Detroit Lions and Other Teams Whose Distractions Will Derail Their Seasons

Off-field distractions will cost a team dearly when the season kicks off.

Right now, the Detroit Lions are the most obvious example, with six incidents this year. According to the Detroit Free Press, the Lions had one off-field incident in each of the first six months of 2012.

The Lions aren't the only ones dealing with distractions that will disrupt the upcoming season. Let's take a look at Detroit and other teams heading into the autumn wind with concerning issues.

New Orleans Saints

Drew Brees is the New Orleans Saints' last hope for a decent 2012 season.

According to Lenny Vangilder of SportsNOLA.com, in the aftermath of Bountygate, the Saints are without head coach Sean Payton for the entire season, interim head coach Joe Vitt is suspended for six games and the team has had to forfeit draft picks.

One other major hit was linebacker Jonathan Vilma getting suspended for the whole season and defensive end Will Smith getting slapped for four games back in early May, according to ESPN.

Even with its best defensive players on the field, New Orleans had trouble slowing teams down in 2011. In 2012, that will be even tougher.

As for Brees, all this only puts that much more pressure on him to return and play insanely well.

With Brees at the helm, New Orleans has a legit shot to win seven or eight games. Without him though, the Saints will be lucky to take six games and not finish last in the significantly improved NFC South.

Either way, the off-field issues will certainly play a factor in the Saints' season, and it would be extremely surprising if the Big Easy returned to the postseason.

New York Jets

For a third time, Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis may hold out.

An article by Mike Bires of the Times Online quotes Revis on whether or not he'll get to camp on time: "I don’t know...That’s up to (general manager) Mike Tannenbaum. I really don’t know."

The possibility of the NFL's best all-around cornerback not being around early in 2012 is a major disadvantage for the Jets.

The Buffalo Bills have an improved offense, and the New England Patriots are expected to be even stronger than last season.

Revis is needed to fend off any potential onslaught from those upgraded offenses and the rest of Gang Green's difficult schedule.

Tim Tebow will also certainly draw external attention in New York.

As the league's most popular backup, Tebow sitting behind Mark Sanchez will be a distraction if the preseason starts off slow.

Although Tebow's versatility will likely get him on the field anyway, a rough training camp for Sanchez would immediately cause a quarterback controversy.

With Revis possibly holding out, the Jets have a stampede of potential problems before the 2012 regular season even kicks off.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Much like Drew Brees in New Orleans, Maurice Jones-Drew is the main producer for the Jacksonville Jaguars' offense.

Last season, the Jags presented the league's worst passing attack, and yet MJD managed to lead pro football with 1,606 rushing yards. That's clearly a dominant performance, and even more is expected of him in 2012.

Jacksonville upgraded their receiving corps with Blaine Gabbert and could field a potential top-five defense. Unfortunately, Jones-Drew may become a severe distraction as a possible holdout.

According to John Clayton of ESPN, via Rotoworld, MJD is expected to be there by the start of the regular season:

"

ESPN's John Clayton stated on SportsCenter Monday that Maurice Jones-Drew "will" report to the Jaguars before Week 1, and predicted MJD will even be in training camp on time.

"I think he now realizes the team is going to do nothing as far as giving him anything on a contract," said Clayton. "He has two years left on the contract. I think he'll be there for the start of training camp."

"

Nevertheless, all this remains to be seen until August and September roll around.

Also, rookie receiver Justin Blackmon was arrested for a DUI in early June, according to the Associated Press.

Blackmon is expected to be a promising No. 1 receiver in Jacksonville. With that arrest, as well as MJD's situation, the Jaguars have a lot to handle before training camp.

Kansas City Chiefs

Dwayne Bowe is the best option at receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs, but that may not matter to him.

After Twitter exchanges with Vontae Davis of the Miami Dolphins, Bowe's holdout situation in K.C. only appears to be getting worse:

"

#omw @VontaeDavis21 @ochocinco

— Dwayne Bowe (@DwayneBowe82) July 2, 2012"

Although Bowe has yet to sign his franchise tender, that tag keeps him with the Chiefs for the 2012 season, even with a holdout.

Still, Chiefs fans can interpret this as Bowe wanting out, and it certainly makes for a dramatic lead-in to the 2013 offseason.

We can't anticipate Bowe getting a long offer, either. Kent Babb of the Kansas City Star reports that the organization is unsure about Bowe. "They admitted they just had no idea which Bowe would arrive at the practice facility, and that unknown is dangerous considering such a financial leap of faith," writes Babb. 

Bowe is turning 28 in September, so he would be a hot commodity after the season. And since he's K.C.'s best receiving target, a frustrated Bowe in 2012 would not make for a balanced attack.

The Chiefs need him to be productive, and this distraction could cost Kansas City a run at an AFC wild-card spot.

Detroit Lions

As mentioned in the introduction, the Detroit Lions have had plenty of off-field issues in 2012.

Obviously, discipline outside of the game is needed. If something doesn't get corrected, that could significantly affect on-field production.

Whether it's a missed assignment or simply getting beat on a play, the Lions can't afford to have mental lapses—the NFC North is too tough a division.

Green Bay and Chicago each made impressive improvements to address their weaknesses, while Detroit has dealt with non-football matters.

The Lions also have to get defensive end Cliff Avril on board. Detroit's best sack-master was franchised, but remains in a standoff in July.

"NFL 32" on ESPN reported on the matter:

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Avril also commented on his contract status; he still hasn't signed his franchise tender. He said, however, that he was optimistic he and the Lions would be able to agree to a long-term contract by the July 16 deadline for franchise players to agree to multiyear deals.

But he said he's not sure if he'll report to training camp if the sides can't agree to a deal by the deadline.

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In a pass-heavy division where the Lions must still improve at defending, Avril is Detroit's best bet at getting consistent quarterback pressure. If he remains out, there's no telling how difficult it will be for Detroit to slow opponents down.

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