I will admit they should be better this season. They even drafted a player worthy of excitement - Ndamukong Suh. Yet, they have the same exact issues as your Detroit Tigers. Both teams employ players of supreme talent (Calvin Johnson, Miguel Cabrera), but they also have gaping holes. Glancing at ESPN's depth chart, it doesn't take a genius to figure out how to attack the Lions offensive line, nor how to beat their defense.
Let's start with the offense. I put together a completely subjective evaluation of the Lions' eleven starters. The players received either a green dot or red dot. The green dot signifies the player is a legitimate NFL-caliber player. The red dot means that particular player would have a difficult time landing a job in the NFL, if not for the Lions.
Say what you want about Peterman, but I have zero faith. And, Gosder... well, he's the last of a long-line of underperforming Matt Millen draftees. If the team hadn't invested so much in the young man, he'd be cut. In fact, if he loses his starting position, I suspect he will get cut.
The Lions did upgrade their backfield with the addition of Jahvid Best who may serve as the 3rd-down back. Otherwise, they're desperately weak. Oft-injured Kevin Smith isn't much of a threat when healthy. The Lions will attack teams through the air. It's no secret. They'll be one-dimensional yet again. And opposing defenses will take advantage of the weak right side of the line. To be honest, the left side, with Jeff Backus, ain't All-World either, but it's an upgrade from Gosder.
The defense has even more holes. And I should state I don't necessarily blame the coaching staff. They've had to rebuild this squad from scratch. Millen and Marinelli left the cupboard completely bare. The Lions are no different than an expansion team, and expectations should reflect that. Here's my evaluation of the defense:
Ko Simpson? Eric King? Chris Houston? Really?
I love the fact that Lions are "discovering" undrafted talent, but I'm a little nervous that 3 out of the 4 starters in the secondary didn't even find a taker in the SEVENTH ROUND! The Lions did sign Dre Bly a few weeks ago, and he may supplant Houston or King. I surely hope so. So at least they'll have a legitimate playmaker on defense, though Bly is near the end of the line physically.
The Lions did upgrade their defensive line with Suh and Vanden Bosch. Teams might not tally two 100-yard rushers per game against the Lions this season. Yet, with that secondary, we should expect the Lions to once again claim the top spot in passing yards allowed.
The Lions are a team in transition. They're a 2nd year expansion team that may surprise a few teams based on the sheer talent of their high draft picks. Four wins? It's possible. Any more than that would be a massive achievement.
I agree with the theme of 4 wins, but might change-up the assessment a bit. Aside from the ones you mentioned, how many other Lions starters would play on a playoff team? Would any offensive lineman start for Dallas, New England, San Diego, or Indy? Anyone on defense besides Suh or Vandenbosch?
ReplyDeleteI like the direction of the team. No doubt. They are steadily filling the holes in the roster, not only starteers but at some key backup positions, too.
They might even be fun to watch this year. But this team still has quite a few holes. They are at least one or two more offseasons away from being able to compete in this league. I say the range is 3-5 wins, depending on injuries.
Calvin Johnson of two years ago would pretty much start anywhere. I suppose the question with him is whether or not he's Lionized.
ReplyDeleteIf he's officially Lionized, we can stop thinking he's elite. The dude has been stuck on the worst NFL team of all time for three years. I know he gets paid a ton of money, but at what point is the money not worth the embarrassment?
I think they made it a priority this offseason to support their young QB with weapons. Burleson, Scheffler, and Jahvid Best are all nice players to add to Calvin (and I think Pettigrew will be fine, too). And it may help him from being "Lionized". Even if the Lions are losing, Calvin won't be seeing as many double and triple teams, so he may enjoy playing football more this year.
ReplyDeleteHowever, that's assuming that Stafford isn't killed behind one of the worst offensive lines in football.
I would love to see the Lions draft two Tackles with their top two picks next year. Assuming Cherilus remains a bust. Then move Backus (finally) to Guard and start fresh on the Line.