Detroit Lions Weblog

Matthew’s Stafford Healthy, Successful Return is Important for 2010 and Beyond

One important thing easily forgotten in the Lions 1-5 start, was the absence of the Lions hoped-to-be franchise QB Matthew Stafford. This speaks volumes for the capable job which Shaun Hill did as the fill-in for Stafford. That being said, if the Lions are truly taking steps forward as a franchise, they need for Stafford to take the reins and exhibit all of the reason’s that he was selected first overall in the 2009 draft.

In Stafford’s one and a third seasons, he has started 11 games and missed 11 games due to injury. He has shown flashes of brilliance and leadership which has a good chunk of the Lions fan base on edge and wanting to see more.

After missing five games this season, Stafford may have actually benefited from watching Shaun Hill capably manage the Lions offense and utilize intelligence to go along with a healthy dose of tenacity, while leading the Lions offense.

Matthew Stafford Has Watched a lot of Games in His Two Seasons as a Lion

There is little argument that Stafford is talented and has a big time arm. As Stafford has continued to miss more time, some of the initial concerns over his inaccuracy and his propensity for turnovers are likely to creep up among the fan base, upon his return. Stafford will be scrutinized closely due to his relative lack of experience.

Stafford’s inexperience will certainly show up at times. He has only completed 54% of his passes in 400 attempts, while throwing 20 interceptions. It will take time for Stafford to develop his decision-making and fine tune his accuracy.

Lions Fans Want to See Stafford's Ability to Deliver the Ball Downfield

Heaven forbid, Stafford become injured again. If he does, many observers will make the conclusion that he is fragile and injury-prone. It is up to the Lions offensive coaching staff and offensive line to prevent this from happening again to Stafford.

These concerns aside, Stafford does have help. The additions of RB Jahvid Best, TE Tony Scheffler, and WR Nate Burleson, along with players like WR Calvin Johnson, TE Brandon Pettigrew and RB Kevin Smith give Stafford the skill players ncessary to succeed.

This week’s game, against Washington, is a tough game for Stafford to have his first start coming off injury. The Redskins are coming off of an extremely well played game defensively last week. They present a considerable challenge with their disruptive pass rush (Brian Orakpo), an apparently rejuvenated Albert Haynesworth blowing up the middle of the pocket, and a pair of playmaking defensive backs in CB DeAngelo Hall and S LaRon Landry.

Stafford's Injury Made the Lions Season Look Very Different

There is a reasonable amount of optimism about the Lions chances for gaining a number of victories in their remaining 10 games. If the Lions were able to win four or five games (or more?) down the stretch, while Stafford was at the helm, the level of excitement and anticipation will be escalated significantly among the Lions fan base.

Stafford’s success would be a clear sign of what could potentially come in the future and provide a reflection of the efficacy of the organization’s decision to select Stafford in the first place.

The Lions Improved Defense Starts With Their Defensive Line

The Lions defensive line has set the tone for the Lions defense throughout the 2010 season. Their play has made the Lions defense better and helped them to overcome some of their deficiencies at linebacker. Their improved play has also allowed the secondary to get its bearings, while seemingly improving its play each week.

Expectations were high for the Lions defensive line after the big splash free agent addition of Kyle Vanden Bosch and the draft selection of Ndamukong Suh. Still, the acquisition which went most under the radar during the pre-season and is paying really high dividends, is the trade for DT Corey Williams, who had floundered in Cleveland, but is currently flourishing in Detroit.

Williams has 20 combined tackles, a fumble recovery and has been termed as unblockable by a number of observers. Previously, Williams had been very good in Green Bay and parlayed that success into a trade and big raise in Cleveland. Unfortunately, Williams was ill-suited for conversion to a 3-4 defensive end and struggled there. His failure in Cleveland has certainly been a boon for the Lions.

Andre Fluellen Knows That the Lions Defensive Line is Better in 2010

Not only is the Lions front four better, but they have depth. The Lions have 16 sacks, 13 of which are spread between DT Ndamukong Suh (4.5), DE Cliff Avril (1.0), DE Kyle Vanden Bosch (2.0), DT Sammie Lee Hill (1.5), DL Turk McBride (2.0), DT Corey Williams (1.0), and DE Lawrence Jackson (1.0).

The interior of the Lions defense, especially has been a disruptive force with Suh and Williams (for a TD!) each having an interception and Suh being 7th on the team in combined tackles. The Lions have also benefited from the play of Sammie Lee Hill in short-yardage and goal-line situations, too.

The non-stop, interminable effort of Kyle Vanden Bosch seems to have set the tone for the team’s defensive line, as it continues to present a problem for opponents.

The Fiery Vanden Bosch Leads the Lions Defense

In the remaining 10 games, the Lions defensive front four needs to stay healthy and continue to be productive if the Lions fate is going to eventually change. Gradually, the Lions defense appears to be building a stronger identity. It’s defensive line is the foundation which the rest of the defense rests upon.

The Lions Take a Flyer On LB Bobby Carpenter, OL Cody Wallace

The Lions were certainly in the market for some more depth at linebacker, entering their bye week. With yesterday’s signing, of former Cowboys first rounder Bobby Carpenter, whose NFL pedigree (his father played RB for the Bill Parcells New York Giants) may have originally caused his readiness for the NFL to be inflated, the Lions may have found someone who could help them.

The Lions Added Former Cowboys First Rounder, Bobby Carpenter

The fact that Carpenter is a free agent at this time, doesn’t entirely bode well for how much help he may be able to eventually provide, though. Carpenter has already played for the Rams and Dolphins this season. That being said, the Lions have seemingly gotten lucky turning around talented players who have not risen to expectations elsewhere in the NFL (Alphonso Smith, Turk McBride, Chris Houston).

I guess I would place Carpenter into the Lawrence Jackson department of Lions player development, there is chance each of them could be beneficial, or just as likely, they could become organizational “fool’s gold” (see Edwards, Kalimba), helping little.

Carpenter did start two games this year for the Dolphins, but apparently a couple of costly special teams errors, which led to the termination of the Dolphins special teams coach, were his undoing there.

The fact is, Carpenter has never had more than 37 solo tackles in one season, during his stint in the NFL. With the Lions, I believe he will be asked to be productive on special teams and could likely play in Lions nickel coverage packages.

The Hirsute Carpenter Resembles This Cartoon Legend

The signing of Wallace is a little more puzzling because the Lions seem happy with versatile OL Dylan Gandy. Conspiracy theorists believe that his addition, based upon his having previously played with the New York Jets (the Lions opponents in three weeks) this season, could be motivated by the Lions pre-game preparation for the Jets and their hopes that he could provide additional assistance in that regard.

After Another Tough Road Loss, The Lions Will Use The Bye Week to Regroup and Recup(erate)

One thing is for certain, the Lions have had an interesting season, even if the results have lead to an all-too-familiar 1-5 start. They have lost to their opponents by a combined 32 points, despite a near blow out, 14 point loss to the Vikings. As we all know, only a 1-5 Lions could outscore their opponents 146-140 (the 44 point aberration against the Rams factors heavily here), and yet maintain a losing record.

Even if the Lions have played well, and suffered from injury, they have only themselves to blame for their current predicament. Obviously, a controversial loss to the Bears in Chicago set the barometer, but frankly, the Lions turn the ball over far too often, get penalized too much, and allow to many explosion plays to legitimately believe that they should have a winning record at this point.

Lions Fans, We Know This Anguished Look, Don't We?

There are certainly signs of encouragement throughout the roster. Yet, unless you are a fan of magic unicorns, the Lifetime Channel, and believe that Santa Claus is real, you realize that “feel good” stories don’t carry a lot of weight in the NFL, even if you have only won three of your last 45 games.

Next Up, A Heartwarming Tale About a Failed Franchise Who Can't Find the Right Opponents to Defeat

The Lions will need for the return of a healthy, productive Matthew Stafford to legitimize the team’s current direction–and provide some victories. Stafford has now missed nearly as many games as he has played in his brief NFL career. I have no doubt the Lions could have trotted him out against the Giants last week, but am glad, especially after both Shaun Hill and Drew Stanton left the game brutalized and hobbled, that big picture thinking ruled the day there.

The Lions need for young defenders like Louis Delmas and DeAndre Levy to regain more of their health, and continue ramp up their roles in the Lions defense. I would not be surprised in the least to see the Lions give nearly every linebacker who can draw a breath an audition, after the rash of injuries which have swept through that personnel group (Levy, Zach Folllett, Landon Johnson, et al), during their bye week.

Lead the Way Big Fella, Lead the Way...

In my eyes, more than half of their remaining games are winnable (H:Washington, Chicago, and Minnesota A:Buffalo, Tampa Bay, and Miami). Looking ahead, if the Lions can win 4-5 games down the stretch, this season will take on a different appearance, maybe with some hopeful optimism for the future.

Week 6: Lions Vs. Giants Preview

This week’s game, just prior to the Lions bye week, is a convergence of sorts. The Lions are amid a 23-game road losing streak. This is likely (hopefully) Shaun Hill’s (even if Hill has played really well) last start, since Matthew Stafford should be healthy enough to start the Lions next game in two weeks. Most importantly, after only winning three games in their last 44, it is an oppportunity for the Lions to establish that things are finally changing for the better, by earning a tough road win in a hostile climate, against one of the league’s better teams (albeit an inconsistent one).

It is Difficult Not to Picture L.T.’s 1982 “Pick Six”
Against the Lions on Thanksgiving, While Facing the Giants

There is no question that Shaun Hill has played well in Matthew Stafford’s absence. In fact, Hill appears to be improving each week. In order for the Lions to win, this trend will have to continue.

When considering the Lions offense, one has to consider what the Lions will to do to combat a near league-leading pass rush (3rd, 19 sacks, 10 against the Bears a couple of weeks ago), which the Giants defensive success is predicated upon.

The Lions do benefit from the absence of DE Mathias Kiawanuka, but will still have to lean heavily upon Gosder Cherilus and Jeff Backus to slow the Giants bookend DE’s Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora.

Shaun Hill has exhibited some ability to move nimbly out of the pocket, even if it isn’t pretty. I expect that the Lions will attempt to utilize their tight ends and running backs in shorter, quicker passing routes, in an attempt to offset the Giants pass rush.

The Lions Will Need to Slow Justin Tuck

If Lions are without Calvin Johnson, or more likely, will be utilizing a Johnson limited by the sprained AC joint in his shoulder, the Lions will need to involve several other players and spread the ball around.

The Giants are first in the NFL in total defense (244.6 yds/gm) and passing defense (146 yds/gm) and are ninth against the run, allowing 98.6 yds/gm. Eliminate a blow out loss to the Colts, and the Giants defense looks really awesome.

The Lions are 6th in the league in points scored, averaging 25.2 ppg. In order to continue this success, the Lions will need a return to full health by Jahvid Best and Aaron Brown, as well as dependable play from their tight ends and WR’s Nate Burleson and Bryant Johnson, to alleviate some of the attention that even an injured Calvin Johnson will likely draw.

Defensively, the Lions will attempt to duplicate the Giants blueprint for defensive success. The Lions have the league’s sixth best pass rush (14 sacks), and the Giants have allowed Manning to be sacked 9 times.

Lions Defensive Back Alphonso Smith, Future Mayoral Candidate in Detroit?

The Giants will look to slow the Lions pass rush with a punishing ground attack, which opens their play action, vertical passing game which the Lions could become vulnerable to, even after their improved play recently in their secondary.

Injuries continue to decimate the Lions linebacking corps, which exerts additional pressure on the Lions rush defense. I expect that the Giants may call upon RB Brandon Jacobs even more than they have usually have in other games, in an attempt to exploit the fact that Ashlee Palmer is the Lions starting middle linebacker this week.

The Lions safeties will figure heavily in this week’s game, too. The Giants are going to attack the Lions with WR’s Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham, which with sound route running of Steve Smith, presents a considerable challenge for the Lions.

In the end, I believe the Lions will remain competitive late and fight to the end. Unfortunately, that will not amount to enough for them to win. Alas, the road losing streak extends to 24 games.

Giants 30 Lions 20

Hard-Nosed Shaun Hill Garnering Postive Accolades

In the off-season, the Lions made an under-the-radar trade to fill their vacant backup QB position, sending their 7th rounder in the 2011 draft to the 49ers for Shaun Hill. Hill is the kind of hard-nosed, “grit merchant”, to quote Armchair Linebacker’s Neil, who everyone loves, but rarely succeeds for long in the NFL. Think Jon Kitna. Think Brad Johnson.

Kitna May Have Been the Toughest Lion Ever

At any rate, for many, the initial impression of the addition of Hill was that it’s nice to have someone competent and experienced to hold a clipboard and wear a baseball cap backwards while pacing the sidelines, but perish the thought that he would ever be called upon to replace nubile, burgeoning franchise savior, Matthew Stafford.

Several weeks later, after an injury to Stafford in week one, the Lions have found themselves in the completely unenviable position of asking their backup (Hill) to carry the team for an extended period of time, while Matthew Stafford mends from the separated shoulder he sustained against the Bears.

In that initial outing, in relief of Stafford, Hill looked awful (9 for 19, 88 yards). That being said, despite his poor performance, Hill lead the Lions to the controversial drive in which the debate still remains, whether Calvin Johnson actually caught a TD pass which would have eventually lead to a Lions victory, or not.

Hill's Gutsy Play Has Been a Highlight

It goes without argument, Hill is a gamer. In three of the Lions losses, Hill has lead the Lions on a final drive into their opponent’s territory. Unfortunately, the Lions have come up empty-handed in all of those games.

Let’s compare this week’s opponents:

—————RTG-ATT-CMP-YDS-YPA-INT-TD
Shaun Hill—78.0 118 193 1218 6.3 7 8
Eli Manning 83.1 112 174 1302 7.5 8 8

Eli Manning is a household name, as a member of the first family of the NFL. Manning is a Super Bowl champ, who is paid like the franchise Qb he is. Meanwhile, Hill, the recent recipient of an extension from the Lions, is getting a mere fraction of Manning’s considerable paycheck. Yet, Manning and Hill’s stats (up to this point) are not all that dissimilar, given Hill’s relative anonymity.

One analyst wrote an interesting article for Pro Football Weekly, comparing Hill to fabled Redskins veteran QB Billy Kilmer. Tom Danyluk says that Hill is like Kilmer, in the sense that, no matter how unremarkable he appears on the surface, somehow, he always gets the job done:

Hill is now 30, an age when most quarterbacks begin their transition into the downside years. But how can a guy have a downside when there never has been an upside? He wasn’t drafted … no footspeed, rag arm, etc. … but somehow he found steady NFL work, and his eight prior seasons consisted of 16 starts for the 49ers — he even won the starting job there for a time before losing it back to Alex Smith in the middle of last season.

In March, the Lions traded for him, and now he’s subbing for Matthew Stafford, the injured No. 1 draft pick. Stafford looks better in warm-ups, but watching Hill operate conjures warm feelings of a time when winning passers weren’t always so meticulously drilled and manicured in their ways.

It’s the second coming of Billy Kilmer — not the slicer-dicer Billy, who played tailback at UCLA and could cut you up with his bursts and moves. But the banquet-circuit Billy, the chunky, flutterball passer with New Orleans and Washington, playing above his playing weight and not giving a damn how his uniform fit … and moving his team.

Shaun Hill's Antecedent?

Hill has displayed a knack for getting the job done, even if it isn’t pretty, apparently, like Kilmer:

“He never threw a spiral in his life,” he said, “but his receivers caught every ball he threw at them. At this affair in Washington I was kidding around with Charley Taylor and a few other guys about Kilmer’s wobblers. They got pretty heated about it. They told me, ‘Don’t you say that about Billy!’

Hill isn’t Kilmer chunky, but he plays and moves like it. He’s not a follow-through thrower, one who snaps down hard on his delivery. More of a flinger, a Nerf-baller. Like a guy pitching fruit at a wasps’ nest, up in an apple tree.

His rollouts consist of little pork-chop steps that can get him outside, where he can unload one of his soft floaters. Or he’ll right-left-right inside the pocket then sidearm one over the middle. Or he’ll lean backward and launch a quacker that somehow finds the right hands. None of his act is stylish, but what makes it attractive is the way the Lions’ offense seems to respond to him.

There are no moral victories in the NFL, yet Hill’s performance has been an inspiration for a team who could not have envisioned remaining competitive, should the nightmare scenario of Matthew Stafford being unable to play actually occur.

History gives us an idea how this is going to work out for Kilmer, Jr. It hints that Stafford, the high-dollar franchise man, will return from his injury soon (so we’re told) and reclaim his job, which means Hill moves to the bench. That is, unless Detroit launches on some wild-eyed win streak in the interim and a full-blown quarterback controversy develops.

Maybe Hill’s one of these late-bloomer QBs, which are rare but they do emerge on occasion. Rich Gannon was that way — a washout in Minnesota, out of football for a year, then gaining his footing at age 33 in Kansas City before turning All-Pro in Oakland; at 37, he won an AFC title.

I find it difficult to envision that the Lions would actually find themselves with a Qb controversy of any kind. Stafford possesses all of the talent necessary to eventually succeed, which makes it nearly impossible to keep him off of the field.

Many Lions fans have become so enticed by Hill’s play that they are questioning whether Hill should remain as starter or eventually be dangled as trade bait prior to the NFL trade deadline.

Mlive’s Tom Kowalski recently lamented the fact that Lions fans would seriously consider either option.

For the first time in generations, the Lions seem to have the ideal situation. They drafted a talented and promising young prospect who should be the face of the franchise for years to come. They also added a solid veteran who has proven he can step in, play at a high level and even win.

So what’s the problem?

With Matthew Stafford still sidelined with a right shoulder injury and Shaun Hill playing so well lately, the buzz among Lions fans — if message boards and radio talk shows are any indication — is that it’s time for a change.

And here’s the beauty of it: Those changes come in two basic flavors. Continue to start Hill even after Stafford is healthy, or trade Hill. Huh?

The driving theories behind their wonderful ideas:

•Stafford can’t possibly play as well as Hill, so even when Stafford comes back — probably after the bye week — Hill should remain the starter.
•Hill is playing so well that his value will never be higher, so it’s the perfect time to trade him and possibly get a solid cornerback or linebacker.

Why are fans so eager to dump a player who finally has delivered the goods? Maybe it’s because the Lions have been so lousy for so long that fans are conditioned to think the grass is always greener on the other side.

The Lions have positioned themselves so that they have been able to remain competitive in Stafford’s absence. Shaun Hill’s performance has been one of several Lions success stories that have played out since Martin Mayhew’s promotion to the NFL’s chief personnel executive.

The Lions do not have the luxury of not playing their $70 million franchise Qb nor can they afford to rely upon local boy Drew Stanton to provide a performance on par with Hill’s, should Stafford be injured yet again. In my eyes, holding onto Hill is exactly the kind of decision which might lead to eventual success for a franchise which has seen little of it during recent years.

The Lions Secondary 2010

After Sunday’s blow out win against the Rams, and all of the buzz surrounding Alphonso Smith’s aping the “Carlton Banks dance” during his endzone celebration, there is a growing optimism about the Lions secondary.

Alphonso Smith's TD Celebration Was A Homage

The Rams entered Sunday’s game 2-2 and looked for all the world to possess a potent passing offense. After completing only 51% percent of his passes, throwing two interceptions and passing only for 215 yards, Sam Bradford looked more to be the green rookie that he is, rather than the immediate NFL success story that he was enjoying (and was almost assured to continue while facing the Lions) prior to Sunday’s game.

The Lions secondary, at least for two weeks in a row, appears to be more competent than they looked earlier in the year. The aforementioned Smith, a former 2nd rounder, was acquired for a mere song (Lions former 7th round draft pick TE Dan Gronkowski, who was likely to be cut), given his natural ballhawking abilities and the considerable impact he has had upon the Lions secondary, who were desperate for a success story.

A One and Uh, and a Two and Uh, OneTwoThreeFour, Step...

The steady play of another pre-season trade acquisition Chris Houston, the potential return to full health by Louis Delmas, along with the continued emergence of S Amari Spievey, all are signs that the Lions secondary could be improving.

In the Lions first two games, their opponents completed 44 of their 69 passing attempts (63.8% completions) for 656 yards (or 328 yds/gm) and four TD’s, with one Lions interception.

Since then, the Lions have improved to allowing 58 of their opponents 96 passing attempts to be completed (60.4 completion rate) for 597 yards (or 199 yds/gm). More remarkably, they have allowed only four more TD’s and intercepted six passes.

The Lions are likely to continue to allow a high percentage of completions throughout the season. However, if they are able to limit big plays and to generate turnovers, along with the considerable pressure provided by their front four, the Lions defense definitely will start to take on a new appearance among Lions fans.

A Healthy Delmas Would Improve the Lions Defense Considerably

This week’s road game against the New York Giants will provide an excellent litmus test for the Lions pass defense. The Giants Eli “The Lesser” Manning has completed 112 out of his 174 passes (64.4%) for 1302 yards (260.4 per game) with eight TD’s and eight interceptions.

The Giants are a power-running, play action passing kind of team, with capable receivers Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, and Mario Manningham. Nicks has emerged as a particularly deadly playmaker this season.

The Giants are off to a shaky start, but they appear to be getting their feat under them. That being said, Manning’s eight interceptions are an alluring stat (even though he has thrown a majority of those in two Giants wins).

The Giants offensive line has struggled at times and with the Lions respectable front four, this game could be a lot closer than originally meets the eyes.

One thing is for certain, after 23 straight road losses, an improved Lions secondary would play a huge part of the Lion ending that abysmal streak, this weekend in New York.

The Aftermath of Sunday’s Blowout

Sunday’s Lions game was the most lopsided victory that they have enjoyed in years. The Rams, who had played reasonably well prior to Sunday’s loss, experienced a near complete meltdown from the botched opening kickoff, where they attempted to open the game with an onside kick.

The game was a perfect storm for the Lions to tune up and gain confidence in their defense and special teams. The Lions pressured Sam Bradford enough that he was out of sync with his receivers all day and the Lions secondary covered the Rams receivers pretty well.

The Lions secondary is slowly beginning to appear slightly more competent (they couldn’t have been much worse, to open the season). The aggressive ballhawking of CB Alphonso Smith and the slow emergence of S Amari Spievey are beginning to improve the unit’s overall performance, as was witnessed Sunday.

Logan's 105-yard Kickoff Return Was a Highlight

Stefan Logan’s 105-yard kickoff return was the Rams death knell, from which they never recovered. Many observers believed that Logan was eventually going to break one. That being said, it was truly exciting to see him go “Mel Gray” on an opponent, something which the Lions have not had for a while.

Offensively, Shaun Hill continues to impress as he grows into the job as the Lions starting QB, or at least until Matthew Stafford returns. Hill was methodical, spreaded the ball around among his receivers well, and made few mistakes (none of which were costly) Sunday.

Shaun Hill Has Stood In Capably For Matthew Stafford

The Lions offense benefited from the return of Nate Burleson, who made an impact with his TD grab and helped open up opportunities for Calvin Johnson, as well.

Speaking of Johnson, if there was anything that was negative that occurred Sunday, it was the 4th quarter injury to his shoulder. The Lions are not indicating the nature and severity of Johnson’s injury, but it goes without saying that his health is of eminent concern.

Finally, there has been some questioning about why Johnson remained in the game at that late juncture, when the game seemed to be in hand. Futhermore, many Lions observers were not happy with the Lions decision to have Jahvid Best throw a halfback pass late in the game, as well.

The people who question Johnson remaining in the game are forgetting that hindisght is always 20/20. In regards to the Best pass, I think people are forgetting that the Lions are not often in a position to attempt that play and not have it impact the game’s outcome, either way.

Jahvid Best Would Probably Like Another Chance For a Halfback Pass

Besides, who can fault the Lions for having a little fun at the Rams expense.

Week 5 Preview: Rams Vs. Lions

In a game that amounts to being the Lions Super Bowl, giving their 0-4 record to start the season, there is no doubt that there is an interesting convergence of variables that are coming into play for this Sunday’s game.

The Lions are coming off of a heartbreaking loss in Green Bay, which extended their road losing streak to 23 games and dropped Jim Schwartz’s career record to 2-18. In Sunday’s game, which is the Lions Alumini day, the team will also honor it’s recent Hall of Fame inductee, Dick LeBeau. LeBeau will be added the 13th member of the Lions ring of honor, “The Pride of the Lions”. LeBeau will also receive hall of fame ring during the ceremony of his induction.

Lions Will Honor Dick LeBeau at Sunday's Home Game

More importantly, the game serves as a barometer of improvement for the two teams, the Rams, who selected first in the 2010 draft, and the Lions, who picked second. Each team has selected franchise QB’s in successive drafts, but whereas the Lions remain fixated upon the continued selection of skill players in the early rounds, the Rams seemed to have approached their predicament more sensibly, by addressing their offensive and defensive lines, instead.

Unfortunately, the Lions will be without Matthew Stafford, but the Rams will have their young QB, Sam Bradford, who is beginning to assemble his capable NFL game, and must be salivating at the thought of facing the undermanned and sorely disorganized Lions secondary.

With the seemingly healthy return of RB Steven Jackson to bolster the Rams offense, the Lions defense will have to face multiple challenges from them. The recent emergence of trade acquisition WR Mark Clayton, who has become one of Bradford’s most consistent and reliable targets, supplements Jackson.

If the Lions can pressure and disorient Bradford, they might be able to take advantage of Bradford’s relative inexperience, and capitalize like they did last week in what amounted to an awful performance by the Green Bay Packers.

Vanden Bosch Will Be Looking For Bradford

The Lions defense will likely be geared up to limit Jackson, with the hopes of enough pressure from the Lions front four, that they can disrupt both the Rams passing and rushing attacks. Obviously, allowing Bradford to get in a rhythm and garner confidence on the road as a rookie, could spell certain doom for the Lions defense.

If the always problematic Jackson can be productive and healthy, then the Rams play action passing attack will be able to really attack the Lions safeties and potentially, create opportunities for “explosion” plays, which have really hurt the Lions defense this season.

Shaun Hill Has Lived Up to Expectations as a Backup QB

The Lions need for their offense to continue to be productive, with the return of WR Nate Burleson and a hoped for, return to full speed by Jahvid Best. The addition of these two player could help make the Lions offense could potent and productive Sunday.

The Rams have active defensive ends in Chris Long and James Hall, tackling machine LB James Laurinaitis, and capable S Oshiomogho Otogwe to impact the Lions defensively. The Rams defense has performed much better than anyone’s pre-season expectations could have reasonably expected.

The Rams are only 23rd in team total defense, but have successfully utilized a “bend, but don’t break” philosophy and are only allowing 13 pts/game.

Given the increased number of targets for Calvin Johnson in Green Bay last weekend, it is not unreasonable to expect that the Lions will continue to center their passing attack around him. Getting Johnson the ball remains a challenge which is contingent with providing Hill with the protection necessary for him to successfully deliver the ball.

The bad news is, as intimate as Jeff Backus and James Hall are with each other’s style of play, as former college and NFL teammates, the word is that Backus has always struggled while facing Hall. If that remains the case, Hall could give Shaun Hill problems all day.

In the end, after selling out the game, preventing a TV blackout, it is hard not to be optimistic for the Lions chances to gain their first win in 2010. That being said, the dividing lines between the two franchises are clearly de-lineated, the Rams have their franchise QB and a pair of bookend offensive tackles, to go along with the emergent Clayton and the problematic Jackson.

On the other hand, the Lions don’t have their franchise QB, with Matthew Stafford’s costly, lingering shoulder injury, and don’t have reliable tackles on their offensive line, either. A gimpy Jahvid Best will not likely have the same impact as a gimpy Steven Jackson.

Former Lion Daunte Culpepper Will Attest, the Lions Are Close, But Not Close Enough

Sam Bradford will also likely earn his offensive rookie of the year award against the Lions Sunday, while throwing for 350 passing yards and three TD’s.

Rams 31 Lions 27

The NFL Trade Deadline, Sunday is the Lions Super Bowl

With the October 20th NFL trade deadline rapidly approaching, there is a concurrent increase in player movement. The best opportunity for free agent player try-outs and evaluation usually falls during the bye week. Unfortunately for the Lions, their bye week remains a week and a half away. A prospective trade may be the Lions best opportunity to improve their lot, pre-bye week.

Martin Mayhew has exhibited a solid acumen for procuring deals, especially in making low cost, potentially high reward acquisitions like CB Alphonso Smith and DE Lawrence Jackson. Time to get to work, Martin!

With the Vikings likely trading for WR Randy Moss, it becomes even more imperative that the Lions find the means to bolster their linebackers and secondary, because life for the Lions defense just got significantly more difficult.

Randy Moss is the NFL's Most Spectacularly Gifted Athlete

Fortunately for the Lions, they may only have one more game against the Favre-to-Moss combo. The mere mention of Moss playing against the current Lions secondary makes me quiver in fear. After all these years, I still can’t forget just how much Moss has had his way while playing against the Lions.

In 13 career meetings with the Lions, Moss has 72 catches for 1182 yards. Moss has averaged 90.9 yards/game and 16.4 yards per catch. His longest catch was for 82 yards, he has converted 46 first downs and scored 9 TD’s against the Lions in his 12 year career.

Anyways, the Lions are likely working the phones and exercising their due dilligence in an attempt to bolster their roster, if players can be had for the right price. At this point, with playoff elimination all but staring them in the face, taking a flyer (ala the Seahawks acquiring Marshawn Lynch) on a player who may provide them additional help in the future makes sense.

For Jim Schwartz and the Lions, returning home to play the 2-2 Rams, serves as their virtual Super Bowl, given the importance it holds for the current Lions season, in short, they absolutely have to have this win.

Amid a 23-game road losing streak and Schwartz’s inauspicious 2-18 beginning to his career, even if the Lions debatably should have won their first game against the Bears, and given how close they were in two of their other losses, the Lions need to begin to start winning games.

Lions fans, who have been supernaturally patient (or at least the few remaining fans have), are beginning to grow impatient with the Schwartz-coached version of the team, and rightfully so.

Even if Schwartz is only a quarter of the way through his second season, there are already beginning to be warning signs that he could become your standard, run of the mill, garden variety Lions coach, who gets subsumed within the Lions larger losing milieu.

Jim Schwartz Takes Pause, Wonders About His Future?

The time is now for Schwartz, with or without franchise QB Matthew Stafford, to pull out of the stops in an attempt for Lions victory. The Rams game presents a winning opportunity and a chance to stem the tide of losing.

If Schwartz and the Lions eventually lose Sunday, with a road game in New York staring them in the face, they could begin a precipitous, free fall that could find them atop the 2011 draft board, yet again.