Yes, the Lions CAN Win the Super Bowl With This Defense

WXYT-FM / 97.1 The Ticket

Stoney and Costa explain how the Lions can win the Super Bowl despite their struggling defense.

Transcript

00:00Ball game, Dan Miller on the call, Lions go out West.

00:05Perfect on the road this season.

00:07Stoney, the big question though, can they win the Super Bowl with this defense?

00:13They can.

00:14I'm not going to make a prediction whether they will or not, but they can because they

00:18can outscore everybody.

00:20And turnovers are going to be the key.

00:23Turnovers were the key yesterday.

00:24And looking ahead to this coming Sunday, turnovers are going to be a key in this game because

00:28as bad as the Lions defense is, now Minnesota's defense isn't outstanding, but they do make

00:35a lot of turnovers.

00:37Brian Flores' defenses do create turnovers.

00:39They do.

00:40Yeah, the defense, it's just, I don't know what you could do.

00:44Eventually we knew because of all the injuries when you played a team with a really, you

00:48know, and yesterday, you're not playing a team that was really great.

00:54Obviously their offensive line was complete, and they were pulling guys off the street.

00:57Yeah, practice squad guys marched up and down the field.

01:00It's deeply concerning.

01:01Yes, and I'll tell you what one of my biggest concerns is, and I, the guy's got a great

01:07personality.

01:08Oh no, never great when you start that way.

01:10Yeah, I know.

01:11It's like sounding like a girl.

01:13Great personality, but he started off okay.

01:18Where's Adarius Smith been?

01:22Need more?

01:24Yeah.

01:26Maybe when McNeil went out, that change, I have no idea.

01:29I mean, Reeder didn't do much yesterday either.

01:30Well, as I say, he's the other guy.

01:31These are vets.

01:32Yes.

01:33And these are guys who, listen, when they had Ali McNeil on that defensive line, responsibility

01:40was spread out.

01:41Yes.

01:42Now the veterans have to lead.

01:43They have to produce.

01:44And I know Reeder's not a big sack guy.

01:46Interior pressure is a huge part of this game.

01:48Yes.

01:49And Zadarius has got to produce on the edge in a big spot in a big playoff game or this

01:53week in a week 18 matchup with the Vikings.

01:55Stoney, the formula is there.

01:58Yesterday is the formula for the Lions to win the Super Bowl.

02:00That's why I said they can.

02:01Yeah.

02:02And it's like, hey, guys, if it's not new, this defense is an issue.

02:07It's a problem.

02:08It's it's it could be the Achilles heel.

02:10But the way they're going to have to win is the way they did yesterday.

02:12The offense is going to have to be aggressive.

02:13They're going to have to go forward on fourth downs.

02:15You're going to have to get used to it if it bothers you.

02:17It's their path to victory in the red zone.

02:19They can't settle for a field goal.

02:21Sorry.

02:22I know they didn't get the first one.

02:23Good thing they got the second one.

02:24And Stoney turnovers are the answer.

02:26It's it's the riddle.

02:27Right.

02:28The other team doesn't punt at all.

02:29Right.

02:30But you're up two scores in the fourth.

02:31How did you get there?

02:32Solve for X turnovers, right?

02:34It's the only reason they were up two scores in the fourth.

02:37And one of those turnovers was just a gift.

02:38I mean, the other one, Joe, his other one, he made a great play, a great read.

02:43And the fact that he's got nine interceptions tells you something.

02:46Oh, speaking of that, we've been just throwing out like historic stats.

02:49Did you see the significance of his nine interceptions?

02:52The last lion to get nine interceptions since, I think, the Hall of Famer Jack Christensen,

02:56I believe.

02:57Ninth interception, the most in a season by a Lions defender since Jimmy Spider-Man Allen

03:02in 1981.

03:03Oh.

03:04Another one waits.

03:05It does.

03:06Oh, wow.

03:07Yeah.

03:08Just for you.

03:09I made sure to bookmark that one just for you this morning.

03:14Yeah.

03:17You know, the two times I have been in after Lion wins with John, he's been adamant of

03:22playing it.

03:23I know you guys love this.

03:24To me, this is a team that didn't make the playoffs.

03:27This song is from a team that didn't make the playoffs.

03:29I know we need to.

03:31We need a modern version.

03:32And I know this is a special place in your heart.

03:35Spider-Man Allen.

03:36I know.

03:37Lying in the room and M&M needs a remaster.

03:41Yeah.

03:42End of story.

03:43Get one of the best in the business.

03:46Or a Lions player.

03:49Do their own versions of, like, Super Bowl shuffles or stuff like that.

03:52Who would lead?

03:53Who's got some chops?

03:54Yeah.

03:55I mean, let us know.

03:56Does anybody have, like, a singing background on this team?

03:57Didn't McNeil do some music?

03:59Oh, yeah.

04:00He did some DJing and rapping.

04:02Yes, absolutely.

04:03Maybe a Lee McNeil, although he's not playing right now.

04:06He's got downtime.

04:07He could produce something.

04:08Right.

04:09Well, this team doesn't need crap like that, Jim.

04:10They're all about grit.

04:11Well, we saw, you know, look, obviously, you don't want them dancing right now, but we saw,

04:15you know, in hard knocks, Aiden Hutchinson can sing.

04:18Did you see him working out in the pool?

04:20Yeah.

04:21Oh, hey, Stoney.

04:23Maybe they don't need to have a perfect offense because Aiden will be there in the Super Bowl.

04:28So you guys ask, can this defense get it done?

04:30Yeah.

04:31That's the question.

04:32Can they win with this defense?

04:33Yeah.

04:34Because they have to outscore people.

04:35A lot of people have compared this team to the greatest show on turf, you know, in terms

04:38of just what they've accomplished offensively.

04:41I think they've almost exceeded that at some point now.

04:44But the greatest show on turf, when they won the Super Bowl, they had to play the Buccaneers

04:49in the NFC Championship game at home.

04:50They won the game 11 to 6.

04:53That Rams team had a better defense than this Lions team.

04:55But I do think this offense is just more balanced and slightly better.

05:00You know who I actually think they are or who I think they need to be?

05:04The 09 Saints.

05:05Yeah.

05:06So the 09 Saints win 13 and 3, Sean Payton, a mentor of Dan Campbell.

05:10Right.

05:11And that team did not have a good defense, but they forced timely turnovers, including

05:14Tracey Porter in the Super Bowl against Peyton Manning.

05:16And gee, their coach made controversial, weird things like an onside kick.

05:21Something you have to do, right?

05:22Their playoff games, they scored 45, 31, and 31 in the Super Bowl, 30 or more every game,

05:29a turnover here, blitz on a key down and get off the field there.

05:33Like that's a great analogy.

05:34The 09 Saints are the blueprint.

05:36So the answer is yes, the Lions can win a Super Bowl with this defense.

05:39I believe the quarterbacks they beat on that path were Peyton Manning, Brett Favre, and

05:43Kurt Warner.

05:44Yes.

05:45Because it's Cardinals, Vikings and Colts.

05:46We've talked about them, the Lions, maybe the elite quarterbacks when they get to the

05:50AFC, if they can get there to the Super Bowl.

05:52No, can't beat those guys.

05:53Well, there's a blueprint.

05:54But they also did attempt an onside kick.

05:56Porter had to pick.

05:57Don't forget.

05:58No, that wasn't the that weight.

06:01Yeah.

06:02So that was the year against the Vikings with Favre.

06:05Yes.

06:06Peterson.

06:07Remember the fumbles in the NFC championship game?

06:09Was that the Favre one?

06:10So they need.

06:11This isn't Detroit.

06:12This is the Super Bowl.

06:13Yeah.

06:14Paul Allen.

06:15Was that that was that year?

06:16I think it was.

06:17I'm at the full circle.

06:18Yeah.

06:19This is Detroit.

06:20Yes.

06:21This is the Super Bowl.

06:22Like that's that's where we could be in a couple of weeks here a month.

06:24So yeah, they turn their turn people over.

06:26They were opportunistic because they they did give up a lot of points at Saints team.

06:31I mean, that NFC championship.

06:32I mean, I think the Vikings scored twenty eight or thirty four or something like that.

06:36The Saints that season were the number one offense.

06:38Sound familiar?

06:39Thirty one points per game.

06:40Yeah.

06:41I'm near the same as the Lions.

06:43So their defense gave up twenty one points per game.

06:44It was 20th in the league.

06:46So they're sitting there with, you know, a bottom half bottom third defense winning the

06:50Super Bowl.

06:51The Pat's there.

06:52Oh, yeah.

06:53There's no doubt they can do it.

06:54Can.

06:55Yeah.

06:56I'm not going to sit there and they're going to win the Super Bowl with a crappy defense.

07:00No, but they can do it.

07:02I mean, their offense looks San Francisco.

07:05Say what you want about it.

07:06Look, obviously, you know, missing my green law hurt them all season, but they still have

07:11Bosa and Warner.

07:12We're still really good.

07:15The Lions can score on anybody, anybody.

07:19Isn't it crazy?

07:20There was a second touchdown, third and twelve, and they throw to St.

07:25Brown. He's not going to get the first.

07:28Pitches it to Jamo, turns a corner and he's gone and they're doing stuff like that.

07:32They're cutting edge because for years I know that the Chiefs do a little bit of that, too.

07:36For years, people have said if someone could figure out how to time it up, almost make

07:39it like a rugby play, a scripted rugby play, you're going to burn some defenses.

07:43And the Lions have said, OK, yeah, we'll do it.

07:45Yeah. And they've done it repeatedly.

07:47This is not like a one off for this team.

07:49It's an anomaly almost that they don't have a game without a trick play.

07:54Have they had a game without a trick play this season?

07:56They probably have, but it's hard to think of that.

07:58Right. And they've had so much fun.

08:02God, this team is so much fun to watch, you know, and part of it is excruciating because

08:08the defense like like last night and, you know, we'll talk about it with TJ when he gets

08:12here at seven o'clock, they they couldn't tackle.

08:16I mean, guys who are really short tacklers were missing tackles, even like Branch.

08:21And by the way, his penalties, he's got to like cool his jets to a certain extent.

08:26You're talking the late in the game.

08:27Yeah. Pushing someone after the play.

08:29Yes. And they would.

08:30And at times now pretty like Darnold to a to a lesser to a greater extent, because I've

08:38seen the way Darnold seems to be able to somehow snake his way out of getting sacked.

08:42I don't know how crazy, but like the Lions, when they did get through a little bit, it's

08:48like they were like would run right by the guy, the quarterback, but by Purdy, there

08:54were times when, you know, if he was there and then but they didn't do anything at the

08:58end, they got a few. I got one, I believe, or how I got one.

09:01And Adam's got one. I think Adam's definitely got one.

09:03I'm not sure I'm Muhammad. I actually want to give Kyle Shanahan a little bit of credit

09:06because to start that game, he coached like he had practice squad offensive lineman.

09:11They had misdirection.

09:12Oh, yeah. They were using receivers in the end around a little this and then cut back

09:16against the grain, trying to get the Lions defensive aggressiveness working against them.

09:20And Detroit really didn't blitz all that much early in the game.

09:23I'm wondering when they're going to dial it up.

09:25But I think some of that was the chess match.

09:26San Francisco is keeping them on their heels.

09:29Play action was killing the Lions.

09:31Awful. I mean, even guys like Campbell, Jack Campbell would bite.

09:36And then they had Kittle had like a cow pasture of green in front of them.

09:42And I kept wondering, can they get a strategic blitz here?

09:44Can they get a key takeaway?

09:45And it didn't happen till the second half.

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