The Lions track record with drafting players and not getting the best results while they’re with the team is incredible and heart wrenching all at the same! Could the same thing be about to happen with A’Shawn Robinson and this other Lions player? This all stemmed for an article titled: Laken Tomlinson got so much better after Detroit traded him to 49ers, once you have checked it out see why we feel it may if the Lions don’t do this one criticl thing…
Could This Happen To The A’Shawn Robinson And This Player? Oh The Irony!
Tomlinson lost the left guard job to Glasgow in 2016 and was traded before the start of the following season. Then he was good enough for the 49ers to earn a three-year, $18 million extension before the 2018 season. He went on to win the Bobb McKittrick Award that year, which goes to the 49ers offensive lineman who best exemplifies courage, intensity and sacrifice.
This year, he hasn’t missed a snap while paving roads for one of the most deadly rushing attacks in the league. The 49ers racked up 2,305 yards on the ground this season, more than everyone except the Ravens. Then they pounded Minnesota for 186 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the divisional round of the playoffs, before pounding out another 285 yards and four touchdowns in the NFC championship game against Green Bay.
“Laken’s unbelievable,” veteran left tackle Joe Staley said. “I don’t think he gets near enough credit nationally, locally, everything. The guy is an unbelievable guard, he is incredibly powerful, athletic, everything you want. He’s taken his game to a completely new level. He’s been 100% one of the main reasons we’ve been able to do what we’ve done in the playoffs. He’s playing at an incredibly high level, and I just can’t say enough about the guy.”
In other words, he’s become the guy Detroit thought he would be. Which brings us back to our question at hand: Why did Tomlinson have to leave Detroit to do it?
“Obviously being here, working with (Kyle) Shanahan, (John) Lynch, it’s been an amazing experience,” Tomlinson said on Monday night during Super Bowl festivities at Marlins Park. “Working with an offensive (line) coach like John Benton, you get a chance to develop into the player that I believe I can be. I still think I’m growing, I still think I’m a young offensive lineman. There’s still so much for me to learn. I’m very happy I have a chance to express myself and my skill-set on this team.”
Tomlinson never directly criticized Detroit, but it’s not hard to parse his words either. He has found success because the coaching fits him better.
Well the Lions is about to be in a similiar position with A’Shawn Robinson and Graham Glasgow.
If you remember, A’Shawn was drafted to anchor the Lions D-Line after the N’Damukong Suh “era” in Detroit.
The Lions could put themselves in an incredible position to have a formidable and feared defensive line for probably a decade if they had drafted Aaron Donald, of which now Martin Mayhew is wishing he did
“The way people talk about Aaron Donald, maybe we were one pick away,” Mayhew said. “If we’d have had him, we’d probably beat Dallas in the playoff game. So we came pretty close, but we weren’t able to get over that hump.”
Mayhew added, “It would have been awesome to get a playoff win. Didn’t make that happen, but I feel like we actually came close to turning that thing around. Really close. If we had Suh under contract one more year maybe we do turn it around.”
Well could history have repeated itself with the Lions taking TJ Hockenson over many fans’ desired pick in Ed Oliver in the 2019 draft?
Will the Lions go for the 3pt shot of possible mistakes and let A’Shawn walk, Snacks Retire and try to feel their void with potential #3 Derrick Brown and couple of low cost DT’s off the free agenncy scrap heap?
Only for Robinson to find greater success elsewhere?
And that’s only on the defensive side of the ball!
Will the set of circumstances happen to Graham Glasgow, where the Lions fail to establish any longterm consistency at the Guard position?
According to reports all Glasgow want to feel is that he’s wanted here…and the best way for the Lions to do that is to pay the man who’s been there for them whether theey’ve needed him to play center, right guard, or even left guard!
What kind of message will be sent to the rest of the team other than the Lions are going to use them until they use them until their contract is over and then try to re-sign them at well under their market value!
The Lions have around $49 million in cap space, and too many cases of players leaving and having success elsewhere; Superbowl wins (Cliff Avril (Seahawks)-Kyle Van Noy (Patriots)), Superbowl appearances (N’Damukong Suh (Rams), Laken Tomlinson (SF 49ers) (as of the date of this post)), or long playoff runs (Reilly Reif (Vikings), Ziggy Ansah (Seahawks)…
So, they need to spend the majority of that capspace and re-sign and extend their own (Darius Slay)!
It will go along way to turning this ship into the right direction; not only for next season but for years to come!
What do you think, should the Lions let A’Shawn and Glasgow walk out of the door and look elsewhere for stability?
What are the chance of them signing with teams that’ll be in the playoffs next season if the Lions aren’t in?
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The post Could This Happen To The A’Shawn Robinson And This Player? Oh The Irony! appeared first on LionsPassion.com | Detroit Lions News.
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