2011 NFL Preview: Detroit Lions

2010 Record: 6-10



Offense:



This team will live or die with Matthew Stafford. He has yet to stay healthy, but when he is on the field you can see that he could be something special. Calvin Johnson might be the best WR in the league, but without someone to throw him the ball that doesn't matter much. Nate Burleson is across from Johnson, and he is a good fit as he can stretch the field. My problem with this team (other then the health of Stafford) is their offensive line. The reason Stafford keeps getting hurt is they don't protect him. On top of that it stops the Lions from developing their ground game. Jahvid Best, Maurice Morris and Jerome Harrison are good enough to give this team a solid group, but you have to wonder if they will even get a chance if this offensive line is as poor as I think it is.



Defense:



Ndamukong Suh is a beast and if Nick Fairley ends up being something special this might be one of the best defensive lines the NFL. It's not just those two though Kyle Vanden Bosch is solid, and Cliff Avril racked up 8.5 sacks last year (not to mention Corey Williams). This is a great core that will make life hard for QBs. There isn't a lot of talent behind the defensive line though. DeAndre Levy is decent, but other then that there is nothing to get pumped about. I think this defense will have a very up and down year.



Overall:



Every year I want to say that "this is the year for the Lions". It's kind of getting annoying. I really do like them, and I hope they do well. If Stafford stays healthy, and that offensive line figures out a way to keep him off the turf they could have a very solid year.



2011 Record: 9-7