Waiting another year...again

Shaun Hill is starting Sunday. OHTHANKGOD

Ahem. Now, I'm faced with a quandry: normally, it's around this point in the season where I and other Lions fans start to speculate on the events of the coming offseason and next season, usually because the Lions are playing so abysmally that there's really no there alternative; Hope is seen from a distance, not in front of our faces. This year, Detroit is playing really well in comparison to past efforts, so there's no need to focus on future hope when it's staring at us right in our faces.

So I guess when I start my speculations, it's less of a life preserver (a way to keep hope's head above water) and more of a condiment (a compliment to the hope already here). So let's crack this bottle of ketchup, eh?

INJURIES:

This season has provided a myriad of devastating injuries levied (PUN INTENDED) on Detroit, some minor and aggravating and some enormous and devastating. The fact of the matter is that teams generally don't seem to get crapped on this frequently in subsequent seasons. Last year Stafford, Pettigrew, and Kevin Smith had season ending injuries. This year we've had scads of injuries, but only one real horribly season-altering injury (Stafford, although cases could be made for Jahvid Best). Frankly, three years in a row is just ridiculous. Next year (fingers crossed, knock on wood) should be better in that aspect.

PERSONNEL:

This is a markedly improved team from last year, but there are still holes, and those holes are costing this team some wins. The biggest problem areas seem to be Linebacker, Offensive Line, and Secondary. DeAndre Levy is a lock in the middle (assuming, of course that he doesn't break apart like a movie-prop wine bottle), so the main needs are outside LB's. Julian Peterson is crap, Zack Follett, although good, isn't great enough to make a huge impact. Offensive line is a more interesting story. Rob Sims is fantastic. Gosder Cherilus is playing much, much better this year than last, and actually seems to be legitimately improving. Dominic Raiola is, for some reason, deeply ingrained in this franchise and won't be going anywhere. Jeff Backus is alright and Stephen Peterman is terrible, therefore the biggest needs are LT and RG. With Backus, honestly, he's not terrible. He's alright. Unfortunately, success in the NFL can't come with a left tackle who's serviceable - look at Stafford and his litany of injuries. The secondary is far better than anyone could have predicted, and Alphonso Smith just may be turning into an integral part of the team's future. Houston is playing good, Spievey is developing at a reasonable pace, and Delmas is awesome. Any upgrade would occur if something tremendously fantastic were to just plop down into the Lions' lap. The upcoming draft has two absolutely amazing corners available (Prince Amukamara from Nebraska and Patrick Peterson of LSU), but seems to be weaker in LB's and OL's as opposed to previous years. Basically, the offseason rests on Martin Mayhew kicking ass and taking names. So, hurray!

Combined with the development of talent and the cultural shift from utter defeatist to hopefully competitive, there's no reason this team can't compete for a divisional title next year....assuming there's a season. What? OH YES, THAT.

The absolute worst thing that can happen to the Lions next season is if there isn't one. The NFLPA and the NFL administration can't seem to stop being unfathomably greedy (and frankly, the NFLPA seems to be making the more ludicrous of the demands), and an ensuing work stoppage would not only alienate legions of fans and retard the gravitational popularity of the league (remember the '94 MLB strike?), but it would also really be a slap in the face to franchises like Detroit, Tampa Bay, and St. Louis that are actually gaining momentum in their developmental process. It would be criminally unfair not to see the fruits of all their labor, especially for tortured fanbases.

But anyway, the next year should be very appeasing to us, and the rest of this season should be lots of fun as well. My gosh, for the first time since, what, 1997?, it's kinda nice to be a Lions fan.

i absolutely adore these goofy lion pictures. I feel like Matt Millen desperately wanted these on the helmet, and doodled different variations of them in his coloring books, because far be it for that lummox to color inside the lines. I hope he gets banned from the state of Michigan. So residually angry...

An Unexpected Strength?

A couple days ago Tom Kowalski wrote a piece about the Lions' secondary that, well, it was like getting a song stuck in my head. He addressed the fact that over the last couple games Detroit's secondary, the same secondary that was supposedly their biggest weakness in the offseason, was inexplicably now one of their stronger, more emerging facets.

Now, from watching every game up until this point, that's actually...true. It's weird to even be writing that - before the season started it was just a mish-mash of castoffs and Louis Delmas. These guys were about as trustworthy and notable as FDR's shoes. Alphonso Smith was acquired for a fourth string tight end, Amari Spievey was looking completely lost at corner, Delmas seemed to be perpetually hobbled, and Chris Houston....well, I guess he was alright. There's also Jonathan Wade, but....blech. Later. Anyway.

ANYWAY, the first couple games, they were atrocious. Delmas wasn't himself, Houston did alright (not great, not good, not bad, not terrible just ferociously, unapologetically okay), and everyone else was just a warm body waiting to get benched. It was almost enough to wish that Phil Buchanan would stop working at the local Staples and don some pads, y'know?

And then...Delmas seemed to be healed. Houston graduated to good. Smith overtook the abortion of gameplay that was Jonathan Wade and started piling on interceptions. Nate Vasher was signed on to cover Nickel. And, wonder of wonders, Spievey's transition to safety seemed not only to be a good idea, it also seemed to be working...quickly. Suddenly, Detroit's secondary was playing well, and it seemed to compliment their amazing defensive line. Granted, this is a small sample size, but there is unexpected optimism now pertaining to the Lions' defense. And Daddy likey.

HAHAHAILOVETHIS MAN

p.s.

I'm not a Jonathan Wade fan. I was optimistic towards him when he was acquired. I thought this was his time to shine. And then? He was an automatic pass interference waiting to happen. It hasn't been this bad since Bryant Westbrook was opponents' deep threat. I'd rather have a vinegar enema than watch Jon Wade biff another pass coverage or bungle yet another arm tackle. Maybe that's why I love Smith all the more: he has rid my Sundays of gnashing teeth and impotent wailing. That, and the Carlton Banks dance. Mmmmm.