Home NFLNFC NorthDetroit Lions Tate, Jones or Kerley? Who is the #1?

Tate, Jones or Kerley? Who is the #1?

by Jermaine Lockett
Calvin Johnson
Calvin Johnson

Mike Morbeck-Flickr

Life after Megatron?

These are some extremely huge shoes to fill. We all know Calvin Johnson retired this offseason. Is there anyone who can fit the mold and step up for Motor City? Is the Detroit Lions’ front office doing enough to seek out a solution? I say no? This team hired a bunch of twos, paid them like ones and expects to have success in 2016.

Is Tate the guy?

Lets start with Golden Tate. He is the only one of this trio that played with Calvin Johnson in Detroit. His 2015 stats are below.

 

2015 STATS

Catches          Yards             TDs

90                       813                   6

 

Tate a had a great 2014 pushing out 1334 yards an 9 TDs but that was only because he had Megatron on the other side. With no superstar to drag the double and triple coverage away, what will this young man do?

Bring in a Bengal?

GM Bob Quinn believes he brought in the answers via free-agency. He even speaks to his view of the talent of Marvin Jones in an interview, according to rotoworld.com

“He’s not just a one-dimensional receiver. He can run vertical routes, he can run short routes, he can run intermediate routes. He’s got very good hands, so I think he’s a guy that can get open and catch the football.”

Can the inconsistent Marvin Jones be the answer? Long time Patriots fan Tawny Lockett aka “Da Wife” had this to say:

“there’s no life after Megatron for them. It’s like Cleveland losing LeBron.”

She may be right but Patriots fans aren’t all that familiar with outside receivers anyway. Back to Jones. The former second and sometimes third-string receiver in Cincinnati now has a contract and a shot at the number one receiver spot, now with the Don Mega out of the picture. Am I being generous with the possibility? No, I say definitely not. Golden Tate has not done enough for the team to ultimately declare him the no. 1.

 

2015 STATS

Catches          Yards             TDs

65                       816                    4

 

Bitter but hungry…

Jeremy Kerley was also brought in during the offseason and could be already slotted as the no. 3. He definitely won’t be satisfied with the designation, after his shunning in NY. Kerley with work his butt off for the no. 2 spot. Before Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker came to town, Kerley was THE WR threat for the New York Jets. He is nowhere near the player he was in 2012, but he is a hardworking slot guy who brings value to this unit.

 

2015 STATS

Catches          Yards             TDs

16                       152                     2

 

No matter who is the guy, the show must go on. There will no longer be a show-stopping first-round fantasy football pick on the Lions Offense, but rest assured if you doubt the abilities of these three WRs, be ready to be shocked in 2016. They all have chips on their shoulders.

 

If you would like to read or hear more from Jermaine or fellow Couch Riders, please Subscribe to our RSS feed and like us on Facebook.

Jermaine Lockett is a Writer and CEO for Couch Rider Report. Follow us on Facebook or twitter.

You may also like