PASS DEFENSE Del Rio displeased by Lions’ big plays
DETROIT — Jack Del Rio knows that the reporters he talks to every day are tired of hearing it. Guess what: The Raiders’ head coach is tired of saying it.
On Sunday, he had a familiar answer after the Lions exploited the Raiders with short passes, especially bubble screens to receiver Golden Tate. It’s the same answer Del Rio gave when Oakland couldn’t cover tight ends earlier in the season.
“If I told you leverage and tackling, would you be surprised?” he said. “I’ve said that a lot. We have to do that better in our back end, and when you don’t do it well, some of the simplest, basic plays become explosive plays.
“That should not be an explosive play.”
Tate finished with a seasonhigh-tying eight catches for 73 yards, and running back Theo Riddick added five catches for 72 yards, 56 coming in the fourth quarter. Cornerback D J Hayden, linebackers Ben Heeney and Malcolm Smith and safeties Charles Woodson and Nate Allen all had their ankles challenged on jukes and were found lacking.
Heeney’s missed tackle on Tate’s 21-yarder, a 3-yard pass from the 20-yard line at the end of the third quarter, gave the Lions new life.
Allen said the players need to do a better job of recognizing the plays when they develop.
“That, and getting off of blocks,” Allen said. “Just fundamental things.”
Cornerback TJ Carrie had a different answer than Del Rio and Allen as far as what the problem is on the bubble screens.
“Effort,” he said. “Effort. To stop the screen, it takes all 11 guys, and that’s one thing we have to continue to work on.”
The Lions were able to run the last 7:31 off the clock and end the game thanks to two Riddick first-down catches that went for 21 and 11 yards.
“That’s tough, when you want to make a play and give your offense the ball back but can’t do it,” Allen said. “We just have to take it on the chin, fix a few things and keep our heads up.”
And look for the bubble screen.