Last Year
Watching the Detroit Lions 2005-06 season was like watching a car accident. With Joey Harrington behind the steering wheel, the Lions once again lacked leadership and eventually crashed. The offense had a carload of underachievers from the trio of first-round wide receivers to second-year back Kevin Jones and subsequently let down a decent defense. The lackadaisical days of Steve Mariucci are over and in steps a demanding regime who is going to whip this talented team into shape.
What We Learned From Last Year
After a decisive 17-3 victory over the Green Bay Packers in Week 1, it looked like the Lions, a team who had only won 16 games in the last four seasons, had finally turned the losing corner.
The evidence in following weeks supported that fact — somewhat — but the confidence-building wins just didn't fall for them.
After getting knocked around like Brett Myers' wife — allegedly — in Week 2 at the hands of the Chicago Bears, the Lions remained surprisingly competitive in the following weeks.
They lost 17-13 in a controversial game in Tampa Bay when the refs reversed a Lions' touchdown with seconds remaining, dropped another road game two weeks later in Carolina after Chris Weinke tossed a 21-yard, last-second touchdown and re-asserted themselves against the Chicago Bears before losing in overtime.
Had one of those games fallen for them, the Lions would have entailed a winning record after eight weeks and would have been tops in the NFC North, which was obviously weak at that point.
The burden was on quarterback Joey Harrington to finally develop into a consistent franchise starter, but his inconsistency did not dissipate and he continued to be a poor leader.
Sometimes an offense takes on the characteristics of the quarterback and the Lions' attack was as hot and cold as Harrington. Some days, Harrington would complete nearly 68% of his passes along with three touchdowns, and other days, he would connect on just of 51% with five interceptions. Backup Jeff Garcia just extended the spotty play.
While the quarterbacking was shoddy, there is plenty of criticism to go around.
The front five protectors were faulty all across the board. Second-year right tackle Kelly Butler was too green for a starter's role, guards Rick DeMulling and Kyle Kosier were nothing special on the left side, and center Damien Woody battled injuries.
The much publicized trio of first-round wideouts also disappointed — again — as Charles Rogers was suspended four games for drug violations, Mike Williams was fined over $400,000 for being overweight and arriving late to meetings, and Roy Williams sustained his reputation as a softy, sitting out five games with a quadriceps injury.
While the Lions offense dropped the ball, it was the defense that shouldered the load.
Even without cornerback Fernando Bryant, who spent the season on injured reserve with a dislocated clavicle, the Lions still tallied 19 interceptions, eighth best in the NFL. Dre Bly led the team with six picks in 12 games and spent a lot of time on the opposing team's top wideout. Prize free agent strong safety Kennoy Kennedy flourished in his first season in Detroit, leading the team with 98 tackles.
The linebacking corps endured a few injuries which toyed with its consistency. Boss Bailey, the team's best linebacker in pass coverage, only lasted 11 games and sophomore Teddy Lehman's season was shortened to five games.
The front four is where the strength of the defense lied and boasted the team's only Pro Bowler, Shaun Rogers. He is not only the Lions' best defensive tackle, but quite arguably the best in the league. With "Big Daddy" Dan Wilkinson beside him, the Lions had the necessary bulk up front. Ends Kalimba Edwards and James Hall started to blossom, totaling 12.5 together, but the Lions still didn't generate many sacks, finishing with only 31.
Heading forward, the Lions are installing an intricate offense under Mike Martz and a new defense under Donnie Henderson, but they may not have the proper players to fit the new schemes. Although they have a lot of talented athletes, new head coach Rod Marinelli's first season will be about determining who fits the puzzle and which pieces just don't match.
This Year
Sometimes, a fresh head coach wants to fill out his coaching staff with his own guys, but the new trend seems to be entrusting experienced — or recently fired — coaches to man positions.
Rod Marinelli really pushed to get Mike Martz onboard and as maligned as he was as a head coach — especially by me — Martz is one creative offensive mind.
The main question right now is: does Martz have the right parts to work with?
While he unearthed diamonds in Kurt Warner and Marc Bulger, at first glance, it appears he's working with Zirconium right now.
Jon Kitna has already been named the starter, but he has a long history of throwing ill-timed interceptions. Josh McCown is right behind him and has been lauded for his potential, but has a similar reputation.
The second best coaching hire by Marinelli was offensive line coach Larry Beightol, who is a quality line coach. He should be able to motivate this unit to perform cohesively.
The Lions inked left tackle Jeff Backus to a long-term contract and with Dominic Raiola and a healthy Damian Woody returning, three starters are in place. Ross Verba, who took a season off, is slotted to start at left guard and Rex Tucker, who played under Martz last year in St. Louis, is the starting right tackle. The line should at the very least be much improved in opening up running lanes, but it is still uncertain how they will respond if they are asked to pass protect a great deal.
Martz has a penchant of giving his running backs sparse carries, which might not bode well for Kevin Jones. He has worked hard in the offseason to shake his sophomore slump and has put extra focus on block and pass catching, receiving 100 passes a day for a period of time. With rookie Brian Calhoun on the roster, the Lions are hoping they won't see such a drop-off when Jones is spelled for a play or two.
As the offense is completely made over, it's unclear what role Roy Williams, Mike Williams, and Charles Rogers will have going forward. Martz is big on speedy and polished route-runners, which doesn't exactly fit the Williams' description.
Rogers has lost some weight and regained his speed, but he originally gained the weight under the advice of the previous coaching staff because his body was so fragile. Corey Bradford is probably the most reliable receiver on-board, which is more of an insult to the former first-round picks than it is a complement to Bradford.
On defense, the Lions will employ an aggressive style under Henderson, which should allow them to increase their measly sack total of last season.
Upfront, they return virtually the same unit, without 12-year veteran Dan Wilkinson, who didn't feel like going through the rigors of another training camp. Shaun Cody should be ready to step in.
On the ends, there is a solid rotation that includes James Hall, Kalimba Edwards, and Corey Redding. Hall and Edwards are the pass-rushers, while Redding, who has been a standout in training camp, is stouter against the run.
The secondary will be enhanced by the return of Fernando Bryant, but Henderson plans on implementing a lot of zone coverage. Both starting corners are better in man-to-man so this is another area of uncertainty.
While Kennoy Kennedy has the strong safety position locked up, the free spot is open for competition. Terrence Holt, last year's starter, is the front runner, but he has not been reliable enough to start. This opening is basically just waiting for second-round pick Daniel Bullocks to develop and step into it.
With no top flight wideouts at the top of the draft, the Lions drafted linebacker Ernie Sims with the eighth selection overall.
Sims has a history of concussions, although he claims they are minor, and is a gifted playmaker. If Teddy Lehman can comeback healthy and Boss Bailey can hold out for a full season, this unit could be the start of something special for years to come at the second level. That's too many “ifs” to expect steady production, however.
Expectations are lofty with Martz guiding the offense, but there is a lot of terminology to swallow for a team who's coming off a lackadaisical coach. Timing and perfection are critical components of his offense and without the right type of players, it is unlikely Ford Field will house the greatest show on FieldTurf this year.
This team will not underachieve under Marinelli, like they did under Mariucci, but this year will be about learning and growing pains.
Over/Under: 6.5
Seven wins would be a successful season and not only would it be their highest win total since 2000, it would save general manager Matt Millen from a pink slip. The players have a ton of adjustments to make to Martz and the coaches have to sift through the roster to see who is viable for the future. They play: SEA, @CHI, GB, @STL, @MIN, BUF, @NYJ, ATL, SF, @ARZ, MIA, @NE, MIN, @GB, CHI, and @DAL.
Fantasy Sleeper
With so much uncertainty among the wide receivers and the quarterbacks, Kevin Jones looks like the best fantasy value here. The extra time he's put in catching balls in the offseason should help him thrive in Martz' system and although Steven Jackson suffered in the pass-heavy offense, Jones is simply better than the 664 yards he rushed for last season. Keep in mind that Martz is not the top dog on the coaching staff and if Marinelli sees too much passing and not enough running, he will let him know.
This is the fourth consecutive season of comprehensive NFL previews by Dave Golokhov. Stay tuned as he brings you previews for all 32 NFL teams! He can be reached at [email protected].
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