Lions Pre-Season Record: 2-2

Depth Player Who Will Win A Starting Spot During Preseason: Andre Fluellen, I see him coming up over Darby and becoming a solid DT.

Lions Reguar Season Record: 5-11, fewer blowouts too.

Best Offensive Player For The Lions: Calvin Johnson – 89 receptions, 1400 yards, 11 TDs

Best Defensive Player For The Lions: Julian Peterson – 80 tackles, 8 sacks, 3 FFs

Best Rookie: Louis Delmas – 90 tackles, 2 sacks, 3 interceptions, 2 FFs

Most Improved Player: Gosder Cherilus

Will Stafford Start This Season, If So, When?: Yes, Week 12

Position For 2010 Draft: 7th

Lions Pre-Season Record: 3-1

Lions Reguar Season Record: 4-12

Best Offensive Player For The Lions: Calvin Johnson

Best Defensive Player For The Lions: Larry Foote

Best Rookie: Pettigrew

Most Improved Player: Kevin Smith

Will Stafford Start This Season, If So, When?: Yes- Week 9

Position For 2010 Draft: 5th

Lions Pre-Season Record: 1-3

Depth Player Who Will Win A Starting Spot During Preseason: Jerome Felton

Lions Reguar Season Record: 6-10

Best Offensive Player For The Lions: Calvin Johnson 77 Rec 1350yds 12TD

Best Defensive Player For The Lions: Phil Buchannon 48 Tks 1.5 Sacks 6 INTs 1TD

Best Rookie: B. Pettigrew 52 Rec 865 Yds 7TD

Most Improved Player: D. Cullpepper 3700 Yds 31 TDs 21 INTs

Will Stafford Start This Season, If So, When?: No

Position For 2010 Draft: 9th

Lions Pre-Season Record: 3-1

Depth Player Who Will Win A Starting Spot During Preseason: Ikaika Alama-Francis – Just got a feeling.

Lions Reguar Season Record:6-10

Best Offensive Player For The Lions: MegaTron

Best Defensive Player For The Lions: Peterson

Best Rookie: L. Delmas

Most Improved Player: Ikaika Alama-Francis

Will Stafford Start This Season, If So, When?:

Position For 2010 Draft:

Lions Pre-Season Record: 3-1

Depth Player Who Will Win A Starting Spot During Preseason: Foster (LG)…(Just to be different)

Lions Reguar Season Record: 8-8

Best Offensive Player For The Lions: K. Smith

Best Defensive Player For The Lions: D. White

Best Rookie: Delmas

Most Improved Player: 5-0

Will Stafford Start This Season, If So, When?: Game 1

Position For 2010 Draft: 18th

Lions Pre-Season Record: 2-2

Depth Player Who Will Win A Starting Spot During Preseason: Advil

Lions Reguar Season Record:5-11

Best Offensive Player For The Lions:Calvin

Best Defensive Player For The Lions: Peterson

Best Rookie: Delmas

Most Improved Player: Backus-only place to go is up

Will Stafford Start This Season, If So, When?: Yes-due to injury-week 7

Position For 2010 Draft:8

Lions Pre-Season Record: 2-2

Depth Player Who Will Win A Starting Spot During Preseason: Andre Fluellen, especially after Cunningham’s comments.

Lions Regular Season Record: 7-9, with close games as losses for the most part

Best Offensive Player For The Lions: Calvin Johnson – 85 receptions, 1450 yards, 14 TDs (a couple of these TDs will hopefully be beautiful, long bombs from Daunte)

Best Defensive Player For The Lions: Larry Foote – 89 tackles, 4 sacks, 1 INT, 2 FFs

Best Rookie: Brandon Pettigrew (500ish yds, 4 TDs, and good run blocking) AND Louis Delmas (83 tackles, and a respectable number of INTs for a rookie S)

Most Improved Player: Kevin Smith

Will Stafford Start This Season, If So, When?: Yes, Week 14. I believe the Lions will keep themselves in reasonable contention until the latter part of the season, with which they will start Stafford.

Position For 2010 Draft: 11th or so

Lions Pre-Season Record: 1-3. We actually take a look at our depth in these games and don’t play them like the Super Bowl. You know, like what teams are supposed to do in the preseason.

Depth Player Who Will Win A Starting Spot During Preseason: Flu. He’s the consensus pick here, and I think there’s a good reason for that.

Lions Reguar Season Record: 6-10. I think they drop one or two of the “winnable” games and pull off a couple of upsets. I think the offense is close to playoff-worthy, but the D is still porous, especially in the secondary. This will keep several games out of reach for us.

Best Offensive Player For The Lions: Daunte. Comeback Player of the Year.

Best Defensive Player For The Lions: Ernie Sims. On a struggling defense, the LBs are the only standouts, and Sims shines above all in GunCun’s system.

Best Rookie: Brandon Pettigrew. Offensive ROY candidate.

Most Improved Player: Daunte. A full offseason, 30 fewer lbs., and Scott Linehan do wonders for him.

Will Stafford Start This Season, If So, When?: No. He comes in for garbage time snaps and otherwise plays Jim Sorgi this year.

Position For 2010 Draft: #10

Lions Pre-Season Record: 0-4. Not because they are going to be bad, but because they will be trying to evaluate talent instead of winning games. Also, by losing all 4 pre-season games, they will have no ego to ride on into the regular season.

Depth Player Who Will Win A Starting Spot During Preseason: This is a tough question, but if I had to pick 1, I would have to go with Fluellen. Although, I would like to see Keith Smith step up and beat out Henry and King at CB.

Lions Reguar Season Record: 7-9. I want to say 8-8 or better, but keeping it real I think they will win 5 for sure and then get 2 upset wins, showing that they will be a force to reckon with in the near future.

Best Offensive Player For The Lions: Calvin Johnson – I won’t predict his stats, because it’s not going to matter. It will be between him and Culpepper for Lions Offensice MVP this year.

Best Defensive Player For The Lions: With the addition of Foote and Peterson, we could very well see a breakout season by Ernie Sims. I think Ernie will be our standout player on the D.

Best Rookie: Delmas. I am going to go ahead and concede the fact that this kid could be the real deal. If he plays, he will be in the running for defensive ROY.

Most Improved Player: Daunte Culpepper. There is no doubt in my mind, Daunte is ready, he is in the best shape of his life, and he is going to surprise the hell out of everyone.

Will Stafford Start This Season, If So, When?: Not unless Culpepper gets injured. And that is the way it should be. If Culpepper returns to 04 form, we re-sign him and Stafford sits for another 2 years too….ala Aaron Rodgers (maybe not as long, but you get the point).

Position For 2010 Draft: 10th

Most likely fan to fall out of the stands on his head, survive, and then get beaten to death for being stupid: Ralph.

Lions Pre-Season Record: 2-2

Depth Player Who Will Win A Starting Spot During Preseason: I almost have to go with one f the DT (Flu is a fav) because the depth on DT is going to leave the window open. Instead, I will go out on a limb and pick D. Williams who may take over at slot.

Lions Reguar Season Record:7-9

Best Offensive Player For The Lions:Calvin. not to say no one else will do good, but I don’t see anyone else on this team being better than him.

Best Defensive Player For The Lions: Sims, I think the other LBs will open the door for him to make plays.

Best Rookie: Pettigrew

Most Improved Player: Culpepper. Otherwise…

Will Stafford Start This Season, If So, When?: Staff starts week 10 when the lions are 4-6. He goes on to finish 3-3.

Position For 2010 Draft: 15

Lions Pre-Season Record: 1-3

Depth Player Who Will Win A Starting Spot During Preseason: Drew Stanton

Lions Reguar Season Record: 10-6

Best Offensive Player For The Lions: Drew Stanton 110 QB rating Pro Bowl

Best Defensive Player For The Lions: Larry Foote

Best Rookie: DeAndre Levy wins starting job over Sims

Most Improved Player: Drew Stanton

Will Stafford Start This Season, If So, When?: Stantons miraculous story keeps him
                                                                                   on the bench until Drew gets traded.

Position For 2010 Draft: After the 2009 draft I’ll be in the fetal position holding my gut.
                                             with each Lion selection.

Then Lions will pick 32 DrewStanton Superbowl MVP
Although they may get the #1 & #33 also if the Stanton trade goes through.

KDawg saves Ralph’s life after he falls from the stands by catching him after the fourth bounce. davis0169 while in a jealous rage prevents KDawg from performing mouth to mouth, KDawg improvises and quickly performs @$$ to mouth to save the day.

of my life I will never get back

due to unmeasureable drive & leadership

Lions Pre-Season Record: 2-2

Depth Player Who Will Win A Starting Spot During Preseason: Cliff Avril (Fluellin will too, but i think Avril has a better year…he lead all rookies in sacks last year, and I think Lions too)

Lions Reguar Season Record: 5-11 (all but one after the bye week)

Best Offensive Player For The Lions: CJ (but the assists go to Culpepper & K Smith)

Best Defensive Player For The Lions: Ernie Simms (now that he has players he can trust to play their position around him he can focus & flourish, use his speed & hitting ability to be a true difference maker)

Best Rookie: tough one…I think both Pettigrew & Delmas could be up for ROY…but Pettigrew will show success in unmeasureables more so that hard stats, making key blocks on the second level & taking safety attention away from CJ…in the end according to the measureable stats Delmas wins this one with 75+ tackles, 3 sacks, 4 picks & 4ff
***watch for Derrick Williams to make a splash with some big returns & #3wr position by end of year

Most Improved Player: Ernie Simms, after dissappointing year he returns to Pro Bowl potential

Will Stafford Start This Season, If So, When?: No, unless Culpepper is injured

Position For 2010 Draft: 6th & pick up Taylor Mays to make for a tremendous safety combo

Lions Pre-Season Record: 1-3

Depth Player Who Will Win A Starting Spot During Preseason: Andre Fluellen

Lions Regular Season Record: 6-10

Best Offensive Player For The Lions: Kevin Smith – 327 att, 1390 yds (4.25 avg), 13 TDs, 35 rec, 255 yds (7.29 avg), 2 TD’s

Best Defensive Player For The Lions: Julian Peterson – 83 tackles, 9 sacks, 2 FFs

Best Rookie: Louis Delmas – 80 tackles, 1 sacks, 3 int, 1 FFs, 12 pd

Most Improved Player: Ernie Sims

Will Stafford Start This Season, If So, When?: Yes, Thanksgiving Day unless he makes Culpepper look like crap in training camp. Then he starts day one.

Position For 2010 Draft: 12th

I has a blog

Lions Pre-Season Record: 1-3

Depth Player Who Will Win A Starting Spot During Preseason: Sammie Lee Hill

Lions Reguar Season Record: 5-11

Best Offensive Player For The Lions: Kevin Smith 368 carries, 1504 yards, 12 TDs

Best Defensive Player For The Lions: Ernie Sims 110 tackles, 9 sacks

Best Rookie: Louis Delmas 90 tackles, 5 sacks, 5 int, and 4 K.O. hits

Most Improved Player: Cliff Avril

Will Stafford Start This Season, If So, When?: no

Position For 2010 Draft: 8th

Lions Pre-Season Record: 1-3… but does it really matter?

Depth Player Who Will Win A Starting Spot During Preseason: Andre Fluellen… I agree with most that he has the best upside to unseat a veteran

Lions Reguar Season Record: 5-11… I think they’ll at least win 3 and could possibly go as high as 7… beyond that, I would be pretty surprised.

Best Offensive Player For The Lions: Calvin Johnson… Will be the centerpiece and should catch close to 100 balls if healthy and if Culpepper is protected… Smith will come in a close second with over 1200 yards if healthy

Best Defensive Player For The Lions: Julian Peterson… Will lead the team in sacks and should be in his sixth Pro Bowl… Foote could come in a close second

Best Rookie: Louis Delmas / Brandon Pettigrew (tie)… I couldn’t decide between the two, but I think both will have major contributions

Most Improved Player: Ernie Sims… We’ll find out that it was scheme, not talent and he’ll be unleashed again. With Peterson and Foote helping out, Sims will get back to his instinctual play that warranted the top ten selection a few years ago.

Will Stafford Start This Season, If So, When?: Yes, after playoff elimination… which could come by mid-season

Position For 2010 Draft: 8th… yet another top ten selection… now we can get our left tackle

By the way… excellent post Hyperion Ecta. Don’t have time to add my own categories, but good job bringing up a relevant post topic.

Lions Pre-Season Record: 2-2

Depth Player Who Will Win A Starting Spot During Preseason: Fluellen

Lions Reguar Season Record: 4-11-1 (I couldn’t decide between 4-12 or 5-11. This was a compromise)

Best Offensive Player For The Lions: Kevin Smith

Best Defensive Player For The Lions: Ernie Sims (The other linebackers will allow him to shine)

Best Rookie: Louis Delmas

Most Improved Player: Cliff Avril

Will Stafford Start This Season, If So, When?: Thanksgiving

Position For 2010 Draft: 6th

First Win: New Orleans

Biggest Defensive Play I’m Looking Forward To: Jay Cutler getting bowled over, trying to tackle Louis Delmas after a game-deciding interception.

Biggest Offensive Play I’m Looking Forward To: Kevin Smith gashing Pittsburgh’s or Baltimore’s Defense for an 80+ yard touchdown run.

Biggest Season-End Story: As The Lions Chart Their Future With Stafford, Culpepper Anxious For Free Agency After A Positive ’09 Season.

C’mon guys, what kind of FANS (rootword FANATIC) would “hope” for a five game season? Haven’t you heard, the curse is OVER! K. Smith has all but promised us a post-season appearance; o.k. I’m having a little difficulty wrapping my mind around that one… but that’s only because I’m an old-school fan (been so longer that Smith has been alive) and the idea sounds a bit radical. But, sure, and why not? It means “Not For Long”, right? And so what if they laugh at me for saying “the Vi-Queens better watch out, ‘cause we’re winning the division this year”; hell, they laugh at me, anyway, just for being a LIons fan.
So, yeah, I’m down with the new (-ish, but let’s not think about Quit-na, o.k.?) “WE’RE GOING TO WIN FROM NOW ON” attitide. Sure! Get ready to roar, people, this Big Cat has once more regained his pride. The league will tremble for the next decade or so….HAHAHAHAHAHA, paybacks are a stitch.
RAAAAAAAAAAAAAWR!!!!!

Lions Pre-Season Record: 2-2

Depth Player Who Will Win A Starting Spot During Preseason: Andre Fluellen

Lions Reguar Season Record: 5 – 11

Best Offensive Player For The Lions: CJ

Best Defensive Player For The Lions: Foote

Best Rookie: Delmas

Most Improved Player: Larry Foote shooting for that lucrative multi-year contract

Will Stafford Start This Season, If So, When?:Yes. When the optimism fades, and the judgement starts to wane.
Position For 2010 Draft:

St. Louis is the only for sure win. They’ll be lucky to go 2-14

Lions Pre-Season Record: 1-3 (we play the browns)

Depth Player Who Will Win A Starting Spot During Preseason: Cliff Avrill

Lions Reguar Season Record: 9-7 (10-6 Rogers really stinks in GB)

Best Offensive Player For The Lions: Calvin Johnson

Best Defensive Player For The Lions: Jullian Peterson

Best Rookie: Matt Stafford

Most Improved Player: Jeff Backus (what a good tight end will do for you)

Will Stafford Start This Season, If So, When?: Opening Day (I think he is that good)

Position For 2010 Draft: 24 to 27

Nothing is ever for sure in sports. This is just a guess. What I really belive is that Minnesota is playing with 10 on offense. Rogers stinks in GB and the running game is worse. The bears bet the farm on an aging defense and a pouting teen quaterback. I feel good about our chances of taking the north. I am with Kevin Smith. We haven’t lost a game yet this season.

Lions Pre-Season Record: 2-2

Depth Player Who Will Win A Starting Spot During Preseason: Daniel Loper @ LG

Lions Reguar Season Record: 8-8

Best Offensive Player For The Lions: MEGATRONNNNNNN

Best Defensive Player For The Lions: Julian Peterson

Best Rookie: ’Grew

Most Improved Player: Ernie Sims

Will Stafford Start This Season, If So, When?: Well he’ll definitely start – I say week 12, vs. Aaron Rodgers and GB

Position For 2010 Draft: 15

Season MVP: Kevin Smith

Nostradamus has spoken!

Actually, my friends dubbed me Natrone (as in Means) a while back, that stuck pretty well. So maybe Natronedamus.

Lions Pre-Season Record: 1-3

Depth Player Who Will Win A Starting Spot During Preseason: Ikaika Alama-Francis

Lions Reguar Season Record: INFINITELY more wins than 2008

Best Offensive Player For The Lions: yeah.

Best Defensive Player For The Lions: Cliff Avril

Best Rookie: Louis Delmas

Most Improved Player: Daunte Culpepper

Will Stafford Start This Season, If So, When?: No.

Position For 2010 Draft: 19

2009 NFL Comeback Player of the Year: Daunte Culpepper

ProBowlers from the Lions 2009 Roster: Calvin Johnson, Jason Hanson, Daunte Culpepper, Ernie Sims, Cliff Avril

Lions Pre-Season Record: Meaningless

Depth Player Who Will Win A Starting Spot During Preseason: Foster at guard. Probably the second weakest position as of todays roster. If he can keep from jumping before the ball is snapped he could be a legitimate starter there (although I can’t believe he’s even back with the team again).

Lions Reguar Season Record: 5-12 That schedule is brutal! After what looks like a definite 0-6 start they can re-boot after the bye week. They should be STL at home, they should beat CLE at home, and on paper I give them the edge against SF on the road. Chances are they still lose one of those games and then win three games that are less obvious now, or flat out don’t make sense. For every Miami/Atlanta turnaround there’s always a GB/Sea like turn in the other direction.

Best Offensive Player For The Lions: Calvin Johnson (The kid is a freak show, and will likely turn out to be one of the best WR of all time.)

Best Defensive Player For The Lions: I love the Ernie Sims picks, but JP has proven himself over the years and I think brings intangible things to the team that will make a HUGE difference over the next couple of seasons.

Best Rookie: Delmas seems like the consensus front runner, so just to be a little different I’ll go with Williams as a returner. The Lions have lacked any spark in their return game since Eddie Drummond, and I think Williams could make a huge difference and possibly provide a lift from an unexpected position. Delmas plays solid, but with the D-Line still struggling to get after the QB I think he’s forced to make plays rather than be a true “playmaker”.

Most Improved Player: Enter Ernie Sims…last year was such a debacle that no one on that defense could stand out as a playmaker. I think with the improvements made to that linebacking core Ernie has his best season as a pro and possibly sneaks in as one of the two pro-bowl linebackers on this team. I love Larry Foote too, but I think he spends a lot of time filling the gaps left by the defensive tackles in the run game and gets caught up in the shuffle statistically.

Will Stafford Start This Season, If So, When?: I preface this with my adamant opposition to what I see as the most likely scenario: Stafford starts Game 1 in New Orleans. I for one would like nothing more than to see Culpepper rise to the occasion and be the clear front runner for the job. My sinking suspision is, however, that the job is already Stafford’s to lose in spite of what coach and Mayhew are saying publicly. I would love to see him sit regardless of Culpepper or Stanton’s play, but I just don’t see it happening unless one of those two turns into an absolute stud in the off season.

Position For 2010 Draft: 6th/7th: STL is terrible with a capital “ICK”, Mangini has to break CLE down before it can be rebuilt, OAK is a laughing stock, Denver has issues all over the place, KC will struggle again, and I think the Seahawks are about to implode on offense.

Everyone seems so concerned with looking over optomistically at the upcoming season, but dammit, this is MY team! Here’s my wish-list for the Detroit Lions;
Kevin Smith AND Megatron go over 1000 yds. each, with a combined TD total around 20-25
Culpepper not only survives the season, but posts a career year, with a rating somewhere between 85 and 95
Our Defense does a complete 360 and ends up in the top 5 in ALL categories
We don’t settle for 4-6 wins (like all the “FAITHLESS” seem almost to prefer) but finish with 9-11 Ws and challenge the Vi-queens ffor the division, winding up in the playoffs regardless of winning the NFC north.

Now, there’s a leap off faith involved in this, but, hey,…I’ve seen far less probable things happen in this crazy world.

Lions Pre-Season Record: 2-2

Depth Player Who Will Win A Starting Spot During Preseason: Andre Fluellen. It’s amazing what happens when you actually give good young players playing time.

Lions Reguar Season Record: 2-14 (wins over STL and maybe CIN or CLE). It could be anywhere from 1-5 wins (or more?), but they’ll have to prove it. I’m not drinking the cool-aid this year. Been there, done that. They’ve got some players now, but also a lot of holes still.

Best Offensive Player For The Lions: Calvin Johnson 80+ catches, 1000+ Yds.

Best Defensive Player For The Lions: Ernie Sims 100+ tackles. Help at LB and turning him loose in Gunther’s system will allow Ernie to attack the offense and make plays.

Best Rookie: Brandon Pettigrew 50+ catches (no TE in the Marinelli Era had over 30, as far as I recall). TE’s will get lots of catches in Linehan’s system, and whichever QB is still healthy will need lots of dumpoffs with our paper mache offensive line. Louie Delmas also will have a good year.

Most Improved Player: Kevin Smith 1000+ Yds. (Honorable Mention: Cliff Avril 5+ sacks, and lots more QB pressures in increased playing time. Turn him loose)

Will Stafford Start This Season, If So, When?: Week 8, after the bye week, when the Lions are 0-6. Panic will set in. The media will clamor for Stafford to start. We’ve seen it all before. Ironically, we play STL that week, so Shiny will probably win. Then he’ll keep starting for a few weeks until he suffers the inevitible career-ending injury while being sacked for the 5th time in the game. Then the 2nd quarter starts.

Position For 2010 Draft: #2. Lions pass on Taylor Mays, pass on the elite OL prospects, and take some stiff.

You make a lot of good points. 5-11 (or more) is certainly possible, but I’m waiting for them to prove it. The defense does look much improved except for the key holes at CB and the thin DT rotation (especially with Grady Jackson playing part-time). Hill may not be ready (hey, I was overoptimistic about something!). I hope Fluellen is ready; I just don’t like Darby, even at UT. Rod Hood and a free agent NT could fill those key holes and make us a lot better. Wait and see, I guess. The O-line DID play better late in the year (with more mobile QB’s) and the offensive play-calling under Coletto last year WAS oversimplified and obvious, so hopefully teams won’t pin their ears back and tee off on us every down this year. Are we sticking with zone blocking or switching to a power running game with more drive blocking? Do we have enough personnel on the OL to fit either blocking scheme? Are we leaving our TE’s in for pass plays to block most of the time (more coverage on the WR’s), or leaking them out on delay routes? Backus needs to protect the blind side (‘Grew will usually be on the strong side, so no help for Backus except when we run 2-TE formations). Loper has to be good at LG. Peterman or Ramirez (or whoever….Foster?) has to show improvement and consistency at RG. Raiola also needs to improve his run blocking. It could happen, though. I’m just being cautiously pessimistic…….still got the cool-aid hangover from the Marinelli Years.

I assume they are going to evaluate these guys in the OTA’s and get the ones they want for the season signed before pre-season sometime. They have just short of 3 months before the first pre-season game, so they have some time. I would expect to hear something about Delmas and Pettigrew signing pretty soon, or at least before any of the rest.

Lions Pre-Season Record: 1-3

Depth Player Who Will Win A Starting Spot During Preseason: Hawaii 5OH

Lions Reguar Season Record: 4-12

Best Offensive Player For The Lions: CJ

Best Defensive Player For The Lions: Avril

Best Rookie: Delmas

Most Improved Player: Peterson

Will Stafford Start This Season, If So, When?: No

Position For 2010 Draft: 3rd