The Detroit Lions Are Undefeated, But for How Long?

The secondary is improved.

The cornerback position is in much better shape than it was a year ago. In addition to signing two of their own (Travis Fisher and Keith Smith), Detroit acquired six-year vet Leigh Bodden from the Cleveland Browns, who should bring some play-making ability to the corner.

Bodden also has the size to play a physical style in the "Tampa Two" system and should provide a welcomed remedy when facing some of the league’s larger receivers. Though it is yet to be seen if Bodden can reproduce his fabulous 2005 season, he is undoubtedly going to be an asset to a Lions secondary that was one of the worst in the league.

The addition of "Tampa Two" veteran Brian Kelly should also add some consistency at the other corner while improving second-year player Gerald Alexander, and veteran acquisition Dwight Smith should shore-up some holes in the deep middle.

The Lions also have some depth now, and though I’m by no means arguing that this is a top-10 secondary, I think we might be able to move them into the high teens, which would be a drastic improvement over the woeful pass defense of a year ago.

The offense will consistently score points.

When Mike Martz came to Detroit, most of us were riding the fence as to what to expect. On one hand, he was bringing a proven scoring system to a team in need of a kick, but on the other hand, he had proven to be an inflexible control freak that couldn’t adjust his system to match the players on the field.

It turns out we were right on both accounts.

The inability to call audibles when teams were blitzing 85 percent of the time because they KNEW we weren’t going to run the ball, ended up mercilessly taxing an already questionable offensive line and put Kitna (a much underrated performer) under incredible stress to release the ball immediately or be absolutely crushed by a consortium of blitzing linebackers freed from their run commitments.

For all his idiosyncrasies, Kitna, who is tough as nails, got absolutely creamed more times than I may have ever seen (and I root for the Lions), and still managed to throw for over 4,000 yards in a system that severely handicapped his ability to make plays.

The problem with the Lions last season was that they never possessed the ball for any period of time. They were either three-and-out due to horrible offensive-line play fed by poor play calling, or were driving the length of the field in less than a minute due to incredible wide-receiver play fed by the resilient Kitna.

This placed an injured and inexperienced defense in the unenviable position of being on the field the entire game, which undoubtedly contributed to their woeful statistics.

Though I can’t say that I was pleased when the Lions let Kevin Jones get away, I have been extremely pleased with the progress of rookie Kevin Smith, who looks to have the vision to find some holes in the NFL and the size to run inside, if not the impressive breakaway speed.

If there’s one thing that Detroit’s line has proved, it’s that they CAN run block when given the opportunity, and a switch to a more-balanced system should play to their strength, take pressure off Kitna, and give the Lions a bit more of a ball-control feel, which should exponentially help their defense.

I would also be remiss here if I didn’t predict a BIG season from "Megatron," WR Calvin Johnson, who also had an impressive preseason and should provide a nearly unstoppable one-two punch with Roy Williams in top form. All this should add up to a more consistent and controlled Detroit offense, which, in the end, will add up to more points and less squandered opportunities.

So, the Lions are undefeated. But for how long can it last?

Here’s how long.

The Lions will march into Atlanta and DOMINATE on Sept. 7. For those of you intent on earning some extra cash, the spread for this game is a measly three points and I would take it in a heartbeat. Lions win 28-10.

Aaron Rodgers and company will come to Detroit on Sept. 15 and find out a couple more things. One, that there’s no place like dome for the Detroit Lions, and two, Rodgers is a poor replacement for Lions nemesis Brett Favre. Thank God the cheeseheads have lived up to their name and let that guy go! Lions win 21-14.

San Francisco, in my opinion, is still a step behind the Lions, and they have major concerns at the quarterback position. They will be unable to stop "Megatron," who will go for 165 yards and two TDs in this game. The Lions' D also steps up and delivers its best performance. Lions win 21-3.

Though in the past I’ve chosen the Bye week over Detroit, NOT THIS YEAR!

And finally, with the offensively challenged Bears visiting Detroit on Oct. 5, I predict a defensive struggle that ultimately favors Motown. The Bears' defense steps up, but in the end, they can’t overcome inept offensive output. Lions win 10-7.

So there you have it. It will be at least a month before the Lions lose a game. Their first loss will come to a very good Minnesota team on the road and will signal the start of the real season for the Lions. But with a nice head start I think they can go 9-7. Maybe that’s not good enough to attract the bandwagoneers, but for a Detroit fan, that would be heaven. 

A winning season and a fringe playoff chance?

That’s all we ever ask for.

That’s seldom what we get.

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