Teams Detroit Lions - Honolulu Blue

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Sep 6, 2005
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Lions RBs coach Curtis Modkins said UDFA Zach Zenner is a "really, really good football player."

Modkins believes Zenner has a future in the NFL. "Really good vision. He has rare vision. ... You can’t come out here on air and run for 2,000 yards for three years in a row and not be good," Modkins said. Zenner is battling George Winn for the No. 4 running back spot behind Joique Bell, Ameer Abdullah and passing back Theo Riddick.

Source: Detroit Free Press
 
Dagless ;)

Lions RBs coach Curtis Modkins said UDFA Zach Zenner is a "really, really good football player."

Modkins believes Zenner has a future in the NFL. "Really good vision. He has rare vision. ... You can’t come out here on air and run for 2,000 yards for three years in a row and not be good," Modkins said. Zenner is battling George Winn for the No. 4 running back spot behind Joique Bell, Ameer Abdullah and passing back Theo Riddick.

Source: Detroit Free Press
Will be pigeonholed into FB because he's white :rolleyes:
 
Lions now looking for high-character players
Posted by Mike Florio on May 28, 2015, 10:10 AM EDT
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In 2012, the Lions suffered through a plague of arrests and off-field issues. With the arrival of coach Jim Caldwell in 2014, the Lions opted for a different approach.

“Jim has a great saying, a great thing that he lives by and that he espouses to the team,” CEO Tom Lewand said Wednesday at an event for the Kensington Community Church, via Dave Birkett of theDetroit Free Press. “It’s very simple. He doesn’t believe in a lot of rules, but he encapsulates it in a great way. He says, ‘Do right and fear no one.’ Do right and fear no one. You don’t have to worry about a whole lot else if you do right. You don’t have to worry about a lot of those things. And those are the kind of players that we look for.”

The Lions are now gravitating toward players who exude high character and/or who demonstrate maturity and stability. The team, as Birkett notes, has drafted five players in the last two years who were married or engaged.

“This group that we have that we drafted and signed as free agents is probably the best group of players as [far as] checking the three boxes of physical talent, emotional intelligence and maturity and work ethic that I’ve seen in maybe the 21 years I’ve been with the Lions,” Lewand said. “And we’ve got players coming in here who have a previous disposition to doing the right thing, whether that’s how they work off the field, whether that’s how they work on the field, how they prepare, their love of the game.”

In looking for players who “do right,” the Lions are tiptoeing through a potential minefield by incorporating Christianity into their business approach. Lewand mentioned that he, Caldwell, and G.M. Martin Mayhew gather for weekly Bible study, and that their shared values have “a lot” of influence over the construction of the roster.

“There’s not a test that we put guys through,” Lewand said. “Are you a Christian? What’s your religious background? Or anything like that. Far from it.”

Lewand is smart enough to know that no employer can make decisions based on religious beliefs and/or practices. But when all things are equal between two players and the Lions know one is a Christian and one isn’t, will that be a factor in the decision regarding which one has a job and which one doesn’t? If so, that could be a problem, from a legal perspective.

From the franchise’s perspective, however, that’s a much better problem to have than a locker room with more than a few guys who don’t know how to “do right.”

Choir boys don't win SB's. Try again Lions. You need luck in any winning combination. Start with an identity that is from establishing a leadership group.
 

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Sep 6, 2005
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The Detroit Free Press says Eric Ebron has had "a good camp overall" and "proved to be one of Matthew Stafford's top targets" during Saturday's scrimmage.

It's the third positive report on Ebron in the last four days. Given his athleticism and the Lions' lack of pass-catching depth behind Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate, there's certainly room for a second-year leap. We're just not willing to invest much draft capital in Ebron given how poor the rookie-year tape looked.

Source: Detroit Free Press
 
Sep 6, 2005
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Lions.com’s Tim Twentyman expects the Lions to use Ameer Abdullah in an even timeshare with Joique Bell.

Lions OC Joe Lombardi is expected to establish more of a committee after playing without Reggie Bush most of last year. Bell remains the favorite to start, but is going to lose pass game and change-up work to Abdullah. Abdullah is a threat to overtake Bell for carries as the season moves along, although that will obviously depend on the effectiveness of both Abdullah and Bell. Twentyman mentions that Abdullah has been "better than expected" so far as a Lion.


Source: detroitlions.com
 
Sep 6, 2005
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MLive.com's Kyle Meinke left undrafted rookie RB Zach Zenner off his Lions 53-man roster projection Friday morning.

Meinke's colleague and fellow Lions beat writer, Justin Rogers, however, has Zenner making the squad. It's really going to come down to if the Lions value George Winn's special teams ability over Zenner's feature-back upside. Zenner leads the Lions in rushing after two preseason games and has flashed as a runner, pass catcher, and in blitz pickup. He'd be awfully tough to cut.

Source: MLive.com
 
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Lions DT Caraun Reid suffered a high-ankle sprain in the second preseason game.

He should be held out the rest of the preseason and should be considered questionable for Week 1. Reid was having a strong training camp and was reportedly ahead of Tyrunn Walker on the depth chart. Jermelle Cudjo could get some run with the first team if Reid's injury lingers.

Source: Detroit Free Press
 
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Lions RG Larry Warford suffered a high-ankle sprain in the Lions' second preseason game.

Warford is out the rest of the preseason at least and should be considered questionable for Week 1. With Warford sidelined, the Lions could decide to cross-train rookie Laken Tomlinson at right guard, the position he played in college. Tomlinson is currently competing with Manny Ramirez at left guard.

Source: Detroit Free Press
 
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The Lions' official website said WR Ryan Broyles has lost some of his explosiveness.

After two ACL surgeries and a torn Achilles', it is not surprising Broyles is not the same player he was at Oklahoma. Broyles is not expected to make the Lions' final roster, and he could be nearing the end of his career. He is not worth stashing in Dynasty formats.

Source: detroitlions.com
 
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Lions HC Jim Caldwell said the first opinion on SLB Kyle Van Noy's injury indicated surgery was not necessary.

The specific injury Van Noy is dealing with has not been specified, but Caldwell cryptically said it is not related to the hernia which forced him to miss the first half of 2014. Caldwell did say the injury was worsening on Monday, and he did not rule out injured reserve/designated to return as an option.


Source: Michael Rothstein on Twitter
 
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Zach Zenner rushed eight times for 85 yards and a touchdown in the Lions' third preseason game.

The highly impressive undrafted rookie dominated in this one, playing extensively with the first-team offense in the Joique Bell role, while Ameer Abdullah mixed in. Zenner ripped off eight yards on his first carry, and six on the next before breaking off scampers of 41 and 21 yards, flashing his long-run ability. Zenner also made a tackle in punt coverage, and has locked up a 53-man roster spot as arguably the star player of the Lions' preseason. Through three exhibition contests, Zenner has 162 yards on 25 carries (6.48 YPC) and tonight's three-yard touchdown, plus a 6-60-1 receiving line.
 
Great Lions rant. Enjoy.

ZODIAC MOTHER*er:

LAST SEASON THE LIONS WENT 11-5. BEST WEVE SEEN FROM THESE ASSHOLES SINCE ******* FREEJACK WAS IN THEATERS. AND I STILL WANNA STRANGLE EVERY MOTHER******* LAST ONE OF THEM. HERES WHY:

LYING DOWN TO THE PANTHERS IN WEEK 2. HOLY s**t WHAT A KICK IN THE BALLS THAT WAS. FIRST GAME OF THE SEASON THE LIONS CAME OUT HOT BEATING THE PISS OUT OF THE NEW YORK GIANTS ON MONDAYNIGHT FOOTBALL AND I KNOW 95% OF PEOPLE READING THIS HAD TO LIKE THE LIONS PUSHING ELI’S arsehole FACE RIGHT INTO THE ******* TURF FOR THREE STRAIGHT GLORIOUS NATIONALLY TELEVISED HOURS. THEN WE TURN AROUND AND LET SCAM NEWTON BEAT OUR ******* ASSES BLOODY IN A 1PM GAME NOBODY GAVE A ******* s**t ABOUT. VINTAGE LIONS AND EXACTLY THE KIND OF THING THAT YOU KNOW IS GONNA BE HAUNTING YOU COME WEEK 17

THEN THE BILLS. CHRIST. THE ******* BILLS. YOU KNOW WHAT? I THOUGHT I KNEW HATRED I THOUGHT I KNEW MURDEROUS ******* RAGE. THEN I WATCHED THAT PIECE OF s**t ********** ******* DOUCHEBAG JIM SCHWARTZ COMMAND HIS SECONDRATE SQUAD TO CARRY HIS FANCY ******* ASS OFF OF OUR FIELD LIKE IT WAS SOME GENIUS DEFENSIVE SCHEME OF HIS THAT BROUGHT THEM THE VICTORY AND NOT THAT LIMP NOODLE ALEX HENERY BIFFING THREE STRAIGHT FIELD GOALS AND MAKING ME PINE FOR THE GLORY DAYS OF DAVID AKERS. OH MY GOD IM ******* ASHAMED TO SAY I ONCE SHOOK SCHWARTZ’ HAND AND TOLD HIM WITH ALL FRIENDLY CONCERN TO START LISTENING TO SLAYER INSTEAD OF ALL THAT WACK ******* STONEWASHED HAIRBAND DICKROCK ******* BULLSHIT HE TWEETS ABOUT. HE SHAKES HANDS LIKE A BITCH BY THE WAY. * HIM AND * BUFFALO AND REALLY * THE ******* #BILLSMAFIA

I WAS IN ALL MY GLORY FOR A WHILE AFTER THAT THOUGH WATCHING THE LIONS PULL A DECENT WIN STREAK AND WHO THE * DIDNT GET A LONG LAUGH OUT OF THE NICE BRIGHT AND EARLY * YOU THAT THE LIONS GAVE THE FALCONS IN LONDON. BUT SERIOUSLY WE USED UP A DECADE’S WORTH OF FLUKE VICTORIES IN THAT STRETCH. AND PHOENIX PUT THE KIBOSH ON THAT s**t RIGHT QUICK AND LET US KNOW HEY MAYBE IT WASNT SUCH A GREAT IDEA CUTTING STAFFORD’S ******* BALLS OFF: TWO ******* FIELD GOALS IN THAT GAME TO THE CARDINALS’ TWO WEAKASS FIRSTHALF TOUCHDOWNS. ******* PHOENIX * THEM. EVERYBODY TALKING UP THEM LIKE THEY WERE SERIOUS. I KNEW THEY WERE BULLSHIT AND THATS HOW IT TURNED OUT AND THEY STILL MADE US LOOK LIKE IMBECILES

AND AFTER THAT THE PATRIOTS BURIED US LIKE WE WERE DRIVING THROUGH THE ******* BIG DIG. I WAS THERE FOR THAT GAME: FOUR ******* HOURS WATCHING MY SORRYASS TEAM GET DISMANTLED BY THE LOATHSOME ******* PATRIOTS WITH F15 FIGHTER JETS SOARING OVERHEAD IN PATRIOTIC APPROVAL AND FIREWORKS EXPLODING LIKE BEATING THE LIONS IS THE FOURTH OF ******* JULY AND THOSE PHONY IRISH A-TEAM WATCHING SIXTH-GENERATION AMERICAN *HEADS THE DROPKICK MURPHYS BLARING ALL THE WHILE. IN FACT YOU KNOW WHAT THEY DID THERE AT WE-SHAVE-YOUR-BALLS STADIUM? THEY DID AN INFORMAL POLL OVER THE P.A. AND PLAYED DETROIT ROCK CITY AND IM SHIPPING UP TO BOSTON AND HAD THE FANS CHEER FOR THEIR FAVORITE. YEAH I WONDER HOW THE * THATS GONNA PLAY OUT. BUT HEY THAT KIND OF RIGGED GAME IS RIGHT UP NEW ENGLAND’S ALLEY. * THEM AND * THAT WHOLE ******* CHEATINGASS ENTERPRISE. IT WAS HELL. SHEER ******* HELL. BUT AT LEAST I FOUND OUT WHATS WAITING FOR ME WHEN MY LIVER INEVITABLY FAILS AND I SHUFFLE OFF THIS BULLSHITTINGASS MORTAL COIL: AN ETERNITY OF 70,000 UPPERCLASS WHITE SHITHEADS WITH FAKE ACCENTS PRETENDING THEY’RE SOUTHIES BREATHING SAM ADAMS’ DOGSHIT OKTOBERFEST DOWN MY NECK AND SCREAMING HOUSE OF PAIN LYRICS IN MY ******* EAR WHILE MY BELOVED PATHETIC BUNGLING LIONS GET RIPPED LIMB FROM LIMB BY A BUNCH OF CHEATING MURDERING SUPERMODEL-******* ASSHOLES

OH AND SURPRISE THE LIONS LOST TO THE PACKERS TOO. ******* LAMBEAU ******* BULLSHIT * IT ALL ******* GREEN BAY AINT EVEN A REAL CITY AND MOTHER* ANY SON OF A BITCH WHO NEVER STEPPED FOOT IN WACKASS WISCONSIN BUT STILL PULLS FOR THEIR DESPICABLE ******* FOOTBALL TEAM. YOU SEE THOSE OUT OF STATE FRONTRUNNER MOTHER*erS ROOTING FOR THE BUCKS? * NO YOU DONT. AND VINCE LOMBARDI CAN KISS MY ASS TOO. * HIM AND HIS HAT. BUT AS MUCH AS I HATE THE PACKERS I ******* HATE THE LIONS EVEN MORE FOR NEVER EVER BEING ABLE TO BEAT THEM. OH SURE WE BEAT THEM AT FORD FIELD EARLY IN THE YEAR (TULLOCH BLOWING HIS ******* KNEE OUT DOING THE DISCOUNT DOUBLECHECK IN A CIRCUMSTANCE SO ******* DUMB IT MADE ME JUST WANNA NUKE THE WHOLE ******* CITY SO I DIDNT HAVE TO THINK ABOUT ANY OF IT ANYMORE) BUT WE COULDNT GET IT DONE WHEN IT MATTERED AND FROM EVERYTHING THESE SAD EYES HAVE EVER SEEN WE NEVER WILL. AND NO MATTER WHAT THE * GLOVER QUIN SAYS JORDY NELSON TEARING HIS ACL ISNT PART OF GOD’S PLAN TO SEND THE LIONS TO THE SUPERBOWL. GOD’S PLAN IS * THE LIONS AND HES BEEN PULLING IT OFF MASTERFULLY

WHICH BRINGS US TO THE ******* LIONS LOSING TO THE ******* COWBOYS IN THE GODDAMN MOTHER******* ******* PLAYOFFS. THE WILDCARDASS PLAYOFFS OF COURSE SINCE WE LET THAT DIVISION LEAD DISAPPEAR LIKE THAT SIXTY BUCKS I WAS UP AT MOTOR CITY CASINO THE OTHER NIGHT. REF ALL PICKING UP THE FLAG LIKE “OH MY GOD IM SORRY MR JONES IT WONT HAPPEN AGAIN!” WHEN THE * HAS THAT EVER HAPPENED. BUT HEY AS PLAIN ******* BULLSHIT AS THAT WAS MY LIONS CRUMBLED LIKE A MICHIGAN OVERPASS AFTER THAT s**t. A TEAM THAT I LOVE SHOULD TAKE A BULLSHIT NO-CALL LIKE THAT AS A CHALLENGE NOT AS A MOTHER******* GAME OVER SCREEN. NOT MY LIONS THOUGH. TEN YARD PUNT WHAT THE *. WHAT THE *. BENGALS ALL OVER AGAIN EXCEPT THIS TIME IT WAS THE PLAYOFFS . ******* LIONS. THEY LAID RIGHT DOWN TO GET ****ed AND BOY DID THEY EVER

s**t WHAT DID I MISS: OH YEAH. OUR FIRST ROUND PICK WANTS TO SOLVE THE HEALTH CRISIS IN JAMAICA AND ID MAKE A MILLION DOLLAR BET THAT HE MAKES THAT HAPPEN BEFORE HE SEES A ******* PLAYOFF VICTORY WITH THE LIONS. GOLDEN TATE’S STILL ******* YOUR WIFE AND STEALING MAPLE BARS AND ACTING LIKE THE PLACE HE SHOPLIFTED FROM OWES HIM A ******* ENDORSEMENT CONTRACT. JOSEPH FAURIA’S DOG CANT EVEN TAKE A PISS WITHOUT ROLLING DANCIN’ JOE’S ANKLE LIKE A FATASS JOINT AND PUTTING HIS GANGLING ITS-ALL-GOOD-BRO 6-RECEPTION ******* ASS OUT FOR THE HALF THE SEASON. AND NDAMUKONG SUH HIT THE ******* ROAD LIKE WE ALL KNEW HE WOULD. AFTER ALL THE MAN IS A SOCIOPATH MOTIVATED SOLELY BY MONEY AND SPITE. GODDAMN I LOVED THAT GUY. THANK CHRIST HE WASNT SIGNED BY A TEAM IN OUR CONFERENCE. I HOPE HE ******* MURDERS EVERYBODY IN THE AFC

I ASKED MY OLD MAN FOR A FINAL WORD ON THE LIONS. HE SAID “WHY DO YOU BUG ME WITH THIS s**t EVERY YEAR?” I WAS LIKE HEY IM A LIONS FAN. HE TOLD ME TO GET OUT WHILE I CAN. I CANT
 

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Sep 6, 2005
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ZZ looked the goods today. Rate him above Riddick & Winn to lock up as 3rd back/package/ST player.

Bortles impressed me for the Jags.
Embarrassment of riches at RB. Zenner is a beast. Personally, I'd beeline him to the bellcow back, with Abdullah getting the third down work. Riddick can back up Abdullah, and Bell can back up Zenner. That's a lot of RBs to roster tho.
 
A great problem to have. I think they'll go with 4 backs with Zenner to also contribute on ST. Depth chart: Abdullah/Bell/Zenner/Riddick.

Joique still injured so ZZ will feature more early on. I see cult status in Detroit.
 
Four downs following the Lions’ 22-17 preseason victory over the Jaguars include a wake-up call on defense, Zenner’s big night, third down woes and Stafford’s success.

FIRST DOWN: WAKE-UP CALL
The numbers are pretty brutal when it comes to the Lions' defensive performance in the first half of Friday’s 22-17 victory in Jacksonville.

When it was all said and done, Jacksonville had 254 yards of offense against Detroit's starters on defense. Quarterback Blake Bortles finished his night 20-of-29 passing for 245 yards with a touchdown and a passer rating of 106.2.

The defense couldn’t get to Bortles. They also had little success staying with receivers and couldn’t get off the field on third down.

“We have to get better. That’s a fact,” Caldwell said of his defense after the game. “Sometimes you need an outing like that to kind of wake you up. It’s good that we got the win, but I can guarantee you one thing, we better get better in a hurry.”


The Lions were without starters Haloti Ngata, Ziggy Ansah, Jason Jones and DeAndre Levy. That has to be stated, but it’s certainly not an excuse. If the defense can’t get the job done without the starters, then it speaks to the depth, or lack there off, on that side of the ball.

“There’s no way to sugar coat it,” defensive end Darryl Tapp said. “We have to get better. We have a lot of work to put in. We’re still building the foundation of where we want to be. I’d rather get (a bad performance) out now than to have that issue come up Sept. 13 (regular-season opener). We have some work to do starting tomorrow.”

If there's one positive on that side of the ball it's that the Jaguars running backs rushed 22 times for 30 yards.

SECOND DOWN: PHYSICAL RUNNER

When rookie running back Zach Zenner was asked to evaluate his 85-yard rushing performance on eight carries after the game, the first plays he talked about were a holding penalty he was called for, a pass he dropped on a screen play and one run in particular where he didn’t feel he read the hole right.

That, in a nutshell, is Zenner. Always looking to get better.

One part of his game he was happy with in the locker room afterwards was the physical way in which he ran the ball. That’s something he says he’s really been focusing on this preseason.

“I really think I want to get more physical with my running game,” he said. “That’s something I think today I improved on, but there’s still more room to improve, in my opinion. We’ll see the tape, but that’s just a gut reaction right now.”

Zenner ran hard and finished runs against the Jaguars, which is something that’s impressed the Lions about his game since he first put on pads.

It’s getting to a point where it’s unlikely Zenner will clear waivers if he's not included on the 53-man roster because of the tape he's put together. He’s made plays when given the opportunity and that’s all a coach can ask of a player.

“We still have games left,” Caldwell said when asked if Zenner has played his way onto the final roster yet. “Obviously, he’s performing well.”

THIRD DOWN: THIRD-DOWN WOES

The Jacksonville offense ran 52 plays in their first five possessions. They had drives that consisted of 12, 13, 14 and 15 plays in the game. The final play differential was 80 plays for Jacksonville and 46 for Detroit.

Plain and simple, the Lions couldn’t get off the field on third down.

Caldwell called it “unbelievable” how Bortles was able to convert on better than 80 percent of his third-down attempts in the game (10-of-12).

Detroit’s inability to get off the field on third down was both a coverage issue and a pass-rushing problem.

“We struggled because we didn’t perform well. That was the big thing and there were a number of different things as a result,” Caldwell said of his team’s third-down woes. “We didn’t get a great pass rush consistently and then also we had some coverage issues that we just weren’t good enough.

“It was all across the board, it wasn’t just one area. Sometimes it was a guy chasing his man across the field in a man-to-man that got left. Sometimes it was a guy on the other side that was supposed to pick a guy up. It was a number of different things like that."

The linebackers had a particularly difficult time in the middle and intermediate portion of the field. The safeties were a step slow down the seam. Overall, there's a lot of bad tape the LIons are going to have to learn from on third down.

FOURTH DOWN: STAFFORD CRISP

Matthew Stafford has looked crisp since the first day the Lions assembled for the offseason training program back in April and nothing has chanced over the last five months.

In three preseason games, Stafford has completed 19-of-25 passes for 308 yards with three touchdowns, no interceptions and a passer rating of 156.3.

“There’s no question about it, he’s been improving,” Caldwell said of Stafford. “I don’t think he’s had any turnovers during the entire preseason. He’s done a nice job in terms of his completion percentage. He’s moved the ball fairly consistently. I think he’s done a good job overall. He’s been pretty sharp.”


Stafford completed passes to eight different receivers Friday night and threw two touchdown passes, one to Golden Tate (62) and one to Corey Fuller (4).

“It sure feels a whole lot better than coming out and playing bad, you know, throwing three picks and no touchdowns,” Stafford said of his preseason. “I’d rather have three touchdowns and no picks going into the season. So it’s a good feeling, it’s something to build on. We still have guys that we need to throw back into the mix. Calvin (Johnson) is a pretty good player, so it’ll be nice to get him back out on the field when we start playing.”

Stafford finished last preseason 21-of-30 passing for 204 yards with two touchdowns, one interception and a 97.1 rating.

Caldwell is right, there’s tangible improvement there.
 

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