Scouting Report
4 -
Detroit Lions
No matter how great Barry Sanders is, this team
will go nowhere fast unless quarterback Scott Mitchell can finally get his game in gear
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Onrushing linemen aren't the only ones putting the heat on Mitchell; the Detroit brass has hinted that the time to deliver is now.
(Jonathan Daniel/Allsport) |
Moments before
an afternoon practice early in training camp, Lions
quarterback Scott Mitchell stretched in the back of an end
zone while talking with Jim Zorn, the team's first-year
quarterbacks coach and former Seahawks
signal-caller. For almost 10 minutes the two
lefties talked about a coverage read Mitchell had made
during an earlier practice. Then, just before the horn blew
to signify the start of drills, Zorn pulled a packet of
aspirin out of his pocket and offered it to Mitchell. On
the job for less than a
week, Zorn was already earning his keep healing
Mitchell's—and the Lions'—biggest
headaches.
Most of Detroit's pain since Mitchell arrived in the Motor
City as a free agent four years ago has stemmed from an
inconsistent passing attack that has been slowed by the
quarterback's penchant for
performing like an Edsel in big
games. Mitchell is 27-28 as a starter for the Lions, and in
his two playoff appearances, a 58-37 shellacking by the
Eagles in 1995 and last season's 20-10 loss to the
Buccaneers, he completed just 23 of 54 passes for 233
yards, with one touchdown and five
interceptions.
Now, with Barry
Sanders, the 1997
league MVP,
and Pro
Bowl
wideout
Herman Moore in the prime of their careers, Mitchell's
window of opportunity in Detroit is in danger of being
slammed shut. Management
hasn't exactly been subtle about relaying that message. In
April the Lions traded up to select Eastern Michigan
quarterback Charlie Batch in the second round of the draft.
In hopes of further prodding the occasionally indifferent
Mitchell, who threw 19 touchdown
passes and 14 interceptions last season,
second-year coach Bobby Ross hired the fiery
Zorn.
"When I first got here," says Mitchell, "I
wanted to be the guy who took the Lions to the Super Bowl.
But I put too much pressure on myself to please everyone,
and that got me away from being a smart player. So people
have not seen me play my best football
yet."
Bringing that out will be the job of Zorn, best remembered
as the scrambler who quarterbacked the Seahawks from 1976
to 1984. Despite some gray around his temples, the
45 year-old Zorn still looks as if he could shake loose from a
tackle or two. After leaving Seattle, Zorn played two more
years in the
NFL and one in the CFL. He then worked in the collegiate
coaching ranks for eight years before taking a part-time
assistant's job with the Seahawks in 1997.
In Detroit, Zorn will concentrate on two points: keeping
Mitchell mentally focused and correcting the quarterback's
careless footwork. The latter should provide Mitchell with
a more balanced throwing motion and make him more effective
tossing intermediate-length passes on the move.
"I want to get the most out of Scott that we can," says
Zorn. "What we want is to get him to play up to his
expectations. And
ours."
| Schedule |
| Sept. | 6 | at Green Bay |
| 13 | CINCINNATI |
| 20 | at Minnesota |
| 28 | TAMPA BAY (Mon.) |
| Oct. | 4 | at Chicago |
| 11 | OPEN DATE |
| 15 | GREEN BAY (Thurs.) |
| 25 | MINNESOTA |
| Nov. | 1 | ARIZONA |
| 8 | at Philadelphia |
| 15 | CHICAGO |
| 22 | at Tampa Bay |
| 26 | PITTSBURGH (Thurs.) |
| Dec. | 6 | at Jacksonville |
| 14 | at San Francisco (Mon.) |
| 20 | ATLANTA |
| 27 | at Baltimore |
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|
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Although their personalities are polar opposites, professor
and pupil have taken to each other under a mutual sense of
urgency. Zorn is getting a first full-time opportunity to
coach in the NFL. Mitchell signed a four-year,
$21 million deal in February 1997; nevertheless, he may be
looking at a last chance. For the duo to click, they'll
need to improve on things that will play off Sanders,
especially play-action fakes, and things that will
alleviate the pressure on Sanders, most notably
Mitchell's third-down efficiency. While his quarterback
rating was a respectable 79.6, that number plummeted to
57.6 on third down. "Barry Sanders can run for 1,500
yards in his sleep," says Mitchell. "Becoming
effective in other areas is what will make this team more
potent.
That's
why the quarterback is critical to our
success."
Not everything, of course, has been Mitchell's fault. The
Lions' patchwork line gave up 41 sacks last year, and the
defense allowed only 13 fewer yards rushing per game (115)
than Sanders averaged. Both units are only slightly
improved. Furthermore, since being signed away from the
Dolphins as a free agent in 1994, Mitchell has had three
offensive coordinators, something he refers to as
"coaching chaos." In fact, this is the first
season he
hasn't had to learn a new scheme. That has freed him up to
work on his strength and flexibility with a specialist in
California. As a result, Mitchell came into camp in
probably the best shape of his nine-year
NFL career.
Good thing. Once that practice horn blew, the chitchatting
was over. After a full workout Zorn had his quarterbacks
running hills. Ross watched from across the practice field,
and the scene inspired him to predict that Mitchell was on
the verge of something special. Then Ross added, "I
only hope that it's very
soon." —David Fleming
By the Numbers | Inside Slant | Lineup
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