People were killing Gruden in the game last night (always do, usually deserved) but he was right. It's easy to figure what's coming based on their formation. I don't even go back and rewatch games - I know their tendencies just from casual viewing.
I-formation double TE - we're running right up the gut, can you stop us? Oh, you can?? Well how about the next four times? We'll even run it from our own 9 with 6 minutes left. Oh...####, that's weird...stuffed again. Two minute drill, first pass is going to Theo. Every. Single. Time. They came out in the 2nd Q with trips stacked right with a lone back. Right away I said "Off tackle left, how many times have we seen this in the 21 games Lombardi has been calling plays?" Shockingly it gained five yards.
10 possessions. 8 punts, 1 FG, and the last drive of 90 yards ending in the fumble.
AA opened his career with a 24 yard TD run. He's gone 33-91-0 since. He is dynamic in space but Lombardi is clueless.
After all the hype, he has certainly disappointed. I think you are right about the source of the issue, though. It does not seem to lie at his feet but with the way the coaches run this team.
I can't believe it is possibly a coincidence that the minute Caldwell showed up in Detroit, Calvin went from being a scary nightmare each week to a guy that "has a good day every once in a while".
It amazes me that ownership groups in this league tolerate this type of coaching when they can look around the league and even in college and see terrific, lively offensive minds. Every time I watch the Lions and a couple of the other teams around the league, I feel like I'm watching the early 90's Bears, when they were still trying to hang in there with the defense (and they did sometimes) but the magic, the dynamics, the everything else was just gone from the offense and it was SO boring and painful.