Following an exciting first round, we break down the favorite picks, most pleasant and biggest surprises, most under-appreciated pick, worst move and more.
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I spent my 34th birthday at Soldier Field watching the Bears declaw and emasculate the Lions. As a lifelong Lions fan (my #20 Lions jersey says ?Sims?, and it isn?t a throwback), I?m sure I?ve probably seen them beaten worse than 34-7. But I cannot recall a Lions team that beat itself as badly as what I witnessed from the press area last Sunday. I?ll give the Bears their due credit, but the zookeeper always tends to the needier animal first.
Like most people, I saw the Lions play a great game in Week 1 and lose a squeaker to a very good Seattle team. Naturally I carried forth that optimism on my drive to Chicago, where I expected another low scoring, hard hitting battle of field position and great D-line play. I got the hard hitting and great D-line play from Chicago, and the low scoring from Detroit. Not exactly a happy birthday present from Matt Millen & Co.
Committing penalties on 4 of your first 7 offensive plays and fumbling inside your own 10 yard line on another of those early plays is not a good way to start a game. It?s too bad, really, because the Lions offense actually had some success moving the ball against the vaunted Bears defense. Jon Kitna was right on the money with nearly every pass despite being under constant duress. Roy Williams, for all his ridiculous bravado and fuzzy math skills, was consistently open. Kevin Jones had runs of 13, 9, and 12 yards all wiped out via penalty; he showed good strength and found the rare holes well. The Lions found their much-needed possession WR in Mike Furrey, something they?ve lacked for years. The precision timing demanded by Mike Martz?s offense looks like it?s coming along. The line struggled most of the day, clearly missing G Ross Verba?s physical presence. Take away the penalties (the Lions had 2nd and 20+ three times) and the fumbles, and the Lions did a decent job pawing and clawing for steady yardage against a great defense.
Ah yes, that Bears defense. I knew they were very good, but I underestimated the relentlessness of their attack. The rotation on the front 4 is devastatingly effective, keeping the guys both fresh and very hungry to prove they deserve more playing time. Urlacher and Briggs cover the field like two angry bears tussling over a lone female in heat. Even though the Lions did have some success with the passing game in terms of accuracy, every receiver was immediately swarmed under by multiple Bears, who didn?t miss more than 2 tackles all day by my recollection.
The real surprise, though, was the eruption of the Bears passing game. Rex Grossman has faced a lot of questions as their QB, and on Sunday he answered them with a snarling ?Yes I can!? I?m going to credit the gameplanning of Bears Coach Lovie Smith as much as I credit Grossman & Co. for executing it. The Lions have two weaknesses on defense: the safeties lack coverage range and skill, and the LBs are almost comically inept in pass coverage. The Bears successfully attacked both, mixing up deep outside throws and underneath routes to the TEs. Grossman looked confident in delivering both the deep and short throws, and the OL did a very good job against a great Lions? front 4. It?s a good thing, too, because the Bears struggled at the run most of the game. A smart grizzly hunts where the salmon are running that day, not where they were in days past, and the Bears looked like one smart grizzly on Sunday.
So after two weeks, we?ve seen the Lions play a very good game and a very lousy game, both against the elite of the NFC. Which Lions team will we see in the next couple of weeks, winnable games against the struggling Packers and the lambish Rams? I think we?re going to hear a roar. It might not be the MGM Lion, king of the jungle, but more like an adolescent male asserting itself against its packmates. I expect the mistakes to wane, the ferocity of the defense to remain, and the timing and precision of the offense to improve.
As a public aside to my brother-in-law Bob, a diehard Bears and White Sox fan: You knew it was too much to ask for both teams to make deep playoff runs in the same year, right? You got your World Series last year, but this season looks like the Tigers are the team of destiny. Don?t worry, bro, the Sox will be back next year. Your Bears look more Super Bowl ready than any other NFC team this year. That kind of balance in winning should make you happy. Look at me, a Lions and Indians fan. Other than the late 90s when both were good, they?ve pretty much stunk our entire lifetimes other than a couple of brief, fluke winning seasons. Let?s both root for the Tigers as a happy middle ground for the rest of your family, all Detroit fans.
