OT- Lions Cleaning House on Offensive Side of Ball

Submitted by alum96 on

After 50 years of ineptitude this should do the trick.  Anyhow the circus goes on - only the names change.  #BrownsWest

 

The Lions are firing offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and offensive line coaches Jeremiah Washburn and Terry Heffernan.

— Josh Katzenstein (@jkatzenstein) October 26, 2015
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erald01

October 26th, 2015 at 6:27 PM ^

The nfl coaching pool is empty and very bad, lions need to step into the college world and start making offers to some good college coaches..Meyer, Dantonio, Kelly, Les..any of these guys would do a lot better, plus they have proved themselves in the college world so it would be easy to lure them in nfl. College football has a lot of coaching talente compare to nfl..yes completly different scenes but some of these new coaches (i.e Caldwell) are just horrbile, and he came from wake forest btw.



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Danwillhor

October 27th, 2015 at 1:24 AM ^

Great college HC/offensive mind. Wouldn't translate at all to the NFL. Kelly is twice the offensive mind Meyer is and he's running an offense that was new and revolutionary in 2003 CFB. It's a tempo, read option offense but barely. It's what Northwestern ran in 2001 lol. You just can't recreate the hyperspread in the NFL yet. Meyer made his bones when the read option was still a relatively new, quirky thing. Since then he's coasted on having WAY MORE talent than others and "very solid in CFB" scheme. By that I mean he has superior athletes and he uses confusion on offense to boot. No NFL team wants him because many others actually have better minds/systems but not the talent Meyer has. They know and I think he knows that he's a CFB guy. He'd bomb in the NFL. He may retire at osu (I think he will) but if he doesn't it will be at another CFB program. Excluding Harbaugh, I'd say the best CFB HC prospects for the NFL are guys like Chip Kelly (spread but NFL concepts) and guys like Ferentz/Dantonio (purely traditional pro style systems). I didn't add Saban b/c I think he burnt that NFL bridge the way he bolted for Bama. Mora Jr will either go back to the NFL in some capacity soon or realize that he's a better CFB guy. All of this is due to the current crossroad that all levels of football are standing at, IMO. I've been saying it here for years - the spread as we know it when heard (hyperspread, as I call it) is pretty ubiquitous in HSFB and now CFB. Shockingly, the NFL is devaluing the QB position b/c it's harder to find a guy that can go under center and read a defense. We're at a point where kids have gone through HSFB and CFB running a read system. They're coached from 12 years old to only watch what 1 defender does post snap, 2 defenders if advanced (lol). DE/LB does this, do that. DE/LB does that, do this. Etc. Post snap read offense and the NFL will very quickly have to start looking like HS/CFB or maintain the status quo. The NFL has avoided (or later learned their lesson) "system QBs" for decades. Now 9/10 QBs in the draft are completely unprepared for NFL systems, even if a pass spread like NE or GB. I don't think the NFL will change to look like Oregon, osu, Auburn, Baylor, TCU, Houston, etc. They'll resist it b/c those in the trenches of every franchise grew up on and have taught the next NFL HC generation how to run a team the way they did. The scouts know "pro style" QB traits and don't trust "system guys". The HCs grew up playing FB where you lined it up and let the best men win instead of lining up sideline - sideline, every play with a motion jet sweep option, QB with 5 wide open WRs only due to a system based on confusion, etc. They don't KNOW that and therefore they don't want it. At best I think they're ready to compromise and add a bit of dazzle to a NE or GB style pass spread. Yet, it's still about beating the men in front of you instead of confusing them or overwhelming them with your talent, ala Meyer. Extremely long story short (sorry lol): Meyer hasn't been truly sought-after b/c nobody in the NFL wants him. It would be to sell season tickets the first year if they did and likely a Florida or Ohio based team (Jax or Cleveland). He'd be to coaching what Tebow and Manziel are as players - a quick influx of cash via ticket and jersey sales. Nothing more. IMHO, of course.

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SWPro

October 26th, 2015 at 6:30 PM ^

I've been a Lions fan for a long time and seen a lot of bad beats but the last 3 quarters of that game yesterday were unbelievable.

 

They couldn't run.

They couldn't play defense.

They couldn't give Stafford enough time to get out of the 3 step drop.

 

Worst of all there was NO adjustment in their gameplan.

Joined: 06/08/2013

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UMForLife

October 26th, 2015 at 8:36 PM ^

A little too late. Didn't they know this last year? At least they won't be 0-16. They should find someone like Hackett to run the show. How in the heck you can suck so bad with Stafford and Calvin and a whole bunch of skilled players. And Green Bay, with a small market, somehow keeps finding that one great QB every f'ing decade. I will never buy Ford car.

I am so glad M is better this year. Last 8 years were miserable.

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Perkis-Size Me

October 26th, 2015 at 9:36 PM ^

It's called great ownership, a great front office, and great coaches. Yes I know GB is publicly owned, but the mark of championship teams come from more than having a skilled roster.

GB a is a damn well run organization from the GM on down to the janitors. They succeed because they have a great front office that can identify talent both in players and in coaches. That's how you get sustainability like what the Pats and Packers have had.



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Danwillhor

October 27th, 2015 at 1:57 AM ^

Prince is on the Lion staff? Shows how much I care about them anymore lol. I recall when he was a hot commodity at the University of Buffalo. I'd have assumed he was the HC of some low-tier CFB team right now. Lombardi clearly only made it as far as he did b/c of his name. The guy had zero to do with helping Brees or the Saints passing game while there. His name is NFL royalty, end of story. The guy is inept but so is the entire staff save for Austin. He's a solid but not great DC, IMO. I think he gets a bit too much credit as Suh obviously makes a DC job much easier. Yet, he's solid! I'd keep him as he's a better option than most franchises have. He's definitely above that NFL middle line depicting each team and their DC. The rest? I mean EVERYONE ELSE? I'd have fired by now. Clean house and sell the team (Fords NEVER will) or promise to stay out of the way of, give a blank check to and never question a truly top level HC. Give a guy like John Harbaugh or the like full control, personnel and all. Just the best that would come! The Lions have a reputation and most true talent won't come here. Get the best proven winner and let him have control of every personnel decision. Doesn't have to be Bill Belichick (haha) but a winner, a guy that you know will have the team playing to their best ability and making good hires. Stop the cronyism, buddies BS. Clean house after the year and truly let it be known that the owner will stfu and let the best man willing to come do his job. If that's an 8-8 guy but we can tell he's getting the most from what he has? Fine. I just think most solid HSFB HCs could lead these Lion players to 7-8 wins. If Fords won't sell (they won't, it's their safety net and toy) they need to clean house and spend like they want to win. It's sad that they're content with just making money (almost impossible not to owning an NFL team). They don't see that the good teams make SO MUCH MORE. You spend more, you'll make it back and triple it every year if you just win the 10 a year (or play at that level). Even new NFL money reels it in! Seattle is new NFL money. They went from "we make profit so who cares" to a new owner saying "I spent a lot of cash but I've made it back and we're fucking SWIMMING in profit" lol. Yes: Spend, win and swim in cash. No: Do nothing, don't care if we win I still get paid and stay slightly above the red. The Fords have never understood this but lived on having a single star player that puts enough butts in seats to scrape by. Do you want to win AND make crazy cash or lose AND barely make a profit because the NFL makes it damn near impossible to lose money? They don't get it, this football thing.

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Perkis-Size Me

October 26th, 2015 at 9:27 PM ^

When you're bad for a year, you can blame the players. Bad for 2-3 years, you've got bad coaches. 4-5 years, you've got bad management. When you're as incompetent as the Lions have been for as long as it's been, you've got bad owners.

The Fords have been the one constant in the history of the Lions, and as long as they're in charge, there is little to no reason to think that things will ever change.



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VauntedD

October 26th, 2015 at 9:35 PM ^

They need to fire everyone.  Complete overhaul.  New GM, new coaches.  To have so much invested on the offense they totally neglect the offensive line.  Never draft anyone able to become dominant.  Only go with developmental talent. 

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Naked Bootlegger

October 26th, 2015 at 10:18 PM ^

I actually thought the offensive line was on the upswing.   Reiff, Warford and Waddle showed some decent skills in the past couple of years.  I wasn't really worried about the O-Line coming into the year.   Waddle was one of those late round draft picks that has rarely thrived in Detroit, so I was ready to place him on a pedestal regarding low draft pick development.   Not sure what the hell happened here.   It's a tire fire.   Maybe Sims and Raiola were the glue of the group?   Or maybe horrible coaching?

 

Joined: 01/28/2011

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BlueBadger

October 26th, 2015 at 11:58 PM ^

The guy at pride of Detroit at least seems to think it is because of a switch to zone blocking. I'm inclined to believe him based off the draft profiles and past performance of the o line. They are a bunch of guys built for blocking power, not quick enough for zone blocking. That doesn't explain the blown pass protections, though.

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Danwillhor

October 27th, 2015 at 3:01 AM ^

was the best Lion OL I can recall in many many years and with almost the same guys. The new staff has held back everyone (all of them) on offense. No one player is better than last year and most are worse. Ebron? Ebron might have went from a C+ rookie to solid C but that's just expected by way of physical development and getting used to the NFL. As a rookie and 2nd year guy (Warford/Waddle....was Waddle a rookie, too?) our right side was damn good! Warford was one of the steals of the draft in everyone's eyes. Now both look lost even when healthy. Riley took a step forward that year only to slowly regress back the last 1 1/2. We get a better DC and our OC is a scrub that happens to be a legend's grandson. Our OL looks lost and weak. Stafford will always be a big arm but no leader of the offense. Yet, he's worse than he's been in a while. No HB could run with this OL and the WRs look bored. Tate seems like he doesn't want to sacrifice for nothing anymore and Johnson looks old out there. He does. I know he's 30 now but he looks like he's been worn to the bone by a shit team having to over utilize his freak talent OH WAIT THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED. He's never healthy and looks like he's struggling to run routes. That long gait looks so much slower than just 2 years ago. Yet, I think it's mostly indifference. These are pros, hired guns, sell swords.....they get paid no matter so you have to inspire them to want to win. I don't think anyone on this team cares right now. If this staff were a CFB staff and Ford an AD, I'd understand. 100%. Kids would not even consider signing with a program as inept, worn out, indifferent and unwavering in their ineptitude as the Lions. If they did I'd understand if they quit on the team, wanted out or played like they were just waiting to go pro. Nothing would inspire me as a current Lion. Even the check would seem a jaded gesture if I were used to them. I make $100k a game and have for 5 years? I'm used to it. It's not inspiring me. It's why the reality of a "contract year" is so known and accepted in the NFL. Money buys you a player but not his full effort after those checks stop being shocking to him. He's a sell sword, you must inspire them. Jim Caldwell and all but Austin are like Jehovah's Witnesses at the door you stupidly answer. You glaze over immediately upon their speaking. You nod, smile, take the pamphlet you'll throw away and shut the door. You just want them to shut up and go away.....like this post (I need sleep lol, I think I need to start drinking and go to bed if it helps).

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