Detroit Lions Weblog

Preview:Cleveland Pre-season Game 2

Tommorrow is the Lion’s first home pre-season game. It is against the Cleveland Browns in what has now become a traditional meeting for the Great Lakes trophy. The Lions have a lot of room to improve from last week’s performance. Here are some things I hope we are able to see:

–The team has to perform better in the red zone. Cleveland has installed a new 3-4 defensive set and has experienced a lot of turnover in their personnel. If the Lions first team offense helmed by either Joey Harrington or Jeff Garcia are unable to put a few TD’s on the board early, it will be time to elevate from cautiously optimistic to unfortunately concerned over the team’s ability to capitalize when it has an opportunity.

–The defense needs to generate a more consistent pass rush. Jay Fiedler had a lot of time to operate in the pocket in the drives he lead against the Lions defense. It was encouraging that the defense and special teams were able to create some turnovers against the Jets. This also needs to continue.

The Lions also experienced a couple of big injuries against the Jets. Corey Schlesinger, who will now be out for several weeks, is a major loss. It will be of major interest to the Lions success that one of the three potential replacements for “Sledge” begin to emerge as a capable performer, especially in the base rushing offense and short-yardage situations. The Lions will also likely be without Fernando Bryant who was kicked in the shin during a recent practice. It will be nice to see how R.W. McQuarters performs as a starting CB in the Lions defense. This also will provide opportunity for Keith Smith, Chris Cash and Andre Goodman to establish themselves as members of the team. I will also be excited to see Stanley Wilson, Jr. get more playing time. (Note:I just heard that Bryant will be starting, after all)

It is also very important that the receivers continue to not drop passes, irregardles of who is playing QB. The primary receivers are young and their dependability will really help the offense accelerate as they mature. Any impairment they suffer in the ground game due to Schlesinger’s absence must be compensated for in the passing game.

Hopefully Joey Harrington will continue to build upon his performance against the Jets. Personally, I would be very happy to see the “QB controversy” put to rest during the pre-season so that the Lions can set about continuing to mature as a young team and hopefully proving that they are viable as contenders in the NFL North. Anything less will be a disappointment.