What's a Bush in the Hand Worth?
By MaChez, TSZ Expert
Detroit
Lions - Over/Under 7.5 Wins
2012: 4-12,
4th in the NFC North
After
finally getting into the playoffs in 2011, the Lions were a complete
disappointment last season with a 4-12 record.
Perhaps the biggest sign of how the season went was the Thanksgiving
game when Coach Jim Schwartz used a ridiculous rule to give the Texans a TD on
a non-TD play, essentially throwing in the metaphorical red towel on the
season.
Despite
his 1-23 record against winning teams, Matt Stafford was pleasantly compensated
with a big contract extension this off-season, and it looks like the Lions are
going to make him run for it. Longtime
LT Jeff Backus retired, RT Gosder Cherilus left for the Colts, and Detroit has
done nothing to fix the problem. In
other news, @JaredAllen69, @ClayMatthews52, and @JuliusPeppers49 are #excited.
Although
they weren’t signing offensive linemen, they did sign RB Reggie Bush to replace
Jahvid “at getting concussed I am the” Best.
Bush was really the last puzzle piece to this offense and should be a
dangerous weapon both running and catching the ball. Obviously they still have Calvin “Megatron”
Johnson, only managed four wins last year despite him having the best season
ever for a wide receiver. They will need
more production from Nate Burleson, second-year receiver Ryan Broyles, and
tight ends Brandon Pettigrew and Tony Scheffler if they expect to improve.
Although
the Lions are stacked on the interior of their D-Line with Ndamukong Suh and
Nick Fairley, they did let talented DE Cliff Avril walk to the Seahawks and
Kyle Vanden Bosch to unemployment. To
fill this hole, they drafted DE and fashionista Ziggy Ansah who will also help
them compete with the Miami Heat for most stylish professional team. Ansah is
another one of those raw, high-potential players, and will eventually make this
first-round line downright scary.
The
Lions are also pretty strong in the secondary.
They re-signed star CB Chris Houston and drafted Darius Slay in the 2nd
round, who led the SEC in interceptions. At safety, Louis Delmas will continue
to be the leader of the defense and newly arrived ex-Houston FS Glover Quin
will turn this into one of the better safety tandems in the league.
After
they lost 50-year old starting kicker, Jason Hanson, the Lions awesomely
decided to turn to YouTube to find his replacement. Fortunately they stumbled
upon Harvard Rugland (no, it’s not a carpet store), a 28-year old Norwegian who
calls himself KickaliciousTM.
On
paper the Lions look like at least a 10-win team, and from 2009-2011 they
seemed to be moving in that direction. Last year, however, even with all the
talent on their team they really dropped the ball with all the off-field
issues. It makes me wonder if this is really a coaching problem. Another possible issue is injuries. Stafford, Johnson, and Best only played in
five games together and went 5-0 during them.
With Bush being a bit more reliable than Best, the offense could be
powerful when they play together.
The
Lions schedule, second hardest in the league, doesn’t make things any
easier on them this year. The first half
isn’t so bad, and a 4-0 record to start wouldn’t be crazy (MIN, @ARI, @WAS,
CHI). The second half, unfortunately,
looks rough with @CHI, @PIT, GB, BAL, NYG, and @MIN. Despite these potential roadblocks, I think
this offense is too talented for another 4-12season. I don’t see them going worse than 8-8, and
hesitantly predict one more win and a 9-7 record. Either way, I
recommend taking the OVER 7.5 Wins.
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