In Week 1, the Lions were able to sack Seahawk's QB Matt Hasselbeck 5 times, and by doing so, the front four of the Lion's defense was able to thoroughly dominate one of the finer O-Line's units in the NFL. Since that game, the Lion's Defensive Line pressure has been nearly non-existent. They have tallied zero sacks and nearly unbelievably (Hey, it's the Lion's) registered zero quarterback pressures against the Packer's Brett Favre on Sunday.
Entering the season, the Lion's defensive front was perceived to be a team strength. Shaun Rogers, as dominating a physical presence as their is in the entire league, is wildly inconsistent and has been struggling with facing multiple blockers. The fact that Rogers is getting double- and triple-teamed should be creating opportunities for the other members of the Lion's front four to generate sacks.
Without an effective pass rush, opposing QB's have been able to find spaces in the Lions Cover-2 zone coverage to exploit, especially the vulnerable area in the middle of the field between the linebackers and safeties. With the team's nonexistent pass rush, the Lions have had to resort to blitzing, which opens up opportunities for big plays by putting receivers in man-to-man coverage against the Lion's defensive backs. The lack of a pass rush has also allowed both Chicago and Green Bay to be very successful on third downs-each was at 50%. The extended drives and expanded ability to move the ball only serves to wear down the Lion's defense and render them more ineffective as the game presses on.
In order for the Lions to have any chance in upcoming games (especially against teams who pass a lot), they will have to regain their ability to pressure the QB. Especially in their new defensive scheme which to be successful is predicated on the ability of the front four to pressure the QB. James Hall, the team's most reliable edge rusher, and Kalimba Edwards, physically gifted, but enigmatically inconsistent, are the two players most likely to pick up the slack. Otherwise, the defense will consistently get picked apart by opposing QB's as opponents score thirty or more points and the Lion's continue to wallow in futility.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-26-2006 @ 11:07PM
Lisa said...
Cory Redding is the most likely guy across from James Hall. Kalimba Edwards, so far, has been a disappointment. Redding during preseason was the guy getting into to QB more consistently and seemed like he had a fire going to get there. Edwards seems to lack the urgency. We'll see, of course, who really picks up the slack in the edge rushing.
The guy I'm most disappointed with is Shaun Cody. He was a high 2nd rounder and seemed a natural fit for this defense. Though I didn't buy it, he was hyped up as the next great DT coming out of SC. If Shaun Rogers is getting doubled, Cody should be up against one-on-ones and should be getting something going. I'm not seeing the quickness and moves to beat one-on-ones. I expect better all the way around from this front four after Rogers came back from injury. Marinelli expects better, too. I wouldn't want to be those guys in practice this week.
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