Could the Detroit Lions be Competitive in 2010
I know we’re talking about the Detroit Lions here, but can they be competitive in 2010? We know the Lions have been “rebuilding” for a long time, only to never have gotten any better.
The Detroit Lions have not made the playoffs since 1999, and even that year, they only squeaked into a Wild Card spot at 8-8 and were quickly eliminated by the Washington Redskins. Since then, the Lions overall record is an abysmal 42-118.
With all those horrible seasons, the Lions failed to make any improvements to bring the franchise out of futility. The franchise waited to hit rock bottom before making actual progress and they did when they literally could not sink any lower.
No one will ever forget, even though some may want to, the Lions catastrophic 2008 season in which they became the worst team in NFL history, as they finished 0-16. Finally, the team showed a commitment to improving. Coaches were fired, players traded and let go, as everything was blown up in order to start all over again.
The new rebuilding project began in the 2009 NFL Draft when the Lions drafted Matthew Stafford first overall. The team got the quarterback they wanted to lead them into the future, and in this year’s draft they started to build their defence with the drafting of defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh second overall. The Lions also acquired defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch in free agency.
So now that the Lions have started taking the right steps in building for the future, the question is, is the future now? Lions Safety Louis Delmas believes so. The second year safety has predicted an eight win season and a playoff spot for the Lions: “We know what we can do," Delmas said. “We just slipped up last year. I know that we lost a lot of games on last drives last year. It's no surprise if we come out and get eight wins -- I won't be surprised at all. We know we can do it."
However, the Lions didn’t really slip up last year. This has been the story of the franchise as it has not won a Super Bowl ever. It is a good sign though that players are optimistic, after all, what kind of a professional goes into a season without expecting to win?
"It's a hard division," he said. "It's very big, but football is football. You've got to strap it up and go out there and play and that's what we plan on doing," said Delmas.
The team filled some major holes this offseason, especially on defence. With Suh and Vanden Bosch on the line, the Lions actually may have a legitimate pass rush. They also drafted Amari Spievey at cornerback who can make an impact on defence.
The Lions also drafted a very talented running back in Javhid Best, who can be a threat in the running game and the passing game. The Lions also have Calvin Johnson, who has now had a year experience with quarterback Matthew Stafford, and can give the Lions an improved passing attack.
One area that will certainly need to improve is the offensive line. Stafford suffered two shoulder injuries last year, which shortened his season, likely due to taking a beating from opposing defenses. The starting jobs are wide open on the o-line and whoever is on that line had better protect Stafford if the Lions want to steadily improve in 2010.
It’s a new decade and a chance for a fresh start for the franchise that has earned an unwanted reputation as the pushovers of the league. Now these Lions are starting to look a little meaner and may finally be ready to make some noise in the league. The bottom line is this team is still a major work in progress and will likely miss the playoffs again. However, for the first time in a while, we can truly say that the future looks bright in Detroit.
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