2007 NFC North Preview: Detroit Lions

Mark Cuebas - 2007-07-25 13:11:47

Be still, thou hath awakened the sleeping Lions! For too long Detroit fans have plodded discontentedly through season after season, praying for even the remotest chance of finishing 8-8. Rest assured, there is still trouble on the horizon. All is not well in Detroit. However this season promises to bring hope to a franchise that is struggling to remember a playoff game (1999) and forget six consecutive losing seasons and the NFL record for consecutive road games lost (24).

Quarterback: The Lions were set at quarterback pre-draft with Kitna entrenched as the starter and McCown as a more than capable back up. Kitna is a solid quarterback but has struggled with turnovers his entire career. McCown’s confidence in his abilities as a starter did not make him a happy clipboard carrier and led him to seek a trade to a team where he might have the ability to start.

After the Lion’s drafted QB Drew Stanton (43rd overall) a trade was consummated with the Oakland Raiders who received McCown and disgruntled receiver Mike Williams for a fourth round draft pick. McCown’s arrival in Oakland instantly completed his “terrible team trifecta” card (Arizona, Detroit, and Oakland). Stanton is projected to be the third string QB behind third year pro Dan Orlovsky, who has only thrown 17 passes in his NFL career thus far and all of them in his rookie season. Should anything happen to the thirty-four year old Kitna this season the lack of experienced QB depth will be telling and could condemn the Lions to yet another losing season.
Fantasy Impact: The combination of a healthy Kitna and an outstanding receiving corps plus a little Martz Madness is almost too tempting to pass up. Kitna will go earlier than he should because of all of the hype surrounding first round pick Calvin Johnnson and his fellow wideouts. Kitna is this year’s ultimate risk/reward project at QB so draft him at your own peril but be prepared for a) injuries and b) interceptions. Stanton and Orlovsky will both be available on the waiver wire but expect to see a good mix of both if Kitna goes down.

Running Back: Running back is an area of concern for the Lions. When healthy, Kevin Jones is among the leagues elite running backs. Unfortunately for the Lions (and Jones) the timetable for his return from Lis Franc surgery is post-training camp and may even bleed into the regular season. If Jones is unable to play the team will start the former Bronco Tatum Bell in his stead. Bell is immensely talented as a slasher type of back but has shown the tendency to wear down when given a feature roll. Bell will share time with T.J. Duckett who is now on his third team in five years. The immense Duckett will surely poach the goal line carries as he once did for Warrick Dunn back in Atlanta.
Fantasy Impact: Kevin Jones is one hell of a running back with one hell of an injury history. His inability to stay on the field makes him an injury liability. Toss in an improved but still substandard offensive line and you have plenty of reasons to stay away on draft day. Ditto for Bell and Duckett.

Wide Receiver: A first round pick in 2004, Roy Williams has made tremendous strides in his three years in the league. Last season he led the NFC in yards received and was rewarded with a bid to the Pro-Bowl, albeit as an alternate. Fellow receiver and former St.Louis Ram Mike Furrey led the NFC in receptions and earned a nice contract extension. If Calvin Johnson lives up to his hype unlike other first round receiver busts (Charles Rogers, Mike Williams) this could be one of the most productive receiver corps in the NFL. For depth the Lions acquired the speedster Shaun McDonald from the Rams (pattern anyone?) and the sometimes productive often times not Marcus Robinson (Chicago, Baltimore, Minnesota).
Fantasy Impact: Calvin Johnson will have a nice first season but he should be valued as no more than a number two receiver. The real winner here is Roy Williams. With teams forced to respect both Johnson and Furrey Williams should have yet another Pro-Bowl season. Furrey is a sneaky pick in the late rounds in leagues that award points for receptions. McDonald is just plain sneaky.

Offensive Line: Truly offensive. The offensive line coach was fired at the conclusion of the season after the Lions ranked dead last in rushing and allowed 63 sacks. If Damien Woody can shed roughly sixty pounds in the offseason he might be able to return to the Pro-Bowl form he exhibited in 2004. This would go a long way towards improving the unit. Longtime pro Jeff Backus will resume duty at left tackle. Damien Raiola will likewise return as the ever-reliable center. Edwin Mulitalo (Ravens) and George Foster (Broncos) were acquired in the offseason and both will substantially improve this unit.

Defensive Line: The starters are strong as death at the tackle position with Cory Redding and Shaun Rogers. Shaun Cody has been relegated to rotational tackle duty, which makes this area a substantial strength of the Lions. Marinelli brought aboard former Tampa Bay Buc Dewayne White to play defensive end as Kalimba Edwards hasn’t developed as hoped and Bill Swancutt spent the entire last season on injured reserve.

Linebackers/Secondary: The linebackers are a solid group led by tackling machine Ernie Sims (124). Boss Bailey still has speed and will be moving back to strong side linebacker after a failed experiment in the middle. Either Teddy Lehman or Paris Lenon will start this season in the middle.

Dre’ Bly was traded to the Broncos for George Foster and Tatum Bell and he will be missed. Bly simply wasn’t happy in the Tampa-2 playing zone but he was far and away the best athlete in the secondary. Starting corners Fernando Bryant and Stanley Wilson are simply adequate at best. The same can be said for safeties Daniel Bullock and Kenoy Kennedy.

The Lions are building an identity under Marinelli and Martz but it is questionable if they’ll be given the time to complete the project. I think we can expect better football from the Lions this season but the playoffs are a year or two away.

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