Gunther goes off on defenders "turning down" tackles

Detroit Lions defense, 2008-style, will apparently not be tolerated.

Graham Couch of the Kalamazoo Gazette reports at MLive.com that new Lions defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham was furious after looking at the film of the preseason loss last week to the Cleveland Browns.


"There's not going to be any excuses," Lions defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham said Wednesday minutes after the Lions wrapped up training camp, at least officially. "I can't tolerate it, and I won't. They're either going to tackle, or they're not going to play on this team."

Cunningham was particularly upset about what he perceived as a lack of "want-to" from Lions defenders during an 81-yard run by the Cleveland Browns' James Davis on Saturday.

"I'm flat pissed off, if you want to know the truth," Cunningham said, fuming more and more as he thought about it. "I don't tolerate that. I cannot tolerate turning down a tackle. We had four guys on that play last week turn it down, not miss it, turn it down, in my opinion."

Cunningham said he "exploded" at his defense while reviewing film of the game.

Cornerback Ramzee Robinson was the first to miss Davis, followed by safety LaMarcus Hicks and two other unidentified players.

"What's it like?" Robinson said of being the subject of one of Cunningham's tirades. "I can't put it into words. Just know you want to go to the bathroom right before it happens and come back when it's over.

"No player likes to be called out and be the center of attention on a bad mistake."

This may help explain the play on which Lions rookie S Louis Delmas clocked RB Aveion Cason and started a rather large altercation at practice the other day -- that was the first practice for the defense after Cunningham's blow-up.

Here's hoping Cunningham follows through on his threat to not keep players who are timid when it comes to tackling. It seemed to be a pervasive problem during last year's run to 0-16. At a minimum, it's good to see Gun showing emotion about it, and sharing his feelings with Lions fans.

Last year's head coach Rod Marinelli would refuse to acknowledge stuff like this, would calmly say he'd have to check the film before discussing it, and then would never follow up with the public on his feelings or what he was going to do about it.

They're talking about it in The Den!

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Lions liking their jumbo RB package

The clunker in Cleveland had a few bright spots -- at least for Lions coaches.

Coach Jim Schwartz and others were pleased with a power-run package featuring FBs Terrelle Smith and Jerome Felton that gave the Browns trouble, Carlos Monarrez reports at Freep.com.

The success of the big boys against the Browns' 3-4 defense bodes well for the regular season, as the Lions play seven teams that primarily run a 3-4, Monarrez writes:

"I think it's going to be productive package for us," coach Jim Schwartz said Tuesday.

Schwartz explained that the gaps in a 3-4 defense push defenders to the side, forcing them to tackle at an angle.

"And when guys are making side tackles, you need north-south running backs that can run through arm tackles, real strong guys like that," he said. "And I think that package fits us real well in that circumstance.

"We really haven't broken it out in any short-yardage situations, but it's available to use there. We could use it in a lot of different plays: goal-line, short-yardage and also some attitude-type plays."

But Brian VanOchten at MLive.com apparently sees it differently. He calls a short-yardage back "a glaring need" for the Lions, and suggests they re-sign former Lion and Michigan Stater T.J. Duckett, who was just cut by the Seahawks.

My take? It's difficult to assess the Lions' running game in its totality because Maurice Morris, who will play a major role behind emerging Kevin Smith, has been injured. Anything the running game can do to take pressure off "asked to do everything" WR Calvin Johnson -- and maybe a rookie starting QB, Matthew Stafford -- is a big, big plus.

Discuss in The Den!

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Brown Struggling In Pass Protection

Killer discusses Brown's struggles picking up pass protection;

In the drill, running backs have to step up and brace themselves for a blitzing linebacker attacking at full speed.

It's a tough drill to begin with, but the 205-pound Brown is at a big disadvantage, not just in terms of size, but in strength, too.

but this really should be no surprise. College running backs aren't asked to pass block much, particularly out of the I-formation that is so common, and Brown is no exception. NFLdraftscout notes that he was not known as a blocker at TCU. He was Texas Christian's second leading receiver last year despite missing several games, and was more likely to run a route on third down than to stay in. So now he has to learn pass blocking, but not only does he have to learn it, he has to learn it against NFL-caliber competition.

So many Den-izens wonder why Cason is still on the roster, and while it won't be surprising to see him cut prior to the season, this is precisely why. He is a complete back, even while not being great in any one area. As long as he can block, catch, and kick cover he will be in demand - at least to the extent that he'll get ample reps in August, and a phone call in October.

Interested? Discuss it Here, in The Den.

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Training Camp Battles - Premium

Training Camp Battles - Cap/CBA Perspective

Follow Detroit's salary cap with expert George Ketchman here. (Requires premium membership to RoarReport.com)

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Tackling, secondary big concerns -- sound familiar?

Two snippets I found interesting from Detroit News football writer John Niyo's column today:

Special teams is an area of emphasis with the new coaching staff. But that was hardly apparent Saturday.

Josh Cribbs is arguably the NFL's best return man, but he made it look way too easy in the first quarter against the Lions, who are missing a couple of key coverage men in Cody Spencer (injured reserve) and Casey FitzSimmons (ankle). Cribbs' 95-yard touchdown return of the opening kickoff was called back because of a late holding penalty. But there were no flags on his 84-yard punt return for a score, just lots of missed tackles.

"There's no reason to start the game the way we did on special teams," Schwartz said. "It's a work in progress, but were going to find out who can tackle and who can't. That's going to be a major criteria for making this team."

Stan Kwan's return unit wasn't much better, averaging 18.6 yards on kickoffs. And that's a growing concern, with Aveion Cason perhaps getting too many reps and neither rookie Derrick Williams nor Aaron Brown distinguishing himself. When you have too many returners, Schwartz noted the other day, that means you don't have any.

A lot of us have been scratching our heads about why Cason is getting so much time as a returner. Maybe that's a reflection of the coaching staff's lack of confidence in Derrick Williams or Aaron Brown in that department. And that ain't good. Hey, let a rookie take kicks out to the 18 yard line rather than a veteran, I say. At least there's a potential for upside with the rooks.

While the defensive front seven's inability to get consistent pressure on the QBs or stop big running plays is already looking problematic, Niyo notes that the secondary may be the team's weakest link.

Five Browns wide receivers had catches of 20 yards or more Saturday night. Two came on the opening drive against starting cornerbacks Phillip Buchanon and Anthony Henry, but the depth behind them is a real worry, especially with Keith Smith (groin) still on the sideline.

"Our corners need to get up and challenge guys," Schwartz said. "We need to find out who will have the confidence to get up and challenge rather than playing cautious."

They also need to find another safety who can stop the run alongside rookie Louis Delmas. Kalvin Pearson had trouble again in run support Saturday, and LaMarcus Hicks didn't fare any better replacing him. It was the same against Atlanta in the exhibition opener. Marquand Manuel, who has a calf injury, should get a shot to start when he's healthy.

Noticing a theme to Schwartz's comments? Get up there and tackle. Challenge. Don't play tentative. Be decisive and make plays.

I refuse to get visions in my head of Bobby Ross saying "I don't coach that!" or Rod Marinelli saying "Put it on me."

Discuss in The Den!

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Atlanta football writer: Matt Ryan ruined it for everybody

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has taken an interest in the Lions this year, with former Georgia Bulldog Matthew Stafford the Lions' franchise savior in waiting.

AJC.com sports columnist Jeff Schultz has joined a growing chorus saying the Lions should not start the season with Stafford under center.

The problem with Matt Ryan is he has ruined it for everybody else. Ryan had an off-the-charts first season with the Falcons and so now every team and fan base with a No. 1 draft pick at quarterback thinks, “Our rookie quarterback can be off the charts, too!”

If the Detroit Lions make that mistake, they’re going to screw up Matthew Stafford. And it’s not as if this franchise hasn’t wrecked quarterbacks before.

Ah, yes; the old "did the Lions ruin Joey Harrington, or did Joey simply not make the most of ample opportunities to play?" debate. It's been going on in The Den for years. A definitive answer is elusive on that one.

But back to the QB debate at hand. Schultz notes that Ryan's and the Falcons' situation was significantly different than Stafford's and the Lions'. Atlanta didn't have as good of a veteran option at QB (Chris Redman) as the Lions do (Daunte Culpepper).

I would add to that the Falcons' defense was among the worst in the NFL the year before Ryan's arrival (29th), but the Lions are coming off one of the worst defensive performances in NFL history last year. And the way the inept Cleveland Browns offense shredded them Saturday was an ugly flashback.

Writes Schultz:

(Stafford) has shown he’s not ready to step into NFL starting job yet. He has struggled with his feel in the pocket and anticipating defense adjustments, and it’s certainly way too early to assess leadership abilities. All three were knocks on him before the draft. Two exhibitions (one start) hardly define a career. I still believe Stafford will be a successful NFL quarterback. But the Lions would be making a mistake to rush him.

It's easy to careen from Stafford's good performances and say, "He's ready to start now," to saying after the struggles "Keep him on the bench for now." I'm of the opinion that Head Coach Jim Schwartz and Offensive Coordinator Scott Linehan haven't made the call yet, and will wait to see what they see at least through this weekend's game with the Colts.

Consistency is a difficult thing to ask for from a rookie for whom it's all so new -- unless you're Matt Ryan. But who is most consistent will decide who starts under center for the Lions in Week 1.

Discuss in The Den!

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The milk-carton WR corps -- time to worry?

No Calvin Johnson. No Bryant Johnson. No Dennis Northcutt. No Brandon Pettigrew.

This is becoming an issue.

Though I've criticized rookie QB Matthew Stafford's performance against the Browns, to be fair, it's difficult to impossible to judge the passing game when your top FOUR targets are out, and have been out for weeks now.

This will absolutely affect the offense early in the season, and probably lead to losses in the early part of the year, if it continues.

Sure, Calvin will be Calvin. But there will be no cohesion to the passing attack because they've had so little time together on the field.

None of the injuries is said to be so serious that any of the four is expected to miss a large amount of time. And yet it's been week after week without the group working together on the practice or playing field.

If this extends on into the third preseason game against the Colts game, it's time to get real worried.

They're talking about it in The Den!

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Put The Nooses Away

Put the hemlock tea bags back up. Unload the 12 gauge. It wasn't that bad. Really.

Okay, so it was pretty bad, but if you maintain a comfortably pessimistic philosophy regarding the Lions, then it is actually pretty easy to find some of the bright spots in an otherwise uninspiring and borderline disastrous game. Drew Sharp, the only local writer I know of who is more cynical than me regarding the Lions wrote

It looks like they're already in regular-season form.

This is exactly why the Lions are certifiably nuts should quarterbacking savior du jour Matthew Stafford start when the March to 0-32 begins in earnest in New Orleans on Sept. 13. It's counterproductive exposing a rookie quarterback to a team apparently still hell-bent on creating as insurmountable an early obstacle as possible.

in an otherwise rambling column. He also wrote

If attitudes are indeed changing and Schwartz is indeed the right messenger, he should quickly make it clear that these Lions remain too fundamentally weak defensively to needlessly risk sentencing the future face of this franchise to the football gallows.

and while I agree, I fail to understand how this is surprising to anyone. Detroit's biggest flaw in 2009 was the defense, and not biggest by a little, but rather biggest by a lot. Despite multiple quarterback injuries, the Lions demonstrated a modestly decent offense last year with Calvin Johnson and Kevin Smith leading a reasonable two-way threat. It wasn't remotely good enough to overcome an awful defense, nor was it good enough to lead the way to any kind of contention even with a defense approaching average. It just wasn't the reason that Detroit went winless.

And over the winter Detroit followed their pattern of the last 8 seasons to fix the defense, they brought in a number of veteran free agents while waiting til the middle rounds to focus on their defensive holes. It is entirely predictable that their 2009 defense will resemble their 2008 defense. I expect it will be better, but nowhere near good.

So if we go into this whole thing accepting that it will be another long year, it is much easier to enjoy the small victories, knowing that the big ones aren't coming.

Stafford Okay, he didn't play well. Not even a little. But better for the faithful to see it now, then to have unrealistic expectations build throughout the preseason. The pressure for Detroit to play the kid is officially off and the Lions can go into the season with Stafford on a natural developmental trajectory, rather than a forced one that is more likely to end in disaster.

Jerome Felton He really played well, coming in with Culpepper midway through the 2nd quarter and immediately getting three consecutive runs for a first down. After an up-and-down rookie year exclusively at fullback I think we can hope that Felton may be able to fill a bigger role as part of a two-headed tandem that may really wear down opposing defenses.

Culpepper For the second consecutive week he looked very comfortable running the Lion offense. He showed great patience and good mobility in the backfield to stretch out plays. He was effective at waiting for plays to open and then throwing very catchable balls.

DeAndre Levy He whiffed on one of the Cribbs returns but otherwise was very effective, making plays all over the field including a great open-field tackle on special teams.

Jordan Dizon Is starting to really come on after a washed-out rookie season.

Sammy Lee Hill After an underwhelming first game, Hill seemed to consistently get a good push inside. He didn't show up on the stat sheet but he spent much of his time in Cleveland's backfield disrupting things.

Nick Harris Just killed it, averaging 50 yards over his 7 punts. Unfortunately the 22 yard average on returns ruined his net average, but that speaks more the quality of the two return teams and Josh Cribbs, rather than to Harris. He wasn't kicking line drives.

So see? There you go, a nice handful of positive takeaways from last night's game and that was only on one viewing. So forget the sleeping pills, don't lock yourself in the garage with the car idling. It's another day and the Lions are pretty much the same as they were two days ago.

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The Morning After: Lions Headlines

THE MEDIA

• John Niyo of the Detroit News, who is quickly becoming one of our favorite writers, shared this gem: "Daunte Culpepper certainly didn't light up the scoreboard Saturday. But on a night when mistakes were commonplace for the Lions, the veteran quarterback didn't throw any footballs to the wrong team for the second straight game."
• The Freep's Nicholas Cotsonika blogged his thoughts on the loss, and unlike many in the media (see below), attempted to subdue any overreaction. It is, after all, just the preseason. Yet Costonika couldn't help himself, unraveling the evidently pent-up frustration towards Detroit Lions football: "It doesn’t matter if most of the coaching staff is new. It doesn’t matter that more than half of the players had nothing to do with last season. If you watched Saturday night’s exhibition, you saw the same stuff you saw last year – and the seven years before that. (I don’t know if I can type “31-97” anymore, either.)"
• It didn't take long for Drew Sharp to jump back into his typical, narcissistic role, titling his column "Lions in midseason form." While Sharp continues to laugh at his own mundane humor (we picture him leaning back into a leather recliner, taking a puff from his cigar, and cackling like a superhero villain as he finishes each column), he did offer somewhat of a reasonable stance: "This is exactly why the Lions are certifiably nuts should quarterbacking savior du jour Matthew Stafford start when the March to 0-32 begins in earnest in New Orleans on Sept. 13. It's counterproductive exposing a rookie quarterback to a team apparently still hell-bent on creating as insurmountable an early obstacle as possible. Nothing's gained subjecting Stafford to scoreboard deficits requiring him to do more than what's logically possible for a rookie quarterback."
• mlive.com's Tom Kowalski made note of Matthew Stafford's 5-of-13 performance (see: QB rating of 14.6), but certainly didn't harp on it. Writes Kowalski: "The Lions have had the worst-ranked defense in the NFL for the past two seasons, and they had their issues in the first half. Six Browns receivers had a catch of 20 yards or more, and both Cleveland running backs had at least one run of 11 yards or more."
• The Grand Rapids Press believes that Stafford hurt his chances of obtaining full-time starter chances. Said the Press' Brian VanOchten, "In a game where Stafford had the perfect opportunity to end the debate, he did nothing but let Culpepper re-enter the picture and perhaps move to the forefront.
• The Associated Press had the objective report, including interviews from Derek Anderson, Eric Mangini and Matthew Stafford. The pregame fight between Lion teammates Dewayne White and Carson Butler also didn't go unnoticed. "I've never seen that before," Lions coach Jim Schwartz said. "Obviously, that's something that shouldn't happen and it's something that will be addressed. Actually, it already has been addressed.'' - Detroit News post-game story

A View From the Other Side: Browns-Lions Locker Room NotesA nice little compilation of notes from our friends at the Orange and Brown Report

THE FANS (from The Den Message Board)

• The Den user onlyTSS, a floater from our Georgia web site, tried to make everyone feel better about Matthew Stafford's performance by referencing an event that happened during Stafford's freshman year as a Bulldog: "At one point in his freshmen year we were 6-4 and we had an embarrassing loss to kentucky. The very next week we had to play At Auburn who was ranked #4 in the country at the time. All the sudden something clicked with stafford in that game and he was a different QB. We beat Auburn 37-15 and we finished the season with wins over two more ranked teams. It will click one game with stafford and you will see a great QB. It clicked in college in his 9th game as a starter. What NFL game it will click with stafford, I dont know but i do know it will click one game and yall will get a big smile going because he is a rare QB. Dont give up on stafford."
• KryptonianQuarterback attended the away contest, making several observations, but seemed to strike gold with this one: "3. Our WR's still can't catch the ball or get open without a guy like Calvin as a deep threat. It was painfully obvious the defense was content to sit on all shorts routes, never fearing anything going deep. It wasn't until Dane Looker got in there that they seemed to develope SOME sort of rythym." Share YOUR opinion in The Den Message Board, a community of Lions fans

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SI's Banks rates Daunte among top second-string QBs

I'm not sure Daunte Culpepper would consider it a compliment, given that he's still trying to earn the first-string job.

But SI.com's Don Banks has C-Pep ranked the third-best backup QB in the league, in an evaluation of all 32 teams. Only Oakland's Jeff Garcia (who many believe will supplant JaMarcus Russell) and Michael Vick in Philly are rated higher.

Says Banks about Culpepper:

It's entirely possible, and maybe even likely that Culpepper could wind up beating out Matthew Stafford and starting for the first month of the season or so in Detroit. But at some point this year, the Lions are going to be tossing the keys to the No. 1 overall pick and that means Culpepper will be headed for backup-dom. Having shed 30 pounds this offseason and gained some of the mobility back that he hasn't had since his 2005 knee injury, Culpepper looks good again and is an easy top-five choice when it comes to No. 2's.

After years of struggling with a revolving door and crushing disappointments at QB, it's weird to think of it as a solid, no-worries position in Detroit. I'm not sure we're there yet, but it's fun to imagine.

Discuss in The Den!

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Battle for guard spots crowded, competitive

While the competition for starting quarterback is getting most of the hype, an even bigger battle is going on with the Lions' offensive guard positions, according to this Associated Press report (which I presume is by Larry Lage).

The Lions have turned over half their roster from last season, and OG was clearly an area they targeted for change. The most recent newcomers are Milford Brown, who started four of the six games in which he played at Jacksonville last season; and Terrance Metcalf, an eight-year veteran who spent his first seven seasons in Chicago before being released in March.

They join another newcomer, Daniel Loper, who came over from Tennessee, where he was a back-up. Incumbent Stephen Peterman is trying to hold onto his spot, and third-year OG Manny Ramirez, who had three starts in four games played last season, seems to be coming on.

Also in the mix is 10-year veteran Jon Jansen, who came over from the Redskins. Jansen has started his entire career as a right offensive tackle, and will likely be a back-up there this season. But he's also been getting practice time at guard and even center. Jansen in the article is quoted as saying he prefers to play tackle, but will go wherever it takes to get playing time on Sundays.

From the A.P. article: Offensive coordinator Scott Linehan said the line probably will look the same when Saturday's second preseason game begins in Cleveland, but hinted that five men are competing for just four spots.

"We've got ideas of our rotation, I think it will be pretty similar to the way we did it last week," he said. "We're really about two-deep, anyway, so we're trying to maintain that for the game."
Similarly to the defensive secondary, Lions fans are hoping that when it comes to offensive guard, new equals better.

Talk about it in The Den!

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DeAndre Levy Steps Up

and he needs to. With the injury to Cody Spencer, Detroit has no buffer, and that means that Levy and Jordan Dizon are going to be the only line of defense when it comes to rotating in, covering for one of the starters, or providing quality special teams play.

A week after Gunther Cunningham praised and damned him in a single sentence, Levy responded by being a leading playmaker in the exhibition win against the Falcons. With Spencer out for the year, Levy is now picking up reps at MLB and will probably be the primary backup to Foote.

"DeAndre's done a nice job of being physical in camp and doing the physical things," Schwartz said. "His biggest challenge, just like all rookies: being good with the scheme. And not just being good with the scheme in the meeting room or out here in practice, but when that real stuff starts happening and the other team's a different color, all of a sudden it becomes a little bit harder to try to get through. But that's his challenge and it probably will accelerate him a little bit."

Said Levy: "The biggest thing is I've got to focus my eyes and train my eyes to see the whole picture. That's one thing that Larry Foote does really well that I look to and try to put in my game."

Katie Koerner at detroitlions.com provides some choice quotes from Levy on the promotion.

“It’s a good experience because it helps you learn the defense better, and kind of makes you more sure on your plays because you are forced to learn both the linebacker positions. You know where everybody is supposed to be, and with a lot of the shifts and adjustments on the line it can only help your game as a player.” “JP (Julian Peterson) and (Larry) Foote, they both kind of help the young guys out. They have been around and in the league a while and played a lot of good football. They kind of give you tips here and there about where your eyes should be and how to prepare and go about things the right way at practice and in game situations.”

“I always feel like I need to work on something. Right now, I think the biggest thing that I’m trying to get better on is my eyes and my vision. Coach Gun (Gunther Cunningham) is a big guy on that and you know you have to see the whole picture and the whole thing because one misstep can put you out of the loop. It felt good to get the first game out of the way and see what it was like, but I am waiting for the real season to kick in and for all the energy and excitement to really get going."

Discuss it Here, in The Den

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Rosenberg: Marinelli Left "Good Base"

Michael Rosenberg of the Free Press believes that despite the Lions' 0-16 record of '08 that Rod Marinelli's legacy will be a good base to build on. A good base of players? No, not that, but rather a good culture of players who fought hard in adversity.

he made the Lions better in one important sense: He changed the culture.

The 2008 Lions seemed to like each other. They played hard. They did not seem especially bitter toward the head coach or management. They cared more about winning than about their own stats. (link)

Considering that Schwartz and Mayhew are currently in the process of turning over more than half the final roster, and more than half of the starters from the beginning of last season, I fail to see how Marinelli established a good culture. To me, that was no more than a group of harmonious losers.

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Lions lose their security blanket

Lions fans everywhere will be stunned to read Graham Couch of the Kalamazoo Gazette’s latest headline: kicker Jason Hanson has elected to undergo ‘minor surgery’ on his knee.  According to coach Jim Schwartz, the decision was made in order to prevent the pain from lingering all season, and he should be back on the field “pretty quickly”.  Camp kicker Swayze Waters was re-signed to carry the Lions through the preseason—but not, it’s hoped, once the bullets go live.

For 17 years, the Washington State product has been the rock of the Lions’ roster: elite production year in, year out.  Other kickers have scored more points; partially because they played with a more productive offense. Other kickers have had higher career accuracy numbers, but over shorter careers, and with far fewer extremely long field goal attempts.  Jason Hanson has rarely been thought of as being the best kicker in the NFL in any given season--yet over the duration of his career, it’s extremely hard to find one who’s consistently been among the best for nearly as long.

If the Lions are without Hanson for even one game, they’ll be without one of their best weapons, and without their only “security blanket”.  No one else on the roster has the kind of unimpeachable reputation for clutch performance that Hanson has; when he comes out, everyone knows it means points on the board.  On a team that’s trying to overcome a well-deserved reputation for being unable to get it done late, conspicuously missing one of the NFL’s most cold-blooded closers certainly won’t help the confidence of the players, coaches, or fans.

Discuss it here, in The Den!

Schwartz, Mayhew try to tamp down the Aaron Brown hype

This is kind of funny.

From A.P. football writer Larry Lage:

Brown showed he has enough talent to make plays in the NFL with a 32-yard run for a touchdown and a 45-yard reception for a TD, helping Detroit beat the Atlanta Falcons in an exhibition game.

But two days later, coach Jim Schwartz was quick to put the breaks on the Brown-related hype.

"Let's not put him in the Hall of Fame yet for what he did in the preseason," Schwartz said. "But he did show some speed, he showed some exciting ability, but long way to go."

Brown's breakout game was flawed by three mental mistakes, each of which led to penalties.

He was off the line instead of on it in a punt formation, ruining Detroit's chance to pin the Falcons to their 3. He went the wrong way on a screen, leading to intentional grounding. He put his hand on the ground to set up a backflip in the end zone, and the celebration cost the team 15 yards.

Brown said he and running backs coach Sam Gash have been focusing on trying to get him ready for the nonphysical parts of the game.

"Plays only last 4 seconds on average, but they move so fast," Brown said. "You have to think faster. That's what I'm trying to do."

[snip]

What did general manager Martin Mayhew think of his debut?

"Who?" Mayhew joked.

Seriously, though, Mayhew was pleased.

"He did well," Mayhew said. "He made some mistakes that have to be cleaned up, but we thought he performed pretty well."

I get the sense that they realize they have to keep this kid grounded and focused but that they realize they may have happened on a special talent.

Discuss in The Den!

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