Earlier this week, we published our latest SB Nation Reacts survey, sponsored by the folks over at FanDuel Sportsbook, asking Detroit Lions fans one question: Which free agent loss will have the biggest impact on the Lions?
For this exercise, we gave Lions fans five options to choose from to answer this question—LT Taylor Decker, NT Roy Lopez, EDGE Al-Quadin Muhammad, LB Alex Anzalone, and CB Amik Robertson—and then asked them to further explain their vote in the comment section. But before we get to that point, let’s take a look at the results:
Decker has held down the left side of the Lions’ offensive line for the past decade, and with the importance of the offensive line in the Lions system, it’s not overly surprising that he tops the list. His only real challenger was Anzalone, who had led the defense for four seasons before passing the torch to Jack Campbell last season. Outside of Damone Clark, the Lions haven’t added to the linebacker position, so Anzalone getting nearly a third of the vote also meets expectations.
But enough of what we think. Let’s take a look at the comment section of our original survey for explanations on why fans voted the way they did (slightly edited for clarity):
- Jet42: “Anzalone. His coverage skills and ability to play in all situations will be missed.”
- TGarno: “I said Decker, but honestly, it might be Alex Anzalone.”
- LRB57: “It might be Decker. That’s a lot of years of dependable play gone from a critical OL spot.”
- 1951Lion: “I voted Decker, but only initially, once someone learns the role and adjusts with the rest of the OLine, Decker’s position will be covered. Taylor hasn’t been at his best these last few years because of his injury status and not being able to practice. Otherwise, he was still on his game as a first-rate OT.”
- Luniz: “Most people won’t remember the pre-Decker times. It’s pretty easy to take a franchise LT for granted.”
Throughout the year, we ask questions of the most plugged-in Detroit Lions fans and fans across the country. If you want to get these surveys emailed to you weekly, you can sign up here.
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