Detroit Lions' Window of Opportunity Could Close Fast

Let's be honest. In the NFL, the chance for most teams to make it to the Super Bowl is rare. Teams that have only one Super Bowl appearance are hard-pressed to get back to the big dance.

Did anyone ever think that Dan Marino, perhaps one of the best pure passers in the game, was only going to get there once?

The Titans, Bucs, Seahawks, Chargers, Jets, Panthers, Ravens, Falcons, and Cardinals have all made only one appearance.

Everyone says that each team has the same opportunity to win at the start of the season.

What advantages do teams such as the Cowboys, Steelers, Patriots, Broncos, Redskins, 49ers, Raiders, and Dolphins have over all other teams? Those teams have all made five or more Super Bowl appearances.

One may argue that it's about the defenses they had, or that their offenses were unstoppable.  Others may posit it was all about the coaching—from Tom Landry's flex defensive scheme to Bill Walsh's crafty creation of the West Coast offense.

Still others say success owes to a competent front office. I say it is a combination of all of these elements.

Teams that have made it to the Super Bowl only once, such as the Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Bucs, and Atlanta Falcons, have done little to build upon what they had.  They failed to augment their respective teams and relied on the same players to get them back to the promised land. 

In some cases, that can work. However, the teams that make it back year after year complement their stars with players who will get them over the hump.

Take the case of Dan Marino, for example. Picture that Dolphins team with a running back of the caliber of Eric Dickerson or Walter Payton. But the Dolphins never pulled the trigger on getting Marino the running back he needed. 

The Denver Broncos made a critical move, however, landing Terrell Davis; the result was John Elway getting two rings to cap a brilliant career.

The Lions are on the cusp of advancing to the next level. The coaching staff of Jim Schwartz, Scott Linehan, and Gunther Cunningham is perhaps the best the Lions have ever put together. 

While there are many views regarding the 2009 draft, the Lions had a plan and stuck to it. Matthew Stafford has shown he can make all the throws—in practice and in work-outs. It remains to be seen if he can make those same throws facing a blitz in a 3rd-and-5 situation.

In fact, it remains to be seen if any of the drafts, trades, and free agent signings will work out. With 26 new players and a new coaching staff, I would find it unlikely that the Lions will find immediate success. 

I have made the statement that the Lions could win five to seven games in 2009, and I stand by that. The playoffs just aren't in the cards. However, anything can happen.

The pieces are coming together. Calvin Johnson is a great receiver and will only get better. Kevin Smith has the capability to be a 1,200- to 1,400-yard rusher and a threat to catch the ball out of the backfield. Brandon Pettigrew will help the offensive line in both run and pass blocking as well as be a legitimate threat in the red zone and critical third down situations.

The bigger question is on the defensive side of the ball. Gone is the Cover Two and incoming is a more attacking style of defense. 

The linebacker group and secondary has been upgraded, and on paper isn't in too bad shape. The Lions still have questions on the defensive line, and they lack a pure pass rusher. 

But the window of opportunity will close before long. If the Lions' braintrust stands pat with what they have now, their team will be right back in the hole. 

The coaches and the front office need to continually seek players with one question in mind: Can this player help this team win? All other questions are irrelevant. If the player can't help the team win, he is of no use to the team.

It is a brutal way of looking at things, but the NFL is a brutal league—and not just on the field. The franchises that repeat Super Bowl appearances do so for a reason: They are brutal when it comes to player evaluation.

The Detroit Lions need to take a more effective tack, and I believe Jim Schwartz is just the one to get the job done.