As we wait for more commitment news, etc. it seems like it's time to break down the 2021 season and pinpoint what should be the team's top priorities for spring practice and the upcoming season.
Let's start with the one stat that really jumped out at me at the end of the season and it's one I expect longtime Lion fans to be shocked by.
Columbia turned the ball over a total of nine times for the entire season.
I'm not kidding when I say I'm pretty sure the Lions turned the ball over nine times in some individual games a few times in my lifetime.
That turnover total of 9 was way down from 20 the season before.
Columbia had 16 takeaways in 2021, coming mostly via interceptions (12). That number seems like it's lower than what a team would want over 10 games, but the +7 turnover ratio is very close to a good target number.
Much of the credit for the low turnover rate obviously goes to QB Joe Green, who threw just three interceptions and never fumbled the ball all season long. This validates the coaches' decision to give him the starting job as training camp ended, which I believe was heavily based on his ball security skills.
But I also can't remember too many fumbles made by the Lions RB's, which was also a blessing and it's another reason why the return of RB Ryan Young for 2022 is such a plus.
In general, I think the Lions offense should take a few more risks in the passing game now that we know Green isn't easily rattled. Later this week, we'll see just how much being too conservative with him as a passer showed up in the stats.
1 comment:
Joe Green did so many good things that we have come to take for granted, including his game management skills and his ball security abilities. He only seemed to have one flaw as a passer- the screen pass and the flare pass. For some reason he consistently threw those balls into the ground. I would refer to this as short-arming. Hopefully a full off season in the dome will take care of this.
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