Comments on: Lions special teams nightmare continues, but coach safe

By: polegojim

polegojim — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 23:06:40 +0000

@lionfan419 – I’m in on the Cowher deal!

By: lionfan419

lionfan419 — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 19:24:19 +0000

Dear Lions, don’t change a thing. Sincerely, Devon Hester The Bears.

____________________

Who is Devon Hester? The brother of Devin Hester just curious? As a Lions fan the coach needs to go bring in Bill Cowher next year! Pay him whatever he wants!

By: bigbull52

bigbull52 — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 18:59:36 +0000

The Lions Defense has given up 42 points in 4 games including 21 points against the 49ers. the Titans hung 44 points on us, but if you watched the game, you would know only 14 points was on the defense (including a 71 yrd miracle catch). Defense has given up 42 points while playing two of the top teams in the league this year.. (49ers and yes…. the vikings). Special teams and turnovers have gave up 72 points thus far (4 games in)…. our defense IS doing their job…

By: WatchThis

WatchThis — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 17:47:03 +0000

The problem with them losing now is that we fully expect them to be winning these games. Before last year, we expected to lose or almost win. Since beginning of 2011, we expect to win. I guess expecting our Lion’s team to win is the only bright spot I’m still left with at the moment, and that is diminishing rapidly. All this talent is not going anywhere.

By: WatchThis

WatchThis — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 17:41:39 +0000

I’m disgusted with my Lions. They’re 1 play away from being 0-4, but really, also a 1 play away per game from being, at least, 3-1. Unfortunately, they’re on the wrong side of that and LOOK like they SHOULD be on the wrong side of that. I can’t even dig for bright spots right now.

By: mogogo1

mogogo1 — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 17:37:46 +0000

Fire Crossman now or just let him go with the rest of the staff at the end of the season when Schwartz gets canned…not much difference in the grand scheme of things.

By: dallascowboysdishingthereal

dallascowboysdishingthereal — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 17:34:37 +0000

Dear Lions, don’t change a thing. Sincerely, Devon Hester The Bears.

By: kiopta1

kiopta1 — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 17:24:26 +0000

I took my family to this game and I honestly left feeling like I don’t enjoy NFL football anymore. The level of incompetence, lack of effort or heart, it all just sucked the enjoyment out of the game. I honestly can say I love college ball far more now. It’s one thing to play hard and still lose and another to lose just going through the motions…or clearly not having the skill to compete. I can’t say that Detroit doesn’t have the skill but man.

By: kiopta1

kiopta1 — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 17:18:23 +0000

Ah we suck again!

By: polegojim

polegojim — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 16:54:33 +0000

The Defense is milktoast instilling NO FEAR.

Suh who?
Fairley needs an oxygen tank strapped to his back
Sacks/hurries… when/where?

246 yards in penalties… at least they’re not ’1st worst’ in the league

Disarray and Disfunctional are eight letter words:

S-c-h-w-a-r-t-z

By: blackandbluedivision

blackandbluedivision — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 16:18:49 +0000

This team isn’t catching anyone by surprise like they did last year and they throw it to Calvin Johnson philosophy only work for so long.

By: thelionsrgreat

thelionsrgreat — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 16:08:33 +0000

Schwartz is the main problem. The special teams stink, the D has no pressure and we drop far too many balls. You can all deny this but we are an undisciplined nightmare. That’s been a problem as soon as he arrived and his inability to control this team will be our ( all our offseason problems reinforce this) demise. Really wish ownership would stop being a fan and start doing their job. Schwartz has to go

By: nashwaakkidd

nashwaakkidd — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 15:57:21 +0000

i agree with ^ Schwartz should be gassed forthwith.

By: 2011to2020lions

2011to2020lions — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 15:55:14 +0000

Crossman lead the 32nd ranked Special Teams in Carolina before coming to Detroit. Now he has taken them to the bottom, and Schwartz says his job is not even being considered? Maybe Schwartz needs a dose of reality.

By: purpleguy

purpleguy — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 15:50:39 +0000

If the Lions get their special teams squared a way they can win. Of course, I notice that John621 guy who said the Lions would crush the Vikes and LeShoure would run through the vikings D is nowhere to be found.

By: whatjusthapped

whatjusthapped — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 15:11:50 +0000

Its not Crossman that should be looking over his shoulder, its Schwartz.

By: wtfru2

wtfru2 — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 15:09:59 +0000

On the Percy Harvin return, the WERE out schemed. Go read the article at TwinCities.com and you’ll see that their coach’s saw the flaw in their coverage and planned to run the same blocking scheme as the Titans did the week before. If Shwartz keeps this guy he’s stupid.

By: tywebb76

tywebb76 — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 15:00:14 +0000

We need to fire Crossman and cut Stefan Logan.

On the KO return, Logan broke contain as if he knew where Harvin was going to go with the ball. He got trapped inside and left 6th rd rookie Jonte Green as the only defender on that side to take on one of the best kick returners the NFL has ever seen.

Logan is not even a good returner. Time to give that job to Broyles, if we can’t get him involved in the offense, at least he can return punts. We have lost the last 2 games by 1 score and gave up 2 special teams scores in each of them, safe to assume why we’re losing football games? Our offense is Top 5 in the league in yardage and bottom 5 in scoring. Our defense is like 7th in Total D. We could be easily 3-1 without these ST’s mishaps!

By: vikefan

vikefan — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 14:52:59 +0000

great news for the rest of the NFC Norris

By: wludford

wludford — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 14:48:52 +0000

Here is the story from the St Paul Pioneer Press:

Percy Harvin’s touchdown return was no chance matter for Vikings

DETROIT — The genesis of Percy Harvin’s kickoff return touchdown came six days before he cut to the right sideline and cruised 105 yards, sucking the air out of both the Lions’ kickoff team and the 63,616 fans at Ford Field.

Special teams coordinator Mike Priefer had studied video of the Tennessee Titans’ 105-yard kick return in their win over the Lions and saw something he thought the Vikings could exploit — particularly if Detroit covered its kickoffs the same way.

So when Harvin took the game’s opening kickoff and veered across the field, the Vikings knew they’d gotten exactly what they wanted.

“It was a great call by Coach (Priefer),” Harvin said. “They (the Lions) overplayed it. The blockers did a great job, and I did the easy part.”

When things open up like they did for Harvin on the game’s first play, it really can be that simple for the Vikings. His kickoff return was the longest in team history — a yard longer than the season-opening 104-yard return he had against San Diego in 2011. It was the fifth kick return touchdown in the receiver’s 49 career games, and it set the tone for a game the Vikings won in large part because of their special teams.

By: wludford

wludford — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 14:44:28 +0000

Vikings coaching staff actually scouted a weakness in the Lions’ kickoff coverage, which helped create the Harvin TD, going untouched to the endzone.

Lions pooch-kicked all the remaining kickoffs, otherwise there might have been more TDs or long returns.

Doesn’t say much about the Lions’ Special Teams coach if he is either coaching or failed to recognize a noticable flaw in kickoff coverage.

By: conormacleod

conormacleod — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 14:43:55 +0000

They’re still the Lions! Every year people pick a team that will magically be great. Funny, when Detroit plays a harder schedule, they lose.

By: kriswd40

kriswd40 — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 14:02:48 +0000

I don’t think you can say the Lions played bad in all three phases… the defense gave up only 6 points. That’s a very good outing for a very banged up group.

Clearly giving up 14 points on special teams though is terrible and the offense still should put up more than 20 a game.

By: jimmysee

jimmysee — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 13:43:14 +0000

The natural order of things seems to be reasserting itself.

It’s not nice to fool with Mother Nature.

By: klunge

klunge — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 13:42:40 +0000

blacknole08 says:
Oct 1, 2012 9:06 AM
Lions need to fire Crossman, The special teams has been the deciding factor in the Lion’s losses the last two games.
———————————————–
How is that going to make the players play better? Lynch mob mentality, you just want to see someone’s head roll to pay for making you upset. Like Schwartz said, players need to make the plays on the field. ST unit sucked when Stan Kwan coached them. He finally got fired for it and what do you know, they still suck!

Let’s not lose sight of the fact that this team is supposed to have a quick-strike high-powered passing offense who can hang in a shootout. Yet they’ve managed a whopping 5 passing TDs in 4 games, and those seem to come when scrambling to catch up in the 4th. Whose fault is it that Stafford has misfired passes, and when he’s on target the receivers drop them? It’s just pathetic play, there’s no fire or heart in their game. I can’t understand why, but it’s just not there.

By: hatesycophants

hatesycophants — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 13:40:53 +0000

I see his point, but I would fire the ST coach. Also, I think

By: 2gargantuan

2gargantuan — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 13:35:31 +0000

The Lions are playing bad football in all 3 phases right now, with special teams being the worst. Schwartz needs to make some significant change on special teams, a coach cannot stand by and let this keep happening each week.

By: cwhat32

cwhat32 — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 13:31:50 +0000

Schwartz said in the pre-season that Special Teams was an issue, and they needed guys that could actually make plays.

He and the staff have failed after 6 weeks to produce a competent special teams unit, and it’s losing games for us.

By: owen16

owen16 — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 13:30:23 +0000

I love Jason Hanson, he can still hit regularly from 50+, but he doesn’t have the leg anymore to hit the back of the endzone. It would take up a valuable roster spot but I’d consider bringing in a guy just for kickoffs.

By: expertop

expertop — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 13:21:14 +0000

The Harvin return was one thing – the guy’s great. The punt return, though, wow – it seemed like everyone in blue had a shot at him.