Secondary Exceed Expectations

[tpaulus_2]

Detroit Lions report card: Secondary blows away expectations | MLive.com

Nice little piece from Mlive grading out the secondary this year.

Some things that stood out to me:

-Both Slay and Mathis graded out as top-20 at the position. Not sure we've ever had two CBs grade out that high, at least not in my lifetime.

-Speaking of Mathis, I think he's under-appreciated around here. Yes, he's getting up there in years, and drafting his successor would be wise (ala Swanson for Raiola or Reiff for Backus), but the talk of needing to outright replace him is foolish, imo. He's played very well these last two years- I say draft more kids to develop and ride Mathis till he can't no more.

-Speaking of under-valued, Ihedigbo was way better this season than most of us (myself included) expected when we signed him. I thought he'd be decent, but not this good. Several argued that he was a scrub and not an upgrade over Delmas at all- I think he more than proved that wrong, he was a huge upgrade over Delmas this year. Even after the season he had he's still getting some disrespect around here, but the reality is that he was one of the top few strong safeties in the league in 2013 and 2014. Great value free agent signing.

-Quin is the shit.

 

[Microwahevo]

I think we can thank Austin for the progression of our secondary. I'm sure he's taught them many new skills or simply tweaked some existing ones, as well as put them in a system to better succeed. Austin staying(which seems likely) will benefit all of our D going forward.

 

[Dr. Evil-er]

A trip down memory lane.....

Has Aaron (pronounce A-A-ron) Berry waived a gun at anyone lately?

I heard Jahvid Best recently bit into a Dorito and suffered a concussion.

Aaron Gibson (also pronounced A-A-ron) will soon be the subject of a Lifetime Channel documentary where they will knock down a wall in his house and use a flatbed trailer to haul his fat ass to the ocean where he can be with the rest of the whale species.

Johnie Morton had a successful MMA career after retiring from the league. He got knocked the fuck out in 38 seconds in his first and only fight by the #243 ranked light heavyweight and then failed the post fight drug test. They collected the urine right in the ring while he appeared to be dead for about 10 minutes and pissed himself.

Chuck Long continues to be extremely ugly and perhaps the worst QB ever drafted by the Lions. Joey Harrington belongs in the HOF compared to Long. 2,598 yards, 11 touchdowns and 20 interceptions was his best season. Did I mention that he is still ugly, cause he is.

 

[Old Lion]

Good Stuff.

 

[TwoCents22]

Johnie Morton had a successful MMA career after retiring from the league. He got knocked the fuck out in 38 seconds in his first and only fight by the #243 ranked light heavyweight and then failed the post fight drug test. They collected the urine right in the ring while he appeared to be dead for about 10 minutes and pissed himself.

Hopefully, Raiola can follow in Morton's footsteps and have similar success. With about a thousand fights that happen the same way.

 

[Gulf of Brazil]

I don't think anyone has talked about replacing Mathis completely. I mentioned possibly moving him to nickel. What I did notice this year from him is that he struggled at times to cover players like Julio, Harry Douglas, Sammy Watkins...etc

you've got to give him credit for being a really good mentor to these kids tho

 

[tpaulus_2]

I don't think anyone has talked about replacing Mathis completely. I mentioned possibly moving him to nickel. What I did notice this year from him is that he struggled at times to cover players like Julio, Harry Douglas, Sammy Watkins...etc

you've got to give him credit for being a really good mentor to these kids tho

There's been a few who have suggested replacing him because he's old, straight up.


He gave up some receptions here and there, but those are also some good WRs you listed and he was almost always in single coverage. The catch by Watkins really stands out. He got turned around bad on that one. Overall though, I think we're talking about some bad plays instead of talking about bad games, and I think that says a lot.

He's graded out in the top 25 at his position the last two years, so we'd be lucky to replace that kind of production if we did move on from him.

I'd love to see us sign him to a two year deal with an easy out in the 2nd year if age catches up with him next season. It takes time to develop a CB, as we just saw first-hand with Slay, so if we can get another year or two if quality play out of Mathis that would give us time to develop a replacement form within.

Also, don't be surprised to see Seisay make a big leap next year. He wasn't even a starter at Nebraska, but managed to hang around the roster all season based on potential. He's got the size and speed, so don't be shocked if he's a contributor back there next year...

 

[RobBase]

They sure did. Most pleasant surprise of the year for me personally. Still want Dennard though.

 

[gvsulaker82]

I think austin and suh deserve a lot of credit for how well the pass defense played. The lions ability to pressure the qb with no blitz has been huge.

 

[Gulf of Brazil]

a nice little add-on to this piece

2014 Position Breakdown: Cornerbacks

Key stat(s): The Lions allowed the second-fewest touchdown passes (4) of 20-plus yards this season. Only Buffalo allowed fewer (3). Teams completed just eight passes all year on Detroit’s defense that traveled at least 21 yards in the air (8-of-35).
Opponents had an 83.0 passer rating on the Lions defense, which ranked in the top 10 in the league.

BB_72; the above is pretty damn impressive and also below from O'Hara

MVP/Most improved: I’ve combined these two categories for this position group because Slay fits both.
Slay went from being an inconsistent rookie, who was benched his first year in the league, to an above-average starter in this league with lots of room to grow in just one season.
Opposing quarterbacks had an 81.1 passer rating throwing on Slay and completed just 57 percent of their passes.
Quotable: “It started in the offseason,” Mayhew said of Slay’s leap from his rookie season. “I think he came back with a lot more confidence as a second-year guy than he did as a rookie, and it showed up the first time we hit the field.
"We could see this guy was going to be much improved. The guy is very mentally tough, physically tough and very confident when he’s out there. He made a bunch of plays on the ball.”

 

[Naughtymax]

Couldn't have asked for more from this group - a pleasant 2014 surprise.

I admit I am one who thinks we must have a 2015 plan to replace Mathis in case he hits the wall. It'd be great if he plays 2015 as he did 2014, but I think it would be foolish to plan on it.

 

[tpaulus_2]

He played as well (better, in fact) on 2014 as he did in 2013, despite these same concerns about his aging body. I think we can expect another season pretty well on par with his last two- he is getting older to be sure, but he's not going to fall off a cliff in just one offseason.


However, I absolutely agree that we need a succession plan in place. Mathis might give us 2 or 3 more good years, but at some point he's going to hit that wall, and we'll need a replacement at the ready when that happens. Draft another big CB and let him learn from a say vet...

 

[Microwahevo]

He played as well (better, in fact) on 2014 as he did in 2013, despite these same concerns about his aging body. I think we can expect another season pretty well on par with his last two- he is getting older to be sure, but he's not going to fall off a cliff in just one offseason.


However, I absolutely agree that we need a succession plan in place. Mathis might give us 2 or 3 more good years, but at some point he's going to hit that wall, and we'll need a replacement at the ready when that happens. Draft another big CB and let him learn from a say vet...

He may not fall of a cliff, but he could get injured delivering a pizza home.

Injuries can happen at any moment and I would love a talented CB be able to step in his shoes if he or Slay happen to go down. The ones on our roster now don't scream out "starter" to me.

 

[tpaulus_2]

I think Seisay is in line for a big jump next year. This guy was a total afterthought heading into camp- he wasn't even a starting CB for Nebraska in his collegiate career- yet he managed to stick around the whole season on his raw potential alone. Austin clearly sees something he really likes in the kid, so he's one to keep an eye on for next year for sure...

 

[Gulf of Brazil]

Seisay is the type of corner I'd like to see more often in the nickel. He's tall, long armed, rangy but well proportioned. He's a little tight in the hips but put him up against those TE's and he has the physical traits to bump and/or press and knock them off their route. nothing against the 5'9/5'10 nickel cb's.