Motown Turnaround? 2009 Lions Look to The Future

The Detroit Lions have spent this entire decade creating new mountains to climb—or at least moving down on the ones that are inherent to an NFL franchise.

As they begin the 2009 season, the top of the mountain is still way off in the distance. But extreme changes throughout the organization might make these Lions climbers instead of descenders.

The Lions didn't wait until the end of the season to start turning things upside down.  GM Matt Millen was the first to go in September, and a winless season destroyed any chance of Rod Marinelli returning as head coach.

Tom Lewand and Mark Mayhew moved up in the front office to president and general manager, respectively, and they plucked defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz away from Tennessee and made him head coach.

When you're rebuilding a house from the ground up, you need to have the right blueprints. For now Schwartz is reluctant to single out one unit over the other as he tries to lay the right foundation and get his football house in order.

"Defense is a focal point but it's just one of three. Quite honestly, we needed to improve the offense and specials teams also," Schwartz told reporters in Allen Park this week.

The majority of personnel turnover will come on defense, where it's likely that five new players will assume starting roles. The biggest additions coming to Detroit have strong ties to the state of Michigan: Veteran linebackers Julian Peterson and Larry Foote were standouts at Michigan State and Michigan, respectively, and are anxious to establish a winning tradition.

Foote told Sirius NFL radio that, while it's easy to get caught up in a team's win-loss record from year to year, it's really only about one thing:  being in the playoffs and competing for a Super Bowl championship.

"There's only one winner at the end of the year. In my case, the Lions and the Patriots were in the same predicament last year—neither one of them made it to the playoffs.  This year is a fresh start, and why don't we just work together and turn this thing around?"

Former Kansas City Chiefs head coach Gunther Cunningham is the newly installed defensive coordinator and is expected to push his players hard—and for good reason. Detroit was near the bottom in nearly every significant defensive category last year.

Returning linebacker Ernie Sims is looking forward to Cunningham's 4-3 scheme that will allow him to play more naturally and instinctively.

While the defense is at least bringing back some established players for 2009, the offense isn't quite as solid. Quarterbacks Jon Kitna and Dan Orlovsky are gone, and there are three quarterbacks in the mix right now: Veteran Donte Culpepper, the injury-prone Drew Stanton, and the No. 1 pick in April's draft, Matt Stafford.

Culpepper's unremarkable numbers (four TDs and six interceptions) in his five games last year didn't endear him to the Lions' fans, who are ready to be swept off their feet by Stafford.

Stafford's monster $78 million dollar contract ($41.7 million guaranteed) could ratchet up the pressure to get him on the field if Culpepper doesn't distinguish himself in September.  

Schwartz may have to make a tough decision about throwing Stafford into the fire if Detroit can't get a win or two before its bye week.

Running back Kevin Smith was just shy of 1,000 yards in 2008, and his return gives Schwartz some stability in the backfield. 

Detroit's biggest playmaker remains wideout Calvin Johnson, who caught 78 passes last year. And his performance was consistent even after the trade of Roy Williams to Dallas in October. 

Smith and Johnson are starting their fourth season in the NFL this fall and could be cornerstones with Stafford for a new-look Lions offense. 

Lions fans have shown over the years that they will tolerate marginal seasons as long as management gives them players worth watching. Running backs Billy Sims and Barry Sanders carried that load throughout the 1980s and 1990s for the franchise. 

Since Sanders' sudden retirement in July of 1999, the cupboard has been bare. And last year Lions fans finally started turning away from the team in earnest 

Last year a majority of Detroit's home games weren't sold out, which hadn't happened since Ford Field opened in 2002.

Jim Schwartz acknowledges the obstacles ahead but insists that many positive things are attainable for his new club this year. At 42 years of age, he thinks his mix of youth and energy are exactly what this franchise needs.

"I bring a combination of a lot of different things to this job"  Schwartz told reporters when he was hired.  "I don't shy away from a challenge, and I think it's important in the NFL to have that kind of attitude on a yearly basis. One of the best feelings in sports is turning something around."