Lions vs Raiders: 10 Key Players and Things to Watch for Detroit

It's still the preseason, and it still doesn't count.

But if any preseason game counted, it would be this one.

The Detroit Lions take on the Oakland Raiders on Saturday in the third, all-important "dress rehearsal" preseason game.

This week, the Lions will game-plan for the Raiders and play their starters, almost as though they actually care whether they beat them. There will be some experiments here and there, but for the most part, the Lions are going to play this like a real game.

That, in addition to the developments so far in training camp and preseason, will create some very interesting things to watch in this game.

There are far more than 10 things to watch, even more than 10 interesting things. But these 10 are, at the very least, a good place to start.

Mikel Leshoure

Finally.

After 16 months, in which he missed six preseason games, 16 regular season games, and a playoff game, Mikel Leshoure finally appears ready to play in his first NFL game.

It has been a long time coming, and nobody quite knows what to expect, but that's all the more reason to keep an eye out for Leshoure. It is just preseason, and that usually means the starters just take the day off and try not to get injured.

Leshoure could (and perhaps should) do that, but for a controversial second-round pick who has missed the first 23 games (including pre- and postseason) of his career, I imagine Leshoure will come into this game with something to prove.

Of course, that doesn't mean Leshoure is going to explode for 100 yards in a half. But it does mean he's going to try, and we're going to get a good indication of what he's capable of, preseason or not.

Special Teams: Returns

Stefan Logan hasn't practiced since leaving the game against the Ravens with a frightening-looking injury.

He doesn't look anywhere near ready to play against the Raiders, which means return duties are going to fall elsewhere.

But to who? Patrick Edwards? Titus Young? Someone else entirely? Will they try different people for kickoffs than they do for punts?

We don't really know the answers to any of these. What we do know, however, is that if someone has a great day as a returner in Logan's absence, it could spell trouble for Logan's roster spot, especially considering his injury.

Special Teams: Coverage

While it may be more fun to watch when the Lions are returning kicks and punts, the Lions' greatest trouble has come when the other team is returning kicks and punts.

Oddly enough, Stefan Logan's absence affects both. 

The Lions signed Kaseem Osgood this week after Jim Schwartz's assertion that the Lions needed "better players" on special teams, and while one player isn't going to make all the difference in the world, it will be interesting to see what changes the Lions have made on special teams in general.

On the flip side, the Raiders aren't exactly the most dangerous return team in football, but that's not the point. A good first step would be keeping mediocre return teams from running straight through the Lions coverage units.

Stafford-to-Johnson

Nothing to analyze here, this is just for pure entertainment value.

I mean, sure, it will be interesting to see how Stafford uses his full complement of weapons, especially with Mikel Leshoure newly in action.

But ultimately, Calvin Johnson is already the greatest wide receiver of the current generation, and Stafford-to-Johnson is at the core of the Lions offense.

If the Lions are playing this like a real game, then we should get an entertaining dose of the best young strong-armed quarterback in the league throwing to the best wide receiver in the league. Soak it in and enjoy.

Joique Bell (and Other Low-Tier Running Backs)

In two preseason games, Joique Bell, aside from this crazy goal-line fumble, has looked phenomenal in late-game action.

Keiland Williams has displayed great burst and vision.

Stephfon Green punctuated last week's win with a 76-yard touchdown run in which he got to show off breakaway speed.

It falls somewhere between unlikely and impossible that the Lions keep every one of these backs on the roster (more like two out of three), and the fourth preseason game rarely tells anyone anything. So it is entirely likely that this game presents the last chance for these guys to make an impression that keeps them on the roster.

So don't fall asleep during the second half of this game. There will still be plenty to see. On a related note...

Which of the Linebackers Perform After the First String Leaves?

As long as nobody gets injured, the Lions will be okay at linebacker this year.

And of course, that won't happen, because this is the NFL, in which there are more reported injuries than there are active players on a yearly basis.

So second-string players are important, but the Lions are, to put it mildly, thin at the position.

It's not that there isn't talent at linebacker after the starters, but the three primary backups, Doug Hogue, Tahir Whitehead and Travis Lewis, have a combined year of experience. And Hogue's one year of experience is basically with special teams.

It's possible that one or all of these guys grow and flourish into quality football players, but right now, they are two rookies and a second-year player.

Also in the mix are (relative) veteran Ashlee Palmer and undrafted rookie Carmen Messina. Messina leads perhaps all linebackers in splash plays this preseason, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's the most talented—he plays mostly in the fourth quarters of games against fourth-string players.

Palmer has made his living as a special teamer the last couple of years, but he might be the Lions' last best option at linebacker at this point.

At any rate, this weekend's game should give us a good indication of what direction this situation is moving.

Who Starts in the Secondary, and Who Actually Deserves To?

Across the field from Chris Houston is perhaps the most important roster battle happening with the Lions right now.

Who starts at RCB, Jacob Lacey or Bill Bentley?

Generally speaking, the veteran Lacey appears to be the low-risk, low-reward option. Bentley, the rookie, is more inconsistent, but he has a much higher ceiling and a seemingly better nose for the ball.

If this is truly the "dress rehearsal" game, then we can safely assume that whoever starts at RCB against Oakland in the secondary is the front-runner to start the season. But that can change based on performance.

Gunther Cunningham may have a phobia of starting rookies in the secondary, but he should have a bigger phobia of not starting the best player at each position. Lacey's NFL experience is an advantage, but if it doesn't make him a better player than Bentley, then it's irrelevant.

At safety, we have an injured Louis Delmas and an emerging talent in John Wendling, who was previously only valuable on special teams.

Wendling and Erik Coleman are likely to start with Delmas still out hurt and Amari Spievey still out in the rain, but assuming Delmas is ready for the season opener, do the Lions trust Coleman or Wendling more with the other starting job?

Both have been great in the preseason, but if we're going by preseason alone, Wendling has been the better playmaking safety. But Coleman has a longer track record and more experience.

This game is going to be a final testing ground for most of these guys. The Lions should know what their starting secondary is going to look like after this game, but the performances in the game will determine whether it's the same one they started with. 

Kellen Moore

It's simple enough. Kellen Moore is either the Lions third quarterback or nobody is.

Moore will play less in this game than he did in the first two games because of the extended time given to the starters, but he's still going to play, and what playing time he does get will be important.

The problem at this point is that Moore may have the mind of an offensive coordinator on the field, but he also has the arm of an offensive coordinator on the field.

Moore has shown progression throughout the offseason, and he even appeared to take a big step forward between his first and second preseason games. If that progression continues through his third and fourth preseason games, he has a shot at the roster.

But if his performance against Baltimore was the best he has to offer right now, it's next stop, practice squad. The Lions need too much depth elsewhere right now.

Nick Fairley

The word on the street is that Nick Fairley "lacks maturity."

You don't say.

Even had he not been arrested twice this offseason, Fairley's maturity was in question long before the Lions drafted him. For starters, he played at Auburn (stealth SEC dig), and he really only had one productive season before declaring for the draft.

But questions about Fairley's maturity, motor and commitment to the game were part of the reason the Lions got Fairley at 13th overall despite his seemingly limitless raw talent. That fact that he is only now getting into football shape seems to support that assessment. Taking a personal foul against the Ravens does the same.

Maturity is easy to preach, hard to teach and even harder to learn. But it's not impossible. Talent is what's impossible to teach, and that's why Fairley is not nearly a hopeless cause.

That said, it would be nice to see the tide start to turn on Fairley's maturity issues, and this game is a good start. First-round pick or not, the Lions are too good a football team to show limitless patience with Fairley if he doesn't increase his commitment to the team and the game of football.

Ryan Donahue vs. Ben Graham

Ah, the punting battle.

You know the Lions roster is stable when the one of the biggest position battles is for punter.

Of course, the position battles in the secondary are perhaps more important, but that's partly because the Lions wouldn't really go wrong with either of these guys.

Ryan Donahue was a big-legged rookie who performed well enough last season to convince the Lions to make Nick Harris a cap casualty. But he found himself on injured reserve within the first half of the season, which opened the door for Ben Graham.

Graham, a rugby-style punter, lacked the height and distance that Donahue put on the ball, but he made up for it with an awkward end-over-end delivery that made it difficult for returners to field.

Graham's punting style creates backspin on the ball, which makes it hard for returners but also makes it easier to keep his punts out of the end zone and deep in opposing territory.

Right now, Donahue is winning the battle with youth, power and control, never more apparent than when he angled a punt of over 50 yards out of bounds at the 2-yard line against the Ravens.

But Graham isn't far behind, and this battle isn't decided yet. Most likely, Donahue will play the first half, Graham the second. If Donahue remains consistent, he wins the job. If not, the door is still open for Graham.