DETROIT LIONS MID-SEASON ANALYSIS

[Gulf of Brazil]

OKAY GENTS, I'll throw a li'l sumptin' out there to talk about while in bye-week mode

I was rummaging through some of Tim Twentyman's articles on DetroitLions.com and here's what he had to say. I'm gonna break it down into position areas, so bear with me (old man is slooooooow).

The Detroit Lions would not be in the position they’re in – 6-2 and in sole possession of first place in the NFC North – without the defense playing as good as it has the first eight games of the season.

That side of the football has been nothing short of brilliant. They rank first in yards (290.4), first in points allowed (15.8), second against the run (74.0) and fifth against the pass (216.4).

DEFENSIVE LINE
The Good: Everything the Lions have been able to accomplish on defense starts upfront with the big guys. They’ve been able to both get after the quarterback and stuff the run, becoming the best double-threat unit in the game.

The Lions have 23 sacks on the year and 18.5 have come from the defensive line. Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley lead all defensive tackles with 20 and 17 quarterback hurries, respectively.

Ziggy Ansah’s 4.5 sacks keeps him on pace to surpass his eight sacks recorded as a rookie, and fellow defensive end George Johnson is right behind him with four.

Suh has 3.5 sacks on the year and is currently the fourth-ranked defensive tackle in Pro Football Focus’ position rankings. He's No. 3 against the run. He was completely dominant in the second half of Sunday’s game in London, even after Fairley was lost to a knee injury.

The Lions are tied for the league lead for most opponent negative offensive plays (60 for -239 yards).

The bad: The line has been a little slow at times to assert their dominance. Teams have had success early in games while the Lions find their footing upfront.

Fairley’s going to be out awhile, though the Lions aren’t quite sure yet for how long. Expect them to sign a defensive tackle over the next week and try to fit him into the rotation.

 

[Gulf of Brazil]

DETROIT LIONS MID-SEASON ANALYSIS; LINEBACKERS

The good: DeAndre Levy is finally being recognized as one of the top 4-3 linebackers in the game. His 75 tackles rank fourth in the NFL and his instincts in the run game are off the charts.

The Lions are allowing just 74 yards per game on the ground.

Tahir Whitehead has filled in admirably for the injured Stephen Tulloch (IR) and has managed to make plays when opportunities have presented themselves (two interceptions). He also has 36 tackles in just five starts.

This unit is getting ready to get second-round pick Kyle Van Noy back on the field. He’s missed the first half of the season while rehabbing a core-muscle injury. He’ll get some time at the SAM and the Lions expect he’ll make plays.

The bad: The only real weakness this unit has shown through eight games is in coverage.
Pro Football Focus ranks Levy as the No. 2 outside linebacker overall, but he has a negative rating in coverage. The same thing goes for Whitehead and Ashlee Palmer.

Levy has been targeted 54 times is pass coverage and has allowed 40 completions, according to Pro Football Focus.

 

[Gulf of Brazil]

DETROIT LIONS MID-SEASON ANALYSIS; CORNERBACKS

The good: Darius Slay has stepped up in a big way in his second season. Teams have tried to go after him this year with little success. He’s defended eight passes, has an interception and opponents have caught just 29 passes on 55 attempts thrown his way.

Rashean Mathis has been equally as good on the other side. He’s a heady veteran, who’s been a terrific mentor to Slay. Opponents have thrown into Mathis’ coverage 40 times this year and have completed just 23 of those.

Together, the pair have allowed just two touchdown passes between them in eight games.

The Lions were hit hard by injury early in the season at the nickel cornerback spot when Bill Bentley and Nevin Lawson were both lost for the season. Cassius Vaughn and Danny Gorrer have done an admirable job filling in there, but the Lions have also used Don Carey, rookie Mohammed Seisay and safety Glover Quin in that spot. Vaughn and Carey have been able to make game-changing plays from that spot.

The bad: Bad is the wrong word to use here, but while both Slay and Mathis are willing tacklers in the run game, it certainly isn’t their strength. They’ve been good at sealing the edges and not letting big runs get outside them, but they’re not going to come up and thump anyone.

This is nitpicking a bit.

 

[Gulf of Brazil]

DETROIT LIONS MID-SEASON ANALYSIS; SAFTIES

The good: Smart. Experienced. Disciplined. These are all words that accurately describe Glover Quin and James Ihedigbo.

They’ve been one of the best duos in the NFL in the back end of that Lions defense. Their ability to decipher what’s going on pre-snap and communicate it accurately and quickly to the guys in front of them has been invaluable to this defense.

“I think it’s like most things when you have guys that have seen a lot, they can sort of head off a lot of problems that you may have because of their knowledge and expertise,” head coach Jim Caldwell said of the pair last week.

The thing that makes Quin and Ihedigbo a great pair is that their skill sets compliment each other nicely.
Quin leads the Lions in interceptions (3) and is Pro Football Focus’ 10th ranked safety overall.

Ihedigo is the No. 1 safety against the run, as ranked by the website, and has 30 tackles, two sacks and two forced fumbles. He's a playmaker in the box.

Isa Abdul-Quddus should be noted for the job he did filling in for Ihedigbo to start the season. He was solid.

The bad: I’ve got nothing

 

[Gulf of Brazil]

DETROIT LIONS MID-SEASON ANALYSIS;

Midseason defensive MVP: DeAndre Levy, LB
Ndamukong Suh certainly gets some consideration here, but Levy has been the catalyst for everything the Lions have done well in their front seven vs. the run.

He’s held together the linebacking unit with the loss of Tulloch and makes everyone around him better. He’s a sure tackler and always seems to be in the right spots to make a play.

Midseason defensive rookie performer: Caraun Reid, DT
This is a veteran defense and none of the rookies on defense have shown up toward the top of the stat sheet. Reid has gotten the most playing time among the rookies and has been part of the defensive tackle rotation all year long. He should get credit for not sticking out like a sore thumb among a veteran unit, though he has plenty of improving to do.

He’s been active in all eight games and has been part of the nine-man rotation. He has just two tackles but has been steady.

Midseason surprise performer: George Johnson, DE
Johnson, who was signed this offseason as a camp body, has taken this opportunity and ran with it. The converted defensive tackle lost weight to move outside and his speed has been a factor on the edge. He’s second on the team with four sacks and also has 22 tackles. He and Darryl Tapp have given this team a real boost and help make up one of the deepest defensive end units in all of football.

 

[Old Lion]

Ditto

 

[Gulf of Brazil]

I'll start off by stating how surprised I am with the play of Slay through the 1st 8 games. I was hoping he'd be this good. I just wasn't expecting it this soon but I am extremely happy it's come this year vs having to wait another year.


What I'm baffled by is the fact that Austin appeared to go with a zone def against ATL vs his normal man-press. I have no clue if it was due to the speed/route running of White/Jones/Douglas or was it more of a prevent those three getting deep, while attempting to keep most everything in front, knowing your going to give up a fair share of yards in the intermediate route area.


I also saw Levy in coverage out on the boundry vs White/Douglas/Jones on several occasions. he wasn't horrible or even bad but I was quite surprised that it was his assignment. All this while ATL was in 3 wr sets, with an in-line TE.

 

[Gulf of Brazil]

Suh has been absolutely phenomenal this year. yes, my eyes tell me even more than the norm. I get the stats parts of it but he appears more disciplined to his gap/assignment and able to shed his blocks moreso than years past.


Levy has been nothing but spectacular over these last 24 games. rarely does he miss a tackle. His read/react skills have been extraordinary. I will say in that ATL game, when in coverage, he was a step or two behind the receiver but still in position to make a play on them.

 

[Gulf of Brazil]

Mathis seems a step and a half slower this year. I noticed this against speed receiver's like Watkins (Bills), on that last drive of theirs to win the game and against ATL receivers Jones/Douglas. I get it he's older but I'd rather see Slay moved around more to the opponents #1 receiver while giving Mathis much more safety help than they have to date. It's difficult when you run up against teams like the Packers, Falcons, Cardinals (coming up soon) who have multiple speed wr's. I just don't want to see him left on an island anymore.


I think this is his last year on the outside. We need another top quality CB to take his place next year.


am I wrong in what my eyes are telling me here, regarding Mathis and how Austin is using him ?

 

[Gulf of Brazil]

to me the Def MVP gets shared by the likes of Suh, Ansah and George Johnson with a 1/8 share going to Fairley. The pressure they've put on the O-Line, QB's and RB's is something I've yet to see coming from a Lions D-Line Unit consistently throughout the previous years. Man, it would have been great to have this current D-Line, all together, starting from 2010. Avril, KVB, W.Y. almost seem like after-thoughts... Sorry Smitty, I know you love some W.Y. and I meant no disrespect.


I know Levy has earned his street cred through the last 24 games and how he's played, he deserved a Pro Bowl nomination last year, but if the D-Line wasn't performing like they have to date, only then would I be sure he'd the get Def MVP that Tim Twentyman is giving him on the above analysis.

 

[broncosmitty]

None taken what so ever Big Blue. My boy Willie, like Cliff before him, is more of a one trick pony. I won't kid myself there. A relatively cheap one though. And one who LOVES to play football. No scrapes, scabs, sprains or disgusting finger injuries are gonna keep him off the field, if he has anything to say aboot it. Im clearly biased, but Id imagine he'd have more than four sacks coming off that left edge. There may have been more rushing yards against over there, two edges to that sword. I'll let go one day, wild guess it won't be this weekend or anything.

Can't argue with the results though. The DLine is the best I can remember from our Lions. Hope that continues without Fairley. That's a big hope, he's a vital part. But at the same time Im anxious to see what Van Noy can bring. He'll be adding to what I believe has been the weakest position on the defensive side.

Great info you posted up there, nice to see you back BigBlue!