So the Detroit Lions lost to the Green Bay Packers again. That's 22, 32, 102, whatever, straight losses in Green Bay for the Lions. So what's the latest excuse being thrown around as to why the Detroit Lions lost? Calvin Johnson was out. Injuries happen all the time in the NFL, and as coaches like to say, it's next man up. So why is it, with Calvin Johnson and Nate Burleson out, the Lions pass attack looked even worse then the pass attack led by Boomer Esiason/Bubby Brister and wide receivers Ryan Yarborough, Wayne Cherbet, Charles Wilson, Jeff Snyder, Curtis Ceaser, and tight ends Kyle Brady, Johnny Mitchell, and Fred Baxter. I had to dig a little deep to find a suitable comparison to really clarify the lack of talent the Lions have at wide receiver.
This was a game that could easily have been won by the Lions IF ANY receiver position stepped up. No one did. Sure, Brandon Pettigrew made a nice play or two, then reverted back to form of dropping passes at key moments. Then you got Tony Scheffler, in a contract year, basically stating he wants to retire at the end of the season (the ball hits you in the hands, then your chest, and you still drop it, can it be placed better then that?) Then you got Ryan 'I Gots Two Bad Knees' Broyles. Most Lions fans will tell you 'he looked SO GOOD last year until he blew out his knee!' Two games into the return of Ryan Broyles and...nothing. if ANYONE was going to step up in the absence of Nate Burleson and Calvin Johnson it'd be him right? The guy the Lions spent a second round pick on, even though he was rehabbing a blown knee. Broyles looks like he's still mentally bothered by the fact that he has two bad knees. Physically he looks fine. So why is he not producing? All the other receivers kind of blend in together at this point. Kris Durham, Patrick Edwards, Kevin 'Giant Killer' Ogletree, it doesn't matter, they all looked the same. Ogletree is the Giant Killer because in his contract year, Ogletree had 32 catches, 436 yards, and 4 touchdowns. That sounds good right? Until you see in game one against the Giants, he had 8 catches for 114 yards and 2 touchdowns (Cowboys won that game.) Ogletree got 1/4 of his receiving yards, 1/2 of his touchdowns, and 1/4 of his receptions in one game.
So what does all this have to do with Hakeem Nicks? Well, that picture should be pretty clear by now. Reggie Bush was brought in to spark the offense, you can't focus in on Calvin Johnson when Reggie Bush can burn you. With Calvin Johnson out, Reggie Bush is just another guy, he's got talent and skill, but he can't do it by himself, and he never has. Calvin Johnson and Reggie Bush are like peanut butter and jelly. Sure you can have one without the other, but it just doesn't taste right, and you're left feeling unfulfilled. There were rumors, unsubstantiated rumors, but still rumors were swirling, that the Lions were interested in trading for Hakeem Nicks. Personally, when I heard the report, I didn't see why the Giants would trade him away, even if they were 0-3 at the time. Well, now the Giants are 0-5, and most likely 0-6 after they play the Bears on Thursday night. Then maybe they go 0-8 when they play Minnesota, then Philly again, before having a shot at their first win against the Raiders. That hole they started digging in week one, isn't getting filled in any time soon. Hakeem Nicks is most likely gone in the offseason because the Giants most likely won't give him the money he wants, especially when they need that money to fix the offensive line, secondary, and linebacking corps. With Hakeem Nicks on the Lions, if Calvin Johnson can't go, there's a bonafide stud still on the field for the offense to work with Reggie Bush and a bunch of under achievers.With Calvin Johnson healthy and ready to go, that offense could not be stopped. You can't watch Calvin Johnson AND Hakeem Nicks AND still contain Reggie Bush. It'd be like when a team like Alabama plays a team like North West Central New Mexico State. There's just too much talent on the field, and you don't have enough talent to match. It would also greatly improve the defense. EVERY defense plays better with a lead, and when they force teams into being one dimensional. The Lions defense is no exception to that rule. The Lions defense also isn't good enough to keep all the holes patched up, eventually it'll be exploited (like today) and they are going to give up points.
I've heard two different arguments as to why the Lions shouldn't trade for a guy like Hakeem Nicks. The first being 'the Lions shouldn't need two amazing wide receivers to run the offense.' That's correct. However, the Lions haven't had a good #2 receiver (whether it's a tight end or another wide out,) since Brett Perriman played opposite of Herman Moore. if you look around the league, there are plenty of one-two punches in the receiving game. Last year's Super Bowl winners had Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith. The Falcons have Roddy White and Julio Jones (or replace either one with Tony Gonzalez.) When Peyton Manning won the Super Bowl, he had Reggie Wayne and Marvin Harrison. The Greatest Show On Turf had Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt. Green Bay right now has Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb (or switch James Jones in for one of them.) Dallas has Dez Bryant and Jason Witten. The Lions need a one-two punch and all they got right now is a one and nothing else to punch with. The second argument is that Matt Stafford needs to start making his receivers better. You can say the great quarterbacks make the guys around them better. It might appear to be true, but you need to be able to find receivers with skill sets to 'make it' in the NFL. The Lions have had/currently have some of the supposed greatest collegiate wide receivers ever. Yet, Tom Brady throwing to Kenbrel Thompkins is helping the Patriots win games. Why? It's almost completely the skill set of the players involved. Kenbrel Thompkins came from a small school not known for throwing the ball. He is a solid route runner, and is showing to have good hands, now that he's finally getting in sync with Tom Brady. For all intents and purposes, Thompkins shouldn't be on an NFL roster because he played receiver at a small college that liked to run the ball. His skill set, however, transitions quite nicely into what the Patriots do on offense. So where the Lions are taking, quite literally, the flashy wide receiver with the big numbers that they think could transition into their scheme, the Patriots are taking guys that fit their scheme, and working to make them better in the other areas. At this point, it's less to do with the quarterback not making guys better, and more to do with the receivers not being able to transition to the NFL. Considering how many quarterbacks the Lions have gone through, someone at wide receiver, whether it's Scotty Anderson, Roy Williams, Tim Toone, or Kez McCorvey, would have stepped up and been a legit receiver in the NFL, but for one reason or another none of these guys have made the transition. It might be time to stop looking to the draft for a good second receiver, and more towards trades and free agency.
No one is saying the Lions are a Super Bowl contender RIGHT NOW. In fact, it's the whole other end of the spectrum 'win or be fired.' So if you're running this team like it might be your last, wouldn't it be in your best interest to give up some pieces to make a legit run at the playoffs? The defense isn't good enough to hold the Lions in games until the offense can get moving. The offense is one injury away from being a top five draft pick team. Now might be the time to look East, call up Jerry Reese and make some offers for Hakeem Nicks. If Hakeem Nicks landed on the Lions, the offense would be good enough RIGHT NOW to rival what Peyton Manning is doing in Denver, and when you look at the Lions schedule, an offense that powerful could propel them into the playoffs, giving the current regime a little longer to work the team over to becoming a perennial playoff contender at worst.
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