They had to really play poorly for a long time to lose this game. Won’t happen much this year.
That said, Brad needs to put on some Barry White, pour some champagne with strawberries in the flutes, turn the lights down low, lead Them Picks down to the polar bear rug in front of the fireplace and BLANK the ever lovin hell outta them. Over and over….until all this team’s….ahhh…deficiencies…. are filled.
About 27 teams would love to have the Lions’ offensive output. More importantly, the biggest-problem-BY-FAR with the offense is not of Morton’s making.
He didn’t tell Frank to retire, much less at the last minute. (I refuse to trash GG. He’s solid; he’s just not Rags.)
He didn‘t let Zeitler walk.
He didn’t choose to play a rookie and an-all-but-rookie on the IOL.
And he didn’t wish for a banged-up LT.
Some of you can keep squawking about how Jared “has been a bad QB” under Morton, how DMo isn’t hitting holes decisively any mo’, how they’ve gone away from Jamo, unimaginative play calling - all of that.
But IMO 90% of this team’s offensive problems relative to recent years comes down to the performance of the offensive line. Their run-blocking AND pass-blocking just haven’t been good. Inn terms of individual performance and chemistry, they have a long way to go to get to “dominance.”
Calling for Morton’s head this early may be ridiculous, but context matters. The Lions have weapons all over the place so it’s almost, ‘almost’ impossible to not get decent output against less than stellar defenses, even with a less than great OC (see Baltimore w/o VanNoy and their stud, all world DT, Bengals, and Bears). How have we done against defenses that aren’t complete dog poo? We had 17 points today until a late, miracle play TD by Jamo.
You’re right, he didn’t control the OL given to him or injuries. But where we disagree is that Morton has some culpability for OL chemistry and to some extent, performance. 100% all him? Of course not. But he isn’t fault-free either.
At worst we go 9-8 and narrowly miss the playoffs…. Are we gonna blow it up? Get rid of the GM who built, or the guy who created the culture and staff of the team that has the NFL’s best record over the last 50 games?
Which OC is available right now that would immediately deploy better than a top 8 offense? We are on pace for 55 plus sacks with a new DC….
There is nobody better to hire than Holmes, Dan, or better to call the O, D or play QB than what we have guys.
We aren’t in a window… there will be another Goff one day. I am the biggest Goff slapped and I know that.
Yes, I’m aware. Jacksonville, Tennessee, SF (injuries) and Seattle (injuries) stand out.
I understand Morton isn’t the only issue, but to think he’s not part of the problem is not accurate. Do you think McVay could do more with what we have? How about Shanahan? I know those are elite coaches, but my point is the Lions can and should have done better than Morton.
Jamo’s spot (Z) was never the target position for TeSlaa. TeSlaa’s future position is going to be the X position. Which is also why I think they felt Patrick was expendable and they let him go.
But my concern about TeSlaa is that it doesn’t seem like he gets great separation. Which could be hard for Goff to wrap his head around. Goff doesn’t seem like a toss it up and hope for the 50/50 reception type to me. Time will tell. Either TeSlaa is going to have to develop his route running to get that separation, or Goff is going to have to build a trust that he can throw the ball up and TeSlaa will come down with it.
That’s my fear. I think we are about to go on a run because 4 of our next 5 are against bottom 12 defenses.
But if we win 4 of 5 but can’t move the ball on the Packers I’m still worried. With the way the Packers are playing offense we can still win but my goal is the Super Bowl and we are likely going to need to beat an elite defense to win it
I concur. With our talent alone, we can do OK (even in spite of coaching if need be) against bottom tier defenses. My fear, like yours, is going up against better than average defenses. Where some of us disagree is whether the performances against the better defenses is more tied to coaching or lack of talent/injuries on the OL.
The reality is that it’s both areas needing improvement. I don’t doubt Morton’s knowledge of defenses and how to attack them, but the in-game flow of his play calls seems less than ideal.
Christian Mahogany was playing okay at LG, but imo he’s more naturally at RG where he played his best game last year. Awosika and Frazier should be able to give us a decent OG option from here out.
Many worry about what happens if “more injuries” … the answer? We don’t win much.
Even if we trade for other teams lower level OL starters, we won’t have a top 5 OL if our guys get hurt. We honestly don’t now.
I think we go back to “hoping to win,” versus today’s “expecting to win.” It suits us better
That’s why it’s nice to have a QB with legs to get you those important yards and not one like we have that has trained himself to assume the fetal position when the pocket collapses.
This has a lot of truth to it, at least the first part
Until we adapt our game-plans we will see inconsistent results. We have a harder schedule, playing against better and more well coached teams, and we are doing so with a banged up and inferior OL…
When a team is disguising blitzes with 7 in the box at the snap…I’d have tries to hit more slants and posts… or quick crossing routes. Throwing the ball 3 yards behind the LOS when the entire defense is at the LOS seems a bit futile? Same with long developing option routes with eminent interior pressure.
Why was the TD to Jamo a “miracle” play? Why try to discount it? It may be less hyperbolic to say that the real miracle there was that the OL gave JG time to throw it.
How much responsibility does Morton bear for the IOL’s chemistry? I’d say way less than Fraley, who’s theOL coach and run game coordinator. And way less than the fact that two of the three IOL are in their NFL diapers and GG is a HUGE drop-off from Frank as a run blocker.
Fraley’s areas of responsibility are precisely where the Lions’ are flailing most. The OL is no longer a strength and the run game has been more OFF than ON. 3rd-and-1 is now a hold-your-breath adventure. Play action is ineffective and defenses just fill the rush lanes on their way to Goff.
But people aren’t calling for Fraley’s head. Or for DC’s. A lot of us said there was no need to worry about Ben’s departure because this was Dan’s offense. We know he helps prep the offensive game plan every week, that he consults with Morton and can overrule his OC or insert whatever calls he wants. Why not more criticism of Dan - beyond the mocking obsession w/his catchphrases?
Honestly, I think this is a case of simplistically slamming the new guy in Morton because he’s the obvious change from previous years.
To be clear, Fraley and DC didn’t suddenly become bad coaches. They remain among the very best in the league at what they do. The team lost an all-pro center and we’re in an OL transitional period. Defenses have adjusted and the Lions’ own adjustments, and player development, haven’t caught up yet.
They, including Morton, apparently need more time to figure things out. But the Lions are 5-3. All is not lost.
