Loss to Rams Could Make Lions NFL’s Worst

Burning Questions | by Mike O'Hara | 11.1.2009/6:17PM

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Burning questions from the Lions’ 17-10 loss to the St. Louis Rams at Ford Field on Sunday:

Where do the Lions go from there?
“Nowhere. Any chance they had to get some respect – and respectability—- is gone for this season. That’s why the game was so important, and why I called it a must-win game. It was must-win because they were playing a bad team and had a chance to separate them from the dregs of the league.
“The Lions did not do that. They are the dregs.”

Should they be considered the NFL’s worst team now?
“Probably not, but if somebody makes them No. 32, who can argue? And why bother? They’re 1-6 and back on the skids, with a four-game losing streak.”

Rate Matthew Stafford’s performance
“Up and down. He can throw the ball, no doubt about that, and he’s a gamer. He didn’t get much help, and there were so many drops that it was hard to blame him for everything. It wasn’t a winning performance, but he didn’t lose the game, either.”

Was his right knee bothering him?
“He didn’t say it was, but it looked like it was dragging a little. He did the right thing by playing, and the coaches and training staff did the right thing by clearing him to play after sitting out two games.”

How much did the Lions miss Calvin Johnson? He didn’t play for the second straight game because of an injured right knee.
“They do not have a passing game without him. In that regard, the team is suffering from the sins of previous drafts. Four wide receivers drafted on the first round, and three of them – Roy Williams, Mike Williams, Charles Rogers – are gone. They’ll probably have to draft a receiver next year.”

What about the defense?
“It played fairly well – until the game was on the line. The defense had not allowed a TD for six full quarters – and the Rams ended that streak by driving to the winning TD win the last two minutes. You have to make it count when it counts most, and the defense did not do that.”

What about the pass rush?
“There was decent pressure on Marc Bulger at times, but the Lions didn’t sack him. You have to put a quarterback on his back to disrupt a passing game – even one as ordinary as the Rams’.”

The Rams tricked the Lions on a fake field goal in the last minute of the first half. It would have been a 54-yard attempt. Instead of kicking, the Rams threw a pass and it went for a touchdown. What went wrong?
“I asked Cliff Avril if anyone said to watch for the fake. He said they didn’t. Avril was blameless on the play and nearly chased down the receiver – Daniel Fells. That was a huge play.”

What about the Lions’ running game? It looked pretty effective.
“It was decent all game – until it was needed the most. On the next-to-last possession, the Lions ran twice for a total gain of two yards. They needed a first down to keep possession and at least go into overtime. They couldn’t do it though.”

And then the defense caved in. What happened?
“Same old story – can’t perform in the clutch.”

Would you have benched Stafford?
“Absolutely note. I’ve seen what the other guys can do. Daunte Culpepper had his chances and did nothing. Drew Stanton hasn’t done anything to warrant consideration as a starter.”

One other thing about Calvin Johnson. Was it a surprise that he didn’t play?
“It was to me, but I found out more information later. He did some work at the beginning of practice last week, the portion the media sees, but when it got to the 7-on-7 sessions with the media gone, he wasn’t practicing. That meant he wasn’t ready to play. But none of us knew that.”

Jon Jansen started at left guard. Did that help the offensive line?
“It seemed to give the running game some push early. But late in the game, Jansen had problems. He was flagged for two holding penalties on the last possession.”

The fans got on Stafford near the end of the game, and Dominic Raiola challenged the fans. Did he do anything wrong?
“Raiola made this point: Stafford’s his teammate, and he’s going to support him. I like that kind of loyalty. The players see that Stafford is the future of the franchise and they have his back. Raiola said he understands the fans’ frustration, but he’s going to back his teammate. There’s nothing wrong with loyalty.”

On the Rams’ first possession, Julian Peterson was flagged for a personal foul on a third-down pass play at the Lions’ 27. That gave the Rams a first down at the 13. Good call?

“An accurate call – according to the rules – but saying it was a good call depends on how much protection you think quarterbacks should get. The NFL owners want maximum protection for quarterbacks, and the zebras call penalties accordingly.
“On the play, Peterson made an overhand swipe at Rams QB Marc Bulger. It looked like Peterson landed a glancing blow to the back of Bulger’s helmet. That made it a penalty. A cheapie, but a penalty.”

The Lions caught a break on their first score – a safety when Rams cornerback Quincy Butler was tackled in his own end zone. How weird was that?
“Even on Halloween, it came from a strange bag of tricks.”

Go down the list on what went right and wrong on the play.
“OK, here it goes: Third down, Matthew Stafford’s pass over the middle is on target to Aaron Brown. The ball bounced off Brown’s hands. That’s bad.
“Butler caught the ball a yard deep in the end zone. That’s good. Butler ran out of the end zone, then retreated. That was bad.
“Kevin Smith came over for the Lions and chopped Butler’s feet out from under him. That was good for the Lions.
“Butler landed in the end zone for a safety. Bad for the Rams – two points for the Lions. That was good for the Lions.
“The Rams’ Butler did it. He delivered two points to the Lions. They needed more help to win the game.”

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Burning Questions Return: Rams-Lions First Look

Burning Questions | by Mike O'Hara | 10.30.2009/8:34AM

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Yes, they’re coming back – Burning Questions, which I used to write for The Detroit News, starting Sunday evening right after the Rams-Lions game at Ford Field.
I’m here to serve. Readers asked for them. They get what they want.
Going into the game, there are some interesting issues that bear watching. They include the following:

Jon Jansen: will his start at left guard shore up a trouble spot on the offensive line? I think it will.
“He’s a smart guy, a tough guy, he’s physical,” said center Dominic Raiola.
If nothing else, the Lions can temporarily erase a terrible drafting error made in 1999. Late in the first round, they drafted offensive tackle Aaron Gibson of Wisconsin – leaving Jansen on the board for the Redskins to take on the second round.
Gibson had so little discipline that he seldom made his playing weight of 380 pounds – at least. Gibson also had a history of shoulder injuries in college that apparently went undetected by the previous personnel regime – and this was two years before Matt Millen’s arrival.
The Lions cut Gibson early in the 2001 season. Jansen was a solid right tackle for the Redskins for most of his 10 seasons in Washington. He could extend his career if he pans out at left guard.

Matthew Stafford: Barring some accident, he will return to start at quarterback. The Lions have missed him. In the two games that Daunte Culpepper started with Stafford out with an injured right knee, it became clearer by the play that the coaches made the right choice by starting Stafford from the beginning of the season.
He can read defenses and throw the ball, and he gives the Lions their best chance to win.

Calvin Johnson: He returns from the injured list to start at wide receiver. That’s a huge lift for the offense. Johnson is a stud. Any question about his toughness is misplaced – or made-up fodder for talk shows.
Johnson has missed two starts in his career – none in three years at Georgia Tech, one his rookie year with the Lions and one this year.
You want an example of toughness?
In Game 16 of last season, when the Lions went to Green Bay with a 0-15 record, it was 22 degrees and windy—- and nothing to play for. Johnson caught nine passes for 102 yards and two touchdowns. He never stopped competing.
I’ll take that kind of toughness any day.

Kevin Smith: He told a reporter for the Free Press that he’s had a “leak in his passion tent.” Well, well. I’ve heard of worse slips on camping trips – but all kidding aside, why would a second-year tailback with everything to prove have any issues about passion?
Time to step it up for Kevin Smith. Actually, it’s about six games past time.

Defense: Sammie Hill and Dewayne White are back on the line. Ko Simpson returns at safety. The defense has to make a stand.

Winning: That’s all that counts Sunday. In my Monday Countdown on The Detroit News website – detnews.com – I called this a must-win game for coach Jim Schwartz.
Let me clarify that statement this way: IT’S A MUST WIN!!! Got that???
Lose to the Rams, and you look at the last nine games wondering if you can beat anyone.
Losing to the Rams won’t mean that the Mayhew-Lewand—Schwartz triumvirate is destined to fail forever. But it will mean that they’re headed for another joyless, meaningless season, and there has been more than enough of that.

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Stafford Back, Calvin Still Idle—Is Stanton No. 2?

NFL Countdown | by Mike O'Hara | 10.27.2009/4:50PM

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Matthew Stafford returned to practice Tuesday – the Lions’ first day of practice after the bye.
That gave a strong indication that Stafford will start at quarterback against the St. Louis Rams on Sunday after missing two games because of a partially dislocated right knee.
Now the mystery centers on whether when wide receiver Calvin Johnson will return to practice from an injured right knee that kept him out of the last game, and which quarterback will be the backup – Drew Stanton or Daunte Culpepper, who started the last two games in place of Stafford.
Culpepper left the last game – a loss at Green Bay – with a hamstring injury. Stanton appeared to fill the No. 2 role in the portion of practice open to the media Tuesday afternoon.
Coach Jim Schwartz did not answer question related to Stafford in any depth.
Schwartz was asked what he could tell about Stafford from watching him practice.
“Nothing,” Schwartz told reporters after practice. “It was good to get a lot of our players back on the field today. We had just about everybody out there participating in some fashion, whether it was on the side, whether it was an individual only, whether it was team.
“That’s one of the things about having the bye week there, was being able to help us get some rest and being able to get some guys back for this week.”
Schwartz was asked if Wednesday is a big day for Stafford in terms of his recovery.
How players react to practice is important. If Stafford experiences undue swelling and soreness, it could be a setback.
“I think every day would be classified as big,” Schwartz said. “Say you go through Wednesday, Thursday and then Friday something happens. When you’re dealing with coming back from something, every day is big.
“You can’t have any setbacks along the way.”
Most of the other injured Lions returned, including rookie defensive tackle Sammie Hill, who missed three starts with an ankle injury.

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