Thoughts on the Detroit Lions... (1 Viewer)

[PRAE]

Something similar may have been posted, but I couldnt find it.

Anyway, as a Lions fan I find this time of the year to be very interesting. Is this "the year?" is always the question. From what I can tell from being around the Detroit area is that people are either HOT...or COLD. Not too much in the middle. Anyway, just wanted to get the opinions of some FBGs outside of the Detroit area. Is the feeling that the Lions are turing it around...or at least making some progress....or not??? A perfect example of the HOT/COLD thing is Drew Stanton... Coming out of the draft there were people that were happy with the pick...some that werent... Now I know that is often the case with draft picks, but WOW did things change when he got hurt/put on the IR. All of the sudden the overwhelming consensus was that it was "another horrible lions daft pick". The sports radio lines were on fire with PO'd fans!! Now I was against the pick from the beginning...we really need defense, but should the fact that he got injured make the pick any worse??? At some point I think you just need a little luck...guys to stay healthy and perform ABOVE what was expected. Can we all say COLSTON??? Was Irons a bad pick for Cinci because he got injured last night??? EVERYBODY knew Stanton has had injury issues in the past...tough guy, but injury issues. Well, I am starting to rank... Anyway, how are the Lions viewed out there??

 

[Futz]

no.

 

[swirvenirvin]

5 wins

 

[PRAE]

as a follow up.. I am one of the few people that are undecided... The offense will be a force...but the defense????

my prediction 8 wins this season...

 

[Futz]

as a follow up.. I am one of the few people that are undecided... The offense will be a force...but the defense???? my prediction 8 wins this season...

You can't win 8 games with that defense. Rogers and White in the starting lineup would have made a difference but it's not good enough. They will give too many games away.6 wins I'm afraid.

 

[Anthony Borbely]

I have no problem whatsoever with the Stanton pick, injury or not. They wanted a QB to develop over the next 2 years, so when Kitna steps aside, they have one already ready to play, instead of waiting.

I saw the same old Lions last night. Average pass blocking, below par run blocking, Bell looked tentative on a couple of plays where he could hit the hole, Duckett looked great on a goal line run and plowed over a couple of Bengals into the end zone, but he fumbled. Drives fizzling out. The first team wasn't all that good, but Kitna looked pretty sharp. Calvin made a great leaping catch between 2 defenders. He is going to be an absolute STUD.

The defense was the same old thing...no pass rush at all, poor in coverage, missed tackles, the usual terrible on 3rd downs. Sims looks really good and FAST. Alama-Francis and Baldwin are both very raw and need to get better technique wise, but yuo can see the upside with both, and the speed. Alama-Francis has a big time motor. He needs to learn how to play. I love the kids upside. Baldwin is even more of a project, but he was very impressive last night.

I see many 41-40 games.

 

[Kiddnets]

I had Kitna in my league last year so I watched a lot of Lions games - they have weapons on offense but I remember the OL was so terrible that he would have a defender in his face right after the snap - I don't care how many Bell's and CJ's they added - did they upgrade the OL in any way? I havent followed Det much this off season so maybe the homers can let us know - if the OL still sux then so will Det. The OL will also keep Kitna, CJ, Bell and Roy from being truly elite if it has not ben upgraded.

 

[Iwannabeacowboybaby!]

I see many 41-40 games.

Everything you wrote I believed you knew about the Lions until I read this.......the Lions aren't scoring 40 points a whole bunch of games.If you believe the Lions have no defense, teams will just run it down their throat in the 2nd halves of games, eating up clock.

 

[Futz]

I had Kitna in my league last year so I watched a lot of Lions games - they have weapons on offense but I remember the OL was so terrible that he would have a defender in his face right after the snap - I don't care how many Bell's and CJ's they added - did they upgrade the OL in any way? I havent followed Det much this off season so maybe the homers can let us know - if the OL still sux then so will Det. The OL will also keep Kitna, CJ, Bell and Roy from being truly elite if it has not ben upgraded.

The Lions threw for nearly 500 yards. Bad OL or not, the numbers will be there.

 

[matuski]

I had Kitna in my league last year so I watched a lot of Lions games - they have weapons on offense but I remember the OL was so terrible that he would have a defender in his face right after the snap - I don't care how many Bell's and CJ's they added - did they upgrade the OL in any way? I havent followed Det much this off season so maybe the homers can let us know - if the OL still sux then so will Det. The OL will also keep Kitna, CJ, Bell and Roy from being truly elite if it has not ben upgraded.

You need a homer to tell you about their off-season OL additions?

 

[Anthony Borbely]

The line should be a lot better once they play together. They started 9 different combinations last year in 16 games, including several rookies. This year, they only have 1 rookie competing for a job. They should be respectable in pass protection.

You also have to remember last year, after KJ went down, there was no RBs at all. The WRs after Roy and Furrey were non exisitant. Adding Calvin and McDonald helps immensely, as teams have to respect the pass, unlike last year. That helps pass protection without even touching the line.

 

[Jeff Haseley]

Every now and then a team has a window of opportunity where the talent is there for everything to go right. Detroit has improved their offense dramatically, however the Kevin Jones injury hurts them. That might wind up being the one piece of the puzzle that was needed to secure a run at a championship. Yes, the defense can definitely improve, but the offense is looking very strong for the coming years, provided Kevin Jones returns to form. If they can use FA and the draft to improve their defense, 2008 or 2009 could be their chance to get through that small window of opportunity to reach a championship.

 

[PRAE]

George Foster from Denver....Tackle

Woody supposedly has "recommitted"....lost 40 lbs

Mulitalo from Balt.... 8 year vet

 

[PRAE]

Every now and then a team has a window of opportunity where the talent is there for everything to go right. Detroit has improved their offense dramatically, however the Kevin Jones injury hurts them. That might wind up being the one piece of the puzzle that was needed to secure a run at a championship. Yes, the defense can definitely improve, but the offense is looking very strong for the coming years, provided Kevin Jones returns to form. If they can use FA and the draft to improve their defense, 2008 or 2009 could be their chance to get through that small window of opportunity to reach a championship.

:(

 

[Kiddnets]

I had Kitna in my league last year so I watched a lot of Lions games - they have weapons on offense but I remember the OL was so terrible that he would have a defender in his face right after the snap - I don't care how many Bell's and CJ's they added - did they upgrade the OL in any way? I havent followed Det much this off season so maybe the homers can let us know - if the OL still sux then so will Det. The OL will also keep Kitna, CJ, Bell and Roy from being truly elite if it has not ben upgraded.

You need a homer to tell you about their off-season OL additions?

I dont follow the lions - no idea who they added but its not that simple - as a Jet homer I can tel you about the 4th rd pick who has looked good in camp; or that Brick put on 20 pounds n the offseason - or that Clarke is getting 1st team reps in camp - so the Jet OL should be better than last yearHomer info is usually better than AP info IMO - thats why I come here!

 

[Banger]

They still have no defense (and the worst by far in their division) so while they will put up points, they'll give up far more....

 

[grind]

I had Kitna in my league last year so I watched a lot of Lions games - they have weapons on offense but I remember the OL was so terrible that he would have a defender in his face right after the snap - I don't care how many Bell's and CJ's they added - did they upgrade the OL in any way? I havent followed Det much this off season so maybe the homers can let us know - if the OL still sux then so will Det. The OL will also keep Kitna, CJ, Bell and Roy from being truly elite if it has not ben upgraded.

The Lions threw for nearly 500 yards. Bad OL or not, the numbers will be there.

This is a Martz run offense. That said, he can make any offense throw for 500 yards against a bunch of 2nd,3rd, and 4th stringers based on scheme alone. I do agree though in some regard. Kitna through for 4200 last year. Can't see him doing much worse then that. So purely numbers and fantasy, there is some players to look at. As for the team, if they get to six wins, I'd be very, very surprised.

 

[benson_will_lead_the_way]

I see many 41-40 games.

Everything you wrote I believed you knew about the Lions until I read this.......the Lions aren't scoring 40 points a whole bunch of games.If you believe the Lions have no defense, teams will just run it down their throat in the 2nd halves of games, eating up clock.

Actually more teams will pass against them. Shaun Rogers and Cory Redding in the middle is a very nice tandem at DT, with Ernie Sims and Teddy Lehman and Boss Bailey. The potential is there at least.But the pass rush, CB's(remember they lost Bly) and safteys could be horrendous.I know teams will want to run the ball, but passing the ball could be just too easy.

 

[skillz]

5 wins

My thoughts exactly. Too many Detroit fans are drinking the Kool-Aid during the minicamps/pre-season and think they will have fare much better. They have a porous defense, tough schedule (even "easy" teams like the Raiders, and Cardinals are on the west coast where I don't think the Lions have won a road game since the 1980's), and if Kitna gets hurt they have an unproven backup to run the offense.I think the offense does very well this year but unfortunately without a better defense the team will still lose double digit games this year.

 

[Anthony Borbely]

I had Kitna in my league last year so I watched a lot of Lions games - they have weapons on offense but I remember the OL was so terrible that he would have a defender in his face right after the snap - I don't care how many Bell's and CJ's they added - did they upgrade the OL in any way? I havent followed Det much this off season so maybe the homers can let us know - if the OL still sux then so will Det. The OL will also keep Kitna, CJ, Bell and Roy from being truly elite if it has not ben upgraded.

You need a homer to tell you about their off-season OL additions?

I dont follow the lions - no idea who they added but its not that simple - as a Jet homer I can tel you about the 4th rd pick who has looked good in camp; or that Brick put on 20 pounds n the offseason - or that Clarke is getting 1st team reps in camp - so the Jet OL should be better than last yearHomer info is usually better than AP info IMO - thats why I come here!

Look in this thread, post 16, for a detailed look at the Lions offensive line changes. The Lions started 9 different combinations on their line last year in 16 games. That says a lot right there.

 

[Jason Wood]

I had Kitna in my league last year so I watched a lot of Lions games - they have weapons on offense but I remember the OL was so terrible that he would have a defender in his face right after the snap - I don't care how many Bell's and CJ's they added - did they upgrade the OL in any way? I havent followed Det much this off season so maybe the homers can let us know - if the OL still sux then so will Det. The OL will also keep Kitna, CJ, Bell and Roy from being truly elite if it has not ben upgraded.

Martz knows how to sling the ball around; and I think the Lions will put up a boatload of points. It's incumbent upon Marinelli and his son-in-law to get that defense playing at a respectable level. As others have pointed out, a healthy Redding + Rogers is a great interior tandem, but can they get to the passer? Right now it looks like teams will simply be able to throw on these guys all day long; and that means their interior run defense isn't going to matter much.Analogous to the Vikings last year would be a best case scenario. The run defense is so good, teams just decide to throw on them all day long and, while they get picked apart at times, they make enough plays (turnovers, deflections) to win some shootouts.

 

[Dirty D-Towne Dogs]

Every now and then a team has a window of opportunity where the talent is there for everything to go right. Detroit has improved their offense dramatically, however the Kevin Jones injury hurts them. That might wind up being the one piece of the puzzle that was needed to secure a run at a championship. Yes, the defense can definitely improve, but the offense is looking very strong for the coming years, provided Kevin Jones returns to form. If they can use FA and the draft to improve their defense, 2008 or 2009 could be their chance to get through that small window of opportunity to reach a championship.

As a Detroit homer, I have two words that will make this window close faster than ....well, something witty.Matt MillenSeriously, how does he still have a job?And my prediction... 6 and 10

 

[Spartans Rule]

Every now and then a team has a window of opportunity where the talent is there for everything to go right. Detroit has improved their offense dramatically, however the Kevin Jones injury hurts them. That might wind up being the one piece of the puzzle that was needed to secure a run at a championship. Yes, the defense can definitely improve, but the offense is looking very strong for the coming years, provided Kevin Jones returns to form. If they can use FA and the draft to improve their defense, 2008 or 2009 could be their chance to get through that small window of opportunity to reach a championship.

There's the problem.The Lions will make progress this year. Maybe it will be to 6-10, maybe to 8-8, maybe even a winning season. The offense will be awesome, and it will seem like they're only a few defensive players away from being a contender.

And then we'll head into free agency, and the Lions will have their hands tied by the bad contracts they gave Cory Redding and Jeff Backus. They'll have just enough to keep the offense intact. And they won't have good late-round steals to help fill in the ranks, because Millen has been the worst second-day drafter in the NFL the past few years.

Even with the right coaches and some terrific young talent in place, Matt Millen keeps the ceiling fairly low for this team.

 

[joeski]

Every now and then a team has a window of opportunity where the talent is there for everything to go right. Detroit has improved their offense dramatically, however the Kevin Jones injury hurts them. That might wind up being the one piece of the puzzle that was needed to secure a run at a championship. Yes, the defense can definitely improve, but the offense is looking very strong for the coming years, provided Kevin Jones returns to form. If they can use FA and the draft to improve their defense, 2008 or 2009 could be their chance to get through that small window of opportunity to reach a championship.

As a Detroit homer, I have two words that will make this window close faster than ....well, something witty.Matt MillenSeriously, how does he still have a job?And my prediction... 6 and 10

I heard Ferrell quote this so I had to wiki it. "Under Matt Millen the Detroit Lions are 24-72 (.250) following the 2006 season, the worst winning percentage of all 32 NFL teams during that time, and the worst of any franchise in league history over a comparable period of time since the 21-74 (.221) mark recorded by the hapless Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1983-88"Ford does not care about winning he just enjoys the fact that he has a toy. Think of it as a boat or a car it's just a toy to him, and nothing will change until the owner does.

 

[Zigg]

Last I checked, the Lions still have a mediocre QB, sub-par RBs and while improved, still at best an average O-Line. Their best acquisition was at their only position of strength. I just don't see the fascination with the Lions aside from the fact that people usually predict success for teams that constantly draft high profile fantasy players(see Arizona). Throw in a bad D and I see no more than 5 wins.

 

[Sinrman]

The Lions obviously have a LOT to prove. Do I think they are the same ol' Lions? Actually, NO. I really like what the new coach has done there. There's been a very lazy attitude there for years and years, and he is shaping them up and not putting up with crap. I think he's done a lot of great things there so far. But I think the biggest difference between the current Lions and previous squads is that they actually have the attitude of "WE CAN WIN!" When was the last time they ever were like that?

Will they leap into the playoffs? Highly doubtful. But I could see them winning 6,7, maybe even 8 games this season. If that offense can't start to gel, I think they could surprise a lot of people this year. And perhaps carry the momentum into next year...

 

[Gopher State]

The line should be a lot better once they play together. They started 9 different combinations last year in 16 games, including several rookies. This year, they only have 1 rookie competing for a job. They should be respectable in pass protection. You also have to remember last year, after KJ went down, there was no RBs at all. The WRs after Roy and Furrey were non exisitant. Adding Calvin and McDonald helps immensely, as teams have to respect the pass, unlike last year. That helps pass protection without even touching the line.

I think one of the big additions as you mentioned is McDonald, with Roy, Calvin and Furrey getting attention this kid is going to get some nice long plays, he could end up being the big play maker for the Lions.

 

[TwinTurbo]

The Lions just seem like one of those franchises that will never win a Superbowl. I think as long as the Ford family owns the team they will follow the same path as Ford Motor Company, which is a path that leads to below average management and a below average product.

 

[detfan782004]

The Lions just seem like one of those franchises that will never win a Superbowl. I think as long as the Ford family owns the team they will follow the same path as Ford Motor Company, which is a path that leads to below average management and a below average product.

They have won championships...they were a dynasty back when it was the NFL Championship...Superbowl is just that renamed IMO. It has been a long time but to say they never win the big one is false.

 

[BigSteelThrill]

The Lions just seem like one of those franchises that will never win a Superbowl. I think as long as the Ford family owns the team they will follow the same path as Ford Motor Company, which is a path that leads to below average management and a below average product.

They have won championships...they were a dynasty back when it was the NFL Championship...Superbowl is just that renamed IMO. It has been a long time but to say they never win the big one is false.

I dont mean to be offensive, but you mean in the 50's when they had 12 teams and played 12 games? And only played 1 or 2 playoff games total?

 

[delusional]

I feel detroit makes some teams think "whoa, in a year or 2 these guys will be legit" . What I mean by that is when the lions get a better O line and a upgrade here or there, they will be a serious threat.....as long as martz is there

 

[The Man with the Plan]

Let's see the Lions have a bad overrated offense (throwing the ball a whole bunch of times for many yards but few points doesn't make for a good offense) an abysmal defense, no offensive line, a quarterback who's a turnover machine, and one of their best offensive players who may or may not still be injured.

Bottom Line:They still suck.

 

[The Man with the Plan]

Let's see the Lions have a bad overrated offense (throwing the ball a whole bunch of times for many yards but few points doesn't make for a good offense) an abysmal defense, no offensive line, a quarterback who's a turnover machine, and one of their best offensive players who may or may not still be injured.

Bottom Line:They still suck.

 

[-OZ-]

The line should be a lot better once they play together. They started 9 different combinations last year in 16 games, including several rookies. This year, they only have 1 rookie competing for a job. They should be respectable in pass protection. You also have to remember last year, after KJ went down, there was no RBs at all. The WRs after Roy and Furrey were non exisitant. Adding Calvin and McDonald helps immensely, as teams have to respect the pass, unlike last year. That helps pass protection without even touching the line.

I think one of the big additions as you mentioned is McDonald, with Roy, Calvin and Furrey getting attention this kid is going to get some nice long plays, he could end up being the big play maker for the Lions.

I can certainly see McDonald making big plays, and he'll probably have the best YPR on the team. Roy and McDonald deep, Furrey shallow, and Calvin all over the field will give the DBs a very difficult job. But all of this depends on the OL working together.6-10 is reasonable, and I'll take it as a Lions fan this year. Playoffs in 2008.

 

[patriarchz]

Thanks to parity in the NFL, every single team has the chance to go 10-6. We all know that the difference between the 4-12 teams and the 10-6 teams is a play or two or maybe a player or two. That's why the NFL has the biggest fan base, every team has a chance each year.

That being said, the Lions go 8-8 this year. And to answer the original question, it will take a superbowl win to make anyone think these aren't the same old Lions.

 

[duaneok66]

yes the defense stinks, but the offense is loaded . . .

you have two #1 type receivers in Williams and CJ . . . both are big AND fast

you have the best WR3 and WR4 (as a set) in the game (Furrey and McDonald) . . .

does anyone honestly want to see all four of these guys on the field AT THE SAME TIME???

yes, I think Bell and TJ are mediocre, but that's not a huge deal since Martz usually runs less than 40 percent of the time anyway . . .

the OL is not great but they have added a few new pieces . . .

Rogers needs to get healthy to team with Redding on the DL . . .

Sims looks very good on the second line . . .

yes the pass rush and the secondary stink, but I think that the Lions can outscore teams next year . . .

I predict an 9-7 season - which is pretty good for the Lions . . .