OK, so with all of the wacky tabacky issues our Detroit Lions have been going through I was a bit hesitant to use the phrase “get off the pot”. I don’t want to confuse you, but this article is not about the Ganja and I’m making no references to the sticky green. Are we clear? Good.

This is all about players who have flashed elite-level talent but that’s all they have given us, flashes. This is about players who need to show up big this year or else get classified as a SO-SO football player. I don’t have to tell you what happens to so-so football players, but I will anyway. Their team starts looking for replacements.

You might get ticked at me if one of your favorite players is on this list but don’t blame me for their consistent level of just better than mediocre! Sheesh….

Oh, and I’m leaving off all players that haven’t shown ANY flashes, like Amari Spievey for example. Players like him aren’t good enough to make this list. Sorry Amari…

On to the players watch list.

1. DeAndre Levy – The 4th year LB drafted out of Wisconsin has been a steady yet unspectacular player even though given tons of playing time at multiple positions. Don’t scream at me, I’m not saying Levy sucks. He is pretty good in pass coverage and he is a good technical player with 109 tackles to show for it last year. That’s all well and good, what…ever.

The problem with DeAndre Levy is that he simply doesn’t make enough big splash plays. I can’t count the amount of times I wondered if he was even on the field or not, the guy just disappears for entire quarters! Not many huge mistakes (thankfully) and definitely not many huge plays. He should be more than that by now.

He is an absolute non-threat to any quarterback’s backfield, I swear QBs don’t even acknowledge his “threat” of a blitz because whether he’s coming or not he won’t be hitting the QB. Vanna White would get more attention from blockers if she stunted towards the line pre-snap! (Awwww snap!)

It’s time for DeAndre to become  atleast a reasonable version of a threat at his position or for the Lions to replace him. He’s never going to be a Clay Matthews but he needs to step up or step out of the way, this is the year in my opinion.

2. Louis Delmas – First of all, let me say that Delmas is one of my favorite Detroit Lions players mainly because of his intensity and hilarious personality. But that’s not going to keep my man off of the list.

(photo credit: Wikipedia)

Louis has two glaring issues that seem to temper his ability to be an elite safety so far. Those two things are his uncanny knack for blowing by potential tackles because of going for the “kill shot” all the time and his inability to stay healthy. That’s it.

Delmas has yet to play a full 16-game season and even in many of the games he plays, he’s playing injured. This is something we just have to hope changes because there’s not much he can really do about the way his body holds up to the beating NFL games give.

But the “kill shot” mentality must go, first of all he’s not even big enough to be trying to blow people up so much, maybe that’s why he keeps physically imploding year after year. Delmas misses more tackles trying to make the big hit than any player on this team and it’s getting reaaaaaaal old.

Delmas swings and misses more than Brandon Inge in a blindfold, he needs to focus on wrapping up and taking the ball-carrier to the ground and that’s it. It will make him a better player and make him hard to replace.

He needs to show improvement this year, how long can wait we on him to become an elite player that we can actually count on?

3. Gunther Cunningham – Wait what? Gunther isn’t a player you say? Well obviously you haven’t seen him when he’s around the ladies and wearing his Hugh Hefner robe! Dude is a PLAYER!!! OK, nothing I just said was true but it made me laugh as well as throw up in my mouth a lil’ bit.

Anyway, Gunther is like my Louis Delmas of the coaching staff. I love his personality and I love the loyalty and love he pours out to my city when he speaks. But I need to see the production on the field, period. Our defensive schemes don’t seem to have very much imagination involved the last couple of years and the production is lacking.

Let me ask you this…. What ever happened to that thing the Lions defensive line would do in 2010 when Suh, Vandenbosch  and others would take their hand off the ground pre-snap and start hovering over different guards and tackles all throughout the line?

You could literally see the O-line freaking out, looking back and forth trying to figure out who to block! I thought in 2011 they were going to perfect and build on that but NOPE, we didn’t even see it in 2011. Atleast I don’t remember seeing it enough to remember it.

I don’t know what they were calling it, but I called it EPIC and it was working, I don’t have the slightest of clues why they stopped doing it. Either way, whether they return to that or not Gunther needs to step up his coordinating game THIS YEAR because he has players. I really hope he does step up, I like the old ball coach.

Anyway, let me know if you agree or disagree with my watchlist and give me some guys on your “piss or get off the pot” watchlist in the comment section! GO LIONS!

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