Pats at Lions pre-game thread

[Kontradiction]

I sincerely hope that we're giving Koppen some form of help against Suh on the inside. Otherwise, Brady's not going to have much of a pocket to step into.

 

[Simkin]

after two big wins, that ll be a good chance to prove that we are not relaxed. The lions are a good team with talent around the ball and Suh is a dominating DT, but he is really dirty, hopefully he didnt touch Brady all day.



Megatron can go for 200 yards

 

[NYCPatsFan]

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing.

Didn't the Jets come out of their bye with a shutout loss at home?

While it is true both teams will have an equal amount of time to prepare, I'll put my money on Belichick being able to put that additional time to better use than Ryan will.

No denying that and I sincerely hope we shut them out. But, no amount of planning is good if it's not executed on the field.

let me focus my jitters on the Lions game first and pray that we get a W tomorrow without any injury to any player.

GO PATS!!

 

[jmt57]

Patriots ready for possible Detroit trap | Mary Paoletti | CSNNE

Poor play like in the loss to Cleveland -- whether as victims to the trap or a team that just couldn't get it together -- isn't likely to come from the Patriots again. But they won't have to sink too low for Detroit to keep it close anyway. And New England knows that.

"They're a great team, they're better than what their record says,'' Gronkowski continued. "Way better than what their record says. They're in every single game so we've got to go out there like it's one of our biggest games, which it is."

Five of Detroit's eight losses have been by five or fewer points. The top NFC North teams, Chicago and Green Bay, beat Detroit by five and two points, respectively. NFC East frontrunner Philly beat the Lions by three. The AFC East-leading Jets only won by three, in overtime no less. (The other close loss: By two, to just-as-lowly Buffalo.)

Nobody will argue that the bottom line runs under the way things stack up in that Win/Loss column. At the same time, you've got to think that with the Lions coming so close so often, they'll hit that target eventually.

"We just have to prepare like we always prepare, that's what it always comes down to,'' Danny Woodhead said. "Anyone in the NFL can beat anyone. They're a great team and they just don't get the credit."

A win over New England would be a hell of a way to turn things around. Can't imagine it happening? Tom Brady can. For him, it would actually be deja vu of a particularly unfortunate milestone. In 2000, the quarterback made his NFL debut against the Lions at the Pontiac Silverdome on Thanksgiving Day on Nov. 23, 2000. The Lions gorged themselves on a 34-9 win.

Of course, a lot has changed for Brady and New England since then, but the Patriots don't need to go back that far. They just need to hope that things have changed since coming home from Cleveland and that their eyes stay wide for any traps.

"This team does a lot of good things they've been in a lot of close games against a lot of good teams,'' Brady repeated. "If you don't get it going early, that dome's gonna be rocking and we gotta get it going early."

 

[jmt57]

Jeff Howe of NESN has a conversation with two Detroit writers in a column that really helps us to get to know the 2010 Lions. They talk about QB Matthew Stafford, HC Jim Schwartz, S Louis Delmas, DT Ndamukong Suh, and the current state of the Detroit Lions.

With Matthew Stafford, Ndamukong Suh, Lions Have Bright Future Ahead - Across Enemy Lines - NESN.com

Delmas had an awesome rookie season, constantly flying all over the field and getting to the ball. He is a big hitter and has earned the nickname "Missile" for his speedy play and hard-hitting style. Injuries have slowed him down a bit this season (injuries have pretty much been the story of the Lions' season), but when healthy, he shows signs of being one of the better safeties in the league. His style of play and his attitude are a very nice change to what has been a normally bad Lions secondary.

Howe also has his weekly scouting report, and does another really good job of previewing the game and breaking down what to look for and expect Thursday.

Patriots Scouting Report: Calvin Johnson May Be Slowed If Pats Can Jam Him at Line of Scrimmage - Scouting Report - NESN.com

Detroit's defensive line is the most active of its three levels, and the front four has recorded 21.5 of the team's 27 sacks this season. Rookie defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh is the driving force of that line, and he'll likely command double teams, which will force New England's tackles -- who are coming off an excellent performance against the Colts -- and the singled-up guard to win their one-on-one battles at the line. Defensive ends Kyle Vanden Bosch and Cliff Avril each have four sacks, and Avril is the speed rusher, while Vanden Bosch is more about power.

However, as strong as the Lions' front is at attacking the passer, they aren’t a good run-stuffing group. The Lions have given up 130.6 yards per game on the ground, which ranks 26th in the NFL and isn’t much better than Indianapolis' unit. Therefore, there's reason to believe the Patriots can capitalize on the ground in this game.

Detroit's secondary is young, but it's got some speed and playmaking ability. Cornerback Chris Houston is lightning quick, and Alphonso Smith has come into his own in Detroit's system after losing his way in Denver. Smith has playmaking ability and leads the Lions with five interceptions. Second-year safety Louis Delmas is the most dangerous defensive back in Detroit and a rising star at the position. He's somewhat similar to Patriots safety Patrick Chung, although not as fast, in that Delmas is always around the ball and can make plays in all three levels of the defense.

 

[jmt57]

Patriots' half backs hit the whole by Jennifer Toland of the Worcester Telegram

The Patriots were more pass-oriented against the Steelers — Brady was 30 of 43 for 350 yards — but they’ll be going against the Lions’ 26th-ranked run defense tomorrow, so Green-Ellis and Woodhead again could be big factors. Detroit is allowing 130.6 rushing yards per game.

“There’s a few things that each team does differently,” Green-Ellis said, “but for the most part, teams do one or the other thing, so you’ve just got to take your preparation from previous weeks and get prepared for this team. Take this team and prepare for them just like a regular week, but kind of be accelerated.”

Green-Ellis, in his third season out of Mississippi, scored six touchdowns during a five-game stretch earlier in the year and added to his total with a 5-yard TD in the second quarter against the Colts. Green-Ellis had a season-high 21 carries for 96 yards, most of them gained plowing up the middle.

“Benny’s been running great,” Brady said. “He sees the hole, and he hits it.”

Something the departed Maroney did not do.

The Patriots’ running backs haven’t had a negative-yardage rushing play in two games.

“You never want to lose yards,” Woodhead said. “We just go with what we see as running backs. The offensive line usually gives us something great to see, and we just play off them.”

Patriots balancing their act by Monique Walker of The Boston Globe

The duo is giving the Patriots more balance. Brady has averaged 33 passing attempts a game, while the Patriots have called an average of 27 running plays. In the 31-28 victory against the Colts Sunday, the running game produced 168 yards on 34 carries, while Brady completed 19 of 25 passes for 186 yards.

The goal is to achieve balance, but coach Bill Belichick said that is not always easy.

“I think that’s the toughest thing for the defense to defend is when you’ve got to defend everything,’’ Belichick said. “You have to defend inside runs, outside runs, short passes, intermediate passes, deep passes, screens, reverses. If you can make a lot of things work, then it’s hard for the defense to say, ‘Well, we’re going to take this away,’ because there’s so many other things that are a problem.

“On the other hand, if you can do something real well and you can just keep doing it, or do a couple things real well . . . and they complement each other, then that’s hard for a defense to stop, too.

“It isn’t all about how many things you can do; it’s basically about how many things you can do well. I think, in this league, if you can only do one thing well, it’s going to be hard against NFL defenses to make that go very far. It might get you a little ways, but sooner or later, somebody’s going to be able to handle it and then you have to have something else.’’

Scouting Matchups: Week 12 by Scouts Inc. for espn

New England needs to run the ball to set up the pass: Even with future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady under center, the Patriots will probably exploit a defense that struggles versus the run; the Lions yield 131 yards a game at 4.6 yards per attempt. Look for Bill Belichick to spread out the Lions' defense by formation but pound the ball between the tackles with RBs BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Danny Woodhead.

 

[jmt57]

Patriots vs. Lions Preview, Score and More -- NFL FanHouse by Michael David Smith

Players to Watch: He'll never match the numbers of his record breaking 2007 season, when he threw 50 touchdown passes and New England went 16-0, but Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is having the second-best season of his NFL career. Brady has completed 215 of 329 passes (65.3 percent) for 2,362 yards, with 19 touchdowns and just four interceptions, for a 100.6 passer rating. Look for Brady to have a big game against the Lions' offense, but don't be surprised if the Lions' front four puts more pressure on him than Brady is accustomed to facing.

For the Lions, the player to watch is receiver Calvin Johnson. There was a time in the 1990s when the chance to see Barry Sanders was an important part of Thanksgiving for every NFL fan, and Johnson may be close to establishing the same kind of reputation as the go-to player for the Detroit franchise. Yes, the Lions stink, but Johnson is the most talented wide receiver in football. He'll be a treat to watch on Turkey Day.

Lions' progress not yet reflected in record - NFL - Yahoo! Sports by Jason Cole

“Do people know how much better that team is than anything they’ve had there in years?” Belichick said as he paused momentarily during a stroll through the Patriots locker room on Monday. At 8-2, the Patriots are a prohibitive favorite this Thanksgiving in the Motor City. That said, Belichick knows this Lions team is on the right track.

“They’ve been in, like, five of their losses, coming right down to the end,” Belichick said, correctly referring to the fact that five of Detroit’s eight losses have been by five points or less, including four by a field goal or less. “And they’re doing that with a backup quarterback pretty much the whole season.”

Indeed, while the record doesn’t reflect it, the Lions have made stunning progress despite playing seven games with backup Shaun Hill instead of promising second-year quarterback Matt Stafford, the top overall pick of 2009 who has been limited to 13 career games because of shoulder injuries.

The Lions are clearly playing better football.

Jim Schwartz on WBBL: Defensive line play will be key to Lions' Thanksgiving Day win | MLive.com

If we're putting pressure on the quarterback, if we're stopping runs before they really get started, then we're really doing our job on defense because that's what we're built to do," Schwartz explained on WBBL-FM 107.3.

Offensively, Detroit has to get into the end zone by any means necessary. Trying to fend off a team that's averaged more than 32 points in its eight victories by scoring three points at a time will be an exercise in futility.

"It's going to have to be touchdowns," Schwartz admitted. "Field goals are important - you need to at least get points - but touchdowns are thing in this game, particularly when you're facing a high-powered offense like the New England Patriots.

"Kicking a couple of field goals isn't going to change the game. You're gonna need to score some touchdowns."

At the end of the above column there is an audio link to listen to Schwartz' complete interview.

 

[SVN]

Bruschi's Breakdown: New England Patriots will be test by Detroit Lions - ESPN Boston

This Lions team might be 2-8, but don't get fooled by the record. They opened the year vs. the Chicago Bears and that was the game with the Calvin Johnson touchdown that was ruled an incompletion because of the continuation-of-the-catch rule -- he caught the ball, put it out in one hand, it hit the ground, it moved and they called it an incompletion. There was a three-point loss to the Eagles, a two-point loss to Green Bay, a two-point loss to Buffalo, so you see they've been close. They compete in every game and I don't see them giving up, like I have some other teams on film this year. They're still playing hard, even though their starting quarterback, Matthew Stafford, is out with an injury," Bruschi says.

Bruschi had plenty of praise for wide receiver Calvin Johnson.

"They call him ‘megatron’, because it's like he's just a big, robotic stud out there, making plays,” he says. “He has size, speed and leaping ability. He seems to be able to go and get the ball no matter where it's thrown. The other receiver, Nate Burleson, is sort of a smaller type receiver who runs the underneath routes and gets a lot of things done. I also like the tight end, Brandon Pettigrew. He catches the ball well [50 receptions, 487 yards, 3 TDs]. I see players like that and think this is a team that has potential down the road."

 

[jmt57]

Five players have been downgraded to out of the game against the Lions:
G Stephen Neal, DL Myron Pryor, CB Jonathan Wilhite, DL Mike Wright and OL Mark Levoir.
By process of elimination that means there is a good chance that RB Fred Taylor and S Jarrad Page could see their first action in a while, since there will only be three more players inactive tomorrow - though it should be noted that both were still listed as questionable and having limited participation in practice.

It Is What It Is - Patriots downgrade five players to out for Thursday by Christopher Price

With Neal out, expect Dan Connolly to get a heathy amount of reps at the right guard spot, while the absence of Pryor and Wright will place more responsibilities on the shoulders of defensive linemen like Brandon Deaderick, Ron Brace, Gerard Warren and Vince Wilfork. And the loss of Wilhite means that Darius Butler is likely to see more time at cornerback — Butler returned to semi-regular duty for the first time since Week 2 last Sunday against the Colts, as Kyle Arrington was shuffled from his spot at corner to an outside linebacker/defensive end role.

No LeVoir and Neal could open the door for backup lineman Quinn Ojinnaka, who has played all three offensive line spots, to provide depth for the Patriots on Thursday.

 

[SVN]

Lions-Patriots scouting report, prediction | freep.com | Detroit Free Press
interesting #s on number of pass attempts by the lions. I guess agaisnt our pass defense that might be successful too.

 

[jmt57]

Jeff Howe has a quick summary of Thursday's game, with links to two columns that go into further detail previewing the matchup.

Patriots Will Need to Overcome Short Turnaround in Thanksgiving Day Clash With Lions - Kicking Off - NESN.com

KEY MATCHUP

Detroit’s four-man front is a menacing crew, and Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate Ndamukong Suh might be the most responsible for the Lions’ damage. That means the Patriots’ offensive line, which is coming off a great game against the Colts, has to keep Detroit in check.

Suh, a defensive tackle, is unlike anyone the Colts have on the interior, and he’ll be up there with Minnesota’s Kevin Williams among the toughest 4-3 defensive tackles who will oppose the Patriots this season. Suh has a team-high seven sacks, and defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch (four sacks), defensive end Cliff Avril (four sacks) defensive end Lawrence Jackson (3.5 sacks), defensive end Turk McBride (two sacks) and defensive tackle Corey Williams (one sack) have also gotten to the quarterback. All in all, the Lions’ defensive line has 21.5 of the team’s 27 sacks this season.


STAT SHEET

Quarterback Shaun Hill has completed 188-of-305 passes (61.6 percent) this season for 1,921 yards, 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

Wide receiver Calvin Johnson has 55 receptions for 725 yards (13.2 average) and 10 touchdowns this season. The rest of the Lions have nine combined receiving touchdowns.

Cornerback Alphonso Smith has a team-high five interceptions. No one else has more than one.

The Lions are only 1-3 this season when winning the turnover battle.
Safety John Wendling has 18 total special teams tackles, which is 10 more than anyone else on the Lions. He’s got 14 solo tackles on special teams.


OUTLOOK

This is a tricky week for the Patriots, and it’s tough to shake the memory of the letdown they had in Cleveland. The Lions don’t have much to play for, but they’ve been a tough team this season and will be up for this game.

If the Patriots come to play—and Bill Belichick won’t let that Cleveland mistake resurface again—they should handle the Lions.

Lions-Patriots preview and Week 11 recap with Brian VanOchten and Bill Simonson - Video | MLive.com

I had to chuckle a little bit when I saw this the setup to this video from a Detroit area newspaper (Grand Rapids Press) was with a radio guy who hosted "The Huge Show".

What, did Ordway get a copyright on "The Big Show" and he couldn't come up with anything else? Anyways, they spend ten minutes bashing Jim Schwartz, and then in the final 90 seconds they actually talk about tomorrow's game. The radio guy (Bill Simonson) first says the Pats by three touchdowns, then says he'll be kind and predicts it will be by two TDs. The newspaper guy (Brian Van Ochten) says it will be the Pats by double digits.

On a side note they suggest the Lions hire Parcells and 'they will be champions'.

 

[SVN]

Patriots try to avoid dip in Detroit

i forgot gunther cunnigham is their DC. I maybe wrong but last time he coached vs brady in KC , i think tom had bad bad game...

 

[jmt57]

Lions-Patriots scouting report, prediction | freep.com | Detroit Free Press
interesting #s on number of pass attempts by the lions. I guess agaisnt our pass defense that might be successful too.

Yeah, most pass attempts in the league. It's one thing to have that distinction when your quarterback is Peyton Manning, another when it is Shaun Hill. I get the feeling that has more to do with their lack of a running game than anything else. Being one-dimensional on offense should help the Pats game plan on a short week - despite the injuries on the Pats' defensive line, and the Pats' poor statistical ranking on pass defense.

 

[jmt57]

Patriots try to avoid dip in Detroit

i forgot gunther cunnigham is their DC. I maybe wrong but last time he coached vs brady in KC , i think tom had bad bad game...

And I had forgotten about two players they have that visited the Pats and were talked about quite a bit as possibly being drafted by the Pats: safety Louis Delmas and corner Alphonso Smith (five picks).

http://www.patsfans.com/new-england...239-thoughts-safeties-chung-moore-delmas.html
http://www.patsfans.com/new-england...is-delmas-alphonso-smith-scheduled-visit.html
http://www.patsfans.com/new-england-patriots/messageboard/13/229654-louis-delmas-1-safety.html
http://www.patsfans.com/new-england...d/13/215496-cb-alphonso-smith-reach-23-a.html
http://www.patsfans.com/new-england...24702-alphonso-smith-darius-butler-page2.html


The Lions also have Vinny Ciurciu, a guy somebody was talking up as being a special teams ace a year ago.

http://www.patsfans.com/new-england...9-competition-stiff-final-5-roster-spots.html