Lions RB Situation (1 Viewer)

[Payne]

With the resigning of Bell and Foster, this tells me the Lions are in damage control.

I'm guessing they didn't expect things to fall the way they did.

They CANNOT draft a RB. They need OL help, a DE and A LOT of LB's. Their LB core is horrible.

 

[mofo313]

With the resigning of Bell and Foster, this tells me the Lions are in damage control.I'm guessing they didn't expect things to fall the way they did.They CANNOT draft a RB. They need OL help, a DE and A LOT of LB's. Their LB core is horrible.

If we had a rational human drafting instead of a mustachioed chimp those would be great points.

 

[az_prof]

With the resigning of Bell and Foster, this tells me the Lions are in damage control.I'm guessing they didn't expect things to fall the way they did.They CANNOT draft a RB. They need OL help, a DE and A LOT of LB's. Their LB core is horrible.

The Foster they signed is a backup OT, not the RB. He signed with SF.

 

[rzrback77]

Count me as an non-believer in K Jones at least for the first half. ACL Surgery in January does not forshadow solid performance in September and likely not until late in the season, if then. I am not sure if the new OC will utilize Tatum Bell or not. He signed for one year and maybe they will upgrade the OL and he will have opportunities, but regardless I don't see K Jones being productive early on at all.

 

[Anthony Borbely]

As a Lions fan, I really hope they don't take a RB in the 1st round. Or the 2nd, or the 3rd. Many more important needs than RB. Remember they already have a 2nd round RB in Calhoun that has yet to be evaluated in a real game. They were really stupid to let Duckett go, because now they are pigeon-holed into taking another RB in the draft. And they will totally screw up the pick, and the guy will probably never play.Here's to hoping the Lions take the best DE/DT/LB/OT available in the 1st round. I must be drinking too much

Not a Lions fan but I think the problem with the Lions running game has more do with poor offensive line play and less to do with poor RB play.

It's hard to run through a hole when it's the size of a pinhead. The Lion's run blocking has been terrible for a long time. They have to address both sides of the line early and draft RBs later. There is no point drafting a RB without having a line for him to run behind.

 

[az_prof]

As a Lions fan, I really hope they don't take a RB in the 1st round. Or the 2nd, or the 3rd. Many more important needs than RB. Remember they already have a 2nd round RB in Calhoun that has yet to be evaluated in a real game. They were really stupid to let Duckett go, because now they are pigeon-holed into taking another RB in the draft. And they will totally screw up the pick, and the guy will probably never play.Here's to hoping the Lions take the best DE/DT/LB/OT available in the 1st round. I must be drinking too much

Not a Lions fan but I think the problem with the Lions running game has more do with poor offensive line play and less to do with poor RB play.

It's hard to run through a hole when it's the size of a pinhead. The Lion's run blocking has been terrible for a long time. They have to address both sides of the line early and draft RBs later. There is no point drafting a RB without having a line for him to run behind.

Anthony, as a fantasy football player and as a Vikings fan, I really appreciate your comments. Last year you consistently said you thought KJ would be the starter when he came back, and you were right. What do you see now? Do you think he will be jettisoned after this year? Will he have a chance to start by mid-season? Will they draft a RB first or second to replace him? Will Calhoun get another chance?Thanks.

 

[Brutis]

As a Lions fan, I really hope they don't take a RB in the 1st round. Or the 2nd, or the 3rd. Many more important needs than RB. Remember they already have a 2nd round RB in Calhoun that has yet to be evaluated in a real game. They were really stupid to let Duckett go, because now they are pigeon-holed into taking another RB in the draft. And they will totally screw up the pick, and the guy will probably never play.Here's to hoping the Lions take the best DE/DT/LB/OT available in the 1st round. I must be drinking too much

Not a Lions fan but I think the problem with the Lions running game has more do with poor offensive line play and less to do with poor RB play.

It's hard to run through a hole when it's the size of a pinhead. The Lion's run blocking has been terrible for a long time. They have to address both sides of the line early and draft RBs later. There is no point drafting a RB without having a line for him to run behind.

I dont know why people have a hard time understanding this.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

With the resigning of Bell and Foster, this tells me the Lions are in damage control.I'm guessing they didn't expect things to fall the way they did.They CANNOT draft a RB. They need OL help, a DE and A LOT of LB's. Their LB core is horrible.

If we had a rational human drafting instead of a mustachioed chimp those would be great points.

 

[MAC_32]

This is why I started coming to this site, so many other places are saying RB this and QB that, their problems are on the OLine and on the defense. Their playmakers will never be able to make plays so long as their OLine continues to play at the level they have been. They have a lot of different directions they can go in the first three rounds of this draft, but their entire focus must be on the OLine and defense. Worry about playmakers in 09 or 010.

 

[Max Power]

The Lions must operate under the sexy picks sell tickets theory...

K.Jones will be gone in 09, I expect a RB in the first rd assuming Mendenhall or Stewart are sitting there.

 

[Brutis]

The Lions must operate under the sexy picks sell tickets theory...K.Jones will be gone in 09, I expect a RB in the first rd assuming Mendenhall or Stewart are sitting there.

RB's are easy to find. There will be more next year, they need some blockers first or its irrelevant.

 

[Payne]

With the resigning of Bell and Foster, this tells me the Lions are in damage control.I'm guessing they didn't expect things to fall the way they did.They CANNOT draft a RB. They need OL help, a DE and A LOT of LB's. Their LB core is horrible.

The Foster they signed is a backup OT, not the RB. He signed with SF.

I'm aware of that. I should have made that more clear.Foster and Bell were not good enough for this team last year. Bell didn't even dress over the 2nd half of the season.For Millen to resign these two is not a good sign.

 

[Max Power]

The Lions must operate under the sexy picks sell tickets theory...K.Jones will be gone in 09, I expect a RB in the first rd assuming Mendenhall or Stewart are sitting there.

RB's are easy to find. There will be more next year, they need some blockers first or its irrelevant.

While I agree with you, Millen has been picking "names" in rd 1 for 7 years...why change it now?

 

[puckalicious]

As a Lions fan, I really hope they don't take a RB in the 1st round. Or the 2nd, or the 3rd. Many more important needs than RB. Remember they already have a 2nd round RB in Calhoun that has yet to be evaluated in a real game. They were really stupid to let Duckett go, because now they are pigeon-holed into taking another RB in the draft. And they will totally screw up the pick, and the guy will probably never play.Here's to hoping the Lions take the best DE/DT/LB/OT available in the 1st round. I must be drinking too much

Not a Lions fan but I think the problem with the Lions running game has more do with poor offensive line play and less to do with poor RB play.

Which is exactly the point I was trying to make. Why spend a high draft pick on a RB that will consistently get tackled at the line of scrimmage? Hell, I can do that. Sign me up for 1 year at the league minimum! Then I can take a few years off from my real job and still come out ahead.Now with Bell signed, they have 4 RB's on the roster. Please please use the draft to build the OL/DL and LB's. There will be some RB's to pursue after June 1.

 

[Rockchild]

I'm not trying to defend the O-line but it's hard to judge them as a unit as they've been in Martz's pass heavy offense and not a more conventional offense. I still think they need to address other parts of the team rather than RB.

 

[Anthony Borbely]

I'm not trying to defend the O-line but it's hard to judge them as a unit as they've been in Martz's pass heavy offense and not a more conventional offense. I still think they need to address other parts of the team rather than RB.

I agree 100% with this. There were times last year when the line was pretty good...coincidently, the games they ran a lot. I think it's almost a certainty that they will draft a right tackle in the first couple of rounds unless they acquire one before the draft. I don't think there is any chance they take a RB in round 1.

 

[Anthony Borbely]

As a Lions fan, I really hope they don't take a RB in the 1st round. Or the 2nd, or the 3rd. Many more important needs than RB. Remember they already have a 2nd round RB in Calhoun that has yet to be evaluated in a real game. They were really stupid to let Duckett go, because now they are pigeon-holed into taking another RB in the draft. And they will totally screw up the pick, and the guy will probably never play.Here's to hoping the Lions take the best DE/DT/LB/OT available in the 1st round. I must be drinking too much

Not a Lions fan but I think the problem with the Lions running game has more do with poor offensive line play and less to do with poor RB play.

It's hard to run through a hole when it's the size of a pinhead. The Lion's run blocking has been terrible for a long time. They have to address both sides of the line early and draft RBs later. There is no point drafting a RB without having a line for him to run behind.

Anthony, as a fantasy football player and as a Vikings fan, I really appreciate your comments. Last year you consistently said you thought KJ would be the starter when he came back, and you were right. What do you see now? Do you think he will be jettisoned after this year? Will he have a chance to start by mid-season? Will they draft a RB first or second to replace him? Will Calhoun get another chance?Thanks.

I think they will bring in a draft pick to compete and add depth, possible a day 1 pick. I highly doubt it will be round 1. KJ is ahead of schedule and ACLs aren't nearly as bad as they used to be. But they have to have another RB in case he isn't ready for game 1. If he isn't, there is no way they go into the season with Bell and Calhoun. They also need to be prepared for after this year when KJ is a free agent. I still think a healthy KJ starts. After this year is really hard to say right now because he is coming off a torn ACL. If he has a great year and stays healthy, and they can sign Roy Williams, they can franchise him if needed. I think this will be clearer after the draft. My early guess is they take a RB in round 3 or so.I don't see Calhoun being anything more than depth at this point.

 

[morgonster]

While I agree that the OL is a very important part of the game, to say that an elite RB will contatntly be takled behind the line of scrimage may not be entirely true. When Maimi drafted Ronnie Brown and Buffalo drafted Marshawn Lynch the same questions were asked about thier OL. Both RB seem to have done quite well behing their lines. Does the OL make the back or does the back make the OL...maybe some of both? Therefore to dismiss the Mendenhall pick, if he is available, and is the best player available is shortsighted in my opinion.

 

[Iwannabeacowboybaby!]

While I agree that the OL is a very important part of the game, to say that an elite RB will contatntly be takled behind the line of scrimage may not be entirely true.

Barry Sanders led the league in behind the scrimmage tackles. I'd consider him elite.

 

[Brutis]

While I agree that the OL is a very important part of the game, to say that an elite RB will contatntly be takled behind the line of scrimage may not be entirely true.

Barry Sanders led the league in behind the scrimmage tackles. I'd consider him elite.

Im sure you and I remember the game last year between the Lions and Cowboys. A healthy KJ looked every bit of elite as he ran the ball down dallas's throat all game long. I did not enjoy that.

 

[waybackwhen]

While I agree that the OL is a very important part of the game, to say that an elite RB will contatntly be takled behind the line of scrimage may not be entirely true. When Maimi drafted Ronnie Brown and Buffalo drafted Marshawn Lynch the same questions were asked about thier OL. Both RB seem to have done quite well behing their lines. Does the OL make the back or does the back make the OL...maybe some of both? Therefore to dismiss the Mendenhall pick, if he is available, and is the best player available is shortsighted in my opinion.

In your two instances here, I think you are underestimating the Cam Cameron effect on their Oline and running game and also with Buffalo you are forgetting that they had some pretty hefty upgrades on their Oline in the offseason before Lynch took the field. These two Olines did not get enough credit for the results in each teams running games. Not trying to be too critical here as you did admit that it is a bit of both the RB and OL that make a running game, I just don't think your two examples are great.

 

[morgonster]

Your Cam Cameron point seem's to back my position that factors other than pure talent like coaching philosophy can enhance an OL performance as well as an elite RB. If the Lions draft a premiere pass rush DE or cover corner, I can't argue with that. But if the Lion's draft the 3rd or 4th best DT, OT, DE or CB. It will be a mistake. These positions can also be drafted in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th round of the draft. I still prefer Mendenhall over anyone available at 15, unless someone unexpected falls.

 

[waybackwhen]

Your Cam Cameron point seem's to back my position that factors other than pure talent like coaching philosophy can enhance an OL performance as well as an elite RB. If the Lions draft a premiere pass rush DE or cover corner, I can't argue with that. But if the Lion's draft the 3rd or 4th best DT, OT, DE or CB. It will be a mistake. These positions can also be drafted in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th round of the draft. I still prefer Mendenhall over anyone available at 15, unless someone unexpected falls.

Not trying to get in a big pissing match but I am hardly backing your side of the argument. You said nothing in your "position" about anything other than "elite RB's" running behind their Olines, making those Olines better. Nothing about other "factors" or "coaching philosophy". You only insinuated that the talent of those two RB's made those Olines last year. I'm only saying that in the instance of these two RB's you named, their talent was not nearly the reason they had good seasons. Ronnie Brown and his elite talent, could not make his line look good in 2006, before Cam Cameron. Those two RB's would not have done jack squat behind the Detroit OLine.

 

[az_prof]

Your Cam Cameron point seem's to back my position that factors other than pure talent like coaching philosophy can enhance an OL performance as well as an elite RB. If the Lions draft a premiere pass rush DE or cover corner, I can't argue with that. But if the Lion's draft the 3rd or 4th best DT, OT, DE or CB. It will be a mistake. These positions can also be drafted in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th round of the draft. I still prefer Mendenhall over anyone available at 15, unless someone unexpected falls.

Not trying to get in a big pissing match but I am hardly backing your side of the argument. You said nothing in your "position" about anything other than "elite RB's" running behind their Olines, making those Olines better. Nothing about other "factors" or "coaching philosophy". You only insinuated that the talent of those two RB's made those Olines last year. I'm only saying that in the instance of these two RB's you named, their talent was not nearly the reason they had good seasons. The elite Ronnie Brown could not make his line look good in 2006. Those two RB's would not have done jack squat behind the Detroit OLine.

I totally agree and in general Fantasy players underestimate the importance of the offensive line. The reason probably is that we don't get points for OL play and so we don't watch it very carefully and don't pay attention to the players as much as we do the skill positions. We see the skill position players score but we never see the OL score. And, evaluating OL play is not as easy because you are talking about a group, rather than an individual, and half the time you can't see what they are doing as the camera is focussed on the QB, RB, or WR. This oversight led people to overvalue LJ last year as just one example. Two years ago people were saying Ronnie Brown was a bust and in reality it was his OL. Cam, for all his faults, did improve the OL and Ronnie's play improved. Coaching and OL are much more important than most fantasy players realize.

 

[morgonster]

What OT do you think will be available at the 15th pick?

 

[waybackwhen]

What OT do you think will be available at the 15th pick?

Well I would go with Williams, being that I doubt Clady will fall this far. Possibly Otah, but I'm not that high on him. If any of the top 3 OT's(Long, Clady, Williams) are not there, I see some other players on the defensive side of the ball that could be good values if they were to fall to the lions pick. Harvey(DE) and Rivers(OLB) would be great picks and Dan Connor and Quentin Groves are really starting to impress as well. I really like some of the 1st round talent at CB but I am pretty sure the lions will pass on them being that they brought in a couple corners recently even though they are nothing special.