Week 9 Preview: Denver at Detroit
November 3, 2007 on 12:21 pm | In Uncategorized |In what promises to be one of the more electric game environments in Ford Field history, the Lions will be facing a injury-depleted, reeling Broncos team who is on the verge of playoff elimination, and will be battling to preserve their season at all costs.
In most cases, the Lions fatalist in me will expect the worst, you know the old adage, if it looks to good to be true then… At any rate, it is clearly up to the Lions if they will continue to assert and establish their legitimacy as the season progresses. In most people’s eyes, in spite of their struggles, a victory over the Broncos would go a long ways towards legitimizing the Lions season, thus far.
Their are a number of intriguing back stories to this game. Lions LB Boss Bailey will be playing against his older brother, and all-universe CB Champ Bailey. Former Lions team captain Dre Bly is Bailey’s secondary mate. Bly, a two-time pro bowler with the Lions, stands as a stark representation of the old Lions in many fans eyes, in spite of what he brought in talent.
Whether Bly was a positive or negative force within the Lions dressing room will never be completely known, but a defeat of Bly, and the Broncos, would be even more symbolic for Rod Marinelli and his staff.
In order for the Lions to win, it is really quite simple. Run the ball effectively with Kevin Jones, against the NFL’s worst rushing defense, forcing the Broncos to move safety John Lynch into the tackle box, and do their best to limit the strong Broncos rushing attack.
If Jones continues to run well, the Lions will have a major advantage. The Broncos utilize man, and both two and three deep zone coverages. By running effectively, the Lions can limit what the excellent Broncos secondary has at it’s disposal. Which opens up the Lions passing game significantly.
Jon Kitna should have more time to operate than usual, the Broncos are limited in their ability to pressure QB’s. That being said, one of the more important game matchups will be OT Jeff Backus and Freeney-clone, undersized Broncos DE Elvis Dumervil. Backus has to limit Dumervil, in order for the Lions to have success.
Defensively, the Lions want to slow RB’s Selvin Young and Travis Henry, to place the onus of winning the game on young Broncos QB Jay Cutler’s shoulders. If they are able to do that, given the injuries the Broncos have suffered within their receiving corps, the Lions may be able to continue to generate the turnovers necessary to counteract the offensive success the Broncos will likely have against them.
I am a little concerned about the Broncos knifing through the Lions secondary, especially by attacking between the hashes, with TE’s Daniel Graham, Tony Scheffler, and WR Brandon Stokely. The Broncos will be content throwing underneath the deep Lions safeties, but it will be imperative that the Lions tackle well and not allow big gains.
The Lions will on Sunday and are a better than even bet to win to on the road against the Cardinals next week. Does a 7-2 start garner Rod Marinelli his Head Coach of the Year award now or later? Lions 27 Broncos 23
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What the what?!?! Who are these guys and what have they done with my beloved Lions? Has the mindset officially changed? Has loosing and sub-par performance been banned from our way of thinking?! Solid all around performance. I know this does not mark the end of loosing games. I’m not a fool (someone convince my wife of that, please). But maybe we’re finally turning a corner and entering into a new phase of post-Barry Detroit Lions football. Whatever’s in the water….keep drinking it fellas! Much love from the D.
Comment by SleePac — November 4, 2007 #
Marinelli should have walked up to the podium, uttered the phrase “Veni. Vidi. Vice.” That’s what happened. Outstanding performance on both sides of the ball and special teams. This was real football. For the first time in many, many moons, I was excited. This appears to be a “real” football team. Big Baby’s interception and subsequent touchdown may have caused me more happiness than any other play I have ever witnessed. You could almost feel the ground shake at Ford Field as he lumbered into the endzone. Amazing.
How did this happen? It’s pretty much the same gang. No big changes. It was a DOMINANT performance. It was a “no doubt” game. It reminded me of us playing the Colts a couple years back. There was no doubt that we weren’t in the same league.
That said, do I have doubts? I can’t shake it. I can’t get it out of my head that eventually the “same old” Lions will return. I hate it. I am somewhat ashamed. I just can’t keep those negative thoughts from creeping in.
Go Lions–keep it up! Please keep it up!
Comment by Hondo — November 5, 2007 #
It will take a long time for the Lions fatalist in us to wither away. Kind of like putting your hand on a hot stove, or Pavlov’s ringing bell, we are conditioned to expect misery from this franchise.
During seasons past, the misery manifested itself in near complete futility. This season, in it’s early stages at least, we are presented with a much bigger challenge.
It is east to get used to a team winning, and through time you can grow to expect it, and dare I say enjoy it. At which point, the disappointment from unmet expectations actually hurts worse than when the “Same Old Lions”, as much as we despised them, actually met our expectations by underachieving.
Fellas, we are in uncharted territory. That is good/bad. All I know is, that if Marinelli can light a fire under #92’s ass every week, and he plays like he did on Sunday, there are very few NFL teams who are equipped to face that challenge.
Comment by Steve — November 6, 2007 #