Manocad wrote:Blkbrd671 wrote:epheisey wrote:
It just drives me crazy that Lombardi can't make an adjustment like that in the previous 2 quarters.
well play calling during a game and during the last possession of a game is definitely going to be different and more aggressive. i didn't have a problem with his play calling all game , it was more stafford forcing the throw to cj or missing a throw. i thought defensively we got timid as the game went on
There's a big difference between "We don't make it here and it's game over" mode and knowing how to stomp on your opponent's neck when you've got your foot there. The Lions went up 10-0 then went into what we Lions fans have called the "play to not lose" mode. With the talent they have on offense, numerous 3-and-outs over the course of the game is absolutely unacceptable.
I agree. There was the series where Joique Bell was just brutalizing the Dolphins, including just demolishing Finnegan. They ran the ball or went to him 3 or 4 plays in a row, and then subbed in Riddick on 2 and 5 and immediately tried to force another run between the tackles with Theo. It's those things that drive me crazy. You just went to a hot back 4 times in a row, brought in a completely different style runner, and didn't switch it up at all. That would have been a perfect chance for a screen play or play-action. Instead, we got stuffed, had 3rd and 5, and ended up punting.
If you want to run up the middle again, keep the hot guy in there if you can, otherwise, if you're putting in a change of pace back, don't send him back up the middle. Don't run a 5th play in a row to your back when you have Calvin, Tate, Fuller, Ross, etc.
Just look at what the Packers did last night. They went hard the whole first half, and the game was over midway through the second quarter. If the Lions had put another TD on the board early (and there was a golden opportunity), that game is pretty much over with our defense.
I'll never discount a win. And our ability to come from behind is a HUGE plus. But come playoff time, that's not something to rely on. They need to develop that killer instinct, the ability to shut a team down when they get the chance, instead of letting teams hang around.