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NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA: Ways the Lions can improve (or not lose so badly)
December 8, 2007
BY NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA
FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...=2007712080339
The Lions are 6-6. They have won as many games as they have lost. But when they have lost, they have lost badly.
Five of the six losses were by 10 points or more, but it's even worse than it looks. Three losses were by more than 30 points. In each of the other three losses, the Lions closed a larger gap by scoring late.
Now the Lions face the possibility of another debacle. Sunday's game is against the Dallas Cowboys, the 11-1 Dallas Cowboys, whose offense ranks second in the NFL, whose defense ranks eighth, whose loss was to the undefeated New England Patriots.
The Lions are 10 1/2 -point underdogs. At home.
So why have things snowballed in the Lions' losses? What can they do to stop it from happening Sunday?
It isn't simply a mismatch issue. The Lions haven't always been overwhelmed by superior talent, though you could argue they were on Thanksgiving against Green Bay and could be Sunday against Dallas.
Again, the Lions are a .500 team still in the playoff race. They have been embarrassed by teams with records about the same as theirs -- Philadelphia (5-7), Washington (6-7), Arizona (6-6) and Minnesota (6-6).
As the Lions often say, it's about what they do.
Here's a general pattern: The offense starts slowly. The defense can't stop anybody. Mix in a turnover or bad special-teams play. Now the Lions are playing from behind. The offense becomes even more unbalanced, with offensive coordinator Mike Martz ditching the run almost completely and throwing to catch up. That allows the opponent to tee off. The offense struggles. That puts more pressure on the defense. The defense struggles.
Next thing you know, it's out of hand.
What do the Lions need to do Sunday?
1. Play better, obviously. No matter the situation, you have to execute on offense. You have to tackle on defense and special teams.
2. Run the ball. In two losses, the Lions ran at a historically low rate. At Arizona, they had only eight carries. At Minnesota, they had seven -- and only three through 56 minutes. The NFL record for fewest rushing attempts is six.
"Sometimes, that's my downfall," Martz said. "I can become a little impatient. I always feel like we can move the chains throwing the ball, and that's not a good thing because I just need to be a little more patient. ...
"Sometimes, the way to work your way back into a game when you're behind is just to come out and grind it a little bit, too, and get your guys grounded."
3. If possible, play from ahead. Not only can the offense stay balanced more easily, the defense can do what it is designed to do. The Tampa Two is most effective with a lead. The idea is to pin your ears back with a four-man rush, while using zone coverage to force the opponent to dink and dunk down the field, using precious time and energy to score.
"We need to score touchdowns for our defense," wide receiver Mike Furrey said. "Our defense plays exceptionally well with the lead. We go out there and we have the ball first and we drive down the field and score, that just puts excitement throughout the whole entire team. We need to do that from an offensive standpoint."
4. If something goes wrong, don't crumble. Coach Rod Marinelli preaches one snap at a time for a reason. If there is a turnover or a big return, let it go. Stop the bleeding. In their 37-27 victory Sept. 30 over Chicago, the Lions took the lead, only to have Devin Hester take it right back by returning a kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown. They stayed composed, came back and won.
In Sunday's 42-10 loss at Minnesota, they cut their deficit to four, only to have Aundrae Allison push it to 11 by returning a kickoff 103 yards for a touchdown. The Lions sagged, and things snowballed.
"That's a team that's learning how to win," quarterback Jon Kitna said. "You've got to fight through it, and the only way you can do it is with every guy fighting through it together."
__________________
for more updates visit http://gryphononcowboys.blogspot.com/
December 8, 2007
BY NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA
FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...=2007712080339
The Lions are 6-6. They have won as many games as they have lost. But when they have lost, they have lost badly.
Five of the six losses were by 10 points or more, but it's even worse than it looks. Three losses were by more than 30 points. In each of the other three losses, the Lions closed a larger gap by scoring late.
Now the Lions face the possibility of another debacle. Sunday's game is against the Dallas Cowboys, the 11-1 Dallas Cowboys, whose offense ranks second in the NFL, whose defense ranks eighth, whose loss was to the undefeated New England Patriots.
The Lions are 10 1/2 -point underdogs. At home.
So why have things snowballed in the Lions' losses? What can they do to stop it from happening Sunday?
It isn't simply a mismatch issue. The Lions haven't always been overwhelmed by superior talent, though you could argue they were on Thanksgiving against Green Bay and could be Sunday against Dallas.
Again, the Lions are a .500 team still in the playoff race. They have been embarrassed by teams with records about the same as theirs -- Philadelphia (5-7), Washington (6-7), Arizona (6-6) and Minnesota (6-6).
As the Lions often say, it's about what they do.
Here's a general pattern: The offense starts slowly. The defense can't stop anybody. Mix in a turnover or bad special-teams play. Now the Lions are playing from behind. The offense becomes even more unbalanced, with offensive coordinator Mike Martz ditching the run almost completely and throwing to catch up. That allows the opponent to tee off. The offense struggles. That puts more pressure on the defense. The defense struggles.
Next thing you know, it's out of hand.
What do the Lions need to do Sunday?
1. Play better, obviously. No matter the situation, you have to execute on offense. You have to tackle on defense and special teams.
2. Run the ball. In two losses, the Lions ran at a historically low rate. At Arizona, they had only eight carries. At Minnesota, they had seven -- and only three through 56 minutes. The NFL record for fewest rushing attempts is six.
"Sometimes, that's my downfall," Martz said. "I can become a little impatient. I always feel like we can move the chains throwing the ball, and that's not a good thing because I just need to be a little more patient. ...
"Sometimes, the way to work your way back into a game when you're behind is just to come out and grind it a little bit, too, and get your guys grounded."
3. If possible, play from ahead. Not only can the offense stay balanced more easily, the defense can do what it is designed to do. The Tampa Two is most effective with a lead. The idea is to pin your ears back with a four-man rush, while using zone coverage to force the opponent to dink and dunk down the field, using precious time and energy to score.
"We need to score touchdowns for our defense," wide receiver Mike Furrey said. "Our defense plays exceptionally well with the lead. We go out there and we have the ball first and we drive down the field and score, that just puts excitement throughout the whole entire team. We need to do that from an offensive standpoint."
4. If something goes wrong, don't crumble. Coach Rod Marinelli preaches one snap at a time for a reason. If there is a turnover or a big return, let it go. Stop the bleeding. In their 37-27 victory Sept. 30 over Chicago, the Lions took the lead, only to have Devin Hester take it right back by returning a kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown. They stayed composed, came back and won.
In Sunday's 42-10 loss at Minnesota, they cut their deficit to four, only to have Aundrae Allison push it to 11 by returning a kickoff 103 yards for a touchdown. The Lions sagged, and things snowballed.
"That's a team that's learning how to win," quarterback Jon Kitna said. "You've got to fight through it, and the only way you can do it is with every guy fighting through it together."
__________________
for more updates visit http://gryphononcowboys.blogspot.com/
(If we score quickly, it'll be that much sooner)
