Here is a list.
In no particular order.
Of five things that make me sad inside about the 2016 Detroit Lions.
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1. Golden Tate
That amber alert you just received on your phone isn’t for a kidnapped child. Golden Tate, do you even exist any more? When Marvin Jones was signed in free agency, it was assumed that he and Tate would be equals in JBC’s passing attack. Through 25% of the season, that’s not even remotely close, with Jones, Ebron, Boldin, and Riddick all getting more looks in the Lions’ passing game. The player that used to be electric in open space and carry a swagger that Lions teams in the past have historically lacked is now downtrodden and running wrong routes. It’s shocking that Stafford seems to have a better connection with the free agent signing than the third year Lions’ starter.
2. The Running Game
Abdullah’s injury sucks, but that alone doesn’t make me sad. The Lions have still yet to establish any sort of ground threat since playing a terrible Colts defense. This team has three first-round picks starting on the line and they can’t open a hole wide enough to drive a moped through. Plenty of teams are still able to have a run game with running backs we’ve never heard of. #BringBackKevinSmith.
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3. Coaching
Do I really even have to explain myself? Once hot head coach candidate is proving that he wasn’t worth the buzz, continually putting his players in positions where they’re not known for succeeding. Quandre Diggs can’t match up with a slot receiver 10+ yards down the field. Tahir Whitehead has no feel for zone coverage. What’s that saying about doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results? It took Caldwell seven quarters to finally realize that maybe Andre Roberts shouldn’t bring the ball out of the end-zone every kick off, and his teams are consistently ill-prepared and unable to make adjustments as the game goes on. I think it’s time for our grim reaper to return.
4. The Games They’ve Lost
It was expected that the Lions would lose in Lambeau, but to lose to two of the worst teams in the NFL can only mean one thing: the Lions are one of the worst teams in the NFL. Losing to the Tennessee Titans at your home opener was disgusting. Losing to a beaten-down winless division rival was disgusting. Those were two must-win games for a mediocre team. Being 3-1 going into week 5 wasn’t a tough ask, but the Lions are 1-3. Is it draft day yet?
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5. Where Do You Go From Here?
I pray to all that is holy on this planet that Bob Quinn has a plan. The Detroit Lions have been a franchise adrift, aimlessly wandering the NFL landscape. Jimmy Graham and Rob Gronkowski are pretty cool, let’s draft one of those in Eric Ebron. Nah, that didn’t work out. We’re a power running team now. I’ll draft Laken Tomlinson, Ameer Abdullah, and Michael Burton. The decisions that this franchise has made reeks of ineptitude and improvisation.
In Quinn we trust.
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