In an effort to better know the Eagles opponent this week, we exchanged some questions with Lion’s writer Sean Yuille of Pride of Detroit & SB Nation Detroit. My answers to his questions can be found here.
When I saw the Chiefs beat the Chargers Monday night and how excited that team and fanbase was, I couldn’t help but think how it made the Calvin Johnson “non” catch even worse. You guys had a chance to have that same kind of victory that would have pumped up the team and infused a new optimism amongst the fanbase and it was just stolen. I’m sure you’re sick of it, but would you mind giving us a few thoughts? How does it affect the team?
That’s a very accurate comparison. All offseason fans have been excited about the possibility of finally having a successful season. There has been plenty of talk about getting better, but last Sunday was the first chance to see any proof of it. While the Lions did struggle, they still were in the game and should have won, which is something we can’t say about past Lions teams. When they struggled before, it was usually blowout city, so it was encouraging to see them stay in the game despite losing Matthew Stafford. In the end, though, a lot of that optimism was simply washed away with that one call, as fans went from feeling good about the performance to feeling disappointment about how the game ended. There’s no doubt that the fan base was crushed by the call, and it has unfortunately taken away a lot of excitement surrounding the team going forward.
Who is the one Lion whose name we don’t yet, but will after Sunday?
Cliff Avril seemed like the obvious choice for this answer, because he is ready to have a breakout season. Unfortunately, he will likely miss Sunday’s game because of multiple injuries, so breaking out will have to wait. If I had to say someone else, though, I’d probably go with Tony Scheffler. Many people have probably heard of Scheffler, especially since he was involved in the Ernie Sims trade, but I don’t think people realize the kind of weapon he can be for Detroit. He has been one of the go-to guys on third down, and I think Hill will look in his direction quite a bit on Sunday.
Of the Lions’ youngsters like Pettigrew, Best & Suh who has impressed you most so far this year?
Jahvid Best was the most impressive during the preseason. He made a ton of plays and gave fans hope that the Lions finally found a feature running back. Even so, based on the first game my vote goes to Ndamukong Suh. Although Best had two touchdowns a week ago, he wasn’t able to do a whole lot else the rest of the game. Suh, on the other hand, was drawing double teams all day long and still found ways to make plays, getting his first career sack on Jay Cutler. A lot of what Suh does won’t be appreciated because teams are focusing so much on containing him, but his presence alone is impressive, as he opens up the rest of the D-line, which has also been impressive.
For more from our chat with Sean Yuille, check out Bleeding Green Nation.