Who is ready to bite some knee caps?

[Edonidd]

The Superbowl makes me glad we didn't buy into the hype machine and hire Beiniemy "The offensive genius.”

That Superbowl was the worst game plan with absolutely no changes throughout the whole game. They were dropping 2 safeties 15+ yards deep at the snap and the offensive line couldn't give Mahomes any time to throw. But they kept trying to run deep routes the whole game instead of hitting any underneath routes or quick hitting slants or something. With the speed of guys like Kelce, Hill, and Edwards-Hellaire they should be drooling over a team letting them catch the ball in space. Instead they just kept trying to force the tecmo bowl QB runs backwards 30 yards and then throws deep. That play barely worked in tecmo bowl.

 

[Gulf of Brazil]

I assumed, wrongly, that Hines Ward would become the WR coach.


Report: Detroit Lions expected to hire Antwaan Randle El as WR coach (usatoday.com)

 

[Gulf of Brazil]

2021 NFL offseason calendar, important dates for Detroit Lions - Pride Of Detroit

 

[Gulf of Brazil]

Taylor Decker, Frank Ragnow land on PFF’s top 101 players of 2020 (usatoday.com)

Decker was the highest-ranked Lions player on the list landing at the No. 72 spot.

“One of the most solid pass-blocking left tackles in the game, Taylor Decker was again excellent in that regard in 2020,” PFF’s Sam Monson said. “He allowed just two sacks over almost 700 pass blocking snaps for the Lions this season and posted the second-best PFF run-blocking grade of his career. Decker had three perfect games of pass protection on the season.”

 

[Gulf of Brazil]

Taylor Decker, Frank Ragnow land on PFF’s top 101 players of 2020 (usatoday.com)

Ragnow checked in at No. 88 on the list.

“Frank Ragnow has improved each season of his NFL career, and 2020 was his best yet. He earned an overall PFF grade of 80.3 and didn’t allow a sack all season. Overall, he was in pass protection for 609 snaps and surrendered only nine total pressures. Ragnow also had a PFF run-blocking grade above 80. If he takes another step forward again this offseason, 2021 could be special.”

 

[Gulf of Brazil]

What is the Detroit Lions' biggest position of need heading into free agency and the NFL Draft?

A history of who's been available at No. 41 in the NFL Draft (detroitlions.com)

10 NFL prospects to watch during pre-draft process (detroitlions.com)

 

[Gulf of Brazil]

a good listen to hear where Dan Campbell is coming from - 27 minutes

 

[LionsWhyMe]

But I don’t understand the Lions. A couple years ago they were a bad team with a couple big holes to fill. Then they cut or traded one of their better players, then had to use their top draft pick to choose a new TE to replace him. They still had all the other holes and they used their one built in chance to improve and instead chose to tread water. So last season they were a terrible team with good WR,a good QB, and a Pro Bowl CB. So they booted that CB and used their chance to improve to instead tread water by drafting a new CB. Now they're still a shitty team. Have holes all over the roster, but again they're like "I know! Let's get rid of our best player again. That always works."

The Opposite of Flawless Victory... The Never-Ending Story... Sandbaggers... Schedule Fillers... Overpaid Actors!!!

I'm happy for Stafford. The dude has balled out for a shitty organization for 11 years and half the shitty fans blame him for the lack of success. I'd love him to pull a Verlander and go win one.

They're not shitty fans... The Lions only do enough to sell tickets. Stafford was apart of pulling the wool over your eyes.

 

[Gulf of Brazil]

Aubrey Pleasant makes ‘NFL head coaching candidates to watch’ list

The Lions DB coach is getting some love from national outlets.

www.prideofdetroit.com

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero produces a yearly article listing the up-and-coming coaches that could earn a head coaching job sometime in the future. His lists have been impressively accurate, as Pelissero notes in this year’s version of his list.

“And in the previous four cycles, over half of all head-coaching hires (14 of 27) came from that year’s edition of this list,” Pelissero wrote this week.

In this year’s list, which features 13 main coaches and nearly 60 “others to watch,” Detroit Lions defensive back coach Aubrey Pleasant gets a shoutout in the latter list. Pelissero doesn’t go into detail about Pleasant, but it’s a nice honor for the young coach.

Nathaniel Hackett, Byron Leftwich, Patrick Graham among young NFL coaches to watch

For the fifth year in a row, Tom Pelissero compiles a list of coaching prospects under 45 to keep an eye on. Will the Packers' Nathaniel Hackett, the Buccaneers' Byron Leftwich or the Giants' Patrick Graham snag a top job soon?

www.nfl.com

This is the fifth year I've asked the question in this space. And in the previous four cycles, over half of all head-coaching hires (14 of 27) came from that year's edition of this list, which focuses on a specific demographic: under age 45 and seeking their first NFL head-coaching opportunity. Last year alone, Brandon Staley (Chargers), Arthur Smith (Falcons), Dan Campbell (Lions), Robert Saleh (Jets) and Nick Sirianni (Eagles) all landed their first jobs while being under 45.

 

[Mebert]

Aubrey Pleasant makes ‘NFL head coaching candidates to watch’ list

The Lions DB coach is getting some love from national outlets.

www.prideofdetroit.com

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero produces a yearly article listing the up-and-coming coaches that could earn a head coaching job sometime in the future. His lists have been impressively accurate, as Pelissero notes in this year’s version of his list.

“And in the previous four cycles, over half of all head-coaching hires (14 of 27) came from that year’s edition of this list,” Pelissero wrote this week.

In this year’s list, which features 13 main coaches and nearly 60 “others to watch,” Detroit Lions defensive back coach Aubrey Pleasant gets a shoutout in the latter list. Pelissero doesn’t go into detail about Pleasant, but it’s a nice honor for the young coach.

Nathaniel Hackett, Byron Leftwich, Patrick Graham among young NFL coaches to watch

For the fifth year in a row, Tom Pelissero compiles a list of coaching prospects under 45 to keep an eye on. Will the Packers' Nathaniel Hackett, the Buccaneers' Byron Leftwich or the Giants' Patrick Graham snag a top job soon?

www.nfl.com

This is the fifth year I've asked the question in this space. And in the previous four cycles, over half of all head-coaching hires (14 of 27) came from that year's edition of this list, which focuses on a specific demographic: under age 45 and seeking their first NFL head-coaching opportunity. Last year alone, Brandon Staley (Chargers), Arthur Smith (Falcons), Dan Campbell (Lions), Robert Saleh (Jets) and Nick Sirianni (Eagles) all landed their first jobs while being under 45.

It is hard to gauge what Pleasant has done. He started the year needing to start several UDFA, and 2 seem to be long time passable players. Is that his coaching, or was it the scouting?

Nobody can be blamed for Harris

 

[Gulf of Brazil]

It is hard to gauge what Pleasant has done. He started the year needing to start several UDFA, and 2 seem to be long time passable players. Is that his coaching, or was it the scouting?

Nobody can be blamed for Harris

IDK if his coaching these UDFA CB has had an impact on them in this short of time, but former Rams DB's Ramsey, Johnson lll and Troy Hill all spoke highly of how Pleasant had helped them to improve their fundamentals, mechanics and technique that they hadn't received from previous position coaches

I would think scouting is definitely a big benefit here but at the same time, higher profile drafted CB's haven't progressed as much as Jacobs and Parker, imo.

I don't envision Pleasant receiving a HC job until possibly 2023 at the earliest, but you never know what team ownership and GM's are willing to do. Dan Campbell is the perfect example of that willingness to take a gamble.

 

[Gulf of Brazil]

Lions mailbag: Assessing slow coaching starts, Goff's role and future cap space

Justin Rogers answers reader questions in his weekly Lions mailbag.

www.detroitnews.com

▶ Question: Historically, are there any coaches who have started .250 or worse in their first 1.5 seasons that ended up turning it around and having successful careers with that team? — @Danieljhall6

▶ Answer: How about Tom Landry? He went 4-20-2 his first two seasons in Dallas and didn't have a winning season until his seventh — not that Dan Campbell would or should ever be afforded that kind of leniency.

Some others of note:

Chuck Knoll began his time in Pittsburgh with a 4-13 record. Bill Parcells opened his tenure with the Giants with a 7-16-1 mark, before winning a Super Bowl in his fourth year. Dick Vermeil was 7-19 to start his career and then won double-digit games three consecutive years with the Eagles. And Bill Walsh, who won three rings in San Francisco, stumbled out the gate with a 5-23 mark.

A more recent example — which you listed but I trimmed from your question — is Zac Taylor in Cincinnati. He went from 6-25-1 in his first two seasons to a Super Bowl appearance in Year 3. So yeah, there's precedent for great coaching turnarounds.

 

[Gulf of Brazil]

I might as well place the article here

Is Ford field part of the problem with some of the in-season injuries?

Lions mailbag: Assessing slow coaching starts, Goff's role and future cap space

Justin Rogers answers reader questions in his weekly Lions mailbag.

www.detroitnews.com

▶ Q: It seems the team has been overwhelmed with injuries in recent years, including many, many soft-tissue injuries. Am I out of line for questioning what’s going on there? — @apendygraft

▶ A: No, you're not.

The Lions haven't been the most injured team in football the past couple of seasons. That designation belongs to the Baltimore Ravens. That said, the Lions have certainly had more issues than the average team. And it's particularly troublesome when you have three guys go down with Achilles tears, making you wonder if there's any correlation.

I couldn't begin to assess whether the training or medical staffs are in any way culpable, but I know they're evaluated like any other team employee. I also know the team had extensive injury issues under former coach Matt Patricia, as well, but the training and medical staffs have undergone extensive turnover since then. So, maybe it's just bad luck.

And although I don't have any data to back this up, I've long been suspicious of the impact of the playing surface at Ford Field. For anyone who has ever been on FieldTurf, it can be unusually soft compared to grass, and the grounded rubber pellets make it somewhat unstable, like running on sand. It's easy to see footing giving way when cutting, leading to those dreaded high-ankle sprains, among other added strain to the various leg muscles.

It's definitely a topic I'd love to explore further, but finding that kind of time is always tricky.