How much does the addition of Reggie Bush benefit the Detroit Lions?

The Detroit Lions, in recent years, have been one of the most prolific passing attacks in the whole of the NFL. However, they have been seriously hampered by their inability to run the ball. They seemed to be set to have a moderately effective running game when they drafted the dynamic Jahvid Best with the 30th overall pick in the 2010 draft. Unfortunately, a number of concussions have set Best back dramatically and have led many to question whether he will ever play another down of football. In a blockbuster move they managed to acquire the services of former Dolphins and Saints running back, the electric Reggie Bush. This was a vital move for the Lions, as it has managed to provide them with something that resembles a solid running game, which in turn should benefit the offense greatly as it will remove defensive focus from their superstar wide receiver, Calvin Johnson. Hopefully, this will allow Matt Stafford to utilise his record setting wide receiver to an even greater extent and ensure that he gets more touches.

Reggie Bush adds a number of important things to the Lions offense, speed, the ability to run the ball outside the tackles, and a dangerous threat in the passing game. His speed is so important because it allows him to escape and bounce run plays to the outside. In recent years in Detroit, there has been a serious lack of this capability, most recently with the trio of running backs that they used last year (Mikel Leshoure, Kevin Smith, and Joique Bell). All of these backs work inside the offensive tackles, running into the heart of the defense and picking up hard yards on every carry. Bell showed the most promise, coming along nicely towards the end of the season, and even managing to show a few promising flashes. This was most evident when he broke off a 67 yard dash against the Colts, an outstanding run that was ultimately the longest of the season for the Lions, showcasing his ability to read defenders, make people miss, and, most importantly, show that he does have breakaway speed. Another interesting statistic that should be noted is that Bell was the only back in Detroit to even post a carry over 20 yards - Smith made it to 19 and Leshoure to 16. These numbers just help to highlight the inability of the Detroit running game to pick up large chunks of yardage. If Bush can show that he is capable of carrying the majority of the load then we should expect to see Bell sharing the rest of the carries. The only worry that may arise from this situation are questions about Bush staying healthy for the entire season. Even with the recent encouragement of the past two seasons, where he played all but a single game, he has spent previous years seriously hampered by nagging injuries.

Another factor that Bush adds to the Lions offense is his threat in the passing game and his ability to make plays on special teams. There have been countless occasions in the NFL when a huge special teams play has helped to turn a game around or increase a lead (the most recent being the huge kickoff return in Superbowl XLVII by Jacoby Jones). Bush had a number of key punt and kick returns during his time with the New Orleans Saints, which ultimately brought him into the national spotlight. If he can be used effectively on special teams in Detroit his reputation as one of best playmakers in the game will continue to grow. Since the start of his career, Bush has had all the tools for success, but until now he hasn't fully capitalised on his opportunities. If he is given the opportunity to return punts and kicks that is a sign that the Lions hope that he can provide some much needed energy for their special teams. Fans can also expect to see Bush's superb catching abilitt in the passing game. Not only does he possess the ability to take a screen pass the distance but he can also line up as a wide receiver if need be, which gives the Lions multiple options when they are deciding how best to use his unique talents to threaten opposing defenses.

Another component is the rotation of defensive coverage away from the Lions superstar Calvin Johnson with the addition of Reggie Bush. After his record-breaking season, Calvin Johnson will undoubtedly receive even more defensive attention than ever before. If the Lions want to continue to use him as effectively as possible, they need to find formations and plays that utilise Bush while also giving Johnson the potential for big plays. This will force defensive coordinators to rotate some of their coverage to stop Bush from a big play, however, when they do this it will open up the field for Johnson and allow him to be much more effective. As long as they can find some way of ensuring that the aptly nicknamed "Megatron" can stay as equally prolific as he was last year then the Lions should expect to improve upon their disappointing record of 4-12 in 2012. They may even push for a playoff spot, but with the Packers at the forefront of the NFC North, they will have a tough fight to clinch a wild card spot in the post season.

The Lions have to make sure that they use Bush effectively, or they will continue to struggle and fall below their expectations. On the flip side, their defense is an entirely different matter that can be explored in another post. If Bush can stay healthy for the entire season, and Calvin Johnson maintains his prolific form, then there is no reason why they shouldn't make the playoffs.

With the continued recovery of RG3 are Washington the favourites to claim the NFC East crown?

In this latest post, I will be looking at the probability of the Redskin's being able to sit atop the NFC East at the end of the season if RG3 makes a complete recovery from his torn ACL. The Skin's have a lot of factors that are in the favour going into the 2013 season, apart from the injury to their star quarterback, they seem to be relatively healthy and have a few stars who are returning to the lineup after season ending injuries, mainly Brain Orakpo and Pierre Garcon. With the return of these players they should expect to be even stronger than last season when they managed to make the playoffs by winning the NFC East.

The emergence of rookie running back Alfred Morris last season is easily one of the key factors to their success in 2013, Morris posted a jaw dropping stat line, 335 carries, 1613 yards, yards per carry of 4.8 and 13 touchdowns. For a rookie who was taken in the 6th round these stats were unprecedented, he showed that he was not only a power back capable of bowling over defenders, but that he was also surprisingly nimble and could get around defenders.The dual threat this poses to defenses around the league make him one of the up and coming backs in the NFL. However his threat is greatly increased when he is utilised alongside Robert Griffin in the pistol sets used by offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan as well as the read option. This allows Washington to use their young back as effectively as possible in tandem with RG3 to create gaps in the defense that are always opportunities for either player to pick up big yards. His contribution to the team became more evident as the season progressed and RG3 ended up being hampered by his knee injury, this meant that the Redskin's offense relied more heavily on Morris to gain yards on the ground through conventional formations as well as the pistol and not through the read option. The game in which this was most apparent was the NFC East showdown against the Dallas Cowboy's in week 17. Morris performed superbly in the clutch rushing for 200 yards and 3 touchdowns to help the Skin's claim the NFC East crown and a playoff spot. This performance capped off an incredible season for the rookie, who will undoubtedly have an even better season in 2013 with the return of a healthy RG3.

The next big issue for Washington is the return of outstanding pass rushing linebacker, Brian Orakpo. If he can return to the level of performance that he has shown himself capable of (managing to rack up 28.5 sacks in his first three seasons) prior to a torn left pectoral in week 2 against the Philadelphia Eagles that abruptly ended his 2012 campaign. When he is at full health Orakpo is an outstanding outside linebacker who can provide pressure on the quarterback from the edge as well as being effective at stopping the run game. He is most effective when Ryan Kerrigan is on the other side, Kerrigan has racked up 16 sacks in his first 2 seasons and managed to cope effectively even when Orakpo was absent. With the return of his partner in crime Kerrigan should expect to see some of the protection shifted away and be able to experience even greater success. Orakpo will obviously see a myriad of shifts and blocking schemes to confuse him, if he can overcome all of this then he should be expecting a Pro Bowl place at the end of the year. With his return Washington should expect to see their defense to perform even better than they have in previous years and this will all contribute to their record at the end of the year.

Another couple of players who are returning this year after injuries that hampered their effectiveness in 2012 are Fred Davis and Pierre Garcon. These two players are the favourite and most reliable targets that RG3 possesses in Washington. Garcon only managed to play 10 games in the regular season and was hampered by a nagging shoulder injury, although he still managed to snag 44 receptions for 633 yards and 4 touchdowns, this was a disappointing season for the free agency acquisition from Indianapolis (34 year old Santana Moss got twice as many touchdown catches with 8) who many fans flagged to be the star receiver for their rookie quarterback. Fred Davis is also making a return to the lineup after suffering a ruptured achilles tendon in week 7 against the Giants, he had a dismal year only managing to amass 24 catches and 325 yards. Although the Redskin's managed to find a suitable replacement in Logan Paulsen they missed the vertical threat Davis provided. With his return RG3 will have an even greater number of assets with which he can stretch the field, as well as an able blocker in the run game. Garcon and Davis provide some veteran experience to a relatively young offense and will help to be leaders for the younger players, they will help RG3 to mature on and off the field.

A final reason that will determine the success of Washington is whether or not their veteran middle linebacker London Fletcher will return next season to anchor the middle of their defense, he provides a steady hand at the tiller and with his 16 years of experience he provides veteran leadership that will be extremely hard to find if he does decide to hang up his cleats. He has played at an exceptional level for his entire career and since 2007 has been a Redskin, for those 6 years he has never fallen below 100 tackles and has started every single game in his time in Washington. Although he has accomplished all of this Fletcher has only ever been named a pro bowl alternate and only eventually attended the game in Hawaii in 2010 due to the absence of  Jonathan Vilma. This leads to some speculation as to whether he is truly appreciated, all I can say is Washington will suffer a huge setback to their attempts to win the NFC East if Fletcher does indeed retire.

To conclude this post about the team that I support all I have to say is that the key problem that the Skins need to address is the health of RG3 if he comes back and plays at the same level that we saw for the majority of the 2012 season then there is no reason why they shouldn't yet again claim the NFC East title as their own. However if they lose veteran linebacker London Fletcher then they will find it difficult to maintain the same consistency on defense that they have had for the past 6 years. So to just round off this post, go Skins!