SB Nation User Blog: Sean Yuille

Comcast Red Zone Recap: Week 9

Sean Yuille — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:05:59 -0000

This post is sponsored by Comcast's NFL RedZone Channel.

Lions - 1 score on 2 chances (1 missed field goal, 1 touchdown)

The Lions' only two trips to the red zone this past Sunday came at the very start of the game. The first trip was on the game's opening drive, when the Lions moved the ball down the field only to have Jason Hanson kick a field goal off the right upright. The promising drive ended in disappointing fashion, but the Lions got the ball back on the very next play when Louis Delmas picked off a pass and returned it down to the 2-yard line. After a false start, Matthew Stafford found Brandon Pettigrew in the end zone for a touchdown, making for a quick and easy red zone appearance.

During the rest of the first half, the Lions had the ball in Seattle territory quite a few times, but they never got inside the red zone again. That wasn't a big deal when Bryant Johnson made his amazing catch for a touchdown, making a red zone trip unnecessary. On other drives it was a problem, because the Lions' drives either stalled before they reached the 20-yard line or they simply turned the ball over.

In the second half, the Lions only got close to the red zone once, and even then that drive ended on a 50-yard field goal. The Lions really struggled to move the ball in the second half, and Seattle didn't turn the ball over and give Detroit the ball inside the red zone to start a drive, so it was one big struggle in the final two quarters.

Seahawks - 6 scores on 6 chances (2 touchdowns, 4 field goals)

After the first quarter, Seattle's offense became an absolute red zone machine. Every offensive scoring drive for the Seahawks went through the red zone, though only two resulted in touchdowns. Similar to some of the previous games this season, the Lions' defense relied on bend but don't break football. The Seahawks picked apart the Lions' defense with lots of dink and dunk type of plays, but once it got into the red zone, getting into the end zone wasn't an easy task. One drive the Seahawks had to kick a field goal simply because they ran out of time, but other than that the defense did a good job of holding Seattle to a field goal more often than not. Of course, it's pathetic that the Seahawks were able to get in the red zone six different times, but the defense got away with it by only giving up a pair of touchdowns.

Overall

The Lions' offense, thanks in part to the defense creating turnovers, spent all of its time in the red zone in the first few minutes of the game. After that they didn't enter the 20 again, which is a big reason why they only managed to score a field goal after the first quarter. Just like we saw in some recent games, the offense either failed to get into the red zone after a solid drive (i.e. what happened in the second quarter) or simply didn't even come close to the red zone (i.e. what happened in the second half). Going forward, the offense is going to have to be much more consistent and not leave so many points on the field with turnovers and stalled drives.

On the defensive side of the ball, I was happy that the Seahawks only scored 2 touchdowns out of their 6 red zone appearances, but that last number is disheartening. I knew Seattle tore the defense apart with mainly underneath stuff, but I didn't even realize that they made it into the red zone a whopping 6 times until I wrote this post. Bend but don't break football works to make up for a lack of talent, but the defense really needs to starting making more stops before the opposing team gets into the red zone. 6 red zone appearances in 3 quarters is just depressing.

Lions Claim Jack Williams, Release Jason David

Sean Yuille — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:35:47 -0000

More photos » by Chris Schneider - AP

Jack Williams salutes the crowd after the Broncos beat the New England Patriots 20-17 on Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009, in Denver. Williams was claimed by the Detroit Lions on Monday, Nov. 9, 2009. (AP Photo/Chris Schneider )

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Jason David's stay in Detroit was a short one. Less than a week after being signed by the Lions, he was released to make room for cornerback Jack Williams, who was claimed by Detroit on Monday.

Williams was recently released by the Broncos to open up a spot on the roster for Ty Law, and the Lions were one of four teams to claim him. The Browns, Colts, and Eagles also put in a claim for Williams, meaning the silver lining in losing to Seattle was that the Lions were able to get Williams. The Denver Post said that the Lions ended up with Williams because of their 2008 record, but waiver priority is now based on teams' current records. Perhaps 2008 records come in to play when there is a tie -- both Detroit and Cleveland have only 1 win -- but usually ties like this are broken based on strength of schedule.

Either way, Williams is now a member of the Lions, and Jim Schwartz shared his assessment of the former Bronco on the radio last night, suggesting that the newest Lion could play both nickel and outside cornerback.

"He'd been playing nickel for them," Schwartz told WXYT 1270 on Monday night. "He's a guy that our scouts liked. He has some slot ability, also can play outside. But he's a young player, and we've talked about not having scholarships for 16 games and rolling the roster and keep trying to improve and keep trying to get better. We need young corners, and hopefully he can fit that bill."

I'm a big fan of this move, because I'd much rather have a player like Williams, who is only in his second season in the league, than someone like Jason David, who is a veteran that hadn't even been on a roster since August until last week. Williams was a fourth-round pick in last year's draft, and excuse me for sounding like Mel Kiper, but he has tremendous potential and enormous upside. The fact that three other teams wanted him, including the Colts and the Eagles, says a lot about what kind of talent and potential Williams has.

Calvin Johnson Says He Has No Issues with Matthew Stafford

Sean Yuille — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:48:38 -0000

More photos » by Paul Sancya - AP

10 days ago: Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson watches warmups before a game against the St. Louis Rams in an NFL football game in Detroit, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009. Johnson was inactive for the game. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

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Much was made of how few times Matthew Stafford threw the ball in the direction of Calvin Johnson during Sunday's game, especially once cameras caught the two having a conversation on the bench. Actually, it wasn't really a conversation. Stafford was talking, and Calvin walked away after seemingly not wanting to listen to what the rookie had to say. The announcers commented on the exchange, and many people assumed that there was a beef between the two. I personally thought it was just a heat of the moment type of thing, which is why I hadn't even brought it up until now.

Calvin Johnson spoke to reporters yesterday, and when asked about the exchange, he basically said that it was no big deal and that there is no problem between him and his quarterback.

"I haven't seen the TV replays, because there's no reason for me to watch them -- we're fine," he said. "People are blowing this way out of proportion. Trust me, no one is going to be happy during a game like that. If you win, all this goes out the window."

Jim Schwartz talked to Calvin and Stafford to make sure there was no problem, and he came away from the meeting echoing what Calvin said.

"There's no issue there," Schwartz said. "You always want to be winning games and happy and cheerful, but goodness gracious, if you had a camera on every person on every play, you could try to read between the lines on a million things. There are times you need to talk things out, but there's no issue here with the players, and I don't understand why people are trying to create one."

To me, I interpret what happened on Sunday as a frustrated player on a losing team boiling over and reacting poorly to the situation. Let's not forget that this was Calvin Johnson's first game back from injury, and there's no question something was up. I don't know if the injury was still bothering him or what, but it's not like Stafford went out there and purposely ignored the best player on the team. My guess is that it was a combination of many factors that led to Calvin's statistically bad game, and I'm betting once he is fully recovered from his knee injury, things will be back to normal in no time.

Drive-By-Drive Breakdown of Seahawks' 32-20 Win Over Lions

Sean Yuille — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:00:56 -0000

More photos » by Elaine Thompson - AP

2 days ago: Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford leaves the field after throwing an interception that was returned for a touchdown as Seattle Seahawks' Lawrence Jackson celebrates behind in the fourth quarter during an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009, in Seattle. The Seahawks won 32-20. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

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Here is a drive-by-drive look at how the Seahawks beat the Lions by a score of 32-20 on Sunday.

1st Quarter

The Lions opened the game by putting together an outstanding drive. The ground game was working, as was the intermediate passing game. There were third-down conversions and even one fourth-down conversion that the Lions ran so quickly that Seattle didn't get all of its players off the field in time. The drive did eventually come to a disappointing end, though, when Kevin Smith was stuffed for no gain on 3rd and 1 at the 15. Many wanted the Lions to go for it, but they decided to kick a field goal to simply get points. Well, they didn't get points either way, because Jason Hanson made a rare mistake and kicked the 34-yard field goal off the right upright.
The mistake was quickly forgotten when Louis Delmas intercepted a Matt Hasselbeck pass on the very next play. Delmas undercut the route and appeared out of nowhere to make the interception. He returned it to the 2-yard line, giving the Lions a golden opportunity to take the lead.
It looked like the Lions were going to find a way to screw this up. On 1st and goal, Kevin Smith was hit as soon as he got the ball and fumbled. Luckily Brandon Pettigrew was flagged for a false start, meaning the play never happened. It was probably the best false start ever, especially since Pettigrew made a catch in the back of the end zone for a touchdown on the very next play. Matthew Stafford threw a bullet over the defense and Pettigrew made the catch to give the Lions a 7-0 lead.
Just like their last drive, the Seahawks gave the ball right back to the Lions after only one play. This time Hasselbeck completed his pass to the right team, but the fullback who made the catch had the ball stripped by Julian Peterson. Ko Simpson fell on it, and the Lions suddenly had the ball at the Seattle 29-yard line.

Another false start backed the Lions up 5 yards, though Maurice Morris got all of it back on the next play. An incomplete pass made it 3rd and 10, and it looked like the Lions were on the verge of having to settle for a field goal. That is when Matthew Stafford made an amazing pass to the back corner of the end zone and Bryant Johnson made an even more amazing catch. Johnson brought the ball in with one hand as he was falling down to score the touchdown, putting the Lions on top 14-0.
After a pair of rushes went for a loss of a yard, the Seahawks picked up 11 yards to make it 4th and 1 at their 38-yard line. I figured Seattle would think about going for it and then decide to punt, but Jim Mora kept the offense out on the field. Julius Jones got the handoff and was absolutely stuffed by the Lions' defense. Jones went nowhere, and the Lions got to start a drive in Seattle territory for the third consecutive time.
The Lions converted one third down on this drive, but the Seahawks' defense made a stop the second time around, forcing the Lions to kick a field goal. Jason Hanson booted it right down the middle of the uprights from 41 yards out, making this a 17-0 game.

2nd Quarter

The Seahawks finally got things going on their next drive, especially after center Max Unger was in the right place at the right time to recover a fumble. T.J. Houshmandzadeh made a catch on 3rd and 2 for a gain of 3 yards, but Kevin Hobbs lit him up and forced a fumble. Unger was trailing the play and quickly fell on the ball and rolled forward to make sure it was still a first down. It was, and the Seahawks just tore up the Lions' defense from that point on. Julius Jones eventually ran into the end zone from 3 yards out to give the Seahawks their first points of the day, starting what would end up being a slow but effective comeback.
Derrick Williams returned the ensuing kickoff to the 38-yard line and was tackled out of bounds, drawing a penalty. That meant that the Lions again got to start their drive in Seahawks territory, but this time the great field position didn't produce any points. It looked like the Lions were well on their way to at least a field goal after a couple completions, but on 3rd and 9 from the 33, Matthew Stafford threw a terrible pass and was intercepted.
The Seahawks drove down the field mainly thanks to a bunch of short passes that picked the Lions' secondary apart. Detroit seemed content with giving Seattle everything underneath, and the Seahawks took full advantage by moving down the field slowly but surely. The defense did come up with a stop once the Seahawks entered the red zone, but Olindo Mare connected on a 37-yard field goal to make this a one-touchdown game.
The Lions didn't start their next drive in Seattle territory, but it didn't take long for them to cross midfield. Kevin Smith ran the ball a couple times for gains of 7 and 8 yards, and then Aaron Brown went for 19 down the right side of the field on a pitch. That put the Lions at the Seattle 38, and once again it looked like they were on their way to at least a field goal. Just like the last drive, though, it came to an end when Stafford made a terrible throw and was intercepted.
Seattle had 1:13 left on the clock to put something together, and just like the last couple of drives, it slowly worked its way down the field with lots of short passes. The strategy paid off, and Olindo Mare made another 37-yard field goal just before the end of the half. Matt Hasselbeck wanted a chance to go to the end zone, but Jim Mora settled for the field goal, and Seattle only trailed by 4 points at halftime.

3rd Quarter

The Seahawks took the opening kickoff of the second half back 41 yards to the Seattle 44. It seemed like they were destined to go down the field and take the lead, but the Lions' defense stepped it up and caught a break as well. Jordon Dizon forced a fumble on second down to make it 3rd and 8, and Matt Hasselbeck had Justin Forsett open, but the pass bounced off the turf for an incompletion.
The Lions went three and out, but Nick Harris boomed a punt 55 yards. Good coverage on the return backed Seattle up 3 more yards to the 22-yard line.
The Seahawks picked up a third-down conversion and then executed a perfect screen on the next play. Hasselbeck faked a WR screen to the left and found Julius Jones on the right side. Jones had lots of room to run and many blockers alongside him, and he ran down the sideline for a gain of 49 yards. It looked like this was going to be an easy touchdown, but Louis Delmas hustled and barely got a piece of Jones' foot on a diving tackle attempt. Jones fell down, and the Seahawks were unable to pick up another first down. Hasselbeck wanted to go for it on 4th and 1, but Jim Mora sent the field goal unit out. Olindo Mare connected on his third kick of the game, cutting the Lions' lead down to 1 point.
Detroit went to the dink and dunk style of passing for a couple plays and moved the chains. The drive came to a quick halt after that, though. Matthew Stafford was sacked and fumbled the ball on the next play. He recovered the ball, but the play was good for a loss of 7 yards. A delay of game penalty before the next snap made it 2nd and 22, and Stafford was clearly frustrated with somebody not being lined up correctly. After a 4-yard run on second down, Stafford threw the ball about 17 yards down the field for Casey FitzSimmons, who failed to make the catch. Even if he had caught the ball, FitzSimmons would have been a yard short of the first down, so the Lions would have had to punt either way.
About midway through the next drive, the Seahawks faced 3rd and 3 at the Detroit 48. Matt Hasselbeck overthrew Nate Burleson, and it looked like the Lions made a stop. The referees disagreed, though, and flagged William James for defensive pass interference. James barely even touched Burleson, and the pass didn't appear to be catchable anyways, as Burleson didn't seem to know where it was. The refs thought it was interference somehow, and Seattle got 16 free yards out of the penalty. One play later, Seneca Wallace connected with T.J. Houshmandzadeh for a gain of 15 on a reverse pass, setting up a 2-yard touchdown pass from Hasselbeck to Houshmandzadeh a couple plays later. The snap was fumbled on the extra point, meaning the Seahawks led by a score of 22-17.
Things went from bad to worse on the next drive when Matthew Stafford was intercepted again. This time he went in the direction of Calvin Johnson on 3rd and 16 and the pass was a bit off target and intercepted by David Hawthorne for his second pick of the game.

4th Quarter

The Seahawks put together a 13-play drive that took 5:45 off the clock and got another field goal out of it. It looked like the Seahawks were going to score a touchdown, as they had 1st and goal from the 3, but the defense made a good stand and held Seattle to a 20-yard field goal.
Now trailing 25-17, the Lions needed to get things going. They did for one play on their next drive, as Kevin Smith ran through a big hole and gained 31 yards, taking the ball into Seattle territory. The drive stalled after that, though, and the Lions had to settle for a 50-yard Jason Hanson field goal.
Justin Forsett returned the proceeding kickoff 46 yards to the Detroit 48, but the defense made a stop and Seattle went three and out.
Matthew Stafford was picked off on third down yet again on this drive. He went downfield for Calvin Johnson, but the pass was intercepted by Marcus Trufant at the Seattle 40.
The Lions' defense again made a stop, leaving the offense with 2:03 on the clock. A good punt was downed at the 5-yard line, so the offense had to go 95 yards to win the game.
Detroit was moving the ball in small chunks in the middle of the field, which is exactly what Seattle wanted. The Lions were wasting valuable time and not moving the ball all that much. Eventually they ended up with 3rd and 10 at their 47 with around 30 seconds left. Stafford made another bad throw and was intercepted for the fifth time in this game. The pick was taken back for a touchdown, adding to the Seahawks' lead and giving them a 32-20 victory.

Without a doubt, the interceptions are what killed the Lions' chances of winning in this game. I don't know what was wrong with Matthew Stafford, but he was just making some terrible throws, most of the time on third down. I'm sure part of it was that Stafford felt like he had to make plays on third down, but some of those interceptions were just awful throws that didn't make it to the intended target. If the Lions are going to win another game this season, Stafford is going to have to stop turning the ball over. The offense still has room for improvement as a whole, but quite a few points were left on the field because of those interceptions, and other times drives didn't have a chance to even develop because of them.

On the defensive side of the ball, the big issue was that Seattle was able to move the ball at will with the underneath stuff. Like I said earlier, the Lions appeared to be content with giving Seattle the short passes, and Seattle was more than happy to take advantage of the open field. Matt Hasselbeck went 39/51 for 329 yards, and though he only had 1 touchdown, the defense spent quite a bit of time on the field. The time of possession was close to 12-3 in the Lions favor after the first quarter, but by the end of the game the Seahawks ended up with an advantage of 30:42 to 29:18.

If you take the interceptions out of yesterday's game, the Lions would have two wins right now. Plain and simple, the Lions need to take care of the ball to win. This is simply not a good enough team to win with all of these mistakes, which was evident both yesterday and against Washington earlier this season. Against the Redskins, the Lions committed zero turnovers and held on for the win. Against Seattle, the turnovers absolutely killed the Lions and led to a close loss. Just look at the difference between the first quarter and the rest of the game. The Seahawks turned the ball over twice in the first quarter and trailed 17-0. They didn't give the ball away again the rest of the game and ended up winning 25-20. Going forward, priority No. 1 for the Lions should be to take care of the ball, because that is something that has to happen for this team to win another game.

Lions Blow 17-0 Lead, Lose to Seahawks 32-20

Sean Yuille — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:13:23 -0000

More photos » by Ted S. Warren - AP

2 days ago: Seattle Seahawks' T.J. Houshmandzadeh cheers after scoring a touchdown against the Detroit Lions during the third quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

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The Lions started today's game by playing their best quarter of the season. It got off to a rough start when Jason Hanson missed a 34-yard field goal, but the Lions followed that up with an interception by Louis Delmas, a touchdown pass to Brandon Pettigrew, a fumble recovery by Ko Simpson, an amazing touchdown reception by Bryant Johnson, a big stand on fourth and short, and a field goal. All of that gave the Lions a 17-0 lead after one quarter, and it looked like the Lions had complete control of the game.

Apparently the Lions forgot how to play football as soon as the second quarter began, because they absolutely fell apart. The Seahawks slowly scored points with field goals and a couple touchdowns and just chipped away at the Lions' lead. Detroit couldn't get anything going offensively, as every decent drive seemingly ended with an interception. That trend continued in the second half, and Seattle took the lead late in the third quarter. The Lions made it a 5-point game with a field goal in the fourth quarter and had a chance to win the game on multiple occasions. Matthew Stafford didn't have any fourth-quarter magic, though, and instead he just kept throwing interceptions. His fifth of the game came with less than a minute remaining and was returned for a touchdown, giving the Seahawks a 32-20 victory.

Two different teams showed up for the Lions today. The first was the team that came out at the start of the game and played great football. They were forcing turnovers, moving the ball, and most importantly, scoring points. A different team showed up for the final three quarters, and boy were they awful. The offense couldn't sustain a drive. The defense couldn't stop Seattle from dinking and dunking their way down the field. And finally, the special teams played rather poorly by failing to do a good job of covering kickoffs. When Jason Hanson is the person responsible for stopping kick returns on multiple occasions, there is a definite problem.

The Lions will look to rebound next week by traveling to Minnesota. Considering how well the Vikings have been playing, it looks like the Lions will be lucky to simply make the game look competitive. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. on FOX.

Lions at Seahawks - Overflow Thread #3

Sean Yuille — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 23:32:41 -0000

More photos » by Ted S. Warren - AP

2 days ago: Detroit Lions' Bryant Johnson, right, catches a pass to score a touchdown as Seattle Seahawks' Jordan Babineaux, left, looks on in the first quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

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The Lions are trailing 22-17 after three quarters.

Lions at Seahawks - Overflow Thread #2

Sean Yuille — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 22:35:16 -0000

Halfway through the game, the Lions lead the Seahawks 17-13.

Lions at Seahawks - Overflow Thread #1

Sean Yuille — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:47:50 -0000

After one quarter of play, the Lions are up on Seattle by a score of 17-0. No, I'm not joking. The Lions are actually ahead 17-0 after the first quarter.

Game #8 - Lions at Seahawks - Game Thread

Sean Yuille — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 20:52:45 -0000

DETROIT LIONS (1-6)	GAME #8	SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (2-5)
	AT

Date:	November 8, 2009	Location:	Seattle, WA
Time:	4:05 p.m. ET	Stadium:	Qwest Field
TV:	FOX	Favorite:	Seahawks by 11.0
Weather:	Click Here	Over/Under:	42.0
SBN Coverage:	Field Gulls	Injury Report:	Click Here

Lions-Seahawks Inactives

Sean Yuille — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 20:53:47 -0000

Below are this week's inactives. It should be noted that both Kevin Smith and Calvin Johnson are not on the list, meaning both are active and will start for the Lions.

Detroit Lions

QB Drew Stanton
FB Jerome Felton
OT Jon Jansen
OG Daniel Loper
DT Grady Jackson
LB Vinny Ciurciu
DB Jason David
DB Marvin White

Seattle Seahawks

QB Mike Teel
WR Mike Haas
WR Ben Obomanu
TE Cameron Morrah
OG Mike Gibson
OG Mansfield Wrotto
DT Red Bryant
DB Jamar Adams