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To get ready for the 2013 season, Pride Of Detroit's writers weighed in with predictions on a variety of topics. You can make your own predictions by voting in the poll at the end of this post, and you can see what our writers had to say below.
Next up: Who will the Detroit Lions' rookie of the year be in 2013?
Jeremy Reisman: Ziggy Ansah
The Lions will likely get a lot of production from four rookies this year: Ziggy Ansah, Dairus Slay, Larry Warford and Sam Martin. But they drafted Ansah fifth overall. They expect this guy to make a huge, immediate impact.
It seems to be pretty clear that Ansah has suffered some form of a concussion, but we have no idea the severity of it. I am choosing Ansah under the assumption that Jim Schwartz was being truthful when he said that no injuries sustained thus far are considered long term. (I am fully aware this assumption may eventually make a posterior out of myself.) If Ansah plays, he will be a big piece to the puzzle this season.
Brian Packey: Ziggy Ansah
Ziggy is probably going to get the most opportunities to be the team's best rookie, and he has the athleticism to be very productive beyond his years.
Christopher Tomke: Sam Martin
Not an indictment of Ziggy Ansah, Darius Slay or Larry Warford (who would probably be my second guess for ROY), but the transition from college to the pros is undoubtedly easier for a punter than it is for any other position outside of long snapper. I think special teams played a bigger role than most people think in the Lions’ woes last year, and Martin should be a monumental upgrade in the field position department.
Eric Shinabarger: Ziggy Ansah
This is the obvious and boring selection, but there really are not a ton of options here considering Ziggy’s less glamorous competition includes an offensive guard, a punter and a tight end. Darius Slay may prove to be a productive player, but he has not shown the same play-making ability Ansah has during the preseason, and Ansah should get plenty of one-on-one matchups, as offensive lines can’t double-team everyone.
Nick Catoni: Sam Martin
The Lions needed a punter, and I think they have one in Sam Martin. I know Ziggy Ansah's probably the hot choice here, but having a solid punter -- one the Lions as well as fans don’t have to worry about -- will help the team go far this season. Detroit needs to win the field position battles to have any chance of returning to the playoffs. Therefore, Martin will beat out Ziggy (and Darius Slay and the others) for rookie of the year.
Sean Yuille: Sam Martin
A punter?! Yes, a punter. There are several really solid choices for this category this year. Ziggy Ansah, Larry Warford and Darius Slay should all be starters, and you could even go with an undrafted free agent like Joseph Fauria. I went with Sam Martin simply because I think he is going to be make the most consistent impact over the course of the season by being a weapon on special teams. Ansah, Warford and Slay will all have their moments, but I expect Martin to be someone the Lions can reliably count on when they need to flip the field or pin an opponent down inside the 10-yard line.