NFL - Are you Ready For Some Football?! Super Bowl Hunting

[snoopy369]

Detroit needs an offensive line first. Their QB situation really isn't anywhere near the top of their list. O-Line, then Defense generally, then QB.

[Lord Avalon]

Yeah, start in the trenches and build out. How can a QB develop into a franchise QB if he's getting hammered all the time?

[Jaguar]

You need any player who can succeed despite being on a terrible team, regardless of where he plays. And yes, sometimes that's a QB. Matt Ryan and Peyton Manning both went to allegedly atrocious teams and turned them around immediately.

The high pick QBs who get hammered and turn out to be busts are mostly just the ones who wouldn't succeed anyway.

[snoopy369]

I think Jon Kitna would be a fine QB if he weren't solidly planted on his back every other play. Or on his head. You have to wonder how many brain cells he has left...

[Lord Avalon]

Kitna's a good backup. He could be a placeholder on the Lions till they get a real #1. But since they put him on IR, it seems he's not in their future plans.

Jaguar, didn't Ryan and Peyton get on teams with better OLs than the Lions have? I mean, a mediocre OL would be an improvement for the Lions.

[ZEE]

ya without an OL you cannot score points... despite the QB.

Lets talk about the Jets nao?

[snoopy369]

Actually I don't think the OL was the Jets' problem. They signed Faneca, and their OL was performing spectacularly at the start of the season. In fact, they are the 4th rated run blocking offensive line, and middle of the pack (18th) in pass blocking, giving up just slightly under the average number of sacks (30, or just under 2 a game), which isn't terrible considering they had such an old QB (thus, less able to avoid sacks).

What's really interesting about the Jets is their directional running:
4th in runs to left end (outside LT)
3rd in runs up the middle (between either guard and the center)
1st in runs to right tackle (inside RT, outside RG)
1st in runs to right end (outside RT)
...
and 32nd in runs inside the LT. That should tell you something about who was probably the hole in their line [The LG, or possibly LT.]

[snoopy369]

Teams rated highly in OL, both rush AND pass:
DEN (1,4)
NYG (3,10)
NO (6,2)
CAR (7,10)
ATL (10,5)

Teams rated low in OL, rush and pass:
DET (31,32)
CIN (32,27)
PIT (25,29) !!!
OAK (27,30)
STL (28,23)

Both lists have some surprises, though the top of the list is teams that are good, generally, though DEN and NO underperformed, they COULD have done much better this year. PIT being so terrible at OL, though, surprises me a lot - and I think is an interesting indicator for this weekend's game ...

[ZEE]

nice chart Snoop

I think Pitt's 'D' might carry their burdeon, maybe Detroit might want to look at a defensive player in the draft?

[SlowwHand]

I think Jon Kitna would be a fine QB if he weren't solidly planted on his back every other play. Or on his head. You have to wonder how many brain cells he has left...

That's a FINE argument against finding another QB.

Let me tell you something on the sly, snoopy. Please, never argue for my cause. Your thoughts are appreciated, but let's just keep them between us.

[Lord Avalon]

Lions Select Next Victim

Lions pick Schwartz as coach

ALLEN PARK -- The Lions will introduce Titans defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz as their new coach at a news conference at Ford Field on Friday.

Schwartz, 42, has agreed to terms on a four-year contract, ESPN reported.

"After an extensive search that included several highly qualified coaches, we are thrilled that Jim Schwartz will become our team's head coach," team president Tom Lewand said in a statement released by the team. "(Lions general manager) Martin (Mayhew) and I believe that Jim's qualifications and vision will lead this organization on the field toward our goal of becoming a championship football team."

Schwartz was the apparent front-runner for the job Monday after becoming the first of seven known candidates to meet with owner William Clay Ford Sr. for a second interview. Schwartz, who started 16-year NFL career as a college scout with the Browns, has spent the last 10 seasons with the Titans, including the last eight as defensive coordinator

A well-respected coach who also boasts a degree in economics from Georgetown, Schwartz was a finalist for coaching jobs in Miami, Atlanta and Washington a year ago.

He met with the Detroit media Monday during his final interview in Allen Park, and said the Lions' recent history of losing, including last season's 0-16 finish, wouldn't scare him off.

"No. 1, I don't shy away from a challenge, and I think that it's important in the NFL to have that kind of attitude on a yearly basis," said Schwartz, who met with Lions officials in Nashville for a first interview Jan. 3 at the end of the Titans' playoff bye week. "Where we were in Tennessee last year was not where we were a few years ago. And one of the best feelings in sports is turning something around."

Jeff Fisher, the Titans coach since 1994, endorsed Schwartz's candidacy during the Titans' postseason run that ended with a 13-10 loss to Baltimore in the AFC divisional playoffs.

"Jimmy has done a great job," Fisher said. "He has grown each year. He understands. He gets it. He gets it from top to bottom. He has a great feel for his group, for the defense, and he has a great respect for the offensive game and the league, and he understands it. He's a good teacher, a good communicator, and he's very, very prepared."

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090115/SPORTS0101/901150457/1004/SPORTS

Poor guy.

[Ming]

Poor guy

I really disagree... He is in the perfect spot. He can NOT have a worse record than the previous year in his first year The only direction is up. If he has a bad season (assuming he wins a few games which should be easy), he will be seen as improving the team. Everybody knows the team sucks now. Any problems will be attributed to the previous management. If by some chance, he turns the team around in a year or two, he will be considered a genius. In a way, it's a no lose situation for him.

I wish him the best of the luck... except when they play the Bears

[Lord Avalon]

Until I see actual proof, I'm sticking with the belief that William Clay Ford is a terrible owner, the Lions are a losing organization, and any improvement will be incremental rather than significant.

[snoopy369]

Any improvement will be decremental, not incremental. The Lions live in backwards-land, where a perfect season is 0-16 and their offensive lines are supposed to allow QB sacks, not prevent them.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Dude, the coach is going to 2-14 and be Coach of the Year