Detroit Lions Fans Should Be Cautiously Optimistic for the Future

A lot of things have happened since the firing of Rod Marinelli.  

I, for one, am going to quit moping about the 0-16 season. We have to look at it pragmatically: It was going to happen eventually, right?

OK, it happened, let’s move on. And it seems as though the Detroit Lions have done just that. Granted, Lions president Tom Lewand and general manager Martin Mayhew still have the stigma of being hired by Matt Millen. And, of course, there is still the ominous presence of William Clay Ford, Sr.

Let’s look at what has transpired since the firing of Matt Millen:

October 4, 2008:  Martin Mayhew trades wide receiver Roy Williams to the Dallas Cowboys for first-, third-, and sixth-round draft choices of the 2009 NFL draft. A bold move, and one that should pay dividends for the Lions, if they work the draft board correctly. They have five picks in the first three rounds, which can shore up the offensive line and drastically improve the defense.

December 26, 2008:  A no-brainer decision, the Lions fire Rod Marinelli. No coach who produces a winless season should expect to keep his job. My feeling is that Marinelli was a marked man the day Matt Millen was fired. Makes sense to ride out the season, as no player or head coaching change was going to improve the situation anyway.

January 15, 2009:  Lions hire defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz as head coach. He got his start with the Cleveland Browns doing research for then-head coach Bill Belichick. He was with the Titans for ten years, spending eight of them as defensive coordinator.

In 2006, the Titans were ranked dead last in total defense. Schwartz improved them to the fifth-ranked defense in 2007 and seventh-ranked last season. Marinelli was a defensive line coach, but I think Schwartz' experience as a defensive coordinator is better suited. Besides, going from a line coach to head coach is quite a jump, and Marinelli proved that he couldn’t make the grade.

January 21, 2009:  Schwartz names Gunther Cunningham as defensive coordinator. A lot of people are going to be skeptical of this choice since Cunningham was defensive coordinator of the Kansas City Chiefs, and they dropped from the 13th-ranked defense in 2007 to 31st in 2008. However, Cunningham presided over some of the most successful defenses in NFL history, and during his first tour as the Chiefs' defensive coordinator, he helped the Chiefs go 44-22.

But last year, he was saddled with the Cover-2, a defense that he was not comfortable with. He is a blitzing coach, and if anything, he needs to change the Lions' defensive mindset from one of preventing big plays to putting constant pressure on the quarterback. Look for both sacks and interceptions to improve greatly in the 2009 campaign.

January 23, 2009:  Schwartz taps Scott Linehan as the offensive coordinator. Linehan didn’t fair well as head coach of the St. Louis Rams from 2006 to 2008. However, as offensive coordinator, he did a masterful job with the Minnesota Vikings, having them ranked in the top four in total offense from 2002 to 2004.

In his one year with the Miami Dolphins, he improved them from 29th ranked in 2004 to 14th in 2005. Since he has worked with Dante Culpepper before and he has a receiver equal to or better than Randy Moss, the Lions could be a force to reckon with in the upcoming seasons.

All right, so far so good. On paper, it looks like the Lions made some excellent choices as far as the coaching staff goes. However, there is the concern at the lack quality players on the Lions' roster. This is one of the main reasons why I feel this will be the most important drafts of the Lions' history. And this is where I want the fans to be optimistic but cautious.

There are at least three camps out there on the direction the Lions should go in the draft.

One states in order to have a great team, you need to have a great quarterback. The top two quarterbacks heading into the 2009 draft, while talented, aren’t going to be the ones that Lions' fans seek. Matt Stafford has a great arm and Mark Sanchez appears to have good field presence, and neither one of them will be able to produce while lying flat on their backs.  

Which brings us to another camp: The Lions need to draft an offensive lineman, preferably a left tackle. This will allow Backus to slide inside to the guard position and with Gosder on the right side, the offensive line improves dramatically. If the Lions are smart, they may want to draft a center with the sixth or seventh pick.

Jon Cooper out of Oklahoma is 6'7" and has started 26 of the last 27 games. Dallas Reynolds from BYU is 6'5" and 328 pounds, and would not be pushed around as much as the undersized Dominic Raiola, which you can’t have if you want your running backs to run inside.

This leaves us with the third camp: Trade the first pick for multiple lower picks and draft defense, defense, defense. I agree that the Lion defense needs to be greatly improved. However, trading the No. 1 pick for lower ones doesn’t need to happen. Not saying that it wouldn’t be a bad thing, but with the Lions' current status in the draft, they can actually improve on both sides of the ball, provided they ignore taking a quarterback with the first pick.

I leave the Lions fans with this: Again, be optimistic but cautious. We are going to have to take a leap of faith with Lewand, Mayhew, Schwartz Cunningham and Linehan, and hope they have a sound game plan regarding the draft and free agent picks.

To Lewand, Mayhew, Schwartz, Cunningham and Linehan: Shows us what you got!