Lions' Bill Ford Jr. optimistic about 2013 season

Detroit Lions vice chairman Bill Ford Jr. didn't want to speculate this week about if 2013 is a make-or-break season for head coach Jim Schwartz given what happened in 2012. Perhaps that's because Ford Jr. doesn't expect 2013 to be anything like 2012. Ford Jr. made it clear that he has a lot of optimism going into the upcoming season for a variety of reasons. From the Lions' official site:

"We have a lot more depth than we've had going into prior seasons and I think the chemistry seems very good," Ford said. "The challenge is to integrate them, but that's what the coaches are here for, and I've got great confidence in them." [...]

"You have to go into every season expecting you have a chance to win and we do," he said. "But I very much like the talent and the coaching staff that we have together."

Another big reason why Ford Jr. is optimistic about 2013 for the Lions is quarterback Matthew Stafford. A big part of being successful in the NFL is having a talented quarterback, and Ford Jr. is well aware of that.

Asked why he's optimistic, Ford said "We've got a quarterback and there are teams in the league that can't say that." #Lions

— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) June 4, 2013

The pre-Stafford Lions can certainly attest to how rough it can be if you don't have a franchise quarterback, so I suppose simply having him around is a pretty good reason to be optimistic about the upcoming season.