I have my reservations on the Detroit Lions

[Brees#1]

They have the talent to still be competitive, but they have new coordinators. If the Lions had an elite QB, that would be different. But they have Jared Goff.
Also, the Lions are not Aaron Rodgers in his prime. Winning in the the NFC North three years in a row is hard to do in a competitive division like the North.

A major question will be answered this year regarding the Lions. Ben Johnson got heaps of credit for their success, and we're about to to see if it was the Lions offense more than it was him, which will decide the Bears' fate.

We have seen what happens to teams when they lose coordinators. When Dan Quinn left Seattle, the Legion of Boom imploded. When McCarthy was hired by Dallas, he made their offense even better than previously as they had three straight 12-5 records. Sean Payton was the HC and offensive play caller for the Saints, and we saw what happened after he left.

Its funny people will brag about coordinators and clamor for them to coach a team, but when it comes down to it, they cannot envision a serious decline for the teams that lose them.

Lions already have a tough schedule, and I am asking myself if not having Ben Johnson will be the difference in winning a shootout against teams like the Ravens, Bengals, Rams, and Commanders and screwing up with mental mistakes. Talent alone is going to win those, and no reason to think there will be any missed assignments? The Texans picked Goff off five times. The Lions do not rally in that kind of matchup without serious offensive coaching. The Packers game was very tight, and Johnson was a difference maker in the sweep. I know Dan Campbell is a Sean Payton disciple, but he's not better than him.

I don't have the Lions making the playoffs.

 

[belcherboy]

They have the talent to still be competitive, but they have new coordinators. If the Lions had an elite QB, that would be different. But they have Jared Goff.
Also, the Lions are not Aaron Rodgers in his prime. Winning in the the NFC North three years in a row is hard to do in a competitive division like the North.

A major question will be answered this year regarding the Lions. Ben Johnson got heaps of credit for their success, and we're about to to see if it was the Lions offense more than it was him, which will decide the Bears' fate.

We have seen what happens to teams when they lose coordinators. When Dan Quinn left Seattle, the Legion of Boom imploded. When McCarthy was hired by Dallas, he made their offense even better than previously as they had three straight 12-5 records. Sean Payton was the HC and offensive play caller for the Saints, and we saw what happened after he left.

Its funny people will brag about coordinators and clamor for them to coach a team, but when it comes down to it, they cannot envision a serious decline for the teams that lose them.

Lions already have a tough schedule, and I am asking myself if not having Ben Johnson will be the difference in winning a shootout against teams like the Ravens, Bengals, Rams, and Commanders and screwing up with mental mistakes. Talent alone is going to win those, and no reason to think there will be any missed assignments? The Texans picked Goff off five times. The Lions do not rally in that kind of matchup without serious offensive coaching. The Packers game was very tight, and Johnson was a difference maker in the sweep. I know Dan Campbell is a Sean Payton disciple, but he's not better than him.

I don't have the Lions making the playoffs.

I'm not sure why people bag on Goff so much. He has been a REALLY solid QB in his career, and has been a really good QB for the Lions. Here are his stats since coming to Detroit:



Last year he put up the best stat line of his career:



I mean he isn't Mahomes or Jackson, but who is? He definitely is a top 5 QB right now in the NFL, in my opinion (at least by the stats). He makes around the same money as Tua, Lawrence, Love, Purdy, and Herbert...and I would take his stats over those guys from the past few years. The question is, can he win the big game. So far we know he can make it to the big games (SB in LA, and NFCCG with the Lions), but can he win them? I still like Goff's potential over 80% of the other QB's in the league....especially with the weapons he has around him and that OL.

Now for the rest of the Lions, it will be interesting to see what the real secret to their success has been the past two years. Was it Dan Campbell or the coordinators that really made the difference on this team? I'm predicting the Lions take a step backwards, although how could they not after winning 15 games? They play a ridiculous schedule and likely have to learn a new system on both sides of the ball. Fortunately, the Lions hired from within for their DC, so it shouldn't look too different.

I'm a homer, so I have the Lions sneaking into the playoffs with 10 wins. I can't imagine they win more than that next season.

 

[navamind]

lol

 

[Fountain City Blues]

Jared Goff historically does fuck all the second he doesn't have the Great Wall of China in front of him and pro bowlers to throw and hand off to.

So, very interested to see how he does with a Ragnow retirement.

 

[Xeliou66]

Very bold call predicting the Lions will miss the playoffs

Goff gets a bit too much criticism at times IMO, overall he’s a good QB, not top tier but definitely good. The Stafford/Goff trade worked out well for both teams IMO. Goff isn’t a weakness IMO, and he’s shown he can take a good team on a playoff run. The OP mentioned Goff’s terrible 5 pick performance against the Texans, but didn’t mention that Goff only threw 7 picks in the rest of the games - almost half his picks came in that Texans game. The Lions offense as pretty loaded - they have the best rushing combo in the NFL in Gibbs/Montgomery, a strong receiving unit with 2 guys who topped 1000 yards last season, a strong TE in LaPorta, and a pretty good O-Line.

The Lions D, particularly the pass rush, is a much bigger concern than the O, they really need other consistent solid pass rushers besides Hutchinson, Hutchinson played in only 5 games last season before getting hurt but he still led the team in sacks!! The Lions should be healthier this year as the injury bug bit them bad particularly on D last year.

The Lions look like one of the most talented teams in the NFL on paper, besides the pass rush the only other big question/concern is how losing both coordinators to head coaching jobs will affect them. That could set them back a bit and be something they need to adjust to, but I don’t think it will be a huge factor.

Last season the Lions were the NFC team I thought could’ve beaten the Eagles if they were healthy, that would’ve been a great matchup, they didn’t meet, I look forward to that matchup in Philly on SNF this November.

I think the Lions are a top 5 team in the NFL talent wise on paper.

 

[Rowdy]

They have the talent to still be competitive, but they have new coordinators. If the Lions had an elite QB, that would be different. But they have Jared Goff.
Also, the Lions are not Aaron Rodgers in his prime. Winning in the the NFC North three years in a row is hard to do in a competitive division like the North.

A major question will be answered this year regarding the Lions. Ben Johnson got heaps of credit for their success, and we're about to to see if it was the Lions offense more than it was him, which will decide the Bears' fate.

We have seen what happens to teams when they lose coordinators. When Dan Quinn left Seattle, the Legion of Boom imploded. When McCarthy was hired by Dallas, he made their offense even better than previously as they had three straight 12-5 records. Sean Payton was the HC and offensive play caller for the Saints, and we saw what happened after he left.

Its funny people will brag about coordinators and clamor for them to coach a team, but when it comes down to it, they cannot envision a serious decline for the teams that lose them.

Lions already have a tough schedule, and I am asking myself if not having Ben Johnson will be the difference in winning a shootout against teams like the Ravens, Bengals, Rams, and Commanders and screwing up with mental mistakes. Talent alone is going to win those, and no reason to think there will be any missed assignments? The Texans picked Goff off five times. The Lions do not rally in that kind of matchup without serious offensive coaching. The Packers game was very tight, and Johnson was a difference maker in the sweep. I know Dan Campbell is a Sean Payton disciple, but he's not better than him.

I don't have the Lions making the playoffs.

@Brees#1 Break down the redskins like this. I’m interested. All though, I didn’t even read all of this. I’ll read the redskins one though

 

[BeaReylo]

The Lions will be fine this season; it's only the first season post Ben Johnson & Aaron Glen. It's the consecutive seasons when they might start to falter. If Dan Campbell really is the anchor that's holding the Lions together they'll be fine despite a carousel of coordinators coming and going like Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh. If not, next season, when the new OC & DC put their fingerprints on the team they'll turn to smudges.

 

[jarntt]

I totally agree with the "having reservations part" after losing both coordinators and don't think anyone can contest that. But, you lose me after that. They still have a good team and I think the negatives are blown out of proportion. You also have to look at how badly they were hurt by injuries last year. Even a regression to the norm with regards to injuries should offset some of the concerns. Very good young team that may have won a SB if health was their friend last season.

 

[dtgold88]

I'm not sure why people bag on Goff so much. He has been a REALLY solid QB in his career, and has been a really good QB for the Lions. Here are his stats since coming to Detroit:

View attachment 400377

Last year he put up the best stat line of his career:

View attachment 400378

I mean he isn't Mahomes or Jackson, but who is? He definitely is a top 5 QB right now in the NFL, in my opinion (at least by the stats). He makes around the same money as Tua, Lawrence, Love, Purdy, and Herbert...and I would take his stats over those guys from the past few years. The question is, can he win the big game. So far we know he can make it to the big games (SB in LA, and NFCCG with the Lions), but can he win them? I still like Goff's potential over 80% of the other QB's in the league....especially with the weapons he has around him and that OL.

Now for the rest of the Lions, it will be interesting to see what the real secret to their success has been the past two years. Was it Dan Campbell or the coordinators that really made the difference on this team? I'm predicting the Lions take a step backwards, although how could they not after winning 15 games? They play a ridiculous schedule and likely have to learn a new system on both sides of the ball. Fortunately, the Lions hired from within for their DC, so it shouldn't look too different.

I'm a homer, so I have the Lions sneaking into the playoffs with 10 wins. I can't imagine they win more than that next season.

I agree on Goff and don't think too much of a homer pick to say they make playoffs but drop from 15 to 10 wins.

But, sure, could see them as a 1-year wonder and winning 8 or less. Guess would be more like the 10 you had.

 

[Iggloo]

I have continued questions about the Lions defense, especially up front if Hutchinson does not come back 100% right away. They got pretty far despite injuries last season, but I just don't think they have championship caliber talent on that side of the ball.

 

[Thruthefog]

They have the talent to still be competitive, but they have new coordinators. If the Lions had an elite QB, that would be different. But they have Jared Goff.
Also, the Lions are not Aaron Rodgers in his prime. Winning in the the NFC North three years in a row is hard to do in a competitive division like the North.

A major question will be answered this year regarding the Lions. Ben Johnson got heaps of credit for their success, and we're about to to see if it was the Lions offense more than it was him, which will decide the Bears' fate.

We have seen what happens to teams when they lose coordinators. When Dan Quinn left Seattle, the Legion of Boom imploded. When McCarthy was hired by Dallas, he made their offense even better than previously as they had three straight 12-5 records. Sean Payton was the HC and offensive play caller for the Saints, and we saw what happened after he left.

Its funny people will brag about coordinators and clamor for them to coach a team, but when it comes down to it, they cannot envision a serious decline for the teams that lose them.

Lions already have a tough schedule, and I am asking myself if not having Ben Johnson will be the difference in winning a shootout against teams like the Ravens, Bengals, Rams, and Commanders and screwing up with mental mistakes. Talent alone is going to win those, and no reason to think there will be any missed assignments? The Texans picked Goff off five times. The Lions do not rally in that kind of matchup without serious offensive coaching. The Packers game was very tight, and Johnson was a difference maker in the sweep. I know Dan Campbell is a Sean Payton disciple, but he's not better than him.

I don't have the Lions making the playoffs.

 

[ducky]

As much as losing Johnson could hurt, I thought the Lions would be better off because losing Glenn might have been a huge boost for them.

But they picked a Glenn guy to replace him and he might stubbornly play a scheme that doesnt fit his talent just like Glenn did so it might not be the benefit to them as much as it could have been.

 

[Mebert]

I'm not sure why people bag on Goff so much. He has been a REALLY solid QB in his career, and has been a really good QB for the Lions. Here are his stats since coming to Detroit:

View attachment 400377

Last year he put up the best stat line of his career:

View attachment 400378

I mean he isn't Mahomes or Jackson, but who is? He definitely is a top 5 QB right now in the NFL, in my opinion (at least by the stats). He makes around the same money as Tua, Lawrence, Love, Purdy, and Herbert...and I would take his stats over those guys from the past few years. The question is, can he win the big game. So far we know he can make it to the big games (SB in LA, and NFCCG with the Lions), but can he win them? I still like Goff's potential over 80% of the other QB's in the league....especially with the weapons he has around him and that OL.

Now for the rest of the Lions, it will be interesting to see what the real secret to their success has been the past two years. Was it Dan Campbell or the coordinators that really made the difference on this team? I'm predicting the Lions take a step backwards, although how could they not after winning 15 games? They play a ridiculous schedule and likely have to learn a new system on both sides of the ball. Fortunately, the Lions hired from within for their DC, so it shouldn't look too different.

I'm a homer, so I have the Lions sneaking into the playoffs with 10 wins. I can't imagine they win more than that next season.

Goff is a known at this point. With an elite oline he is a top 7 qb, once he faves pressure he is a borderline starter at best. It is why we still get the debate on him. People will pull up his game with a clean pocket and say he is excellent and be right, others his horrible throws once there is pressure and say he is terrible, and also be right.

Ragnow retiring hurts for more than Ben Johnson leaving.

Overall @Brees#1 is right. We should be concerned. Our staff got picked apart, we have one of the most difficult road schedules in NFL history, and our interior line of 2 elite players and Glasgow is now 2 rookies and Glasgow...give or take a Mahogany.

The upside is they almost have to have better health on defense, and I dont think Sheppard is a decline from Glenn.

I think Lions are playoff bound, but almost a guarantee to see a drop in wins. I dont think winning the division is a forgone conclusion.

 

[Xeliou66]

I don’t see the Lions matching their 15 win total, because it’s almost impossible to win that many games in back to back seasons anyway. But I think the Lions are one of the top teams in the NFL on paper, and their D should be healthier, getting Hutchinson back is a huge boost and if a couple of other guys up front can get some pressure on opposing QBs then they’ll be in better shape on D - I think their LB unit and secondary are pretty good. The O is loaded with talent.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

Where did you get that picture of my wife?

 

[belcherboy]

I agree on Goff and don't think too much of a homer pick to say they make playoffs but drop from 15 to 10 wins.

But, sure, could see them as a 1-year wonder and winning 8 or less. Guess would be more like the 10 you had.

Well, I’d argue that they had a better season 2 years ago than last year. They were a quarter away from a Super Bowl 2 seasons ago. I wouldn’t call them a “1-year wonder” any more in my opinion.

I think even if Johnson had returned, they would still be around a 11-12 win team with the schedule they have this season.

 

[belcherboy]

Goff is a known at this point. With an elite oline he is a top 7 qb, once he faves pressure he is a borderline starter at best. It is why we still get the debate on him. People will pull up his game with a clean pocket and say he is excellent and be right, others his horrible throws once there is pressure and say he is terrible, and also be right.

Ragnow retiring hurts for more than Ben Johnson leaving.

Overall @Brees#1 is right. We should be concerned. Our staff got picked apart, we have one of the most difficult road schedules in NFL history, and our interior line of 2 elite players and Glasgow is now 2 rookies and Glasgow...give or take a Mahogany.

The upside is they almost have to have better health on defense, and I dont think Sheppard is a decline from Glenn.

I think Lions are playoff bound, but almost a guarantee to see a drop in wins. I dont think winning the division is a forgone conclusion.

Goff had the best season of his career last year. I’m not worried about him at all. His numbers have been solid most his career.

 

[Xeliou66]

Well, I’d argue that they had a better season 2 years ago than last year. They were a quarter away from a Super Bowl 2 seasons ago. I wouldn’t call them a “1-year wonder” any more in my opinion.

I think even if Johnson had returned, they would still be around a 11-12 win team with the schedule they have this season.

They are definitely not a one year wonder, they had a very strong season in 23 as well as 24. Their schedule is brutal this year, their road games are against the Eagles/Commanders/Ravens/Bengals/Chiefs/Rams and their 3 division opponents, that’s absolutely brutal, on the positive side they should stay healthier. It’s hard to get to 15 wins at any time, so I would expect a drop in win total no matter what, but I expect them to be good and make the playoffs again.

 

[Mebert]

Goff had the best season of his career last year. I’m not worried about him at all. His numbers have been solid most his career.

This year Goff did show improvement against pressure, but his pressure vs non-pressure gap is pretty well documented at this point. For most of his career he has been a below average qb at best when pressured. I hope he continues his improvement from last year, but he is going to experience it a lot more without Ragnow and Zeitler.

 

[belcherboy]

This year Goff did show improvement against pressure, but his pressure vs non-pressure gap is pretty well documented at this point. For most of his career he has been a below average qb at best when pressured. I hope he continues his improvement from last year, but he is going to experience it a lot more without Ragnow and Zeitler.

That was after the 2023 season, not last year.