Detroit Lions Preview: Are There Any Real Signs of Improvement?

Every training camp and preseason, the news coming out of Detroit Lions headquarters is, for the most part, positive.  As we all know, the past few years the regular season has not lived up to the hype created during the preseason.

So how can we be sure that things are different now?

I have thought about this many times.  I scour the internet for proof that things are different.   Sure, Matthew Stafford is being hailed as the next great one.  Calvin Johnson is mentioned in the same sentence as the elite receivers.  Even Rookie of the Year articles usually mention both of Detroit’s first round picks as a possible choice for that award.

But what about what I witness?  I ask myself if I can trust what I am seeing at training camp.  I attended a few practices and the players look good.  I have watched enough football to realize when things look good or bad, but I have been wrong before.  

So once again I find myself asking, where is the proof?

I am here to tell you I finally found it! Sort of.

I was reading the NFL rumors section on ESPN.com, and I had to do a double take to make sure I wasn’t wrong. I can’t give you the exact content submitted by Jeff Dooley because it is subscriber material, but I will paraphrase for you. 

The Raiders’ receiver situation was being analyzed and the need for a veteran receiver was brought up.  Torry Holt’s name was mentioned as one of the possibilities.  The other possibility listed was none other than Dennis Northcut.

Wait! What? Dennis Northcut? He is on the Lions, right?

Dooley points out that Dennis Northcut will have a tough time making the roster in Detroit and might be available later on as a free agent pick up.

So now teams think that player the Lions cut might be good enough to play for them? Personally, I don’t remember the last time that happened.  Maybe it was when the XFL needed someone as a backup.

I had a gentleman, Walt Reid, ask me in response to this article, what I thought of the elevated number of moves that Mayhew has made.  He compared it to other teams that have not done as well and the fact that they have made less changes. I responded by saying that change is great, but the players have to play well before a final judgment of the moved can be made.

I will stick by what I said.  In the NFL the only thing that matters is wins and losses, and although it’s nice that other teams want the Lions’ sloppy seconds, at the end of the day how well the Lions do on Sundays is the only proof of how much improvement has really been made. 

On this day however, someone out there, even if it’s only the Raiders, is rumored to want someone the Lions don’t even want, and to me that is proof that things are on the upswing—sort of.