Sundays’ Loss To The Los Angeles Rams Was A New Low For Offensive Coordinator Jim Bob Cooter And The Detroit Lions Offense.
It was another disappointing loss at the hands of the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday afternoon. I don’t think that anybody in their right mind expected the Detroit Lions to pull off the upset victory against the juggernaut Rams, but it doesn’t make another loss any easier to swallow.
The defense played surprisingly well for most of the game against a Rams offense that seems to have an unlimited supply of weapons at the disposal of one of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL. Unfortunately, the offense did not pull their weight in this one.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford‘s struggles continued.
The running game continued to look pathetic in the absence of rookie Kerryon Johnson.
The wide receivers continued to struggle to create consistent separation.
The offensive line got completely bullied by the Rams incredible defensive front.
The entire offense was a disaster, and yet, somehow, none of those things are the primary concern for Lions fans. Sure, fans are disappointed in the play of the offense, as they should be, but it isn’t the execution that was most concerning about the Lions offensive performance in Sunday’s loss to the Rams. It was the play calling.
Lions offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter continues to find new ways to fail in creating any semblance of creativity or unpredictability for long stretches of the game. The Lions run two trick plays, one of which goes for a touchdown, and fans act as though that is a victory on its own. The unfortunate thing is, it is a victory. That’s how bland the play calling has been.
Lions fans in the stands laughing at the offensive playcalling. They know. We know. Everyone knows. Cooter's gotta go.
— Jeff Risdon (@JeffRisdon) December 2, 2018
It seems like there is minimal thought has gone into what a team is expecting versus what the Lions are running. Cooter seems unconcerned with the expectations of the defense.
Predictable play calling has been a consistent problem during the tenure of Cooter, but this goes beyond predictability. Sunday’s game was a new level of bad for Cooter. Multiple times on third down, Cooter drew up plays that had almost no chance of success.
A draw play on third and goal from over ten yards out?
That play is not designed to succeed. There was no expectation that that play was going to result in points. That was Cooter deciding that the drive was over and trying not to turn the ball over. That was Cooter giving up on points and playing football that was conservative to the point of self-sabotage.
During the game, many were saying that the strategy was to play conservative, keep the game close, and try and win it at the end. That is not what this was. This was an example of a team that was trying to lose by as little as possible. It didn’t look like Cooter had any intention of winning that game.
Cooter inexplicably managed to hold back an offense that is starting backup receivers, running backs and was playing offensive guard Joe Dahl at fullback. That is not acceptable. It’s time for Cooter to go.
Thanks for checking out the article everyone. Go Lions! You can follow me on Twitter @Lanny1925 and be sure to join the community on the Detroit Lions subreddit.
