Detroit Lions Predictions


June 18, 2008 | Posted By Larry Cook

The Detroit Lions are coming off their best season since 2000.  But with a 7-9 record, that’s clearly not saying much.  They are 50 games below .500 since Matt Millen became team president in 2001.  They feel they are headed in the right direction and have a shot at making their first playoff berth since 1999.  Unfortunately for you Lions fans, the team here at Info Plays does not feel that way.  Below we give you our 2008 Detroit Lions predictions along with a team preview of what to expect.

Offense:

Head coach Rod Marinelli brought in a few coaches and players from his former team, Tampa Bay, because they know the system and should be able to help this team short term.  After starting the season 6-2 last year, the Lions finished 1-7, losing two tight home games to the Cowboys and Giants to cost them any shot at the playoffs.  Quarterback Jon Kitna’s guarantee to win 10 games fell short.  There will be no guarantees from Kitna this year after eating his words last season.  Youngsters Drew Stanton and Dan Orlovsky will get a legitimate shot to unseat Kitna as the Lions’ starter.  Stanton is the Lions’ future, but the question is how quickly he can come along after suffering a knee injury in training camp last year.

New offensive coordinator Jim Colletto is installing a zone-blocking scheme like the one he used in Baltimore as the Ravens’ offensive line coach.  He will limit the playbook this season so the Lions can master a few plays, instead of being mediocre with a boat load of plays.  The Lions want to form an identity with their running game.  Tatum Bell was productive in a zone blocking scheme in Denver.  Kevin Smith was a third-round pick who was the leading rusher in the nation out of UCF.  Brian Calhoun, a third-round pick in 2006, has missed much of the last two seasons because of knee injuries and needs to finally make an impact.

The Lions do plan to run the ball a lot more, but with the talent they have at receiver it would be completely idiotic to ignore the passing game potential at their disposal.  Roy Williams and Calvin Johnson are two big targets that any quarterback in this league would love to throw to.  Williams is in a contract year so expect big things from him.  Johnson showed signs of brilliance before a back injury hampered him for most of the season.  Mike Furrey and Shaun McDonald are short, quick receivers that are possession type guys to move the chains.

The Lions allowed 117 sacks over the last two seasons, worst in the NFL.  Colletto’s approach should give this offensive line a much better chance to succeed than Mike Martz’s system allowed for.  Left tackle Jeff Backus is much better as a run blocker than a pass protector.  Edwin Mulitalo is a solid left guard who played under Colletto in Baltimor.  Dominic Raiola is coming off a strong season at center.  The Lions will have competition at right guard.  But Detroit did address their gaping hole at right tackle in the first round of the draft by taking Gosder Cherilus 17th overall.

Defense:

Shuan Rogers, perhaps the best defensive tackle in the NFL, is gone and the Lions will have to find a way to make up for his production in the middle.  The Lions signed Chuck Darby, a former Seahawk, and drafted Andre Fluellen in the third round to try and minimize the loss of Rogers.  The Lions are still waiting for a pass rusher to emerge at end.  Dewayne White is a solid veteran and Ikaika Alama-Francis was a second-round pick last year.  Cliff Avril was a third-round pick last year and the Lions must get production from these recent draft classes to win the battle of the trenches.

Ernie Sims is a great weak-side linebacker who fit’s the Derrick Brooks mold.  But middle and strong side linebacker is up for grabs.  Paris Lenon is penciled in as the starter in the middle, but the Lions would see Jordon Dizon emerge as a second-round pick so Lenon can move to the strong side.  Dizon is small, but he plays big.  He was a tackling machine at the University of Colorado last season and the Lions need him to make a quick transition to the much faster pace of the NFL.

The secondary was the biggest glaring weakness in Detroit last year an the Lions made a complete overhaul in the offseason because of it.  They added corners Leigh Bodden and Brian Kelly, along with safeties Dwight Smith and Kalvin Pearson.  Bodden snatched six interceptions in Cleveland last year.  Kelly, Smith and Pearson all played in Tampa Bay and kwon the Tampa Two system that Colletto adores.  Travis Fisher returns as a solid nickel back.  The Lions have some young depth that could emerge this season in corners Keith Smith and Stanley Wilson, and safeties Daniel Bullocks and Gerald Alexander to push these veterans if they slip up.

Info Plays 2008 Detroit Lions Predictions

This is not going to be Detroit’s year to finally make the playoffs.  The Lions still aren’t set at quarterback and that fact alone is scary heading into the 2008 season.  They have a plethora of talent at wide receiver and running back, but that won’t be enough to carry this team.  Too many question marks on defense on the line and at linebacker will have the Lions getting beat in the trenches again this season.  Their secondary did improve, but that improvement will be overshadowed when their opponents run the ball all day against their weak front seven.  Detroit finishes 4th in the NFC North Division, competing with the Chicago Bears for  the worst record here.

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