The Ultimate Sports Blog's
2015-16 NFL Preview
2014-15 Record: 11-5
Last Playoff Win: 1991 Divisional Playoff vs. Dallas Cowboys
Last Playoff Appearance: 2014 Wildcard vs. Dallas Cowboys
Last Super Bowl Win: None
Last Super Bowl Appearance: None
Head Coach:
Jim Caldwell (37-26 all-time as NFL head coach; 11-5 in Detroit, 2-3 in playoffs)
Assistant Head Coach: Ron Prince
Offensive Coordinator: Joe Lombardi
Defensive Coordinator: Teryl Austin
2014-15 Team Leaders:
Passing Yards: Matthew Stafford (4,257 yards, 60.3% completions, 22 TD's, 12 INT's, 85.7 QB rating)
Rushing Yards: Joique Bell (223 attempts, 860 yards, 7 TD's)
Receiving Yards: Golden Tate (99 receptions, 1,331 yards, 4 TD's)
Tackles: DeAndre Levy (151 tackles)
Interceptions: Glover Quin (7 interceptions)
2014-15 Team Rankings:
Passing Offense: 12th in NFL
Rushing Offense: 28th in NFL
Points Per Game: 22nd in NFL
Least Points Allowed Per Game: 3rd in NFL
2014-15 Potential Starters:
Purpe - Elite Starter
Blue - Above Average Starter
Green - Average Starter
Orange - Below Average Starter
Grey - Rookie
Red - Disgusting, Awful, Horrible, E.J. Manuel
Offense:
QB: Matthew Stafford
RB: Joique Bell
WR: Golden Tate
WR: Calvin Johnson
TE: Eric Ebron
C: Manny Ramirez
OG: Laken Tomlinson
OG: Larry Warford
OT: Riley Reiff
OT: LaAdrian Waddle
Defense:
DE: Jason Jones
DE: Ezekiel Ansah
DT: Tyrunn Walker
DT: Haloti Ngata
LB: Stephen Tulloch
LB: Kyle Van Noy
LB: DeAndre Levy
CB: Rashean Mathis
CB: Darius Slay
FS: Glover Quin
SS: James Ihedigbo
2014-15 Schedule:
(September 13) vs. @ San Diego Chargers
(September 20) vs. @ Minnesota Vikings
(September 27) vs. Denver Broncos
(October 5) vs. @ Seattle Seahawks
(October 11) vs. Arizona Cardinals
(October 18) vs. Chicago Bears
(October 25) vs. Minnesota Vikings
(November 1) vs. Kansas City Chiefs
(November 8) BYE WEEK
(November 15) vs. @ Green Bay Packers
(November 22) vs, Oakland Raiders
(November 26) vs. Philadelphia Eagles
(December 3) vs. Green Bay Packers
(December 13) vs. @ St. Louis Rams
(December 21) vs. @ New Orleans Saints
(December 27) vs. San Francisco 49ers
(January 3) vs. @ Chicago Bears
Overlook: The Detroit Lions of this year look a lot like the Detroit Lions we've seen the last few seasons. And that should get you excited if you are a fan of mediocrity. No offense to Lions fans, but I call it like I see it and the Lions have been the exact definition of "average" the last few seasons. They've been pretty decent in the regular season (38 wins over the last five seasons), but the Lions have had nothing to show for it in the post-season so far. Will this finally be the year Jim Caldwell can get Detroit over that hump? Let's take a closer look at what they are putting on the field this season and try to come up with an answer.
Offensively, the Lions should be pretty good. Their offensive line is extremely average and they need to find a way to play better or else Matthew Stafford is going to continue to be inconsistent as an NFL QB. Stafford does have some nice weapons though, so you can't blame the Detroit front office for that. I'm not a fan of Joique Bell and I think he'll eventually get unseated as Detroit's #1 back for rookie Ameer Abdullah. That's a name you should potentially draft in fantasy football and stash away because he could be huge by mid-season. Stafford also doesn't have a lack of weapons to throw to either as Golden Tate had a really good season in his first year in Detroit and Calvin Johnson is still Calvin Johnson, even though he isn't as good as he once was. The tight end position is still a question mark as Eric Ebron failed to make an impact as a rookie last season, but there's still hope for him.
A lot of the focus of this Detroit team this season is going to be the defense and how they handle the loss of Ndamukong Suh. The Lions were smart when they went out and traded for Haloti Ngata to replace the departed Suh. Even though Ngata isn't as good, he'll help ease the pain of losing the best defensive tackle in football. The rest of Detroit's defense is pretty good and should once again be one of the NFL's best units. The question is, can the defense (which was 3rd in the league in least points allowed last season) step it up when the playoffs come?
If you ask me, Detroit's season is going to once again land on the shoulders of Matthew Stafford. Is he an elite QB? Can he take the Lions back to the post-season? Can he actually take the Lions deep into the post-season where Detroit hasn't won since 1991? A lot of people have their doubts (and I'm one of them), but what is Detroit's other option? This could be a fun year in the Motor City, so sit back and strap in. It's going to be a bumpy ride.....
No comments:
Post a Comment