The Lions In Winter: a Detroit Lions blog

yeah he was great at tackling guys 5 six yard past...

2012-02-15T13:25:34.668-05:00

yeah he was great at tackling guys 5 six yard past the line of scrimmage. one of the best in the game?? yeah he sure looked it in the playoffs game. musta had 5 one on one tackles missed

All you're doing is looking at the good and ba...

2012-02-12T07:27:15.792-05:00

All you're doing is looking at the good and bad numbers, and giving us your opinion. Does the graph take you a week to draw? Or are you just bleeding this thing out...making us come back and check for a new one every day or so..smh.

Hey Ty, I am just wondering that while Tulloch ha...

2012-02-11T16:14:03.431-05:00

Hey Ty,

I am just wondering that while Tulloch had such a high rating in stopping the run the defense as a whole had a huge problem with this. I know a lot of it was the defensive line being sucked up field but some of it falls on the linebackers. So if Tulloch was great that seems to suggest to me that our outside, primarily weak side backer was not playing all that well against the run. What do you think?

Defensive MVP for the Lions. drops microphone

2012-02-11T15:50:10.595-05:00

Defensive MVP for the Lions. *drops microphone*

once again great insight. I thought Tully was v...

2012-02-10T19:39:20.601-05:00

once again great insight. I thought Tully was valuable, but I didn't know he was this valuable. If I could only resign one guy between Avril and Tully, I would pick Tully. He was just so consistent this year.

Well, from September until now it hasn't! The ...

2012-02-10T09:42:58.524-05:00

Well, from September until now it hasn't! The week before and after the Super Bowl obviously is a super-busy time for nationally-focused sites. I had a lot of assignments, and yes--the requirements of the B/R gig compelled me to slow down here for a couple weeks.

Also, please keep in mind that the OMH stuff takes a lot of work. Cranking these out takes time. I could whip off a couple filer posts, but that would just take time away from finishing the OMH posts.

Peace
Ty

I thought BR wasn't going to interfere with yo...

2012-02-09T23:21:27.059-05:00

I thought BR wasn't going to interfere with your work here. I'm glad you are expanding but it's clear this isn't a priority anymore...which is unfortunate. It was a good run!

Funny how this (his last year in his rookie contra...

2012-02-09T20:07:31.916-05:00

Funny how this (his last year in his rookie contract) was the first on where Cliff Advil didn't miss a game.

What a coincidence ...

Avril average? Lets not forget the 6 forced fumble...

2012-02-08T03:01:43.642-05:00

Avril average? Lets not forget the 6 forced fumbles, second in all the NFL to only Terrelle Suggs, a LB. That's why I don't use Pro Football Focus. I know the sack stats are off, but calling Avril an average defensive end is horrible.

Get rid of the black in the unis

2012-02-06T01:33:41.415-05:00

Get rid of the black in the unis

Ty, I think you are dead on here about KVB. The t...

2012-02-05T22:52:22.051-05:00

Ty,

I think you are dead on here about KVB. The thing that I am curious about is if KVB may become a trading piece. Mayhew has said that he wants to be active in the trade market and I can't help but think that a team like say Tampa Bay who is hurting for veteran presence, might look past his down year and towards his positive locker room presence. I do not know what KVB would be worth on the trade market but I could easily see him being a part of a player v. player trade or a swap of picks plus KVB. I could also see something like this happening with Corey Williams who if I remember right has like 4 mil against this years cap.

As i have stated before Ty, this is where this blo...

2012-02-03T11:26:09.075-05:00

As i have stated before Ty, this is where this blog shines!

I would consider myself more a feel person when in comes to observing talent and its impact on the team, but I have a profound appreciation for the lengths you go to bring this data together.

In previous posts I came to the same issue of what to do with KVB as you have indicated. I think KVBs leadership was astronomical when he initial signed here; however I think that if someone re-examined that construct they may find that the weight of his leadership would not resonate as much this year.

I think Avril and Suh are more than capable of demonstrating the accountability and tenacity that KVB stood for. I would lean more towards Avril and that is why I agree with you Ty that it is imperative that he be resigned LONGTERM (not tagged) this offseason.

It always pains me to envision letting someone go who took a chance on a moribund franchise as KVB did with the Lions, and I can just imagine what Schwartz (not me) is going through with this decision.

This isn't just some singular transaction either, it carries great weight because of the implications of letting someone go of his magnitude could have an effect on his teammates.

The shrewd, and prudent decision, is to let him go; but I would not be surprised to see him here next year.

I'm curious about these EPA and WPA stats. Adm...

2012-02-03T11:26:04.194-05:00

I'm curious about these EPA and WPA stats. Admittedly, I don't know much about them, but I wonder how sustainable some of these numbers are. Big plays come and go. This happened to be a big year in defensive plays for the Lions, and while a ton of credit goes to the players who made those plays (especially Avril), I wonder if they can possibly keep creating those plays consistently year after year.

All that aside, I do expect big changes this year. I always get giddy at the thought of drafting another elite DE and this year is no exception. I haven't started any draft research but if a solid DE is available at 23, I would pull the trigger.

That's right! Probably a big factor in his +WP...

2012-02-03T09:26:45.774-05:00

That's right! Probably a big factor in his +WPA.

Thanks, man. It's wild to see his knack for ma...

2012-02-03T09:26:17.660-05:00

Thanks, man. It's wild to see his knack for making plays. The way he stops the run fascinates me; he uses his positioning and technique to make up for his lack of size and strength. It's like Backus in reverse.

Thanks, Adam! Yeah, the KVB situation is a very t...

2012-02-03T09:22:39.254-05:00

Thanks, Adam!

Yeah, the KVB situation is a very tricky one. How do you plan for KVB to have a reduced role? How do you even bring the situation up, especially on the heels of an eight-sack year?

He'll fight tooth and nail to keep that starting job--but if he gets superceded on the depth chart, will he even want to play? I don't think he'll take on the role of "veteran mascot" very well.

KVB is awesome and can still play, but this defense needs someone generating about 150% as much pressure.

Peace
Ty

actorzalterego-- Thanks! I've turned those on...

2012-02-03T09:17:16.984-05:00

actorzalterego--

Thanks! I've turned those on in Blogger, but they never show up. Maybe something with the CSS, I don't know . . . I beat my head against the wall on it several times.

The audience here is relatively small but quite fanatic. The comment section has died out a bit in the past year as a lot of the top commenters have gotten on Twitter and hit me up there.

Thanks again for the kudos!

Peace
Ty

Ty, this is another great post. You gotta add some...

2012-02-03T09:13:45.572-05:00

Ty, this is another great post. You gotta add some widgets to share/like these on Facebook and tweet them. More people should be coming here to check your stuff out. (unless I'm dense and you already have them and I'm just not seeing them, which is possible.)

He closed the game against the Cowboys by putting ...

2012-02-03T08:24:43.106-05:00

He closed the game against the Cowboys by putting Tyron Smith on his arse and sacking Romo.

i think paying big money for avril is a mistake. ...

2012-02-03T07:13:53.427-05:00

i think paying big money for avril is a mistake. i have a few reasons.

1, he has always seemed to play poorly for the first 3/4 of every season, only to come on strong the last few (usually meaningless) weeks and pad his stats. now he has translated that tendency into having a great contract year after several years of inconsistency.

2, with the $$ we are going to have to wrap up in calvin, the $$ we have into stafford, and the still pressing needs at CB, LB, S, and OL, i don't think he's worth what it's going to cost to sign him because...

3, a lot of his success, IMO, is owed to the rest of the line (namely the DT's.) and the wide 9 scheme. this says to me that we can replace him for less money with a willie young or lo-jack type and still get great production.

summary: while we can't just line up a nobody way outside and expect them to produce because the rest of the line is great, we can line up a player of comparable ability and get the same production due to the scheme and the talent on the line, probably for as little as 5 million if we spend wisely, or we could start somebody we already have such as willie or lo-jack and draft another willie young type, or sign another lo-lack type.

the teams that have sustained success in this league don't break the bank to re-sign players like avril. they let other teams like the old lions overpay for free agents.

Just want to say Ty these are probably the best o...

2012-02-02T20:38:11.929-05:00

Just want to say Ty these are probably the best off-season write-ups out there. Last year's was great and your analysis this year is even more insightful. I look forward to the rest of the series.

That being said, you point out the 2nd biggest question right now besides the "If" on signing Avril. What will we do with KVB? Everyone loves him, and we all agree he provides great leadership. However, with Schwartz being a numbers guy, if this were a business decision, not an emotional one, KVB will have to take a cut or be cut. This is the first time we see how Schwartz values loyalty with his personal. I'm interested to see how this plays out.

"Nobody put much stock in a sub-260-pound all...

2012-02-02T18:06:19.983-05:00

"Nobody put much stock in a sub-260-pound all-legs-and-no-torso seventh rounder developing into a vital contributor, but Young’s already there in just his second year. How much better can he get?"

I know one person who did . . .

No, but really, even I have been pleasantly surprised by the Great One's emergence. At times he just looks extraordinarily explosive out there. He made the tackle trying to block him look completely silly a few times this past season.

Good write-up, Ty. This is always one of my favorite features.

I'm with you, I love the lions uniforms, curre...

2012-02-01T08:39:20.834-05:00

I'm with you, I love the lions uniforms, current and past. I have to disagree on your take with packers throwbacks. They are very different than the current uni's, but they are cool as hell. I honestly don't think I've met a throwback I didn't like though - even the broncos brown and yellow stripes, and the eagles blue and yellows.

Sadly Ty, this is a battle we are going to lose be...

2012-01-31T10:42:53.392-05:00

Sadly Ty, this is a battle we are going to lose because the NFL got greedy and went with the highest bidder.

So help me, if they do those Pro Combat jerseys I'm going to lose my mind.

P.S. What's the over/under on how long before the Lions pants have tails on them?

The one thing I would like to see brought back are...

2012-01-31T10:42:31.292-05:00

The one thing I would like to see brought back are the Honolulu Blue pants in the away uniform. Nike doesn't disappoint so who knows what they may come up with.