Jun

29

Detroit Lions 2008 NFL Season Outlook

Posted by Michael Keating

June 29, 2008 | 2 Comments

  • Detroit Lions Look for Overall Improvement but National Press doesn’t agree

We are at the beginning of July and all the NFL off-season maneuvering has been completed. The player movement, trades, NFL Draft, the mini-camps and the Organized Team Activities have all been completed. Now comes the lull before NFL Training Camps open in late July. The Detroit Lions, as you would expect, believe all the off-season moves they made and the hard work since the 2007 NFL Season ended will lead to a good season and an NFL playoff spot come January. The National Media, as you would expect given the Lions long history, are not so optimistic regarding the Lions.

  • Detroit Lions Views

Your ‘Lion Eyes’ blogger has compiled some media quotes from the last month regarding what players and coaches from the Lions think of how the outlook for the Detroit Lions is for the team.

  • Jon Kitna says:

“Our expectation is we will be disappointed if we don’t win 10 games, because that will mean that we’re not in the playoffs and that (stinks),” Kitna says. “I can’t make it any simpler than that.”

“Obviously there’s going to be more pressure on my position in terms of getting us into the right things at the line of scrimmage, whereas before coach Martz watched all the film and broke it down,” Kitna says. “The pressure was on him to get us to the right play calls and to really be a step ahead of the defense.

“Now, it’s going to be on me to be able to do that stuff at the line of scrimmage, and that counts for preparation during the week.”

  • Calvin Johnson says:

“This year, I know exactly what’s happening with the offense,” Johnson says. “I know what’s going to go on in practice, and I know how to practice. We have a great locker-room situation. The chemistry’s there.”

  • Rod Marinelli praised the team for being lean and fast and what he wants:

“I want to shrink the width of this field. I want to narrow it with speed,” Marinelli says. “The thing about speed is, when you have it, you have to be tough enough to use it all the time. That’s the mental toughness.”

  • Brian Kelly on playing the Tampa Two defense:

“I’m excited,” Kelly says. “It’s a lot of familiarity for me here. I’ve been watching the guys play for the last couple of years. There’s a lot of similarities of what we do in Tampa and what they’re doing here. It’s a simple system … guys that believe in each other and know that this man is going to take care of his position and this guy is going to take care of his position.”

  • Cory Redding regarding players coming to the Lions that have played the Tampa Two defense:

“Now, they just have to get familiar with us. They’ve been around the scheme, and they know exactly what to do. The experience is the big part. Putting the Tampa 2 system in a couple of years ago, everybody was trying to figure out where they’re going to fit in, and it’s tough at times.

“Everybody’s moving quicker, because those guys are bringing their knowledge from playing in the system,” Redding said. “When they get out there and run it right and run it fast, the other guys behind them see how it’s supposed to be run.”

“But you have to buy into the system because the system works.”

  • Jeff Backus on the difference he sees going into Rod Marinellis 3rd year as head coach:

“The atmosphere is awesome,” Backus said. “I think Rod has done a tremendous job of doing it his way and getting what he wants out of us and making changes when changes need to be made. I’m excited to see what happens this season.”

  • Roy Williams on the change in Offense with Jim Colletto taking over for the fired Mike Martz and only have 30-40 plays instead of over 200:

“I’ll tell you what: With the plays that we’ve got in, we’re going to be real good at them,”

Source: Detroit Free Press

  • National Media Views of the Detroit Lions

The National Media does not share the optimism expressed by the Lions. Here are some examples.

  • Sporting News Not Impressed with Detroit Lions here are two examples:

 Dewayne White is Detroit’s only consistent pass-rush threat. On the other side, the team will rotate veteran Jared DeVries and second-year player Ikaika Alama-Francis, who remains too raw to be consistent.

Detroit Lions. Detroit replenished its secondary with the acquisitions of cornerbacks Leigh Bodden and Brian Kelly and free safety Dwight Smith — all of whom are expected to start. But the Lions still lack a dominant pass rusher.

Source: Sporting News

  • Lions will miss the playoffs again says the Sporting News:

Like the Chiefs, the Lions have far more confidence than their talent level warrants. Quarterback Jon Kitna can’t keep quiet; he again has predicted 10 victories. It didn’t happen in ‘07, and it won’t happen in ‘08.

What have the Lions done to get better? The running back situation is a multi-headed crapshoot. The offensive line is average at best. And the defense is merely a collection of former Buccaneers who, if they were great players, would be current Buccaneers.

Picking the Lions to miss the playoffs hardly represents a full-body shimmy onto a rubbery tree limb. However, it’s important to nip in the bud the annual sense that the law of averages will come into play and that this year will be the year for the Lions.

Source: Sporting News

  • USA Today Writers Jeff Ziglett and Nate Davis have a better Outlook for the Lions:

If the defense improves to the middle of the pack and the offense adapts to its new approach, the Lions can certainly be in the playoff conversation amid a wide-open NFC. If nothing else, the retirement of Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre, long a Detroit nemesis, should help the Lions be more competitive in the NFC North.

Source: Detroit Free Press Story

  • Your ‘Lion Eyes’ Blogger Outlook

I am always hopeful for the Lions, especially this time of the year before training camp starts. That being said, all the things the Lions players and coaches are saying and doing seem positive. I just worry that if Detroit gets off to a slow start the players will fall into the ‘Same old Lions’ mode that we see so often. If that happens and the Lions have a 2 or 3 win record and get blown out on National Television on Thanksgiving day I suspect Rod Marinelli regime will end at the conclusion of the season. I hope my outlook is 100% wrong and Marinelli leads the Lions to not only the Playoffs but an actual Playoff win this year and is seen as the savior of the Franchise. But I am pessimistic that the Lions can improve as much as is needed for that to occur. Remember though,  nobody thought the New York Giants would win the Super Bowl last year before the season started. So, there is always hope for the Detroit Lions to succeed.

Jun

7

Detroit Lions should take Lessons from Detroit Red Wings

Posted by Michael Keating

June 7, 2008 | Leave a Comment

  • Detroit Lions could Learn from Detroit Red Wings

Your ‘Lion Eyes’ blogger remembers when the Detroit Red Wings were consistently derided nationally as the ‘Dead Wings’. They were perennial losers in the NHL. Of course that is no longer true. Now they are annual Stanley Cup contenders. The Red Wings just won the 2008 Stanley Cup and now are winners of 4 Stanley Cups in 11 years and are the model NHL franchise. All of us Detroit Lion fans have certainly heard the our favorite team called the ‘Lidowns’ many times and the Lions really have never been considered Super Bowl contenders.  So if the Lions take lessons from the Red Wings maybe there is hope for the Lions to turn it around and become the future model NFL franchise like the current New England Patriots.

  • How the Red Wings became the Model NHL Franchise 

The Detroit Red Wings lost in the Stanley Cup finals at the end of the 1966 season. The ‘Dead Wing’ era started the next season. For 17 NHL seasons 1967 through 1983 the ‘Dead Wings’ made the NHL playoffs just 2 times and were eliminated very early each time.

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May

20

Detroit Lions Start Mandatory Mini-Camp

Posted by Michael Keating

May 20, 2008 | Leave a Comment

  • Mandatory Mini-Camp

It is once again that time of the year when all Detroit Lions fans dream of the Lions winning the Super Bowl in early February. This dream usually dies sometime during the 1st regular season game, though last year we were still dreaming until about week 10 after that 6-2 start.

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May

4

Detroit Lions 2008 NFL Draft Reviews

Posted by Michael Keating

May 4, 2008 | Leave a Comment

  • National Draft Review for the Detroit Lions 2008 NFL Draft Choices

After the Lions finished their draft last week I searched for National Reviews of their choices. Here are a few of what I found.

  • A  - Rick Gosselin Dallas Morning New. Gosselin was impressed with the Lions selecting 3 possible starters on Defense with this draft.
  • B+ - Pete Prisco CBS Sportsline. Prisco felt Millen took a lot of good football players.
  • C+ - Mel Kiper ESPN. Kiper thinks that RB Kevin Smith will be the starting running back week 1. He also had good words for FB Jerome Felton and DT Andre Fluellen.
  • C- - Larry Weisman USA Today, Weisman thought OT Gosder Cherilus will play with ferocity, but LB Jordan Dizon is undersized and RB Kevin Smith is not the answer.
  • D  - Charles Robinson Yahoo Sports. Robinson thought the only pick worth anything was OT Gosder Cherilus.
  • D- - Cliffton Brown Sporting News. Brown was upset the Lions didn’t address the needs in the secondary and thought LB Dan Connor would have been a better choice than LB Jordan Dizon.

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Apr

23

Detroit Lions 2008 NFL Draft Prospects

Posted by Michael Keating

April 23, 2008 | Leave a Comment

  • Detroit Lions 2008 NFL Draft Prospects

Here are the results for the Poll I have been running since the end of the 2007 regarding which position you the Fan think the Lions should draft with their #1 choice in the 2008 NFL Draft.

What Position Should the Lions Draft with the #1 Pick in the 2008 NFL Draft?

  • Offensive Line (34%, 308 Votes)
  • Running Back (22%, 200 Votes)
  • Defensive Back (22%, 199 Votes)
  • Linebacker (12%, 107 Votes)
  • Defensive Line (11%, 97 Votes)

Total Voters: 911

Loading ... Loading …


So we the Fans think the Lions should take an Offensive Lineman, Defensive Back or maybe even a Running Back with their 1st Pick.

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Apr

15

Detroit Lions 2008 Regular Season Schedule Announced

Posted by Michael Keating

April 15, 2008 | 1 Comment

  • Detroit Lions Announce their 2008 Regular Season Schedule

The Detroit Lions announced their 2008 NFL Regular Season Schedule on Tuesday. Here is their Regular Season Schedule for the 2008 Season. Your ‘Lion Eyes’ blogger wonders how many wins the Lions will get this season.

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Apr

9

Detroit Lions must Win in 2008 for Marinelli

Posted by Michael Keating

April 9, 2008 | Leave a Comment

  • If the Detroit Lions don’t Win in 2008 will Marinelli take the Fall?

Your ‘Lion Eyes’ blogger has seen some examples recently of the Lions putting all of their hopes squarely on the shoulders of Head Coach Rod Marinelli. Too me it seems that GM Matt Millen is just taking a step back in the Player Personnel decisions and leaving everything up to Rod. Given Millen’s lack of success, as discussed in this post, in the NFL Draft since he arrived in 2001 this probably is a good thing. But, it seems that all the words I see lately just indicate that if the Lions don’t win, it will be all Marinelli’s fault. It is well known that any players acquired by the Lions in the draft, through Free Agency or via the trade route are to fit into what Marinelli wants.

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Mar

27

Updated 2008 Mock Draft for Detroit Lions

Posted by Michael Keating

March 27, 2008 | 2 Comments

  • Updated 2008 NFL Mock Draft Choices for the Detroit Lions

I last updated these mock draft these links to 2008 NFL Mock Drafts in this post back in early February. With the Lions recent Off Season Roster Moves there have been some changes to the who the Mock Draft gurus identify as who they believe the Lions will select with their 1st Round selection. 13 of the 16 Mock Draft experts have changed the choices for the Lions since the February posting. I have re-posted the links with updates bolded. Each is a complete NFL Mock Draft, but I have only shown the Lions 1st round selection. If you want to see the complete Mock Draft by the entity just click on the Link. Still clear in the Mock Draft that the Lions needs, according to the experts that create the Mock Draft, are still OT, CB, DE, LB and RB, Of course you know the the Lions need a lot of help. Still not a Wide Receiver on the mock drafts, think Millen is getting any hints?

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Mar

15

Updated Detroit Lions Off Season Roster Moves

Posted by Michael Keating

March 15, 2008 | 2 Comments

  • Updated Detroit Lions Roster Activity During the Off Season

I have updated the Charts below with the additional changes that have been made by the Detroit Lions since I posted them. Recent moves are Bolded in the charts.

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Mar

6

Detroit Lions Free Agent Comings and Goings

Posted by Michael Keating

March 6, 2008 | Leave a Comment

  • Detroit Lions Free Agent Activity

The Detroit Lions have not been very active in the 2008 Free Agent Signing Period. No big name Free Agents signed. Here is a list of the Activity the Lions have undertaken to improve their Roster for the upcoming 2008 NFL Season. We have to assume more discussions are taking place in Allen Park with Free Agents to complete the off season moves prior to the 2008 NFL Draft in April.

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