Notebook: Updated Lions Pro Bowl Voting
At the start of the season, the Detroit Lions figured to have several players earn a spot in this year's Pro Bowl.
With the constant injuries to the offensive line, several key contributors have lost ground in the latest updated voting.
With four games remaining, the current vote by position shows Aidan Hutchinson (8th), Frank Ragnow (6th), Jake McQuaide (10th), Jared Goff (9th), Penei Sewell (5th), Sam LaPorta (4th and Amon-Ra St. Brown (5th).
Why Ifeatu Melifonwu earned more playing time
Detroit's coaching staff has tinkered with the defensive lineup over the past few weeks.
Against the Bears, third-year defensive back Ifeatu Melifonwu earned the start next to Kerby Joseph.
Moving forward, it appears the physical safety will have more opportunities to start over the course of the final month of the season.
“Listen, that was something we always wanted to get Iffy a chance to go out there and play. The thing is he had the injury with his hand, he’s getting better with that, so we just thought this was the week for him to get out there and start and see how he did. I think he did a pretty good job," said Aaron Glenn. "Listen, it’s his first time starting in a while, there was some mistakes in there just like any other player in the league. But I think he did a pretty good job. We’re gonna continue to move in that direction, see how he can do.”
Confidence in Riley Patterson
This season, kicker Riley Patterson has missed two extra-points. While the team would like his percentage to be at 100 percent across the board, there is realization no kicker is going to make every single kick.
“He’s got two missed PAT’s all year, I think he’s sitting at 94 percent. I’d love to tell you he was 100, I think 94 is kind of around average," said special teams coach Dave Fipp. "Not saying that’s good, not saying that’s what we’re shooting for, but ultimately there is some reality out there that you’d love all these guys to be perfect but all of them aren’t. But yeah, at the end of the day, we’re striving for better than that for sure.”
Based on film review, it is fairly certain the team does not want it's kicker attempting kicks beyond the 52-yard marker, instead opting to go for it on fourth-down repeatedly instead of attempting longer kicks.
Detroit's coaching staff has a keen awareness of Patterson's range, but cite numerous reasons why the number of deep attempts have not been tried this season.
“I would say there is. What is that number? But I do think there is a number of things that factor into it. In the last game, the ball was on the 35-yard line so it would be a 53-yard attempt from there. Outdoors, with some wind, it wasn’t bad but it was definitely a factor," Fipp said. "It was cold, the ball didn’t travel as well. I don’t think either team was gonna attempt a field goal from that position on the field in just a normal situation, maybe at the end of a game where you’d need it, something like that it would be different.
"I would say, in general, with a long field goal, I think what you’re seeing around the league and certainly for us is a multitude of things that come into play. You’re talking about down, distance, the likelihood of making a field goal. Score of the game, time on the clock, opportunity to go for it and put six, seven or eight on the board versus three," Fipp commented further. "I think there’s a lot more that’s going into that decision than ever. I think you’re seeing a lot of teams go for it more than ever, it’s taking some field goal attempts away and certainly some of those longer attempts. And then obviously your kicker factors into that too. Is this guy a great long-range kicker or not? That’s another strength and that factors into that.”
Ben Johnson on limiting offensive mistakes
As the regular season is nearing it's end, Detroit's offense has not executed at the same high level it once did.
Turnovers have been the main issue, but the coaching staff have also cited issues with fundamentals and details that have negatively impacted the team's ability to score points, especially in the second half.
Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson told reporters this week, "I boil my job down to two things. One is getting guys in a favorable position. Can we get our skill guys in space with the ball to do something with it? Or help them get open in the route running? Up front, we already talked about in protection, can we get favorable matchups or double teams for them to pass protect, or the angles in the run game. That's the first thing I look at when you evaluate the film."
In his film review, Detroit's talented coordinator noted quarterback Jared Goff did not have great looks on certain third downs, as the Bears pass defense was highly effective, especially in zone coverage.
"Shoot, last week, there's a couple third down plays where there's not a lot of good answers there for the quarterback," said Johnson. "So that's where I've got to take it, we try to minimize those as a coaching staff every week. Tanner (Engstrand) does a heck of a job helping me with the passing game and we take a lot of pride trying to get our primary receiver open every week. That's a hard thing to do though, so we need someone to get open over the course. That's number one.
"At the end of the day, when you're looking at the execution part of it, we have to ask ourselves as coaches, are we installing it and are we teaching the concept well enough to where, maybe it's not the ideal defense for what we're trying to get done, but can we execute and understand the overall intent and the big picture."
