Detroit Lions 2011 Report Card: Positional Grades Through Season's 1st Quarter

Grading the Lions this year is a lot more fun than in previous seasons.  Just a couple of years ago, a grade of C would have been the ceiling for this team. 2011 has been a different story.  A record of 4-0 does that.

There are going to be some grades you agree with, but some that are going to surprise you.  I decided to grade on what is expected from the units and not just how they have performed. 

Let me know if you agree.

Quarterbacks

This was one of the biggest question marks entering the season, not because of talent but because of Matthew Stafford’s injury history.

Through four games, not only has Stafford stayed healthy, but he is playing at an MVP level.  He has completed over 62 percent of his passes and has a quarterback rating of over 100.

Stafford has shown through four games that he can take a hit.  Against the Vikings he was sacked five times.  Even though he was not sacked by the Cowboys, they had a number of hard hits.

Sean Hill moped up against Kansas City but has only thrown one pass on the year.

Grade: A+ Stafford has quieted all the Sanchez, Stafford and Freeman arguments.

Running Backs

The Lions were dealt a blow in training camp when they lost second-round pick Mikel Leshoure for the year.  That left them a little thin behind starter Jahvid Best because Maurice Morris was still out with a broken hand.  Morris did come back but has played sparingly because of ball security issues.

Best has struggled in the run game this year but that might be more of a result of poor blocking up front than anything he has done.  He has however, excelled as a pass receiver. He is third on the team with 17 receptions, and has a decent 12.1 YPC.

Keiland Williams, a late-season pickup, has filled in quite well as the short-yardage back.

Grade C: A low 2.95 yards per carry average keeps this unit from getting a higher grade.

Receivers and Tight Ends

Calvin Johnson has started the year on fire catching multiple touchdowns in every game.  All the talk about where he ranks among the top receivers is a joke.

Titus Young has taken a role quite different than what I envisioned in the offense.  Instead of being a stretch the field type of receiver, which he has done on occasion, he has shown that he is more than willing to go into the middle and is not afraid to take a hit.  

Brandon Pettigrew has already caught 22 passes this year, second only to Johnson, and has established himself as Stafford’s safety net.

Grade A- The only disappointment has been the lack of production from Nate Burleson.

Offensive Line

This unit has struggled at times during the season.  Although they have three games in which they did not give up a sack, I believe this is more of a product of Stafford getting rid of the ball quickly. 

The tackles have struggled in pass protections and the middle of the line has not been able to adequately run block.

The line is also picking up some untimely penalties.

Grade D+ This unit is going to receive a major upgrade this offseason.

Defensive Line

This is probably going to be the most surprising grade of all.  While the defensive line has not been bad, it is not giving the Lions the production they need.

The pass rush has been non-existent at times, especially in the first half against the Cowboys. 

The defensive tackles, Ndamukong Suh and Corey Williams are not able to make as many plays as last year, but that is not their fault.  The problem here is that Cliff Avril is not giving them the pressure of the edge that they need.  It might be time to give a little more playing time to Willie Young.

Grade C+ Much more is expected from this unit.

Linebackers

Justin Durant and Stephen Tulloch have been as good as advertised so far.  Durant missed the game against the Cowboys, but Bobby Carpenter filed in to the tune of a pick-six.

DeAndre Levy has been a bit disappointing; he has missed a few tackles, but overall he has been solid.

Grade A- This is the most improved unit on the team.

Secondary

Also a unit that is much improved over 2010. 

Chris Houston already has three interceptions.  He has struggled at times, but overall his play has been decent.

Eric Wright is second on the team with 19 solo tackles.  He has played better than I thought he would.

The safeties have done a good job limiting big plays.  No longer are receivers running free 20 yards down the field.

Louis Delmas seems to have regained his aggressiveness and speed, two things that were missing last year because of injury.

Grade B+ They haven’t been great, but they have outperformed expectations.

Special Teams

Jason Hanson proved that any season talk of his demise was silly.  He has been perfect on field goals and extra points.  He has also benefited greatly from the kickoffs being moved to the 35 yards line.  He is now booting balls deep into the end zone.

Rookie Punter Ryan Donahue has been as good as advertised.  He is averaging 45 yards a punt and has landed seven inside the 20. He only has two touchbacks so far.

Stefan Logan has not had many opportunities on kickoff returns and has averaged a disappointing 8.2 yards on punt returns.

The coverage units have allowed a few too many long returns.

Grade B: Hanson and Donahue both deserve an A+.

Coaching

What a difference a few years make.  In 2008, the Lions had one of the worst coaching staffs in the league.  Rod Marinelli is a good coach, he just was not ready to be a head coach.  He seemed lost at times. 

Fast forward three years and the Lions have one of the best, if not the best coaching staffs in the NFL.

Head Coach Jim Schwartz is a rising superstar.  Through four games the Lions have shown they can win through any means necessary.  They were able to hold onto a slim lead against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, they blew out the Kansas City Chiefs and they made a couple of huge comebacks against the Minnesota Vikings and Dallas Cowboys. 

He has shown that he can motivate his team to perform no matter how bad things are going.

Offensive coordinator Scott Linehan is putting his team in a position to succeed.  He was widely criticized after the Tampa Bay game because he went too conservative, but I hope those that did the criticizing were watching what can happen when a team gets too aggressive with the lead. 

Had the Dallas Cowboys punted every time they had the ball while leading by 27 points, chances are they would have won. Instead they got aggressive and had too many turnovers and lost.

Defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham has adjusted his style to best fit his talent.  He knows the defensive line is talented and as a result has only blitzed about 10 percent of the time. When he first got to Detroit he said he would blitz about 40 percent of the time. 

Grade A+ Only because there is nothing higher than A+.