The NFL is back, and Sportsnet is breaking down everything you need to know about each of the 32 teams—including why you should or shouldn’t be rooting for them this season—in the month leading up to kickoff on Thursday, Sept. 10. Today, the Detroit Lions.
Last year’s record: 11-5
Head coach: Jim Caldwell
Core players: Calvin Johnson, Matt Stafford, DeAndre Levy, Golden Tate
2015 is about… Maintaining despite the loss of Ndamukong Suh. Say what you will about Suh’s tendency to get himself fined and suspended for things like stomping on players from other teams — he’s a really good player, was the driving force behind the Lions’ really good defensive line the last few years and had a major role in Detroit making the playoffs last season (the team lost by just four points to the Cowboys in the first round). What makes the feat even more difficult is Detroit’s made maintaining any type of success look nearly impossible over the years, and especially in the post–Barry Sanders era. The team hasn’t made consecutive playoff appearances since 1995.
They lost… Suh. See above. In short, he’s a strong, quick, scary defender, with no shortage of highlight-reel plays.
The Lions somehow also lost several more key cogs on the defensive line. Nick Fairley signed with the St. Louis Rams, C.J. Mosley signed with the Miami Dolphins, Andre Fluellen signed with the Buffalo Bills and George Johnson was traded to Tampa Bay. Sure, they had depth at the position, but they’ll have trouble integrating so many new parts while maintaining anything close to the league-best results against the run that they achieved last season.
The Lions released Reggie Bush (RB) in February as well. Bush played in only 11 games and rushed the ball only 76 times in 2014, but he can still help a team when healthy, especially when serving as part of a platoon. Speaking of which, though starting running back Joique Bell hasn’t actually gone anywhere, his status is up in the air at the moment due to injury. Bell had a career year in 2014, but off-season knee and Achilles surgeries may delay his progress.
Yeah, but they got… Haloti Ngata (DT). Despite the fact that he’s 31 and missed the final four games of the season with a PED suspension, as for as replacement options for Suh go, Ngata isn’t bad at all. A long-time Baltimore Raven and 2013 Super Bowl champ, Ngata is a 6-foot-4, long-armed defensive lineman who excels against the run. Also, in case you’re curious, he and his 340-or-so pounds can dunk a basketball:
Other than Ngata, however, Detroit didn’t do anything splashy in free agency this off-season. They grabbed Laken Tomlinson (G) to help with a run-blocking unit that ranked just 22nd last year according to Pro Football Focus, however, and took Nebraska running back Ameer Abdullah in the second round to directly address the loss of Bush. That’s looking pretty good so far.
Growing from within: With the defensive departures, the Lions will be counting on third-year defensive end Ezekiel Ansah to take an even bigger step forward. He’s collected 15.5 sacks over the last two seasons, and is aiming for double digits this year.
On the offensive side of the ball, Eric Ebron (TE) went two picks ahead of Odell Beckham Jr. in the 2014 draft, but caught just 25 passes in 13 games last year. So far in training camp, however, he’s looked every bit the first-round talent the Lions thought they were getting on draft night.
Why this team? Calvin Johnson is a top-three (at worst) receiver in the league, and he consistently makes plays few others can. He had a disappointing-for-him year in 2014, pulling in just 71 balls for 1,077 yards in 13 games, and he should be motivated to silence his doubters. Also, take this team and get a lifetime’s supply of Barry Sanders highlights free.
Why not? This is one of the NFL’s hard-luck franchises. There was Barry Sanders’s abrupt retirement in 1998. There was the Matt Millen Era (2001–08, may we never speak of it again…), in which the former pro linebacker and clueless exec took three WRs (two of them major busts) in four years in the top 10 of the draft. There was the 0-16 season in 2008 (but, hey, at least hitting rock bottom finally forced the ouster of Millen). They’ve made the playoffs two out of the last four years, but the decade before that was miserable.
Perfect for fans of… Stoic head coaches. (See below.)
How much hope? 7/10. The main offensive parts are all in place from last year, so they should hit the ground running. That said, the offence put up only about 20 points per game last year, and their 11 wins were largely due to the team’s stout defence. But said defence is a big question mark with the loss of Suh.
Will you be mocked for front-running? Potentially—they did make the playoffs last year, after all. But in the grand scheme of things you’re buying into a team with a .458 all-time winning percentage that’s won just one playoff game in the Super Bowl Era (ie. since 1967). Can cheering for a team like that every really be front-running?
A Meme To Remember: See? Stoic.
