Week 1 Observations

[Just Want A Title]

I think the Lions faced what is going to be a pretty good 49rs team now that they are healthy.  They had a rough start but showed some moxy by making a late charge.  Given the fact that they play the Packers and the Ravens in the next few weeks, our young players are going to be on a steep learning-curve.  Still, there were some good things amongst the bad today:

Offense:

1.       Credit Penei Sewell for having a solid game despite being put in a really difficult situation.  He was matched up against Joey Bosa and help up fairly well.  He has a bright future if he continues to improve.

2.       Passing game:  Absolutely nothing good happened outside of TJ Hockenson for most of the game.  Quintez Cephus and Khalif Raymond made some plays late but way too late.  They need to find a vertical passing-game much earlier.  Their passing plays seemed to take a really long time to develop.

3.       Why doesn’t TJ Hockenson run post-routes?  In fact, they didn’t seem to call his number much for stuff anywhere in the middle of the field.  What gives?

4.       Jared Goff was holding the ball way too long.  Our O-Line did a pretty good job of protecting him considering how long he was holding on to the ball.

5.       D’Andre Swift and Jamal Williams looked like a pretty good 1-2 RB combination.

6.       I think our O-Line is a pretty strong unit and should help the offense improve if they stay relatively healthy. 

7.       Despite having a penalty, Frank Ragnow was still Frank Ragnow. 

8.       The drop by Jason Cabinda was inexcusable.

9.        I like the aggressiveness of the Lions staff by going for it on 4^th down early.  That could pay dividends down the road with such a young team.

Defense:

1.       Jeff Okudah continues to be an enigma.  He has a ton of physical talent but he can’t give up big plays like he did to Deebo Samuel today.  He really needs to clean up his footwork.  He left with an injury.  I am starting to think he might have to switch to Safety.

2.       The Lions had some pretty bad mistakes in the run-game early with runs going to the outside.

3.       Kevin Strong flashed a couple of times today.  He really should see more snaps.  Same goes for John Penisini.

5.       The Lions pass-rush looks somewhat improved but it still needs to be more consistent.  With such a young roster, this may improve as the season goes on.

6.       Tracy Walker had a sack but he and Will Harris should have contained the run a lot better early in the game.  

7.        Our LBs made a few plays but they didn't seem to be too good today.  Especially against the run early.  

Special Teams

1.       The missed field goal could be chalked up to new faces.  Hopefully, it won’t be  a trend. 

2.       Godwin Igwebuike was surprisingly effective as a return-man.  It will be interesting to see how he develops as the season goes on.

 

The Lions deserver some credit for making a late-charge but they aren't explosive enough on offense to play from behind.  Given the fact that they play the Packers and the Ravens in the next few weeks, our young players are going to be on a steep learning-curve.  They may not be a great team this year but they could be better than some folks expect.  

Edited September 12, 2021 by Just Want A Title
Added content

[Louis Friend]

Why couldn't you post this in the week 1 thread? 

[Just Want A Title]

Too many other extraneous comments.  Plus, I think it sparks a more focused thread.

[jrry32]

My brief thoughts were;

• Pretty typical Week 1 performance from Goff. He always looks rusty in the first half, and the INT TD was the sort of dumb play he's prone to making when under pressure. He needs to learn to take the sack. But the team really fought back in the second half, and Jared elevated his play in the 4th quarter, finding a groove.
• Tyrell Williams is hurt again. The Lions really need him to stay healthy. Cephus actually looked good, other than the boneheaded mistake on stepping out of bounds. I think I'd play him as the #2 WR (if Williams is healthy). The other WRs were pretty invisible.
• Hockenson was great. He's a stud.
• Outside of the Swift drop that really hurt the team, the two HBs were excellent.
• OL fared better than expected. Opened up big holes in the running game. Sewell had a much better game than expected against top competition. Nelson was hit and miss, but he's a backup. When Decker gets back, the Lions might just have something. I'd flip Decker to RT if he is comfortable there.
• The play-calling was good.
• Defense was bad. The 49ers have a very difficult scheme to defend, so this shouldn't be a huge surprise. But I still expected more resistance. DL needs to get more penetration. LBs were invisible. And Oruwariye was getting toasted.
• Okudah wasn't terrible. He made some mistakes, but he seemed to play reasonably well for most of the game. Of course, he's hurt now.
• Will Harris was dreadful. He missed a bunch of tackles and took poor angles.
• I wasn't focused on the DL on every snap, but when I did see Alim McNeill, he appeared to be playing well.
• I appreciated the fight. It was a good first step in changing the culture.

Edited September 12, 2021 by jrry32

[Louis Friend]

2 minutes ago, Just Want A Title said:

Too many other extraneous comments.  Plus, I think it sparks a more focused thread.

So you only like to read your own posts. Got it. 

[Just Want A Title]

1 minute ago, Louis Friend said:

So you only like to read your own posts. Got it. 

Uh, sure.  Not being drawn into a toxic or negative back and forth.  Thanks.

[nagahide13]

So Okudah is just terrible and now he has a torn achilles. Good stuff. Really stoked about that drafting there Bobbo.

[jrry32]

29 minutes ago, nagahide13 said:

So Okudah is just terrible and now he has a torn achilles. Good stuff. Really stoked about that drafting there Bobbo.

I don't think he's terrible. But the torn achilles is obviously horrible news.

[diehardlionfan]

They played better than I expected. So many new faces, new scheme for almost everyone. 

The running game was good but unfortunately the point deficit dictated play calling. 

The secondary has regressed to a thirdary again. Unfortunate Quintricia had to destroy it.

Goff looks to be a QB that needs to find his groove as a game progresses.

TJ needs to see the ball more. He and the RB’s are the passing game at this point. The young receivers should show improvement as they get a few games in.

Say what you will about garbage time but they didn’t quit which is a great sign.

[LionArkie]

Torn Achilles? Really? I’m having flashbacks of Bryant Westbrook. They are never the same after that injury.

[jrry32]

1 hour ago, LionArkie said:

Torn Achilles? Really? I’m having flashbacks of Bryant Westbrook. They are never the same after that injury.

I haven't seen any confirmation that it's torn yet, but they are doing a MRI for an achilles injury.

[Millenhater]

I thought Sewell played well.  So well in fact that I’m going to propose a hypothetical.  Let say Decker is out 5 games and Sewell continues to play well and actually improves.  There are your three options:

1. Put Sewell back at RT and Decker slots back in at LT.

2. Keep Sewell at LT and try Decker at RT.

3. Keep Sewell at LT and see if you can get Laremy Tunsil type deal.  And if so would you settle for a 1 and 2?

[detroitroar]

3 hours ago, jrry32 said:

I don't think he's terrible. But the torn achilles is obviously horrible news.

He got Alphonso Smith'd today. He's not very good.

[Millenhater]

3 hours ago, jrry32 said:

I don't think he's terrible. But the torn achilles is obviously horrible news.

If it’s a torn Achilles I think that’s the book on poor Jeff.  Really sucks if it’s true.

[Nnivolcm]

Didn't get a chance to watch the game but I did like seeing Green Bay got spanked.