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Post Game Thought - the car industry isn't the only thing struggling in Detriot ed.

Re: Post Game Thought - the car industry isn't the only thing struggling in Detriot e

Drops can and will be fixed, so don't care about that. Defense was very good, especially given the numerous turnovers. What really scared me is how the offensive line was completely and utterly destroyed which completely killed the running game and made the offense was dimensional.
 
Re: Post Game Thought - the car industry isn't the only thing struggling in Detriot e

What really scared me is how the offensive line was completely and utterly destroyed which completely killed the running game and made the offense was dimensional.

Scar's got 2 weeks to whip them back into shape. Connolly just got back after sitting out awhile. Svitek is a swing tackle that was playing RG. I think that experiment maybe over for now and they know that against teams that don't have a great front 4 he could fill in, but against a great front 4 he may struggle at RG.
 
Re: Post Game Thought - the car industry isn't the only thing struggling in Detriot e

What really scared me is how the offensive line was completely and utterly destroyed which completely killed the running game and made the offense was dimensional.
My thoughts exactly.

It looks like a recurring theme from last season in their losses. The O-Line played way too finesse tonight. The Lions D-line is the strength of their team, and the Patriots O-Line was thought to be the strength of theirs. They looked far from it in the game. If this is how they intend to play against other physical defenses, intent on punching them in the mouth, they won't get very far come January.
 
Re: Post Game Thought - the car industry isn't the only thing struggling in Detriot e

Drops can and will be fixed, so don't care about that. Defense was very good, especially given the numerous turnovers. What really scared me is how the offensive line was completely and utterly destroyed which completely killed the running game and made the offense was dimensional.

Connolly's just working himself back and Wendell's not strong enough to hold the middle against the likes of the Lions' DTs without help, so I wouldn't read too much into it. Vollmer's got to get his drop back into position faster, though.
 
Re: Post Game Thought - the car industry isn't the only thing struggling in Detriot e

It's preseason and like I said earlier this week..who cares?

However 2 players stood out to me in this game,one good and one bad.......

Will Svitek is not a very good OL and I pray that Connolly gets back to full health quickly or even Cannon get back soon........Svitek should be cut and they can look for someone off the scrap heap that can do better,He will get Brady killed.

Thompkins looks like the downfield threat the team had been looking for,for years......I can honestly say that if Thompkins had been on this team last year the team might have beaten the Ravens in the AFCCG.
 
Re: Post Game Thought - the car industry isn't the only thing struggling in Detriot e

Rather then start a new thread first reactions to tonights game.

The Good

First and foremost despite playing with a bunch of cheap dirty thugs the injuries were minor. Though DT depth sucks for the place for it to hit all the starters and important contributers emerge from the game unharmed.

Every year the pats have that one game where stupid mistakes or lack of focus and not finishing promising drives kills them and leads to a blow out. That game this year appears to have happened in the preseason and Bill will have plenty of humble pie to serve this week, or as Heath said "Grown men will cry".

There were a lot of good drives put together by the offense they just did not finish and were sloppy but that does not take away from the fact that the rooks and new receivers were getting open and getting their hands on balls. Being in the right place at the right time is extremly important especially with Brady and the youngins seem to be gettting it. Yes there were mistakes and miscues but that's what preseason is for, especially the fixable ones like what happened in the first quarter. I saw a lot of things that can be built on over the season and am cautiously optimistic about the patriot pass catchers. Thompkins seems to be the steal of the draft and that move he put on the DB to get open down the field..... gorgeous! Now if he can just learn to get open with some room to run we have a legit starter caliber outside WR and that will lead to the offense we are used to seeing.

Ryan Mallet shows just enough that I would be ok with him starting a game or two if (knocks on wood) Brady were to go down with something minor. He has the arm, the pocket presence, and the decision making to be a starter. What he lacks and I believe its due to not enough playing time is consistancy. He overthrows Devlin on a swing pass then comes back to it for a perfectly thrown TD. He hit another guy, forget which receiver, on a perfectly thrown 30 yard in pass that was dropped. So though stat wise he finished with a meh night I saw enough to be comfortable with him as the lone back up.

The first string Defense came to play. They were stuck in horrible position the whole first half and showed some real heart and *gasp* pass rush ability. While there were mistakes (reggie bush screen anybody?) they sacked up and kept one of the better offenses in the league to field goals. Another unit that I am cautiously optimistic about. If they can play that well when the offense has an off day I believe the pats will go deep into the playoffs once again.

The Ugly

Once the 2nd half started the tackling and coverage was ummm in a word ATROCIOUS! I don't care about the final score because once the back ups and depth guys came onto the field the Lions started scoring every drive at will. I almost turned it off at various points it was so bad. From half time on there was nothing good or positive or encouraging about the Defense at all. I pray for health because if we need to rely on any depth guy for significant time they are in serious trouble.

The offensive line, thought to be one of the primary strengths of the team, got pushed around and man handled tonight. Granted that is one of the better D lines in the league but still that was embarrassing. Brady got hit too many times tonight especially for a meaningless preseason game. I cheered when I saw Mallet at the start of thhe 3rd quarter. Of all the coaches I have the most faith in Scar so this is a minor concern but its there none the less. Plus I recall last year they looked even worse during the preseason and then somehow turned it on during the regular season.
 
Re: Post Game Thought - the car industry isn't the only thing struggling in Detriot e

*Adrian Wilson looked abysmal tonight.
*I was hoping someone would displace Gregory as a starter but Tavon Wilson has been awful and Duron Harmon has been uneven at best.
*Jake Ballard definitely isn't healthy and his career in the NFL is in jeopardy, which is sad since I considered it a brilliant move to snatch him from the Giants.
*Adequate depth at DT and DE needs to be addressed as none of the second team played well.
*It's still early but Tavon Wilson and Jake Bequette were both horrible selections
*Jamie Collins needs a lot of work

All of the concerns that we had going into training camp then?

 
Re: Post Game Thought - the car industry isn't the only thing struggling in Detriot e

I noticed tebow improved this week. He had more yards passing then he did last week.
 
Re: Post Game Thought - the car industry isn't the only thing struggling in Detriot e

I'm actually glad we didn't have a great game. This is PRESEASON, which is great! We have a few more weeks to work on the problems like ball security, and such. I think there is a lot to be learned from this game. After all, in 2011 we were crushed by the Lions in the preseason and ended up in the SB.
 
Re: Post Game Thought - the car industry isn't the only thing struggling in Detriot e

POSITIVES:

--Obviously the fact that Thompkins looks good is a major plus. Brady seems to have developed a pretty decent chemistry with both Amendola and Thompkins this far, along with Sudfeld on a somewhat lesser level. That is a definite good sign

--The starting defense hung tough for quite awhile under the circumstances

--It was good to see Connelly starting to come back and we didn't seem to suffer any injuries that were too bad, which is always my number one concern

--The return to action of DMcC for the first time this preseason



NEGATIVES:

--The backup defense was total crap. Coverage and tackling were both major issues. They looked pitiful

--Certain players stood out that we've been worried about. Those players didn't do anything to help their cause out too much

--Wilfork's seemingly minor injury, but nonetheless he wasn't playing and to me that was a bit of a concern

--The fact that Dobson and Boyce haven't been more involved, although it's still early of course

--The offensive line looked pretty lousy, and Svitek seems to be either playing completely out of position or just not too talented. Maybe he was just having a very bad game. Either way it didn't look too promising from a supposed position of strength at OL

--The running game looked even worse

--The obvious turnovers, losing the differential 4-0

--Still not looking too good at either one of PR or KR despite all of the hype that we've been hearing about the infamous Leon Washington

--The coverage of the LB's is still a major issue in my opinion

--Depth and talent on the DL are still a major weakness and have been for a long time now

--Ballard doesn't seem to be looking too good, although I wasn't able to fully focus in on him specifically. The good news was that he was able to go for almost a full half, but all reports from the forum are that Ballard isn't looking too good

--Gregory made a nice play but he's still very mediocre in my opinion. A.Wilson didn't look that hot to me, and the newer guys (Harmon and Ryan) didn't do a whole lot to put my mind at ease. I have concerns with our secondary...again. Hopefully some return to action from Dennard and/or Dowling will help soon. Tavon Wilson hasn't looked good--and that is putting it mildly. That's a shame
 
Re: Post Game Thought - the car industry isn't the only thing struggling in Detriot e

It's ok with me they got killed in this preseason game. A little humble pie for the young guys, let them chew on that before they start thinking they're special before 1 regular season snap.
 
Re: Post Game Thought - the car industry isn't the only thing struggling in Detriot e

16-3 first half after 3 turnovers

First team comes back after half with adjustments and pats win easy.

Didn't realize it was that close in first half. Talk about overreaction.
 
Re: Post Game Thought - the car industry isn't the only thing struggling in Detriot e

It seemed like late in the second half when Anthony Rashad White came in that the defense became less of a sieve. Did anyone watch him specifically? The guy is a monster of man.

Also I thought Tavon was fine tonight. I thought it was Harmon in the second have that was thoroughly struggling.

But most of the second half problems on defense were the line. They were constantly blown off the ball and Lions could run at will.

Finally, the jump that I was expecting to see in Malletts game just isn't happening. Too many balls in the dirt or overthrown. He is just not very accurate. Everything else seems to be there, but without the accuracy I don't know if it matters.
 
Re: Post Game Thought - the car industry isn't the only thing struggling in Detriot e

16-3 first half after 3 turnovers

First team comes back after half with adjustments and pats win easy.

Didn't realize it was that close in first half. Talk about overreaction.

I don't think anyone is reacting to the score as much as some of the individual play. I think there was some higher expectations for some players that just didn't materialize in the game. I think most of the reaction has been fair with nobody writing off the season or anything.
 
Re: Post Game Thought - the car industry isn't the only thing struggling in Detriot e

I don't think anyone is reacting to the score as much as some of the individual play. I think there was some higher expectations for some players that just didn't materialize in the game. I think most of the reaction has been fair with nobody writing off the season or anything.

I made the mistake of posting that after reading jets insider.
 
Re: Post Game Thought - the car industry isn't the only thing struggling in Detriot e

It was a disappointing game but more important to me was the disappointment I felt for so many players having a bad game at the same time. It's still pre season so until we get to the regular season I am not concerned.
 
Re: Post Game Thought - the car industry isn't the only thing struggling in Detriot e

Seemed that the Lions came in amped up for a game and the Patriots came in with the idea that they were at a practice.

Though, I did like what I saw from the defense. A. Wilson didn't do much that stood out, which I found disappointing. Arrington as the outside CB is still a disaster.

Oh and Spikes is a huge liability in coverage. He is at his best when he is filling gaps and taking on guards. Asking him to play out in space is rough stuff. Maybe he will improve once he has some film to study...but just being out there reacting, it is tough to watch.
 
Re: Post Game Thought - the car industry isn't the only thing struggling in Detriot e

Right now I'd have to say the depth chart is:

Amendola
Thompkins
Edelman
Dobson
Boyce
Slater

But I think Boyce ends up with more snaps by the end of the season. I like Dobson but I think he is not as technically sound as Boyce and that's going to really start counting.

Doesn't matter, I'm in love with Thompkins at this point. That move off of the line he did was amazing.

Agree with your depth. Point being that Edelman with all his limitations is needed on this roster as Dobson & Boyce are presently too raw for reliance.
 
Re: Post Game Thought - the car industry isn't the only thing struggling in Detriot e

Seemed that the Lions came in amped up for a game and the Patriots came in with the idea that they were at a practice.

Though, I did like what I saw from the defense. A. Wilson didn't do much that stood out, which I found disappointing. Arrington as the outside CB is still a disaster.

Oh and Spikes is a huge liability in coverage. He is at his best when he is filling gaps and taking on guards. Asking him to play out in space is rough stuff. Maybe he will improve once he has some film to study...but just being out there reacting, it is tough to watch.

I disagree that Arrington outside has been a disaster either last night or this preseason. In fact, I was going to mention that when he went down I was scared because he has surprised me this preseason with rebounding to look closer to the 2011 Arrington than the 2012 Arrington. The Pats have gotten some coverage sacks by the first defense which means Arrington is doing his job.

As for Spikes, yes he is not good in coverage, but Bush has made a lot of MLB/ILBs look foolish.
 
Re: Post Game Thought - the car industry isn't the only thing struggling in Detriot e

I disagree that Arrington outside has been a disaster either last night or this preseason. In fact, I was going to mention that when he went down I was scared because he has surprised me this preseason with rebounding to look closer to the 2011 Arrington than the 2012 Arrington. The Pats have gotten some coverage sacks by the first defense which means Arrington is doing his job.

As for Spikes, yes he is not good in coverage, but Bush has made a lot of MLB/ILBs look foolish.

Perhaps disaster is too strong a word. He isn't that good, though he does tackle well. Problem the Patriots have is depth at CB.
 
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