Week 12 –
Green Bay versus Detroit:
Burning Questions of the Week –
- How would you rate David Montgomery’s performance in the wake of the suspension for Jahmyr Gibbs and is there a possibility that Jahmyr Gibbs could lose his starting position moving forward?
David Montgomery is under contract with us for the next 3 years, he was brought in to guide Jahmyr Gibbs throughout his rookie season. Montgomery unfortunately lost the position battle in training camp. We asked him to be a mentor to Gibbs and he reluctantly agreed under the condition that he would still see at least 25% of the snaps each game. However, in week 4 against the Packers, David Montgomery took the first handoff of the game and was injured very badly. This injury sidelined him until week 11, last week versus the Chicago Bears. We didn’t want to ask too much of him, and in doing so, Montgomery only had 10 carries for 30 yards, but he did have two rushing touchdowns, broke 2 tackles, and had 12 yards after contact. Montgomery also hauled in four catches for 28 yards, so on the day has amassed 58 yards from scrimmage. We are going to ask a little bit more from him this week against the Packers. We are going to need him to set the tone upfront, our goal going into this game is to hold the time of possession as close as possible in our favor.
- Jared Goff threw 4 interceptions in the first matchup with the Green Bay Packers and has since thrown 11 interceptions, including 6 in the week 10 loss versus the Chargers. Are you asking too much of Jared Goff this season?
Jared is the leader of our offense, but he is in the top 6 for the most passing attempts in the league. On the season, he has thrown the ball 311 times and in the past two games, he has thrown the ball 97 times. 31% of his total passing attempts have come in two games, of which our team has lost. So, to your question, yes, we are asking way too much of Jared. We have to be able to supply him with a balanced running game, but in these past two games, our team has gotten behind the gun. When you’re behind the gun, you want to come out swinging, and unfortunately it has put Jared in the crosshairs. Jared Goff is making $30M in 2023 and $31M in 2024, but the Lions won’t eat a huge penalty for cutting him, in fact if they chose to, they could part ways with Jared Goff this season and save $25M. However, with the trade deadline already passed, it doesn’t make sense to outright cut him. The Lions have to assess their long-term plans, but drafting a quarterback in the off-season is not out of the question, even if Jared is able to manifest the success that he had in the earlier part of the season.
- Jameson Williams was still on IR for the first matchup against the Lions, how would you rate his performance, and how successful has he been in supporting the team in his new role?
Jameson was welcomed with open arms and was a pleasant surprise in his return week 6 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Jameson had 2 catches for 97 yards and 2 touchdowns. Jameson was able to help us pull off a come behind victory against the Buccaneers and with his help, the team went on to win three straight before dropping the last two games. On the season, Jameson has 13 catches for 329 yards and 5 touchdowns. He has been a crucial role in giving us a downfield threat. He was criticized last week against the Chicago Bears, however, he had a play in the forth quarter to get us down to the 20 yards line with under 30 seconds left in the game, and he gave up on the route and allowed the defender to bat down the ball. However, we are sitting at 5-5 with plenty of football left to be played, and Jameson will be depended on to beat coverages down the field to put us in positions to win.
- You traded a 3rd round pick for Kaevon Merriweather, but there are already four strong safeties on the roster, can you explain the game plan for him?
We traded for Kaevon with the idea that he was going to be a impacting player on special teams and eventually have a role as a sub linebacker for us. He is a little on the slower side to play as a traditional safety, but his 93 acceleration makes him an ideal candidate to roam the middle of the field. He has 88 hit power and the big hitter trait, but only 67 tackle. He has been improving his ability to bring down the ball carrier, but he has a tendency to take risks, and while the reward is a huge hit and possible, the risks sometimes outweigh them if he was playing as the last line of defense in that traditional safety position.
Short Week – Thursday Night Football:
Graham Glasgow – “Lets go out there with the expectation that we’re going to put a lot of points on the board and ensure that their life is going to be a bit easier and they don’t need to be perfect.” Glasgow was asked how the offense can help a Lions’ struggling defensive unit that is ranked in the bottom 10 for three of the four statistical categories. “Score-Gasbord” Our goal this week is to beat the Packers while scoring at least four offensive touchdowns.
Rivalry Game –
A reporter had asked our coached,” You’re facing a bitter rival in the Packers this week and limiting the impact of Jaire Alexander must be a top priority, how will you stop him? Coach Lion King gave praise to Jaire Alexander, he stated “Jaire Alexander is a fantastic player, and I don’t think there’s a way you can truly stop him. Your only hope is to slow him down and pray he doesn’t wreck your game.” Alexander is one of the best cornerbacks in the game and we expect to see him lined up against Jameson Williams for most of the game, but our hope is that we can catch him sleeping in a man press and beat him quickly over the top.
