The Lions are improving. No doubt about that. Big thing is, though, they still don't have a strong O-line, no strong D-line and not a very good secondary. I think that they're mediocre, at best.
They didn't have an entire overhaul the way Parcells did with Miami. Miami didn't just go 1-15 and then 11-5 the next year. They cut and signed nearly half a team and got a great QB thrown in their lap (If he stays healthy).
"Rockmolder" wrote:
Your point is that the Lions got close in a lot of games. There's a reason for that. Their offense was playing catch-up in every single game because their defense was just horrible. (They got scored on somewhere between 25 and 48 points in every single game, except for the two games against the Vikes) What did they adress mainly? LB core and offense. They didn't get the Dolphin-like overhaul. They did get the big FA in like the Falcons and Dolphins did last year. They're nowhere near those teams turn-arounds last year.
Don't get me wrong, that LB core will help a lot with their shoddy run defense and maybe even with getting some pressure, but they also traded away their best DT and mainly went to the offensive side of the ball for the first part of the draft.
The Minnesota Vikings had quite some trouble with the Lions and had been trailing them. They must suck as well then. Same goes for the Falcons, who where leading by just one TD at HT. Same goes for the Redskins, who where tied with the Lions at HT.
And Dan Orlovsky was a second string QB. He got bumped down after Culpepper joined the team, but there's a reason he was starting when Kitna went down.
That's my version of reality without blinders on.