Why I Like the Future of This Team

I am bullish on a lot of the talent on this roster. I am incredibly frustrated this didn’t turn into wins as the Lions were not losing games because this roster is a disaster.

There are some BIG questions lurking for the Lions. Stafford, a new GM, coaches and so on. But there is a lot to like here as well. Here are some of the reasons I am bullish on this roster:

  1. This offensive line. Taylor Decker in 28 in August. Frank Ragnow is 25 in May. One of the top centers in the game right now. Jonah Jackson has a bright future and he is 24 in February. From there I like Joe Dahl (28 in April), Tyrell Crosby (who seems like a viable starting ROT…and is just 26 in September) and we have Logan Sternberg (24 in March) and Matt Nelson (just turned 25). That is a LOT to like even if we cut Vaitai loose $ to use elsewhere if necessary. That is very, very nice.

  2. D’Andre Swift looks great to me. I also like Kerryon Johnson a lot and I wish Johnson got more work later in the season. KJ is a very good blocker and he ca catch. Swift looks like the real deal to me.

  3. I like WR Quintez Cephus a lot. Looks like he has real NFL game. 23 years old in April. Yep, we need help at WR but we have Marvin Jones and Golladay back if we want them back.

  4. Hockenson looked good in year two and should be great in year three. There is a lot to like there. I assume Jesse James is gone but I liked Hunter Bryant a whole lot in his limited time here. This kid could be a real player for us in 2021. 23 in August.

  5. I like Tracy Walker (26 in February) and I like the potential of Will Harris a lot too (25 in December). I also like CB Amani Oruwariye a lot too. 25 in February. And we have Okudah too. That has potential.

  6. I am a BIG fan of Romeo Okwara. Just 26 in June. This kid has untapped potential still to me. He just keeps getting better. We need him back. I also love the potential of John Penisini (24 in May).

  7. I like three other young guys on defense even though they haven’t shown us enough yet: Julian Okwara will get a shot in 2021. I like Austin Bryant (25 in November) and Da’Shawn Hand (26 in November) regressed but like Will Harris I think he is worth investing in still.

All those guys are under contract in 2021 except Okwara. From there we have Trey Flowers who even if overpaid is a really good football player. Jamie Collins is our best LBer and he is back in 2021 too. I like Danny Shelton in a scaled back role as a run stuffer who can push a pocket.

Yes we have holes and yes a new staff if going to need some of these guys who underperformed with Patricia to step and play big roles if this team has any shot at a fast turnaround. But there is young talent here.

Folks are talking about blowing this up and I am just not feeling that. I want Stafford back and Golladay as these are real NFL players. I want Marvin Jones Jr. back as he is a viable NFL talent.

If the Lions can add a coach who inspires these guys and who runs a scheme the players understand I can see the Lions being a very, very tough out in 2021 even with no big name high priced outside free agents. Build the core of this team with what we have.

I am still bothered Bob Quinn let Graham Glasgow walk and replaced him with a ROT in Vaitai. I like keeping guys we know when possible. I like the core of this roster. I hate what Patricia did to this team. But I see a lot of good here. Despite 2008 like outcomes on defense I think a new coach will be very happy to take over this roster at this point.

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Totally agree and was thinking the same earlier today, there’s talent on both sides of the ball and with the right shrewd moves could turn it around sooner than a total rebuild. Take for instance how,much better the D would be if we had a real playmaker at the LB pos’n…a decent cover linebacker that doesn’t wrack up his tackles 5-8yds past the LOS.

There are decent pieces there to tweak on both the D-Line and secondary. And the offence put up decent production/points in most games. Fix the D and the rest of the framework seems to be in place already.

Keep Stafford, the heart of a Lion…not gonna win 5 let alone any games this season without him. Draft a developmental QB to learn from his experience. But for the good lord’s sake, field some NFL caliber LB’s and the weak link gets fixed rather quickly…just my opinion.

I think the smart thing to do is keep Stafford in 2021, add some pieces and see what a new FO and coaching can do with what we have. If they show promise and progress, re-up MS and go for broke in year two. If they end up floundering around in mediocrity, you blow it up, trade Stafford, start from scratch at the QB position while keeping a few of the young pieces in place.

We need to add two game wreckers on defense.

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There are some nice pieces here but what we severely lack is depth. That is really what is hurting this team. While we have some solid, reliable players there are too many players who are plain and simple not that talented. If you were to scale this roster player by player 1-10, certainly there are a handful of 8 & 9, maybe even a 10 but the majority of this roster is 3,4 & 5’s. No team will have entire roster of All-Pros but the talent discrepancy is far too wide. I’d say 25% of the roster falls into the 7+ category. We have maybe 15% in the 5,6’s and 60% in 3,4 category. Those numbers need to be flipped in order for us to be a successful franchise.

We have reserves in starting positions which means our reserves are even worse. Football is a physical game with a ton of injuries each year so depth is what differentiates bad teams from good, and good teams from great.

I agree keep Stafford unless someone offers a great haul of picks.They have some good players they just need leadership from the top down.I like the idea of drafting a QB at the top of rd 2 if guys like Mac Jones or Kellon Mond are there.I want BPA at 7 dont care if that’s Sewell,Smith,Chase,Parsons or Roussou the DE out of Miami.If they were to get a chance at Feilds,Lance or Wilson I could also see the logic in grabbing the QB of the future.

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