Detroit Lions: Playoff Loss to Saints Shows Work to Be Done

There was an article written yesterday stating that Lions fans would be "heartbroken" by losing to the New Orleans Saints.

I watched the whole game yesterday, and my heart is still intact, as I'm sure that all Lions fans' hearts are.

There were some great things that came out of yesterday's game. Matthew Stafford showed he really is a big-tme quarterback. Calvin Johnson proved yet again that he is a freak of nature, and when he puts his mind to it, any ball thrown in his vicinity is his.

There were other good things, like how the offensive line did a credible job against the Saints pass rush, and most importantly, how well the team held its composure. Yes, there were penalties, seven for 63 yards. However, they really didn't cost the Lions that much.

But Detroit missed two golden opportunities by not getting any points on two rare Saints fumbles, one by Marques Colston and another by Drew Brees. Saints committed only six fumbles in the entire season. But the Saints play the bend-but-don't-break defense better than anyone in the NFL and rose to the occasion when needed.

I won't get into the missed calls, as there will be plenty written about those. Sure, I'm ticked about them, but as a former player, I understand there is nothing that can be done about them...the refs called them as they saw them. It's a waste of energy to complain about something that cannot be changed.

What I will get into is the Lions defense. I'm amazed that Gunther Cunningham puts up with how poorly they tackle.

Newsflash: If you get to a player with the ball, a big hit won't bring him down. Wrap up on the legs and he isn't going anywhere.

I can't count the number of times I saw Lions players get to a runner, make contact and allowed them to gain an additional five to eight yards. I'd rather see good, solid tackling and holding the yards gained to one to three yards than the big hit, see the runner bounce off and pick up additional yardage.

The other issue is failing to stop New Orleans on third downs. The Saints are the best in the NFL on third downs. But the Lions allowed them to convert on 3rd-and-10-plus situations at least five times that I can recall.

I'm not sure we need to call for Cunningham's head. After all, he is a successful defensive coach, but perhaps he's relying on past defenses that just don't work in today's NFL.

I'd like to see more defensive packages that put more pressure on quarterbacks. Part of it, of course, is the caliber of players needed. I think it's safe to say we have the defensive line for it. But we lack a dominating middle linebacker. 

Hopefully, we can find one in the 2012 draft, perhaps Dont'a Hightower out of Alabama, who might be better than Steven Tulloch in coverage. The Saints exposed Tulloch's weakness with long gains over the middle.

Or perhaps we go with an outside linebacker to help the pass rush. Not sure if there is another Clay Matthews-type player. Zach Brown out of North Carolina has unbelievable athletic skills, and with 4.48 speed, he can get to the quarterback quick.

Lions had a good year, pretty much exceeding expectations of a lot of people, myself included. But the loss against the Saints showed they're just not quite there yet. But they are out of the "rebuilding" mode they seemed to have been for the last decade. With some smart drafting and free agent signings, they could easily achieve a 12 to 14-win season and cause some serious damage in next year's playoffs.