1. Let the playmaker make plays.
Four catches for 30 yards just won’t get it done, if you expect to be a playmaker in the NFL. Credit the Packers for a great scheme last week, but also pin some blame on Andy Reid for a stale game plan.
Jackson didn’t even have a pass thrown his way until there was 5:28 left in the first quarter — and he saw just four targets the entire first half. The receiver was visibly frustrated during and after the game. This week, he’s confident they’ll get him going early. “I’m confident that Marty and Coach Reid will do things to get the ball in my hands real quick,” Jackson said.
2. Put your players in a better situation to win.
Say what you want about Kevin Kolb’s debut — 5-of-10 for 24 yards — but Andy Reid, to use coach speak, needs to do a better job putting his players in positions to succeed.
When the Packers dropped eight men into coverage, Reid went with the shotgun formation on eight of Kolb’s first 12 plays. With Vick starting Sunday, Reid will likely stick with mostly shotgun. But if the Lions prove they can stop it early, he has to switch to more three-step drops on the fly.
3. Don’t tread lightly on those lowly Lions.
These aren’t your father’s Lions. Yes, they are 0-1 and stuck with a career backup under center, but they have legitimate talent at the skill positions and an attacking defensive front.
More importantly, for the first time since Barry Sanders was there, they believe they can win.
“Any Given Sunday,” that’s why they came out with that movie,” Eagles end Brandon Graham said. “We’re not going to take them lightly because we know everyone is good in the league.”
