Why Joseph Fauria's role has been limited to the red zone for Detroit Lions

Kyle Meinke | By Kyle Meinke |
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on October 15, 2013 at 6:45 AM, updated October 15, 2013 at 6:46 AM

ALLEN PARK -- Detroit Lions tight end Joseph Fauria is proving to be an explosive red-zone buster, already striking for four touchdowns in six games in that final 20 yards.

But can he be effective in the other 80 yards of the field?

The rookie has caught only three passes outside the red zone, and had been used sparingly in the middle of the field until Tony Scheffler missed Sunday's game in Cleveland with a concussion.

513cfa1f88e41922400f6a706700dd23-1.jpgJoseph Fauria celebrates after scoring one of his three touchdowns Sunday against Cleveland.  

Even then, all three of his catches came within 22 yards of the end zone. Each scored touchdowns in a 31-17 win against the Browns.

Why is Fauria's role so limited to the red zone?

It seems it's a matter of a rookie who is still learning the position.

"He's a young player, there's still a lot of things that he's working on," coach Jim Schwartz said Monday. "I think everybody has seen some of his accomplishments and some of the things that he's good at, but sometimes people miss the things that he's still working on and he's like any young player right there. There's a lot of parts of his game that he's still working on.

"Right now we're just trying to find the best way to use guys, and try to put him on the field in situations that they can respond the best."

Fauria's big knock coming out of UCLA was his blocking, which he didn't have to fully develop because he played so much lined up at receiver.

And his numbers with the Bruins are strikingly similar to those he's starting to amass with Detroit. As a senior, 12 of his 46 catches -- nearly one out of every three -- scored a touchdown.

But Fauria wants to eventually be an end zone to end zone player, and has worked diligently in practice to hone his blocking. That could help him stay on the field, even outside the red zone.

"Through some good coaching, I've seen him come full circle, man," center Dominic Raiola said. "He's really come full circle. He can block and catch now. It won't be long before he's doing it all."

If true, that's a dangerous development for opposing defenses who already are having trouble defending Calvin Johnson and Reggie Bush at the same time.

Throw Fauria on the opposite side of Johnson, and defenses can't double him unless they go single coverage against Johnson -- which won't happen -- or a light box against Bush. And at 6-foot-7, that makes him an impossible one-on-one matchup.

"A lot has been made of the dynamic between Reggie and Calvin. I think there is, in red zone particularly, another dynamic there that can force defenses to be spread thin a little bit," Schwartz said. "If you want to stop the run and you have to get eight guys in the box, that leaves you one guy that you can double.

"If that goes to Calvin, then a guy like Joe or any of our other potential receivers on the play is singled up. If you want to double both of them, you're going to be light in the run game. I think we have proven that we can run the ball across the goal line just as well as throw it.

"Anytime you have more playmakers on the field and more size mismatches, (it's tough to stop). And in that case it's a size mismatch. It makes it harder for the defense to defend everything."