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NFC North
My Detroit Lions’ may not be sweeping the NFL off of it’s feet with their 3-1 start this 2007 season, but they have definitely received our attention! With that being said, it is their offense that is making this overachieving 3-1 start happen. All signs point to a optimistic season. The Lions are leading the NFL in YPG (343 total yards). That’s right. Four games into the season they are leading 31 other teams in offensive progression! QB Jon Kitna, on his last leg of his roller coaster and underachieving career, is leading the league in passing yards (1227) and is also #6 in quarterback rating. WR Roy Williams is #3 in receiving yards (388). With no help from the offensive line (18 sacks allowed in four games), the offense is clicking like on all pistons (don’t we wish they were the Pistons of the NFL?)…or are they? Are these stats and winning results a disguise in having us believe they are ready to take the next step to contention? If you are one of the few that believe this, I highly suggest you continue reading.
Unfortunately, the past few minutes of reading has to come to an end and you must be brought back to earth with a reality check. Defense wins championships. If defense doesn’t carry you all the way to the championship, you definitely have to have it to make the Playoffs. Yes, the Lions’ are running on all pistons (ha, don’t we wish they were the Pistons of the NFL), but when the ball is on the other side of the field, they fall to a complete demise. The defense is horrible! Their offense and record overshadows the effort and results of their defense. The Lions have had to defend three very weak quarterbacks out of the four games they have played – McCown (Raiders), Jackson (Vikings) and Griese (Bears). Of course, as we all know, McNabb picked them apart to what seemed like an offensive practice against a high school football team in Detroit’s defense. Of the four quarterbacks, the only true quarterback of the first four opposing teams that is credible in testing any defense is McNabb. The other three didn’t have too many troubles, but enough for the Lions to achieve victory. The Lions’ defense wont be tested too hard against the Redskins, but they will against within the following five games. The defense is once again at the bottom of the league (29th) overall. As a 3-1 team in the NFL, that says a lot. The defense is not able to keep enough competitive teams from scoring in order for the offense to keep up. So those of us that have high hopes in the Lion’s carrying on victories after their surprise start at 3-1 throughout the season might want to realize they have not overcame a real challenging offense yet. Defense carries teams deep into the season and into the Playoffs. Don’t expect more than seven wins from the Lions this year.
PREDICTION: At the conclusion of the season when the Lions finish with a losing record, fans will be upset at the fact that we should have drafted DEFENSE. They will reconsider if drafting Calvin Johnson with this year’s overall #2 pick was correct. There is still too many holes of defense that could have been addressed. I still stand by my last article in a mistake by Millen in drafting Johsnon.
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