Detroit Lions Weblog

Lions Sign LB Ciurciu, Place DE Bryan on IR

Amid all of the flaming wreckage that was the Lions performance in Lambeau Field last week, it might be forgotten that the Lions have been absolutely devastated along their defensive line during recent weeks. Already a position where the team has operated from out of a significant deficit, they even needed to utilize OG Stephen Peterman as a defensive tackle during goal-line situations in last week’s game. Today, that trend continued after backup DE Copeland Bryan was placed upon the injured reserve list. The Lions added veteran LB/special teams ace Vinny Ciurciu with his roster spot. The Lions will clearly continue to be on the lookout for help there, even if several of their missing players come back healthy.

After the initial hubbub that Matthew Stafford could miss the remainder of the season, it appears now that he could be back after the bye week against the Rams(fingers crossed). If for some reason Stafford’s injury continues to linger, I would also expect that the Lions, might investigate upgrading behind Stafford, since between Daunte Culpepper and Drew Stanton, neither looked remotely capable of leading the team for any significant period of time with any success whatsoever.

The Lions have done a credible job in limiting teams ground attacks (112.3 yds/gm), but as we all know, they have lost due to the fact that teams have eviscerated their secondary to the tune of 258.5 yds/gm. One wonders, with all of the attrition in their front seven, is it a matter of time before the dam breaks, and opposing teams also begin to pummel them with their rushing attacks, too.

Offensively, the loss of Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson has had a major impact, but growing dissent over the lack of production from first round draft pick, TE Brandon Pettigrew, even if the team has attempted to expand his role during recent weeks, has been a cause for concern. Especially, considering the way in which he struggled so mightily in last weekend’s game, in Calvin Johnson’s absence. Pettigrew is only a rookie, but as a 1st rounder, on a weak team, fans are going to expect more. Dropped passes, blown blocking assignments, etc are all part of the process of becoming a solid contributor.

In my opinion, Pettigrew’s refusal to comment after last Sunday’s game, unfortunately, only serves to draw attention to his struggles, rather than draw some of the heat from off of him. Even if he was too upset to comment, and wanted to avoid saying the wrong thing, ducking the media may only contribute to exacerbating his problems in the long run.

It seems that the bye week could not have come at a better time for the Lions as a organization. As they try to re-group and re-tool for an upcoming winnable home game, against the St. Louis Rams. After last weekend’s debacle, lord knows, they can only play better. They certainly could have played now worse.