NFL Team Previews: Detroit Lions
Team number 2 of my team previews, as well as team number 2 in the NFC North. This time, I will be doing the Detroit Lions, coached by Jim Caldwell. Like the first team I wrote about, last year was a disappointing year for the Detroit Lions, as they finished 7-9 after making the playoffs a year prior. This time, they will be without franchise player Calvin Johnson, as he somewhat surprisingly retired after last season. Without him, it seems as though a lot of people are not sure what to make of the Lions this coming season, but it seems that first time general manager Bob Quinn got off to a solid start.
DRAFT RECAP: I like the Lions draft, especially if second round pick A'Shawn Robinson turns out to be better than his Alabama counterpart Jarran Reed. He seems to be in line to take over for Haloti Ngata once he retires. I also like that the Lions didn't rush into anything to replace Calvin Johnson, and instead are taking their time rebuilding the receiving corps. Plus, Taylor Decker is a very solid offensive lineman, and should slide right into left tackle immediately to protect Matthew Stafford. Third round pick Graham Glasgow is what many Lions fans hope will replace Travis Swanson, who was graded the worst starting center in football entering last season. The rest of the draft was pretty ho-hum, safe picks to fill depth throughout the team, but the one that stood out to me was Jake Rudock, QB from Michigan. I think he's a good project QB to hide behind Stafford, and playing under former 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh for a season helped him a lot with his draft stock and skill set.
FREE AGENCY: The Lions had a relatively active free agency, but they also did not need too much from it. Obviously, there was no Calvin Johnson available in free agency, but Marvin Jones and Jeremy Kerley are solid receivers and should be able to help out Golden Tate. Resigning Tahir Whitehead was a good move for the Lions, and Rafael Bush and Tavon Wilson should be battling for the other safety spot next to Glover Quin. They also created some line depth with another ex-Bengal in DE Wallace Gilberry, who, at that salary, is a low-risk move and should help Devin Taylor and DeAndre Levy rush across from Ziggy Ansah. The Stevan Ridley signing is intriguing, but he should stay the backup to give Ameer Abdullah his shot, and keep pass-catching Theo Riddick on third downs. Mostly a ho-hum, low risk, rebuilding offseason for the Lions.
PLAYERS LOST: Outside of Calvin Johnson, losing Isa Abdul-Quddus to the Miami Dolphins is a hard hit as well, but the Lions must have hope that Rafael Bush, Tavon Wilson, or maybe 4th round pick Miles Killebrew can replace him in the secondary. DE Jason Jones is gone too, but Wallace Gilberry should be able to fill his shoes. G Manny Ramirez and ILB Travis Lewis were lost as well, but with the drafting of Taylor Decker and the return of DeAndre Levy, they should be capable of replacing those players.
STRONGEST POSITION: I'm going with the defensive line. I think Haloti Ngata still might have a few good runs left in him, but if not, that's why they drafted A'Shawn Robinson and signed Stefan Charles. Plus, having Ziggy Ansah and his 14.5 sacks on one end of the line is a pretty big plus for the group. Devin Taylor and Wallace Gilberry should provide a solid rush on the other side of the line, and having Tyrunn Walker back from injury should help the D-Line improve as well.
WEAKEST POSITION: Yes, I'll go with wide receiver. I'm sorry, but I don't believe that Golden Tate is a number one receiver, and Marvin Jones' success is mostly based off of AJ Green being next to him. Jeremy Kerley is a number 4 receiver at best, and after that, there is not much upside. Tight end should make up a little bit for it, as Eric Ebron is a solid tight end, but he's not good enough to take off pressure from the receivers. And, with a relatively unknown in the backfield in Ameer Abdullah, it's pretty obvious this offense is going to stagnate a bit in the passing game.
FIVE MOST IMPORTANT PLAYERS TO THE LIONS SUCCESS: QB Matthew Stafford, RB Ameer Abdullah, DE Ezekiel Ansah, OLB DeAndre Levy, LT Taylor Decker. I also could have gone with WR Golden Tate or FS Glover Quin here, but I believe the offensive line to be the most important positional grouping for a teams' success.
PREDICTION: Unless Ameer Abdullah has an Adrian Peterson-like season, I don't see the Lions winning more than eight games in this division. The defense is solid, but without Ziggy Ansah, I think this is a below average defense. The offensive line is still rebuilding, and without Calvin Johnson, the offense will have to overcome a lot of problems. I think 6-10 is reasonable, and I don't think it should cost Jim Caldwell his job, especially with their being a new GM and no real offensive threat.
