Lions fans might as well consider last year a mirage -- because that's basically what it was. Yes, the Lions went 11-5 and lost a playoff game to Dallas. Many Detroit fans screamed their team was "jobbed" by a pass interference infraction that didn't get called, and they might have had a point. But they fail to see the larger picture.
That was a bad break for the Lions, but during the 2014 season, just about every other break imaginable went their way. Consider....
Due to their horrid 2013 showing, which led to the firing of Jim Schwartz, the NFL handed the Lions a patsy schedule last year. Besides their mandated home and away dates within their own division, the Lions really only had two tough opponents out of the remaining 10 games. Eventual Super Bowl champion New England and Arizona. I'll get back to that.
Even within their own division, Green Bay was the only serious competition. At that, Aaron Rodgers was dinged up for part of the season. The Vikings were without Adrian Peterson and had a rookie QB in Teddy Bridgewater. The Bears floundered about on both sides of the ball, and they've yet to figure out if QB Jay Cutler is really good -- or really bad. Let's just say he has his days -- both ways.
During the season the Lions made several improbable comebacks to win games they likely should have lost. The glass half-fullers would say this was due to their poise under pressure and will to win. The glass half-emptiers might counter with -- these guys were incredibly lucky. As an example -- in the game in London against Atlanta, the Lions got a second last second chance to win on a penalty against THEMSELVES. They had lost, but then they won? Has that ever even happened before?
Against New England and the Brady Bunch, the Lions were predictably blown out. When they faced Arizona, the Cards' starting QB Carson Palmer had gone out for the season the week before. Still, the Lions were defeated in the desert.
Their 11-5 season most likely should have been more like 8-8, but the Lions seemed to be blessed last year. If there was a break to be had, Detroit caught, dare I say, the Lions' share of them.
But 11-5 is good news and bad news. The good news is the Lions have been rewarded with several "feature" games in the coming year. Besides their traditional Thanksgiving day game, they'll be on Monday and Thursday night prime-time broadcasts as well. Lots of exposure.
The bad news is a playoff team the year before is going to get slapped with a much more difficult schedule. And the Lions have. But hey, if you want to be considered amongst the best, then you're supposed to be able to beat the best.
Idle thought: Given the quality of play in last year's Super Bowl between Seattle and New England, does anybody really think the Lions could have played at that level -- even given the chance?
Let's take an objective look at the Lions.
QB Matthew Stafford has overcome his former "china doll" syndrome and can certainly throw the football. One way or the other, he's going to get his 4500 -5000 yards and likely 20+ TD passes.
Calvin Johnson remains one of the top receivers in the league, but the Megatron is beginning to show signs of wear. As they say, he's not getting any younger, and he's taken a beating over the years from hauling in so many balls thrown into double and triple coverage. When your star receiver is too banged up to practice through the week but still goes out and takes his licks on Sunday -- it does not bode well for his future. Golden Tate was a marvelous free agent addition, though why he left a Super Bowl champion team in beautiful Seattle to come to the crime-ridden wasteland of Detroit doesn't exactly speak volumes as to his overall smarts. Beyond those two, the Lions receiver corps is iffy at best.
The Lions always seem to have a bevy of tight ends, but none of them seems to be a complete player. This one can't catch and that one can't block. It's always something.
Their offensive line is a rework in progress. How that will turn out is anybody's guess.
Their defensive line was gutted with the loss of Suh and Fairley, and maybe the new guys work out -- or maybe not. But despite their pesky little attitude problems, it's hard to believe the Lions D-line will be as good as they were last year.
The linebacker corps is average at best. Some of these guys could play for other teams, and others likely not.
The defensive secondary remains a crapshoot. One has 13 years of NFL experience under his belt. Experience is good, but with it comes age and eventually slower reflexes. Others continue to show "promise", and sometimes they play very well. That's if they can stay healthy.
The main reason Matthew Stafford has thrown for such gawdy yardage in recent years is because the Lions have lacked a reliable running game. Whether this is on the O-line not opening holes or the backs not being up to snuff is an open question. Let's just say Stafford and the Lions have been much better off with a pass-happy offense. Reggie Bush didn't pan out and in the recent draft the Lions selected Ameer Abdullah, a running back from Nebraska in the second round. Will he be any good at the NFL level, especially on the Lions? We'll see. Beyond that, the Lions have had a few ball carriers that could generously be called "serviceable". In other words, they couldn't get anybody better and somebody has to do it.
Getting place kicker David Prater was a terrific move. Though normally amongst the lower paid players, who would dispute a reliable long range field goal kicker often makes the difference in winning or losing a game?
The management side of the Lions is interesting. Since the recent death of long time owner William Clay Ford, nobody seems to know exactly who's in charge. Perhaps his widow Martha, who is nearing 90 years old herself. She came from the Firestone family and married into the Fords. How much can she be expected to know about football? Their son, Mustang Billy, seems to be quite busy running the automobile company. So who's calling the shots at the top?
As the GM, Martin Mayhew seems to be in charge of player personnel, be it the draft or free agents. He replaced another M&M named Matt Millen, whose 8 year reign of incompetence is legendary in Lions lore. And when it comes to the Lions and their many foibles over the decades, perhaps being considered the biggest dope of all-time is quite an accomplishment, if not necessarily complimentary.
Tom Lewand is the president of the Lions. He assumed the "oval" office (note the reference to the Ford car logo, and the color blue) right after the team had gone 0-16 in 2008. Though it is said Lewand oversees all aspects of the Lions organization, by most accounts, he's pretty much the bean counter.
Second year Lions head coach Jim Caldwell presents a mixed bag when it comes to coaching history. After his college playing days were over at Iowa, JC bounced around from one school to another in various coaching capacities. He finally got the head job, no snickers please, at Wake Forest. Over 8 years his teams would go a dismal 26-63. He was fired. On to the NFL under head coach Tony Dungy of the Indianpolis Colts. In those days, the Colts were a powerhouse. Before Dungy even retired, Caldwell had been named his successor-in-waiting. Indeed, in Caldwell's first season as head coach the Colts would go 14-2, but he had inherited the house Dungy built. In the very next season, the Colts plummeted to 2-14. Caldwell was promptly fired again.
On to the Baltimore Ravens where Caldwell was the defensive coordinator under head coach John Harbaugh. They won a Super Bowl.
In the meantime, after another loose-cannon bonehead year, the Lions finally fired Jim Schwartz. And who did they hire? Yup, Jim Caldwell.
He promptly led them to the 11-5 record of last year. Thing is, Caldwell's entire coaching history suggests he makes a capable lieutenant under other field generals, but he and his teams crash and burn quickly when JC assumes the reins of command. Given the tougher schedule, and all their flaws, we shall see indeed how well Caldwell's boys perform in 2015.
The Lions's ever-present glass half-fullers are predicting they'll go anywhere from 10-6, to 12-4 this year. The half-emptiers are talking more like 8-8.
Here's a scenario the Honolulu blue and silver faithful don't want to hear. Given all the above, yours truly can easily see the Lions going 6-10, and if all the breaks they caught last year go against them in 2015, maybe even 4-12.
The Lions' chances of competing for a Super Bowl? If all goes right, it's theoretically possible. So is Bruce, or is that Caitlyn Jenner being elected our next President to succeed the BO man.
But I wouldn't bet on it.......
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