Quick DR's Notes

[DR RAM]

Wow, I just reviewed the game, and Dunbar was horrible, just horrible. All you have to do is watch the 1st quarter on defense and you can see how many times he gets lost. He has to read his keys and be disciplined. We all know what happened on the last play, but what you may not know is that almost every play that Detroit ran on their previous TD drive was designed and directed at HIM. He got washed out badly on the TD run by Smith, JL got blocked, and C. Dahl saw the hole, was in a good position, then fired in and tackled our DT, Heard. Dunbar continually made the same mistakes, Detroit saw it and took advantage of it, most of the game. The aforementioned last TD, was run in the 1st quarter, same play, same coverage, and the result was an easy 1st down.

Watch the second to last Lion drive, but I warn you, it will make you sick. Almost every yard was on Dunbar.

Rocky did very little in the game and seemed almost uninterested at times. JL played a pretty decent game, but had a hard time getting off some blocks.

We played very well on the corners. Fletcher missed an easy INT.

Our defensive line wasn't as bad as it might have seemed, but they didn't really make plays, and they didn't help our ends.

Our defensive plan was to play two deep safeties for most of the game, so they didn't really factor into the run game. They still should have made more plays. C. Dahl missed an easy INT.

On the o-line, Watkins played very tentative, and allowed a big hit on Bradford. He wasn't really outmatched though, just not expecting to play. Welcome to the NFL. Richardson missed the very first block of the game, but then played better. Hunter didn't play bad at all after Saffold went out. Saffold played great. Wells missed and assignment early in the game giving up a sack. All the things I saw seemed to be communication related and are fixable.

Bradford's ball to Givens was 55 yards in the air. It was thrown too late, it wasn't Bradford's first read. His throw to Gibson for the TD was perfect, coverage was tight. Bradford's throw to Gibson on the sideline late in the game was perfect. The throw to Amendola, looked like a deja vu throw earlier in the preseason. I hope we never go to that late in a game again. The throw was rushed, off target, and not a first down even if caught. We kicked the FG.

Amendola and Gibson played well, but it seemed as if Steve Smith is struggling to get open. He is not an X, he has a hard time releasing from the line. We missed Pettis. Givens missed a hot route on a third down.

Jackson missed a couple holes, but there really isn't much else he could have done, he played hard. There was a screen that was thrown to SJ and he got caught from behind. I couldn't help thinking why that didn't go to Richardson. I had the same feeling on a reverse to Amendols, where he couldn't...should have...turn the corner. Where was Givens?

On the clock: Fisher noticed it right after it happened, he looked at the clock and seemed surprised. The refs noticed the stoppage also, and told them to wind the clock. This is where they should have stopped the action and fixed the clock, but they just accepted the lost time.

Add anything that I failed to mention.

 

[-X-]

Now do one with more positives. :bummed:

I haven't broken it down yet because yesterday (for whatever reason), the replay wasn't available. I hope they don't intend to make me wait until Tuesday every week. That's gonna suck. Unfortunately, I'm not gonna be able to tape the games on the DVR this year because DirecTV and I are now mortal enemies. I told them to go get fucked, and they said "Mkay."

 

[Angry Ram]

Cool stuff. Always appreciated. Hey I got a question, what was your opinion on the playcallin? I didn't mind it, I like that it was a balanced, but it seemed like they were going pre-season style. No crossing routes to the TE? I want to see Schotty do what Linny does w/ Pettigrew. There was little to no WR rotation either. It just didn't seem to have variety.

 

[-X-]

I have to give my props to Legatron. What has he missed so far in his career? 1 FG attempt from over 60 yards?
Money money money money ... MUHNAY.

 

[DR RAM]

Now do one with more positives. :bummed:

I haven't broken it down yet because yesterday (for whatever reason), the replay wasn't available. I hope they don't intend to make me wait until Tuesday every week. That's gonna suck. Unfortunately, I'm not gonna be able to tape the games on the DVR this year because DirecTV and I are now mortal enemies. I told them to go get fucked, and they said "Mkay."

I guess that when we lose, I try to find out why. There were positives. I thought I mentioned...some.

Play calling. I liked it. Had no problem as it had us in the lead most of the game. I would like to be a little more aggressive on defense, and offense. I get the plan though. I need to see more of Quick, and Givens. Even if we run plays opposite of them. Why wouldn't we want Quick as a blocker on running plays, and Givens taking the top off? They need to get their feet wet. Thoughts on the middle of the defense is that we REALLY miss Brockers and Stewart. Kendricks was almost non-existent, I'd like to see more TE calls. It just seems natural for a run heavy team to be able to get your TE open with P/A.

I should have mentioned Young GZ, what a weapon/insurance. You can already tell how much confidence the staff has in him.

 

[Faceplant]

Thanks for the breakdown Doc. I watched it again also, and OH EM GEE were our safeties BAD...I mean BAD!!! Agree with Dunbars performance as well. At first glance, it looks as though he is in on every play, then you realize that the Lions are attacking him...soooo....yeah. Would LOVE to see more D Rich, as I am sure most of us would. Same with Givens. Even if he is used as a decoy to get the 8th man out of the friggin box, USE HIM. Would have liked to have seen Quick in the redzone....or at least SOMEWHERE. Can he be this far behind the curve? Could we afford to take another "project" player instead of taking a more pro ready WR (Hill, and yes I DID want him in the 2nd)??

I was surprised there was so little 12 personnel formations. I thought Scotty would go heavy with the 2 TE sets also. All in all, I am cautiously optimistic about this team, but after one game, we still have a lot of the same issues we had last year....and the year before...and the year before. Soft run defense, weak safety play, and an anemic offense. If they can win the TO battle like they did Sunday, they can keep most of their games close, but until this offense can find a way to score more than 1 TD per game, we cannot expect to win many games.

 

[DR RAM]

Thanks for the breakdown Doc. I watched it again also, and OH EM GEE were our safeties BAD...I mean BAD!!! Agree with Dunbars performance as well. At first glance, it looks as though he is in on every play, then you realize that the Lions are attacking him...soooo....yeah. Would LOVE to see more D Rich, as I am sure most of us would. Same with Givens. Even if he is used as a decoy to get the 8th man out of the friggin box, USE HIM. Would have liked to have seen Quick in the redzone....or at least SOMEWHERE. Can he be this far behind the curve? Could we afford to take another "project" player instead of taking a more pro ready WR (Hill, and yes I DID want him in the 2nd)??

I was surprised there was so little 12 personnel formations. I thought Scotty would go heavy with the 2 TE sets also. All in all, I am cautiously optimistic about this team, but after one game, we still have a lot of the same issues we had last year....and the year before...and the year before. Soft run defense, weak safety play, and an anemic offense. If they can win the TO battle like they did Sunday, they can keep most of their games close, but until this offense can find a way to score more than 1 TD per game, we cannot expect to win many games.

(Quintin Mikell and Craig Dahl) counteracted the good work by the corners, allowing 10 of 10 to be completed for 159 yards in their coverage.

Yeah, but they were what we thought they were. I saw that all preseason...bring on McLeod. It's the backers play that surprised me in a very bad way.

The o-line wasn't perfect, but even after the injuries, I thought they played better than last year. I don't know if that will be the case for a full game. Hopefully, Rok Watkins got the butterflies out. I know we will miss Saffold. I don't think Wells is a tremendous upgrade over Turner in terms of play, but maybe calls on the field and such.

 

[libertadrocks]

Good stuff as always Dr.

Couple of personnel questions for you. After Dunbar's poor performance would you consider starting Cole over him? How big of a drop off in talent is there? Cole cant be much worse than Dunbar mentally.

Also, are you still on the Stewart bandwagon? Will his return for his hamstring injury make a big difference on our defense by your assessment?

Lastly, what is your opinion on Langford's play and role? In this game and moving forward?

Curious about your opinions. Thanks Dr.

 

[DR RAM]

Good stuff as always Dr.

Couple of personnel questions for you. After Dunbar's poor performance would you consider starting Cole over him? How big of a drop off in talent is there? Cole cant be much worse than Dunbar mentally.

Also, are you still on the Stewart bandwagon? Will his return for his hamstring injury make a big difference on our defense by your assessment?

Lastly, what is your opinion on Langford's play and role? In this game and moving forward?

Curious about your opinions. Thanks Dr.

I don't know if our coaches caught on to what Dunbar was doing, but they must have. They must have been telling him to not lose his man. That being said, yes, I'd consider Cole or Hull. You have to. It's insane to watch a player make the same mistake again, and again, and expect different results.

Yes. But I am driving the Stewart bandwagon. If anyone missed it last year, and I know he wasn't perfect, you certainly can tell the difference this year. He needs to get healthy sooner than later. He was our secondary captain last year, and our #1 play maker in the secondary. The cool thing is, he doesn't even have to be that with the addition of Jenkins and Finnegan, who are play makers in their own right.

I didn't see much from Langford, but I didn't do frame by frame on the defensive line either. I did see that Detroit was able to double him, and double him a lot. I saw him get out of position a couple of times trying to make a play, which he never made. He gave up some gap integrity by turning his body sideways, and on a couple of occasions, spinning. I am not worried about him though, he will be a plus player for us, especially once Brockers returns. Teams will not be able to double both players all the time.

I did see that the plays that when Detroit ran up the middle, there were not huge holes, there were tiny holes, and Smith found every one of them. He really played well. Better than expected by his own team probably.

 

[libertadrocks]

I don't know if our coaches caught on to what Dunbar was doing, but they must have. They must have been telling him to not lose his man. That being said, yes, I'd consider Cole or Hull. You have to. It's insane to watch a player make the same mistake again, and again, and expect different results.

Yes. But I am driving the Stewart bandwagon. If anyone missed it last year, and I know he wasn't perfect, you certainly can tell the difference this year. He needs to get healthy sooner than later. He was our secondary captain last year, and our #1 play maker in the secondary. The cool thing is, he doesn't even have to be that with the addition of Jenkins and Finnegan, who are play makers in their own right.

I didn't see much from Langford, but I didn't do frame by frame on the defensive line either. I did see that Detroit was able to double him, and double him a lot. I saw him get out of position a couple of times trying to make a play, which he never made. He gave up some gap integrity by turning his body sideways, and on a couple of occasions, spinning. I am not worried about him though, he will be a plus player for us, especially once Brockers returns. Teams will not be able to double both players all the time.

I did see that the plays that when Detroit ran up the middle, there were not huge holes, there were tiny holes, and Smith found every one of them. He really played well. Better than expected by his own team probably.

Im with you on the Stewart bandwagon, although I worry he is behind mentally because of all the time he has missed. Never been a fan of Dahl. Especially in coverage.

As for Langford, I expected a little more interior push from him. I cant recall once during the game when his play stuck out to me. I guess some is to be expected because this is his first year as a DT in a 4-3.

One more question for you. Quintin Mikell. Is his subpar play due to physical or physical factors under your assessment?

 

[DR RAM]

I don't know if our coaches caught on to what Dunbar was doing, but they must have. They must have been telling him to not lose his man. That being said, yes, I'd consider Cole or Hull. You have to. It's insane to watch a player make the same mistake again, and again, and expect different results.

Yes. But I am driving the Stewart bandwagon. If anyone missed it last year, and I know he wasn't perfect, you certainly can tell the difference this year. He needs to get healthy sooner than later. He was our secondary captain last year, and our #1 play maker in the secondary. The cool thing is, he doesn't even have to be that with the addition of Jenkins and Finnegan, who are play makers in their own right.

I didn't see much from Langford, but I didn't do frame by frame on the defensive line either. I did see that Detroit was able to double him, and double him a lot. I saw him get out of position a couple of times trying to make a play, which he never made. He gave up some gap integrity by turning his body sideways, and on a couple of occasions, spinning. I am not worried about him though, he will be a plus player for us, especially once Brockers returns. Teams will not be able to double both players all the time.

I did see that the plays that when Detroit ran up the middle, there were not huge holes, there were tiny holes, and Smith found every one of them. He really played well. Better than expected by his own team probably.

Im with you on the Stewart bandwagon, although I worry he is behind mentally because of all the time he has missed. Never been a fan of Dahl. Especially in coverage.

As for Langford, I expected a little more interior push from him. I cant recall once during the game when his play stuck out to me. I guess some is to be expected because this is his first year as a DT in a 4-3.

One more question for you. Quintin Mikell. Is his subpar play due to physical or physical factors under your assessment?

On Mikell, that is what I have suspected all preseason. He seems to have dead legs. I thought that maybe he was just out of shape, because I didn't notice any change of gait or limp. I really don't know now, because he should have pushed through that, but he has definitely lost a step, and is just horrible in tackling.

Maybe it's his lower back? That would slow him down, and make him play stiff and tentative.

I was surprised that Langford didn't make any plays. I'm not worried though, as you said, he's probably still adjusting.

 

[Angry Ram]

Now do one with more positives. :bummed:

I haven't broken it down yet because yesterday (for whatever reason), the replay wasn't available. I hope they don't intend to make me wait until Tuesday every week. That's gonna suck. Unfortunately, I'm not gonna be able to tape the games on the DVR this year because DirecTV and I are now mortal enemies. I told them to go get fucked, and they said "Mkay."

I guess that when we lose, I try to find out why. There were positives. I thought I mentioned...some.

Play calling. I liked it. Had no problem as it had us in the lead most of the game. I would like to be a little more aggressive on defense, and offense. I get the plan though. I need to see more of Quick, and Givens. Even if we run plays opposite of them. Why wouldn't we want Quick as a blocker on running plays, and Givens taking the top off? They need to get their feet wet. Thoughts on the middle of the defense is that we REALLY miss Brockers and Stewart. Kendricks was almost non-existent, I'd like to see more TE calls. It just seems natural for a run heavy team to be able to get your TE open with P/A.

I should have mentioned Young GZ, what a weapon/insurance. You can already tell how much confidence the staff has in him.

Right, I'd think w/ his past in NY you'd think he'd use more TEs. Not yet, but game 1 so I'm gonna give him some time.

 

[Username]

Did Quinn looked like he got gassed to you unusually early? I noticed this last year as well. He kinda plays into shape and his later games are better.

I know, rookie/wasn't full time last year, but still. The wasn't full time even makes it worse.

I really really wish we would've kept Hall. What he was due (2 1/2 mil?) is what screwed him. K his age maybe a little bit too haha. Wtf is he up to btw? I wonder if he would sign on the cheap.

 

[DR RAM]

Did Quinn looked like he got gassed to you unusually early? I noticed this last year as well. He kinda plays into shape and his later games are better.

I know, rookie/wasn't full time last year, but still. The wasn't full time even makes it worse.

I really really wish we would've kept Hall. What he was due (2 1/2 mil?) is what screwed him. K his age maybe a little bit too haha. Wtf is he up to btw? I wonder if he would sign on the cheap.

Yes, I noticed he was gassed, but I don't remember how early it was.

 

[classicpony]

THANK YOU DR RAM for your insight into the game, again your right on.