The Lions improved their secondary by creating a potentially dominant defensive line. These guys all know how to get to the Quarterback, and that pressure alone lessens the needs in the secondary (though they're still certainly there). And the offense should be phenomenal if the OL can hold up. Adding Young and Leshoure to Megatron, Best, and Pettigrew is pretty sick. Leshoure will be getting more carries than Best eventually, but Jahvid can line up all over the field. Doug Hogue is a really underrated prospect at Linebacker too, he's still early in his LB career (played RB at SU for a while), but was really good last year anyway. His potential is about as big as any LB taken in this draft.
I don't really care what the pundits say. An I don't think they'll surprise anybody this year, if there even is one. They were competitive last year and either beat or hung in with some pretty good teams last year. It doesn't always translate from season to season, but it looks like they do respond to Schwartz, which would put them on the right track. Their roster is so much better than it was 2 years ago. I can't even begin to explain how devoid of talent that last Millen team was. Realistically, they are still a season away from contending for a playoff spot. Lot of good pieces, but not nearly enough, unless Stafford puts it all together. Stafford is too much of a wildcard to say that with any conviction, though.
I have nothing against the Lions like I do the Vikings and Bears. I hope they take 2nd in the north this year. That team doesn't have any big weaknesses besides CB and LB. A couple solid FA moves and I think they top .500
If we dont land Asomugah, then id LOVEEEE to see him go to Detroit. That would be a fricken beastin defense
Another solid offseason for Mayhew. I like the fact that he didn't throw mad money at any of the FA LBs and still was able to sign quality players. He seemed to gauge the market well while still allowing cap flexibility in the coming years. CB is still a huge negative, but they should be serviceable behind that front 7.
As was mentioned by someone else in the thread, I kind of view the Lions as my NFC team, so I'll be rooting for them. HUGE Barry Sanders fan back in the day (except for the Game That Shall Not Be Mentioned in 1997), and I'm a big Calvin Johnson fan now. Also, how can you not root for Stafford after his busted shoulder heroics against the Browns in'09? That mic'd up replay of the final drive was incredible.
I dispute the "Matthew Stafford = china doll" comments. If the Lions didn't constantly ignore their offensive line, Stafford might not get injured every other game. Even still, the Lions have a shot (with their current roster) at a winning record. The only thing holding them back from the playoffs is the fact that they play in a conference that will be very tough this year.
I cant dispute that...I want to see him at least play 1 full season! He is quickly becoming Chad Pennington of Injuries
The only quarterback I've seen that's able to overcome having a shit offensive line is Peyton Manning.
That sucks --- was very eager to see that kid play. Now more pressure on Best to stay healthy as well as Stafford to pass more (and stay healthy). EDIT: - I thought Brian Waters was a perfect fit at guard for these guys.
Assuming that Best and/or Stafford can stay healthy as well. That team is an injury waiting to happen it seems.
Well, it's October and the season isn't over. Progress. Stafford started out poorly yesterday, but it wasn't all that shocking to me. Dallas is improved defensively and he still is a 23 year old kid going home for the first time. He played much better in the 2nd half. And yes, it is nice having CJ on the roster. Stafford will be a top 5 QB by age 25 if he stays healthy. I don't think that's much of a reach nowadays but I feel the same way about him now as I did before the draft. He's smart and has a good grasp of the game. He's far more advanced than most his age making pre-snap reads, line adjustments and the like. Still crazy to think that he's the 2nd youngest QB in the league. I don't get why everyone seems to be knocking CJ lately. He's one of the quietest guys in the league. Dude is a flat out baller and will get better the more Stafford can stay upright. And Fairley is on track to come back this week or the next. Going to be fun to see what those two can do together. Looks promising, but still look like a 9-7 team with their brutal closing schedule. And the fans waiting to proclaim them SOL will come out in force if they start out 6-2, 7-1 and finish with only 9 wins. I won't be one of them.
