We have just past the quarter mark here in the 2007 NFL season and it has been a wild one so far for the Lion faithful. From giving up 56 points to the Eagles to scoring 34 in the fourth against the bears, we have seemingly seen it all in just these first 5 weeks.
Seeing as this is the Bye week and there will be no game preview, here's my 1st Quarter (and 1 week) Lions report card by position.
Quarterbacks:
Kitna has been the Kitna we love, (8 total passing td's and 245+ yards in 4/5 games) and the Kitna we hate (6 Int's through 5 games). Basically everything we have come to expect. In his only appearance J.T. O'Sullivan looked like he might have needed another season in NFL Europa (R.I.P), throwing 2 Int's and looking completely lost for the majority of his stay. Dan O has yet to make an appearance and Stanton is on IR.
If Kitna can cut down on the turnovers this grade will climb otherwise it will probably fall.
Grade: B
Halfbacks:
We haven't seen enough of any of these HB's to know what to expect for the rest of the season. Why you ask? Because they don't touch the ball. Tatum bell had 15 carries in game 1 but since he has had only 1 week where he broke the 10 carry threshold. He's been reasonably effective out of the backfield, notching 5 catches in week 3, but nothing much since. Kevin Jones is healthy but is splitting carries so not much can be said about him, except that he does not yet have 100 total yards rushing 5 games in. T.J. Duckett is admittedly still running on a bit of a flat tire so the jury is still out on him. Calhoun is on IR and Aveion Cason is Aveion Cason
Grade: C
Wide Recievers/Tight Ends:
The Wideouts are playing very well so far this season. Roy Williams is making all his catches (7 for 111 in week 2, and 9 for 204 week 3) and serving as a huge distraction when he isn't. Calvin Johnson has been a little banged up but when he has played he's been an elite red zone jump ball target notching 2 td's in his first 2 NFL games. Mike Furrey has been a solid 3rd receiver with 5 receptions in each of the first 4 games. But the most pleasant surprise has definitely been Shaun McDonald, he knows the offense inside and out and has become Kitna's check down reciever, a role that got Furrey 98 catches last year. The tight ends haven't done much but they aren't expected to in the Martz offense. Casey Fitzsimmons onside kick return was nice though. Overall, they have been a solid corps so far.
Grade: A-
Offensive Line:
This group has been pretty bad so far giving up 26 sacks through 5 games. Most of the onus can be placed on Left Tackle Jeff Backus however, he has been simply out-manned in every game this season. Last week against the Redskins he looked particularly vulnerable, giving up a sack and a forced fumble to DE Andre Carter. Mark Anderson also made him look foolish. George Foster is looking like maybe he should have stayed on the Bronco's bench as well. He has been pulled twice in favor of second-year Tackle Jonathon Scott. The Guards and Raiola have played decent but Tommie Harris really exposed them the other week though. Bottom Line: you should not be cycling in offensive lineman. And if the sacks arent cut in half, we may be looking at a J.T. O'Sullivan led Lions team...yikes.
Grade: D+
Defensive Line:
This group has been tremendous so far. They have applied serious pressure to the Quarterback throughout most of the last 5 weeks and most of that can be accredited to 2 major differences from last year in the line. 1) A healthy Shaun Rogers - when he is on he is one of the best in the league hands down, paired with Corey Redding they may be the best 1-2 DT tandem in the NFL. 2) Dewayne White. He has brought some much needed pressure from the DE spot and is looking like a Free Agent steal. His production, coupled with the big guys on the inside has really opened things up for Kalimba Edwards as well. He has been a disappointment for much of his career but is having a solid season so far. Jared Devries has also had a nice season as a situational pass rusher notching 3 sacks through his first 5 games.
Grade: B+
Linebackers
Ernie Sims has been a stud as usual, registering 44 tackles through 5 weeks, good for 4th best in the league. But outside of Sims this position has been iffy. Paris Lenon was playing pretty well before he got hurt last week. Bailey and Lehman have been O.K. but neither are great run stuffers and the Lions rush D has paid the price, giving up 115 yards per game on the ground. None of the LB's are too great in pass coverage, including Sims, and it's very visible when watching receivers going over the middle. Ernie Sims' Former Florida State Seminole teammate MLB Buster Davis is patiently waiting for his shot down on the practice squad and we here at Welcome to the D can't wait. Go Buster Go.
Grade: C
Secondary
Daniel Bullocks' injury really hurt this team, he was a major factor on the defense last year and was seemingly poised for a breakout season. But those high hopes came crashing down when he went out with a season-ending injury in the pre-season. The end result has been a second round rookie from Boise State, Gerald Alexander, having to start at a key position in the cover 2 scheme and a 30th ranked Pass defense giving up 284 yards per game through the air. Fernando Bryant, Travis Fisher and Keith Smith have been sub-par in coverage despite their high tackle totals, and Stanley Wilson has not been much better. Idrees Bashir has been his journeyman self and Kennoy Kennedy's career with the Lions was pretty much summed up last week when he was demolished by Mike Sellers. This group needs to get it together ASAP if this team wants to compete for a division title.
Grade: C-
Special Teams
Troy Walters has been a pleasant surprise averaging 23.6 yards per kick return and 10 per punt return, easing the loss of Eddie Drummond. Brian Calhoun was putting together a nice Kick Returning season until his season ending injury and Nick Harris has been his Pro-Bowl self averaging 44.9 yards per punt. Jason Hanson has also been solid, if unspectacular, hitting 7 of his 10 attempts.
Grade: B
Overall
To quote Denny Green "They are who we thought they were!" (Sorry, I can't pass up a Denny Green rant reference). The offense has been solid but erratic, and the defense has been shaky at best. The difference this year is the attitude, this team seems to feel like they can win and they have proven they can come back and win in the fourth quarter. If Kitna can cut down on the turnovers and the defense can step up to the challenge this team could go places. If not, we could be in for another long year. In the end we are 3-2 and I think we can all agree that it's nice to be over .500 for a change.
First Quarter (and 1 week) Grade: B
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