Dan Orlovsky ISN’T SOLD on the Detroit Lions as a Super Bowl contender 🗣️ ‘THEY’RE TIER 2!’ | Get Up

Dan Orlovsky ISN’T SOLD on the Detroit Lions as a Super Bowl contender 🗣️ ‘THEY’RE TIER 2!’ | Get Up

We do have a second half, but the first half has not been what they wanted. Two big plays and the Lions have grabbed this game by the throat. You can’t win a game being minus three in the turnover battle. Simple as that. Plenty of time. Cowboys need two scores, but I suggest you score on this drive. Illinois has gotten the Cowboys into the end zone and suddenly it is a three-point game. Shamir Gibbs has 12 rushing attempts and he’s got three touchdowns. Both these teams needed this football game tonight and the Lions are going to get it. We let a opportunity to win a game on the road against a good team get away from us. A game with all the implications in the world. Huge win. Lions crippling loss. Cowboys despite their favorable schedule the rest of the way in which our analytics suggest they could win perhaps should win all four games. Even that may very well not be enough. Let’s give credit words to our buddy Lewis Riddick. last week on this show talking about Jir Gibbs said this. There isn’t a running back in the league that I would want more than Jir Gibbs. Oh, this guy is living up to everything that they thought they were getting when they drafted him out of Alabama. And I’ll tell you what, Brad Holmes took a lot of heat when he took Jir Gibbs in the first round. How about that? And and so what did we see last night in Jir Gibbs? You’re seeing the total package, Granny. I mean, you’re seeing the total package. If you try and shut him, well, if you do shut him down or let’s just say you neutralize him to some degree in the run game, you see just how how dangerous he is as a flex wide receiver who can run the entire route tree. And here’s the thing about his explosiveness. It’s just not about speed with him. It’s about explosive strength as well because that speed comes with a guy who at 210 lbs is going to hit you with all 210 lbs on contact. And then the stop and start. It’s just absolutely ridiculous. And from a historical perspective, think about what this young man is doing. It’s been over 40 years since someone has averaged five yards per carry in three consecutive back-to-back seasons where he scored 10 touchdowns. It’s been over 40 years with Leroy Kelly being the last guy to do that. 1966. Think about what he’s doing on a historic level now. And he’s not even the full-time back. Yeah. You have David Montgomery taking reps from him. If they featured him the way like say a San Francisco features uh uh McCaffrey, this guy right here would be an MVP. He would simply be an MVP if you’re willing to give it to a position other than quarterbacks. He’s that good. And Lewis mentioned it in that little clip that we heard there and you mentioned it this morning. That draft class. I remember you and I do win that draft that year when they took Jack Campbell and Jir Gibbs in the first round and people cast a lot of aspersions in their general direction. If you’re to go by analytics or fiscal responsibility, the two positions you would never consider as priorities in the first round of an NFL draft are inside linebacker and running back. Those are guys that you get in the sixth, seventh round and you spend your money elsewhere. Those two players were the biggest players last night in the biggest game of the season. Jack Campbell was awesome last night all over the field. A guy out of Iowa who a lot of people raised their eyebrows. And to Brad Holmes’s credit, and Lewis, you called him out with the Jir Gibbs pick. He has stood behind that Jack Campbell selection since the moment they made it saying he is about everything we want to be in Detroit. Then you add in Gibbs who after the fact every GM and XGM in the league, oh, I was going to take Jir Gibbs. I was going to take Jir Gibbs. No, you weren’t. No, you weren’t. The Detroit Lions were the ones who were going to take Jir Gibbs. They’re the ones who actually put their money where their mouths were. And where everyone was raving about Bejon that draft, they were sitting pretty like, “We’re happy with this guy also.” And they got both of them in the picks in the teens. and everyone gave them a Dgrade in the draft the morning after. So, so if as I look at this Lions offense and you watch them play all season long, some weeks they look like this and you say to yourself, why is this team not? They’re still in trouble, too. I mean, the Lions, they got a big win last night that they needed, but they still are going to need help to get into the playoffs. Nothing is guaranteed. They haven’t looked like the same team consistently week in and week out for an offense that for the last few years has been probably the most explosive in the entire NFL. Are they a legit Super Bowl threat based on what we’ve seen the last two week we watched them play standalone games last Thursday this Thursday? What do we say about them? They’re still a tier below Seattle and LA. Seattle and LA are the two best teams in the NFC. And then I think Green Bay and Detroit are probably in that next group. The only issue with Detroit has been the interior of their offensive line. It just hasn’t been what it has been in the past. Last night was a really good night for it. They consistently controlled I mean the the puts plainly like Lewis called Jir was Jir best player on the field. We’re going to give you 20 touches. Go make the 20 touches worth it. And he was by far the person that Dan Campbell said we’re going to get you the football cuz no one in Dallas can handle you. And then the pride of Detroit is Bart Scott. A final word on the Lions. I mean listen I I get concerned with Jared Golf taking a show on the road outside in in in climate um conditions. also worry about them on the outside as far as we saw that you know CD Lamb get getting hurt changed the game. I don’t know if DJ Reid they’re going to have to try and cover up these corners on the outside to do that that pass rush going to have to step up and somebody opposite a Hudson’s going to have to be able to put pressure on the quarterback. Maybe the most underrated person in the entire organization is Kelvin Shepard. Think about what he is doing. Defensive coordinator. Absolutely. Avante Maddox had to come in the game last night and play safety and he’s out there making plays everywhere. That is coaching. That is preparation. That’s also Brad Holmes identifying the right kind of people who are backups who are highly intelligent football players. So the Lion side of it, great. They get a win. We’ll see. They get the the mini break here. Now Cowboys, meanwhile, licking their wounds. And I want to go back to the topic that we didn’t really have enough time to flesh out entirely. I’m looking at my wide receiver over there, Harry Douglas. And I’m going to ask you a direct question. Did George Pickkins play last night? I think there’s a suggestion online. Richard Sherman certainly suggested it afterwards that George Pickkins did not play with maximum effort and intensity last night. Is that what you saw? Yeah, it was lack of dasical in a ball game like that that mattered that much to the Dallas Cowboys from a guy that they view as a 1A or 1B, however you want to put it with him and CD Lamb, you cannot have a off and on switch. Every time that you take that football field, you have to go out there and say, “I’m going to dominate everyone that’s across from me.” That was not the case last night. You should not be running any route. I don’t care if you’re getting double team, if you’re single, if it’s zone coverage. Everything you do has to be full speed because when I look at the opposite side of the football, the Detroit Lions, everything that every wide receiver in that in that room did last night was full speed. No matter what the circumstances were, Greeny, I know what it looks like. I played with Rody White. I played with Julio Jones. Every single snap that those guys took was 110 miles per hour. So for George Pickkins, you have to take it amongst yourself to say, “Hey, I’m gonna be dominant at every point in the ball game.” Did he cost himself money? That is the question. I’m going say I’m going say this. I’m going to say this. No. Because somebody’s going to take a chance and be that desperate to say, “Hey, I need a number one on my team.” Because he’s made himself a lot a lot of money this year. He was the best receiver in football the majority of the season all the way up until last night. The best. So he cost himself. Look, they’re going to be, look, you’re going to have to really have to self- scout yourself as far as your organization, your wide receiver room, your offensive coordinator to say, “Hey, listen. You’re probably going to get a game or two like this. Something like this is going to come up. Do you have the infrastructure to withstand it? And are you willing to accept it?” I think the question is, can Dallas would Dallas even let him out of the building, you know, which I wouldn’t if I were them, I would I wouldn’t let him go, but are they going to buy long term? Are they going to franchise tag him? Because the best players I’ve ever been around inspires their team. Hines Ward you talk you saw yesterday we didn’t think St. Brown was going to play. He’s in the run game as a puller taking on linebacker. That’s what I’m talking about. Like, so you can’t. And then his opportunity to turn the switch on once CD Lamb goes down like, “Oh, now I’m going to be a bigger priority. You can’t turn, you can’t turn it on like that after that, after you’ve already set the stage.” I want to interpret what you said earlier for those of you who were with us at the top of the show. You were saying George recognized he was double teamed last night. Again, I completely defer to the expertise of all the players on on the stage here. um that that he saw that and and and just recognized it wasn’t going to be his play or his night. And it feels to me like the great ones don’t let that stop them. Like the the great receivers don’t look at that and say, “Well, I guess this just isn’t going to be my play.” They find some way to make themselves a difference on that play. Anyway, the the play that stands out is the the first play of the second half, the interception. Okay, this is earlier in the quarter, the the game, the third down, but the first play of the second half, that’s that interception by Robertson. Okay, right? He’s double teaming him. George is going to run a slant. That ball is going to get tipped up in the air, but one guy drives on the ball to drives on the ball and then makes that play. And I go back to, you guys don’t have this video, but I go back to the the last Thursday night Thanksgiving night game, Jamar Chase, who’s a bonafide number one. He’s getting double teamed. He’s got an out route and he stems inside, wins, sells the corner, gets four yards of separation. Reggie Wayne, Vincent Jackson, uh Calvin Johnson, Andre Johnson were guys that I was around. They didn’t care if they were getting single team or double team. They didn’t care. They actually wanted to get double team because it it was a pride thing. I thought George last night was consistently doubled and he just did not meet the challenge when it came to a pride level. I’ll say this, in Pittsburgh, they had an opportunity to assign him to a long-term deal. They instead traded for DK Metaf, paid him $30 million, and they traded him away for a third round pick. It’s not whether you like George Pickkins, it’s whether you want to put $40 million. That’s what it is. It’s levels. That’s what we’re talking about. Of course, you want George Pickkins on your football team. It’s at what price do you want him on your football team? Cuz that first clip right there, the one that Devonte Maddox broke up, did you see George’s body language as he saw him flashing that smoke? He didn’t want to come in. Exactly. You see it right here. You see it? Do you see him fade away like this? Devonte wasn’t even going for the hit. He was going for the pick. And you see it right there. First of all, look how he comes off the line of screen. You got a threat in the deep route. So, look, those are the kind of things that as a personnel department when you they’ve already been doing their free agency evaluations in the event that he was going to come available anyway. And you turn that on, are you going to go to the GM? You going to go to the owner and go, “Hey, you know what? Yeah, let’s pay him 35.” But come on now, Lou, you know, you can’t as a DB and as a defensive player, you know, you can’t even doubleify a little hitch or a comeback. There’s no coverage that somebody can get there. So, you got opportunities for yak. We’re talking about the Detroit Lions and all the yak today offensive uh receivers got he had opportunities there to take short passes and make them long gains. Look, he still has some time left in this season. You got to answer though. You got to answer for what you put on tape last night. It’s also other teams are going to watch it. Other teams are going to sit there and say, “Hey, if you go double him, if you put a guy to his side, he he’s not going to give you that.” He has to answer for that performance. Lions were a slim favorite last night and they covered. Speaking of which, let’s get Fortonball back into the conversation here with the best bet that comes out of last night’s game as you look forward with the Cowboys. Now, Joe, what are you thinking about? So, everybody’s down on Dallas today. Good. Let’s take advantage of the pricing adjustment bet on the Cowboys next week against Minnesota where they’re minus 6 and a half. Going into last night’s game, they were 7 and 12 point favorite. After that performance, it drops a point. Might only look like one point, but moving through the key number seven is significant. And you’re getting Dallas at a better price at home where they’ve been much better than on the road. at home this year 41-1 on the road 2-5. Speaking of on the road, Minnesota’s last four road games 1-3 with a minus 67 point differential. Minnesota is not built like Detroit. The quarterback position can’t take advantage of these defensive issues like the Lions did last night. I think the Vikings have scored six points in their last two games combined. So, the Cowboys at minus 6 and a half. That game is still 10 days away.

Dan Orlovsky, Peter Schrager, Louis Riddick, Harry Douglas and Bart Scott join Mike Greenberg on Get Up to react to the Detroit Lions’ Thursday Night Football win over the Dallas Cowboys, zeroing in on Cowboys WR George Pickens and Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs.

0:00 Cowboys vs. Lions
1:01 Is Jahmyr Gibbs the best RB in the league?
3:58 Are the Lions a Super Bowl threat?
5:57 George Pickens’ effort
8:13 Dan O film breakdown
10:30 Best Bets

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