How to fix the Detroit Lions

First off let me give a very little bit of credit to Jim Schwartz and Martin Mayhew who took on a job no one else in the NFL ever has. They took over a team that went 0-16, and got them back to being a team that could go 8-8 and contend for the final spot in the playoffs. With that being said, it simply is not good enough for the long suffering fans of the Detroit Lions. I get that 1-1 is hardly the time to start panicking and no one should over react to a loss on the road to a tough, playoff caliber team. However, the team's problems go much deeper than a 24-7 loss to the Carolina Panthers.

Much like Jim Schwartz was not the man to get the most out of the roster or to lead a team to a Super Bowl, Martin Mayhew is not the man to assemble a roster able to contend for a Super Bowl title. Let us not forget he was Matt Millen's assistant and the Lions hired him, after promising the fans a nationwide search. Look over his draft record, it might not be as band as his predecessor but it is bad enough to cost him his job.

Sure, I am not a NFL personnel expert, but I do know this if you fail to address your team's undeniable weakness the game will expose that weakness 100 percent of the time. It is a lesson Mayhew and the Lions should have learned a few seasons ago, but the failure to adequately address the defensive secondary this past off season is being exposed first by the Giants (to a small extent) and yesterday by the Panthers, and by the defense hating gods that have dropped so many of the men picked to be a part of it. However it is the lack of depth that is truly being exposed and who would not, right now, trade TE Eric Ebron for a shut down corner? Let us also mention the return of the Lions not being able to tackle, just one of the constant issues with this team over the last few seasons.

Sure, a big chunk of the story is the Lions had too many turnovers and missed two field goals, but this is a team that has bigger problems. Mainly the decision making of its franchise QB. In the first half the offense moved he ball fairly well (even though it failed to score) Matthew Stafford was distributing the ball to many different receivers. After they scored their only TD and the game was on the line he repeatedly tried to force the ball to Calvin Johnson. It is poor decision making and in year five of his career (not counting the year he was injured) we know what Stafford is and it does not look like any amount of coaching is ever going to change that.

Martin Mayhew is the man that made the call to draft Stafford and that looks like it wasn't the best choice. He is also responsible in full for the composition of this roster and it simply is not good enough. However he is not the first person that should be fired. That should be Tom Lewand, the bean counter who was hired after the win less season to be the team President. IN his time here he has a DUI conviction, and has made such a mess of the Ndamukong Suh contract situation that he has priced his team out of the ability to afford him or moved him for pieces to rebuild the team.

I'm not even going to mention the walking wounded at best condition of the secondary two weeks into this season. There is no depth and once again the Lions missed the boat on a chance in the lat draft to add depth at a position that needed that plus talent. They completely bungled the Chris Houston situation and that is something you just cannot get away with in the NFL.

He was also at least in part, responsible for hiring Jim Schwartz which was the wrong choice. He was also part of the decision to hire Mayhew and that looks very much like a huge mistake. The antiquated owner of this team has passed and now it is time for the Lions to rebuild from the top down. Lewand should be fired immediately the Lions should find another man, maybe who knows something about winning football, to lead the team. They should then fire Mayhew and possible even the coaching staff but we can give them a little more leeway since this is the first season of Lions misery.

Then and only then will this team be in a position to rebuild itself into a perennial playoff contender. The problems with this team are the decision making process and that never seems to change. While I like Jim Caldwell and the way he seems to be able to motivate his team, especially at half time, I do not trust in the med that hired him because they have proven over and over again that they do not know how to make sound football decisions.

To put an exclamation point on that Nate Freese won a competition to be the kicker on this team. 49 yards in the NFL is not that long of a kick and its not like he missed those attempts by inches. He is just another example of poor decision made by the powers that be within the team. Nate Freese is not ready for prime time, and that is yet another roster move that must be reevaluated this week.

These men built an offense that is loaded with talent, yet were able to score one TD...by a fullback no less. While I like a loaded offense I like a complete roster better, and I know it is a complete roster that wins playoff games. Lewand and Mayhew have shown they are unable to build that. The Lions cannot afford to be patient anymore, look at the reaction across social media to their first loss of the season (and remember none of us expected them to actually win this game).  The fans of this team, who support it week in and week out, are tired of the Football for Dummies approach this front office seems to revel in.

Detroit Lions week 12/13 in review

I will be real honest, this is the worst job to have when your team plays as bad a game as the Detroit Lions did last Sunday versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I did not want to write about the Lions all week. Then they fumble the opening drive against the Packers and I was like 'great here we go again', another Thanksgiving day ruined. I even texted someone and was like I guess I need to find a new job because the Lions are killing my love for football. Most of you already know how the rest of the Green Bay game would play out, but I am the first one to sit here and say be warned now, the Lions are still not that good. The beat the crap out of an opponent they have not beaten in five tries, the won on Thanksgiving for the first time in a decade, and all of that is good, but the beat up on a team that was distracted by its own media madness and absent its biggest stars. Even that is good in a way because this is the kind of game the 'Same Ole Lions" would've have found a way to lose.

Taking advantage of an opponents weaknesses is a necessary trait in the NFL. The Lions exposed the Packers and their injuries, their inability to stop the run, and they adjusted nicely to what transpired in the game. However I still see a team that is very up and down. These two games personify what the Lions are in a nutshell...the new Cardiac kids. There are no easy wins, there are bad mistakes and the highs and too high and the lows are far to low. I want to see this team be more consistent across the board. To play at a high level every down, every play, and in every game. For me the opponent does not matter. With the weapons they have an offense they should score at will, and the defense has played far better than any of us want to give them credit for.

The ultimate goal is for this team to be a legit playoff contender, and they are just not there yet. However, they are improving and hopefully very soon they will ready themselves to take that next step.

For now a look at the good and the bad from two very different games for our Lions:

The Good:

• The running game- the racked up 345 rushing yards in these two games and for the first time all season lost a game where Reggie Bush had at least 75 rushing yards (and we know the reason they lost that game). The O line is starting to run block very well and the coaches came up with a game plan that exposed a weakness in  the Green Bay defense. Got to give credit where credit is due. 
• The D line- 9 sacks in two games, and we all said they do not get to the QB enough. Sure they played too inexperienced QB's but that is how you beat young QB's in this league, you get in their face. 
• The Linebackers- The linebackers actually played pretty well in both of these games. Sure they couldn't stop the Bucs when they needed too, but the LB corps has played far better than we thought they were going to before the season began. Stephen Tulloch and DeAndre Levy have come up huge for this team. 

The bad:

• Turnovers- In two games, 6 picks, 5 fumbles (three of which were lost) that is not how you win, and it is certainly not how you win in the post season. Most of that fault lies with the two leaders of this team, Matthew Stafford and Reggie Bush. Not to mention that phantom fumble by Kris Durham which was inexcusable. 
• Special Teams- Kick offs going out of bounds, missed field goals, and a blocked kick. The return game has gotten better but as a whole the special teams continue to struggle. I have zero faith in this coaching staff when it comes to this phase of the game. 
• Matthew Stafford- Along with the team as a whole taking the next step I think we are getting to the point where Stafford needs to take the next step in his development. He leads great with his play, most of the time, but I think for this team to become a legit contender he needs to become more of vocal leader. It disturbs me that he did not want to take the chance to lay down the law after a tough loss at home. Peyton Manning would have taken that team into the locker room and laid down the law and not that Stafford has to go that far with it, but I think he needs to be more of a force on the field first and off the field as well.

The Lions now get 10 days off to prepare for the Philadelphia Eagles. That is not the gimme game we thought it was and I want to see this team go on the road and win They will have to work hard to do just that and with four games left in the season they need every win, even if 9 wins will win them this division. 

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Detroit Lions week in review: Week 11

Well instead of shedding the 'Same Ole Lions' moniker further the Detroit Lions went to Pittsburgh on Sunday and gave all Lions fans pause...what if they really are the 'Same Ole Lions'? This was a very winnable game, and the Lions should have won it based on their performance in the second quarter alone. However, many questionable decisions were made, and the players failed to produce, and the Lions beat themselves. For what seems like the millionth time the Lions themselves are to blame for this loss, and there is plenty of blame to go around.

Jim Schwartz made two questionable calls. Going for it on fourth down way to early (the opening drive of the game) and the really ill conceived fake field goal in that weather with rookie punter Sam Martin being asked to make a first down with his feet. On a team with Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson, and Reggie Bush this team tried to get a first down with their rookie punter in bad weather. Schwartz post game reaction to that situation reaffirms the fact that he suffers from some kind of inferiority complex, like he feels the need to prove he is one of the 32 men deserving a NFL Head Coaching job. He also seems to think that the media, or someone, is questioning his manhood. All I can say to that is guys who deserve NFL head coaching gigs, do not need to concern themselves with that kind of stuff. Jim made a bad call and he would have served himself and his team better by just admitting that fact. Instead he tries to keep up the myth that the folks who coach and run the Lions are the smartest people in the room. Even though we have 50 plus years of history the proves that is simply not the case.

The Lions need to learn to step on an opponents neck. They need to learn to carry themselves like a winning football team. They need to learn how to act like a good football team, and they had a chance to do all of that this weekend and they simply failed. That does not make them the 'Same Ole Lions', but it does give off that perception and that is what this team is always fighting.

With that being said, here is a look at the good and the bad from week 11:

The Good:

• 27 points- the Lions scored 27 points in the 2nd quarter. Which only proves that when this offense is in sync it is nearly unstoppable. Granted the Lions did not score in any other quarter and that is bad, but Scott Linehan needs to look at what he did in this quarter and find a way for the Lions to do that all game long. 
• Joique Bell- Joique came up big in the bad weather. And yes I agree that Bush was largely unused because of that and nothing else. Joique had 9 carries for 49 yards and a TD plus 3 catches for 48 more.
• Nick Fairley- Nick continues to be a disruptive force and that is good. Maybe teams pay to much attention to Ndamukong Suh freeing him up but that jut makes the drafting of Fairley that more astute. He got to the QB this week and if he becomes more consistent well that could be very good for the future of this team

The Bad:

• Matthew Stafford- 19 for 39 is ugly. I do not care about the weather conditions because the Lions should have had a plan in place for that. This exposes two different problems, game planning and when Stafford isn't sharp this team struggles. Stafford needs to step up and do what he did against the Cowboys on the road. 
• Penalties- 8 for the game for 45 yards. Bad penalties, dumb penalties, and it remains fact that this team is not good enough to over come the holes it puts itself in. 
• 6 for 16 on third down- first of all for a team that only had 13 possessions having 16 third downs seems like an awful lot. Second of all it seems this team is not so great on third down and that they waste downs. This is a game where the running game should have been more featured, given the conditions, but either the Lions cannot do that or the coaching staff has no faith in the running game. It is sometimes that simple, this team needs to trust in the ground game more. 

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Detroit Lions week in review: Week 10

The good news is the Detroit Lions are 6-3 (3-1 in the division) and even though they made it way closer than it needed to be they have beaten the Chicago Bears twice this season, something they have not done since 2007. On top of all of that they are shedding the 'Same Ole Lions' tag. They are starting to believe they can win every game and they are playing full games, something Lions fans are not exactly use to. On top of all that they are coming up big when they need to, and that is something else Lions fans are not very use to seeing. There is a sense that this team and it's fans are starting to believe. Now it is time to raise the bar a tad. Let's say this, anything less than a Division championship in 2013 will be something of a disappointment. The goal should be to not only make the playoffs but to secure a post season game at Ford Field.

With that being said there is still a lot to work on. The team is still a tad inconsistent, especially on defense. Coverage breaks down far to often in the secondary, and special teams remain a huge concern. However, the NFL might take away a lot of what special teams can do with rules so maybe the Lions are ahead of the curve on that one. That seems very odd to say.

I have also noticed a very revealing stat. When Reggie Bush has at least 75 yards rushing, and we are not talking about what he brings to the passing game, but when he has 75 yards on the ground the Lions win. In the three Lions losses this year he averaged just 39 yards rushing. Granted the Lions also won a game without him but with him on the field this team needs him to gain at least 75 yards to help balance the rest of the offense and keep teams honest. This opens up holes in the coverages and the Lions offense rolls.

Here is a look at the good and the bad:

The Good:

• Brandon Pettigrew- it looks like Matthew Stafford has re-found some faith in this guy. 5 catches for 70 yards, and those are tough catches over the middle and catches that help extend drives. Pettigrew stepping up creates all kinds of problems for opposing defenses and he owes Lions fans a little more considering his draft position. This was a good week for him and he needs to keep that up. 
• Rashean Mathis- It is not every week that a corner for the Lions leads the team in tackles. However, Mathis had 8 and that is huge. It limits big plays, and we need to take notice of Mathis and this stat. 
• The passing game- six different Lions caught passes. They threw for 3 TD's. Stafford only threw one pick. Of course he did go just 18 for 35 however, given that and the cold and being outdoors they found a way to win. That is really all that matters. Scott Linehan deserves a little bit of credit for creating a game plan that worked. 

The Bad:

• Nick Fairley- sure he got a big stop to preserve the win, but a guy who is as inconsistent as he is should not be hot dogging all over the field. The Lions have not yet earned the right to act that way, and that is the biggest indictment of the Jim Schwartz era of this team. Let us not forget he also took a bone head penalty that could have cost them the win. 
• David Akers- the perception is he isn't Jason Hanson, and that is true. It seems he has a chance to put the team ahead and fails to do so. He missed his one filed goal attempt this week, and I thought he was just not a guy who can still kick outside. However he is actually doing better outside than indoors that is not good given where the Lions play most of their games. The tell tale stat here is he is just 4 for 7 on the road. He is 8 for 9 at home and that makes a home playoff game that much more important. 
• Personal foul penalties- There were four of them. Overall 5 penalties for 51 yards. But those personal foul ones are big. the Lions have got to find a way to limit them. They need to be more in control. They have a reputation that works against them now.

Generally speaking I let the fans of the Lions determine what we think of our team each and every week. I get texts all days Sunday from all manner of fans. hard core, die hards, and more casual fans. This week I got a text from someone who is hardly a Lions fan or a football fan for that matter but she did watch the game this week, and she texted me this right after the game with this, "4 personal fouls, it makes us look like jerks." Ya I have been saying that for three seasons, but I am glad even the most causal of Lions fans sees what I see. 

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Detroit Lions week 8 in review

Let us go ahead and forget about the whole Same Ole Lions wrap. The same Ole Lions would not have won this game. The Same Ole Lions would have folded it in wit ha minute to go. The same Ole Lions would not have had Mathew Stafford will his team to a win. The Same Ole Lions are no more. There are new Lions and while we may not exactly what they are capable of they sure are freaking exciting. With on QB sneak Stafford helped this town believe not only in himself but in this team. It finally feels like we are done with the Same Ole Lions.

With all of that being said, there is a very large problem here. We are talking about an offense that gained 623 yards and they only one by one point. The win is the story this week, cause of how they won, but a team that can move the ball that easily has got to find a way to score more. Sure 4 turnovers and 8 penalties play into that, and those are things that can be fixed. I would even go so far as to say the one pick that bounce off of Calvin Johnson;s hands is one of those fluky things that happen, and we can say that Reggie Bush is never going to be the nonchalant with the ball ever again and boom the turnover problem should be fixed. However, this is a team that still need to learn to close out games, stand on an opponents neck and that is the next step I expect them to take. They have learned how to win, how to handle a lesser opponent and how to come back and win. Now they need to grow into dominant.

Now we have the trade deadline, a bye week, and hopefully the return of Nate Burleson. The Lions should be in the market for a WR, but the NFL trade deadline is hardly the MLB frenzy. This team need the bye week to regroup, set goals, and focus in on winning the next game at Chicago. That is looking to be a very winnable game. For now let us reflect on week 8:

The Good:

• They won- They found a way to win. Matthew Stafford willed this team to a win. that is a huge step forward from a team that a few years ago expected to lose. The fans believe and so do the players. This was Stafford moment where he lead the team to victory. Now the coaches have to build on that. 
• Three rushing TD's- The Lions scored three TD's in this game and three of them came on the ground. Now Scott Linehan can use his receivers to get the team into the red zone and opposing defenses will have to respect that ability of this offense to score on the round opening up other options. That is a huge positive to go along with the 143 yards gained on the ground. When the Lions rush for more than 100 yards they tend to win. Linehan needs to keep that in mind. 
• Jeremy Ross- Finally the Lions made a in season switch at kick returner and it paid off. Jeremy Ross didn't get a lot of chances but he came up big with a 44 yard return. Michael Spurlock was inactive for this game and that is probably for the best. 

The Bad:

• 4 turnovers- god teams, teams that go deep into the playoffs take care of the ball. Maybe this was a fluky game and maybe not either way the Lions cannot cough up the ball this much and expect to win. 
• Finishing Drives- Johnson had 323 yards and only found the end zone once. That is up and down the field without scoring. This team has got to have a better nose for the end zone. Not just Megatron but the whole offense. They need to put points on the board. 
• Too Calvin dependent- Granted if a guy can be open when tripled covered. If a guy is always open one can understand why they go to Megartron as often as they do. However that is not sustainable each and every week. Other weapons have to emerge and Kris Durham looked very good this week and made another spectacular catch down the sidelines. Other players have got to step up and we saw glimpse of that this week, and it needs to continue. 

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What to watch for: Cincinnati Bengals at Detroit Lions

One day after the Detroit Tigers season came to an end, far too soon for the third year in a

row, and coming off a 5-2 loss by the Detroit Red Wings to the Phoenix Coyotes, the Detroit sports nation turns its attention today to the 4-2 first place Detroit Lions. They get their biggest test of the 2013 season today with the Cincinnati Bengals are in town. Without a doubt the Lions will need to play a more flawless game then we have seen them play thus far to beat a team that looks destined to go to the playoffs.

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Detroit Lions (3-1) week four in review

Am I really writing about the 3-1 first place Detroit Lions? A Detroit Lions team that is 2-0 in their own division, and is suddenly willing to play well enough to start shedding that Same Ole Lions moniker. These are not the Same Ole Lions. This is a team that is finally getting out of his own way,  a team that is not self destructing and a team that went out and made a huge statement with a throttling of the Chicago Bears.

Forget the final score of 40-32. Forget that the Bears were leading the game as the Lions left at least 12 points on the field early in the first half. In the second quarter the Lions offense got itself into gear the Lions defense played strong and they were able to score 27 points and never had to look back.

Sure there are still little things to fix. There are certain things that are a little troubling but we did not see any major issues in this game, and to be fair the Lions have gotten better each and every week. For those of us who have been tough on Head Coach Jim Schwartz we need to realize and acknowledge that. However, this team was once 5-0 and limped into the playoffs in 2011 so things can change greatly from week to week.

This is now a football team that has won in Washington (finally), beaten the Bears (the Lions are 2-7 against them in the Schwartz era) and now one task remains. That task is going Lambeau Field and beating the Green Bay Packers in their home stadium,  something they have not done since Brett Favre became the starter and I was still in high school. That is the last regular season Same Ole Lions baggage to shed. Of course the real work begins after they do just that and that is of course winning a playoff game and for that to be a reality in 2014 they need to get a home playoff game. That might be putting the cart in front of the horse a bit, but rejoice Lions fans we are 3-1 and this team is still getting better.

The Good:

• The Running Game- 159 yards on the ground on 30 carries and over 5 yards a carry on average. Take away the big 37 yard TD run by Reggie Bush and he was still over 100 yards rushing for the game. The running game opens everything up and teams will have to respect that. Given the talent of Calvin Johnson they'll have to pick their poison for the time being till some DC finds a way to stop both threats.
• Discipline- 3 penalties for 25 yards. that is an unreal number for this team. I don't think Ndamukong Suh had any and he was very effective in disrupting the Bears offense. He seems happier this year, more in control more grounded. If that is the case he could wind up being one of the best players in the NFL. 
• Brandon Pettigrew- 7 catches for 54 yards and tough catches, catches that extended drives, tough yards over the middle. He silenced a lot of his critics yesterday and the Lions offense gets better with a productive Pettigrew. 

The Bad:

• Matthew Stafford- he was not exactly bad, but not sharp. Not a super star, not the guy we have seen over the last few seasons and maybe some of that is actually a positive. However, early in this game he overthrew a few receivers and a few drives stalled. They got it together and he did go 23 of 35 for 242 yards one score and one pick. Not a great day, but maybe not a bad one either
• Turnovers- one pick and a couple of fumbles. One late in the game when they Lions were trying to close the game out. They need to learn how to close games out and hopefully we see that in the weeks to come. 
• the kick return game- I still see Lions kick returners making errors and mental mistakes that cost this team field position. It really seems like this coaching staff places little value on the kick and punt return part of the game. We forget about that some when they win, but when they lose we constantly point it out. Yesterday was not a good day for Michael Sprulock. 

With all that being said yesterday was a big step. Before this team can be a legit contender it has to learn how to beat their division rivals at home. The Lions throttled the previously undefeated Bears and that was a big step for them. Many steps remain but we can enjoy this win, and enjoy the week as we build up towards the game in Green Bay.

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Detroit Lions winners and losers from pre-season game #3

It may only be the pre-season but thumping the New England Patriots and QB Tom Brady 40-9 will make Detroit Lions fans smile as much as the drumming in Cleveland last week made us frown. A win is a win, and while winning in the pre-season means nothing there were some positive signs last night, and a few negative ones too. With that being said here is a look at the Lions winners and losers from the impressive win over the Patriots:

Winners:

• The Defense- an opportunistic defense help create four turnovers and gave the offense great field position at least twice. they also kept the Pats out of the end zone, and limited Brady to 185 yards. Granted they still let the Pats pass for nearly 300 yards but we wanted to see something out of this unit and we did. The defense could be very good and if they can play like this they can keep games close and hopefully the offense can take advantage and we see a great swing from the 4-12 record of a year ago. 
• Jim Schwartz- After Willie Young took a stupid penalty he was benched. This team needs more of this and I really wish Jim had come to town with this kind of attitude. the team would be far better if he had. The team still took too many dumb penalties but hopefully they will learn this lesson. 
• Sam Martin- He is exactly what a struggling special teams unit needed. He books kick offs through the end zone or gets enough hang time with them that the coverage team can get down the field to make plays. Although he has struggled with the punt game he was outstanding there last night. 
• Louis Delmas- Limited action, but he is a leader on defense and the secondary always plays better with him out there. It was good just to see him on the field. 

Losers:

• first team offense- They did score a TD but they still cannot run the ball and they seem to be struggling. Some of that may be a play calling aberration this pre-season but the defense but this team in position to score a lot more points and far too often the offense leaves points on the field as drives stall out. Reggie Bush is a huge addition to the passing game but has done nothing to improve the ground attack. Add to that the issues along the offensive line and we may see Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson break more record out of necessity, 
• The ground game- this is some kind of combination of the Lions being a pass first team and the problems along the right side of the O line. 124 yards on 29 rushes for a 4.3 average is an improvement but doesn't seem good enough. 
• Wide Receivers- They are having a hard time creating separation. That doesn't matter so much for guys named Calvin Johnson but I am fairly certain the Lions only have one of them on the roster. Beyond him and maybe Ryan Broyles there is no one in this unit stepping up. If the Lions cannot figure out a way to run the ball to at least keep opposing defences honest they will be very easy to stop. 

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What to watch for: Detroit Lions pre-season game #2

The Detroit Lions will make the short trip to Cleveland tomorrow night to take on the Cleveland Browns in what has become a pre-season tradition. Both teams are in similar spots as they are both sort of rebuilding towards something better, and while the expectations might not be as high for the Browns playing this regular pre-season game will up the ante a little. 

While pre-seasons is more about evaluating talent and seeing guys perform in game situations than the final score it is still nice to win. With the larger picture in mind here are some things to watch for when the Lions take on the Browns tomorrow night:

• The Running game- two concerning numbers from the Jets game. 7 yards was the longest rush by any Lions running back and they averaged just 2.8 yards per carry. The O line did a poor job of opening up running lanes and that needs to be fixed sooner rather than later. It seems a little odd that potential starting RG Larry Warford played 7 series against the Jets but the offense rarely ran at that side of the line. He is supposed to be a road grader and the Lions need him to be exactly that. Look for more running plays to the right side as the RT spot is also open for debate. 
• Offensive quick start- The offense was plagued last year with slow ineffective starts. When your offense is loaded with the weapons the Lions have they need to go out score quickly and take some pressure of their defense. Matthew Stafford needs to show and be the player we know he can be. 2013 might very well be a make or break year for him. 
• Linebackers in coverage and the Secondary- one of the defensive backs on this teams needs to step up and make an impact. Someone needs to be ready to lead this unit if the very brittle Louis Delmas cannot play due to yet another nagging injury. The linebacking corps did not look very good in coverage against the Jets and the Lions gave up 292 passing yards and 2 TD's last week and while shootouts might be fun a quick look at the Lions' secondary would suggest that they would not fair well if a lot of their games become shootout type scenarios. 

Other than that the kicking battle will continue between David Ackers and Harvard Rugland. The Lions are still evaluating kick and punt returners and hopefully those two units are much improved over what we saw a year ago. The Lions did not get a chance to return a kick against the Jets so we still don't know exactly what this team has there. 

Again, more than the final score of the game and let us not discount the pride taken in beating the Browns and going to Cleveland and showing up their classless fans who like to chant things that are way out of line, but the ultimate goal here is for the Lions to progress from what we saw last week against the Jets. 

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Is 2013 a make or break year for Matthew Stafford?

We have seen the good Matthew Stafford (2011), and the less than good Matthew Stafford (2012), and the oft injured Matthew Stafford (any season before 2011). Now Mathew Stafford is stepping up to be the on and off the field leader for the Lions, and they are becoming his team. He enters 2013 having started 33 NFL games in a row, and one has to wonder will the 2013 season define the rest of his career?

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