Tuesday, January 9, 2024

Morning Lions Links for Wednesday 1-10-24

Lions encouraged by Ceedy Duce, new safety rotation heading into Stafford matchup:  https://www.mlive.com/lions/2024/01/lions-encouraged-by-ceedy-duce-new-safety-rotation-heading-into-stafford-matchup.html

Which Detroit Lions players have postseason experience?:  https://lionswire.usatoday.com/lists/detroit-lions-players-postseason-playoff-experience/

'They're Going To Do It': Lions Confident Secondary Will Step Up:  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/news/lions-confident-secondary-step-up


Lions secondary must step up against Stafford: "That's what it's going to take to win":  https://www.audacy.com/971theticket/sports/detroit-lions/dan-campbell-explains-how-detroit-lions-can-beat-la-rams

Grading all 31 first-round picks after the 2023 NFL regular season (PICK NO. 12: DETROIT LIONS: RB JAHMYR GIBBS - Overall Rookie Grade: 76.0 (Rank: 4/8), Principal Opponent: Pat Jones II, Week 18 Snaps: 29, Week 18 Grade: 58.3.  Gibbs didn’t put up gaudy numbers against Minnesota’s tough defense in Week 18, but he did score his 10th rushing touchdown of the season. That mark leads all rookie running backs, and his scrimmage yards and forced missed tackles totals rank second behind Bijan Robinson. Gibbs is rightfully thought of as an explosive playmaker in space. However, he embraced Detroit’s inside run game and finished behind only Christian McCaffrey in rushing grade between the tackles (89.4).  PICK NO. 18: DETROIT LIONS: LB JACK CAMPBELL - Overall Rookie Grade: 57.3 (Rank: 2/4), Principal Opponent: Josh Oliver, Week 18 Snaps: 41, Week 18 Grade: 62.2.  Campbell was active against Minnesota, with nine tackles and his second career sack. For just the second time this year, he wasn’t targeted in coverage. He did, however, miss a tackle on Justin Jefferson in coverage and two others on Ty Chandler in the run game. Week 18 was just Campbell’s second game this year with multiple missed tackles. Generally, though, Campbell brings a physical element to Detroit’s defense and finished the regular season with a solid 75.9 run-defense grade.):  https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-grading-all-first-round-picks-2023-nfl-regular-season

PFF's 2023 NFL All-Pro Team: Lamar Jackson, Micah Parsons, Antoine Winfield Jr. and more (C: FRANK RAGNOW, DETROIT LIONS.  Ragnow surrendered 18 quarterback pressures across 576 pass-blocking snaps during the 2023 regular season to rank fifth among centers in PFF pass-blocking grade (73.9). He also excelled as a run blocker, finishing as one of three centers to earn a 90.0-plus PFF run-blocking grade.  RT: PENEI SEWELL, DETROIT LIONS.  Sewell has gone from strength to strength since entering the league in 2021, and his third NFL season was his best yet. His 90.7 PFF grade ranked first among all offensive tackles, with the former Oregon Duck also leading the way with a 93.1 PFF run-blocking grade. He allowed just 20 quarterback pressures from 674 pass-blocking snaps.):  https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-pff-2023-all-pro-team-lamar-jackson-micah-parsons-antoine-winfield-jr

NFL Rookies: Top 15 highest-graded players after Week 18 (13. CB BRIAN BRANCH, DETROIT LIONS: 78.1.  Branch is an incredibly versatile defender, producing grades in coverage (76.0) and run defense (83.6) that rank among the best in the class. The former Crimson Tide Captain forced 11 incompletions, three interceptions and eight tackles for loss on runs – all of which rank in the top-three in the class.):  https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-rookies-top-15-highest-graded-players-after-week-18

PFF’s 2023 All-Rookie Team: C.J. Stroud, Puka Nacua, Kobie Turner and more (TE SAM LAPORTA, DETROIT LIONS - LaPorta was a revelation for the Lions this year as he set the rookie tight end record with 82 receptions. His 10 touchdowns led all tight ends and his 81.0 receiving grade was fourth-best behind George Kittle, Travis Kelce, and T.J. Hockenson. LB JACK CAMPBELL, DETROIT LIONS - Campbell has been a stabilizing force in Detroit’s run defense. His 75.9 PFF run defense grade leads all Lions linebackers and ranks 21st in the NFL. He’s gotten a better feel for attacking downhill and has established himself as the mike linebacker in Detroit’s defense.  He’s struggled in coverage so far, but he was excellent in that facet in college. If his coverage skills catch up to his production in the run game, he could turn himself into an excellent player.  SLOT CB: BRIAN BRANCH, DETROIT LIONS - Branch has been terrific manning the slot for the Lions. He leads the team with 11 pass breakups while his 83.6 PFF run defense grade is eighth-best among qualified cornerbacks.  Branch may be rounding into form just in time for the postseason as well. He’s posted a 70-plus grade in three consecutive games to end the regular season. That’s the first time he’s accomplished that this year.):  https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-pff-2023-all-rookie-team-cj-stroud-puka-nacua-kobie-turner-and-more

Jared Goff had no problem trusting LaPorta in tight spots. LaPorta led all tight ends with 13 contested catches during the regular season. He’s well on his way to being an elite tight end.:  https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-pff-2023-all-rookie-team-cj-stroud-puka-nacua-kobie-turner-and-more


Ranking 8 best rookie classes among playoff teams (4. Detroit Lions - Vital rookies: TE Sam LaPorta, RB Jahmyr Gibbs, S/CB Brian Branch.  Key contributors: LB Jack Campbell.  GM Brad Holmes delivered a magnificent youthful trio to the Motor City. LaPorta looks like one of the top 5-7 tight ends in all of football. I mean that. He's fourth at his position in catches with 81, sixth in yards with 860, and ninth in missed tackles forced with 11. The latest Iowa monster at tight end has been a foundational element to Detroit's pass game this season, along with Amon-Ra St. Brown, of course.  Gibbs has been as advertised, and the Lions have deployed him in a smart, calculated way. Haven't run him into the ground, mostly gotten him in space on outside runs and as a receiver. The rocket of a back has 1,231 scrimmage yards entering Week 18, and his 5.6 yards per touch is fifth among all qualifying running backs.  Campbell was slowly brought along and has played more within himself recently, with five contests of five or more tackles in his last seven games. Rather quietly, the intimidatingly large off-ball linebacker has 83 tackles on the season on just 56.8% of the Lions defensive snaps.):  https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/2024-nfl-playoffs-ranking-the-8-best-rookie-classes-for-teams-who-made-the-postseason/

The First Read: What to like, dislike about all 14 NFL playoff teams; final MVP rankings for 2023 season (3. Detroit Lions - What to like: The Lions are a tough, physical team -- that always plays well at this time of year. They know they want to run behind a huge offensive line and utilize the talents of running back Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. Quarterback Jared Goff has played in big games -- including a Super Bowl loss to New England as a member of the 2018 Rams -- so he understands the pressure that comes with these moments. This also is a squad that has been thirsting to compete on this type of stage. It’s been more than three decades since Detroit won a playoff game. The Lions desperately want to make that the next drought that ends for this franchise. What not to like: First off, seeing rookie Sam LaPorta get carted off the field with a hyperextended knee in Sunday’s win over Minnesota was tough. The tight end made the Pro Bowl in his first season, so the injury's clearly a major concern for Detroit's third-ranked offense. On the other side of the ball, the Lions' defense isn’t as bad as it was last season, but the unit also hasn’t been as reliable as you’d hope. Detroit finished the regular season ranked 23rd in the league in points allowed. The pass rush also has been problematic for most of the year, as the Lions didn’t have a great counterpart to pair with Aidan Hutchinson (although edge rusher James Houston, who had eight sacks in seven games as a rookie in 2022, could finally be healthy again after fracturing his ankle in Week 2). The most realistic path to the Super Bowl will involve the Lions having to go through the Rams, Cowboys and 49ers. Those are three of the highest-scoring teams in the NFL.  Playoff projection: Sunday night's matchup between Detroit and Los Angeles will be one of the more intriguing of Super Wild Card Weekend, since the trade that sent Goff to Detroit and former Lion Matthew Stafford to the Rams will be at the center of it. The Lions will win that game, but a rematch in Dallas in the Divisional Round won’t end well.):  https://www.nfl.com/news/the-first-read-what-to-like-dislike-about-all-14-nfl-playoff-teams-final-mvp-ran

Final Rookie Stock Watch 2023: C.J. Stroud Locks Up OROY (Rising - Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions:  Gibbs came up short of the 1,000-yard mark, finishing with 945. Still, the Alabama product notched 1,231 all-purpose yards and 10 scores, helping the Lions win their first division title since 1993. Going into the postseason, Gibbs and veteran David Montgomery will be a nasty backfield combo.  Sam LaPorta, TE, Detroit Lions:  LaPorta had a brilliant campaign for the Lions, but it may have ended on a brutal note as he was carted off in Week 18 with a knee injury. On the year, the second-round pick caught 86 passes for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns, all tops among rookie tight ends.):  https://www.si.com/nfl/2024/01/09/rookie-stock-watch-cj-stroud-oroy-award-playoffs

Jared Goff's chance to stick it to the Rams feels more personal than Matthew Stafford's return to Detroit:  https://sports.yahoo.com/jared-goffs-chance-to-stick-it-to-the-rams-feels-more-personal-than-matthew-staffords-return-to-detroit-162645258.html

8 things we learned in the 2023 NFL season: How did teams miss on Lamar Jackson (again)? (8. The Lions built unconventionally. But they were right all along.  Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes took a lot of heat for his 2023 draft class, his third since taking over the post in 2021. A running back at No. 12 overall? An inside linebacker six picks later? Then there was taking Sam LaPorta as the first tight end off the board in the second round when many had Michael Mayer as the runner-up to the first-round tight end Dalton Kincaid. The jokes continued all offseason. Most draft analysts slammed the Lions with failing grades. The only redeeming pick seemed to be that somehow the Lions stole safety Brian Branch, who many considered a first-round talent, in the second round. Sometimes you just have to draft good players, man.  Following the conclusion of the 2023 regular season, Detroit is the first team since the merger to have 10-plus rushing touchdowns and 10-plus receiving touchdowns from a rookie class thanks to No. 12 overall pick Jahmyr Gibbs and the aforementioned LaPorta, per Lions PR. The latter has also broken the NFL record for receptions by a rookie tight end set by Keith Jackson in 1988. LaPorta became one of just three rookies ever to produce a season with over 75 catches and over 10 receiving touchdowns. The other two? Ja'Marr Chase and Odell Beckham Jr. LaPorta's 10 touchdowns tied Rob Gronkowski's rookie total, and LaPorta surpassed the future Hall of Famer in both yards and catches.  Meanwhile, Gibbs is part of a running-back tandem that became the first in NFL history to both have over 1,000 yards from scrimmage and 10 or more rushing touchdowns on the season each. Gibbs joined Barry Sanders and Billy Sims as the only Lions rookies to rush for 10 or more touchdowns in a season. Detroit's 27 touchdowns on the ground also established a new franchise record.  Inside linebacker Jack Campbell, while not heavy on stats, played his best game of the season against the Vikings in Week 18, according to Dan Campbell. The rookie Campbell led the team in tackles with 12 and registered a sack and a tackle for loss. It was Campbell's second sack of the season and he finished with 95 combined tackles, which ranked second on the team.  Meanwhile, Branch lived up to his hype and then some. He finished second on the team in tackles for loss with seven. He finished second on the team in interceptions with three, and will be among the frontrunners for Defensive Rookie of the Year.  Sometimes you just have to draft good players, man.  There are two main philosophies when it comes to draft strategy: drafting for need and drafting the best player available regardless of need. Most general managers deploy a combination of the two, but the Lions are firmly in the best-player-available category. It's something Holmes has stuck firmly to, no matter how much it gets him laughed at by some members of the media and maybe even some colleagues.  It also has the Lions sitting atop the division for the first time in three decades and about to host a playoff game.  Detroit may have had the right idea all along. —Vitali:  https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/8-things-we-learned-in-the-2023-nfl-season-how-did-teams-miss-on-lamar-jackson-again

Video:

Will Matthew Stafford ruin the Lions' playoff hopes?:  https://www.espn.com/video/clip/_/id/39273099

What would a wild card win vs. Rams mean for Jared Goff's legacy? | 'GMFB':  https://www.nfl.com/videos/what-would-a-wild-card-win-vs-rams-mean-for-jared-goff-s-legacy-gmfb

Sean McVay on facing Jared Goff: 'He's nothing but a class act':  https://www.nfl.com/videos/sean-mcvay-on-facing-jared-goff-he-s-nothing-but-a-class-act

Posted by LionsFan at 8:56 AM

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