7 Reasons Detroit Lions Will Disappoint Their Fans in 2012

The Detroit Lions are riding a wave of momentum after an impressive 2012 NFL draft class, but a variety of factors will lead the team to disappoint their fans in the upcoming 2012 NFL season.

The Lions made the playoffs last year and followed that feat with an outstanding offseason by retaining their most important players on defense such as Cliff Avril and Stephen Tulloch. After that, the Lions managed to address important areas of need through the draft such as offensive line with tackle Riley Reiff.

Thanks to the playoff appearance and a strong showing in free agency and the draft, Lions fans have every reason to be expecting big things from their team this year, perhaps even a Super Bowl appearance.

Unfortunately, that won’t happen. The Lions could struggle to even make the postseason next year, which would be the worst possible scenario for the fanbase.

The Lions have a strong core in place, but there are a few key things missing that are going to ultimately lead the team to disappoint the fans.

Here are seven reason the Lions will disappoint their fans in 2012:

Injuries

The Lions had issues staying healthy last year. Defensive tackle Nick Fairley battled a foot injury all year. Running back Jahvid Best battled concussions, while fellow back Mikel Leshoure is recovering from a torn Achillies. Even offensive lineman Jeff Backus, who has never missed a start in 11 years, tore his pectoral muscle during the playoff loss to the New Orleans Saints.

All of these players are attempting to recover, and there’s also an injury concern with quarterback Matthew Stafford. He played all 16 games last year, but only three the year before. Another 16-game season would go a long way to proving he isn’t injury-prone.

Finally, Lions general manager Martin Mayhew has a history of drafting players with checkered injury careers. This year, he selected wide receiver Ryan Broyles, who is recovering from a torn ACL. He’s selected Leshoure and Best despite their injury history, and they haven’t been able to stay healthy.

Injuries happen to every NFL team; it’s inevitable. However, the habitual drafting of injured players is something that will hold the Lions back yet again.

Take Broyles, for example. He’d be an impressive receiver across from Calvin Johnson just like the Lions needed, but there’s a chance he’ll have trouble getting on the field because he is hurt.

Maturity

The Lions are a team that suffered a few publicity hit last year because of their overall lack of maturity. This is something that starts at the top, and there was nothing more embarrassing for the franchise than head coach Jim Schwartz chasing down an opposing coach after a game and getting into a shouting match.

Maturity issues like that trickle down into the locker room. For instance, Ndamukong Suh stomping on an opposing player’s arm after a play. Instead of admitting his mistake, Suh decided to tell the media he never meant to hurt anyone.

It’s hard to place the entirety of the blame on Schwartz. After all, the Lions are one of the youngest teams in the league; these things happen. None of this is to say the Lions can’t turn it around this upcoming season, but it’s still an issue as of now.

Maturity is such a major point here because immature acts can be the difference maker between victory and defeat. A player being ejected (as Suh was for the stomp) could be a major contributing factor to the team losing a game. A costly penalty at the wrong time has the same effect.

The playoff experience last year will help the Lions mature, but immaturity is an infectious beast. If these tendencies rear their ugly head again next season, it’s going to be another long one in Detroit. 

Lack of Running Game

As mentioned earlier, Mikel Leshoure and Jahvid Best are unknowns for the Detroit Lions in 2012. Leshoure has to somehow get back to pre-Achilles tear form without getting into trouble with the law again. He’s been guilty of possession of marijuana twice already this offseason.

While Best battled concussions and Leshoure his leg, the 2011 Lions rushing attack suffered. They averaged only 95 yards per game on the ground last year, good for a rank of 29 out of 32. No running back on the roster managed to rush for more than 400 yards and four touchdowns on the season.

One would think that the lack of production from the running game would ensure the Lions would address the position in free agency or the draft.

They didn’t.

Now, the Lions have a big question mark at the position. Even with a pass-heavy offense like Detroit’s, they need some resemblance of an effective running game to keep the defense on its toes.

The Lions don’t have that right now, and that could be a big reason why the Lions will disappoint many. 

Mediocre Secondary

The Lions had a laughably bad secondary last season that gave up 239 yards per game. The unit as a whole gave up 24 points per game. The unit was exposed the most in Week 17 of last season when backup Green Bay Packers quarterback Matt Flynn threw for 480 yards and six touchdowns en route to a 45-41 victory.

The Lions addressed the average secondary by waiting until the third round to select Dwight Bentley out of Louisiana Lafayette. They then later selected Chris Greenwood and Jonte Green to add depth to the position.

The cornerbacks selected in the draft are great pieces to build toward the future; not immediate contributors. That’s the Lions' problem when it comes to drafting. They would have been better off getting an immediate starter in the second round with a guy like Josh Johnson from UCF.

The Lions did little to immediately improve their secondary, and that’s bad news for a team that has to face Aaron Rodgers and Jay Cutler twice each. The Lions secondary will continue to be exposed in 2012. 

Schedule

Strength of schedule is always an interesting argument when examining a team’s upcoming season. Teams improve and decline with rapid unpredictability, but it is easy to see where bye weeks and road games appear and how they can hurt a team.

In that regard, the Lions’ schedule isn’t pretty.

Six of the team’s first nine games are road games. That’s a bad sign for if the Lions happen to get off to a bad start. Of course, that also means the bulk of their home games come at the end of the season.

Another issue for the Lions is the bye week. For the Lions, it occurs during Week 5 this year, which is ridiculously early for a 17-week season. Playing 12 games in a row, five of them against divisional opponents, is a bad sign for the Lions in 2012. 

Lack of Wildcard Seeds

There are only so many wildcards to pass out in each conference—two, to be exact. If the Detroit Lions can’t win the division, they’ll have an extremely difficult time landing a wild card.

Inside the division, the Lions have to contend with the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears. The Packers are perennial contenders with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, and the Bears are a team on the rise with an elite quarterback in Jay Cutler.

The NFC East is filled with teams that should be competing for the wildcard as well. The Super Bowl champion New York Giants, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys.

The Lions can certainly compete for a wildcard, but it’s going to be an extremely difficult road given the unfriendly schedule. 

The Madden Curse

You knew it had to be brought up at some point. Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson, better known as “Megatron,” won the cover this year. He’ll face the challenge of breaking the so called “curse” that may have some legitimacy to it.

Every player that has appeared on the cover has had some drop off in production or injury at one point or another during the season they are featured.  It’s hard to imagine Johnson dropping off from his utter domination of the league last year, but an injury is never out of the question.

If Johnson is hurt, it will only add more credibility to the myth. More importantly, it will cripple the Lions offense and essentially eliminate them from playoff contention.

History is certainly working against Johnson and the Lions.