SB Nation - Gilbert Gardner

Bill Polian lays the kibosh on any lingering Joseph Addai hate

BigBlueShoe — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:19:01 -0000

about 1 month ago: Indianapolis Colts running back Joseph Addai carries the ball in the first half as Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Trevor Pryce reaches for him during an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Browse more photos »

Several weeks ago, I wrote this little comment about current Colts running back and fan whipping boy Joseph Addai:

This is a post saying that much of the "Addai sucks and we need to get rid of him" rhetoric simply does not hold water anymore. Joseph Addai is a fine running back when he is healthy. No, he is not Adrian Peterson. Then again, Joseph Addai hasn't fumbled the ball 15 times in two years like Adrian Peterson has (most in the NFL). So, maybe not being AP is a good thing.

Addai is a solid, tough, multi-talented back. All he needs now is some better blocking up front and everything will be OK.

During this past off-season, no Colts player was as bashed and berated as Addai. Fans seemed to blame him, and him alone, for the team losing the Chargers in the playoffs. I was one who did not buy into the hate, but I was willing to let Addai prove his detractors wrong by playing better in 2009. For me, Addai has done so, playing brilliantly so far despite the fact that his yard per rush numbers are low (3.5 a carry).

Last night on the Bill Polian Show, the Colts president seemed to agree with my assessment of Addai, ending any and speculation that "Addai is the problem." From John Oehser:

"The statistics aren't there, but he's having a terrific year," Polian said Monday on his weekly radio show on Hank 97.1 FM in Indianapolis.
Polian said Addai's value to the Colts extends far beyond statistics, and into the intricacies of a complex offense.

"People say, 'Well, Joseph has slowed down,' or, 'Joseph isn't what he used to be,''' Polian said of Addai, who rushed for more than 1,000 yards in 2006 and 2007 and made the Pro Bowl in the latter year. "Try picking up five blitzes a game on [Ravens MLB] Ray Lewis and see how much you have left in your legs. It's very difficult to do and that's a critical part of our offense.

"We block with the running back a lot of times. That's what allows [Colts quarterback] Peyton [Manning] to hit those big plays to the running backs and tight ends. Joseph does a magnificent job of it."

But Polian said Addai's value isn't just in blitz pickup. Polian said while Addai has yet to have a 100-yard game this season, he is running well within the parameters of the Colts' offense.

"Joseph is running as well as he ever has run in some holes that are not very big," Polian said. "When a linebacker has to take on a running back in a two-foot area, the advantage is to the linebacker. When he has to take on a running back in a six-foot area, the advantage is to the running back. Joseph has been running in a lot of two-foot areas. He has done a heck of a job banging in there, finishing runs. He really has done a remarkable job.

"He's averaging 3.5 yards per carry, which is not great, but his runs have been significant. They've resulted in touchdowns. He's running hard. He's moving the chains. . . . The bottom line is Joseph has been running great, as has [rookie running back] Donald Brown. Donald needs to get a few more carries as time goes by."

Everyone is entitled to their opinion. However, if you still feel that Joseph Addai is not a quality NFL running back, please know right now that your opinion is no longer an informed opinion. When the best player personnel man in the business sings Addai's praises, it means Addai is good. And as we know, Polian is not one to sugar coat a player who "stinks." He was quick to blast Mike Pollak a few weeks ago for his terrible performance against the Texans, if you all remember.

So, for all of you bashing and berating Addai this past off-season, it's time to own up and give the man his due. These words by Polian pretty much make it a lock that Addai will be re-signed. While rookie Donald Brown provides a wonderful spark of speed, quickness, and a WOW! factor at running back we haven't seen in Indy since Marshall Faulk, it is Addai who is getting the tough yards. it is Addai running hard to seal wins in the fourth quarter, like the Patriots win. It is Addai scoring red zone TDs. It is Addai making key receptions and blocks to keep the chains moving.

No player is above criticism. But, what fans were laying on Addai this off-season and part of the regular season went beyond criticism and into the realm of hate. I can understand bashing a player like Mike Vanderjagt, Gilbert Gardner, or even Corey Simon. But Joseph Addai? No. The hate ends now. Addai is playing some good football for the Colts, and if you don't see it then you don't know football.

From here on out, check your Addai hate at the door, please.

The 10 Most Important Bears in 2009 - #2

Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 16:00:10 -0000

In this ongoing series, I'll look at which Bears I think will need to contribute the most in 2009 for them to have a successful season. Some things I thought about when compiling this list were: what potential impact they may have, how much the team will look to the individual for guidance or leadership, how badly the team would suffer if they lost the player to injury, and other intangible attributes. Hopefully this series will spark some good off-season Bears discussion!

#2 Brian Urlacher - Middle Linebacker

Quick. Who is the back up middle linebacker for the Chicago Bears?

Yahoo sports has no one listed backing up Urlacher. Either does The Sporting News, ESPN, or Fox Sports. CBS Sports has Mike Rivera listed as the #2 MLB. Mike Rivera? How about we let the undrafted rookie free agent make the team before we anoint him second string MLB? What about RotoWorld? Well, at least they have Hunter Hillenmeyer listed #2 on the depth chart, as does Brad Biggs of the Sun-Times. Then again, wouldn't you consider Hunter on the bubble to make the team this training camp? Biggs does; in the very same piece referenced a second ago.

The Bears team site doesn't have a depth chart for the '09 season up yet, but last year they had one up listing Nick Roach as Urlacher's back up. I did find a Fox Sports depth chart for week 17 last year listing Gilbert Gardner as the #2 MLB. The same Gilbert Gardner that isn't on the '09 roster.

OK, I'm sure by now my point is hammered home. The Bears without Brian Urlacher is like an Italian Beef with no Giardeniera. The potential is there to be real good, but something is just missing. In his 9 year career Urlacher has missed only 7 games, all in 2004, and the Bears lost all 7 of them.

When Lovie Smith accepted the Head Coaching position with the Bears before the 2004 season, I'll bet he was salivating with the thought of a 6'5" middle linebacker sprinting down the middle of the field in his version of the Tampa 2 defense he brought with him. No other MLB in the league has the size/speed combination and ball skills of Brian Urlacher. Without Urlacher the Bears defense simply can't do some of the things they'd like to do.

The Bears D is set up for the weakside linebacker to make plays, so I'm sure Lance Briggs will get his 100+ tackles again, but it's the unique play of Urlacher that they'll need to be a top 5 defense again. All early reports are that he's healthier than he's been and he's in great shape. A Pro Bowl return for Urlacher is a definite possibility.

The List so far:

#10 - Nathan Vasher - Cornerback

#9 - Kevin Payne - Strong Safety

#8 - Rod Marinelli - Defensive Coordinator

#7 - Devin Hester - Wide Receiver / Return Specialist

#6 - Lovie Smith - Defensive Coordinator

#5 - Matt Forte - Running Back

#4 - Orlando Pace - Left Tackle

#3 - Tommie Harris - Defensive Tackle

#2 - Brian Urlacher - Middle Linebacker

If you missed any of the list so far just click on the link.

2009 Colts Training Camp: Nickel corner

BigBlueShoe — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 17:00:13 -0000

Last week we talked about who will win the third running back position (I said Lance Ball; most think Mike Hart). Today, we talk about who will play the all important nickel back spot on defense.

The nickel corner in a Tampa 2 is, essentially, another starting corner. The Colts play a lot of nickel, especially on third down. For years, Marlin Jackson has played in the nickel spot. Even since he has started, in nickel packages Marlin has moved from his normal starting spot to the nickel spot (with Tim Jennings stepping into the spot Jackson normally starts at).

This season, with Marlin coming back from injury, the Colts may not move him down to nickel on third down. They may keep him at his normal spot (where he is very effective) and have a new player work at the nickel back position. In this article, Stampede Blue will breakdown who will likely win the job, and why.

Cornerbacks currently on roster: Kelvin Hayden, Marlin Jackson, Tim Jennings, Dante Hughes, Michael Coe, Jerraud Powers, T.J. Rushing, Nick Graham, Brandon Harrison, Jacob Lacey
Cornerbacks competing for specific roster spot: Tim Jennings, Dante Hughes, Michael Coe, Jerraud Powers, T.J. Rushing, Nick Graham, Brandon Harrison, Jacob Lacey

Traditionally, the Colts carry a lot of defensive backs (6 or 7) on the regular reason active roster. Back-up DBs are often asked to play a ton of special teams and, if possible, fill in at one of the safety positions in case of an injury. In 2006, Marlin Jackson played several games at safety because of injuries to various Colts players, including Bob Sanders. It's likely the Colts will retain six corner backs with the hope that one or two of them will be needed as special team returners.

The starting corners for 2009 are Kelvin Hayden and Marlin Jackson. Hayden just signed a new contract with the Colts this off-season, and Jackson is on the fast track to recovery after a knee injury ended his 2008 season. When healthy, Jackson and Hayden are arguably the one of the best (but least talked about) CB tandem in football. Last year, the Colts set an NFL record for pass defense allowing only 6 TDs (NFL record) and collecting 15 INTs. It is very difficult to throw effectively on the Colts, and nearly impossible to beat them with a big play in the passing game. Their corners play excellent Cover 2 and Cover 3 zone. They also tackle extremely well and play tough in order to come up and handle run support. Corners in Tampa-2 must tackle like linebackers. This is a man's defense. Deion Sanders can wait outside, thank you.

With safety Melvin Bullitt likely to see more playing time in dime situations, the nickel corner is crucial to the Colts having as many quality "coverage guys" as possible. Bullitt is a fine player and a very under-rated safety, but he cannot run with premiere WRs, or even the Wes Welker types of this league. That's where the nickel back must shine.

Necessary attributes: Strong zone coverage skills; good tackler; ball hawk; able to step up and support run defense; physical at point of attack; intelligent, able to stay disciplined in coverage; special teams skills as either a gunner or returner

Tim Jennings

Photo: Colts.com

At A Glance
Position 1: CB	Height: 5-9
Position 2: Gunner	Weight: 185
Year: 4th	Age: 25
Number: 23	Note:

Every fanbase for a team has their "whipping boy." This is the player that fan's consistently blame for EVERY team loss. When the player plays poorly, fan's cite it as yet another excuse as to why that player should be bagging groceries instead of tackling running backs. When the player plays well, fans simply write it off as luck, or say the opponent was so bad a blind walrus could cover their receivers just as well.

For Colts fans, Tim Jennings is their whipping boy.

For years, it was LBer Rob Morris. But, Rob managed to quiet all his critics when he replaced Gilbert Gardner at SAM backer prior to the 2006 playoffs. Rob's play, along with Booger McFarland's and Bob Sanders', was a major reason why the Colts won the Super Bowl. Rob's retired now, and it seems Tim Jennings has filled the "fan whipping boy" void Rob left behind.

For two seasons, Jennings has been Indy's "nickel back." Though he does not play the nickel back spot (Marlin Jackson does), he enters games when the Colts go to nickel and he plays the outside corner spot Jackson vacates when he shifts to nickel. At 5'8, 185 pounds, he does not have the size that Jackson and Hayden have (both roughly 6'0). But, as I often preach (to the point where many are annoyed with me for doing so, but whatever) size is one of the most over-rated attributes when it comes to measuring how good a football player is. The Colts won a Super Bowl with a 5'8'' CB starting. His name was Jason David, and despite the last two years languishing with the Saints, he was a damn fine corner for the Colts, in my not-so-humble opinion.

IFR recently offered readers an interview with Jennings:

I learned just the speed and the mental part of the game. What I mean by mental part is you have to go out there and concentrate. I think that was real helpful for me last year. I was able to go out there and be more healthy than I was before, which was a key factor. Now, as I start to play, I’ll start to pick up on the mental things and the concentration level that you need to be on to go out there and play the game and stay healthy and produce. . . . I wish last season had been my rookie year.

The legitimate knock against Jennings is he is not consistent. In IFR's interview with him, he even hints at this. Last year, he played well against the Baltimore Ravens only to stink it up royally against the Green Bay Packers. In that game, he was called for several bad interference and holding penalties. That was a costly game. If Indy had won that contest, the Colts could have won the AFC South and hosted a playoff game. Indeed, even in the playoff game against San Diego, Jennings could not avoid inconsistency. He was called for a VERY key penalty in overtime. And for a guy with good speed and quickness, Jennings seems to surrender a lot of "cushion" to WRs.

Right now, the nickel corner spot is Jennings' to lose. But, he must prove he can play the position consistently week in and out. If not, Larry Coyer needs to consider other alternatives.

Dante Hughes

Photo: Colts.com

At A Glance
Position 1: CB	Height: 5-10
Position 2: Gunner	Weight: 190
Year: 3rd	Age: 24
Number: 20	Note:

Dante Hughes has been a rather disappointing player for the Colts. He was drafted in the third round in 2007, the same third round that produced DT Quinn Pitcock, who quit on the Colts (and football in general) last year after just one season. Hughes has good height and weight for a Cover 2 corner. He plays well in zone, tackles well, and helps out on run support. But after playing significant snaps in 2007 as the nickel back, Hughes seemed to rarely see the field in 2008 despite injuries to starters Kelvin Hayden and Marlin Jackson as well as reserve corners T.J. Rushing and Michael Coe. Keiwan Ratliff managed to leap-frog Hughes on the depth chart last season despite the before mentioned injuries.

The reason Ratliff supplanted Hughes on the depth chart last season was because Hughes played poorly in the month of October. The October 31st Titans games is one example. Hughes dropped an INT and allowed Justin McCariens a big completion during the game. All game long, he gave up too much cushion, and was burned by Tennessee's rather pedestrian WRs. After this game, the Colts seemed to demote Hughes to dime coverage and promote Ratliff. It paid off. Ratliff made several big INTs during the 2008 season, and was also a punter returner. Ratliff signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers this off-season.

2009 is a make-or-break season for Hughes. The coaches have clearly lost confidence in him. While Hughes was never known for having great speed, he simply must stop giving WRs that much cushion. He needs to be more disciplined in his zone coverage and not surrender so many big completions. Otherwise, there is a very real chance Dante Hughes will not survive the cut down to 53. If he doesn't make the 2009 active roster, the 3rd round of the 2007 draft looks like another house of horrors, adding more credence to the notion of the CURSE OF THE THIRD ROUND PICK!

Michael Coe

At A Glance
Position 1: CB	Height: 6-0
Position 2: Punt returner	Weight: 190
Year: 3rd	Age: 25
Number: 25	Note: Returning from injury

Michael Coe, like Dante Hughes, was drafted in 2007. However, after a so-so rookie year, Coe missed all of 2008 after injuring his knee during punt returning drills in training camp. He now seems recovered from his injury, but we have no idea if Coe has lost any speed or quickness as a result of the injury. Unfortunately, because of his 2008 injury, Coe hasn't really shown the Colts that he was worth taking in the 5th round in '07. In fact, other than Anthony Gonzalez, the 2007 draft is looking more and more like a disaster for Bill Polian.

If Coe is healthy, he still has a long shot at making the active roster. His ability to return punts might make him attractive to keep, especially if fellow corner T.J. Rushing is still not 100% after injuring his knee last year. But with Jennings, Rushing, and the rookie Jerraud Powers now on the team I just don't see how Coe can survive the cut down to 53 unless his pre-season is eye out of the skull great.

Jerraud Powers

Photo: Colts.com

At A Glance
Position 1: CB	Height: 5-10
Position 2: Gunner	Weight: 192
Year: Rookie	Age: 21
Number: 42	Note:

The Colts did not draft this Auburn product just so he could sit on the sidelines and take notes. Indy expects Powers to contribute immediately, using his good speed and excellent burst in (potentially) dome situations and most certainly on special teams.

Powers is an odd player for the Colts. He was taken in the 3rd round this year, and his scouting report suggests he is not someone best suited for a Tampa-2 style defense:

Weaknesses:
Does not have the ideal height or bulk that you look for...Isn't very strong...Not a great tackler...Struggles to get off blocks...Won't offer much in run support...Takes too many chances...Durability concerns.

As stated earlier, a corner who cannot tackle and offers little help in run support is utterly useless in the Tampa-2. This is especially true for the nickel back spot. One of the reason the Colts always rotated Marlin Jackson to nickel on third down was because of his ability to tackle and offer excellent run support should the opposing offense decide to run out of a three-wide set. So, unless Powers starts developing better tackling skills, he has no chance to win this roster spot.

Powers does offer some very intriguing coverage skills. He is very fluid with his hips and can stay with receivers once they make their breaks. He has good footwork and can play physical. Powers also has a strong work ethic, and I heard good things about him in OTAs and the camps this off-season. The key for him is tackling. He must show he can be consistent supporting the run defense.

A big positive for Powers is his special teams play. At Auburn he was good as a gunner, blocking a punt against Florida in 2008. Powers will likely have to earn his keep on special teams before he can see any other kind of meaningful playing time. Still, if Powers is not playing consistent snaps in (at least) the dime package by the end of the season, one really has to question why he was drafted in the third round. Third round picks must contribute immediately to validate the reasoning for taking them so early in the draft.

T.J. Rushing

Photo: Doug Pensinger/Getty Images Sport

At A Glance
Position 1: CB	Height: 5-9
Position 2: Kick and punt returner	Weight: 186
Year: 3rd	Age: 26
Number: 34	Note: Returning from injury

With so many players returning from injury in 2009, probably the least talked about individual returning after missing all of 2008 is T.J. Rushing. His absence in 2008 severely damaged Indy's ability to return punts and kicks consistently (ranked last in the league in returns). Polian had to play musical chairs with the 53 man roster, signing and cutting players week after week in a seemingly desperate attempt to find someone to replace Rushing, who injured his knee in pre-season.

In 2007, Rushing developed into a pretty decent return man. But, equally impressive was his surprising development as a nickel back. I remember talking to a Colts team official sometime in 2007, and I asked him about how the Colts were going to incorporate T.J. Rushing int the secondary. This person laughed and said That guy wasn't drafted to cover anyone. Four months later, Rushing was the Colts nickel back, and playing very well in the role. He never seemed to back down from a challenge, and developed some strong skills with zone coverage.

More than anyone else in this group, the player that has the best chance to challenge Jennings for the nickel back spot is Rushing. If he is healthy, he has proven (in the past) to be more consistent in coverage than Jennings. If he can prove that this pre-season, he'll unseat Jennings.

Nick Graham, Brandon Harrison, Jacob Lacey

I don't mean any disrespect to these players, but I do not see any possible way any one of them will be able to truly compete for the nickel back spot. If one does (and Nick Graham offers to best potential to do so) than it is a testament to the Colts truly allowing anyone to compete for a job. Graham played significant snaps on defense in the dime package last season, and is returning after getting placed in injured reserve last November.

Free agent rookie Jacob Lacey out of Oklahoma State offers some intriguing speed at the CB position. He ran a 4.42 40 time at his college pro day, and a vertical leap of 41 inches. He shows some skills as a ball hawk. Though Lacey struggled to contain the explosive Jeremy Maclin in OK State's close loss to Mizzu, his speed could offer some interesting options on special teams.

Brandon Harrison proves that Bill Polian really likes players from Michigan. At 5'8, Harrison does not offer much in terms of height. At 205 pounds, Brandon Harrison is one big dude playing CB. I mean, seriously! 5'8 and 205 pounds! I'm 6'5, and I am exactly at my goal weight of 205 pounds! Harrison ran a 4.54 at his pro day. He might offer more on special teams than a legit corner at the NFL level.

Analysis: This job is Tim Jennings' to lose. Jennings, while inconsistent last year, did provide some flashes of what kind of corner he could be. The one player that could really push him is T.J. Rushing, but Rushing needs to prove he is healthy. Hughes and Coe are fighting to stay on the roster, and Powers might not have the tackling skills necessary to play Tampa-2... yet.

For more, check out Colt Homer's roster position rankings. His take on nickel back:

Tim Jennings seems to be the favorite for nickelback, no matter how much that disappoints me. I prefer corners like rookie Jerraud Powers and returner TJ Rushing who are big, good tacklers, but may not be the fastest. Michael Coe could make an impact on special teams. I would love to see Powers or Rushing become the nickelback at some point in the season, but sadly it looks like Jennings job.

Sunday Notes: Lions Sign Cannon, Release Gardner

Sean Yuille — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 14:43:15 -0000

The Lions signed linebacker Anthony Cannon yesterday and released Gilbert Gardner, a linebacker that was on the injury report. Cannon didn't make the team after Gardner essentially beat him out for the last linebacker spot, but the one-time Lion is back to play special teams. He had the fifth-most special teams tackles last season, and with Kalvin Pearson starting in place of the injured Dwight Smith, there was a need for added depth on special teams. (Pearson is a great special teams player.)
Damion Cook will start at left guard on Sunday. He replaced Edwin Mulitalo last week and gets to keep the starting job after a good performance.
As mentioned earlier this week, Gosder Cherilus will likely start at right tackle.
Safety Gerald Alexander, who is already on the IR, will have surgery sometime next week to fix a cracked vertebra and a disc injury.
From the sounds of it, the Lions are going to try to get Calvin Johnson the ball more often.
Instead of the Lions-Redskins game, FOX 2 (out of Detroit) will broadcast the movie Best Laid Plans. As Dave Birkett points out, someone working for FOX 2 has a sense of humor given the name of the movie. The Lions definitely do not have the best laid plans, which is sort of why their game got blacked out.
Roy Williams' contract with the Cowboys actually includes $19.5 million of guaranteed money, which differs from a previous report.

Week 8 Injury Report

Sean Yuille — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 16:00:04 -0000

DETROIT LIONS
Pos.	Player	Injury	Status
WR	Brandon Middleton	Hamstring	Probable
TE	Michael Gaines	Knee	Questionable
DT	Cory Redding	Knee	Probable
DT	Chuck Darby	Calf	Questionable
DT	Shaun Cody	Elbow	Questionable
LB	Jordon Dizon	Hamstring	Doubtful
LB	Gilbert Gardner	Knee	Probable
S	Dwight Smith	Foot	Out

WASHINGTON REDSKINS
Pos.	Player	Injury	Status
RB	Ladell Betts	Knee	Out
RB	Clinton Portis	Hip	Questionable
WR	Malcolm Kelly	Knee	Out
TE	Todd Yoder	Thigh	Probable
OT	Chris Samuels	Personal	Probable
OG	Pete Kendall	Knee	Probable
DE	Jason Taylor	Calf	Questionable
DT	Cornelius Griffin	Shoulder	Out
CB	Shawn Springs	Calf	Out
CB	Carlos Rogers	Calf	Probable
CB	Fred Smoot	Groin	Probable
S	LaRon Landry	Hamstring	Questionable
S	Chris Horton	Ankle	Probable

NFL INJURY REPORT GUIDE
Status	Definition
Probable	75% chance that the player will play in the game
Questionable	50% chance that the player will play in the game
Doubtful	25% chance that the player will play in the game
Out	0% chance that the player will play in the game

Monday Notes: Falcons Game Observations

Sean Yuille — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 06:00:09 -0000

Off the top of my head, Ernie Sims, Paris Lenon, and Dan Campbell left yesterday's game with injuries. Sims was actually carted off the field with an ankle injury right before halftime and was listed as questionable to return. He was really the only defensive player that wasn't having problems making tackles, so his loss definitely hurt.

Lenon hurt his knee and had it heavily wrapped on the bench and Campbell went out after re-injuring his hamstring. Campbell has been limited due to the hamstring injury and hurt it again after only one catch. I think Michael Gaines may have also been hurt, but I have not heard any details about what happened to him.

We should have an update on all of the injuries from the Atlanta game later today.
Jon Kitna was very, very frustrated in the first half of yesterday's game. He not only was yelling at teammates but actually started to get in the face of a couple offensive coaches. On two separate occasions he called a timeout and quickly went over to the sideline and started yelling at a coach. The first time it was passing coordinator Kippy Brown that felt Kitna's wrath, and the second time it was running backs coach Sam Gash.

Kitna did calm down once the Lions started to score some points, but it was pretty discouraging to see him that angry. I like that he was showing passion, but there's a fine line between being fiery and being out of line. I tend to think the latter was where Kitna was as he really had no right to get in the faces of his coaches like that.
Calvin Johnson is this team's new #1 receiver as far as I'm concerned. He caught 7 passes for 107 yards and was clearly Kitna's go-to guy. Roy Williams hauled in 3 passes for 47 yards and a touchdown and made a couple nice plays, but Johnson is the Lions' premier receiver now.
Jon Kitna shouldn't be blamed for the interception he threw at the start of the second half as it apparently was Roy Williams' fault. Roy ran the wrong route and left Lawyer Milloy by himself to make the diving interception.
Despite their improvements during the preseason, the defense was absolutely pathetic. I don't know if I've ever seen a game with more missed tackles. That was a big reason why the Falcons ended up with 318 rushing yards. Michael Turner set a single-game franchise record for rushing yards with 220 of his own. He also scored a pair of touchdowns and would have had three had it not been for a holding penalty. Even their backup, Jerious Norwood, ran for 93 yards and a touchdown.
The passing defense wasn't any better. Matt Ryan went 9/13 for 161 yards and 1 touchdown. That touchdown came on his first NFL pass as he hit Michael Jenkins for a 62-yard score. Travis Fisher looked terrible on multiple occasions and Leigh Bodden didn't look much better at times.

To make matters worse, the dominant defensive line we saw in the preseason was rarely dominant in yesterday's game. The Lions only had a single sack and never got much pressure on Matt Ryan, resulting in his nearly 70% completion rating.
Detroit did seem to get closer to becoming a balanced team offensively. They ran the ball 21 times and had 33 passing attempts. Keep in mind, if the Lions weren't playing from behind during the entire game the amount of passing attempts would have been lower. Since they were trailing, though, they had to air it out more to give themselves a chance to win.
Kevin Smith only rushed for 48 yards on 16 carries in his NFL debut, but he didn't look bad by any means. There were more than a few plays where the offensive line was blown up and Smith had literally nowhere to run. Once or twice he was able to actually gain yards despite the terrible blocking, and on plays when there was a hole open he made a play. Plus, he did score a touchdown, which is great for any rookie in their first game.
Rudi Johnson only had 3 carries for 14 yards in this game. It's not surprising he didn't get more carries as he still is learning the playbook. The announcers said he barely knew any blocking assignments for passing plays, which is probably why he went in motion to the outside on the passing plays he was in the game for.
As mentioned when discussing Kevin Smith, the offensive line did not play well. Smith was tackled right when he got the handoff a few times, and Kitna's protection wasn't that great, either.
The Lions' inactives against Atlanta were as follows: QB Drew Stanton, OG Manny Ramirez, DE Ikaika Alama-Francis, DT Andre Fluellen, DT Landon Cohen, LB Gilbert Gardner, and CB Ramzee Robinson. Alama-Francis was bumped to the inactive list by DE Cliff Avril.
Even though there are still two games tonight that will affect the opening week of fantasy football, I am in good enough shape to start bragging about how sweet of an owner I am. In all three of my leagues I am not only ahead but am destroying my opponents. In the official POD League I am currently up on Maize 'n' Blue Jays 109.70-77.16. In the POD Overflow League I control a lead of 117.88-57.40. And finally, in the league that involves bloggers from both SB Nation and the AOL FanHouse, I am up 97.00-37.90.

I wasn't expecting to have all three of my teams turn out to be this good already, but I'm pleasantly surprised. Even my poorly drafted team in the official league put up 100+ points, although the big reason for that was that I had Michael Turner starting. We all got an up close look at how great of a game he had.
As far as fantasy football goes, I plan on posting an update on the official league every Tuesday. The update will include scores from each game and a quick recap of how each team did. I will also keep you guys updated on how I do in the overflow league as well as the SBN-AOL one.
Regarding my general posting schedule for the week that I will follow throughout the season, on top of the fantasy football update, I will also do a week whatever recap every Tuesday. I haven't decided on the exact format just yet, but I will try to briefly provide a recap of each game and/or will direct you to other SBN blogs for more information.

In general, what I expect my posting schedule or routine to look like is this: On Sunday nights/Mondays, I will recap the Lions game and discuss general things from it. On Tuesday, I will update fantasy football and the NFL. Moving on to Wednesday, I will wrap up coverage on the Lions' last game and begin to look ahead to their next one. Then Thursday will be spent really looking at the Lions' next opponent, and Friday and Saturday will get you ready for Sunday. I'll still have notes every day and keep you updated on any Lions news, but that will be in addition to what I listed above.
Ex-Lions tight end Sean McHugh was signed by the Steelers.
Chad Johnson, err, Chad Ocho Cinco, wasn't allowed to wear his new last name on his jersey this week due to a dispute with Reebok over unsold merchandise. I'm sure Ocho Cinco will have no problem buying his old unsold jerseys considering his new one will have little trouble selling.
The Jets were left in a predicament against Miami after kicker Mike Nugent got hurt in the first quarter of yesterday's game. Backup QB Kellen Clemens and safety Kerry Rhodes were actually attempting kickoffs before the second half in warm-ups. Thankfully for the Jets' sake neither was needed as Nugent returned in the third quarter.