In years gone by, I had always believed the Detroit Lions were only a couple of good players away from being a true contender. For the last 2 or 3 years, I have not had that belief. It is clear that the last decade has watched this franchise slowly degrade until last year there was simply nothing left.
This year is different. There is something about this team that excites me. Maybe I see some real possibilities, or maybe I am just excited to see the Lions regain mediocrity. Whatever it is, I am excited for the season to start.
I have been getting a bit frustrated by seeing comments from others who do not know the Lions saying they will be the worst team in the league again. A part of me wants to scream at them. "Have you not seen anything going on in the off-season in Detroit?"
One comment I saw said... "The Lions will be the worst team once again. Even with the addition of Foote, they have a long long ways to go." .... Excuse me? With the addition of Foote? What about Jullian Peterson? Phillip Buchanon? Anthony Henry? How about Grady Jackson? Anyone ever hear of him? Louis Delmas as well. Though he is a rookie, I have heard nothing but outstanding comments about the kid. Then of course, Stafford and Pettigrew, they wont improve the team at all, right? In fact, is there another team in the NFL that has improved on paper near as much as the Lions have in this off-season?
No, I dont believe the Lions are on their way to the Superbowl this year. I dont even believe they will make the play-offs. I do however, believe the Detroit Lions will gain some respect in 2009 as a team that is up and coming and not to be taken lightly.
Whether it is Daunte Culpepper or Matthew Stafford who lines up behind center, I am intrigued to see how they perform. I want to see if Pettigrew is as good as people keep saying. I am not so convinced that he is as good as I hear, but I am in the least, looking forward to seeing for myself. I cannot wait to see how this revamped defense plays and I am absolutely excited at the prospect of the Lions defense blitzing 40% of the time.
Though I have had times of being excited in recent years, I have not felt this excited to start a season since... well last year when they went 4-0 in the pre-season. But other than that brief time, I havent been this excited since Barry Sanders was playing.
If there is any silver lining to going 0-16, it is that even the prospect of gaining some respect again gives one a thrill.
7/27/09
Detroit Lions Defense May Be Fantasy Sleeper
We have all seen the change over on the Lions defense. The addition of Grady Jackson at defensive tackle will help immensely. Julian Peterson and Larry Foote being added next to Ernie Sims will give the Lions one of the better Linebacker crews in the NFL. There is no doubt that Anthony Henry and Phillip Buchanan will be an improved cornerback duo. Rookie Louis Delmas may be the best safety the Lions have had in recent years.
Now on top of the huge personnel improvements, the Detroit Lions new Defensive Coordinator plans to blitz about 40% of the time. Imagine that!
Remember last years preseason? Remember the Lions blitzing continuously and practically mugging the opponents quarterbacks? Remember the Lions defense knocking Chad Johnson out of the game because Palmer threw the ball too high while being hit? Remember the Lions defense looking like a havoc machine for all four games? That's what you get from blitzing!
Remember the Lions blitzing all of the time in the regular season? No? That's because they didn't! They very rarely blitzed in the regular season.
Remember the Lions defense harassing the quarterbacks every game? No? That is because they didn't harass any quarterbacks in the regular season. They gave every quarterback 5 or 6 seconds to find an open receiver. They gave every receiver 5 or 6 seconds to break free.
Remember the... oh what the heck, we don't want to remember the 2008 Detroit Lions defense at all! The defense that looked menacing in the preseason became the worst defense I have ever seen in the regular season. They were the same players, so what happened? They did not blitz in the regular season.
2009 is here and they have far better players. Best of all, the Detroit Lions have a coach and offensive coordinator who actually has some guts. They plan to blitz about 40% of the time. Do not let the 2008 defense scare you away. The difference between this years group of battle ready killers is so far from last years Pansy ass nose picking sissies will be like night and day.
Don't believe me? That is fine. Just do yourself a favor. Keep your eye on them as the season starts. If you play fantasy football, there is a very good chance you will be picking the Detroit Lions Defense up off of waivers in week two or three.
Now on top of the huge personnel improvements, the Detroit Lions new Defensive Coordinator plans to blitz about 40% of the time. Imagine that!
Remember last years preseason? Remember the Lions blitzing continuously and practically mugging the opponents quarterbacks? Remember the Lions defense knocking Chad Johnson out of the game because Palmer threw the ball too high while being hit? Remember the Lions defense looking like a havoc machine for all four games? That's what you get from blitzing!
Remember the Lions blitzing all of the time in the regular season? No? That's because they didn't! They very rarely blitzed in the regular season.
Remember the Lions defense harassing the quarterbacks every game? No? That is because they didn't harass any quarterbacks in the regular season. They gave every quarterback 5 or 6 seconds to find an open receiver. They gave every receiver 5 or 6 seconds to break free.
Remember the... oh what the heck, we don't want to remember the 2008 Detroit Lions defense at all! The defense that looked menacing in the preseason became the worst defense I have ever seen in the regular season. They were the same players, so what happened? They did not blitz in the regular season.
2009 is here and they have far better players. Best of all, the Detroit Lions have a coach and offensive coordinator who actually has some guts. They plan to blitz about 40% of the time. Do not let the 2008 defense scare you away. The difference between this years group of battle ready killers is so far from last years Pansy ass nose picking sissies will be like night and day.
Don't believe me? That is fine. Just do yourself a favor. Keep your eye on them as the season starts. If you play fantasy football, there is a very good chance you will be picking the Detroit Lions Defense up off of waivers in week two or three.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
