Taking It All In
Head Coach Rod Marinelli and the Detroit Lions reconvened in Allen Park this morning to watch film and go over yesterday’s 28-27 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
If there was a time this season Marinelli didn’t have to be forceful to get a point across, this was the moment. Players felt the impact of the loss – a game they were told they couldn’t win, but kept themselves in nonetheless to a point in which they could have walked away the victors.
There are numerous points to be taken from a game like Sunday’s – both positive and negative – and Marinelli is going to drive those points home as his team prepares for next week’s game at San Diego.
Point 1: The Lions will focus on finishing
Last season was all about learning how to finish games and Marinelli would hammer it to his team – they had to learn how to play all four quarters in order to walk away the winners.
Detroit had the art of finishing football games down to a science in the first half of the season. In fact, five of the Lions’ six wins were decided in the fourth quarter. Detroit learned to be diligent and hard-pressing and it was showing in the win column.
Over the past five weeks, however, the Lions have had trouble finishing. Sometimes it is finishing plays, sometimes it is finishing a drive and sometimes it is finishing a game, but Marinelli knows his team must get back to the diligence they once had in order to be successful.
“You’ve got to be consistent each and every week,” said Marinelli. “We’ve not been. We thought we started off the season very consistent playing really smart and all those things. Then we self-destructed. The opponents have been good, but we’ve self-destructed all the way through these five games.
“It’s been us more than the opponent. We’re beating ourselves in certain areas, and you can’t do that. In this league you can’t do that.”
Marinelli cited that confidence and hesitation are big issues in regards to finishing plays, particularly with the kickoff cover unit that has struggled as of late.
“I think we’ve been shell shocked by the last three or four games,” said Marinelli. “What I see is a team that’s cautious right now. I sat down with Stan (Kwan) and we watched – I think we’re starting to break down way too early as we’re coming down the field. I think nobody wants to give up a play and it’s just that we’re breaking down a little bit too early.
“That team is about just (being) aggressive and (you’ve) just got to go and we’ve lost our confidence I believe in that thing a little bit.”
Despite the struggles at kickoff cover, the Lions’ kick return unit has performed well. Aveion Cason, Detroit’s kick return man, is averaging 27.0 yards per return – third in the league among players with 20-or-more returns.
Point 2: Detroit has the capability to win any game
It may seem like beating a dead horse, but Marinelli’s philosophy of coaching up the non-talented issues really does impact a team. The Lions had opportunities to win yesterday’s game against the top team in the NFC, they just had trouble capitalizing on those opportunities.
Attention has been drawn to Jason Hanson’s missed 35-yard field goal opportunity early in the fourth quarter that would have put Detroit up by two possessions. Hanson was hard on himself for missing that field goal, but the truth of the matter is that the Lions still had opportunities to win.
“It’s a play to be made and he didn’t make it,” said Marinelli. “(But) that didn’t end the game. We had a chance on defense on a two-minute drill with no timeouts. It was one play in the game, not the play.
“It’s a team game and everybody on this club knows you have to make your plays. There are opportunities for you to make the play and you’ve got to make them to win the game. You’ve got to play hard, all those things. That gives you a chance, making the play you are supposed to make.”
Point 3: Sunday’s game against Dallas may have been the best offensive line performance of the year
Detroit’s offensive front helped the running tandem of Kevin Jones and T.J. Duckett accumulate 152 yards and three touchdowns while keeping quarterback Jon Kitna safe from pursuing Dallas defensive linemen (the only sack allowed by the Lions was on the final play of the game).
“Those two outside guys (for Dallas) had 20.5 sacks between them right there and it’s a really good pressure team,” said Marinelli. “We adjusted (with three- and five-step quarterback drops) and it worked out well for us.
“Another big factor is how well (Damien) Woody is playing. Don’t discount that. The right offensive tackle has been a force. He has played two very good football games.”
Woody has shown his versatility over the past two games. He has shown good footwork and strength – he was even a prime factor in Jones’ second touchdown of the game, pushing him over the goal line as Jones battled for the endzone.
“His feet are so good,” said Marinelli. “He really works well in space and he is playing very well. He is strong; his leverage allows him to be a strong run defender. He really has played, and as of right now we have solidified that right tackle position.”
To go along with Detroit’s solid offensive line performance is the running game of Jones and Duckett. The pair proved they have what it takes to pace a game – Jones averaged 4.0 yards-per-carry while Duckett averaged 6.67.
Point 4: It’s time to get back to work
The Lions still have three games left to play – there will be no “pity parties” or throwing in any towels as far as Marinelli’s concerned.
“It’s about winning this game, this next game, it’s all about that,” he said. “I wouldn’t ask those guys to practice and do those things I’m asking them to do if I was looking forward to next year.”
Marinelli will not practice his team in pads for a second straight week as they prepare for San Diego.
“The results were good, but I just think we are getting more guys to practice,” he said. “If we go pads right now, full pads, we’ll lose 30 percent of our team that can’t practice. They are banged up and so on and so forth. As of right now, I think the best way to get as many guys playing in practice, knowing what to do and all those things is to do it this way.”
Will this game be harder to move on from than others?
“I don’t really know,” said Marinelli. “My answer would be that it shouldn’t. We just come back and if we understand that if we let that go then we’re going to learn. They are watching the tape right now. Let’s learn from it. No pity parties. You can feel bad all you want, it doesn’t matter. That’s an excuse for them if it does; it’s a major excuse.
“Their job is to get better this week, compete and keep playing well. That is their job.”
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