Two anonymous NFL executives gave blistering appraisals of the 1-3 Detroit Lions in an article posted on Pro Football Weeklys website Monday.
One rival general manager said the Lions, who have lost three straight heading into Sundays game against the Philadelphia Eagles, arent the playoff contenders people have made them out to be and called defensive linemen Ndamukong Suh and Cliff Avril, general manager Martin Mayhew and coach Jim Schwartz overrated.
They dont have enough good players, and the players they think are good are not that good, the GM said. Suh belongs on the all-hype team. Avril is not that good put on any game, and you can watch him get blocked time and time again. Corey Williams is solid but nothing that wows you or makes you wonder how you are going to block him. The other guy (defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch) is a try-hard guy getting up in years that does not really threaten you. For as much as people talk about that D-line and all its depth, where are all the players?
The Lions are tied for 19th in the league with nine sacks and tied for last with three takeaways.
They face a turnover-prone Eagles team this week -- Michael Vick is second in the NFL with 11 turnovers -- but the unnamed GM wasnt optimistic about the Lions chances of turning things around.
The one thing that is clear: They are not as close as people have tried to make it seem, the GM said. They are a one-dimensional offensive team that, if the quarterback (Matthew Stafford) is not on, people are figuring it out. If you take (Calvin) Johnson out of the game, who else do they have that can beat you?
They are not a team that, I think, is ready. If I am going there to take over the job, I am not thinking that is a quick fix.
While a second executive pointed to the Week 4 struggles of Johnson, tight end Brandon Pettigrew (both dropped touchdowns) and Suh (whom he said "disappeared") as part of the Lions problems, the GM told Pro Football Weekly that Mayhew and Schwartz deserve much of the blame.
Theyre both overrated, the GM said. What has (Mayhew) really accomplished? Matt (Millen) never said he did a good job he was not ready for it. He did not have enough good people around him. There were things that if he had to do it again, he would not do. And he did not have the experience or the right people around him to get it done.
So much of this is having the right people around you I dont know that Detroit has all the pieces in place like they think they did, and people are starting to see the cracks. Source: Detroit Free Press Attached Thumbnails
One rival general manager said the Lions, who have lost three straight heading into Sundays game against the Philadelphia Eagles, arent the playoff contenders people have made them out to be and called defensive linemen Ndamukong Suh and Cliff Avril, general manager Martin Mayhew and coach Jim Schwartz overrated.
They dont have enough good players, and the players they think are good are not that good, the GM said. Suh belongs on the all-hype team. Avril is not that good put on any game, and you can watch him get blocked time and time again. Corey Williams is solid but nothing that wows you or makes you wonder how you are going to block him. The other guy (defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch) is a try-hard guy getting up in years that does not really threaten you. For as much as people talk about that D-line and all its depth, where are all the players?
The Lions are tied for 19th in the league with nine sacks and tied for last with three takeaways.
They face a turnover-prone Eagles team this week -- Michael Vick is second in the NFL with 11 turnovers -- but the unnamed GM wasnt optimistic about the Lions chances of turning things around.
The one thing that is clear: They are not as close as people have tried to make it seem, the GM said. They are a one-dimensional offensive team that, if the quarterback (Matthew Stafford) is not on, people are figuring it out. If you take (Calvin) Johnson out of the game, who else do they have that can beat you?
They are not a team that, I think, is ready. If I am going there to take over the job, I am not thinking that is a quick fix.
While a second executive pointed to the Week 4 struggles of Johnson, tight end Brandon Pettigrew (both dropped touchdowns) and Suh (whom he said "disappeared") as part of the Lions problems, the GM told Pro Football Weekly that Mayhew and Schwartz deserve much of the blame.
Theyre both overrated, the GM said. What has (Mayhew) really accomplished? Matt (Millen) never said he did a good job he was not ready for it. He did not have enough good people around him. There were things that if he had to do it again, he would not do. And he did not have the experience or the right people around him to get it done.
So much of this is having the right people around you I dont know that Detroit has all the pieces in place like they think they did, and people are starting to see the cracks. Source: Detroit Free Press Attached Thumbnails
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October 10, 2012
