Nobody ever said that being a fan of the Detroit Lions was easy.
Step away from the ledge. Spit out that Windex. The sky is not falling Lions fans. Those are just low hanging clouds. There were many signs which point toward these being the "Same Old Lions", blowing a fourth quarter lead, opposing team/player setting franchise records, bad play calling etc. Even though the Lions lost 33-28 in San Diego against the Chargers, there is plenty to be optimistic about. Here are five reasons to see some light in the darkness that was the first game of the season.
Fear Ameer
Most did not immediately like the pick of Ameer Abdullah in the second round of the draft. The Lions most certainly needed a running back, but the draft was supposedly stockpiled from front to back with exciting runners. Two backs, Todd Gurley and Melvin Gordon, were both drafted before Abdullah. In addition to Abdullah the Lions had the draft positioning to select Tevin Coleman, Duke Johnson, David Cobb, or any number of backs. As OTA's and training camp progressed Abdullah showed why the Lions passed on the other backs. Flash forward to the preseason where Abdullah was electric.
All of that is well and good, but how will he do when the regular season rolls around?
With his first carry of his NFL career Abdullah showed both his speed and agility, cruising to a 24-yard touchdown run, making veteran safety Eric Weddle look like he was doing the stanky leg. Abdullah finished with 50 yards on seven carries and a touchdown. His 50 yards were more than any player has had in their rookie debut for the Lions since 1989, when Barry Sanders had 71 yards in his debut. He was also electrifying on special teams, taking his first career kick return for 48 yards.
Like a Heatwave
Visiting teams rarely play well in extreme conditions, albeit extreme heat or ice tundra conditions. Game temp around kickoff was around 80 degrees. At one point near halftime, the FOX brodcast team pointed out that the on field temperature was approaching 105 degrees. This clearly favored the San Diego Chargers.
In the first half, the Lions front four were making good penetration. Phillip Hunt had an early sack. Ezekiel Ansah and Devin Taylor also combined for a coverage sack in the first half. Glover Quin and Darius Slay each had an interception. After halftime however, the entire defense became a liability. They couldn't cover short slants and crossing routes. They couldn't stop the run. And their tackling was absolutely lackadaisical. There is only one logical explanation and that is fatigue. Look for the Lions to show better cardio in games where the field temperature is not 105 degrees.
Special Teams? Special Teams!
According to many pundits, beat writers, and fans, special teams were going to be a major area of concern for the 2015 team. Without getting into much depth, we know that both coverage and return teams were awful in 2014. Jeremy Ross was cut from the team prior to the season. Most people assumed that T.J. Jones would assume those duties. It was a shock to many when it was announced that T.J. Jones would be a healthy inactive prior to the San Diego game.
Ameer Abdullah returned the kicks and Golden Tate returned the punts. Each player showed dynamic ability that the Lions have not had in their return game since.......Desmond Howard? Abdullah returned three kicks for a total of 105 yards (35 yards per return) with a long of 48 yards. Golden Tate returned two punts for a total of 34 yards, averaging a very respectable 17 yards per return. This is a unit that looks to be turning from a liability into an asset.
Megatron and the Golden Child
Calvin Johnson only getting four targets and the combination of Matthew Stafford/Tate looking out of sync with each other are two stories baffling Lions fans.
Johnson had a pedestrian two receptions for 29 yards and only four targets. The strength of the Chargers defense is their secondary. However, we are talking about Calvin Johnson. Johnson has made a career off of double teams and safety help over the top. It is part of what makes him Megatron. According to his post game press conferences quarterback Matthew Stafford was instructed by Joe Lombardi to not target Johnson if there was safety help over the top. Look for Johnson to come up big in this week's game against Minnesota.
Golden Tate, other than punt returns, didn't have much to show for after Sunday's game. Tate had four receptions on 24 yards. It was unclear just exactly who was at fault, but Tate and Stafford looked out of sync nevertheless. The generally sure handed Tate had a ball ripped away in mid-catch from a Chargers defender, resulting in an interception. Don't expect Tate to have two bad games in a row.
In Their Defense
The Lions had several unknowns on the defensive side of the ball. Haloti Ngata had not taken a snap in a Detroit Lions uniform. Neither had Tyrunn Walker. Caraun Reid was expected to be called upon often, possibly starting, but a high ankle sprain had him out of action. Perhaps the most important person on the defense, linebacker DeAndre Levy, did not play due to a hip injury. Did we mention the 105 degree field temperature?
Okay. Okay. Maybe those are starting to sound like excuses. Perhaps that is because they are just that, simply excuses. Players are expected to perform regardless of field conditions and temperatures.
However, it is nearly impossible to account for Levy's production unless he is on the field. Over the past two seasons Levy has had 269 tackles (8.4 per game) to go with seven interceptions. His replacement, Josh Bynes had a total of 8 tackles, but had many blown coverages and was not stout against the run. It is not clear when Levy will return, but for the Lions defense they hope it is sooner than later.