Despite Big Offseason Changes, Detroit Lions Defense Still Poised for Big Things

The Detroit Lions placed a greater emphasis on character a few years back, so these last few weeks before training camp should sail by without any Lions making the news. It won't be nearly as easy for the fans.

"

Both Golden Tate and the Detroit Lions defense is gonna be subpar at best this year

— Austin Ahern (@Ahern_ESPN) July 8, 2015"

While the Golden Tate reference might be gratuitous, the latter is a popular opinion on Twitter, around the water cooler (these still exist in Arizona) and at the housewarming party your girlfriend forced you to attend.

Nobody believes Detroit can maintain its defensive success from 2014.

Well, except for those in the locker room. Stephen Tulloch told Kyle Meinke of MLive Media Group that the defense will be "damn good." Rashean Mathis echoed that sentiment to Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press, saying "anything other than [elite] wouldn't be us."

Duane Burleson/Associated Press

While the rest of the world sweats the losses of Ndamukong Suh, Nick Fairley and C.J. Mosley, the Lions are preparing for bigger things. And here's why reality is more probable than the popular narrative.

Talent from front to back

There's no denying how good Suh was and is, but it's time for his former teammates to get their due. Only two were actually recognized last year:

"

3 Lions on 2nd team defense "@PFF_Steve: Well, the @PFF All-Pro Team is out, fire away:https://t.co/CMS1E3moiK”

— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) January 5, 2015"

Those two were safety Glover Quin and linebacker DeAndre Levy.

The former made the Pro Bowl after leading the league in interceptions with seven. The latter was second-team All-Pro just one year after finishing second in picks with six to Richard Sherman's eight.

And none of that accounts for Ziggy Ansah. The former semi-project player is starting to realize his potential. He's a tenacious run defender (just five fewer defensive stops than Suh) and took another step forward as a pass-rusher, finishing with 34 hurries and 20 quarterback hits, per Pro Football Focus.

He'll be entering 2015 with his first full offseason under his belt, and it would appear he's attacking the opportunity with zeal:

"

Ziggy Ansah was getting pretty physical today, especially with Riley Reiff. At one point had to be separated from Larry Warford

— Kyle Meinke (@kmeinke) June 18, 2015"

That gives Detroit at least one difference-maker at each level of the defense. But don't forget the two top-20 cornerbacks, the other top-12 safety or the addition of five-time All-Pro defensive tackle Haloti Ngata.

Forget the "cupboard is bare" discussion. You need a safe to contain this much talent.

Will still stuff the run

The key to last year's defense was its top-notch rush defense. The Denver Broncos had the second-best such unit and still gave up over 10 more yards per game.

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

Now Detroit's best run-stuffing linebacker—arguably—returns.

Stephen Tulloch finished as the second-highest graded inside linebacker in 2013 partly because he had the second-most defensive stops (plays that constitute an offensive failure). Tahir Whitehead did a nice job of filling in for him but had almost 40 fewer stops in 2014 than Tulloch had the year prior.

With Ngata in front of a strong linebacking corps, the defense shouldn't see too dramatic of a fall-off. There is some concern about the younger blood next to the former Raven, but the sum of the whole—including Jason Jones, who does a great job of setting the edge—should equal more than the parts.

The defense will make opposing offenses one-dimensional again. And that sets up one of the best coordinators in the game to experiment freely.

Confidence in the captain

Yes, Tully is back, but this designation refers to the one who steers the ship. When the Atlanta Falcons passed on Detroit defensive coordinator Teryl Austin for Dan Quinn, many a Lions fan hoisted an adult beverage in celebration:

"

Reports say Dan Quinn reached a 5-year deal with the Falcons, meaning Teryl Austin will be back with the Lions.

— Josh Katzenstein (@jkatzenstein) February 2, 2015"

Of course, Austin's return doesn't guarantee success. The loss of Suh will be a challenge for the second-year coordinator. However, his time as a defensive backs coach helped craft a secondary that's easily a top-five group and possibly the second-best in the league.

He also knows how to create pressure through unconventional defensive fronts and schemes. One particular setup involved putting Ansah and Suh on each shoulder of the offensive tackle. The play resulted in a sack.

Finally, don't factor out the chip that's been placed on the defense's collective shoulder. Those players will convert that to motivation to bring the #DetroitVsEverybody attitude to the field.

Add that to the mix of talent, technical acumen and leadership present, and you have the proper ingredients to broil crow for the doubting public.

All advanced stats, grades and positional rankings are courtesy of Pro Football Focus.

Brandon Alisoglu is a Detroit Lions Featured Columnist who has written about the Lions on multiple sites. He also co-hosts a Lions-centric podcast, Lions Central Radio. Yell at him on Twitter about how wrong he is @BrandonAlisoglu.