Detroit Lions stock watch: Offense, Cooter exposed
By Matt Bosko
The Detroit Lions limp into the bye week with serious questions about the efficiency of their offense.
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Jim Bob Cooter
The name is not even fun to say anymore.
Well, yes it is.
The problem is that there is just nothing else positive to say about the Detroit Lions offense these days. The Lions offensive coordinator has been coordinating some truly offensive game plans that lack both ingenuity and continuity, the same issues that led to Joe Lombardi’s dismissal two years ago.
There is no question that Cooter, formerly a quarterback coach, has brought the best out of Matthew Stafford. What he has been unable to do is bring out the best in the rest of the offense around that quarterback (AKA coordinate the offense) and that is a major problem.
It is clear that his offense has become predictable.
It was not dumb luck that the New Orleans Saints batted down 12 passes at the line of scrimmage. It was not dumb luck that the Saints stuffed Zach Zenner on third-and-one when Nick Bellore lined up at fullback. It was not dumb luck that the Lions once again failed to score from inside the opponent five yard-line by throwing a pass short of the goal line.
The Lions offense is a poker player who rubs their chin every time they are holding a pocket pair. Teams have keyed in on tendencies and are exploiting them on Sundays. Cooter has the bye week to make some major adjustments and inject some creativity into a woeful Lions’ offense.
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Grit
There are a lot of teams that wave the white flag trailing 45-10 late in the third quarter.
The Lions are not one of those teams, and that says a lot about the team’s character, leadership, and head coach.
Stafford’s toughness is well-documented. He will play through just about any injury, put his body in harm’s way for the extra yard, and repeatedly drop back to throw in front of one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL.
There were other players who fought until the bitter end on Sunday, even when it appeared all hope was lost. Safety Miles Killebrew, called on for more time due to the injury to Glover Quin, started the Lions late rally with a strip of Mark Ingram.
Tackle Rick Wagner, who battled through a shoulder injury all week in practice, suffered an ankle injury in the second half when the Lions had no linemen left. He got it taped up on the sideline, and promptly re-entered the game to protect his quarterback.
Rookie Jamal Agnew returned a fourth quarter punt 74 yards for a touchdown. Though he muffed a punt several series later, he had the wherewithal to throw his body outside the end zone to prevent a safety.
These players helped the Lions get back into the game, and though too many mistakes led to the Lions’ demise, it was encouraging to see the team fight through adversity.
The second-year defensive tackle gets a separate mention for his overall performance. In addition to his interception score against Drew Brees to bring the Lions within 7 points, Robinson was a force to be reckoned with last Sunday.
Next: Sam Martin returns to practice
With Haloti Ngata‘s season-ending biceps injury, the Lions need someone on the interior of that defensive line to step up. Robinson answered the bell against the Saints, garnering the Lions highest grade according to ProFootballFocus.