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What do you think?
I think Kitna and Furrey need to take a closer look at the defense, namely the secondary and LB's not named Ernie Sims. I think 8-8 would be a great season for them. I do think they are headed in the right direction, and I loved their draft, but 10+ wins is a bit much.
I would imagine getting to go against that defense during the offseason workouts would tend to build some overconfidence.
While they do have a poor recent record, if everything went the way it always has in the past then the Colts wouldn't have gotten past the Patriots last year. Things change, parity reigns supreme. You can't draft that high for so long without eventually building a solid team. I don't know if they will hit 10 wins but quite frankly it wouldn't surprise. With Martz, CJ, RWilliams, and Kitna, who I believe to be a fiery and fierce QB without the benefit of being great I can easily see an explosion. Who would have expected what we got from the Saints last year? Or the Rams in 99? Trends change, or at the very least have exceptions, and attitude as much as talent can win games. It seems like the Lions may have both. I can certainly see them beating the Viqueens and the Packers in the division and though Seattle bucked the SB hangover theory a little last year, if the Bears succumb the Lions could easily take the division. Certainly a team to watch out for, at least for now.
I think if I'm the HC, GM, and/or owner, I reach up and slap them upside their bald head. Flapping your gums like this, even if it's not done in an obnoxious way, is stupid. If you believe in yourself/your teammates, great - but shut the flip up and try to surprise people during the season. Don't blabber on in the summer with goofy predictions about how many wins you'll get, how many yds you'll gain, etc blah and so on. It isn't really even about what their chances to fulfill those predictions are.
Believe me, if the Lions DO win 10+ games this year, we'll ALL be surprised...
They lost 8 games by 8 pts or less last season. I think the offense will score more this year than last. If the defense and special teams can come up with some plays, then it is not out of the realm of possibility.LoveCrazy Lion Fan
Alright, its time for me to make my brash prediction - the Lions are going to be look a lot like the Saints of 2006 when 2007 rolls around. Brees > Kitna, however I'd gander to say that the weapons are there as well as the fact that Kitna has already put up 4100+ yards in that offense. They have plenty of targets - Roy Williams, Mike Furrey, and Calvin Johnson are arguably better matched up one on one with each of the Saints WRs (hence, Roy > Colston, Furrey > Henderson, Johnson > the rest). While they lack a big play TE, Brees seemed to fair quite well this year without one, and yet Dan Campbell and Marcus Pollard should fare well enough for Detroit. Their RB situation is admittedly worse, however it shouldn't be overstated - Kevin Jones and Tatum Bell are pretty good RBs. Both have gone over 1k yards in their careers, and Jones has great hands, and while they aren't as great as Reggie 'WR' Bush, they were good enough to 61 receptions last year. Switching those two guys out during the game should keep them both fresh and furious all through the fourth quarter. The O-line is the biggest ? here - the Saints O-line last year was great, despite the loss of LeCharles Bentley. The Detroit O-lineman aren't without talent, and maybe with another year together they'll play better, and they will have to for this offense to sustain any sort of success.As far as defense goes, it shouldn't be a cause for concern. Marinelli will kick those guys into shape, and even if they can be better than bad, they can win a lot of games this year. The Saints defense last year was obviously an improvement over 2004, but it was still mediocre, especially in the run game. The Detroit defense lacks a dominant MLB, but they have a pretty good D-line and decent OLBs. If they can manage to not be horrible in the pass department, they should be solid enough for the offense to win them games. And now for the bold prediction time - 12-4 and the division. The Bears will be about 10-6 when all is said and done. Both will make the playoffs.
The GM and/or owner aren't aware enough to realize it's a dumb prediction.Did Randy Moss ever have that 2500 yard season?
St. Louis had only 4 wins in 1998, jumping to 13 wins in 1999. 1999 brought in Marshall Faulk at RB, Torry Holt at WR and of course, Kurt Warner at QB. In other words, a lot changed for that team. I don't think the same can be said for this Lions club of 2007. They will put forth a valiant effort, but I don't see them even at 8-8. We'll see.
FURREY IS NOT CRAZY BECAUSE.....um
I just can't do it.OK OK....for the sake of devil's advocacy....It is possible and stranger things have happened. Crazy you say? DET has defined suckitude for so long and with Millen more or less running the show, give you a break? Spare me the well-worn Millen Hate bangwagon and consider:QB: Granted Kitna turned it over too much last year, but there was a lot to like about him, esp considering he had no running game to speak of much of the time. Now he has better weapons and a year in the system under his belt....it's hard not to like his prospects this year.WRs: Speaking of better weapons....Furrey performed admirably and will continue to be a fine target, and of course Roy Williams has more than proven himself....and now enter Calvin J to the mix. This is one seriously talented WR corps. RBs: Kevin Jones will be back and Tatum Bell is there as a respectable if not amazing "1b" option. Further, Duckett is there as the bullish/goal line option and Calhoun brings further depth and another speedy option. OL: People tend to look at all the sacks and forget all the injuries. An underrated and healthier OL will reassert itself this year as underrated and respectable if not #$@ good.D: as with the OL, injuries "made" this D worse than it is, or should be, and I predict a healthy and surprisingly good season from this group. The front 7 actually has a lot of talent (maintaining Redding is important) - if they can find answers at CB, and I think they have at least "good enough" options, they'll surprise a LOT of people.ST: Hanson isn't a "boomer" but has been a relaible PK overall. Punting and returns similarly won't win a lot of games, but won't lose them either.Overall, lots of promise and lots of people not taking the Lions seriously spell 10 wins. Ridiculous? That's what they said about the Saints last year, the Rams when Vermeil came into town....etc etc etc. I'll be back for my told-you-so's in Dec.PS I have this great farmland in Fla, pls give a call if interested 
A 50% chance to get 4 wins in the division when they had a total of zero last season. Also, how do they get a better than 50% chance to win against either team when they have to play them on the road at least once.Then again, your kind of logic is the reason we have Las Vegas in the first place so more power to ya
lets look at those game lines when they come up in vegas... who will be favored? not saying I am right, nor chest thumping... I believe those lines will favor DET.. except MAYBE the Lambeu Field game...
I'll give you two reasons why Furrey's not crazy:1) the Bears will regress in '07... anybody who saw their defense for the last couple of games without Tommie Harris knows the troubles looming for Chicago's D... Tommie's coming back from injury (how long will that take?) Tank Johnson is gone; Lance Briggs might not come back... to suggest that any one of those alone or in concert makes the Bears even as good as last year is silly;2) the Lions offense will be better in '07 to the tune of the Rams of years gone by... they have addressed the offensive line to where this can be a respectable unit; Calvin's addition makes Furrey deadly in the slot (so that the O can stay on the field on third downs to keep the D rested); mostly, the Lions should be playing with leads a bit more this year and that will put the D in better position (again, like the Rams' early years)OK, I'll give you a third reason, as well... they have a now-and-later platoon at RB where Tinker Bell can remain healthy and productive for 4-6 games until Kevin Jones comes back.Holy smokes they CAN win 10 games!
I made my adjustments. Im a believer. I think they match up VERY well against they Bears this year. They now have the receivers to spread the D (which was a weaknesss exposed last year) and Briggs isn't likely going to play early. There are going to be holes and this team is equiped to hit 'em.I actually see 10-6 as probable. As long as the team plays hard every week, absolutely.
Hi SR,Do you think the Lions haven't improved any from last year? Or do you think the other teams are better? Or just cautious?J
Good post, but Pollard plays in Seattle now.
In his first year as OC, Martz took a 5-11 Lions team to 3-13.
True, but Marinelli is not **** Vermeil, Marshall Faulk wasn't injured for most of that first year, and the Rams weren't converting safeties to play WR.
Those are three good reasons why Detroit 2007 has no similarity to St. Louis 1999. Marinelli is still not **** Vermeil, they still don't have a healthy RB, and they're still using a converted safety at WR.
They match up terribly with the Bears. They have a bad offensive line (According to Footballoutsiders, 32nd in the NFL for rushing, and 28th in pass protection in 2006). They can't run the ball. They also can't put pressure on the QB and have a porus secondary (30th against pass according to DVOA in 2006, and now without Bly).
While I agree the Bears are a lot better, the Lions almost beat them last year, and would have if Fat Mike Williams would not have dropped a pass in the end zone. The Lions worst matchups will be teams with strong passing games. The Bears are not one of them.They match up terribly with the Bears. They have a bad offensive line (According to Footballoutsiders, 32nd in the NFL for rushing, and 28th in pass protection in 2006). They can't run the ball. They also can't put pressure on the QB and have a porus secondary (30th against pass according to DVOA in 2006, and now without Bly).
Rex is typically terrible against teams with a good pass defense and torches teams with bad pass defenses and when he has time. The Bears D-Line will run through the Lions offensive line like it isn't even there.
This is a horrible horrible matchup for the Lions.
The Lions have absolutely no shot at sweeping the season series agaist the Bears and have about a 1% chance of winning 10 games Link.
The Bears had plenty of guys on the bench for that game and were missing Tillman and Tommie Harris. Hester saw signifigant time on defense (He's a horrible cornerback).Rex went 40/63 for 486 yards 5TD's and 0INT's and was sacked twice againt the Lions last year. That's 113.6 rating. If you can't get pressure on Rex and he's facing a bad secondary, he has success.While I agree the Bears are a lot better, the Lions almost beat them last year, and would have if Fat Mike Williams would not have dropped a pass in the end zone. The Lions worst matchups will be teams with strong passing games. The Bears are not one of them.
Rex is typically terrible against teams with a good pass defense and torches teams with bad pass defenses and when he has time. The Bears D-Line will run through the Lions offensive line like it isn't even there.
This is a horrible horrible matchup for the Lions.
The Lions have absolutely no shot at sweeping the season series agaist the Bears and have about a 1% chance of winning 10 games Link.
The Lions were without Kevin Jones, Shawn Bryson, Shaun Rogers, Damien Woody, James Hall, Fernando Bryant, Shaun Cody, Verba, Tucker and Stokes. Thats their top 2 backs, their best defensive player, their top pass rusher, their #2 corner and 3 of their 5 starting 0-lineman. So, I wouldn't blame the close game on injuries. Perhaps, the Bears had little left to play for? Thats an excuse I will accept.SeveredHorseHeads said:The Bears had plenty of guys on the bench for that game and were missing Tillman and Tommie Harris. Hester saw signifigant time on defense (He's a horrible cornerback).Rex went 40/63 for 486 yards 5TD's and 0INT's and was sacked twice againt the Lions last year. That's 113.6 rating. If you can't get pressure on Rex and he's facing a bad secondary, he has success.lions327 said:While I agree the Bears are a lot better, the Lions almost beat them last year, and would have if Fat Mike Williams would not have dropped a pass in the end zone. The Lions worst matchups will be teams with strong passing games. The Bears are not one of them.SeveredHorseHeads said:Hairy Snowman said:They match up terribly with the Bears. They have a bad offensive line (According to Footballoutsiders, 32nd in the NFL for rushing, and 28th in pass protection in 2006). They can't run the ball. They also can't put pressure on the QB and have a porus secondary (30th against pass according to DVOA in 2006, and now without Bly).
Rex is typically terrible against teams with a good pass defense and torches teams with bad pass defenses and when he has time. The Bears D-Line will run through the Lions offensive line like it isn't even there.
This is a horrible horrible matchup for the Lions.
The Lions have absolutely no shot at sweeping the season series agaist the Bears and have about a 1% chance of winning 10 games Link.
I like what the Lions are doing but they have a long way to go and don't match up well against the Bears.
The Lions were without Kevin Jones, Shawn Bryson, Shaun Rogers, Damien Woody, James Hall, Fernando Bryant, Shaun Cody, Verba, Tucker and Stokes. Thats their top 2 backs, their best defensive player, their top pass rusher, their #2 corner and 3 of their 5 starting 0-lineman. So, I wouldn't blame the close game on injuries. Perhaps, the Bears had little left to play for? Thats an excuse I will accept.SeveredHorseHeads said:The Bears had plenty of guys on the bench for that game and were missing Tillman and Tommie Harris. Hester saw signifigant time on defense (He's a horrible cornerback).Rex went 40/63 for 486 yards 5TD's and 0INT's and was sacked twice againt the Lions last year. That's 113.6 rating. If you can't get pressure on Rex and he's facing a bad secondary, he has success.lions327 said:While I agree the Bears are a lot better, the Lions almost beat them last year, and would have if Fat Mike Williams would not have dropped a pass in the end zone. The Lions worst matchups will be teams with strong passing games. The Bears are not one of them.SeveredHorseHeads said:Hairy Snowman said:
Rex is typically terrible against teams with a good pass defense and torches teams with bad pass defenses and when he has time. The Bears D-Line will run through the Lions offensive line like it isn't even there.
This is a horrible horrible matchup for the Lions.
The Lions have absolutely no shot at sweeping the season series agaist the Bears and have about a 1% chance of winning 10 games Link.
I like what the Lions are doing but they have a long way to go and don't match up well against the Bears.
The Lions also play a lot better at home. The game was close, but I don't think it means the Lions match up well with the Bears, which was basically my point all along.
Nice self promotion of your website instead of just posting the article.
All I know for sure is that it is going to be a LOT of fun watching them WIN or LOSE this year with Mike Martz sending in the plays again. Last year he made Jon Kitna look like the second coming of Brett Favre. Roy Williams ran his gums all last year about how great the Lions were; it only a matter of time before he Thirds the 10 win vote! What team's defensive backfield in the Lion's division can guard the 22 year old 6-4 237lb Georgia Tech Rookie Calvin Johnson AND 26 year old-6-2-212lb Roy Williams(82-1310-7TDin 2006) AND lightning fast 6-0-200lb Mike Furrey(98-1086-6TD) in the slot? Jon Kitna threw for an unbelievable 372 completions on 596 attempts for 4208 yards & 21TD's in 2006(YES, WITHOUT Calvin Johnson). Sure he threw 22 picks as well in their 13 losses-in Mike Martz's system picks DO happen! YES the Lions only had 3 wins last year! Let's take a look at the final scores of these games, shall we?
The gap between Brees and Kitna is gigantic. The Saints excelled because they have a good OC and a good QB. Marginal talent everywhere but WR and Kitna at QB dosn't translate to 10+ wins.
