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ALLEN PARK – Four players were allowed to practice at least seven presses during the first week of the season. And two players play an offensive tackle for the Detroit Lions.
Taylor Decker and Rick Wagner both allowed seven presses in the opening game against Arizona. Decker also gave two sacks. He committed four penalties. He was one of the worst offensive line players in the league last week, and the challenge is now expanding with a match tied with the Los Angeles Chargers (1 pm, CBS), who have just featured one of the best 1-2 edges. combos in the league.
So here is. Decker has been a hot topic this week and we will start with the latest edition of the mailbag. Once again, my deepest gratitude to all those who triggered questions. It was impossible to contact them all and still have time to pet my cat, but we will do it again next week. Questions can be tweeted right here or emailed to [email protected].
On this, rolls.
Q: Do not try to overreact, but is it time to find Decker's replacement or is he still struggling to recover from his injury? I thought it was solid and that it would evolve from there, but I'm also aware of how injuries can change that (see Mikel Leshoure). – @ Ch0z3n1
A: It's premature to say it anyway. I know that the good thing to do this week is to hang Decker by his feet and I understand. He allowed two sacks, both of which led to fumbles. He allowed seven presses that were tied for a league summit. And he committed four penalties. I've seen his 41 career games, and I've never seen him play that badly. I understood.
That said, I'm not ready to dig his grave either. It was a match. And it was a match against two good attackers. In addition, it turns out that he has a back injury. So maybe there is more to do than we know. I just do not think you're giving up on a first-round pick that you spent over three years developing because it played a bad game. Let's see how he bounces this week – against Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa, no less – before writing his obituary.
But we will not escape how bad he was last week, and I do not like what he and his coaches said about it: Chandler Jones and Terrell Suggs are really good. Well, they are. But also Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa, whom he will see this week. Just like Brandon Graham, whom he will see next week. And Frank Clark, he will see the week after. I mean, it's the NFL. Decker plays on the left. He will see good players almost every week. His job is to clear the good players. It's work. He did not do it against Arizona and he needs to show some improvement in the future to calm his worries about him and the Lions offensive line.
It's too early to panic. But given all the resources that Bob Quinn has devoted to the offensive line, this beginning – allowing high pressures of the league – really discourages.
Q: Are you putting more on the workout or the legitimate fatigue to explain why they looked so good and then just collapsed? It seemed that they could not adapt to Fitz – @ joelirvine97
A: I think it's a little bit of column A and a little bit of column B. They definitely looked tired in the second half, and it was so bad that even Kyler Murray mentioned it without any hesitation after the game. You really can not blame Detroit for being tired either. The defense was on the pitch for 82 games, which was more than any game of last season. And 46 of these pieces came in the second half alone.
In comparison, they played 48 defensive turnovers in their victory over New England last year.
It's too early. Nobody in the league is training enough to be fit for September football – anymore – and there is a lot of bad football around the league because of that. And guys like Trey Flowers, Harrison Snacks and Mike Daniels have barely practiced in the summer. They then went on to the first week and played nearly a defensive defensive game in the second half only against a team at the peak of speed that barely snuggles. So you can understand why they might get tired.
But this is not to excuse coaching either. I think Matt Patricia has made a lot of progress as a head coach and I really liked the game that Darrell Bevell called (with a few exceptions, especially this missed third-place field defeat and 5). But there were also problems. In particular, they moved away from what worked in the first half (passers-by) and more of something that was not in the second half (running). They spent 54% of the time in the first half and had only a quarter-point less to finish third. In the second half, they ran the ball in 61% of the cases, averaging 9.9 yards to finish third.
Matthew Stafford did it, but Detroit was determined to win the match by bleeding the clock on the floor. That sounds good in theory, except that nothing was happening on the ground. Stafford led them in the third quarter, and Kerryon Johnson finished with just 49 yards in total. All these failures put Detroit in difficult situations – 11 of his 18 third tries required at least 6 meters to advance the chains – and led to five free throws on his six playoffs in the second half.
It's easy to say they're "playing not to lose," as many do this week, and I think that's true. But if these races have worked and Detroit has eliminated the clock, we're all sitting today and we're talking about the awesome play-offs on the Cardinals' throats. In the end, it's about doing what we call, and the Lions did not do it. It was part of the training, but getting ready for this type of track competition the first week also seemed to be a problem.
Q: Has Patricia arrived at the time and has she kept her word with the calendar up to now? I know it was an important point this year. – @ Kenneth_Gabbert
A: Yes. As I've written a few times lately, I know the tie hurts, but I do not feel like they're holding a thread, as I did at the same time the year last. The players were then unhappy. They were frustrated. Nothing worked at the time, practices and meetings were moved at the last minute, again and again. Morale was low. One player told me that he had a bad feeling for the first game and that I had never heard that before in my career.
But this year the players are on board. They subscribed. I think part of the reason is that the players got used to Matt Patricia and knew what to expect, and that Patricia recognized some of her own mistakes and changed things. Now everything works better – and yes, it means that almost everything works at the hour almost all the time.
This did not result in a win in the first week, and the tie was ugly, and there is no going on. But the talent is better and the team is in a better place. They had a good week this week. I no longer feel an impending destiny. I think they will bounce back Sunday against a wounded Chargers team and win enough games this year to keep things interesting until the end.
Q: Top 3 taco joints in the area? Also, if the lions traded against Taco Charlton, would he upgrade the pass? – @JoeSailus
A: Mexicantown (southwest Detroit) is the mecca of cheap and tasty tacos in the city. Taqueria Nuestra Familia is my favorite, and Taqueria El Rey is also fantastic. And hey, they're fine with the budget of a sports editor. Outside of Taco Heaven, Jose's downtown Detroit is one of my personal favorites. Gather is not a tacos seal, but they have a great Taco (sorry, LeBron). And outside the city, I particularly like the Imperial Ferndale.
Anyway, that's why I'm no longer skinny, mom.
As for Charlton, I'm generally in favor of getting as much tacos as I can, but this one makes no sense for Detroit. Why give up resources to acquire a player to a position that is already your strength? If the Lions agree, he should be in a weak position. For example, an offensive line?
Q: Will Trey Flowers have more impact than a less mobile QB (Rivers)? – @ Lionsfan1960
A: You hope it will have more impact on a quarter. The flowers did not make bags or even shots in the first week, and only two presses on 31 passes in all. This ranked 73rd among all players.
It does not exactly say $ 90 million.
Of course, Flowers also suffers from a shoulder injury that has made it difficult to practice all year round. He missed all the conditioning, the OTAs and the minicamp, and then opened the training camp on the list of people physically unable to perform. He did not return until August 10 and started training only the last day before the opening match. So, you would expect to see more disruption as it gets rid of rust, becomes more comfortable in its new defense – and, yes, facing a more stationary quarterback might help. And Philip Rivers is definitely that.
Q: What happens first: Don Muhlbach retires or we welcome our new robot, the SkyNet lords? – @bigdrewCON
A: You see, it's a trap question. Everyone knows that Don Muhlbach will never retire.
Q: Why Amani oruwariye is not burned, it must be better than Agnew, right? Or do Agnew's special teams give him an advantage? – @ thelionsfan90
A: Because he's a corner recruiter? Most of these guys prefer not to play right away. Exhibit A: Slay, Darius. This guy was really a beginner, but he was still forced to go to the field. He was then so bombed that he was thrown on objects at Ford Field before he was finally stranded. And this guy was a second-round pick.
Oruwariye, a fifth-round pick, could be good. He might not. It's too early to say. This position takes some time before the players are ready to face the size and speed of the NFL receivers, as well as the quarterbacks able to pass the ball in a thimble. I like the size of Oruwariye (it's the first thing you notice when you see it) and he played some pieces in pre-season. But if all goes well, we will not see him much in defense before the next season.
By the way, Rashann Melvin just made a big game as CB2. He imposed on Kyler Murray a score of 49.1. He defended three assists – a league record – and was ranked in the ninth best turn of the first week according to ProFootballFocus. That's why I do not think he's really in a hurry to bring Oruwariye into the field.
Finally: Jamal Agnew is a guy from the inside and Oruwariye plays outside, so one does not have much to do with the other.
Q: If the Lions decide that Agnew is too inconsistent in the return match, who will be the next player? How long does a leash think you're going to give it? – @kejsphs
A: Danny Amendola was ranked # 2 throughout the training camp, but I think the Lions will be reluctant to put the 33-year-old receiver in danger on special teams. He has too much value on the offensive, without any pure receiver of slot machines behind him.
Rookie Ty Johnson has also raced in the camp and has a returning experience of his time in Maryland. When Diggs misplaced the occasional ball here and there too.
Q: Many people did not like Amendola's signature, saying they were too old! Is it safe to say that Stafford will strongly support Danny as he did with Tate? – @DirtyJerzFinest
A: Kind of. Danny Amendola and Golden Tate are very different players, and they will be used very differently. Tate's course left a lot to be desired, but he was the king of YAC. And although Amendola may run after the capture, have you seen the landing on Sunday? – He does more hay as a road racer. These guys are different players.
But your main question: will Stafford rely heavily on Amendola, as he did with Tate? – weight door. The use will not be the same, as Tate was a better player than Amendola, and the Lions have more options than they have ever had since Calvin Johnson retired. Kenny Golladay is an excellent receiver, Marvin Jones is a good receiver and we have all seen what the T. J. Hockenson kid can do. And let's not forget that it's an offense that wants to run more than ever.
So I do not think Amendola will get the objectives required to match Tate's production. But I think he's going to see a lot of football this year. He was a favorite target of Matthew Stafford's side, alongside Hockenson. He makes very good routes and Stafford seems to trust him. I think we'll see a lot of production coming out of the slot this year, be it a slot receiver or a tight end.
Q: My question is about losing Lions history. It seems that Matt Patricia does not understand the culture or history and does not ignore it. I know that the feeling is that each diet is different. Does Matt Patricia understand the pressure he is under to win now? I feel that it can be the man to turn everything upside down. He and Bob Quinn speak well, but do they really understand the meaning of urgency? Have you, or another writer, addressed this issue with the beleaguered Lions coach? – Mr Crying since January '91
A: Not knowing the story is not a problem for Matt Patricia. He is great in the history of the league. He is constantly paying tribute to the older ones. He spent a lot of time making sure the team's alumni come back to Detroit and are part of the organization. He even spent much of the year wearing hats with "1934", the year of Lions' founding.
"I love all this since the beginning and beginning of our course here in Detroit," Patricia said during the training camp. "I love these things – it's cool – we always try to tell the story as much as possible with the players and we try to tie it up as much as possible. important."
So, he knows the story. And no league coach should remember the urgency of winning. The Cardinals have just fired Steve Wilks after one season. Marty Schottenheimer has already been fired after a 14-2 record – and that comes after a loss to the Patriots in the playoffs, while Patricia stood on the other touchline.
Having said that, I think that although Patricia knows the story, I do not think he fully understood the implications in the first year. The fans were frustrated, but he gave them nothing last year, on the field and far from it. He was also frustrated with the questions about this story. And I know that he was frustrated by the negative stories and the coverage of the team. But that's what happens when you do not win for six decades.
Q: What is the best N64 game and why is it Mario Kart 64? – @ nicosuave6
A:
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