Detroit Lions: Three Things to be Thankful for this Thanksgiving

It’s Thanksgiving Day, so I’d like to wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving.  We are going to keep everything MOSTLY positive for you today, in a very negative time in Detroit Sports.  I’d like to briefly go over three things we, Detroit Lions fans should be thankful for today.

It’s been a year filled with false hope, injuries, underwhelming defensive play, poor coaching all amounting to another long season for Detroit Lions fans.  You’ve heard the phrase, ‘rebuilding since 1957’ along with the brown bags used to mask fans’ faces inside Ford Field.

You’d think Matt Millen and Rod Marinelli were back in Detroit or something.  By now, you’ve read the articles stating ‘real fans’ won’t show up to Ford Field today.  ‘Real fans’ will boycott the Thanksgiving Day Classic to send a message to owner Martha Ford and team president Rod Wood. A Ford Field filled with cheering Bears fans is supposed to tip management’s hand, in turn, forcing a regime change out of embarrassment.

I’m here to tell you; I’m going today. Yes, because of the tradition but more importantly, because I love football. I love the atmosphere outside the stadium on Thanksgiving, I love interacting with other fans and did I mention I love football?

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Here are three things to be thankful for this season.

Matthew Stafford – A Franchise QB

The Detroit Lions quarterback was having a phenomenal season under the guidance of newly appointed offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell before being shut down due to his reoccurring broken back.  I mean, that is an odd way to type it, but the man has broken bones in his back stemming back to last season.

I do believe Stafford would be playing right now if the Detroit Lions were in the hunt, that’s how he’s wired.  He plays through injuries; he played through that back injury last season.  I believe Detroit decided to sideline him until he’s fully healthy since they are fourth in the NFC North, a wise decision.

At this point, there is no reason to risk further injury. With pressure on Lions ownership to make drastic changes, no one wants to be on the field to silence the critics more than Matt Stafford.

When Matt was shut down, he owned a passer rating of 106, according to NFL.com, which ranks him 7th in the NFL.  He was completing 64.3% of his throws, 2499 yards totaling 19 touchdowns to only 5 interceptions in 8 games played.

All of that with absolutely no rushing attack is very impressive.  He is thriving in this new offensive system that focuses on stretching the football field with deep throws rather than the 3 and 4 yards Jim Bob Cooter designed plays.  We should be thankful to have Matthew Stafford, who’s just 31-years old as our franchise quarterback.

Marvin Jones & Kenny Golladay – Two Dynamic Receiving Options

Yes, I’m grouping both of these talented playmakers together.  With Matthew Stafford as the signal-caller and no run game to speak of, these two receivers performed as one of the best tandems in all of football.

The pair has caught 8 touchdown passes each in ’19 which leads the entire NFL for receiving touchdowns by a tandem.

Marvin Jones is so underrated.  Many folks consider Golladay as the teams’ number one receiver, but I disagree.  Golladay will fit that bill in the future, but today it remains Jones’ gig.  The sure-handed Jones has yet to drop a pass in 2019. Kenny has let go of 4 thus far.

Marvin has made 51 grabs totaling 701 yards on the season.  Golladay, in more of a big play role, has made 43 catches for 792 yards.  Consider them as WR1A & WR1B. They rank 17th and 21st respectively in receiving yards in the NFL.

Jones the 29-year old is in the second-last year of his 5-year $40-million contract.  He will be a candidate this Spring to have his contract extended by the Detroit Lions.  Golladay is a 26-year old playing on his rookie deal.  He becomes a free agent in 2021 as well, but he’s set to receive a substantial raise soon.  His cap hit currently sits at $885k this year and a mere $930k next.

Frank Ragnow – A Future Pro-Bowl Center

I firmly believe Frank Ragnow is a future pro bowl, all-pro NFL center.  To this point, Bob Quinn has yet to draft a pro-bowl player.  When you think about it, that’s disappointing and incredible all in one.  It’s only a matter of time before Ragnow flips that script.

The Detroit Lions drafted Frank with the 20th pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.  He played as a stand-out center with the Arkansas Razorbacks, but the Lions decided to move him over to left-guard during his rookie season.  Looking back at it, the reasoning was fitting.  The team didn’t want to throw Ragnow into the fire having all the responsibilities to make the line calls as a rookie.

The team opted to move their best offensive lineman back to his natural position, in turn, anchoring the offensive line.  I believe it’s an OL that needs some upgrading this offseason, but Frank is a player to build around.

He’s ranked much better across the board in his second year, which is hugely positive for the Detroit Lions moving forward.  Ragnow allowed 36 quarterback hurries last season, this year he’s only allowed 13, and better yet, only 2 in his previous three starts.

He’s proving to be a much better run blocker than pass blocker so far, but once he’s more consistent as a pass blocker, he will become a pro bowl caliper NFL center, something to be very thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving.