Biggest Takeaways from Detroit Lions' 2014 Season
One of the most exciting and interesting seasons in Detroit Lions history concluded with the team's 24-20 playoff loss to the Dallas Cowboys Sunday. The bitter loss left the wild-card Lions 11-6 overall.
This was Detroit's first 11-win regular season since 1991, a year which also marks the last playoff victory. The drought extends another year, but this is the closest this franchise has been to a legitimate contender in at least those 24 years.
By most accounts, these Lions exceeded expectations. Most sporting books, including Odds Shark, projected either eight or 8.5 wins on the season. Coming off a disappointing 7-9 campaign and featuring a new head coach with rookie coordinators, optimism was in short supply.
This season should change that outlook. Detroit sure appears to be a team on the rise, though many questions lie between now and September's kickoff of the 2015 campaign.
Here are my top eight takeaways from the entire 2014 Detroit Lions season, in no particular order.
Jim Caldwell Was the Right Choice as Head Coach
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Jim Caldwell was not Detroit's first choice for the head coaching vacancy. That honor went to Ken Whisenhunt, who opted instead for the Tennessee Titans gig.
Whisenhunt's Titans finished 2-14 and face a litany of major questions. Caldwell's Lions made the playoffs and are poised to remain entrenched as a contender in the tough NFC.
The new coach proved the antithesis of the man he replaced, Jim Schwartz. Where Schwartz was bombastic and confrontational, Caldwell is as cool as the other side of the pillow.
The players quickly noticed and appreciated the change, as noted by ESPN's Michael Rothstein:
"Lions players knew Caldwell wasn’t a screamer, one of the multitude of reasons Detroit hired him to replace the fiery Jim Schwartz. The monotone calmness Caldwell provided that day – and pretty much every day – was noticed. It had already been a theme during Caldwell’s first season. The Lions continually looked to the sidelines during come-from-behind wins to see the same level of emotion every time.
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The professional demeanor and respect he showed every player quickly won players over. It was evident watching the team in training camp. Instead of favoring veterans and having inconsistent policies, Caldwell put it on the players to handle things themselves. They embraced it right away, as offensive lineman Rodney Austin told Kyle Meinke of MLive:
"I think the coaches we have now put more accountability on us to do all the things we're supposed to do on and off the field, whereas with Schwartz, he put more of it on himself.
(Schwartz) felt our performance was more a reflection on him than it was on ourselves. And the coaches now, they put just as much emphasis on how we perform, but more so on how it makes us look, and how it makes the whole organization look, rather than the coaches.
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The breath of fresh, respectful air was exactly what a stale franchise needed. Caldwell wasn't perfect, but his steady hand and clear direction for his team was a major factor in the overall improvement.
Kicking Was a Major Disappointment
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Lions fans were spoiled with Detroit's kicking situation. For over 30 seasons, two solid kickers donned the Honolulu blue and silver and did great jobs.
Eddie Murray and especially Jason Hanson apparently cast a long shadow. Hanson, the NFL's all-time leader in field goals of 50-plus yards made, retired after the 2012 season.
Veteran David Akers was underwhelming in his 2013 campaign, yet for the first half of 2014 he would have been a godsend.
First came seventh-round draft pick Nate Freese. He missed four of seven kicks in just three games before getting the ax.
Next was former Philadelphia Eagles placekicker Alex Henery. If Freese was bad, Henery was worse.
"Alex Henery is second in the NFL with four missed field goals this season. He's attempted five field goals this season.
— Bryn Swartz (@eaglescentral) November 16, 2014"
That failed experiment lasted two games, one of which was a 17-14 loss to Buffalo where he missed all three attempts.
Matt Prater was the next man up, and he too started shaky. He went just 1-of-3 in his Week 6 debut, including a blocked attempt. The 2013 Pro Bowler with the Denver Broncos picked it up over the next few weeks, but still wound up missing three more. He finished 21-of-26, with two of the misses blocked.
It will be interesting to see how the Lions handle the placekicking situation going forward. Prater did enough to deserve another shot, but he needs viable competition in training camp too.
Most Improved Lion: Glover Quin
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Safety Glover Quin proved a key catalyst in the strong defensive improvement. His move from a more generic safety role to a coverage specialist in Teryl Austin's defense was a stroke of brilliance, leading to a fantastic season from No. 27.
Quin led the NFL with seven interceptions, including one each game from Weeks 13-16. The veteran finished fourth on the team in tackles and also chipped in 11 passes defended, good for second behind cornerback Darius Slay.
"Detroit #Lions safety Glover Quin was named Tuesday to the Pro Bowl for the first time in his NFL career. http://t.co/2NZ0V5bvsN
— FOX Sports Detroit (@FOXSportsDet) December 24, 2014"
His Pro Football Focus (subscription required) profile illustrates why he deserved his second-team All-Pro honors. He finished fourth among all safeties with a 14.4 grade for the season, and his pass coverage grade finished third. A poor finale against Green Bay knocked him from the top two in both categories, but it was still quite a second season in Detroit for Quin.
The former Houston Texans cornerback earned enough respect to merit two votes for Most Improved Player in the league in the Bleacher Report season awards.
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Joe Lombardi Showed He Was a Rookie Coordinator
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One of coach Caldwell's first moves was to hire former New Orleans Saints quarterback coach Joe Lombardi (grandson of Vince) as the new offensive coordinator. This move was very well-received, both by Lions fans and in NFL circles.
Alas, Lombardi's rookie season as a coordinator didn't go all that well. His offense sputtered despite featuring Matthew Stafford at quarterback, Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate at receiver and Joique Bell and Reggie Bush in the backfield.
The play-calling was often predictable, the pace deliberate and staid. As Kent Lee Platte noted on Sidelion Report, "Joe Lombardi’s offense has been struggling all year, and his play calling was the chief culprit despite poor OL play and a non existent run game."
He did have his moments, including the Chicago offensive bonanza which inspired Platte's above piece. But by and large, the offense underachieved.
| Points/Gm | Yards/Gm | Rushing/Gm | Passing/Gm | TDs | |
| 2014 | 20.1 | 340.8 | 88.9 | 251.9 | 35 |
| 2013 | 24.7 | 392.1 | 112.0 | 280.1 | 48 |
The decline in production across the board ultimately falls on the offensive architect. Hopefully Lombardi learns from his rookie mistakes and devises a better, more consistent offensive game plan in his second season.
The Ford Field Roar Has Been Restored
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One of the biggest positives from the 2014 season was the establishment of Ford Field as a distinct home-field advantage for Detroit.
The Lions roared to a 7-1 home record, often feeding off the raucous partisans to secure victory.
"Ford Field is LOUD when the Lions D is on the field.
— Armando Salguero (@ArmandoSalguero) November 9, 2014"
"A loud Ford Field helps force another delay of game penalty, to move the ball even more inside the 1-yd line. #DefendTheDen
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) October 5, 2014"
Lions fans responded to the aggressive, effective defense which embodied the hard-working ethic of Motown. Years of buildup waiting for a real competitor erupted throughout 2014.
The Lions hadn't won more than five home games in a season since the team called the Pontiac Silverdome home back in the 1990s. This is an improvement that should have real legs heading into next year.
The Rookies Underwhelmed
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Even though the Lions soared to the first 11-win season in more than 20 years, they did so without much impact from the rookie class.
First-round pick Eric Ebron was slow to pick up the playbook and struggled with catching the ball all season.
"Eric Ebron, man. That terrible drop sums up his rookie year.
— Frank Schwab (@YahooSchwab) November 23, 2014"
While Pro Football Focus credited him with just four drops, it sure felt like he battled the ball more than that. He wound up with just 25 receptions on the year, netting 248 yards. While his blocking notably improved late, the Lions did not draft him at No. 10 overall for his blocking.
Detroit got even less from second-rounder Kyle Van Noy. The linebacker from BYU opened the season on the PUP list with a sports hernia. He saw action on just 51 defensive snaps and looked tentative, also not doing much positive on special teams.
Detroit took three players in a short span of the fourth and fifth rounds. Cornerback Nevin Lawson, defensive end Larry Webster and defensive tackle Caraun Reid have little to show for their rookie seasons.
- Lawson broke his ankle in Week 2
- Reid notched two tackles in scant reserve duty
- Webster was a healthy scratch in all 16 games
Sixth-round wideout T.J. Jones missed the season with a shoulder injury. Seventh-round kicker Nate Freese lasted just three erratic weeks.
Only third-round pick Travis Swanson and undrafted Cornelius Lucas made much of a positive impact.
Swanson filled in at both right guard and center and got better every week.
"THE DAILY DISH: #Lions rookie @Tswan64 fares well in first start at center: http://t.co/uCYGWzgFlZ pic.twitter.com/ccCdQa9gcK
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) December 30, 2014"
Lucas was pressed into duty thanks to injuries and acquitted himself nicely. While his PFF grade is firmly in the red, he did rank second among all rookie tackles while playing on both the right and left sides. Lucas played quite well in the playoff loss to Dallas. Swanson will start in 2015 and Lucas will be no worse than the third tackle.
Golden Tate Was Worth Every Penny
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General manager Martin Mayhew's signature player acquisition in the offseason was former Seattle Seahawks wideout Golden Tate. Eyebrows raised at the five-year, $31 million contract, per Spotrac, a seemingly high figure for a player whose career highs were a modest 64 receptions for 898 yards.
Tate topped both of those in his first season in Detroit. His 99 catches finished sixth in the league, while his 1,331 yards finished seventh.
It's what he did after the catch which made Tate invaluable to the Lions.
"Per @PFF, Golden Tate led the NFL with 709 yards after the catch. Averaged 7.2.
— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) January 4, 2015"
With Johnson missing several games with injuries, Tate proved he could handle the demands of being the featured performer. He and Johnson together created nightmares for opposing secondaries while fostering confidence from Stafford throwing to them.
Moreover, Tate brought a winning pedigree with him from Seattle. He also brought outward swagger, one of the few traits Johnson lacks and one the Lions offense needed.
Teryl Austin Is a Defensive Wizard
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Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin was, like his offensive counterpart Lombardi, a rookie. He previously coached the secondary in Baltimore, with prior stints with the Arizona Cardinals and Seahawks and some college stops along the way.
While Lombardi struggled, Austin thrived. He awakened a slumbering beast, maximizing the talent at all three levels of the defense. His aggressive play-calling and savvy schematics vaulted the Lions way up the defensive charts all season long.
- Total Yards per Game: 300.9, second in NFL
- Points per Game: 17.6, third
- Rushing Yards per Game: 69.3, first
- Yards Per Completion: 9.7, third
His impressive coaching performance did not go unnoticed. Unfortunately, he might be a one-and-done coordinator in Detroit, according to NFL Network's Andrew Siciliano:
"Teryl Austin, please pick up the courtesy phone. Six teams with coaching vacancies are on the line.
— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) January 4, 2015"
Austin is expected to be a hot candidate for several vacant head coaching jobs. He deserves the consideration, though Lions fans can be forgiven for selfishly wanting him back in Detroit for at least one more year.
All stats are from Pro Football Reference or NFL.com.
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