Editing Episode 622 (section)

=== Lions Offensive Line ===

Jeremy characterised the Lions' offensive line as younger than at any point in recent memory — Penei Sewell at 26, Blake Miller in his first year, Tate Ratledge in his second year at right guard, and Christian Mahogany in his third year at left guard — replacing the veteran group of Taylor Decker, Frank Ragnow, and Kevin Zeitler that had defined the Lions offensive identity. He described the communication issues as mostly pre-snap in nature: guys not identifying the right assignments on second-level blocks, not being on the same page at the line. He considered PFF's #1 offensive line ranking improbable but thought pass protection was legitimately strong, with the run game being where the inconsistencies showed up most visibly. Arif noted that communication problems seemed particularly relevant for a week against a defence that disguises its coverage pre-snap at one of the highest rates in the NFL.

Jeremy's prognosis: a good offensive line in two to four years, possibly already performing at a reasonable level today, with the expectation that things would significantly improve by next season as the young players developed post-snap chemistry.