Smith had a great coach and a bunch of great talent around him on both sides of the ball, but didn't get the job done. In contrast, Stanton had a decent coach and decent talent, and didn't get the job done. Stanton can fit into Martz offense pretty quick...I think that's why he was picked. I don't consider him a project. He will challenge Kitna and get playing time...maybe even a few starts this year.
Jammertime, with these picks......What do you predict for the 2007 Lions? I'm figuring on 4-12...............
[SARCASM]I'm an optimistic.[/SARCASM] I'm going with 6-10. You can see my game by game breakdown here: http://www.pistonsforum.com/lions-football/5718-detroit-lions-2007-season-talk-5.html
Hopefully the media won't treat this like the Second Coming of Barry Sanders. Too much pressure to put on a young, unproven guy. But I'm afraid the media machine is already revving up.
WRs Roy Williams and Mike Furrey lobbied hard for the Lions to draft Calvin Johnson saying: Lions players consider Johnson the ace card
This is a very positive article. You get the feeling the Lions will light it up this season. I see the opposition defense loading up to stop the pass this season, and daring us to run the ball. Martz had an excellent RB in St. Louis that he doesn't have here. I don't think our OL will be able to launch this new offense. I still see Kitna being rushed into poor passes and more of the same. Still, the players being happy is a very good step. We'll see how long that lasts....................
The Lions passing game was pretty good last year between the 20's and horrible inside them. I think that another year in the system for Williams and Kitna will only make that batter. Add to that the upgrade at #2 in Calvin Johnson and our upgrade at #3 by moving Furrey down a spot and we should be much improved in the passing game - especially the red zone. Injuries were killer on the O-line last season. This unit was already weak and having so many guys in the IR only made things worse. We're starting the year out healthy again so that should automatically make this unit better. Plus the additions of guards Manual Ramirez (draft) and Edwin Mulitalo (free agent) and tackle George Foster (trade) should, if nothing else, provide competition for starting spots and depth. Running back was another position decimated by injury. When healthy, Kevin Jones is a solid back, but so far, he hasn't proven that he can stay healthy. Jones, Shawn Bryson and Brian Calhoun all ended up on IR last season. I don't care how good or bad your team is, when you lose your top 3 RBs, your running game is going to suffer. This position was upgraded considerably this offseason with Tatum Bell (trade) and T.J. Duckett (free agent) brought in to challenge for PT and provide depth. So IMO, all three areas of the offense - passing, blocking and running - have been upgraded this offseason. A better passing game will open up the running game, a better running game will improve our defense (on the field less = more rested and less chances for mistake) and a more effective, balanced passing game and running attack will improve our blocking game (teams can't tee off on the QB in an all out pass rush).
I am very pleased with the way you present the Lions and their situation. You temper your enthusiasm with some realism. You list a bunch of variables for the upcoming season which, if true, can make a difference. I won't say anything negative, but instead I'll hope for the best because of your diligence...................
Nemo is a class dude that I know from the Detnews forums. I'm super happy he came over here. There are only a handful of folks on the Lions Talk that aren't on a Kool-Aid drip courtesy of Allen Park. It's great we've got a few more people talking Lions football, for better or worse. Who knows, maybe they will surprise us this season. :nerd2:
Thanks, I looked forward to joining here. Detnews forum became a tough place to be if you weren't loving the Lions all the time........ I've been away from there since the draft........................... I'll go back just before the season begins to see the predictions..... I'd just love to see a breakout season by the Blue and Silver.........
Actually, the "Pound The Rock" mantra of the Lions refers to a "bowl shaped" rock in the Lion's locker room. Before each game, they toss in about a pound of weed and light it. Beats watching the game film.....
You know, I am hoping for the improvements and a good year from Lions, but I'm still skeptical after all these years of garbage thrown by the team. Can they be any good this year? Who knows, only time will tell whether CJ will be good on this team.
Don't forget underneath and in the other team's backfield. About the only place this D isn't weak is on the bench. So hopefully our O can keep them there this year and not falter in the redzone. They'd better, considering we spent our first 2 picks on offense yet again.
