There was plenty to take note of from the Lions 25-20 win over the Denver Broncos on Saturday night, it was mostly on the positive note, but there were also plenty of things to be concerned about. Lets start with the good…
Undrafted Safety Randy Phillips will be the the teams starting Strong Safety, and will NOT be a liability.
If there is one player that is forcing coaches and fans to take note of this preseason, it is without a doubt Undrafted rookie free agent Randy Phillips out of Miami. There were major concerns about who would start next to Louis Delmas this year, but Phillips has alleviated much of that concern with his sure-tackling, and overall great on-field awareness. He seems to always be in the right place at the right time, has yet to make a noticeable mistake. Is a heavy hitter, and has fluid hips, and good ball skills as a pass defender. He has pretty much locked up the starting Strong Safety job already, and hopefully if Delmas is healthy, the Lions will have a great young tandem at safety this year.
Jahvid Best is the read deal.
Hate to toot my own horn here, but as head draft analyst for NFL Draft Geek this comes as no surprise for me, as I thought Jahvid was clearly better than C.J Spiller and Ryan Matthews in college. He is proving me to be right. Jahvid has not disappointed in any aspect of his game, his breakaway speed has been flashed numerous times, whether its catching a swing pass, turning the corner, or just burning by defensive players in the open field, we learned that the only thing that can slow down Jahvid Best is a Brian Dawkins facemask. He also has proven that he can run between the tackles, and while he never will be mistaken for Brandon Jacobs, the Lions do not have to think twice about calling an inside the tackles run with Best in the game. His one cut and go style is terrific, and his burst through the hole is top-notch. He also has done very well in blitz-pickup which is something that most rookie running backs struggle with. I’m going to make this prediction right now, Jahvid Best will be the Offensive Rookie of the Year. Lock it up!
Matt Stafford and Calvin Johnson are poised to become one of the best QB, WR duo’s in the league.
Matt Stafford’s 21 yard Touchdown pass to Calvin Johnson was a thing of beauty, and I think every Lions fan had the same reaction watching that play, “Where the hell has that been?” Calvin Johnson will win a jump ball in 1-on-1 coverage 100 times out of 100, and if Stafford is able to realize that, which it looks like he has, there is no stopping the duo, especially with the additions of Jahvid Best, Nate Burleson, and Tony Scheffler.
The Bad
Gosder Cherilus has not established himself as the starting right tackle.
Super Veteran Jon Jansen getting the start at Right Tackle was no doubt the most concerning thing about the Lions second preseason game. Although the 2 rotated back and forth with the first team, it is still concerning to note that First Round pick Gosder Cherilus has not been able to clearly beat out a washed up veteran. Hopefully Gosder shows more in the upcoming week of practice and next week’s game to show that he deserves the job. But seeing as that he has not won it yet, he has been dissappointing.
Detroit has Zero depth at corner behind Chris Houston and Jonathan Wade.
Whether it be the underwhelming play of rookie 3rd round Amari Spievey, or the expected weak play of Eric King and the like, if Chris Houston and Jonathan Wade don’t play at least 85-90% of snaps this season which has about 0% chance of happening, the Lions secondary will struggle mightily unless Spievey steps up. Kyle Orton again and again was able to easily attack whichever side of the field Chris Houston was not on, whether it be a comeback, and out, or just a streak route, Denver receivers had their way with Eric King, when the first team was out there. Hopefully Jonathan Wade can recover quickly from his broken finger, but if he or Chris Houston misses and significant time this season, the Lions secondary is in deep trouble.
Brandon Pettigrew looked waaaay less that 100%.
Now, I was not expecting Brandon Pettigrew in his first game back since a torn ACL to look like Dallas Clark out there, but boy did he look uncouth out there. His extremely slow jumps off the ball, lumbering routes, and the 1 dropped touchdown was more than enough to make me more concerned than I ever have been for our supreme talent at tight end. Hopefully Saturday’s performance was just due to it being his first game back, and likely tentativeness, but for the time being count me among those worried about the big mans knee.
By: Nolan Vasan- NFL Draft Geek
Detroit Lions Blog" width="510" height="152" />
