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8/19/05
8/19/05
<TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=0 width="98%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=3>Under the Microscope: Detroit Lions
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Joey Harrington
</TD><TD noWrap width=3></TD><TD vAlign=top>By Tom Casale
Date: Aug 19, 2005
More about the Browns upcoming opponent this Saturday at 1PM...
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Romeo Crennel got his first win as Browns’ head coach last Saturday with a 17-14 victory over the New York Giants in the team’s first preseason game, but may face a tougher test this Saturday against the Detroit Lions. In fact, Las Vegas is so confident that the Lions will clobber the Browns that they gave the Motor City Kitties an unusual 6.5 point spot over the Browns earlier this week.
The Lions were defeated by the Jets in their preseason opener 10-3. It has been an interesting week at Lions’ camp.
Despite going 9-9 for 100 yards against the Jets, embattled Lions’ quarterback Joey Harrington wasn’t sure if he would get the start against the Browns. Head coach Steve Mariucci hinted earlier in the week that veteran Jeff Garcia may get the start against his former team. Garcia was brought in by the Lions as insurance in case Harrington struggles this year. While Harrington has shown flashes of potential, he has been inconsistent so far in his career, going 14-30 as a starter in his first three NFL seasons.
On Thursday, Mariucci put an end to the speculation by naming Harrington the starter, although the coach stated that he wants to see Garcia get some snaps with the first-team offense as well. Garcia went 7-11 for 52 yards and an interception against the Jets, playing primarily with second stringers. “Our thought would be to start Joey like last game. The difference would be that we would try to get quarterback Jeff Garcia in with the ones at some point,� Mariucci told the media yesterday.
The Browns can expect to see Harrington for about a quarter and Garcia for two quarters Saturday afternoon. Rookie Dan Orlovsky, who the team is very high on, will most likely take the rest of the snaps at quarterback.
While the Lions may not be 100% sure who is going to be throwing the football, they certainly have the receivers to throw it to. The Lions have used a top ten draft pick on a wide receiver in the past three NFL Drafts. Charles Rogers, Roy Williams and Mike Williams are considered by many to be one of the best young receiving corps in the league but they are unproven. The absence of Daylon McCutcheon (headaches) and Michael Lehan (hamstring) will be especially painful against this unit.
Roy Williams had a strong rookie season in 2004, catching 54 passes for 817 yards and eight touchdowns, despite missing two games. Rogers has talent on his side but not luck. The young receiver broke his collarbone in each of his first two seasons, limiting him to only six games. Rogers is healthy now and the team is hoping he can stay on the field and provide some big plays for the offense. Mike Williams has had a decent but unspectacular training camp so far. He is currently listed fourth on the Lions’ depth chart behind Williams, Rogers, and veteran ex-Brown Kevin Johnson.
The Lions also brought in tight end Marcus Pollard from the Colts. Pollard’s numbers have declined over the past three years but he is still a good receiver who gives the team another option in the passing game. If Harrington can finally put it all together, the Lions could have a dangerous passing offense in 2005.
While the receivers get all the publicity in Detroit, Kevin Jones is the guy who makes the offense go. The second-year running back led the entire NFL with 906 rushing yards over the second half of the 2004 season. Jones is a powerful back with explosive speed. Mariucci said earlier this month that the entire offense would run through Jones this year. The former Virginia Tech star ran for only six yards on three carries in the opener but he can expect to see more action against a Browns’ defense that gave up 154 yards on the ground against the Giants, most of it by the first-team defense.
The Lions suffered one major injury last week. Starting fullback Cory Schlesinger broke his fibula and will miss the first few weeks of the regular season. Paul Smith, Will Matthews and Shawn Bryson will compete for the starting fullback job but none of them are the blocker that Schlesinger is. His absence is a big blow to the Lions’ running game.
Mariucci was not happy with his offensive line against the Jets. The unit gave up four sacks and too many running plays were blown up in the backfield. The group will need some time to gel with two new starters; left guard Rick DeMulling and right tackle Kelly Butler. After last week’s poor performance and the fact that the coaching staff wants to evaluate Garcia, look for the starting offensive line to play the first half against the Browns.
The one area where the Lions believe they can make huge strides this season is on the defensive side of the ball. Defensive tackle Shaun Rogers is arguably the top interior defensive linemen in the NFL right now. Rogers can both stuff the run and rush the quarterback from the inside. He is the kind of dominating presence the Browns are hoping to add to their defense in the near future to as Romeo Crennel looks to revitalize the team's defense. Defensive end James Hall is coming off a breakout year where he had 11.5 sacks. Hall and Corey Redding form a solid duo at defensive end. The Lions are blessed with a lot of speed and depth along their defensive front.
The biggest addition to the defense in 2005 will be the return of Boss Bailey. After a tremendous rookie season, Bailey missed all of 2004 with a knee injury. The former University of Georgia standout is back and fully recovered from his knee injury. His speed and playmaking ability is a big plus for the Lions’ attacking style of defense. Bailey played 20 snaps against the Jets and should see more action this week as the team brings him along slowly.
There is a battle between 10-year veteran Earl Holmes and Teddy Lehman for the starting middle linebacker spot. Holmes has been a tackling machine during his NFL career but the edge goes to Lehman. The versatile Lehman has more speed than Holmes that allows him to cover more ground and play back in pass coverage.
The Lions’ secondary has a chance to be top-notch as well. Dre’ Bly, Fernando Bryant, Kenoy Kennedy and Terrence Holt all have big-play potential. Bly has turned into one of the best cover corners in the league. He had four interceptions last season and Bly is a threat to return any pick for a score. The Lions brought in Kennedy from Denver to add some toughness to the secondary. Kennedy is a vicious hitter and a big asset in supporting the run. Bryant injured his shin in practice on Thursday. R.W. McQuarters will start at corner if Bryant is ready to go for Saturday’s game. The Lions made a play for Ty Law this offseason but even without him, this secondary should be strong in 2005.
After playing their starters sparingly in their openers, both the Lions and Browns will keep their first-team players on the field longer this week. Despite getting the win, the Browns have a lot to improve on. Their defensive line largely didn’t pressure Eli Manning and was pushed around in the running game. Trent Dilfer looked rusty in his two series at quarterback, holding onto the ball too long and creating more opportunity for holding calls. These are some of the areas that Crennel will be looking for improvement in as the regular season draws closer.
Ford Field in Detroit will host this year’s Super Bowl so Crennel and the Browns are hoping this won’t be their only trip to the Motor City this year. Hey, we can dream, can’t we?
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