Note - I decide to re-do the grades. I did them in too much of a hurry and with my heart.
Offense - Stafford was shaky early (probably nerves from playing in front of alot of his family), but he wound up having a great game. Other than one interception he was outstanding. Our WRs (CJ mainly) made some great highlight catches. CJ was outstanding when they used him. The running game was bad early, but got better later in the game. They got the job done in the end of the game after the passing game put the Lions ahead. The o-line was good enough that they didn't allow Stafford to get sacked. Cherilus' penalty was beyond stupid. One problem I noticed was 3rd down conversions - 2/11. That's not good enough. The other problem was the redzone offense early in the game, they did get better in that area as the game went on. The offense seemed to slow down in the 4th quarter and didn't move the ball as well. The Lions offense controlled the clock for 36:25 to keep the defense fresh for most of the game. The 4th quarter was a little too conservative, but that's more on the coaches. I'll give them a B+.
Defense - The defense was outstanding for the first half and much of the 3rd quarter, but TB had their way in the 4th quarter. The defense did make a huge 4th down stop in the 4th quarter that should've sealed the game, but the offense made a stupid mistake and put the game back in the defense's hand. The defense came through in the end with a huge fumble recovery to give the Lions a win. Houston's interception was a huge turning point. It motivated the Lions offense and they drove down the field and scored a TD. The defense held TB to just 56 yds rushing. I'll give them an A-.
Special Teams - A brain fart by Burleson, and bad coverage on the Buc's first kick return (luckily the defense held them to a FG), and a bad punt by Donahue. Other than that special teams was good. The Bucs didn't get any big returns after that. Logan wasn't spectacular, but he got the job done. Hanson made both field goals and boomed his kickoffs. I'll give them a B.
Coaching - The play calling was a little too conservative, but I did like that they went for it on 4th down and scored a TD. The team wasn't prepared for the heat. They also seemed to lacked discipline. Alot of bad penalties - both offense and defense. A couple that were phantom. I liked that they used CJ on TB's final play and also that onside kick. Clock management was very good. I was worried about the early timeout, but it ended up not mattering. In the end the Lions did win so I'll give them a B+.
Overall - They got the win on the road in the heat so they get an A-/B+.
More grades from Actual Experts:
MLive's Zaroo: http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2011/09/grading_the_detroit_lions_not.html
Birkett's Grades: http://www.freep.com/article/20110912/SPORTS01/109120429/Grading-Lions-win-over-Buccaneers
BVO grades the Lions: http://www.hollandsentinel.com/sports/x1069124239/Grading-the-Detroit-Lions-The-Huge-Shows-Brian-VanOchten
Prisco's Grades (Lions get a B+): http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/features/writers/prisco/grades/week1
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