Detroit Lions Week 4 Stock Report

There's no point in dressing up the Detroit Lions' Monday night performance. That would be a disservice to you and a waste of everyone's time.

No, the right tact is to cast a fair eye and provide an accurate report.

Detroit's offense was especially horrendous in this game, so three of the following five spots had to feature the worst offenders. The improved defense captured the other two, and at least one was positive. Sadly, that's improvement these days.

The Lions had a tough schedule out of the gates. The 0-3 start isn't a complete shock and neither should the following five selections.

Down: OT LaAdrian Waddle

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

LaAdrian Waddle was going to return last week and help on the right side. He had to be a better option than second-year tackle Cornelius Lucas, or at least that was the thinking.

After one game, which isn't nearly enough evidence to cement a conclusion, that hasn't been the case.

Lucas survived all six of his pass-protection plays without giving up a pressure, per Pro Football Focus. He did commit a penalty in just 12 snaps and was overmatched in the running game.

Yet Waddle was somehow worse. He gave up a pressure every 4.7 times his quarterback dropped back, finishing with 10 on the game and two penalties.

This could have been the effect of last year's ACL injury or last week's ankle issue. He looked gimpy at times and couldn't keep up with Von Miller's speed, which isn't unusual for even the best of offensive tackles.

This is a huge blow if this is the new Waddle. Brandon Pettigrew's hamstring continues to be an issue, meaning Detroit either has to keep one of its better weapons (Eric Ebron) inside to block or bring in another lineman.

Considering that lineman is rookie Laken Tomlinson, that's not a worthwhile adjustment. He's struggled mightily to win or sustain blocks, providing little running room and offering even less pass protection.

Down: RB Joique Bell

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

A few fans expressed concern about Joique Bell's lingering training camp absence back in August, but the majority assumed it'd be fine. Bell would return when healthy and still be the semi-shifty power back who can pick up three to four yards per carry.

Yet again, that hasn't been the case.

The offensive line—how many times will I type this before the season ends?—plays a large role in this disappointment. Bell is often dealing with defenders in the backfield like the rest of his running mates.

But there's more to this than poor blocking. Bell looks slow and the OK burst of last year isn't there when he needs to explode out of a cut.

He had a better elusive rating than Jeremy Hill and Mark Ingram last year by forcing 46 missed tackles. He has one missed tackle in 20 carries this year, often going down with the initial contact.

There's also an issue with his vision. His ability to navigate screens in years prior was instrumental to his success, but he looked lost against the Broncos. He even ran into his right tackle on an outside zone when the cutback lane was wide open.

If Bell is still hurt, he needs to sit. If he's not, he needs to sit. There's too much talent in the backfield to throw good carries at an either declining or ailing running back.

Up: LB Josh Bynes

Jim Mone/Associated Press

The lone bright spot here surprisingly belongs to Josh Bynes.

He looked like a different player under the prime-time lights. He mixed in solid coverage plays with better tackling and play recognition to possibly earn a starting spot when DeAndre Levy returns.

Bynes was second on the team in tackles with seven, four fewer than Stephen Tulloch, who also looked more comfortable than in previous weeks. And there was a beautiful pass breakup in the middle of the field when he dove in front of the receiver to knock the ball away with his left hand.

Yet his best play was a seemingly simple tackle. On third down, Bynes was able to cross half the field to track down a running back, stopping him before he picked up the first down. Those types of plays were prevalent for a defense that only allowed Denver to convert four of their 12 third-down attempts.

The Lions were hoping the linebackers would be the strength of this year's team. If Levy does return this week, and Bynes and Tulloch continue on the same path (Kyle Meinke of Mlive Media Group reported that it's possible), Detroit might finally fulfill at least one preseason expectation.

Down: CB Darius Slay

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

It was an evening to forget for Darius Slay. Slay used his introduction on the big stage to brand himself "Big Play Slay," which is his Twitter handle and fits his general persona.

Unfortunately, it backfired on him. Hard.

Everyone points to the big catches by Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas, because they were pivotal plays in the game but so was an earlier whiffed tackle on tight end Virgil Green.

Denver hadn't scored yet and was facing a 2nd-and-8 from Detroit's 28. Peyton Manning found Green on a cross with Josh Bynes and Slay both in hot pursuit. Bynes wasn't able to create much contact, while Slay merely put his shoulder into Green with no intention of wrapping him up. Green was able to rumble to the 2-yard line.

The long jump balls where Slay was beaten by Thomas and Sanders weren't as bad. Thomas is a physically imposing wide receiver who can make that play over anyone, and even the Sanders play was an incredibly difficult catch to make. He shouldn't have allowed them to create separation though.

Slay will be fine. It's possible that this serving of humble pie could benefit him in the long run, but it's still a dip from where his previous play had placed him.

Down: OC Joe Lombardi

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

Every week is more damning than the last for offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi.

His tendencies seemed suspiciously easy to spot in Week 2, as the Minnesota Vikings crushed every outside-zone run out of the I formation. Then the Broncos were making incredible picks that required them to already be moving in the right direction. It was almost as if they knew what to do ahead of time, according to Golden Tate, per Detroit Sports 105.1:

"

I've had a couple occasions in literally each game, where they called out our play for one, then afterwards been like, "Hey, we knew what you guys were doing." I don't know how they know or what film they're watching that we're giving away ... that's something we got to go back and watch our tendencies to figure out where we line up or how we line up or what formation or whatever it may be.

"

That outburst will determine what kind of coaching staff Detroit truly has by how the team responds.

Is head coach Jim Caldwell's calm and even approach appropriate when the the proverbial waste hits the rotating wind-maker? Will Lombardi figure out that this negative can be flipped to his advantage?

Lombardi's stock has never been high, but his refusal to keep opponents off balance is inexcusable. If he alters a route that teams are focusing on, the element of suprise amplified by Golden Tate's or Calvin Johnson's natural abilities can only lead to better production.

The old way isn't working. Caldwell now needs to make Lombardi understand that or watch his locker room go up in smoke.

All advanced statistics, grades and positional rankings are courtesy of Pro Football Focus.

Brandon Alisoglu is a Detroit Lions Featured Columnist who has written about the Lions on multiple sites. He also co-hosts a Lions-centric podcast, Lions Central Radio. Yell at him on Twitter about how wrong he is @BrandonAlisoglu.