Jagermeissster
Starter
Ladies And Gentleman There Is A New Owner In The Motor City!
At long last a disgruntled fan has ponied up and finally offered the Ford family an offer they couldn't refuse. Jagermeissster has taken over ownership for the Detroit Lions and he has some plans that he hopes can bring the Lions back to their former glory. We are going to highlight a couple of main question marks that we see from this team, and will be important towards the development and results from the Lions in this upcoming season.
Consistency From The Offense
Jagermeissster believes that the Lions have their franchise quarterback in Matthew Stafford, the arm talent has always been there however something has always held the Lions back from being a truly consistent and dominant offensive team. How will Stafford fare without his favorite receiver who has been his security blanket for his entire career? Jagermeissster believes that the talent is there on the offensive side of the ball and does not plan to go out of his way to bring in offensive talent. He also hinted that while Calvin Johnson was one of the greatest receivers to ever put on a Lion uniform, that he believes the receivers in house will be able to get the job done and move the chains.
Improvement From The Offensive Line
The Detroit Lions in the past couple of years have invested heavily into their offensive line. They have three first round picks and two third round picks as projected starters. However, as anyone who watched the Lions last year can tell they have not played as they were expected to play. It is a young group however, and they continued to invest in the line play by drafting three more offensive lineman in this draft highlighted by Taylor Decker in the first round. With this move they can move Riley Reiff over to right tackle where many believe he will be better suited. If this Lions team is going to have any success offensively they need continued development from this group of young lineman.
Domination From The Defensive Line
The defensive line has long been the most explosive and productive group for the Detroit Lions. This is true going back to the days when Jim Schwartz brought the wide 9 to the motor city and allowed those fast athletic ends to rev their engines. However, they have not been able to keep this talent in the city, losing Ndamukong Suh, Nick Fairley, Willie Young and others. The defensive line is still seen to be a strength of this defense with the strong progression from Ezekiel Ansah each year. If Devin Taylor can continue to improve as well as A/shawn Robinson in the middle this group has the potential to be a thorn in the side of any team that lines up against them this season.
Someone Needs To Step Up In The Defensive Secondary
Well, we go from a unit that has always been a strength to a unit that has always been a weakness. The long time vet Rashean Mathis is no longer here to give his wisdom to these young developing cornerbacks as he decided to hang up the cleats. Darius Slay has been progressing well beyond what many expected of him even as a second round pick a couple of seasons ago, however, can he truly be on an island and hold his own against some of the top receivers in the league? The NFC North boasts some very talented receivers and he will absolutely have his work cut out for him. If this unit is to perform to the best of their ability Slay needs to be even better than he was last year. The next best player in this secondary is Glover Quin. Glover Quin has been a very pleasant surprise from Houston and has been a very good coverage safety. It will be important for him to stay healthy as he is the veteran of the group now and needs to be on the field to lead these young defensive backs. At strong safety the Lions are leaning towards the human bullet Miles Killebrew. Already a fan favorite from his highlight reels, Jim Caldwell has said this is the guy that is always licking his chops when the opportunities come to start tackling. He should be a great enforcer for this defense and if he can develop his coverage game should be a bright spot in this secondary for years to come. The corner position opposite Slay is up in the air right now. Nevin Lawson seems to have a hold on the position as he performed pretty well last season however, Alex Carter, a third round pick from last years draft will be looking to push his way into the starting lineup and compete. It should be a very interesting battle to watch in the preseason this year. The nickel corner will be held by Quandre Diggs. The small scrappy corner showed good ball instincts as well as a surprising physicality in the run game, he will be a name to watch this year for continued improvement.
Who Will Be The Go To Guy In This Offense
This offense has some weapons. At the running back position there are a variety of different types of playmakers. There is Zach Zenner, the powerful, always churning forward running back, Ameer Abdullah, the shifty surprisingly fast, fumble prone running back, and Theo Riddick, the pass catching, juke you out of your shoes running back. It will be interesting to see how Jim Bob Cooter and Matthew Stafford utilize this variety of weapons from the running back position. They all have a different skill set and can be very valuable in a couple of different scenarios. At wide receiver there are still a number of playmakers and new faces after the loss of Calvin Johnson. Marvin Jones is the man that many are looking to to take over the position voided by Calvin Johnson. He has a knack for the big play and is a pure receiver. He can run any route on the tree and also has great field awareness for making those sideline grabs. Golden Tate has been Stafford's favorite target these last couple of years. Truly a RAC machine. The only person in the NFL who may be more elusive than Tate can be seen in their backfield (Riddick.) Lastly the team also brought in Anquan Boldin. Anquan may be an older receiver who doesn't have much steam left but don't let him hear you saying that. He is a bulldozer of a receiver who is not afraid to run a route over the middle and truck a couple of unsuspecting defensive backs. Someone needs to step up and become the go to guy for Matthew Stafford in this upcoming season. All of these weapons will be important to utilize, and should keep the offense from being too predictable.
Season Prediction
The Detroit Lions have a lot of new pieces to this team and depending on how they can acclimate themselves to the system will have a heavy influence on their final record. However, the schedule will not be the most challenging one that they have faced compared to previous seasons. If they can continue their consistent hot play that led them to a 6-2 record to close the 2015 season they may find themselves in a playoff spot come January. We predict that the Lions will have a record of 9-7, this may not be enough to land them in the playoffs as the Vikings and Packers are looking like teams on the rise. However, the NFL is a crazy world and you never know what could happen on any given Sunday.
-Tuesday Morning QB Leo Lionblood
At long last a disgruntled fan has ponied up and finally offered the Ford family an offer they couldn't refuse. Jagermeissster has taken over ownership for the Detroit Lions and he has some plans that he hopes can bring the Lions back to their former glory. We are going to highlight a couple of main question marks that we see from this team, and will be important towards the development and results from the Lions in this upcoming season.
Consistency From The Offense
Jagermeissster believes that the Lions have their franchise quarterback in Matthew Stafford, the arm talent has always been there however something has always held the Lions back from being a truly consistent and dominant offensive team. How will Stafford fare without his favorite receiver who has been his security blanket for his entire career? Jagermeissster believes that the talent is there on the offensive side of the ball and does not plan to go out of his way to bring in offensive talent. He also hinted that while Calvin Johnson was one of the greatest receivers to ever put on a Lion uniform, that he believes the receivers in house will be able to get the job done and move the chains.
Improvement From The Offensive Line
The Detroit Lions in the past couple of years have invested heavily into their offensive line. They have three first round picks and two third round picks as projected starters. However, as anyone who watched the Lions last year can tell they have not played as they were expected to play. It is a young group however, and they continued to invest in the line play by drafting three more offensive lineman in this draft highlighted by Taylor Decker in the first round. With this move they can move Riley Reiff over to right tackle where many believe he will be better suited. If this Lions team is going to have any success offensively they need continued development from this group of young lineman.
Domination From The Defensive Line
The defensive line has long been the most explosive and productive group for the Detroit Lions. This is true going back to the days when Jim Schwartz brought the wide 9 to the motor city and allowed those fast athletic ends to rev their engines. However, they have not been able to keep this talent in the city, losing Ndamukong Suh, Nick Fairley, Willie Young and others. The defensive line is still seen to be a strength of this defense with the strong progression from Ezekiel Ansah each year. If Devin Taylor can continue to improve as well as A/shawn Robinson in the middle this group has the potential to be a thorn in the side of any team that lines up against them this season.
Someone Needs To Step Up In The Defensive Secondary
Well, we go from a unit that has always been a strength to a unit that has always been a weakness. The long time vet Rashean Mathis is no longer here to give his wisdom to these young developing cornerbacks as he decided to hang up the cleats. Darius Slay has been progressing well beyond what many expected of him even as a second round pick a couple of seasons ago, however, can he truly be on an island and hold his own against some of the top receivers in the league? The NFC North boasts some very talented receivers and he will absolutely have his work cut out for him. If this unit is to perform to the best of their ability Slay needs to be even better than he was last year. The next best player in this secondary is Glover Quin. Glover Quin has been a very pleasant surprise from Houston and has been a very good coverage safety. It will be important for him to stay healthy as he is the veteran of the group now and needs to be on the field to lead these young defensive backs. At strong safety the Lions are leaning towards the human bullet Miles Killebrew. Already a fan favorite from his highlight reels, Jim Caldwell has said this is the guy that is always licking his chops when the opportunities come to start tackling. He should be a great enforcer for this defense and if he can develop his coverage game should be a bright spot in this secondary for years to come. The corner position opposite Slay is up in the air right now. Nevin Lawson seems to have a hold on the position as he performed pretty well last season however, Alex Carter, a third round pick from last years draft will be looking to push his way into the starting lineup and compete. It should be a very interesting battle to watch in the preseason this year. The nickel corner will be held by Quandre Diggs. The small scrappy corner showed good ball instincts as well as a surprising physicality in the run game, he will be a name to watch this year for continued improvement.
Who Will Be The Go To Guy In This Offense
This offense has some weapons. At the running back position there are a variety of different types of playmakers. There is Zach Zenner, the powerful, always churning forward running back, Ameer Abdullah, the shifty surprisingly fast, fumble prone running back, and Theo Riddick, the pass catching, juke you out of your shoes running back. It will be interesting to see how Jim Bob Cooter and Matthew Stafford utilize this variety of weapons from the running back position. They all have a different skill set and can be very valuable in a couple of different scenarios. At wide receiver there are still a number of playmakers and new faces after the loss of Calvin Johnson. Marvin Jones is the man that many are looking to to take over the position voided by Calvin Johnson. He has a knack for the big play and is a pure receiver. He can run any route on the tree and also has great field awareness for making those sideline grabs. Golden Tate has been Stafford's favorite target these last couple of years. Truly a RAC machine. The only person in the NFL who may be more elusive than Tate can be seen in their backfield (Riddick.) Lastly the team also brought in Anquan Boldin. Anquan may be an older receiver who doesn't have much steam left but don't let him hear you saying that. He is a bulldozer of a receiver who is not afraid to run a route over the middle and truck a couple of unsuspecting defensive backs. Someone needs to step up and become the go to guy for Matthew Stafford in this upcoming season. All of these weapons will be important to utilize, and should keep the offense from being too predictable.
Season Prediction
The Detroit Lions have a lot of new pieces to this team and depending on how they can acclimate themselves to the system will have a heavy influence on their final record. However, the schedule will not be the most challenging one that they have faced compared to previous seasons. If they can continue their consistent hot play that led them to a 6-2 record to close the 2015 season they may find themselves in a playoff spot come January. We predict that the Lions will have a record of 9-7, this may not be enough to land them in the playoffs as the Vikings and Packers are looking like teams on the rise. However, the NFL is a crazy world and you never know what could happen on any given Sunday.
-Tuesday Morning QB Leo Lionblood