Month: May 2012

LSU/Western Kentucky

stevenlourie Uncategorized

 

Spotlight #1: Western Kentucky RB Bobby Rainey

Spotlight #2: LSU G Will Blackwell

1st quarter

13:11: Blackwell with a pancake block to help seal a big hole for the back.

12:30: Blackwell powers a guy forward to open up some space on 2nd and 32.

11:09: Rainey doesn’t have a lot of space, powers forward for 4.

8:01: Rainey helps chip block.

7:18: Rainey on a pitch to the outside, not a lot of room, good open field tackle by Mathieu. 3 yards.

6:18: Jordan Jefferson hits Reuben Randle with a bullet in stride, 53 yard touchdown, Jefferson threw the ball accurately at least 50 yards, good play by Randle as well.

6:07: Rainey up the middle, one cut, not much happening, 3 yards.

4:17: Rainey split out wide, matched up with Morris Claiborne, runs a good curl route, Claiborne slips, easy pitch and catch for the first. Claiborne seems to slip a lot.

3:38: Rainey bounces to the outside, good vision, good run, 6 yards.

2:36: Rainey sees space to the outside, tries to bounce out, but a good play by the defensive tackle to stop him for a gain of a couple yards.

1:11: Rainey with another helpful chip, also on the play, Claiborne almost has a pick off a teammate’s deflection.

1:06: Rainey bounces for a few.

2nd quarter

13:43: Jefferson with another pretty deep ball, this one just dropped by the receiver, tough catch, but needed to be made. Nice throw by Jefferson.

13:27: Rainey with some room up the middle, lacks good explosion here, 3 yards. Little fight.

12:48: Rainey with 3 again, makes one guy miss, runs into a pile.

9:57: Rainey split out wide again, catches it short of the sticks with a man draped on him, stretches out for the 1st, just short, good effort. Might have been a bad spot too.

9:02: Rainey with a good block before going into his route.

8:03: Rainey with a good shove to throw the pass rusher off his trajectory and give his quarterback some more time.

5:13: Jefferson with back to back pretty deep throws. Right on the money. He’s throwing well tonight.

3:22: Rainey not a lot of space, does the best he can, 4 yards.

2:37: Rainey up the middle into traffic, 1 yard.

1:18: Rainey with a cut block. Brandon Taylor also with a pick on the play, wiped out by off sides.

1:01: Rainey struggles with blitz pickup this time, quarterback hit as he throws.

0:56: Rainey powers up the middle on a draw to convert 3rd and 5. Good last effort.

0:43: Western Kentucky quarterback sacked on the same blitz play. Rainey still struggling with blitz pickup.

0:40: Rainey tackled for a loss as soon as he gets the handoff. Nothing he could have done there. Same cornerback blitz again. No one picking that guy up.

0:32: Rainey takes a pitch for a short gain, almost fumbled, LSU recovers, overturned on an official challenge, but Rainey still needs to be more careful.

 

3rd quarter

14:56: Rainey gets the carry, bounce once, nothing happening, 1 yard.

13:10: Claiborne thrown on, incomplete.

13:06: Rainey up the middle for 3.

11:02: Jefferson deep to Randle again, just deflected at the last second, another nice ball by Jefferson, but a better play by the defensive back. Would like to see Randle get just a little bit more separation from a small school cornerback too.

10:58: Blackwell seals a hole for the back.

9:11: Randle just short of a touchdown. Extends, but just short.

8:47: Claiborne with a touchdown saving tackle on the kick return.

8:18: Rainey with his best run of the night. 1st and goal on the 9, cuts to the outside, powerful 7 yard run, almost scores.

6:53: Rainey taken out in the goal line package again.

5:22: Jordan Jefferson takes a safety, first brain fart of the game.

5:11: Rainey up the middle for 4. They just haven’t been able to get him in any space.

4:31: Rainey for another 2. Same story.

3:42: Rainey targeted under pressure, double covered, deflected and picked. Not Rainey’s fault.

2:42: Rainey finally finds space, good vision and cut to run for 14 yards.

2:13: Rainey with poor vision this time to not bounce outside and run into a wall for little to no gain.

1:28: Rainey good in space for solid gain, could have been more than the 7 he picked up, but a great play by LSU to bring him down from behind. Still above average speed.

0:00: Jefferson does a great job of scrambling, extending the play, hitting receiver on the mark for a big gain on the run.

4th quarter

14:59: Randle targeted in the end zone again, another good play by the defensive back to deflect it. Derrius Brooks is doing a solid job on him.

13:52: Blackwell on a good 2nd level block on a rushing touchdown.

13:43: Rainey falls forward for a gain of 1 or so.

13:01: Rainey to the outside in little space for 2 yards.

11:48: Blackwell opens a big hole for the back.

10:16: Blackwell with a good cut block.

5:28: Rainey dances up the middle for a few.

4:50: Rainey finds a small hole, dives forward, almost converts 2nd and 6. Just short.

4:12: Not a big hole for Rainey at all, finds enough room to dive forward for the 1st on 3rd and 1 up the middle.

3:37: Rainey good explosion on the outside for a gain of 7 or so, wiped out by an illegal motion penalty.

3:02: Rainey up the middle, one cut, finds a seam, good run, gets extra yards with a stiff arm for 12 or so on 1st and 15. 15 extra yards on a late hit out of bounds.

1:55: Rainey tackled for a loss of 17 on a designed running back pass, still good effort breaking several tackles to try to extend the play before taking the “sack.”

0:00: Bobby Rainey is one of college football’s leading rushers with 1695 yards and 13 touchdowns on 369 carries in 2011 and 1649 yards and 15 touchdowns on 340 carries in 2010. In this one, he was facing one of the toughest run defenses in the league, LSU. Rainey’s final total was 85 yards on 28 carries, but he had one 7 yard carry brought back by penalty and lost another 17 yards on a play that was really a sack as it was a designed pass. Take those into account and he rushed for 109 yards on 28 carries (3.89 YPA).

Compare that to some of the totals of some of the other NFL prospects at future NFL prospects at running back that LSU has faced and Rainey stacks up pretty well. LaMichael James had 54 yards and a score on 18 carries (3.00 YPA). Vick Ballard had 38 yards on 10 carries (3.80 YPA). Tauren Poole had 70 yards and a score on 19 carries (3.68 YPA). Michael Dyer had 60 yards on 12 carries (5.00 YPA). Trent Richardson had 89 yards on 23 carries (3.87 YPA). Compare to their season total, 2.61 YPA (3rd in Division 1) and 85.46 yards total (3rd in division 1) and Rainey had a good game that will weaken the “he never played anyone” criticism that will be surrounding him come draft season.

Rainey did a good job of getting positive yardage on almost every carry. He did have two carries for more than a loss of a yard or so, but on one he was had by an unpicked up blitz as soon as he got the ball and on the other he actually broke several tackles trying to extend the play on a halfback pass. However, he lacked big play ability in this one and he rarely went over 5 yards or so. Some of this had to do with LSU’s stingy run defense. On several occasions, it looked as if he would break loose, but great individual efforts by LSU’s defensive players prevented that. However, he seemed to lack explosiveness and he didn’t show a ton of fight. He’s got good vision, but he goes down on first contact too much for my taste, at least in this game. He was also taken out on the goal line on several occasions.

Rainey also struggled with blitz pickup. He showed himself to be a willing and a capable blocker, but on blitzes, he really had trouble reading where the pressure was coming from and picking it up, leading to a sack and a quarterback hit, though not entirely his fault. Rainey comes from the Sun Belt where he doesn’t see a lot of exotic defensive schemes and plays so it makes sense he’d be inexperienced in blitz pickup. Nonetheless, it’s something he’ll need to work on.

Western Kentucky’s offense was run heavy throughout the game. That’s their style of play. They run the same run heavy West Coast offense that Stanford and the San Francisco 49ers run, but without the luxury of having someone like Andrew Luck, so obviously they run a lot. Their best offensive player also happens to be their back. They didn’t pass much in this game, even when they were down big. Their quarterback went 11 of 24 for 97 yards and a pick. He had another pick by Brandon Taylor wiped out by penalty. The pick that counted was on a forced ball to Rainey.

Morris Claiborne had yet another near flawless game in coverage. He was thrown away from all game and only allowed 1 completion when he slipped on a curl route covering Rainey split out wide. Slipping seems to be a trend for Claiborne, but other than that, he remains a near perfect cornerback prospect and should be a top 10 pick in April.

Rainey was Western Kentucky’s 2nd leading receiver with 2 catches for 15 yards. He had the aforementioned play against Claiborne where he ran a very nice curl route and got a reception against one of the best cornerbacks in the league. He was frequently lined up split out wide or in the slot, where he had his 2nd catch. His team has a lot of confidence in him as a pass catcher and a route runner doing that and he proved that to me in this one. On the season, Rainey is actually his team’s 2nd leading receiver with 36 catches for 361 yards and 4 scores.

Overall, Rainey had a good game, but he’s far from a perfect prospect. Lack of tough competition does still hurt him coming out of the Sun Belt, even with a good game here. There will also be questions about why he couldn’t get a scholarship at a major college program coming out of high school. Also, his lack of experience against exotic defenses and blitzes will hurt him at the next level. He’s a good in between the tackles runner and has solid speed, but lacks initial explosiveness and needs to show more fight. He’s a great receiver and a willing blocker and extremely proven against lesser competition, but one does have to wonder how he’ll respond in the NFL after 709 carries in the last 2 seasons. He’s also 24, which hurts him some. He looks like a late rounder at the moment.

Offensively for LSU, it was a run heavy attack once again, especially with a big lead for most of the game. They rushed for 294 yards and 4 scores on the ground on 40 carries, with 4 different players getting 5 or more carries, including quarterback Jordan Jefferson. The offensive line played well, including left guard Will Blackwell.

Blackwell was named an AP All-American 2nd teamer, but is not projected much higher than the mid to late rounds because of his lack of size at 6-4 290 and his lack of athleticism to make up for it, but he showed himself to be a good run blocker in this one. He’s got great technique and is a proven college football player and had a great game here, albeit against weak competition. However, he’s been opening up holes for this team all year, even against Alabama and could be a mid to late round steal for a zone blocking team that doesn’t mind smaller offensive linemen. Run blocking is his forte, while pass protection was actually a bit of a mixed back for LSU who didn’t pass much in this game. He also did not look that athletic.

LSU’s passing game was effective as well, just not used all that much out of lack of necessity. Jordan Jefferson had a great game going 8 of 14 for 169 yards and a score and that doesn’t tell the whole story. He had one deep ball dropped and another deflected by a great play by the defensive back. In general, LSU receivers dropped about 2 or 3 or so of his 6 incompletions. He had at least a handful of impressive NFL caliber throws and showed a strong arm with great accuracy on the deep ball, including one where he looked like Big Ben, extending the play and throwing accurately deep on the run. I know it wasn’t the toughest of defenses and Western Kentucky had to sell out on the run, but those throws looked like they would have been big completions against any defense. He threw very well.

Consistency is the problem for him. He looked absolutely awful when I spotlighted him against Georgia, going 5 of 13 for 30 yards and looking very confused by Georgia’s talented 3-4 defense. He doesn’t have the best grasp of the mental parts and the technique parts of the game and accuracy generally is a problem for him. In this game, he had one brain fart moment when he took a safety, but generally he has like 2 or 3 at least. He’s also got the off the field stuff after being arrested to start the season. He’s a winner, but he’s got a great supporting cast.

His numbers in 3 years are decent, but not great. In 2009, he completed 61.5% of his passes for an average of 7.3 YPA with 17 touchdowns to 7 picks. In 2010, he regressed completing just 56.5% for 6.8 YPA and 7 touchdowns to 10 interceptions. This year, he is competing 60.2% of for an average of 8.2 YPA and 6 touchdowns to 1 pick for undefeated LSU. There’s definitely upside here. He’s got an NFL frame and an NFL arm and definitely flashes on tape, but he’s nothing more than a late round developmental prospect.

Jefferson’s favorite target was Reuben Randle. He had 3 catches for 76 yards and a touchdown and was a frequent red zone target of Jefferson. He had 2 touchdowns deflected and almost scored on another play that he was just short of the goal line on. Conceivably, he could have had 4 touchdowns in this game. On the season, the 6-4 junior has 50 catches for 904 yards and 8 touchdowns on a conservative offense and definitely flashes on top, but I still contend he would be best off returning to school for his senior year. Consistency is a problem for him and he’s far from a finished product.

 

LSU/Mississippi State

stevenlourie Uncategorized

 

Spotlight #1: Mississippi State RB Vick Ballard

Spotlight #2: LSU G T-Bob Hebert 

1st quarter

14:53: First play of the game, Vick Ballard gets stuff in the backfield. Nowhere to go for him because LSU’s defensive line just overpowered Mississippi State’s.

13:58: Hebert gets good push on his first snap. He’s at left guard by the way.

12:41: Hebert gets beaten pretty badly. It would be have a tackle for a loss had the running back not broken the tackle.

11:50: Hebert with a nice cut block in the 2nd level.

7:17: Hebert beaten early, but able to use his agility to recover. This is a concern however. He’s getting beaten off the snap frequently and not using his hands well immediately.

6:51: Hebert with the pancake block on a short running play.

5:26: Ballard with the powerful 6 yard first down run.

4:07: Ballard solid on a pass block.

 

2nd quarter

10:22: Ballard with a big run on a counter against a cornerback blitz. He ran well, but he had a huge hole.

9:03: Ballard gets open and catches a pass on 3rd and 8 for a 13 yard catch and a first down.

8:45: Ballard almost breaks one, but tripped up at the last second.

8:14: Ballard runs an excellent route out of the backfield and catches it on the run for a first down. Ballard only caught 10 passes last year, but already has 7 in 2 plus games this year. If he keeps this up, he could be a 3 down back at the next level.

6:31: Anthony Johnson, LSU’s freakishly athletic freshman defensive tackle, with an excellent tackle for loss. He’s 315 pounds and runs in the 4.8 He may be only a freshman, but you can be assured he’ll make Al Davis shit his pants at The Combine in a few years. He is someone to watch into the future, but he’s not eligible until 2014.

5:54: Ballard was taken out for a few snaps late on that last drive before the punt so I focused more on Chris Relf. I was originally going to spotlight Relf tonight before Ballard’s strong night last week. He ended last season hot and I pegged him as a potential Cam Newton, someone who comes out of nowhere to win a Heisman. He didn’t prove himself to be that in his first few games and he’s had a shaky night tonight. He’s an excellent athlete (6-4, 245, 4.6), but he’ll probably have to play another position at the next level. He’s had some moments, but he doesn’t look like much of a quarterback tonight. He has poor pocket presence. He’s a run first quarterback. He hasn’t thrown far down field either. He’s a late round project and nothing more.

5:21: Hebert slips on a 2nd level block and allows his man to get to the ball carrier.

0:42: Ballard dances around in the backfield, finds a hole in the defense and explodes forward for 10 yards on first down. Nice patience and vision.

0:00: Cameron Lawrence, outside linebacker for Misssissippi State, is continuing a strong season. He had a strong first half. He had 14 tackles, 3.5 for a loss, and a sack against Auburn last week after missing the opener against Memphis. He’s just a junior and probably won’t come out this year and he’s undersized at 6-2 230, but he’s someone to keep your eye on in the future.

3rd quarter

11:31: Morris Claiborne with a phenomenal play for an interception. He looked like a wide receiver there. I’m not spotlight him, but he’s a consensus first round pick.

10:59: Pancake block by Hebert.

7:05: Ballard with an excellent blitz pickup. He’s shown great hands as a blocker and a receiver tonight, keys for a young running back.

4:34: Hebert whiffs on a cut block.

3:28: Hebert gets knocked over.

2:36: Hebert allows a tackle for a loss. He gets completely blown past by a pass rush, barely even able to get a hand on him and he does it way too late.

1:32: Relf only has 4 yards on 14 rushes. I don’t know why they keep running draw plays for him. Ballard is the much better runner and this isn’t allowing him to get into a rhythm. He only has 31 yards on 8 carries as a result, but he’s ran better than that, he just can’t get into a rhythm. He’s also facing a tough LSU run defense.

4th quarter

12:30: Hebert on a nice 2nd level block. If there’s one thing he does better than average, it’s blocking on the 2nd level. He’s also got solid agility.

10:00: Chris Relf appears to have been benched. Maybe Mississippi State realized that their “QB draw, QB draw, incomplete pass” offense doesn’t work against LSU. Relf sucks. Let’s see if Ballard gets any more action now. Relf’s final line (presumably) 11 for 17 for 96 yards, a pick, and 10 rushing yards on 14 carries. He showed poor pocket presence and poor passing ability all night. He’s not a quarterback.

5:04: Morris Claiborne with his 2nd pick of the night. Maybe Tyler Russell is worse than Chris Relf. Relf would just get stuffed for a loss over and over. Russell actually throws picks. He’s 0-3 with a pick.

0:00: Ballard rushed for 968 yards and 19 touchdowns on 186 carries in 2010 and 301 yards and 4 touchdowns on 31 carries in the first 2 games of 2011, but tonight his line wasn’t as impressive. He rushed for just 38 yards on 10 carries tonight.

However, he was better than that would suggest. Mississippi State’s offense was terrible tonight because of poor play by quarterback Chris Relf and a very confused gameplan that failed to adjust when it wasn’t working. Also, LSU’s defensive line completely dominated Mississippi State’s offensive line. Couple those two things together and Ballard didn’t get a lot of carries, couldn’t get into a rhythm, was running against 8 man fronts, and running against a front 7 that was dominating his offensive line.

Ballard showed himself to be a good blocker and also caught a team leading 3 passes (not kidding) for 32 yards. He now has 8 catches in 3 games this season after just 10 catches last year. He’s a good blocker and an improving pass catcher, two very good things. He’s not the fastest runner, but at 220 pounds, he’s a physical runner and he shows nice explosion. Provided he bounces back in his next game and has a strong rest of the season, he looks like be a solid mid round pick. Running back committees are getting more and more popular in the NFL every year. Ballard looks like he could be a productive part of a committee in the NFL.

As for Hebert, he proved himself to be a good 2nd level blocker and an agile player at 304 pounds. However, he was extremely inconsistent, failed to get a consistent push, and he made several mistakes. He only allowed one tackle for a loss and no sacks, but it could have been a lot worse. Whiffs on blocks were way too common. Also was too common was Hebert falling down. He’s got off the field issues as well. I don’t think this borderline prospect is draftable.

 

LSU/Florida

stevenlourie Uncategorized

Spotlight #1: LSU CB Morris Claiborne 

Spotlight #2: Florida DT Jaye Howard 

1st quarter

7:10: Jaye Howard is able to get into the backfield on the goal line, but he’s not able to bring down the ball carrier on his first effort. On his second effort, he gets a combined tackle with another defender.

4:37: Claiborne explosive on a combined tackle for loss. He hasn’t been thrown on today yet.

3:51: Claiborne has a run go to his side, and he’s pushed out of the way for a big gain by the speedy Chris Rainey.

2:15: Claiborne is finally thrown on, quarterback goes deep against him and its way overthrown. Claiborne had good position on the receiver anyway. Nice job.

1:08: Howard gets completely outmuscled. He’s supposed to be the nose tackle for Florida, but he’s having major trouble tonight with LSU’s physical offensive line.

2nd quarter

10:45: Howard outmuscled again. He’s occasionally getting double teamed, but he’s been getting dominated all night.

0:00: Claiborne has only been targeted once this half and it was an overthrow and a good coverage. Maybe they’ll throw on him more in the 2nd half.

 

3rd quarter

9:55: Claiborne thrown on, leaves a guy wide open, but the throw is bad.

6:04: Howard with an off sides penalty. He’s been pulled from the game for the time being. He’s having an awful game.

0:40: Claiborne shoves a guy out of bounds while running a route, Claiborne stumbles doing so and the receiver, Andre DuBose, runs straight downfield for a touchdown, no penalty on DuBose because he was forced out. This is just a stupid play by Claiborne.

0:36: Claiborne with a mere 14 yard return on the kickoff.

0:31: Howard is back in.

4th quarter

12:23: Morris Claiborne could be the first cornerback off the board in the 2012 NFL Draft, but I’m not sure if he’s even the best cornerback on LSU’s defense. True sophomore Tyrann Mathieu with yet another impressive play, this time a pick. He’s undersized, 5-9 175, but there’s no question he’s one of the best defensive backs in the nation at the age of 19.

9:00: Another talented LSU defensive back, Brandon Taylor has a pass deflection here. He also has a pick and a few nice run plays. He’ll be spotlighted at a later date.

2:06: I haven’t said a lot about Jaye Howard because he’s sucked and gotten benched for a bit. However, Howard is in on a tackle here.

0:00: Jaye Howard is the nose tackle in Florida’s 3-4, but he just got completely overpowered by LSU’s physical offensive line. He sucked tonight and was even benched after a penalty for a few series. He made very few plays tonight and didn’t take on multiple blockers well like he was supposed to. His stock has to be falling after this game and as a guy who was already a day 3 prospect, he could fall into the 6th or 7th round or later if he keeps this up.

As for Morris Claiborne, he made one stupid play that allowed a touchdown, but he played well regardless. However, Florida has so many struggles at quarterback that I don’t know if this was a fair test for Claiborne. The top 3 cornerbacks in this class as Stephon Gilmore, Claiborne, and Dre Kirkpatrick, in no particular order and I’ve spotlighted all 3 but against weak tests. I’m going to make an effort to watch all 3 again, though not spotlighting them, against teams with good quarterbacks. LSU plays Tennessee next week and Tennessee’s quarterback Jim Bray is great. That will be a better test.

 

LSU/Alabama

stevenlourie Uncategorized

 

Spotlight #1: Alabama OLB Courtney Upshaw

Spotlight #2: Alabama C William Vlachos 

1st quarter

5:56: Vlachos misses a 2nd level block and lets a guy into the backfield on 3rd and 1, but he can’t bring down Richardson by himself.

4:37: Vlachos having a bit of trouble early with LSU’s physical interior line.

0:38: Robert Lester with a pick.

2nd quarter

2:32: Upshaw sheds a block and gets in on a tackle for loss or no gain. He’s been quiet tonight.

1:36: Dre Kirkpatrick puts a big hit on the ball carrier along the sideline.

0:42: Upshaw on a pressure.

0:15: Upshaw forces the quarterback to throw the ball away on the goal line under pressure.

0:01: Hightower with a huge tackle for no gain on the goal line, forcing LSU to go for a field goal.

 

3rd quarter

11:56: Upshaw should have been credited with a sack. He had the quarterback in his grasp for a long time, but the refs did not rule him down.

11:11: Upshaw in on a sack this time. He’s been getting consistent pressure when LSU has dropped back to pass tonight.

9:49: Mark Barron with a pick. Courtney Upshaw got some pressure on the play as well.

4:45: Upshaw in on a tackle for a short gain.

3:24: Upshaw gets into the backfield, but rolled away from. Still a good motor in chase, but not going to be able to make up that ground.

1:07: Morris Claiborne with a pick now.

4th quarter

11:24: Trent Richardson just had another highlight reel run.

1:37: Mark Barron and Courtney Upshaw in on a tackle for loss.

Overtime

0:00: Courtney Upshaw really stood out as a pass rusher in this game, beating both the left and right tackle, whoever he was matched up with, on a consistent basis. He had a sack as well as several key pressures. He didn’t stand out quite as much as a run stopper. He had 6 tackles on the night, but took a few bad routes to the ball. Overall, this game helps his stock I think. He stands out on a consistent basis and makes a ton of splash plays. He’s also versatile and that could make him the top linebacker off the board for either a 3-4 or a 4-3 team. He could go as high as top 15.

Another Alabama linebacker, Dont’a Hightower, also had a huge game. He’s fully healthy now and shows consistent first round talent at 6-4 260, but his injury history could keep him in the 2nd round at the end of the day. He had 7 tackles and several key pressures. He would fit best in a 3-4 as either an inside or any outside linebacker.

The two safeties for Alabama, Mark Barron and Robert Lester, each had a pick. Barron once again had a huge game and made several splash plays. He is cementing his status as the top safety in this class and a potential first round pick. Lester came into the year as a potential first round pick, but he has struggled leading some to believe that he would return for his senior year in an attempt to eventually go in the first round. Tonight, he had a good game. His pick was just his 2nd of the year after 8 last year, but he now has 2 in the last 3 games and he is playing better overall. He looked much better in coverage tonight than he did earlier in the season. He’s still probably a day 2 pick if he comes out.

On the offensive side for Alabama, Alabama left tackle Barrett Jones did a very good job, especially as a run blocking, which is very impressive considering the defense he was playing. He left for a bit with an injury, but played very well before it and displayed his toughness by returning and playing through the injury, though he was not quite as effective post-injury. Hopefully it’s nothing major as he is moving up boards right now and could sneak into the first round the way James Carpenter did last year.

Jones paved the way for Trent Richardson, who didn’t have his best statistical day, rushing for 89 yards on 22 carries, but LSU has one of the best run stopping defenses in the league. He also had 80 receiving yards, displaying his ability to be a 3 down back at the next level. He looks like a top 15 pick in April. Richardson also wasn’t helped out much by Alabama’s William Vlachos. Vlachos, the consensus #3 center in this draft class coming in, could be slipping now and could eventually end up a day 3 pick. He really had trouble with LSU’s interior line, allowing several pressures and struggling with his specialty, run blocking.

To the LSU, Morris Claiborne had a pick and overall outplayed his counterpart Dre Kirkpatrick. Dre Kirkpatrick had another good game and looks like a top 15 pick at either cornerback or safety, but Claiborne had a huge game, in addition to the pick. He had a couple pass breakups and didn’t allow a catch all night. He’s outplayed Kirkpatrick this season and looks like a top 10 pick.

Another draft prospect in LSU’s secondary is safety Brandon Taylor. Taylor, I think, is somehow very underrated. The former cornerback is very fast and makes a bunch of plays. He’s undersized at 6-1 195, but he’s held up against the run when I’ve seen him and he’s a great technique tackle. He had at least one memorable tackle for loss tonight and figures to be a late day 2, early day 3 prospect.

LSU’s Reuben Randle was held to 2 catches, but that’s to be expected. Dre Kirkpatrick was on him all night and unlike against most other cornerbacks, Randle doesn’t have the size advantage against Kirkpatrick. The 6-4 Randle struggled all night, but the good news for him is that there aren’t a lot of 6-3 cornerbacks out there. Randle could still end up a day 2 pick. Despite LSU’s inconsistencies at quarterback, Randle has 35 catches for 657 yards and 7 touchdowns. He’s a big, physical receiver, a great run blocker and end zone threat with good, natural hands. 

 

Louisville/FIU

stevenlourie Uncategorized

Spotlight #1: FIU WR TY Hilton

Spotlight #2: Louisville TE Josh Chichester 

1st quarter

14:53: TY Hilton with the 36 yard return. So fast. Note that it’s “TEAWHY” not “TIE” Hilton.

9:58: Louisville runs to Chichester’s side between the left tackle and Chichester the tight end and he paves the way to a 6 yard run with a nice block.

7:29: Winston Fraser with the pick six for FIU. Always something to take note of. Read the quarterback’s eyes, jumped the route and showed athleticism on the return. He’s a linebacker, but looked like a safety on that play. Undersized and still a junior, but a great play there.

6:48: Another nice run block by Chichester. Uses his long arms to his advantage in a big way.

6:14: Chichester catches the ball on a crossing route and then makes a nice open field run for a 31 yard catch.

5:57: False start by Chichester.

4:47: Chichester fails to bring in a target. It wasn’t a great throw by the quarterback, but it was catchable if he turns around faster. Bad instincts.

0:14: Chichester makes a tough catch going over the middle in coverage. Takes a shot midair, but holds onto the ball.

2nd quarter

13:40: Chichester makes a nice catch in the back of the end zone, but isn’t able to drag his feet to stay in bounds. Tough catch to make.

12:06: TY Hilton catches the ball on a slant and then just blows past the safety and outruns the entire defense for a YAC heavy 74 yard touchdown. He’s so unbelievably fast with the football in his hands.

9:28: TY Hilton blows past everyone down the middle of the field, catches the ball in stride and scores easily for the 83 yards touchdown. Louisville is going to need to play their safeties extremely deep from now on. Hilton is just too fast.

5:49: Hilton catches the ball on the flat, able to get a positive gain, but doesn’t break it for a big gain.

1:54: Chichester wide open over the middle of the field for his 3rd catch. He hasn’t been perfect, but he’s having a nice game. He leads Louisville with 3 catches for 67 yards. He’s a big target at 6-8 240, but he needs to fill out a bit more. He’s had a few nice blocks and he’s got long arms, but he’s not exactly playing against an elite defense. Looks like a mid rounder. We’ll see how the rest of the season plays out for him, however (2 catches in the opener).

3rd quarter

11:14: Hilton with another catch, through the seam for 16 yards. He has 4 catches for 178 yards and 2 touchdowns now. FIU has 10 completions for 219 yards and 2 touchdowns total.

9:50: Hilton with a 5th catch, this time a short 8 yard catch with no major gain after the catch.

5:44: Hilton calls for the fair catch and then tries the return anyway for a 5 yard penalty. Complete mental lapse. He has to know better than that.

4:14: Another catch by Hilton, a 16 yard catch to give him 6 catches for 201 yards on the night. They’ve kept him from the big play in the 2nd half, but he’s still made his impact on shorter routes.

0:35: Chichester with the 20 yard catch. He looks like a big receiver out there.

4th quarter

12:01: Chichester with another catch to give him 5 on the night. The 15 yard catch pushes him over the 100 yard mark to 102 yards.

9:40: Hilton on the screen, goes nowhere.

0:00: Final totals for Hilton, 7 catches for 201 yards and 2 touchdowns. Louisville looked like they had no clue how to defend a deep route in the first half, but they made adjustments in the 2nd half. Hilton was still able to make an impact. He’s extremely fast and can hurt you in so many different ways and he has surprisingly good hands. I’m not ready to call him a #1 receiver or anything, but he looks like a nice slot receiver/kick returner/punt returner who can also hurt you out of the backfield. He also had 181 yards of offense in FIU’s season opener.

As for Chichester, he showed some nice things as a blocker, but he’s still not a great blocker. He’s still mostly a big wide receiver. Remember, that was his former position. He showed some nice hands and route running going over the middle for 5 catches for 102 yards and there’s a lot of upside here with his height and arm length. He doesn’t look like much more than a mid to late rounder, however.

 

London Fletcher Redskins

stevenlourie Uncategorized

 

A month ago, I would have seen the Redskins signing of London Fletcher to a 2 year, 10.75 million dollar deal with 5.25 million guaranteed as a great deal, but middle linebackers are not being highly valued on this free agency market. Curtis Lofton, David Hawthorne, and Stephen Tulloch all signed for less than I expected.

Fletcher is still a good player, but he’s 37 in May so when you compare what the younger Hawthorne got (5 years, 19 million) and the younger Lofton got (5 years, 27.5 million), Fletcher’s deals slightly overpays him this year, even if it is essentially only a one year deal (little to no guaranteed money after the first year). This is a good deal to resign a team captain and one of the league’s leading tacklers last season, but not a great deal. I feel like he could have been had cheaper over a month after the start of free agency.

Grade: B

 

Logan Mankins Patriots

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51 million with 30 million guaranteed over 6 years is a lot for a guard, but Mankins is worth every penny. He is one of the two or three best guards in the league, if not the best. He played amazingly last season for someone who had been holding out for over half a season. Without a holdout distraction, he should be even better this season and for several seasons in the future.

Grade: A

 

Lions/Vikings Preview

stevenlourie Uncategorized

By Dean Holden 

Detroit Lions-Minnesota Vikings: A Test of Embattled Psyches 

How is it possible for two 0-2 teams from the same division to be so very different, yet have the same basic goal when playing one another?

Before this week, I would have said it wasn’t possible. But here we are, and we may never see a pair of 0-2 teams as different as the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions.

Both teams are winless, but neither has lost by more than a possession. Minnesota’s season point differential is -9; Detroit’s is -8.

Both teams went for it on fourth-and-short last week, but neither did terribly well with it.

Detroit is missing its starting quarterback. Minnesota is starting to wish it was, too.

And then there’s Jahvid Best, who last Sunday taught everybody why the Lions traded up to get Minnesota’s pick in the first round to select him.

The matchup is chock full of links, similarities, and other intrigues.

So then why does it seem like the Lions are coming into the Metrodome with heads held high and a strong feeling of positive momentum, while the Vikings are about one more interception from a full-on scrambling panic?

Well, expectations are involved. Minnesota was one Favreian throw away from a Super Bowl last year, and since they return basically the same team this year, expectations were once again extremely high.

The missing link was, of course, Brett Favre, who turned in career bests in a number of categories last year after most assumed he would stay retired.

And despite his ever-advancing age and a gimpy ankle, Favre returned yet again this year. The result so far has been one touchdown, four interceptions, a fumble lost in his own end zone, and a QB rating of 56.1.

That puts his passer rating lower than Trent Edwards, Jason Campbell, Jake Delhomme, and (in case you were wondering) Shaun Hill.

Perhaps more concerning for the Favre and the Vikings is that the Lions are averaging more sacks per game (five) than Favre has taken so far this season (four).

And the most interesting thing about the Lions’ sack numbers is how even they are. While the team as a whole has 10, no individual player has more than two, and only one (Louis Delmas) belongs to a blitzing player. In other words, the Lions are going to bring four rushers, and pressure will be coming from everywhere.

It’s difficult to scheme for that, especially when your quarterback is a grandfather with a bad leg and zero mobility. Don’t think the threat of injury isn’t a mental issue, even for an iron man like Favre.

Speaking of mental issues, the Lions have their fair share of demons haunting them this week as well.

After a second straight failed comeback attempt under their backup quarterback, the Lions are going to be hard-pressed to keep fighting, especially in a road game against a team they haven’t beaten since 2007, at a field where they haven’t won since 1997, and against a quarterback who they haven’t beaten at home since…ever.

Considering we’re talking about the Lions here, it will be exceptionally easy for them to say, “Here we go again,” throw their hands up, and quit. A weak showing against a vulnerable Vikings squad will likely indicate just that.

Of course, the Lions won’t be the only team with psychological issues this Sunday. Where the Lions are fighting for pride, respect, and legitimacy, the Vikings are fighting to regain pride, respect, and a shot back into the playoffs.

Up to this point, the Vikings don’t have that much to worry about.

They haven’t allowed more than 14 points in a game (even against the high-powered Saints), and their losses have been to a pair of 2-0 teams.

The Vikings offense has sputtered, but they’ve been without two of their most dynamic receivers, and Favre is out-of-sync from missing training camp. Those excuses have held solid for the first two weeks, and there’s no reason why not.

They won’t this time. The Vikings offense comes up against a Lions defense that has allowed at least as many points in each of its games as the Vikings have scored all season (19).

See, it isn’t so much that the Vikings are in a full-blown panic right now. But if you think the Lions aren’t a must-win game for them, you’re fooling yourself.

It isn’t just the looming threat of going 0-3 and sliding into last in the division. It’s the fact that an already uneasy fanbase could be faced with losing a long-standing psychological edge over even the “lowly” Detroit Lions on the way to 0-3.

The Vikings losing two straight home games, the second against a team that hasn’t beaten them at home in 13 years, going 0-3 when they only lost four games all season last year, and all this into a bye week?

That’s too much to take for a Super Bowl hopeful. This is a must win for the Vikings, primarily because they believe it’s a should win. And Super Bowl teams win their “should win” games.

And that’s precisely why it also means so much to the Lions. The Lions have been a “should beat” team around the league for years, and it’s exactly that image they’re fighting this year to eliminate.

Beating the Vikings at home would snap a series of mounting losing streaks (21 games on the road, 12 games at the Metrodome, 7 games in the regular season, 17 games vs. Brett Favre in road games) and send just the right message to the rest of the NFL: “We are no longer your doormat.”

But they have to believe in themselves, first. The Lions have played two games thus far this season, and both have had moments of shining glory, and moments where everybody seems to just be shuffling around the football field. If they’re going to win this thing, they have to play 60 minutes, and that starts with them knowing they’re good enough to win.

If they figure it out by Sunday, maybe they’ll get the rest of us believing it, too.

http://bleacherreport.com/users/64307-dean-holden

Lions Preview 2011

stevenlourie Uncategorized

 

9/3/11: The Lions won their last 4 last season to close 6-10, but had a points differential of a team that should have finished 8-8. They added Nick Fairley, Stephen Tulloch, and Justin Durant to their front 7 and they get Matt Stafford back from injury. The questions were, can Stafford stay healthy and is Stafford even that good? Stafford has yet to prove himself as a franchise quarterback after 2 injury plagued seasons after going #1 in 2009. However, he looked amazing this preseason and the Lions as a whole did as well. I’m sneaking them into that 6th playoff spot in the NFC at 10-6.

In 2008, the Lions won no games. If they had forfeited every game, their record would have been the same. However, that seems like a long way away now. Bottoming out was what this team needed after a long stretch of terrible play. Bottoming out allowed them to start fresh with new personnel in the front office (and no more Matt Millen) and at head coach. It also gave them the first pick and allowed them to select their savior, quarterback Matt Stafford out of Georgia.

The Lions won their final 4 games last season to finish 6-10. Their point differential of minus 7 suggests that with better luck (leave it to the Lions to have terrible luck), they really should have been a 7 or 8 win team in 2010. In fact, 7 of their 10 losses came by 8 points or fewer. And this was all without “savior” Matt Stafford, with the exception of 3 games (only finished 1 though).

Stafford is healthy now, but seems to have the toughness of, as one of his teammates put it, a “china doll.” It seems like every time he hits the turf his shoulder separates. Even if Stafford can play a 16 game season, he’s still largely an unknown commodity. He sucked as a rookie, throwing 20 picks to 13 touchdowns, completing just 53.3% of his passes and averaging 6.0 yards per attempt. However, even Peyton Manning sucked as a rookie.

In limited action in 2010, Stafford completed 59.4% of his passes for an average of 5.6 yards per attempt and 6 touchdowns to 1 interception, but that was in very limited action. The point is, there are a lot of unknowns with Stafford. Can he stay healthy? If he even good? However, there’s a lot of upside here and if they can win 6 games with bad luck without him, imagine what they can do if he’s a legitimate franchise quarterback.

You can also add in the fact that the Lions drafted well to the list of reasons why they are sleepers this year. However, those draft picks need to stay healthy. They’ve already lost one of their top 3 draft picks, Mikel Leshoure, for the season. Meanwhile, first round pick Nick Fairley, who was supposed to add to what looks like one of the best front 7s in the league, could be in doubt for the start of the season with a foot injury. Receiver Titus Young is the only one of their top rookies who will definitely be ready for week 1.

Young will man the slot for the Lions, at least to start the season. If marginal veteran Nate Burleson struggles or Young particularly impresses, Young could move into the starting lineup opposite “Megatron” Calvin Johnson. Calvin Johnson is the type of receiver you create in Madden when you want to cheat. You know, when you set all his attributes to 99 and you make him 7 foot tall and 400 pounds, that’s essentially Calvin Johnson.

He doesn’t quite get ranked on the same level as Andre Johnson because he never has had the consistent quarterback Andre has. However, discounting 2009 when he was hurt, he has 155 catches for 2451 yards and 24 touchdowns in his last 2 seasons even though his quarterbacks were Daunte Culpepper, Dan Orlovsky, Jon Kitna, Drew Stanton, Shaun Hill, and 3 games of Matt Stafford (2 of which he didn’t even finish). Stafford is by far the best quarterback of that bunch. He has by far the best arm and is thus best suited to make full use of Megatron’s amazing deep threat abilities. I’m really, really excited to see what Stafford and Johnson can do if both stay healthy. Stafford must be thrilled to have Calvin at his disposal.

At tight end, former 20th overall pick Brandon Pettigrew is an overrated player, at least as a pass catcher. He’s a good run blocker, however. He did catch 71 passes on 103 targets last year, but he also committed 10 penalties and dropped 12 passes. Stafford won’t look his way as much this season as Shaun Hill and Drew Stanton did last year because Stafford has a stronger arm and will be looking downfield more often.

In two tight end sets, Tony Scheffler comes in. Scheffler was once a talented starting tight end in Denver before Josh McDaniels came in and decided that pass catching tight ends were stupid and shipped him to Detroit for some spare change. Scheffler caught 45 passes last season, but that number should also drop this season. Hill/Stanton threw to tight ends 174 times in 2010. That won’t be the case in 2011 if Stafford can stay healthy.

Speaking of keeping Stafford healthy, a lot of that will fall on the offensive line. Stafford needs to be kept upright. He’s too fragile to take a lot of hits, or at least he’s proved to be that way so far in his career. Left tackle Jeff Backus bounced back from 18 combined sacks allowed in from 2008-2009, rewarding his coach’s blind faith by only allowing 4 sacks in 2010. He is, however, 34 in September and currently hurt. He’s also a free agent, but the Lions passed on drafting his replacement in 2010 because they liked 2010 4th round pick Jason Fox, as well as Corey Hilliard.

Left guard Rob Sims is a decent pass protector, but like center Dominic Raiola and right guard Stephen Peterman, he is not very good as a run blocker. There’s a reason why this team struggled to run the ball last year. These guys weren’t opening holes. At right tackle, Gosder Cherilus has never lived up to his billing as the 17th overall pick in 2008 (over Jeff Otah). However, he’s a decent starter, provided he stays healthy.

Running behind this poor run blocking offensive line will be lead back Jahvid Best. Best averaged a mere 3.2 yards per carry in 2010, not entirely his fault. You can blame a lot of that on the line and the rest can be blamed on turf toe sapping the rookie 1st round pick’s explosiveness. Best is reportedly dropping jaws in training camp once again so he should be poised for a big season.

He’s not a true every down back so the Lions drafted Mikel Leshoure in the 2nd round. Unfortunately, and rather ironically considering Best was the one with injury problems, Leshoure tore his Achilles in camp and is out for the season. The Lions signed Mike Bell and Jerome Harrison to compete for the #2 back job behind Best, a battle Harrison should definitely win.

Bell has a career average of 3.7 yards per carry, while Harrison rushed for 561 yards and 5 touchdowns in the final 3 games of the 2010 season, lost his starting job to Peyton Hillis the next season and then was traded to Philadelphia where he averaged 6.0 yards per carry as LeSean McCoy’s backup, including 99 yards on 21 carries as the starter week 17. Why this guy is not a starter in this league, I don’t know and I also don’t know why he was available in free agency for so long, but credit the Lions for picking him up. He’s definitely better than Bell, who should be battling with veteran Maurice Morris for the #3 back role.

 

Defensively, one of the things that has so many people so excited about Detroit as a sleeper is their front 7. They had 44 sacks last season and figure to improve upon that total even more this season. Ndamukong Suh had 10 sacks as a defensive tackle as a rookie last year. That’s unheard of. If Sam Bradford wasn’t looking like a franchise quarterback and savior in St. Louis, there would be calls in St. Louis for people to be fired for passing on Suh for Bradford. We shouldn’t expect anything less of Suh this season.

Nick Fairley is supposed to start next to him. Fairley could miss a few games, but he’ll be back sooner rather than later. He’s a rookie and will be hurt by the lockout, but he’s an extremely talented player who had 12.5 sacks for Auburn last season and only dropped because of bullshit “durability issues” (he sounds like he can’t breathe when he talks so maybe that’s why those “issues” exist).

Next to Suh, he should dominate. You won’t be able to stop both of them. They will wreak havoc. Don’t forget, the Lions also have solid players in Corey Williams and Sammie Lee Hill on their depth chart at defensive tackle. They might have the most defensive tackle depth in the league. Gone are the days when this team was starting a 36 year old Grady Jackson at defensive tackle.

At defensive end, the Lions use a rotating trio of Kyle Vanden Bosch, Cliff Avril, and Lawrence Jackson. Vanden Bosch is the veteran of the group. Vanden Bosch turns 33 in November, but he’s a leader on the field and a favorite of Head Coach Jim Schwartz, under whom Vanden Bosch had his best success when Schwartz was the defensive coordinator in Tennessee. He only had 4 sacks last season, but makes up for it by being strong against the run.

Avril is undersized and gets washed against the run, but you take the good with the bad with him. He put up 8.5 sacks and a whopping 43 quarterback pressures last season despite only playing 651 snaps. Lawrence Jackson is currently listed as a 2nd stringer, but that was the case last season and he still found opportunities to get on the field. The former 1st rounder was given up on way too soon by Seattle, who sent him to Detroit last offseason. He put up 6 sacks on 337 snaps.

Between their 4 talented defensive tackles and their 3 talented defensive ends, they have 7 talented defensive linemen that they can mix and match and use to really punish opposing quarterbacks. The defensive line was a strength of this team last year and will be a bigger strength next season. However, linebacker, once a strength of this team, was a weakness last season. This season it figures to be a strength once more.

The reason behind their new found strength at the position is two underrated free agent signings, Stephen Tulloch and Justin Durant. Tulloch was 2nd in the league in tackles last season, yet the Lions were able to get him for a mere 3.35 million over 1 year. He must have taken some kind of discount to play for Jim Schwartz, his former defensive coordinator in Tennessee, because they got him at a bargain. He’ll immediately make a noticeable difference in their linebacking corps and he’s familiar with Schwartz’ system, a plus coming out of a lockout shortened offseason.

Justin Durant, meanwhile, comes over from Jacksonville. He’s a talented player when healthy, but he’s never played more than 14 games in a season missing 14 games in his 4 years as a pro. If, and when, he gets hurt, rookie linebacker Doug Hogue, a 5th rounder out of Syracuse, could step into the lineup. Durant and Tulloch combine with DeAndre Levy to form a very formidable linebacking group. Levy, an incumbent starter from 2010, was the lone bright spot at the position for the Lions in 2010 and figures to have another strong season in 2011. There are simply no holes in their front 7. They have more defensive line depth than any team in the league, depth the coaching staff knows how to use effectively.

The Lions are hoping their pass rush and their overall strength up front can mask their deficiencies in the secondary. Despite 44 sacks, they still ranked 26th against the pass thanks to terrible coverage. Chris Houston could be an adequate #2 cornerback in the league, but he had to be their #1 last year because Alphonso Smith and Nathan Vasher split time as the #2 cornerbacks. Neither of them were very good.

The Lions signed Eric Wright in free agency to be their new #2 cornerback. Wright, however, had the 2nd worst quarterback rating against of any eligible cornerback in the league last year, only behind Dallas’ Michael Jenkins. Wright surrendered a 66.5% completion percentage and 6 touchdowns to 1 interception. He is still just 26 and he’s been better in the past so maybe a change of scenery and a better pass rush in front of him is all he needs to become a legitimate starter again. Even if that happens, the Lions won’t have a legitimate #1 cornerback, so they should struggle in pass coverage once again.

Louis Delmas, a 2009 2nd round pick, is the most talented of their defensive backs. He’s not great against the pass, but he’s not terrible either and his strength is against the run. Meanwhile, at strong safety, CC “Cant Cover” Brown is no longer the starter, very good news. However, that’s where the good news ends. 2010 3rd round pick Amari Spievey will start at the position this year. He struggled mightily as a rookie. He could bounce back in his 2nd season, but I have doubts about his ability to do so.

The Lions are many people’s top sleeper for 2011. I think it’s best to temper expectations right now for them. They did play well enough to be an 8-8 team in 2010 and they are getting quarterback Matt Stafford back from injury, but people act like the only question mark with Stafford is his health. It’s not. Plenty of #1 overall quarterbacks have busted before. We’re skeptical about guys like Cam Newton and Sam Bradford after they get drafted, but we seem to be giving Stafford a free pass even though he’s yet to prove himself one way or another.

I’m not going to predict the playoffs for the Lions, though I’ll admit I could easily be wrong. If Stafford can play 16 games and be a legitimate franchise quarterback for them, they could easily win 11 games and make the playoffs as a wild card and be a tough first round out. They have enough non-quarterback talent to do that. However, I’m going conservative with my prediction for them this season.

Quarterback: B-

Running backs: B-

Offensive line: C+

Receiving corps: B

Run defense: B

Pass rush: A

Pass coverage: C-

Coaching: B-

Projection: 10-6 2nd in NFC North

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Lions Needs 2012

stevenlourie Uncategorized

 

 

Offensive Tackle

Jim Schwartz has been a huge Jeff Backus supporter for years, but he has to face facts. Even if he thinks Backus is good for some reason, he’s a 34 year old free agent who needs a long term replacement, even if he is resigned. Oh, and he’s not good, allowing 7 sacks and 39 pressures, while committing 11 penalties last season. If retained, he could move to right tackle, where Gosder Cherilus allowed 9 sacks and 27 pressures, with 5 penalties committed, while struggling as a run blocker. At least one new offensive tackle is needed.

Cornerback

If the Lions are serious about winning the Super Bowl, they need better cornerbacks than Eric Wright and Chris Houston. They have a great pass rush, but can you imagine if they actually had talented cornerbacks to match up one on one with receivers.

Safety

Cornerback isn’t their only problem area in the secondary. In fact, only Louis Delmas is an above average starter. Amari Spievey was pretty bad at free safety last year and needs to be replaced.

Center

Dominic Raiola is a 33 year old declining player at center. He used to be a solid starter, but last year he was pretty bad.

Middle Linebacker

Stephen Tulloch was a great one year resigning, but he’ll have to be resigned. If he’s not, DeAndre Levy will probably move back into the middle, his natural position, after a disappointing season on the outside, but they would need a new outside linebacker in that situation.

Defensive End

Cliff Avril is a free agent. The Lions seem hesitant to give him a long term deal and would prefer to use the franchise tag on him. However, Avril has suggested he may hold out if he’s tagged. Meanwhile, Kyle Vanden Bosch is 33 years old. They could use a long term successor for him.

Running Back

The Lions have used early picks on running backs in the last few years with little to no success. Kevin Smith was drafted in the 3rd in 2008, Jahvid Best in the 1st in 2010, and Mikel Leshoure in the 2nd last year. However, they still seem to always end up having to use Maurice Morris down the stretch. Best and Smith can’t stay healthy, while Leshoure will be coming off an Achilles tear. They could use another running back in the mix.