Detroit Lions: Four Biggest Question Marks

When asked how many games the Lions will win in 2010, the highest most fans will go is around 7. 

Now I have my doubts about them reaching anywhere near .500, but it's worth taking a look at how the Lions can achieve just that. 

Which players are the Lions banking on to help lead them out of the den of darkness they have resided in for the past decade?

These players need to exceed expectations if the Lions have a chance at decency.

Two of the players Detroit needs to show up the most this season were acquired on the same day.

Defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch and wide receiver Nate Burleson were signed on opening day of free agency for specific reasons: to fill arguably the biggest holes on offense and defense.

Burleson could be the key to unlocking the door to stardom for Calvin Johnson.

His 800 yards last season were enough to gain the respect of defenses, but what if he can't do it again? After all, he averaged under 500 yards a season between 2005-2008. 

That's not much better than Bryant Johnson, who he is supposed to be an improvement over.

As for Vanden Bosch, he appears to be on the down-swing. He has 7.5 sacks over the last two seasons. That's not going to cut it on the new, revamped defensive line. 

However, Vanden Bosch may have one more charge: mentoring rookie defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. The veteran defensive end will surely receive some of the credit if Suh has a good inaugural season.

With the defensive line (hopefully) taken care of, the unknown quantity in the defensive front seven is at weak-side linebacker. 

With the Ernie Sims trade, second year special teams ace Zack Follett is the favorite to win his spot. 

Follett has to prove himself, otherwise there will be a gaping hole for the likes of Ryan Grant and Adrian Peterson to run through each play.

If Follett can be establish himself as a starter, the Lions will be a nuisance to run the ball against, leaving one great defensive weakness: the secondary.

Right now, the Lions have safety Louis Delmas, and a few decent veteran corners. 

They need at least one surprise player to blossom.

Ask any Lions official, and they'll tell you they want corner back Amari Spievey to make a major impact. 

If Spievey, a rookie picked in the third round, can earn a starting role, the Lions will have a decent group of corner backs and a game-changing safety. 

If one of the other safeties is serviceable,  bad quarterbacks won't reach 400 yards.

If Vanden Bosch, Follett, and Spievey do a good job, and the other defensive players continue to play well, the defense will be all right.

Matthew Stafford, Jahvid Best, and the rest of the offense need to continue growing. If Burleson has another career year, the offense should look good too.

If these players do what they were brought in to do, and the rest of the young players from recent drafts grow, the Lions could actually be as average as us fans hope.