Off-Season/OTA/Training Camp Thread

[Blkbrd671]

Had some fun breaking down all of Stafford's throws vs. OAK:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2166 ... st-oakland

One of his TD throws was his worst of the night, lol.

As with his other throws, Stafford demonstrates smooth and proper mechanics throughout his delivery. He's got great confidence in both his arm and the skill of his receivers, even on a night where All-Pro Calvin Johnson was a healthy scratch.

When he missed duram in the first game under pressure in a go route, the 1 thing that stood out to me is he kept his feet. Also that throw to olgetree was might impressive while scrabbling. Matty's always been critized for not being a mobile quarter back, however he looked good during that play.

[Blkbrd671]

On DT Caraun Reid's adjustment from the Ivy League to the NFL:
"He's smart, he's doing well. He's an explosive guy, he's getting there. Playing inside, he's learning that it's a little different than playing in the Ivy League. He's got the ability, the talent and what we're trying to get him to do is, as a player, let it go. I think that'll come once he knows all the blocking schemes a little better, how he's being attacked. He's got some maturing and growing up to do in that regard in terms of learning how to play defensive line in the NFL, but he does have the ability. We expect him to be a good player."

On DE Larry Webster and his progression: "He's caught on. He's really athletic, he can really bend for a big guy and he can run. You can see that when you see him coming off the corner and turning it and making some plays. Again, the biggest thing for him is his play strength right now and playing against such bigger guys, stronger guys, smarter guys that have been in the league. He does have some upside as a rusher because of those unique traits. He's long and he can run and he can bend. Those are some things that not all pass rushers have."

On what he's seen from CB Nevin Lawson: "He's a typical young guy. He's going to make some mistakes, but he has really good football sense. He's tough, competitive, he has all the things you want in a football player. It's probably going to take him a while to catch up to the speed of the schemes and the way things happen in this league. He's got some upside and really plays bigger than his size. He's not a big guy, but when you watch him compete with the big guys, he can."

[Blkbrd671]

OC LOMBARDI

On CJ, "If they’re letting you throw the ball to him, you want to throw the ball to him."

I don't think Schwartz ever truly got that concept

[epheisey]

OC LOMBARDI

On CJ, "If they’re letting you throw the ball to him, you want to throw the ball to him."

I don't think Schwartz ever truly got that concept

The way they used him always baffled me. It was either every ball was thrown his way, regardless of coverage, or other options, OR the complete opposite, and they were afraid to throw his way and used him solely as a decoy.

Some of Calvin's best catches were because they threw to him when by all logic he shouldn't have even been given a second glance. The big one that comes to mind is against the Cowboys over 3 DBs.

Consistency will also be a huge bonus this year with Tate at WR2 and our options in the slot. No longer will we have to force the ball to Calvin or completely ignore him because he's in double coverage with a safety shading that way too.

[Blkbrd671]

The way they used him always baffled me. It was either every ball was thrown his way, regardless of coverage, or other options, OR the complete opposite, and they were afraid to throw his way and used him solely as a decoy.

I am only speculating but i believe when we threw the ball into a covered CJ that was mostly Stafford looking for a bail out and CJ is just such a beast. I do believe that schwartz liked using CJ as a decoy as oppose to a workhorse , but also think its a product of 1.) the way they practiced 2.) What defenses where trying to get them to do.

1.) Practice
Schwartz practices consisted of repeating plays until they got them correct. i think when Stafford got to the line of scrimmage it was almost preset who he was going to throw too, and then he went through his progressions, and CJ was the bail out

2.)Defense
According to Riaola, the Lions were very vanilla with their offensive scheme, i think opposing defense would watch game film and know exactly what we were trying to do, and would try to force the lions to throw to CJ in double/triple coverage. i mean scheme wise if you can't get to the QB, you'd want him throwing to a receiver in coverage.

*again just my thoughts

Consistency will also be a huge bonus this year with Tate at WR2 and our options in the slot. No longer will we have to force the ball to Calvin or completely ignore him because he's in double coverage with a safety shading that way too.

I don't think that a legit 2nd option at wr is as big of a deal as everyone thinks, while it does give us another target, its up to stafford to get that ball tohim on time. I think Ebron + adding Tate is more the huge impact. Like i said with Ebron we get the most bang for our buck. We get a Wideout that can stretch the field, additonal blocker, he can play the slot. He's too big for corners and too fast for LB's. You combine that with our OC's crazy offensive mind. *EXPLOSION!

If you haven't read Jeff's breakdown on Matty's throws , you should. Great review. One thing i missed that jeff pointed out, is that on the play where duram caught the TD, we had Duram 6'6", Fauria 6'8"(who was open), then you put CJ on the other side at 6'5", and you'd still have Ebron at 6'4" and Pettigrew 6'4". the packages and mismatches we could create are ridiculous

[Blkbrd671]

Great Article on Couplin

http://www.forbes.com/sites/agoodman/20 ... superhero/

[epheisey]

I don't think that a legit 2nd option at wr is as big of a deal as everyone thinks, while it does give us another target, its up to stafford to get that ball tohim on time. I think Ebron + adding Tate is more the huge impact. Like i said with Ebron we get the most bang for our buck. We get a Wideout that can stretch the field, additonal blocker, he can play the slot. He's too big for corners and too fast for LB's. You combine that with our OC's crazy offensive mind. *EXPLOSION!

If you haven't read Jeff's breakdown on Matty's throws , you should. Great review. One thing i missed that jeff pointed out, is that on the play where duram caught the TD, we had Duram 6'6", Fauria 6'8"(who was open), then you put CJ on the other side at 6'5", and you'd still have Ebron at 6'4" and Pettigrew 6'4". the packages and mismatches we could create are ridiculous

If Ebron can block even decently, that will be a huge plus. I think Tate is going to be a bigger factor in the offense than Ebron, but that's because we have options at TE besides Ebron, and so that will cut into his role somewhat. A second WR is almost always on the field, and it will almost always be Tate.

The red zone will be fun for us this season.

What are your thoughts on the kicking competition? Seeing Freese hit a 55 yarder was encouraging. But that was tempered by his earlier miss on the XP. Am I the only one who isn't impressed with either option?