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Lions try to regroup after latest disaster

Nov 2, 7:04 pm EST

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ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP)—Jim Schwartz doesn’t want his Detroit Lions to play an overly conservative offense.

Without Calvin Johnson(notes), he doesn’t think he has much of a choice.

Even with a bye week to prepare and the return of rookie quarterback Matt Stafford, the Lions (1-6) couldn’t move the ball consistently against the hapless St. Louis Rams on Sunday, losing 17-10 to a team that hadn’t won a game in over a year.

Schwartz doesn’t think that Johnson is Detroit’s only offensive weapon, but acknowledges that his presence is needed for his other players to get the space they require.

“Calvin affects the coverages we see and everything that teams do against us, because they always have to account for him,” Schwartz said Monday. “That’s true of every great player. For Minnesota, Adrian Peterson is a great running back that opens up the passing game because teams have to focus on him. Calvin does that for us.”

The Lions have scored only one touchdown in the two games Johnson has missed with a knee injury. Against the Rams, Stafford hit on just 14 of 33 passes for 168 yards, and didn’t complete a throw to a wide receiver until the fourth quarter.

Schwartz said the coaching staff counted six drops by Detroit receivers, including five in the first half. The first—and possibly most damaging—came on the Lions’ opening drive, when Bryant Johnson(notes) couldn’t hold onto a long pass that would have put Detroit into field-goal position.

“This is the first game where we have consistently had drops,” Schwartz said. “Wide receivers are going to drop some balls—it is unrealistic to think that they will catch every single pass—but when you have a situation like we had where there are consistent drops, there has to be some accountability.”

Lions rookie tight end Brandon Pettigrew(notes) agreed.

“There were some drops and some that would have been tough plays, but we’ve got to start making tough plays,” he said. “The drops are a matter of focus, but we have to do more than just routine execution.”

Schwartz has never been forthcoming about the status of injured players, and that didn’t change Monday. When asked if he expected to have Johnson back for Sunday’s trip to Seattle (2-2), he said only that Johnson’s return was “closer.”

Along with Johnson’s absence, Schwartz sees another factor holding back Detroit’s offense: the lack of big plays in the running game.

“There’s a difference between running the ball effectively and explosively,” he said. “We’ve made consistent yards, but we need to break some longer runs—make a safety miss and go for 40 yards. That’s really where our running game has been lacking.”

Because of Kevin Smith’s(notes) shoulder problems, he and Maurice Morris(notes) split time in the backfield against the Rams, but Schwartz said that isn’t the plan going forward.

“Kevin is our workhorse running back, and he’s going to get most of the carries,” he said. “We’ve always wanted to get Maurice some work. That’s the case everywhere. As great as Adrian Peterson is, Chester Taylor(notes) gets a lot of carries. We don’t see this as a 50-50 split, but in this game, injuries kind of pushed us to that.”

Updated Nov 2, 7:04 pm EST
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21 Comments

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  1. bill t
    21. Posted by bill t Thu Nov 5 2:04pm EST

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    #20, How do you know what kind of money an NFL team makes? Do you own one?
  2. Vesuvius
    20. Posted by Vesuvius Thu Nov 5 9:52am EST

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    I agree with you Goldfish. Alot of you knucklheads dont realize how much money a owner of a NFL team makes! The tv revenue checks they get every season is astronomical!! The first check they get pays all of the expenses to run a team, and they still have a tremendous amount left over. The second check they get is pure profit!! And dont you wanna know how much them checks are! We havnt even got to the revenue they make at home games,ticket sales,concessions, etc! Thatswhysvery hard to become a owner of a Nfl team now. Thats like a secret society type thing for the mega rich! Why do you think Ford is doing so well now! GM, and Chrysler dont have a cash cow like that to back them up. The Fords could care a less if the Lions are losers. They laughin all the way to the bank!! Sports fans all over need to look at the big picture, an realize that the mega rich owners of your fav. sports teams makin so much money. Do you actually think that they are gonna read these whiny azzblogsfrom you guys ,doubt it!they to busy countin all that money!
  3. Kevin52
    19. Posted by Kevin52 Tue Nov 3 4:48pm EST

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    Bulldog is right Brian. What right moves did he make in the draft and FA? I didn't see any Off. & Def. Linemen in there, did you? Schwartz was hired, not because of coaching knowledge, but after he successfully handled a mock press conference. Do you think that is the way all teams hire coaches? He will not build anything in Det. because we have incompetent people in the front office. The GM is a Millen man and Ford has had lousy teams since he bought them. You don't realize this but the Lions were the team of the 1950's, then Ford got them and this is the way it's been. They've had more 5-year plans than the former Soviet Union. I wonder how the USSR fared??? Bulldog is right as usual. He and I have had many years to see this. The Lions PR dept. has apparently fooled another Lion fan, Bulldog. You and I will have to re-educate them!!!
  4. Kevin52
    18. Posted by Kevin52 Tue Nov 3 4:48pm EST

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    Bulldog is right Brian. What right moves did he make in the draft and FA? I didn't see any Off. & Def. Linemen in there, did you? Schwartz was hired, not because of coaching knowledge, but after he successfully handled a mock press conference. Do you think that is the way all teams hire coaches? He will not build anything in Det. because we have incompetent people in the front office. The GM is a Millen man and Ford has had lousy teams since he bought them. You don't realize this but the Lions were the team of the 1950's, then Ford got them and this is the way it's been. They've had more 5-year plans than the former Soviet Union. I wonder how the USSR fared??? Bulldog is right as usual. He and I have had many years to see this. The Lions PR dept. has apparently fooled another Lion fan, Bulldog. You and I will have to re-educate them!!!
  5. Brian
    17. Posted by Brian Tue Nov 3 1:23pm EST

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    Bulldog - seriously? Schwartz doesn't know about football? I'd say that's unrealistic. I mean, he inherited a winless Detroit team. You're expecting him to make a lobster dinner out of a @#$% sandwich. He's made the right moves in the draft and FA - but, it takes time. Kevin Smith rushed for 976 yds (4.1 avg) last year behind a Detroit O-line. He can get the work done - but it all starts up front clearing lanes for him. Also, to break off the long runs, the WRs have to clear out the safeties.
  6. Navy Veteran
    16. Posted by Navy Veteran Tue Nov 3 11:43am EST

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    Apparently, Schwartz knows about as much as backus and raiola do about football....ZERO. For Schwartz to contuneously run the incapable Smith, for little or no yards, and insisits that smith is the lions running workhorse, sums up his ability....ha has none. Also, for him to insinuate that if Calvin was in, the results would be a win, is absolutely ludicris. Calvin can't help backus and his buddy ravioli block the defense so that stafford can throw him the ball. If any of our receivers were open, no qb has the time because our offense can't keep the defense out of our backfield.
    Sure we had some dropped balls, but were all of them catchable ? Not being able to see the game, I didn't see if the balls were thrown behind the player , thrown too low or high. I do know, that one guy doesn't win you games. If it was true, heck, having staffors and calvin and one defensive guy,,,we would have won every game. Stafford will not be as good as he was in college. The pro's are an entirely different game and played at a pace that stafford can't play..maybe years down the road, but not in the next two or three years. If we had an offensive and defensive line like Minnesota or one of the better teams...we wouldn't need a 47 million dollar quarterback to throw the ball. Statton would have been a great fit. He needs to go to any other team and show the lions what he has...I think that he is better then dante and stafford. We could have used all the millions to get us an offense and defense instead of a quarterback. Smith should not be our running back, he has no vision for the field and where the gaps are..he runs right into the mob of defenders...constantly.
    How many guys went out on IR in the rams game ? We have more whimps on the IR list then we have on the team. I agree with so many others..clean house totally. Kepp one or two players who are there to play..no, not backus and ravioli :), I mean real players and real men !!! Then get rid of all the coaches and their staff, then matt millens groupies mayhew and the other idiot. If they did that, and put ford sr. in a facilility, locked a way, then by doing that, there would be an immediate improvement to the team. Then they could use all the money they were wasting on these overpaid, underachievers, and get real football players in and create a team. But for the fans..the easiest thing, would be for a group of investors to go to the league and pettition for a real NFL TEAM IN MICHIGAN. I don't see why the nfl is allowing the travesty that the ford's are putting on the field and calling them a team. They should be kicked out of football and never be allowed to have a team again. If we could get another team in Michigan, no one would go to the lion's games and we would finally have a real football team and the lions would end up , belly up. Too bad that all of us fans don't pull our money together and start our own pro team. Then we could tell backus and ravioli to stay with the lions, because WE ARE BUILDING SOMETHING GREAT HERE !! AND THAT WE WILL WORK HARDER ON SATURDAY , THEN THEY HAVE, EVER IN THEIR LIFE !! I don't know about everyone else, but I think that the lion's should pull their ad off the air. Hell, I could be on unemployment and work harder in one day then the lions do all week :) THe problem is that the entire orginization and players are LION to us all, hence the name LION...aka. liars :) We everyone , have a great day and try not to let the losing lions keep you down to much...don't forget to tell ravioli and backus to get a job the next game you go to.
  7. Kevin52
    15. Posted by Kevin52 Tue Nov 3 5:14am EST

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    Sorry about the double comments, for some reason after 3 hours it wasn't there so I posted again and they both showed up. Don't quite understand that.
  8. Kevin52
    14. Posted by Kevin52 Tue Nov 3 5:12am EST

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    ATex, you can dream, you can wish, you can pray (this one works very well for me), but until Wm. Clay Ford leaves this will continue. They've had top draft choice picks for years so we should have already seen improvement. If you are content with 1 win and they don't allow quite as many yards as last year but allow far more than most mediocre teams, then bless you. You must still be a young man and haven't had a chance to observe the Lions at the circus as long as some of us. They are always in need of just a few more pieces. This is what the PR dept. always tells us. They say stick with us because we're on the rise. BUT it never happens. With all those draft picks this past April, we should have had quite a few good players (or at least you would be able to see potential). I used to dream like you and others but I've seen and heard this too many times to be suckered again!
  9. Kevin52
    13. Posted by Kevin52 Tue Nov 3 2:26am EST

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    ATex, you can dream, you can wish, you can pray (this one works very well for me), but until Wm. Clay Ford leaves this will continue. They've had top draft choice picks for years so we should have already seen improvement. If you are content with 1 win and they don't allow quite as many yards as last year but allow far more than most mediocre teams, then bless you. You must still be a young man and haven't had a chance to observe the Lions at the circus as long as some of us. They are always in need of just a few more pieces. This is what the PR dept. always tells us. They say stick with us because we're on the rise. BUT it never happens. With all those draft picks this past April, we should have had quite a few good players (or at least you would be able to see potential). I used to dream like you and others but I've seen and heard this too many times to be suckered again!
  10. ATeX
    12. Posted by ATeX Mon Nov 2 11:24pm EST

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    Give me a break... YES, our defense needs work, but it's really just in need of backers -- Delmas is badass, we just need more of him as the last men standing back there. Our run stop has improved GREATLY since last year. Yes, we do have our nasty moments of "Oh crap, all 11 guys forgot that tackling involves more than pushing or shoulder shoving," but all-in-all, our front seven are pretty solid thus far. We just need better defensive backs and two more supporting receivers for Megatron Johnson that know how to catch - I'm not saying you can catch EVERYTHING, but at least be 89%, man! Bryant Johnson and Northcutt looked like they forgot their fingers had a function last game-- it made me sick. I actually threw my Lions cap in the garage closet and two t-shirts in the trash to be picked up by waste management tomorrow. Pathetic. It's closer to getting better (give them another year), I know it will, BUT for the sake of my health, I'll no longer be viewing the games on DTV ticket.
  11. butch b
    11. Posted by butch b Mon Nov 2 10:08pm EST

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    Lions need to go after Chambers right now, they need a veteran wide receiver on that team that can catch and run routes right. Until they start drafting defensive players they will never have a decent team.
  12. miqaelee
    10. Posted by miqaelee Mon Nov 2 9:43pm EST

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    same ol Lyins year after year.....hats off to William Clay Ford Sr for consistency in rewarding incompetence and keeping the same circus act for all these years.....and better yet it's becoming even more pitifully hilarious..... (just ask the GB QB who was laughing at the Lie-downs) .........now just die Willy
  13. Alex
    9. Posted by Alex Mon Nov 2 8:25pm EST

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    Money talks and B.S. walks and until the fans stop spending their hard earned money to buy a Lions ticket nothing will change. I agree with Kevin52.
  14. <i>edingerjeff</i>
    8. Posted by edingerjeff Mon Nov 2 8:03pm EST

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    im or was a die hard detroit lions fan but its very dissapointing to see a team play the way they play.i mean really.can you go out and play so sloppy and in return all you can do is make excusses for sloppy playing.give me a call and i will show you how to play the game football.i think they should do away with the lions and call them @#$% cats.the detroit lions are a discrace to the hole state of michigan.
  15. <i>coosawkid</i>
    7. Posted by coosawkid Mon Nov 2 7:37pm EST

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    Hey no worries Lions fans, you have my Sleezehawks this week. That should make you smile
  16. Geoff B
    6. Posted by Geoff B Mon Nov 2 7:20pm EST

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    Lions should move to Las Vegas
  17. Kevin52
    5. Posted by Kevin52 Mon Nov 2 7:19pm EST

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    goldfish has it right. Wm. Clay Ford has never cared about winning. If he did, after 50+ years there would have been something to show for it. The whole organization is a mess, not just the team. Many fans thought Millen was the problem but he was only a symptom of the problem. Ford fired him to appease the fans, no other reason. Millen's replacements were Millen hires with his philosophy. It's pathetic how many blogs I have read that say we are only a year or 2 away and how the Lions are moving in the right direction. The only thing good about our Lions is the PR dept. They year after year convince many that we are on the way, we just need to be patient. I have been following the Lions since the mid 1960's and they never change. They will get 1 or 2 skill position players and never surround them with a good line or other core players. A fine example was this past draft when we had extra picks but chose no interior linemen, which we need desparately. It does you little good to get WR's and QB's when you do not give them men who can give them an opportunity to do what they do best. A good team would have used the draft this season to get lines in place, both O and D. Not Detroit. Next year, after the lines had a season to jell, we could have drafted a very good qb as several will be available. The Lions didn't and you can bet they will not draft good linemen next year. When they do pick up linemen, they are later choices who are projects, or used up pros with nothing left. We could have put in a great GM this past year. Both the Patriots & Titans were available but Ford doesn't like to "mess with the chemistry!" Our new GM's solution to change was new uniforms (they stink) which the press and season ticket holders applauded as a step in the right direction and then he hired the head coach, not for his skill and knowledge, but on how well he handled a mock news conference! I don't remember which side of the ball he was coordinating at Tenn., but I have heard from many sources that Jeff Fisher was actually doing the coordinating and Schwartz just sent in the plays. Until Wm. Clay Ford is gone, we have little chance of winning. Oh, there may be an occasional abberation, such as a .500 team, but we'll never be contenders. I feel sorry for the many fans who drink the kool-aid of the Lions PR dept. I know you think we aren't "true Lions fans", but many of us have rooted for them for many years and have had enough! They haven't won an NFL championship since 1957, when I was 2 years old. I probably will not live long enough to see the next one. If you will get off their bandwagon, maybe, JUST MAYBE, we as fans could force a change but the prospect is not bright.
  18. Harry P
    4. Posted by Harry P Mon Nov 2 7:13pm EST

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    I agree with post #3 , if it is only one player we have our hopes on then the whole team should be disbanded it so seems that all the players except for a couple of them just play for the sake of a paycheck they dont care about winning or even about putting an effort, i also remember before the beginning of the season that the Rams game was the the one we were supposed to have won, well i have been a Detroit fan no matter what happens but still this is pathetic
  19. <i>goldfish_n_clowns</i>
    3. Posted by goldfish_n_clowns Mon Nov 2 6:27pm EST

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    The light at the end of the tunnel is a speeding freight train.

    The Ford family is all about business... and as long as they're making good money off the Lions (which they are, thanks to TV revenue sharing), they don't care about improving the team. It's a sound business decision, but it sucks for us fans.

    If our team's entire hope rests on ONE person being healthy, then it's time to get rid of EVERYONE except that one person and rebuild, because obviously the rest of the team is worthless.
  20. michael k
    2. Posted by michael k Mon Nov 2 5:59pm EST

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    Was Stafford playing pattycake with the side judges not to complete 1!!!!! pass until the 4th quarter!!!!!?????
  21. <i>taco102</i>
    1. Posted by taco102 Mon Nov 2 5:47pm EST

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    is there a light at the end of this tunnel?
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