Lions' Chances

[CantStop85]

Originally Posted by MasterOfPuppets

is curry, northcut,and johnson, really upgrades over williams, furry, and macdonald ? ...to me it seems like they traded 3 average receivers for 3 average more expensive receivers (3 yrs 9 mill for johnson ??? )....although they did give the idiot jones the shaft on the williams trade....

I do think they're moving in the right direction as far as turning over the roster, getting rid of the overpaid Cory Redding, the over-the-hill veterans (Mike Furrey, Dan Campbell, George Foster, Andy McCollum, Travis Fisher, Dwight Smith), and the never-have-beens (Shaun Cody, Dan Orlovsky, Drew Henson).

Not to mention they won't have Jon "the voice of God" Kitna starting behind center anymore.

I'm not really sold on their draft picks yet, but I think the general infusion of youth into the lions alone will win them a couple of games. Right now I would put them down for 4-12.

[steelreserve]

I'm predicting they'll win at least three games. It's pretty rare to have a season with two wins or less, and nobody's done it back-to-back since the Buccaneers in 1985-86. To do that badly, you've got to be bad AND unlucky.

Over the past 10 years, the average performance for a team that went 4-12 or worse is a 3.7-win improvement the next year. Throw out the Dolphins' performance last year as an anomaly, and the average is still about 3.5 wins better. Part of it is probably the result of getting better draft picks, part of it is the weaker schedule, but that's about what you can expect.

[HometownGal]

I'm sorry, but at some point, they have to get better. Going 0-16 - can't get any worse.

If you will recall, our beloved Steelers were at the bottom of the barrel in the late 60's and early 70's and with great draft choices, a new HC (Noll), comradery and very hard work, the Steelers turned everything around and went on to become the dynasty of the 70's.

[St33lersguy]

3 or 4 wins I am guessing.

thier season most likely hinges on a rookie qb, that i didn't find to be all that impressive in college

I don't think they will rush Stafford into the lineup, I think they'll have Daunte Culpepper mentor him 1st.

[TackleMeBen]

Originally Posted by HometownGal

I'm sorry, but at some point, they have to get better. Going 0-16 - can't get any worse.

If you will recall, our beloved Steelers were at the bottom of the barrel in the late 60's and early 70's and with great draft choices, a new HC (Noll), comradery and very hard work, the Steelers turned everything around and went on to become the dynasty of the 70's.

so what you are saying marianne is that the lions can become the dynasty of the future??lol.

i dont see them winning many games, maybe 3 tops. at least they dont have millen making bad decisions anymore. the new coach seems to have the players in control and maybe they get turn their losing attitudes into winning attitudes.

[steelreserve]

Originally Posted by HometownGal

I'm sorry, but at some point, they have to get better. Going 0-16 - can't get any worse.

If you will recall, our beloved Steelers were at the bottom of the barrel in the late 60's and early 70's and with great draft choices, a new HC (Noll), comradery and very hard work, the Steelers turned everything around and went on to become the dynasty of the 70's.

One problem with that is that getting the top draft pick isn't an automatic help anymore. It's more like a $70 million hand of blackjack that you're forced to play. 20 years ago, as long as you got a good player with a top-five pick, it helped the team. If he was a bust, that was too bad, but it wasn't the end of the world. Simple enough.

Nowadays, if your top pick turns out to be anything less than a superstar, you're screwed because you're going to be in salary cap hell. Especially with the #1 pick, unless you hit an absolute home run, knock the ball out of the park, your misery is extended.

Based on their track record of 50 years of futility and bad decisions, I do not expect the Lions to do well at this game. And the fact that they were reduced to picking Stafford basically for lack of a better option really seems to set them up for failure again.

[revefsreleets]

Agreed...they totally wasted the 1st pick...Stafford wasn't even the best QUARTERBACK in this draft, let alone the best player...

[Psyychoward86]

Originally Posted by HometownGal

I'm sorry, but at some point, they have to get better. Going 0-16 - can't get any worse.

Except going 0-16: 2 years in a row

[steelreserve]

Originally Posted by revefsreleets

Agreed...they totally wasted the 1st pick...Stafford wasn't even the best QUARTERBACK in this draft, let alone the best player...

In all fairness, though, they were pretty much screwed no matter what they did. I don't think there was any player in the draft this year worth a $10-million-a-year contract, which is what you're basically forced to give out.

Plus, that $10 million price tag eliminates you from taking most positions just because it wouldn't work from a salary cap standpoint. No DB, LB, TE, WR for you; RB is a rarity, DL is kind of a reach, and you might take an OL, but if you're worst in the league, you usually need more help than that. You're basically stuck drafting a QB and hoping he works out, which is a 50-50 roll of the dice. Look how the #1 pick has gone by position before and after they started the salary cap in 1993: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of..._draft_choices

Not saying the Lions made a good pick, but they were just in a terrible position to begin with. That's more the fault of the current system than anything. Why is there no rookie salary cap yet?

[revefsreleets]

However, picking a mediocre QB compounds their problems. Even if the kid was a sure bet loaded with talent and no question marks at all, he still has a shit team around him. Plus QB is THE marquee position, meaning his contract will be as big and full of guaranteed money as possible.

It was just the worst case scenario and the Lions, as usual, made the worst pick possible with it.

Better to take an OL to build with, pay a LITTLE less money, take their lumps in 2009 (which they will anyway) and select from a MUCH better crop of QB's in next years draft.