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WRITE THE STORY OF A SEASON: WHAT HAS TO HAPPEN FOR LIONS TO SUCCEED OR FAIL IN 2019


Karnage84

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Every year there are a number of things that happen which impacts a teams success or failure. A key injury or the emergence of a star from out of nowhere can have a significant impact on the outcome.

Which significant events could occur this season that will lead to a successful Lions season or to a failure?

FAILURE

1) Kerryon Johnson can't avoid the injury bug: KJ showed flashes of great play but injuries have been a question mark on him even coming out of college. If Kerryon struggles with injuries again this year, this is going to have a significant impact on the team's plans on offense.

2) The offensive line still struggles: The Lions didn't take an OL in the draft and seem to be content with moving a couple guys around to find the right combination. The Lions have struggled at building the OL over the years. If this continues, Stafford is going to take even more hits and the offense will struggle as a whole.

3) Marvin Jones struggles with injury: The Lions WR corp really struggled last year when Marvin went down for a period of time. There wasn't a ton of depth beyond Kenny Golladay after the Golden Tate trade. Amendola is towards the end of his career and the team didn't really add much outside of sixth rounder Travis Fulgham. If Jones goes down again for any period of time, this group could struggle again.

4) The search for CB2 continues: The Lions have struggled to find someone to play opposite of Darius Slay. They've added Rashaan Melvin in free agency, drafted Amani Oruwariye in the 5th round and held onto former 2nd rounder Teez Tabor. If the team is unable to get consistent play from either one of these guys or a combination of 2-3 of these guys, the team is going to struggle. 

SUCCESS

1) The offense finds balance: Adding Darrell Bevell is expected to bring balance to the offensive scheme. An improved rushing attack with a healthy Kerryon is going to take pressure off of Stafford. This will open up PA opportunities as teams will actually have to respect the rushing attack.

2) An emerging star comes from out of nowhere: When the Lions selected guys like Golladay or Tracy Walker, we all were left scratching our heads as there were guys we preferred still available. Kenny Golladay has given us some reason to trust BQ while Walker has shown some flashes in that direction as well. A situation where Golladay becoming one of the best WR's in the league, Tracy Walker seamlessly filling in Glover Quin's role, Jahlani Tavai becoming Darius Leonard 2.0 and/or Ty Johnson being a big play RB will have a significant impact on the team's success this season. This isn't a team built on established stars. Getting contributions from any one or all of these guys or others will make a big difference in the W/L column

3) Trey Flowers is healthy: As long as Flowers is healthy and on the field, this is going to have a significant impact on the defense. He's not a double digit sack guy but he's going to have a big impact on the other players on the defensive line. Ansah was a solid player but availability was always an issue. Just having a guy that is in the lineup every week is a win all in itself.

 

 

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I just think it comes down to coaching and them handling adversity like theyve been there before. If KJ goes down they shouldn't skip a beat and just change up the plays for a game. If ts the season. It sucks, but again they still have other pros. Im hoping they figured out some mistakes last year on the oline. I didn't watch every game, but didn't they have a crazy stat where they had a bunch of different units out there throughout the year from injury. I think Melvin will be #2 for now. But injury does happen and I wont be surprised to see someone we dont even have right now starting week 6...

 

for the success. I agree. We MUST MUST MUST find balance. I dont get it. Last year at least it was so predictable. and then they would gve up since they were down two possessions or more. Hopefully CJ can take a lot of power work and then KJ on a toss or screen and get the YAC.

 

I think Will Harris will be one of the teams (underrated superstars) as in maybe no pro bowl. But he will be huge. Captain while playing for BC...We have their coach that was their D coordinator dont we? So I hope he is already ahead of the game. Also think Oruwariye is going to play way better then is pick says he should. 

 

And I am really excited to see Trey Flowers. Hoping he can bring some aggression and leadership along with his talent

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11 hours ago, Nnivolcm said:

For me it's mostly offensive line and if the defense can create an pressure on QBs.

Idt they will have a problem getting pressure it's what's behind the pressure that I'm concerned about..

I predict davis as a dbl digit sack guy this year..but ya I woulda added more to the rush

I'll also say my breakout player is ragnow.. pro bowl if he stays at center...

Edited by Rockcity2
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7 hours ago, Rockcity2 said:

Idt they will have a problem getting pressure it's what's behind the pressure that I'm concerned about..

I predict davis as a dbl digit sack guy this year..but ya I woulda added more to the rush

I'll also say my breakout player is ragnow.. pro bowl if he stays at center...

If there's no pressure, then I think the secondary can be exposed. I think when the pressure is there, the secondary will be fine.

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Of course not but I feel it's several times greater than any other one. I feel confident that the defense will be acceptable at worst, as long as they're not put under terrible strain by a bad offense. The run and pass games also have enough personnel to be acceptable, if the blocking isn't garbage 

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36 minutes ago, Superduperman said:

Of course not but I feel it's several times greater than any other one. I feel confident that the defense will be acceptable at worst, as long as they're not put under terrible strain by a bad offense. The run and pass games also have enough personnel to be acceptable, if the blocking isn't garbage 

How do you think the offense would fare if KJ and/or Marvin go down but we get adequate blocking? Do we have the depth to overcome that in your opinion?

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I think that it all comes down to coaching and front office. When our last season ended I just was not convinced that Matt Patricia and Bob Quinn were the guys to lead this team to the promised land. Quinn finally acted on my biggest criticism of his, which is that he is so damn conservative all the time, and he actually went out and took some big swings in free agency. This team is clearly tailored to fit what Patricia wants now. If they don't challenge for a playoff spot this year, it's all on those two guys. 

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5 hours ago, Lions017 said:

I think that it all comes down to coaching and front office. When our last season ended I just was not convinced that Matt Patricia and Bob Quinn were the guys to lead this team to the promised land. Quinn finally acted on my biggest criticism of his, which is that he is so damn conservative all the time, and he actually went out and took some big swings in free agency. This team is clearly tailored to fit what Patricia wants now. If they don't challenge for a playoff spot this year, it's all on those two guys. 

So what exactly do the coaches/front office have to do in order to lead the team to success? What would they do/not do that could lead to failure?

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14 hours ago, Superduperman said:

"adequate" blocking? no. adequate won't get them over .500

We aren't going to have the top OL in the league, but let's say we're in the top 16. The OL isn't the reason that we're successful or fail in this scenario. Could our RB corp and/or WR corp sustain a fairly substantial injury with our current depth in your opinion?

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