It is not a bad thing, it has obviously made Anzalone’s game better, but it is a “Bias Thing” in my opinion, more opportunity for one means less opportunity for another. You are talking millions of dollars when it comes to NFL contracts, Anzalone is being placed in a position to benefit due to additional opportunities. I am not as worried about Anzalone on the field as I use to be , but it has been a process and others may have suffered.
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That’s a very reasonable take! Opportunity is very important, and by staying healthy, you often get more opportunities. Barnes and Rodrigo are still kids in the grand scheme of things. I think they both could have very bright futures. Did you know Rodrigo is actually older than Barnes by a few months, both still only 23 though.
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Also has a hand injury - that is why is snap counts were limited.
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Because DC reads these forums and he wants to screw with your head?
Yes, I knew, Rodrigo had an extra senior year in college, I stated that in another post.
Also, Anzalone’s opportunities were regardless of who the other linebacker was, those opportunities were split between Rodrigo and Barnes and whoever, injuries were not a factor in Anzalone’s steadfastness. Although I see your point that if he is not injured he can be on the field.
With all that said I am very happy with the opportunities the Lions have collectively GO LIONS!!!
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Dude, he crushed the safety on Jackson’s touchdown run! It was almost a de-cleater. It’s worth the rewatch. 
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I think Anzalone, rightly or wrongly, is trusted more than the other LB’s. I think you’re probably right that Campbell (and maybe others–AG, Shep) trust him, partly because of his NO days. AA is our most experienced LB and probably makes the fewest purely mental mistakes (MA’s) because of that.
That’s the first time I’ve seen someone mentioning piling on late to get an assist. I think the statisticians know the difference between an assist and piling on for the ride, although I don’t doubt that there are exceptions…I think you need to give the stat-meisters a little more credit than that, c’mon man!
Alot of assists is a good thing. 95% of the time, anyway.
You are focused on snaps, tackles and assists. I’m not. I’m focused on disruptive plays, taking good angles, being in the backfield, covering the middle of the field. I’m also focused on the absence of poor angles, wide open receivers, whiffs, etc. I’m going by the naked eye, but in this case, PFF is confirming the naked eye. AA threw up some stinkers early in the year, and his grade has improved to the point of being one of the best LB grades in the league these past two weeks.
His grade last year was in the 30’s if I recall, and now its 59. It was also in the 40’s earlier in the year. Currently, his grade is behind every other linebacker on the team. Is he our best LB? No. But if MRod, Barnes, Board etc. are hurt, yu simply can’t play them as much. Is our “worst” (according to PFF, which is only one piece of info) linebacker improving alot? Yes, and that is a good thing.
As someone else said – he’s average at best. But he is trusted more, I’ll grant you that.
It doesn’t have to be. If you get more snaps you can also show how bad you are. You can regress, too; it happens alot. AO cough cough.
Cap, you need to move away from tackles per snap, assist ratio, etc. Trust your eyes a little more. I do hope we get Barnes back soon, I think he’s shown alot of improvement too.
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He made the most of it.
I do trust my eyes, and only recently do my eyes trust Anzalone. I have said that the snaps have made him better of late, but you said it yourself Anzalone threw up some stinkers. The problem was he stayed on the field anyway.
It is hard to argue with the success that MCDC and the Lions are now having, ultimately I too want the Lions to win and even make the playoffs. If Anzalone keeps playing at the level he is playing at, the Lions benefit and the Lions win. I am happy to see that. GO LIONS!!!
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On these things, we are in violent agreement.
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LOL, I even picked up the Lions defense against the Jets for my fantasy team this week, so I must trust Anzalone a little better now.
- Jared Goff as the Master of Puppets
- Taylor Decker was dominant at left tackle
- Lions skill position blocking blew away the Vikings’ effort
- Detroit’s RBs had a bad game outside of one great run (by Justin J)
- Aidan Hutchinson whipped a very good competitor
- Mike Hughes should never play in the slot again
- Lions defense tackled very well
- No moment was too big
Ok not sure if this has been brought up or not but isnt anzalone green sticker guy …helps set defense on field? I think that you would want a guy with that on the field more…physical limitations maybe. Or is he just a smart football dude that can set team up for success…im spitballing here but it seems thats important
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“…Swift chose the wrong gap or cut erroneously on four of his six carries, costing him potential yards each time. Williams didn’t appear to have the initial burst he normally brings, either…”
Definitely a good off-season for the Lions to add another RB to the fold
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If the Rams win another game or two and that pick drops another several spots, it might make a lot of sense to go DB with that pick and get Dijon with ours. Or vice versa
If we stay top five though and take Carter and Anderson I think our pick needs to be DB. Dijon is a bit of a luxury as good as the offense is overall
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Im starting to think DB is our biggest need, ahead of DL and LB.
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Damn you. Now I have Walk the Dinosaur stuck in my head.
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