Tag: Detroit Lions

Five things to watch as Lions face 49ers

Both teams want to avoid 0-2 start

After Monday night’s 48-17 loss, the Detroit Lions have much to prove today at the San Francisco 49ers.

They can quiet the rumors that the team doesn’t buy into new coach Matt Patricia. The defense can show that Patricia and Paul Pasqualoni have drawn up a scheme that complements the players’ talents.

They can prove this team is ready to take a step up from a 9-7 record last season. They can show that they can compete for a playoff spot.

(Kickoff is at 4:05 p.m. on FOX)

The Lions’ short turn-around from playing on Monday night is no excuse. This is the NFL, this is what they do.

In the past 10 seasons only 10 NFL teams  made the playoffs after an 0-2 start. Here’s the thing, though. San Francisco is 0-1 too — although they looked more competitive in the 24-16 loss at the Vikings.

It all sets up for a Week 2 game with plenty on the line for both teams.

Five things to watch:

1. Matthew Stafford should have a better game. The four interceptions were not all on him, but he made some bad decisions in the first game of this tenth season. He is better than that. Of course when he delivers a ball to a receiver, they cannot drop it. Golden Tate alone had two drops. He knows he can do better.

2. The offensive line last week didn’t allow Stafford to be sacked. However, the quarterback faced much pressure. With T.J. Lang (foot) out at right guard we could see Kenny Wiggins start in his place. He is experienced after starting all 16 games last season for the Chargers. The line — all five of them — have to play better than last week not just in protecting Stafford but opening up holes for the running backs.

3. That run game that has been talked about since the final snap of the 2017 season, needs to get in gear early. Let’s see more of rookie Kerryon Johnson and veteran LeGarrette Blount. Last week Ameer Abdullah was inactive (coach’s decision) and would expect the same at San Francisco. The Lions only had 39 yards rushing in Monday night’s loss to the Jets. They had to get away from the run in the second half because they fell so far behind. In the first half they managed just 18 rushing yards. It’s befuddling, that’s for sure. If it’s not corrected, their chances of beating the 49ers are diminished.

4. Detroit’s defense got off to a terrific start with Quandre Diggs intercepting Sam Darnold on the Jets’ first play from scrimmage. It was pretty much downhill from there with the defense giving up five touchdowns, 169 rushing yards and 48 total points. It doesn’t get easier. Coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense has plenty of weapons with Jimmy Garoppolo connecting on passes of 36 yards or more to three different receivers last week. Shanahan said he watched Patriots’ film from the Super Bowl to acquaint himself with Patricia’s defensive scheme. The line must get pressure on Jimmy Garoppolo to force him to throw interceptions. Last week he threw three, which is uncharacteristic for him. In six games last season he was picked off just five times. The Vikings made him uncomfortable (he was sacked three times) and it worked.

5. Special teams must get its act together after a lousy start against the Jets. They gave up a 78-yard punt return for a touchdown and Matt Prater missed two field goals (56 and 44 yards). Sam Martin’s punts averaged a healthy 50.7 yards but those were returned for a total of 137 yards. Special teams can be overlooked, but this unit needs to step up.

Lions Golden Tate: ‘We have a chance to write this story a little differently’

Lions play at San Francisco 49ers Sunday

ALLEN PARK >> It’s been a week of introspection for Golden Tate and many of his Detroit Lions’ teammates.

Losing a season opener 48-17 will do that to a player, even an NFL veteran.

“Personally it’s been tough because we showed up in April and put a lot of work in, a lot of hours in, a lot of expectations and the first opportunity you get to do that it hurts. Like I said, it’s a new week, it’s a new opportunity,’’ Tate said. “On Sunday we have a chance to write this story a little differently.’’

The Lions (0-1)  will look for redemption when they play at the San Francisco 49ers (0-1) at 4:05 p.m. on Sunday.

“The season is just now starting. we’ve got a long season, a lot of things are going to happen between now and then. As far as I’m concerned, we’re starting our season this week,’’ Tate said. “Unfortunately we didn’t get it done last week, we didn’t give our fan base much to cheer about. We’re refocused, looking in the mirror working even harder, excited to get back on the field, get on the road against another good opponent and fix this.

“We come back to Detroit 1-1, doesn’t matter what we did in Week 1,’’ he added.

And if they come back 0-2? Let’s take the weeks as they come.

Five thoughts from Tate moving forward:

1. While some Lions said they didn’t hear the boos at Ford Field or tuned them out, Tate definitely heard them. “It was tough, the boos got louder and the Jets’ fan base got louder, to be at home and that be the case it definitely hurts,’’ Tate said. “I can’t say we didn’t deserve it — we didn’t put a great product out there. Like I say, it’s only week 1, we have 15 more opportunities at least to go out there and paint this picture. I have no doubt with the competitors we have that we’re going to get this fixed.’’

2. The wide receiver thinks this is a perfect time to go on the road even though it’s a cross-country trip after a Monday night game. “I like to go on the road this time after last week we played so bad we needed something different,’’ Tate said. “But overall I’d much rather be home, I don’t mind going on the road this time.’’

3. He’s kind of befuddled by the Jets’ claims that their defense was able to read the Lions offense by formation and hand signals, leading them to intercept Matthew Stafford four times. “It kind of surprised me. If it’s true to have all this knowledge of our offense the first week I’m not sure how they got it, i guess we did have a few players over there but I don’t know,’’ Tate said. “I’ve thought about it, I don’t know how they would have got such information especially when we’re at home, they did a good job but now we’re trying to move on to the San Francisco 49ers … We’re excited to get back on the field and get this taste out of our mouth. For not only us but the city, we know we’re a good team and we have some good players we just need to go out there and put it all together.’’

4. Tate takes his share of the blame for the embarrassing loss despite seven catches for 79 yards and a touchdown. “Anyone who’s satisfied with their performance last week definitely has to look into the mirror,’’ Tate said. “We’re having a week of practice where we’re trying to dial in on details and be better, just collectively, play better team ball and get out there and win. You guys have been around here for a while we have a lot of the same characters, we have a good team, we have good players all over the place we just need to go out there and put it together.’’

5. Tate played with 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman for three seasons (2011-2013) while they were both in Seattle. So the Lions wide receiver knows what to expect. “Richard is an incredible leader, one of the guys who has been known to be the best at what he does for a bunch of years. I can only imagine the impact that he’s had on all of those young DBs over there with similar body styles, similar game play, so we will have our hands full for sure,’’ Tate said. “We’re going to have to be on our Ps and Qs this weekend. I think if anybody can do it we can, we’ve got some talent over here as well. I think our game plan is going to be good, we just have to go out and execute as best we can.’’

Lions Matt Patricia stresses hard work, execution on day after stunning loss

Jets’ defense knew the Lions’ plays

The day after the debacle, Lions coach Matt Patricia stayed on message. He’s moving on from the 48-17 loss to the Jets on Monday Night Football

Patricia, on a Tuesday evening conference call, said the team is working hard to get better every day.

Pure coach speak. With the way the Lions stunk up Ford Field, it seems Patricia would be a little more fiery and address the areas that failed (basically all of them).

Here are two concerns:

— Have the played bought in to his message?

— How come the Jets defense knew what was coming on Detroit’s offense?

If he’s worried that some of the players may have tuned him out, he did not let on.

(Photo courtesy of Detroit Lions)

“The good thing about this game, one of the things we try to do is build mental toughness, that’s part of the game and what we’re all about,’’ Patricia said in a Tuesday conference call.

Really, it could have been any coach of any team in any sport uttering those same words.

This is an area that cannot be overlooked. If Patricia has lost the team — and it’s an if — one game into the season, it could turn into a four-month nightmare. Lions’ fans know the script.

Along with messaging, it certainly can’t be overlooked that Jets defensive and offensive players said they knew what plays the Lions were running and were able to adjust. This is the first game of the season so they must have gone back to last season for film — and maybe to Patriots’ film on defense. Afterall they intercepted Matthew Stafford four times and Matt Cassel once.

Patricia doesn’t seem fazed by this.

“I would say in general, there are a lot of things that go on in the games that are identifiable to the players on both sides of the ball through the course of the game and that happens at times. Those things come up,’’ Patricia said. “There are certainly very specific things that are used in the course of a game where guys do a good job of steering things or studying things and seeing stuff at that standpoint. We try to do the best we can to keep it moving on both sides of the ball. We certainly have the same situation from our side, we study opponents the same as everybody else does and you kind of, group, I would say, things into categories based on schemes and systems. And that’s really important to understand. So, if you do that, sometimes that’s helpful and sometimes it’s not.”

Got that?

The offensive woes on Monday night were possibly most worrisome since it’s basically the same offense that Jim Bob Cooter ran last year. It seems like he would have changed formations and signals, or maybe he did.

Patricia brought in a new defensive scheme. Do the Lions have enough talent and depth on defense to execute it? He didn’t really say.

“We have the players that we have that are going to help us try to get better. I think the biggest part of it for us, again I’ll start with myself, some of the coaching and some of that stuff has to be better and some of the execution of some of the things we were trying to do last night has to be better,’’ Patricia said. “I don’t think it was a situation where we were outmatched or out-manned , we just got out-executed, give credit to the Jets.’’

Veteran safety Glover Quin said it felt like the defense never was in control of the game.

The Lions finished 2017 with a 9-7 record. They’ve won at least nine games in three of the last four seasons. Patricia doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel. This is not a rebuild. This is not a young team by NFL standards. These guys know football.

“I feel like we were right in the game in a good situation at the beginning of the third quarter and we let things spiral out of control from there,” veteran linebacker Devon Kennard said. “Like I said, being a defensive guy, I would’ve loved to get a stop after our offense scored and put them in position to maybe score again. But we didn’t do that and things got out of control.”