Five respected followers of the NFL have been asked to address five issues involving the Lions.
The issues: if they're better than their record; areas that must be upgraded; whether general manager Martin Mayhew and coach Jim Schwartz are the right leadership tandem; Matthew Stafford's value and future; the national buzz on the Lions.
If you're a Lions fan, the answers provide more hope than might be expected for a team that has had double-digit losses for the ninth time in 10 seasons.