Detroit Lions stock watch: Tion gets the Green light

The Detroit Lions have not given their fans much to be excited about lately, but one player in particular stood out last Sunday.

After the Detroit Lions‘ latest loss this past Sunday, it would be easy to once again criticize the defense’s inability to stop anyone, or go over yet another horrid first-half performance.

It is the Holiday season, and I believe that calls for some positivity. Even for the Lions.

STOCK UP

RB Tion Green

It seems that frustration with Ameer Abdullah and the (lack of) running game in general reached a boiling point with the Lions’ fan base. It’s that time of the season where panic ensues as playoff chances dwindle, and fans begin to clamour for sweeping changes.

Though neither Abdullah nor Riddick should carry all the blame for a lack of running lanes and lack of production, there is some merit to the “Well, it can’t get any worse” mentality.

Enter Tion Green, an undrafted rookie out of Cincinnati.

Green caught everyone’s attention – including the Lions’ coaching staff – with an impressive preseason. Although most of his action came against sub par competition late in those games, Green made the most of his opportunities, carrying the ball 21 times for 81 yards.

He also established himself as a dual threat out of the backfield, hauling in four passes for 87 yards, including this 74-yard screen pass for a touchdown against the Buffalo Bills:

This past Sunday, with Abdullah out with a neck injury, the first-year running back was active – literally and figuratively – and injected some life into a lifeless running attack.

Green was on the field for 21 offensive snaps, and turned 11 carries into 51 yards and a touchdown.

A player with a touching back story, Green’s performance on Sunday should be enough to warrant further action. The limiting factor, however, will be just how much opportunity given the Lions’ crowded backfield.

It will be up the Jim Bob Cooter and the rest of the staff to determine how to split the workload between Green, Abdullah (if healthy), and Riddick. It is hard to have faith in the staff’s ability to figure that out, given the inability to sort out snaps between Abdullah and Riddick alone thus far.

Next: Lions game balls in loss to Ravens

Hopefully, the coaching staff rewards the rookie, and we can look forward to more plays like this: