Detroit Lions Weblog

Some Experts are Taking Note of Lions Off-Season

As convenient as it is to “pile on” the Lions coming off of an 0-16 season, given their recent struggles, some analysts have taken note that they could actually be moving in the right direction. Here are some thoughts from Pro Football Weekly’s Eric Edholm:

It’s easy to dismiss the Lions’ trade of Gerald Alexander for Dennis Northcutt as a minor deal, but they are slowly building depth on a team that seriously lacked it last season.

Northcutt will battle for the slot position and can return punts. Both spots needed depth. Now you have Northcutt competing with rookie Derrick Williams, Ronald Curry and others for the third and fourth WR spots, and Northcutt, Williams, Aveion Cason and rookie Aaron Brown could be your returners.

I’ll take Edholm’s thoughts a step further, I think that Northcutt could both provide a boost in the returns game and ultimately become the team’s second best receiver, despite his lack of production for both Jacksonville and Cleveland during recent seasons.

Furthermore, if the Lions defense falters (or when?), the more formidable the team’s passing options the better. Otherwise, teams could devote all of their resources towards limiting Calvin Johnson. As much as it pains me, Northcutt is the most proven commodity at receiver the Lions possess after Johnson, too. I can definitely envision a scenario where he outplays Bryant Johnson, Ronald Curry and Derrick Williams, without hesitation. Edholm continues…

Look at the variety of moves they have made this offseason:

* Swapped CBs Leigh Bodden and Travis Fisher for Anthony Henry, Phillip Buchanon and Eric King. That’s an improvement.

This is harder for me to stomach. The Lions have proven mostly fruitless when attempting to upgrade their secondary with “proven” veterans. There is also some question whether the Lions have devoted enough energy towards improving their pass rush, which could help significantly to protect any coverage deficiencies that may arise.

# Exchanged Dan Campbell and Michael Gaines for Brandon Pettigrew, Will Heller and Dan Gronkowski. Upgrade.
# Special teams should be better with the additions of the return guys we mentioned, professional coverage guys such as Cody Spencer, King and Terrelle Smith.
# There’s more depth on the offensive line with Jon Jansen, Daniel Loper, Toniu Fonoti, Dylan Gandy, Kirk Barton and Lydon Murtha. None are great, but again, they add depth and competition.
# Made a big improvement by ditching Mike Furrey and signing Bryant Johnson and Curry, drafting Williams and trading for Northcutt.

I’ll give Edholm credit and agree with him that the tight end position should be improved, and it had better be, given the importance of that position within new offensive coordinator Scott Linehan’s offense. I still don’t understand a first round selection of a tight end, and likely never will, unless Pettigrew emerges as a perennial all-pro.

At the very least, Pettigrew and Heller will help the team’s blocking significantly, especially in the red zone.

In regards to the offensive line, this may be the most depth the Lions have possessed there in years, which hopefully will mean that the team will have a competent enough offensive line to protect potential franchise savior Matthew Stafford, when the time eventually comes that he will take the reins mid-season. I am also glad that this situation places some accountability upon the shoulders of the incumbent offensive tackles(Jeff Backus and Gos Cherilus), who have faced little legitimate threat for playing time in the past.

* And without question, the position they improved the most was at linebacker, also easily the worst position on the field in ‘08. Larry Foote, Julian Peterson, DeAndre Levy and Cody Spencer could make up four of their top five linebackers along with Ernie Sims. Huge improvement over last year’s lot.

Lots of depth. It’s a big upgrade. The easiest bet in Vegas is that the Lions will win at least 3-4 games this season, even though it might take them a few weeks to get on track.

The linebackers should be better, but even Edholm later acknowledges a huge problem which could directly impact them:

The one position I would like to see more help is at defensive tackle. They might have to wait until next offseason to get any real assistance there, but it would not surprise me at all if they scour the wires — as they have done all season, with the first crack at unvested veterans — to add a D-tackle to their rotation.

Very intriguing team down the road, these Lions.

With Grady Jackson’s likely suspension of four games, the team WILL need to address this position, in some manner, before the season begins, as Alex Marvez suggests:

Detroit: Defensive tackle

After an 0-16 season, the Lions couldn’t upgrade every unit in one offseason. Defensive tackle remains problematic after Detroit lost Shawn Cody to Houston in free agency and traded Cory Redding to Seattle. Ex-Atlanta starter Grady Jackson was signed but the 36-year-old is coming off knee surgery and may face a four-game suspension for taking a banned diuretic.

Possible solution: John Thornton. A Cincinnati starter the past six years, the Bengals didn’t re-sign Thornton after adding Tank Johnson earlier this offseason. Thornton, 32, is the best of a free-agent group of defensive tackles

If the Lions don’t upgrade the middle of their defensive line, their linebackers and secondary will suffer for it. As much as I want to subscribe to the idea that Foote and Sims will be effective, they won’t be if they are constantly facing lineman who breeze to the next level of the Lions defense unimpeded by a weak and ineffective front four.

In regards to the team’s depth at linebacker, I am also not sold on players like DeAndre Levy, Jordan Dizon, and Cody Spencer being able to be productive, especially without serious help up front. Jackson will be limited in playing time, by his gargantuan size alone, so beefing up their rotation will help the team both with and without him, in the long run.

Still, given how bad the Lions have been, it is a positive sign to know that we aren’t drinking too much off-season “Honolulu Blue Kool Aid” and there is some cause to think that the team’s fortunes could eventually improve. They certainly couldn’t be any worse!