It is just a little over than a week until the Detroit Lions play their first preseason game against the New York Jets. I know its just preseason, but for most football fans it seems like its been for ever since the Super Bowl. We won’t be seeing much of the starters for the first preseason game on August 13th, but just seeing football in action again will make any fan smile. (Even if it’s not your favorite team on the field)
What to expect from the Lions this year? That’s a good question.
We have our hardcore Lions fans and our typical Same Old Lions fans that will jump on the bandwagon if they decide to come out and play.
But how I see it is, they will have a pretty decent year. Jim Caldwell will be in his second year as Head Coach and has a season underneath him to be that impact leader for these players.
The departure of Ndamukong Suh to the Miami Dolphins in free agency, I feel that is a blessing for the Lions. Don’t get me wrong, Suh was an excellent player and just a beast on the field, I just didn’t like the attitude he brought to the locker room.
Moving on from Suh and bringing in Haloti Ngata and Tyrunn Walker to be the top-two defensive tackles should be a smooth transition. Last season with Suh and Nick Fairley was good enough to get the job done. This season, teams will have to focus on two good players instead of just Suh.
Opposing offenses will also have to worry about Stephen Tulloch who is back to 100 percent health. It’s going to be even harder to run on the Lions defense.
The secondary will be about the same, another year of Darius Slay and Rashean Mathis will give Slay some more knowledge of the game and hopefully have a better season. Glover Quin is and will be the heart and sole of this defense. Quin is a play-maker in the back and if he can get the help from his front four and linebackers, expect him to have another solid season again.
Now the offensive side is going to be the tricky part. It really depends on what quarterback Matthew Stafford is going to do. Working with Coach Caldwell for a season and going on his second time around with him, should be a more productive season. We all know that the Detroit Lions have the talent around Stafford, but can the skilled players stay healthy?
Running back Joique Bell is already battling injuries this off-season, so Rookie Ameer Abdullah will need to step up and show off his talents. Second year tight end Eric Ebron needs to stay healthy also. He could be a big threat against linebackers and safeties running up the seam. It’s going to come down to the Lions offense to stay of the field and put points on the board and win games this season.
I know it’s early in the season, but my predictions for the Lions will be about the same as last season. 11-wins and five losses. They do have a very hard schedule for the beginning of the season but it gets very easy in the second half.