Every week during the regular season Tim Twentyman will answer 10 good questions from his Twitter account @ttwentyman in a feature we call "10 Questions with Twentyman."
Why was Tabor a healthy scratch. 2nd round picks need to play. #10Questions — Daniel Gamalski (@DANG_56) September 15, 2017
20man: It could be different week to week moving forward, but last week was a numbers game for Tabor. The Lions have six cornerbacks on the roster. Darius Slay, Nevin Lawson and Quandre Diggs (nickel) are the top three. DJ Hayden is a veteran, who can play both inside and outside, which gives him an advantage over Tabor when it comes to keeping 46 actives on gameday. Jamal Agnew is the team's top punt return man, so he's active. The Lions simply don't need six cornerbacks on gameday.
I don't view this as a huge negative. Rookie cornerbacks don't typically come into this league and set it on fire. Remember Slay's rookie season? The Lions can ease Tabor along, get him comfortable in the scheme, build some confidence, and play him when he's ready or they need him due to injury. No biggie.
20man: It's his left ring finger to be exact, and it doesn't seem like too big of a deal. Tate was at the portion of practice open to the media Wednesday, and was running routes and catching passes. The Lions officially listed him as limited on Wednesday's practice report. Before practice in the locker room, he didn't have it wrapped or in a splint. He said this when asked about it:
"It feels great. It's almost like I don't even feel it. I've been catching with it great. Feels good."
He seems good to go.
20man: I don't believe in flukes. The tape is the tape. I also don't make any proclamations after one week of football. Here's what I saw from the tape:
I thought the pressure really got to Carson Palmer. He looked like a 37-year-old quarterback who doesn't like to get hit. They rattled him. Credit the Lions' front seven for that.
Pro Football Focus credited the Lions with 19 quarterback hurries last week. That's also no fluke -- that's a butt-whooping.
The Giants' offensive line was a little shaky last week vs. Dallas. Eli Manning was sacked three times and pressured 11 times.
I thought the tone was set early on last week by the Lions' defense and their ability to get pressure, especially off the edge from Ziggy Ansah and Anthony Zettel. If those two can be similarly effective this week, the Lions could really be onto something upfront.
To me, just like last week, it's all about pressuring the quarterback and getting him off his spot. If they can do that, and control the run game for second-straight week, then a pattern is starting to be formed, and we can make some more concrete assumptions about this defense.
20man: I asked Glover Quin about Davis on Wednesday, and he told me he is a natural MIKE. Davis is a natural-born leader. He's a very good communicator, and Quin said he's very good at getting the plays out and getting everyone in the right spots. Even as a rookie, he's not afraid to speak up, which is important for that spot.
After watching him Week 1, he showed some good instincts in the run game. I think that's a strength for him early on. His speed shows up on tape. He truly can go sideline to sideline.
He had some issues in the pass game, but that's going to happen to rookies. He'll learn from it. From what I'm told, he's a very quick study. Teams are going to attack him in the pass game. He's a rookie, that's just the way it is. He'll continue to get better there, and he needs to get better there.
20man: Odell Beckham Jr. is the most important player on the Giants' offense other than Eli Manning. He's one of the best players in the NFL, and a dangerous weapon in the pass game. When he's on the field, he opens things up for other receivers in their offense and the run game because of the attention he demands in terms of coverage.
That being said, if Beckham plays, I'd expect the Lions to counter with their best cornerback, which is Darius Slay. We've seen on a number of occasions Slay shadow the opponent's best receiver. He's been rather successful at it, too.
If Beckham plays, and I'm the Lions, I go into this game with the mindset that if he's going to impact the game he's going to have to do it against my best.
20man:I think one advantage the Lions have with Jeff Locke handling the punting duties now is that he's an established veteran. He's played in 64 games the last four seasons. He has 290 punts and four years of holding under his belt. I wouldn't expect there to be any hiccups in the basic functions (snap, catch, hold) of both aspects of the special teams this week. Locke will punt, be the holder and most likely kick off.
20man: Fells has a very distinct role, and he's very good at it. I think there will be opportunities here and there for him to catch the ball, but let's not forget he was signed to help off the edge as a blocker first.
Eric Ebron is the top receiving threat at the position, and will continue to be so. The good thing about this offense right now is that it has a ton of weapons – Golden Tate, Marvin Jones Jr., Kenny Golladay, TJ Jones, Theo Riddick and Ameer Abdullah – and just one ball to go around.
When Taylor Decker returns, what do you do with Greg Robinson (assuming he is serviceable)? Can he play guard? — Zach Garrison (@ZachGarrison1) September 15, 2017
20man: That's a great question. Let's just assume for a moment Decker is on pace to return at some point this year. In the meantime, Robinson continues to play well.
I don't know if Robinson has ever played guard, but it is much different technique-wise than playing tackle. Is that an experiment I pursue midseason? That being said, I look at Robinson and see an ultra-athletic player upfront, someone certainly capable of playing guard, if asked to do so.
In the end, if I'm the Lions, I want my five best players in the game upfront. If I deem Robinson to be one of those five, and he is both willing and able to make the switch – that's also an important factor – I find a spot for him. The likely move would be to left guard. But this a conversation weeks away and a lot could happen in the meantime.
With a strong core of RB's, do the Lions plan on utilizing Zenner at all this year? — Nick Shear (@NickShear) September 15, 2017
20man: This a long season, and at some point Zenner's number will be called. I can say with 100 percent certainty that when that time comes – which could be Monday night in New York – he'll step up and do his job.
Zenner was still dealing with a back issue last week, which might have played a factor in him being inactive vs. Arizona, and the Lions playing with just three running backs in that game.
He's not on the injury report this week.
20man: That is a bit of an understatement. The Giants were fourth against the run last year, and held opponents under 100 yards rushing in 10 of their 16 contests last year. The Lions had just 56 yards on the ground (2.9 average) in their 17-6 loss at New York last year.
This wouldn't be the game I look to for massive improvements on that front. I believe the Lions still have to be committed to it, and will be, unless they fall behind early. They need to do a better job upfront, obviously. There wasn't much room for Ameer Abdullah to get a lot going. Unfortunately, New York boasts one of the best run-stopping fronts in the NFL. If they are going to make any moves on the ground this week, they'll need a terrific effort from the guys up front.
