They had the same defensive front last year and lost 10 games. I know everyone wants the Lions to do well, just like every year people think the Texans will make the playoffs. Its going to be the same story for the Lions.
Originally Posted by: IronMan
Suh was a rookie.. some of the other pieces were just beginning to fit together. And that defense added pieces... especially in the secondary which will only help the entire defense.
In the Box..Added
Fairley
Tulloch
Durant
Secondary
Wendling
Wright
Coleman
Houston
Simply put.. they had and I believe still have concerns in the secondary, albeit I think it is greatly improved from last year.
A couple of numbers to digest.
They finished 19th in overall defense, and 16th in passing.. even when finishing 6th in sacks.
How did they finish that poorly on defense with that pass rush.. they allowed the opposition to complete 63.7% of their passes... 7 points higher than say a Packer team that finish with only 3 more sacks. They improved that secondary.. which will trickle down to the defensive front.
As I stated.. and you chopped out in quote, this defense will keep them in just about every game.. if the offense (notably Stafford) can stay healthy.. yes.. I have little doubt they finish at worst .500.
I give two pinches what they did this past weekend.. They finished last season with 4 wins.. two of them over teams that won double digit games.
Now add to that, I believe one of the biggest slides from last season to this season will be the Bears.. I believe that we will see last season exposed a bit for what it was.. a team that overachieved and caught a number of breaks throughout the season. That offensive line will have Cutler shelled up early in games and often..
The Vikings... I think they found the right coach.. but I think it is going to take a couple year for that team to recover from a missed opportunity window they had.. aging team with high dollar players in decline. I think they are going to have a rough season.
And the Lions took it to us on their turf last season.. even with Rodgers they shut us down.
Now sprinkle in a last place schedule... I think the sum total is a team that wins as many as it loses and maybe even better than that.
"The oranges are dry; the apples are mealy; and the papayas... I don't know what's going on with the papayas!"