Detroit Lions: All Hands on Deck as Lions Prepare for Saints

They're ba-aaaack!

The Detroit Lions are going into Saturday's NFC Wild Card matchup with *gasp* their full complement of players!

In a recent interview with Detroit's 97.1 FM The Ticket, Lions head coach Jim Schwartz declared that the team was "as healthy as its been in two months." That's spectacular news for the Lions.

Tomorrow's game marks the return of three of Detroit's key cogs—safety Louis Delmas, defensive tackle Corey Williams and running back Kevin Smith. Wide receiver Calvin Johnson is nursing a sore Achilles injury but practiced and will start tomorrow night.

So what does this mean for the Lions?

Well, quite simply, it means the Lions' chances of pulling off the upset of the century just got a huge boost. Of course, there's no guarantee they will win, but their chances improve.

The first time these two teams met, the Lions were without defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, Delmas and cornerback Chris Houston. Rookie defensive tackle Nick Fairley played but did not last more than a quarter.

This time around, Houston will resume his position at corner, Delmas will patrol the safety spot, and Suh and Fairley will likely see time together, leaving New Orleans scratching their heads as to which one of them to double-team.

Delmas, according to Schwartz, "He is a very, very fast player. Not just physical speed, but he plays fast, he covers a lot of ground, has a lot of range. You look at some of the big plays against our defense -- maybe a run or a screen pass (or a) reverse...those are plays that Lou does a really good job of tracking down and minimizing."

While he does get burned from time to time due to overrunning his assignments, he still makes tackles and is one of the unquestioned leaders of the defense.

Without Delmas, the safeties struggled more often than they've played well. The addition of Delmas makes everyone else around him better.

Williams adds a run-stopping ability that some of the Lions' defensive line has been sorely lacking. Even though Mark Ingram is on injured reserve, Williams, Fairley and Suh will make New Orleans think twice about running, forcing Drew Brees to go to the air.

Smith, the starting running back for the Lions, is coming off a high ankle sprain, but he is listed as probable and should start.

Smith gives the Lions the best chance of establishing any kind of ground attack. Should he struggle though, expect to see new acquisition Joique Bell (Wayne State) get some carries.

If the Lions can eliminate the useless post-whistle penalties and the majority of their stars can stay on the field and the defense can help keep Drew Brees off the field, the Lions could pull off the win.

The Lions have their full complement of players going in. Now, it's time to see what they can do with them.

Kickoff is set for 8:00 p.m.