Paula Pasche

Something’s got to give: Lions create turnovers, Saints excel at ball security

Detroit has 11 takeaways in 5 games

ALLEN PARK — Something’s got to give when the Lions play the Saints on Sunday in New Orleans.

The Lions’ defense has 11 takeaways in five games — seven interceptions and four fumble recoveries.

Meanwhile the Saints have yet to commit a turnover. Quarterback Drew Brees has thrown eight touchdowns and zero interception. No fumbles.

“There’s a lot of things going right for you not to have at least one turnover. I haven’t watched every play of every (Saints) game, turnovers happen for all different reasons. Guys drop a pass or tip a pass and it gets intercepted. It could be a good throw, the guy just maybe didn’t hold onto it right or a running back gets ahead and fumbles,’’ Lions safety Glover Quin said. “Just because you fumble doesn’t mean it’s a turnover. The other team has to cover it. There’s a lot of factors that go into getting a turnover and not getting a turnover.’’

Quin should know. So far in five games he has a pair of interceptions and two forced fumbles.

Ball security has been an emphasis in Detroit. The Lions have given up just two — an interception by Matthew Stafford in the opener and a lost fumble in the loss to the Panthers.

Apparently Saints coach Sean Payton has made it a priority also.

“I hope it’s our overall awareness and I hope we’re doing a better job coaching it and I hope that as we get into games, you’re trying to not to be one-dimensional. I think that there’s times when you fall behind early in the season against Minnesota. The last it seemed like eight, 10 minutes we were in a hurry-up pass mode,’’ Payton said in a conference call on Wednesday. “But I think that probably for him (Drew Brees) I know (ball security) was (key) going into the season. A goal of us collectively as a team, possessing the ball better on offense, and helping our defense with a little bit more balance, and yet still recognizing how we want to play each game.”

The Saints could be due for a turnover or two.

“Hopefully the law of averages will prevail, hopefully (the Saints) are due to catch up,’’ Quin said.

It’s just another challenge for the Lions’ defense.

“I don’t think there’s any remedy for what they do. They take care of the ball. They just have not turned it over at all, I think they’re right around where we are in terms of turnover ratio, so you’re going to have a battle of two teams that haven’t turned it over very much, and so that’s going to be really I think the difference in the ball game,’’ coach Jim Caldwell said. “But, it’s an area that we have continued to work on. We work on taking it away, we work on taking care of it, and they do the same thing and they’ve done a great job at it thus far.”

Detroit Lions’ Eric Ebron has support of his teammates

Tight end continues to work hard to improve

ALLEN PARK — If Eric Ebron wasn’t working hard, his Lions’ teammates would be concerned. That is not the case.

Wide receiver Golden Tate said he expects Ebron will have a career type game “real soon.”

The tight end has had issues holding onto the ball, especially in Sunday’s loss to the Panthers when he was targeted four times and had one catch. On the opening drive he dropped a third-down pass in the end zone.

Ebron met with Matthew Stafford to figure out what he can do better.

“I’ll keep that between Eric and I. I don’t feel like I need to share that with you guys,’’ Stafford said on Wednesday. “But he’s a guy that’s really talented that can help us, and he’s got to continue to work hard and continue to try to improve just like everybody.”

In the first five games Ebron has a dozen catches for 93 yards.

In Week 2, he was targeted five times and caught all five for 42 yards and a touchdown.

“I think the best thing to do is to know when you ball out, the social media will be there to praise you. The next week if you don’t ball out they’ll be right there to tear you down. It’s kind of a what have you done for me lately kind of deal,’’ wide receiver Golden Tate said on Wednesday.

“I just want to remind him, ‘Hey, you’re a heck of a player, you’re here for a reason. We need you in order to go where we want to go. All we want you to do is keep working hard, keep working hard, be mentally strong, understand your assignment and just keep growing,’’ Tate said.

“We understand mistakes are a part of this game but us bashing him — or anyone in this organization — is not going to help us. Our job is to build each other up and keep working, keep working together, it’s going to come around,’’ Tate added. “He’s here for a reason and he knows that, he’s a heck of a player, he’s shown time in and time out in practice that he deserves to be here. We keep supporting him, keep working together.

“The problem would be if any player is messing up consistently but not out here working, not trying to get better but you don’t see that from him,’’ Tate said. “He wants this bad. He knows how good he is, sometimes you need to be reminded of that.’’

Coach Jim Caldwell was thinking along those same lines when he commented on Ebron’s play on Monday.

“There’s a lot of folks that have a bad game or a bad stretch. And he’s got talent. He works at it, and it’s our job to get it out of him,’’ Caldwell said.

Detroit Lions place Haloti Ngata on IR; sign 2 free agents

ALLEN PARK — More bad news for the Lions defensive line today when Haloti Ngata was placed on injured reserve with a bicep injury sustained in Sunday’s loss at the Vikings. The defensive tackle was unable to finish the the game.

Ngata was off to a good start with a pair of sacks and seven tackles in five games. It’s his 12th NFL season, his third in Detroit.

The Lions have signed free agents defensive end Datone Jones and defensive tackle Caraun Reid. Also they waived linebacker Thurston Armbrister.

In his fifth season, Jones comes to the Lions after most recently spending the 2017 preseason with the Minnesota Vikings. Prior to this year, he played four seasons (2013-16) with the Green Bay Packers and appeared in 59 games with seven starts during that time.

A former first-round draft pick by the Packers in the 2013 NFL Draft out of UCLA, Jones’ career totals include 72 total tackles (53 solo), nine sacks, one fumble recovery and one interception.

Reid returns to Detroit after originally being drafted by the Lions in the fifth-round of the 2014 NFL Draft out of Princeton. In two seasons with Detroit (2014-15), he appeared in 26 games (12 starts).

Reid most recently spent the 2017 preseason with the Los Angeles Chargers after playing in seven games for the club in 2016. Currently in his fourth season, his career totals include 36 total tackles (28 solo), three sacks and two fumble recoveries.