to fall to the Lions. I felt he had shown improvement every single year that he had played. So no reason that can not keep happening in the NFL. High energy effort guy who gets better ever year is silly to pass up.
I feel as though in this one it required more than that (since we had such a lead), but certainly the two Reynolds’ drops, the Gibbs fumble, and the lucky Aiyuk catch were huge.
But then you have the play before the first Reynolds drop, which I believe was a handoff to ARSB that should have gone for a 1st but Glasgow couldn’t reach his block. (If it wasn’t the play before that 4th down drop, it was the play before the next one). I didn’t love the call, but it should have worked.
You have the missed tackle by Sutton on Deebo on the 1st drive of the 2nd half that would have knocked the Niners out of FG range but instead picked up ten yards.
You have the crazy, back-across-his-body throw by Purdy on the same drive to convert on 3rd down, which, while a great play, would never have been completed if the coverage hadn’t bailed.
You have CJGJ being late to double Aiyuk on his TD.
Then you have big picture mistakes like Ben abandoning the run too quickly.
You could really go on and on, but I’m tired of thinking about that game lol. But I think overall there were some mistakes that were glaring and many, many more that weren’t.
As far as I understood it the problem with that play was that Gibbs ran to the wrong side for the handoff, and Gibbs never got a full and complete grip on the ball, it was basically out before there was any contact.
Anyway, to the wider point of the thread, I agree with the OP. I think this team revelled in having no real expectations, and then when shit suddenly got real and the Super Bowl was within reach, the lack of experience of that kind of occasion told. Four Purdy scrambles that collectively fall on several different defensive players, the two Reynolds drops, the other 4th down failure, the Gibbs fumble, the facemask doink … within those nine plays there’s probably more than 10 players who are responsible for those failures. And when it’s not just one guy but half the team, that speaks to the collective readiness for that kind of occasion.
This isn’t a criticism of Dan, and from his words this offseason it seems like he’s embracing a new mantra, but the underdog Lions are dead and gone, we can’t be that team anymore. Dealing with the pressure of expecting to win, expecting to beat number 1 seeds on the road, is a whole new ball game mentally, and they weren’t prepared for that moment last year. From everything I’ve seen over the last three years with the growth and development of this team, I don’t doubt that this team can thrive as genuine favorites now that they’ve arrived at that kind of status, but I think it fell upon them too suddenly in that game for them to really mentally prepare for it.
I actually have a criticism of Dan in that game. Haven’t mentioned it here, because I think ppl will blow it out of proportion one direction or the other.
I don’t think Campbell managed their energy very well in the 2nd half, especially after the play where Vildor decided to play for the SF’rz, instead of us.
Should have calmed their energy more and reminded them of who they are. Should have made several reminders even before the energy started shifting.
When I was coaching, I would always remind my players that anything can happen and that football can be crazy. Needed to be grounded in their warrior workman energy and made damn sure that we didn’t let up even a fraction of a fraction of an ounce…cuz we did. Mental errors.
I hate saying that we deserved to lose that game…but we did.
Lots of blame to go around, including coaches.
Truthfully, Getting those shots DBs out of there and replacing them with very good players, as well as teh addition of reader…we can overcome more and greatly improved our chances, even if all other things were equal, which they are not.
Dan has more experience (and coaches)
Players have more experience and continuity.
Light years better in the defensive backfield.
DL should be muuuuch improved with additions of Reader, Houston, Kirkland
Another year for Jack Campbell
Another ST ace that I hope they can find a roster spot for.
Better OL depth
Men, I think we’re a juggernaut this year…for sure a favorite
For sure you want to look at the staff and ask why didn’t they step in? And maybe they tried. I have often thought to myself that I would consider calling 2 TO in a row (if allowed) to get their damn heads turned around.
And it is fair to say that not only the players were a bit taken by the moment but dare I say the staff and the HC were also? I mean MCDC clearly wants one so bad he can taste it. It is a process. And what is great is that this bunch of young bucks have gone through already. So I think they should be in contention for the next 5-50 years LOL
Honestly I think it’s the biggest part of why we lost. We were running at will in the first half, and we just started throwing more, going empty sets, etc in the second half. part of the reason the game came down to some Reynolds drops and defensive breakdowns could have been avoided by pounding it inside with Monty. It’s really hard to score quick and come back if the other team possesses the ball. And as the game got closer we kept pushing and trying to dial up big pass plays.
With the lead, milk the clock…put the pressure on the opposition. We should have ran the ball and milked the clock with the lead we had.
It’s over. It’s done.
Sometime I think teams need an analyst to study what worked and what did not, during the game. A keen eye to say “yeah, we are doing this well, dont switch until they show they can adjust and stop us”…
Then we dress it up and counter them out of the same formation/setup. Probably a TD.
We beat the Chiefs opening night and should have beat the 49ers (we beat the 49ers)…they got lucky.
Not this year. Not happening.
Don’t make us bring out Singleback-Wing-Pair with big TE’s (really they’re TE’s that block extremely well and can run routes and catch passes) if it calls for it. Especially with the new tackle rules and the poor tackling LBer’s and DB’S.
They lost because they’re a very young team who need time to learn. Including DC. Teams need time. Experience is huge. The CB’s stunk, Gibbs had that fumble, 4th down attempts missed. Probably should have went for FG’s, but the kicker is unreliable which i think played a part. These are the reasons.
When the pressure increases… slow it down! Its why they use time outs in basketball. To kill the other team’s momentum. In football they use them to stop the clock. When the lions had a lead but the mo was going the 49ers way… maybe a timeout would have been good to use. Heck take 2 in a row. Kill that mo!
