Previewing the Detroit Lions' 2009 Season: A Positional Report Card

The Detroit Lions are a team with nowhere to go but up after turning in the NFL's first ever 0-16 season in 2008.

They've made big changes to the roster in an effort to better their fortunes. There is nearly 40 percent turnover from last season, which virtually never happens in the NFL.

New coach, Jim Schwartz comes in with an impressive resume as a coordinator and a fresh slate. Here is what he will have to work with this season.

Quarterbacks

Daunte Culpepper is practically penned in as the starting quarterback. He was utterly ineffective last season.

Coming out of retirement more than halfway through the season and immediately being thrust into the starting position, Culpepper completed barely half of his passes, and had just four touchdowns and six interceptions with five fumbles in five games.

Things should be different this year, as Culpepper has slimmed down, gained speed, and learned the playbook. He'll also have his old offensive coordinator from Minnesota, Scott Linehan coaching him.

Matthew Stafford is the No. 1 overall pick in the draft and has a laser arm on him. He is somewhat mistake prone however, and will need time to develop and learn an NFL playbook. Expect the Lions to keep him on the bench for as long as possible.

Drew Stanton at this point seems to just be taking up a roster spot. It's no secret that the Lions would prefer a veteran quarterback behind Culpepper so they aren't forced to start Stafford or Stanton if Culpepper falters.

Grade: C-

Running Backs

Kevin Smith had a decent rookie season considering the offensive line he had to deal with. Barry Sanders he is not. Smith had 976 yards, just falling short of a 1000 yard season, with eight touchdowns.

He shows a lot of promise and if he can get any resemblance of blocking this season, he could easily hit 1,200 yards in his sophomore year.

Maurice Morris was brought in from Seattle to back up Smith. As a backup to Julius Jones, Morris rushed for 574 yards last season. He should be a solid compliment to Smith.

The Lions signed former Florida State Antoine Smith as a free agent draft pick. He had the fastest 40 times at the combine, running it at an unreal 4.2 seconds. If the Lions can make something of Smith, they will have a steal on their hands.

Grade: B-

Wide Receivers

Calvin Johnson is primed to become one of the top three receivers in the NFL. With five different quarterbacks throwing to him at different points last season, Johnson was amazingly still able to put up a 1,300 yards season with 12 touchdowns.

With consistency at the quarterback position, Johnson could approach 100 receptions, 1,500 yards, and 15 touchdowns, numbers that could get him MVP mentions depending on the Lions record.

Bryant Johnson comes in from San Francisco and will play opposite Johnson. Never really living up to his status as a first-round pick, Johnson turned in a 546-yard season with three touchdowns in 2008. 

Dennis Northcutt was acquired this week for safety Gerald Alexander. Presumably, Northcutt will hold the slot receiving position. In 2008, he racked up 545 receiving yards with two touchdowns.

The fourth and fifth spots could be held by some combination of Adam Jennings, Ronald Curry, Keary Colbert and rookie Derrick Williams.

Curry would appear to have an edge due to experience, and the Lions will also probably hold on to their draft pick, Williams because he will likely double as a return man. Expect Jennings and Colbert to be cut or signed to the practice squad, unless the Lions decide to carry six receivers. 

Brandon Pettigrew was the Lions second first-round pick in the draft and should finally give Detroit a playmaker at the tight end position which they've so desperately needed over the past few seasons.

Grade: B

Offensive Line

Jeff Backus will reprise his role at left tackle and his mediocre play can almost be a metaphor for the last decade of Lions football. He's not horrible, but he's not great either, but he's the best they've got. 

Second year man, Gosder Cherilus will start at right tackle and has the most potential of anyone on the line. The Lions hope Cherilus can grow into a crushing run blocker.

Jon Jansen was brought in and could be moved to guard. It wouldn't make sense to use him as a backup as the Lions have to maximize their talent here. Jansen is a solid veteran and was Backus's teammate on the Michigan Wolverines. 

Dominic Raiola who was recently signed to a four-year contract extension will return as the starting center. Raiola is also decidedly mediocre, consistently ranked in the lower half of starting NFL centers.

Veterans Stephen Peterman and Damion Cook will likely battle it out with Jansen and Lions draft pick, Manuel Ramirez for the guard positions. Does it actually matter that much who wins? Not really.

Grade: C-

Defensive Line

The Lions traded away their two most talented pieces from this line in Shaun Rogers and Cory Redding over the last year.

Now, Dewayne White is the anchor of the line, and he is nearing the end of his prime. Last season, he turned in 6.5 sacks while forcing three fumbles, and grabbing one interception.

Veteran, Jared DeVries will likely start opposite of White. Devries had a poor 2008, gaining just two sacks and 23 tackles.

Look for Lions draft picks, Ikaika Alama-Francis and Cliff Avril to overtake DeVries if his production doesn't rise. Avril showed a lot of promise in limited action, getting five sacks last season.

Longtime veteran, Grady Jackson comes in from Atlanta and should provide as a decent one-year stopgap at defensive tackle. He's 36 years old but doesn't make many mistakes and is a steady presence on the line.

Veteran Chuck Darby will likely hold down the other tackle position, and like Grady, doesn't have a whole lot left in the tank but can hopefully provide solid run defense.
If not, look for Lion's draft pick Andre Fluellen to get some starts.

Grade: C-

Linebackers

This is by far the strongest unit on the team, and maybe even one of the strongest units in the NFL.

In what was maybe the Lions best offseason move, Julian Peterson was brought in from Seattle and will step right into the strong-side linebacking position. Peterson notched 86 tackles with five sacks and four forced fumbles last season. Over the last three seasons, he has 24 sacks.

Larry Foote was signed to a one-year contract and will step into the middle linebacking position. Foote's sacks and tackles have steadily declined over the past three years, but nonetheless he is a huge upgrade over Jordan Dizon and will bring valuable leadership to the defense.

Ernie Sims will hold down the weak-side. He has had over 100 tackles three years in a row for Detroit and has been of the best performers on the defense over that time span.

2009 draft pick, DeAndre Levy will likely get some time behind Peterson and Foote.

Grade: A-

Secondary

There has been big change in the secondary which was arguably the most maligned unit on the team last season.

Anthony Henry will start on the left side, covering the oppositions No. 1 receiver. The 33-year-old Henry who was acquired in a trade for Jon Kitna, has nine interceptions over the past three seasons and 39 deflected passes.

Phillip Buchanon will start on the right side. Buchanon is another lockdown corner with exceptional quickness. Last season he had two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown.

Former Titan, Eric Smith, and Kevin Smith will likely hold the third and fourth cornerback positions.

At free safety, Alexander was traded for Northcutt meaning the job should now belong to 2009 draft pick, Louis Delmas.

Delmas looks to have arguably the most potential of the Lions draft picks and has earned high praise from the coaching staff for his ability to learn the playbook quickly. He has a reputation for being an extremely hard hitter.

Daniel Bullocks will start at strong safety. Although he had 94 tackles last season, that's not necessarily a good thing, as Bullocks was frequently burned like the majority of the secondary. He doesn't often miss tackles however, and can also be counted on for help in the run defense. 

Grade: B-

Special Teams

Jason Hanson, at age 39 is still among the best in the business when it comes to kickers. He had arguably his best year ever in 2008, going 21/22 in field goal attempts, including a perfect 8-8 from 50 or more yards, and 6-6 from 40-49 yards.

Nick Harris is coming off a mediocre year. A few seasons ago he was among the best punters in the NFL, but his average has steadily declined and he seems to be gradually losing power.

Grade: B

Overall, there is a lot of changeover on this team, notably in the receiving, linebacking and secondary corps. It should be enough for the Lions to turn in a respectable 8-8 season if everything comes together and injuries are avoided. However we've seen how fast things can go wrong in a hurry when it comes to the Lions. *knock on wood*