Tuesday, July 13, 2021

Morning Lions Links for Tuesday 7-13-21

Articles:





Grading Dan Campbell's Second Victory Coaching Miami Dolphins:  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/news/grading-dan-campbell-second-victory-over-houston-texans

Training camp battle preview: Will Jermar Jefferson have RB3 competition?:  https://www.prideofdetroit.com/2021/7/12/22567298/detroit-lions-training-camp-battle-rb3-jermar-jefferson

PFF Quarterback Rankings: All 32 starters ahead of the 2021 NFL season (26. JARED GOFF, DETROIT LIONS:  A fresh start does players wonders, especially at the quarterback position. It also doesn’t hurt when you get a vote of confidence and your team takes Penei Sewell to protect you over some highly sought-after first-round quarterbacks. The Rams were third in the league in play-action pass attempts and tied for fifth in screen pass attempts. It will be imperative that the Lions help their QB and design an offense around what he’s comfortable with. Goff has a top-five passing grade when he has a clean pocket, is in rhythm and targets intermediate throws 10-19 yards downfield. He struggled when targeting 20-plus yard throws in the same scenario, earning the 29th-ranked passing grade out of 36 qualifying quarterbacks.  Getting the ball downfield in 2020 was a struggle, whether it was missed throws or negatively graded throws. This is probably why Goff led the league in passing yards on completions of 5 yards or less a season ago. The Lions seem to be building around Goff, and this is exactly what he needs to get his confidence back up so he can play at a high level again.):  https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-quarterback-rankings-all-32-starters-ahead-of-the-2021-nfl-season

NFC North camp preview: New QB in CHI ... and GB? (Detroit Lions Most important position battle: Wide receiver. Essentially punting on the position this offseason was probably fine in the big picture of the Lions' rebuild, but it's going to be tough to gauge whether Jared Goff can be saved if he doesn't at least form a solid working relationship with a pass catcher or two. Breshad Perriman and Tyrell Williams are the most obvious options, and it's important to see the vets figure out their rapport with Goff. But the ideal outcome for Detroit might be for a youngster with theoretically unrealized potential -- say, fourth-rounder Amon-Ra St. Brown, or offseason darling Victor Bolden, or even Quintez Cephus -- to pop in camp as a pleasant surprise capable of generating eye-catching chemistry with the quarterback.  Newcomer/player returning from injury to watch: Jeff Okudah, cornerback. Taking Okudah third overall last year was not the current regime's gamble. Still, he's the highest-drafted Lions player since Ndamukong Suh was chosen No. 2 overall in 2010, and it would be good for everyone involved if Okudah could shake off a ragged rookie season and become a real asset to build around. Okudah missed the season-opener in 2020 with a hamstring injury, then lost the last six weeks to a shoulder injury and groin surgery. In between, he garnered the worst coverage grade given by PFF to any cornerback who logged at least 100 coverage snaps in 2020. The Lions are focused on building his confidence, and Okudah says he's operating at "a different level." Can those positive vibes translate to a healthy, strong camp performance?  Other subplots to track:  Jared Goff's ups and downs have been nowhere near as dramatic as Carson Wentz's, but Goff's career prospects are facing greater immediate peril in Detroit. The best-case scenario would be to show the brass he's worth keeping around for when the Lions are ready to compete again, but I'm not sure that's something we'll be able to measure with the usual external markers of good QB play.  Jamaal Williams and D'Andre Swift should make Lions fans feel better about the running back picture than they have in years.
New offensive tackle Penei Sewell doesn't have to dominate right away, but the stakes are still somewhat high for the seventh overall pick -- showing he's at least developing will go a long way toward establishing an upbeat tone for the Brad Holmes/Dan Campbell era.
I'm not going to talk about kneecaps. I'm not gonna do it. Am I a hero for this? Maybe. Mostly I want to give Campbell the benefit of the doubt over an approach that at least promises to provide this organization with some needed zing.):  https://www.nfl.com/news/nfc-north-training-camp-preview-will-justin-fields-show-out-will-aaron-rodgers-s

Underrated players in NFC set for payday (Detroit Lions: S Tracy Walker - Current contract: Four years, $3.5 million (expires 2022).  The former third-rounder struggled in 2020, falling on the depth chart on a bad defense, but he flashed enough promise in his first two seasons that a team-up with new coordinator Aaron Glenn should enable him to rebuild his stock as a young safety with size and speed.):  https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/top-underrated-nfc-players-on-verge-of-big-paydays-cardinals-chase-edmonds-among-breakout-candidates/

Season Previews:

Walter football's Lions Season Preview:   https://walterfootball.com/offseason2021det.php

2022 NFL Draft:

WATCH: Alabama OT Evan Neal shows off his ridiculous athleticism:  https://draftwire.usatoday.com/2021/07/12/2022-nfl-draft-alabama-evan-neal-athleticism-video/
Posted by LionsFan at 4:27 AM

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