ReutersLast year the Lions’ defense tied for tenth in the league with 41 sacks. This year that won’t be good enough.
Lions defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch told MLive.com that he thinks anything less than leading the league in sacks would be a disappointment.
“If we’re not the most dominant defensive line in the league, I feel like we’re not doing our job,” Vanden Bosch said. “I feel like we have the people, I feel like we have the weapons, so if we’re not doing it, we’re underachieving.”
The Lions have certainly invested a lot in having a dominant defensive line: They have two expensive defensive ends in Vanden Bosch and Cliff Avril and two highly drafted defensive tackles in Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley. They also go eight deep on the line, with Corey Williams, Lawrence Jackson, Willie Young and Sammie Hill as the other four in the rotation.
So the Lions may have the personnel to lead the league in sacks. And given the personnel in their secondary, they may need to lead the league in sacks if they want to return to the playoffs.
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With the o-line they have the Lions may lead the league in sacks. I hope they have a good backup behind Stafford.
Does he have a history of concussions?
He should be checked for mental health. With all the suspensions and hot tempers on this team, how can they expect to lead the league in sacks?
As a Ram’s fan I can sadly say they are going to get one heck of a jump on that tomorrow
For the Lions’ sake, Kyle better be right…because if they can’t get to the quarterback in about 3 seconds, multiple receivers will be wide open with the Lions’ horrendous secondary out there.
Lol of course & the Browns will have the best offense in the NFL child please
I fully expect them to be among the league leaders as well. This defense is built to have a wave of d lineman rotating in and out keeping the front four fresh at all times. The idea is to stop the run on the way to rushing and pressuring the qb. They need adequate, not excellent db’s in order to accomplish this, so as long as they get after te QB’s they face, and avoid the big chunk yardage plays and penalties, they should have a top 15-18 defense, which should be a nice compliment to their already explosive offense.
Health and depth are their biggest concerns
They may very well lead the league in sacks and still not return to the playoffs. The Eagles and Vikings tied for the lead in sacks last season.
and tony is a high roller please
Lead the league in sacks of what…weed?
Just like the Vikes last year with J Allen…if you lead the league in sacks, that means your secondary sucks and teams will be passing on you all day! So yeah, I guess the Lions MIGHT lead the lead in sacks!
@tonyhighroller watch it. He may be right. But I think the eagles will be as good. However, browns aren’t the WORST offense in the nfl!
How? They don’t have an elite pass rusher, their secondary is a mess, and Suh getting 10 sacks as a defensive tackle was a anomaly.
Their O-line isn’t that bad Cowboy. And for the record their backup is one of the league’s best. Not that this article was about their O-line or QBs anyway.
i dont understand why players say things like this – if you are right, so what? and if you are wrong, you are going to hear about it all season. just play the game.
they dont the Eagles and the Giants have a better shot at it with elite pass rushers…The eagles were tied last year with 52 sacks and they have a better shot at it with a better secondary than the lions and better pass rushers
Trent Cole, Justin Tuck > Kyle Vanden Bosch
Babin, JPP > Avril
Why not expect the best? Suh’s 4 sacks last year are about as low a total as he will produce over a season. When he gets to the Qb more, he will draw more double teams. Then ask yourself, can his linemates beat one-on-one protection? I think they can, consistently.
Considering every sack by Suh is going to be a penalty (fair or not thats how it is) I would say I want whatever this guy is smoking.
Bosh could be right. Lions throw the ball and put up lots of points which makes they opponent keep throwing to keep up with them. That leaves the lions d line with lists of plays to strictly go after the opposing qb , duhhhh . Eagles have better players on their d line though and depth this year sorry bosh
And STUPID penalties. And coach alltercations.
cowboysfromdallas says:
Sep 8, 2012 12:46 PM
With the o-line they have the Lions may lead the league in sacks. I hope they have a good backup behind Stafford.
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The Lions gave up 4th fewest sacks in the league and have one of the best backup QBs in the NFL. Next.
They could lead the league but its doubtful. Philly will rack up the most sacks from the likes of Babin, Cole, Cox and Jenkins. Leading the league in sacks is nice but if the rest of your defense sucks it really doesn’t mean a thing.
cowboysfromdallas says:Sep 8, 2012 12:46 PM
With the o-line they have the Lions may lead the league in sacks. I hope they have a good backup behind Stafford.
…ummm…if you throw for 5000+ yds…id say your O line is doing a decent enough job…..
smh…google can be your friend, dont say out the *** remarks without facts….
The Lions’ problem is inconsistency, not potential performance. I’m always frustrated because whenever they get a sack or other big stop, I assume they will give up a big chunk play on the next down. And I’m usually right.
If you sack a QB twice in a row then give up a 80yd TD play on 3rd down, what have you accomplished? Nothing. The only truly meaningful defensive stat is “points allowed”. Consistent good play every down is better than alternating a great play & a total breakdown every other snap.
two words: Aldon Smith.
Absolutely KVB. Ndamukong suffered from the sophmore slump and Avril took advantage of the Suh double teams. With Nick Fairley finally healthy and ready to go, big things should be expected like Suh getting 15 plus sacks, 2 td’s and an interception. That’s what he’s known for, doing it all.
He’s the leader of our d-line and defense in general, so of course he would say this. I’m sure Duane Brown would tell you the Texans “should” lead the league in rushing and Willis would say the Niners “should” lead the league in rush defense. We have the talent and the scheme to do it, but a big problem is other teams know our strength and plan to take our pass rush away with quick passes and complex blocking schemes.
i bet i could get 50 sacks a year……..if the qb was on a gurney in an induced coma
Aldon smith….laugh out loud.
Lions very well could lead the league in sacks. So what if KVB isn’t the best DE out there. The lions have one of the most solid starting d lines in the game. Everyone that thinks otherwise are just talkin trash and have absolutely zero football knowledge. Zero.
One more thing. Jim Harbaugh is a giant douche bag whose team will return to mediocrity after their blowout loss to green bay.
Go Lions!
Whatever thetokyosandbuster says should be taken as the gospel. so glad to know his opinion on the matter. i can sleep now. thanks again.
Only thing the lions d will lead in is the number of letters in their names.
The Lions were tied for tenth in sacks last season, only one behind SF. It’s not some crazy thought for a top 10 rank in sacks to expect to be number one. It’s not a huge reach. There was only a 9 sack difference between first and tenth in 2011.
cowboysfromdallas …
Oh, yeah. I recall that the Lions punched the cow sh!t out of the Cowgirls last year 34-30. And the Cowgirls were ahead by 24 points during the game. Couldn’t handle the pressure. Hahahahahahahahahah.
They will also lead the league in most head stomps by dirty players.
Lol lion fans want to talk about the niners defense eh? You really don’t want to go down that line, trust me. In addition get over that salty taste in your mouth or you will get punch in the mouth again by my niners.