Observations from Lions 1st preseason game

Now we already knew the defensive line looked good on paper but had no idea that the defensive line could look that incredible on the field. Last night in the 1st preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Detroit Lions defensive line starters looked dominant. Possibly it was because of the Pittsburgh Steelers double teaming of the Lions top draft pick Ndamukong Suh that opened up the edges for defensive ends Cliff Avril and Kyle Vanden Bosch. As Avril and Vanden Bosch both got to the QB whether it came to sacking him or pressuring him they were able to get to the QB because of most of the attention coming to Suh. Even though its only the preseason this just proves already that Suh is making an impact. As in everytime the attention is focused on to block Suh its gonna free up somebody whether it be Avril, Corey Williams or Vanden Bosch. If thats the case during the regular season the pass rush is gonna be scary and if it's gonna be this scary during the regular season this upcoming Detroit Lions team is definitely going to win some ball games this year.

On the other side of the ball the offense looked efficient as well I just would like to see Backus commit less penalties this year (which is kind of impossible) and Best to be aware especially when the football is coming to him so Stafford doesn't throw a pick. With that being said Stafford was efficient as he was 8-11 last night for 61 yards for a TD and an INT that wouldn't have existed if Best would have looked Stafford's away and was aware where the ball was going. Yes there was also that 1 play where Calvin Johnson caught a pass from Stafford broke a bunch of tackles and nearly would have went all the way if he would have stayed in bounds either way it would have been a huge gain if it wasn't for that Backus tripping penalty geez. With all this being said Stafford's numbers could have looked even more efficient if it wasn't for the mistakes by Backus and Best. If it wasn't for those mistakes Stafford would have probably been 10-12 for 110 yards and a touchdown which would have possibly been pretty close to perfection even though it was only preseason

Anyways even though I said rookie RB Jahvid Best made a mistake doesn't mean he was terrible in fact he wasn't that bad at all. A couple things I like about Best, one of them is that on a 2nd and short when Pittsburgh piled up the line it looked for sure Best was gonna be tackled for a loss. However instead he spinned a tackler around picked up the 1st down and extra yardage which is something I haven't seen a Lions RB since maybe Barry Sanders. Speaking of Barry Jahvid also showed yesterday against the Steelers that when he gets the edge or the corner watch out because he will take off. If Best can stay healthy all year I think we'll be seeing a couple of 76 yard runs no joke his speed is amazing.

One of the most impactful free agency signings besides Kyle Vanden Bosch who already looks like a beast is Nate Burleson. This move could be huge because it looks like the Lions finally have themselves a possession receiver with great hands that can make the big catch for the 1st down. Last night Burleson showed how important he can to be to the offense with a couple of 1st down catches when needed most as he made a couple of them against the Steelers last night. Especially since last season when Bryant Johnson played the possession receiver he dropped every pass that came his way. If Burleson can stay healthy and consistent for the whole season there is no reason why this offense can't stay efficient for the regular season.

Other side notes Kevin Smith didn't play yesterday and his power wouldn't have hurt the offense at all, Best already has the speed in the league to pull off a long run, Smith can be a short yardage back especially in goal line situations. A mixture of power and speed means a combination of their own "thunder and lightning" so hopefully both will be ready for the 1st regular season game at Chicago on September 12th. The offensive line was actually efficient, they protected Stafford, didn't allow a sack and Stafford only got pressured one time when he threw that interception which was on Best anyways, Best by the way did a great job pass protecting as well. Now on a darker note the starting D was excellent but the backup D was horrid against mobile Steelers QB Dennis Dixon who shredded the defense as he was 6/7 for 128 yards and a touchdown. We would like that whole starting defensive line to stay healthy but that might be kinda impossible, but as long as Suh isn't the one that gets injured that D-Line should still have an impact as Suh frees up other tackles and ends when he gets double teamed.

Like I said before if the Lions starting defensive line of Vanden Bosch, Williams, Suh and Avril can keep up this rush and Stafford and the Lions offense can look efficient like it did last night during the regular season as well then I see no reason why this team can't finish 2nd in the NFC North if Favre retires. Packers would be the favorite to win the NFC North, Vikings could struggle without Favre, Cutler doesn't have that much talent around him in Chicago and this Lions team looks like they have a bright future ahead of them. In this scenario I don't see any reason why the Lions can't finish as high as 2nd in this NFC North division this season. One thing I would have liked to see last night though was how this Lions starting defensive line would have looked against Dixon would have they gave him all kinds of trouble like they did with Leftwich? Or would Dixon escape it? That is the one question I would have for this season can this Lions pass rush defense stop mobile QBs during the regular season? The only question I have left since the Lions preseason game against the Steelers last night.

NBA Mock Draft

So here we are just a couple hours later and we already know the order of the NBA Draft and yes there has been a shocker in the order to us obviously as we thought New Jersey would get the #1 overall pick and ended up getting #3 pick instead. So lets get started shall we?
1. Washington Wizards - John Wall, Guard, Kentucky - No surprise here huh? Well who's picking is a surprise but not the pick obviously who's picking is a shocker. Expect Gilbert Arenas to get moved this offseason since the Wizards have too many guards and expect John Wall to be the man in Washington that they build around from now on. We all saw how Rose, Evans former Calipari point guards did before, Wall should be no exception.
2. Philadelphia 76ers - Evan Turner, Guard, Ohio State - Philadelphia gets their first great shooting guard possibly for the first time since they drafted Allen Iverson in 1996. Expect Evan Turner to make an impact right away and instantly become this season's NBA Rookie of the Year yes not Wall but Turner!
3. New Jersey Nets - Derrick Favors, PF, Georgia Tech - NJ being bummed that they won't have Wall with the #1 overall pick however they do have a PG in Devin Harris and could use a big man to play along side C Brook Lopez and that is where Favors comes in as the Nets possibly go with a lineup of PG Harris SG Lee SF Williams PF Favors C Lopez next year. So the Nets can still improve from their dreadful season from last year.
4. Minnesota Timberwolves - Wesley Johnson SF, Syracuse - With the Timberwolves already having Love and Jefferson, all is missing is a star Small Forward. Now thats where Johnson comes in as he adds to that Minnesota frontline of Johnson and Love and the other young talent Minnesota already has in guard Johnny Flynn. Minnesota already has a nucleus of young talent in Flynn, Jefferson, Love, Johnson just adds to the mix.
5. Sacramento Kings - DeMarcus Cousins, C, Kentucky - Sacramento already has a young nucleus of players in Jason Thompson, Ime Udoka, Francisco Garcia and of course last year's rookie of the year Tyreke Evans, DeMarcus Cousins will only add to that mix giving Evans a big man he can pass to into the paint. Like I said before Cousins is the next Andrew Bynum so now Evans like Kobe has a big man he can pass to as well. Perhaps making Evans and Cousins one of the best and upcoming young duos to come in this league for a guard and center combination!
6. Golden State Warriors - Al-Farouq Aminu SF, Wake Forest - Golden State has one of the best backcourts in the league with Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry. Now they can add a possible a star small forward in Aminu to add to their young and rising lineup. Besides his play is what Don Nelson loves! He's a Nelly type player!
7. Detroit Pistons - Greg Monroe, C, Georgetown - The Pistons need a true big man and with Greg Monroe landing here he's too good to pick up. He can score in the inside, score from the outside he has heart and can block shots as well. At 6'11 and 250 pounds he might be a steal in fact he might be the next Chris Bosh!
8. Los Angeles Clippers - Ed Davis, SF, North Carolina - The Clippers already have Chris Kaman and are expecting things from Blake Griffin expect them to add 6'10 Ed Davis to that mix to add to their front line as well perhaps if healthy making it one of the best frontlines in the league, don't laugh.
9. Utah Jazz - Cole Aldrich C, Kansas - If Carlos Boozer does bolt for the Pistons or elsewhere expect Utah to draft a big man. Aldrich would be a better center for them than Fesenko move Okur to power forward after Boozer's departure
10. Indiana Pacers - Ekype Udoh, PF, Baylor -Finally Danny Granger might have himself a sidekick in Ekype Udoh on Indiana's frontline. One thing is for sure with his shot blocking he'll definitely make an impact on defense this upcoming season for the Pacers!
Those are my top 10 picks, if you have questions or disagreements let me know we'll discuss it

What The Pistons Need To Do To Be A Winner Again

For the first time since the 2000-01 season the Detroit Pistons have failed to make the playoffs most likely due to the lack of defense that they've had their dominate years. Pistons fans knew that after all the winning years we got to see of the Pistons that we would have to see one losing year and have to suffer a little bit for all the winning. Obviously that has happened Chauncey Billups was traded and Rasheed Wallace signed with Boston the team from 2004 was pretty much blown up not to mention the players were getting old. What we've seen this season in this 27 wins and 55 losses team in the Detroit Pistons is a team that desperately needs big men or at least a big man, they are missing a true center. Last summer the Pistons made moves to sign Charlie Villanueva and Ben Gordon for big contracts and obviously it hasn't necessarily paid off yet.

Charlie Villanueva or Charlie V for that matter has been a total bust not only hasn't he been able to play defense but when it came to hitting clutch 3s he wasn't up to the task either this move was a huge fail for our team. Ben Gordon also seemed like a fail however he averaged 20 points per game when he was starting for the Pistons which means if we want him to show his greatness we'll have to start him. Obviously on this team we have too many shooting guards Ben Gordon, Rip Hamilton, Dajuan Summers, Rodney Stuckey, who I don't consider a point guard but more of a combo guard. So obviously what they need to do first this summer is to trade Rip to clear up cap room or get some type of player in return who can help out this team as long as its not a guard. It might be time to say goodbye to Tayshaun as well as it clearly looks like Austin Daye will take his place since he's the same exact size however is a righty and can shoot better than Tay right now.

My first solution is obviously trading Rip and Tayshaun to one team or 2 separate teams for players in return or cap room to sign a big name free agent. For example perhaps trade Tayshaun to Denver to get J.R. Smith in return somehow a player that can bring so much energy off the bench something the Pistons have been missing these past seasons a legitmate 6th man. Once the Pistons have moved Tay or Rip or both then hopefully they will have made the cap room to sign Carlos Boozer in the offseason a big man they desperately need. As we saw in the playoffs against Denver, Boozer can hit that shot from the top of the key he can post up and get rebounds for his team when needed. Boozer would be an improvement from the big men that the Pistons had this past year as he is full of heart and effort.

Obviously what the Pistons do this offseason will be determined on where they land in the draft lottery today. If the Pistons can beat the odds of their 5.3% chances of getting a top pick and somehow land a top 3 pick I expect them to draft DeMarcus Cousins center out of Kentucky. The Pistons need a big man and the play of Cousins reminds me of another big man preferrably that one in LA playing alongside Kobe Bryant right now, Andrew Bynum. Like the play of Bynum, Cousins can throw it down on a putback and score inside at will just like Andrew. Cousins is definitely an improvement over the big men the Pistons had last year as well. Even if it takes Cousins time to become great it will be worth the wait he's only 19 and I am certain that that man will flourish in this league!

So obviously if the Pistons got Cousins, traded Rip and Tay and signed Carlos Boozer the team would look a little something like this. At point guard you would still have Rodney Stuckey, at shooting guard you would know have Ben Gordon, at small forward you would have Jonas Jerebko, at power forward you would have Carlos Boozer and at center you would have DeMarcus Cousins. Just thinking about that front line can give you the chills because honestly thats a damn good front line especially compared to last years as the line improves offensively and defensively! As you have 3 players in the front line who can score at will and have the size to give other team's front lines problems! These moves the Pistons make now making their team better and making cap room might not only help them out now but might help them out in the future especially if they have a winning team to land probably the biggest free agent name in the 2011 summer, Chris Paul.

Now if the Pistons do land Chris Paul imagine him playing in the backcourt for the 2011-12 season with Ben Gordon. Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars anyone? Speaking of Joe Dumars if everything falls into place get these moves done! Go Pistons!

Why the Lions will win 7 games this season

Ever since the New Orleans Saints won the Super Bowl this year thats when I said spontaneously out of nowhere that the Detroit Lions will be Super Bowl champions in the year 2014. Ever since I said that statement I've been starting to believe in it more and more each day that it will happen. New Orleans winning the Super Bowl proved that the impossible can happen they were just like the Lions one day never been to a Super Bowl next thing you know they almost go 16-0 and win the Super Bowl. Just think about it, think about what people say about the Lions now like "same old Lions" or "thats the thing about the Lions they will always let you down." The New Orleans fans said the same thing about their team and look where they are now they are the latest Super Bowl champions.
What Mayhew has done so far has been very compromising to what Millen did with this team in his 7 years as GM (obviously). Martin Mayhew in his 1st year so far has drafted young talent and has addressed team needs unlike Millen of course. I mean in his 1st year he drafted the Lions QB of the future in Matthew Stafford, his bright young target for a tight end in Brandon Pettigrew, Louis Delmas a hard hitting safety and Ernie Sim's replacement (who got traded to Philadelphia by the way) in DeAndre Levy. Mayhew acquired all of these players in the first four rounds of the 2009 NFL Draft and each one so far has made an impact this past season. Especially Stafford and Pettigrew who connected a game winning TD against the Cleveland Browns to give the Lions their 2nd win of the season last season.
That trade where Mayhew traded Roy Williams for a 1st and 3rd round pick shows how much he robbed the Cowboys as the Boys had to draft Dez Bryant this year in the 2010 draft who is most likely taking Williams spot since Williams is not panning out they wanted him to in Dallas. Obviously that 1st round and 3rd round pick they received for him turned into Brandon Pettigrew and DeAndre Levy 2 promising players that made an impact right away for the team when they could. Then Mayhew now in his 2nd season as GM made possibly one of the biggest moves that might impact this city and team for years to come and that was taking Ndamukong Suh with the number 2 overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. Since Suh is just known as being the ultimate beast at defensive tackle one of the best ever seen at that position in a while it was quite difficult for Mayhew to pass him. Not enough can be said about Suh but don't sleep on the other pick Mayhew made to trade up to get his man Jahvid Best with the 30th overall pick who has size and speed that can possible be compared to Barry Sanders as he has similar speed and swiftness.
The only major issue with Best his durability issues, if Best can stay healthy all season there is a chance he could have a really good season maybe even better than Kevin Jones in his 1st season as a Lion (Jones was a running back who had durability issues as well which was the reason why he couldn't pan out).Mayhew also addressed the need for a corner in a player called Amari Spievey from Iowa who can be physical as heck. Now of course Mayhew has had moves that have kind of failed like Bryant Johnson who dropped pretty much every big pass thrown to him as a number 2 wide receiver which was just unacceptable. It will remain to be seen how well his replacement Nate Burleson does but a couple things we know for sure is he has better hands and is much faster as well the real issue he is kind of injury prone, so like Best if healthy all season could make another major impact and perhaps finally be the wide receiver to compliment the greatness that is of 6'5 Calvin Johnson. Signing Kyle Vandenbosch in the offseason could also payoff especially now with the drafting of Suh as you now have Corey Williams (acquired from Cleveland), Cliff Avril, Kyle Vanden Bosch and of course Ndamukong Suh.
With all this being said the Lions might really have a decent defensive line and honestly guys when was the last time we had Lions, decent and D-Line in the same sentence? Exactly so lets take a look at the Lions needs now and how Mayhew has filled most of them. At QB check Matthew Stafford should be a stud, Shaun Hill is a good backup and Stanton will serve well as the 3rd string QB, finally Culpepper is gone. So at RB check you got Best who can come in challenge Kevin Smith for the job, Smith who probably won't be healthy for the start of the season anyways might very well lose his job either way with Best, Smith and Morris it might make for a nice change of pace at the tailback position. Not to mention at WRs check they should be ok especially with Calvin Johnson aka Megatron of course, Nate Burleson who if healthy can be decent at least way better than Bryant Johnson who dropped every pass his way pretty much and Derrick Williams who might step up and become maybe even more than a decent number 3 wide receiver. Mayhew addressed a need a blocking need for Stafford by trading Ernie Sims to Philadelphia in a 3 team deal with them and Denver to get Tony Scheffler a tight end from Denver who can block and protect Stafford on his side of the line and may possible open up routes for the young stud in Brandon Pettigrew.
The blocking from the TE and the effectiveness from Best could help Stafford as well but obviously the O-Line still has holes however since the Lions have less holes to address O-Line will be the #1 priority with their 1st round pick next year. The true difference for me this year with the Lions is that Stafford a Lions QB going into his 2nd year will possibly have a defense who will give them a chance to win. Jason Fox the Lions pick out of Miami at offensive tackle could make an impact if he works out in weight room more and may possibly take Backus's position in the near future as well. Anyways at offensive line Dominic Raiola is still the starting center, Jeff Backus and Gosder Cherilus are still the offensive tackles and Stephen Peterman and Manny Ramirez are still the offensive guards. So with that being said the only thing that hasn't changed from last season is the main offensive line which did show somewhat improvement last year but not really that much.
Now the defensive line of course consists of Kyle Vandenbosch and Cliff Avril at the ends, Corey Williams and of course Ndamukong Suh at the tackles. Suh to me since being added might open holes for Avril, Vanden Bosch and Williams making that defensive line even more dangerous since I think Suh will be getting to the QB constantly already in his 1st season as a Lion he is just too good. At linebackers you have DeAndre Levy of course, Julian Peterson and now Jordan Dizon who will need to step up now with the departure of Larry Foote, however each one thanks to Suh may see holes to run through and blitz and get after the quarterback as well. At safety of course you have Louis Delmas who is already made an impact as being one of the hardest hitting safeties in a while for the Lions secondary and Daniel Bullocks who could make a return take over the other safety position as well. Obviously the corners are the main issues obviously, but with the drafting of Spievey it might be very possible he takes the number CB spot with all the guys the Lions have at the cornerback position now, while the 2nd cornerback, nickelback and dimeback may be up in the air.
1st game of the season is against Chicago in Chicago I predict the Lions win this game thanks to fired up Suh ready to take down Cutler and force him into throwing picks giving Stafford and the Lions a chance to win the game. With the Eagles no longer having McNabb at starting QB and Vick as the number 2 QB instead of the starter Suh and the Lions will take advantage of this by having a sackfest and having Stafford exploiting their weaker secondary for 2-3 TDs. The 3rd game at Minnesota the Vikings Suh gets to Favre sacks him a couple of times but Favre exploits that Lions secondary again like he always did in the past, an instant loss. 4th game is no different as Aaron Rodgers has his way with the Lions secondary as he did last season, another instant loss Lions are now 2-2. 5th game Suh gets his revenge on the St. Louis Rams sacking their number 1 overall draft pick Sam Bradford 3 times also forcing him to throw 3 picks in an instant 3rd victory for the Lions.
Lions against the Giants in New York is just the first of 2 games the Lions have against New York teams but this one being the weaker one as Suh gets to Manning a couple times sacking and pressuring him and Stafford finds Calvin Johnson a couple times thanks to the Giants weak corners for two TDs, Best exploits the Giants loss of Osi Umenyiora for a 150 yard game, Lions win and are now all of a sudden 4-2. After the bye week, the Lions face the Redskins at Ford Field where McNabb and his new team come in and like Favre and Rodgers he exploits their secondary for 3-4 TD in an instant loss for the Lions as they fall to 4-3. The following week the Lions face a loaded Jets team who come in storming as Mark Sanchez finds Detroit native Braylon Edwards and Santonio Holmes each for 2 TD resulting in a blowout loss for the Lions they fall to 4-4. In the 9th game of the season Suh and the Lions take advantage of that team who didn't draft a starting QB and sack and pressure Trent Edwards constantly turning into an instant Lions victory as they rise up to 5-4. In the 10th game of the season the Lions head to Dallas where Tony Romo like Sanchez, Rodgers and McNabb exploit that Lions weak secondary throwing a pass to Austin, Bryant, Witten and former Lion Roy Williams each for a score resulting in an instant Lions loss as they fall to 5-5.
On thanksgiving day and in the Lions 11th game of the season as they finally look to end the losing streak on Turkey Day it doesn't however its a close game this time as the Lions defense keeps them in the game but the Patriots defense is better as it sacks Stafford constantly not giving him to find any of his receivers most of the time resulting in a loss, Lions fall to 5-6. In the 12th game of the season Jay Cutler and the Bears get their revenge on the Lions and come up with a victory causing the Lions to fall to 5-7. Now on the 13th game of the season Lions face the Packers who come into Ford Field and the Lions get their revenge on them as they finally beat Aaron Rodgers and the Packers for the first time ever causing them to rise up to 6-7. In the 14th game of the season the Lions travel down to Tampa Bay where new QB Josh Freeman has a breakout game against their secondary throwing for 5 TD definitely resulting in an instant loss for the Lions as they fall to 6-8. Staying in Florida as the Lions travel to Miami for their 15th game of the season they face a red hot Chad Henne whom like some other QBs they face that year exploit that secondary as he throws 3 touchdowns to his main target Brandon Marshall resulting in a win for the Dolphins and a loss for the Lions as they fall to 6-9.
Now in the final game of the season the Lions face Brett Favre and the Vikings at Ford Field for one last time and they make it a memory to never forget as Suh and the Lions line sack Favre for a total of 6 times causing him to throw 3 picks, Stafford has a good game as he throws a TD to Johnson, Pettigrew and Burleson and Best goes over 1200 yards in the season as he rushes for over 100 yards against the Jared Allen and that Vikings defensive line Lions finish at 7-9. Stafford in his 2nd season shows improvement throwing more Touchdowns than Interceptions in his 2nd year and throws for almost 4000 yards, Best stays healthy has an electric first year rushing over 1200 yards and taking Smith's position right away, Johnson has over 1000 yards, 13 TD season, Pettigrew catches 8 touchdown passes and also has a 1000 yard season becoming one of the league's brightest young tight ends and Burleson does his part catching 6 touchdown passes, returning 1 back as a kick returner and going over 800 yards receiving as the 2nd receiver. Suh's impact on the NFL is felt right away has he not only wins defensive rookie of the year but overall rookie of the year as well. Stafford still gets sacked a number of times but the offensive line does show improvement, the secondary however still needs improvement after the season. Then it will be expected they address their main 2 needs in the offensive line and the cornerbacks and when those are addressed that will be when they make the playoffs and Matthew Stafford is a Pro Bowler but that's another year from now so you are left with this for now.

What I have done here is gone over the moves Mayhew has made in his past seasons as GM of the Detroit Lions. Not to mention I've also even gone through their schedule for this upcoming year believing that defense will be the key to winning these games since they added Suh. As in they'll win some games that they aren't supposed to win as well win the easy games they shall win like against St. Louis for example. So with that being said I'll be happy to answer any questions and comments you have for my article.

Mock Draft

1. Rams - Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma
Reasoning: Looks like a wrap that St. Louis is making Bradford the #1 overall pick
2. Lions - Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska
Reasoning: Only the Lions can screw this up but with Suh available I don't see how you pass him up he is too much of a beast
3. Buccaneers - Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma
4. Redskins - Russell Okung, OT, Oklahoma State
5. Chiefs - Eric Berry, S, Tennessee
6. Seahawks - Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame
7. Browns - Dez Bryant, WR, Oklahoma State
Reasoning: Browns are probably scared to draft a WR since Braylon Edwards who was promising all of a sudden started playing with a pissy atttitude hating the city of Cleveland like Joakim Noah. He showed the city of Cleveland no respect and didn't want to go there in the first place as being as snobby as he was he wanted to go to Miami instead. Drafting Bryant shouldn't scare the Browns because there is no guarantee that Bryant has the same attitude that Braylon had in Cleveland.
8. Raiders - Derrick Morgan, DE, Morgan State
9. Bills - Trent Williams, OT, Oklahoma
10. Jaguars - Tim Tebow, QB, Florida
Reasoning: Jaguars need a QB that will fill the seats Tebow will make fans seats warm but Garrard will make the fans swarm
11. Broncos - CJ Spiller, RB, Clemson
12. Dolphins - Earl Thomas, S, Texas
13. 49ers - Brian Baluga, OT, Iowa
14. Seahawks - Jason-Pierre Paul, DE, South Florida
15. Giants - Joe Haden, CB, Florida
16. Titans - Roland McClain, LB, Alabama
17. 49ers - Kyle Wilson, CB, Boise State
18. Steelers - Tony Pike, QB, Cincinatti
Reasoning: Despite reports I have a feeling you will see Roethlisberger get moved stay tuned!
19. Falcons - Kareem Jackson, CB, Alabama
20. Texans - Dan Williams, DT, Tennessee
21. Bengals - Anthony Davis, OT, Rutgers
22. Patriots - Brandon Graham, DE/LB, Michigan
23. Packers - Maurkice Pouncy, C, Florida
24. Eagles - Ryan Matthews RB, Fresno State
25. Ravens - Sergio Kindle, LB, Texas
26. Cardinals - Devin McCourty, CB, Rutgers
27. Cowboys - Charles Brown, DE, USC
28. Chargers - Jahvid Best, RB, California
29. Jets - Terrance Cody, DT, Alabama
Reasoning: The Jets have already loaded up enough the past 2 years, Sanchez, Edwards, Holmes, Tomlinson, Taylor, Cromartie, Greene, etc. With them just signing Taylor chances are they are more likely to take a DT than a DE now. Just saying
30. Vikings - Mike Iutapi, T, Idaho
31. Colts - Taylor Mays, S, USC
32. Saints - Everson Griffin, DE, USC

If you don't like it we'll Suh!

Can you believe it? The NFL Draft is finally here a holiday season for us Lions fans each year since our team hasn't been well......they haven't been that good obviously. However each year like a typical Lions fan we anticipate the draft each year hoping the players we draft are the players that help take us to the promise land. However this year is different from any other year for us Lions fans when it comes to the NFL Draft and last year we had the #1 pick but that one doesn't mean as much as this pick means to us Lions fans this year. There hasn't been more excitement about the NFL Draft here since maybe the time the Lions drafted Barry Sanders.

This is all thanks to a defensive tackle out of Nebraska named Ndamukong Suh who is an absolute beast if one has ever been seen this guy is it. With the Rams supposedly taking Sam Bradford as the #1 overall pick that leaves Suh available there to the Lions with the number 2 overall pick. Lions have had holes on defense the past years now they have a chance to build a decent Defensive Line adding Suh to the likes of Vandenbosch, Williams, Avril and Hill. When was the last time us Lions fans had decent, defense and Lions in the same sentence? Finally us Lions fans after seeing them draft nothing but wide receivers or the "skilled positions" the past couple of years in the 1st round, we finally get to see them work on drafting defense and the offensive line.

Those 2 lines the defensive and the offensive is where we've been lacking for all these years which is probably the main reason why we have lost so many games. Now ever since New Orleans won the Super Bowl it sent me a message the message was that if they can do it and make the impossible happen then we can do it. What I mean is if New Orleans a team that has never been to the Super Bowl can go in and win their first Super Bowl, then who says are Lions from the great city of Detroit aren't next? I'm a believer now that we will be Super Bowl champions by the year 2014 and I'll give you the explanations behind my reasoning. First of all I must hand it to Mayhew in his 1st year he traded Roy Williams for Dallas's 1st round pick and we got Brandon Petigrew out of the deal and of course last year we drafted our QB for the future Matthew Stafford.

Unbelievable to think just last season the Lions drafted Stafford, Pettigrew, Delmas and Levy all in the first 3 rounds and each player has made an impact last season and has shown much much promise. Stafford, Johnson, Pettigrew, Avril, Dizon, Levy, Delmas are some of the players we got to build on and adding Suh will only make our young core of players much much stronger. If and as soon as the Lions draft Suh the dynasty in our city shall begin because I am predicting right now if the Lions get Suh he'll be sacking the QB nonstop and will most likely be the Rookie of the Year. I think he is that good I think he is the LeBron James of the defensive lineman I've just never seen anything like him before how he just throws QBs down to the ground like it is nothing. Suh is the defensive tackle the Lions have been missing since Shaun Rogers and the funny thing is this guy might be better than Shaun Rogers this guy is that good.

I think we have something building here in Detroit, I know some of us are wondering right now how can this go wrong for us how can Suh not fall into our hands we think of all the possibilities. Truth is though the only ones who might screw this up is the Lions themselves however the truth might very well be for us Lions fans we might finally have something we can be confident about ....... a winner!

An Optimistic Look Towards A Brighter Season

It is March 3rd, 2010 and it won't be much longer for baseball season to arrive and we can hardly wait. The weather here in the great state of Michigan has been awful as it can be but with baseball season coming up us baseball fans can be more optimistic especially about one thing the weather that is. With baseball season coming up that means at least 40-50 degree days ahead no more snow and spring is close to being in the air. On December 9th, 2009 Detroit fan favorite Curtis Granderson was traded to the New York Yankees in a 3 team deal sending Phil Coke, Austin Jackson, Max Scherzer and Daniel Schlereth all to the Detroit Tigers. Now Max Scherzer and Daniel Schlereth are 2 very young pitchers we got in return for giving away our #2 starter Edwin Jackson to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Both are very young pitchers and neither might be able to make an impact right away but they do have potential. Austin Jackson on the other hand I think could make an impact right away he at least has the potential to. He has some big shoes to fill in replacing Curtis Granderson but you have to think if the New York Yankees wanted Jackson he must have the potential to be very good. In fact last year he was named the Yankees top prospect according to Baseball American if you are named the Yankees best prospect then you must be good. I expect Austin Jackson to be somewhat like Curtis Granderson in his 1st year could very well be up to par when it comes to his outstanding fielding not sure he'll be able to live up to Curtis's HRs, triples and doubles here however he could have a better batting average than what Granderson had last year which was .249 last year. Receiving Phil Coke from the Yankees this offseason could be a very significant move because he gives the Detroit Tigers somebody that they have been missing, a quality reliever in the bullpen.

Johnny Damon finally signing with the Detroit Tigers on February 22nd, 2010 was also a very significant move to me as well. Sure he may be 36 years old now but don't forget he hit 24 home runs and also had a batting average of .282 last season a better batting average than any of the Tigers hitters last season except Magglio and Miguel, not to mention Damon was key into helping the Yankees receive their 27th World Series title. With all this being said despite Johnny Damon not being a very good fielder he ought to come in and hit better than some Tigers right away. Now remember we learned last season the Detroit Tigers problem and downfall was their hitting not their pitching. With Johnny Damon coming in you have a future hall of famer that has been a batting god and looks like Jesus. So despite being 36 years old since he already can hit better than most of the Tigers batters so he should be able to come and make an impact right away in that department as a veteran.

I think it is also certain that Damon will make a better impact at the plate than Aubrey Huff did all last season. With all this being said about the newcomers especially with the addtion of Damon I expect the Tigers to compete in the AL Central once again perhaps win between 85-90 games. A couple things I will be looking for this season and one is Brandon Inge finding a way to stay healthy all season because I will tell you one thing he started off hot last season already hitting 20+ HR in the 1st half of the season until he had that injury against the Cleveland Indians and it sure slowed down his clutch hitting we saw it in the home run derby and we also saw it in the 2nd half of the season with all the strikeouts as well. If Brandon can start off hot again this season and stay healthy the Detroit Tigers might not just contend for the AL Central they might finally win the division something they've never done since they were switched from the AL East to the AL Central.

Then again with all this being said everything that went right from last season needs to go right this season as well. The pitching we believe is already set Justin Verlander is a beast he had 19 wins and 9 losses last year and struck out 269 batters last season as well. It is expected of him to continue and dominate against teams like he did last season, Rick Porcello who may have only been a rookie last season was the most impressive rookie pitcher since Dwight Gooden. Rick Porcello had 14 wins and 9 losses last season not to mention he performed spectacular against Minnesota in the one game playoff for the AL Central. This future ace is expected to continue the success this season starting with the season opener on April 9th against the Cleveland Indians. Now as for the 3rd starter here is this for a surprise I think Arnando Gallaraga had a sophomore slump last season and will return to the starting rotation and return to his rookie year form he had with the Tigers where he had 13 wins, 7 losses and 126 strikeouts.

I am telling you watch out for Gallaraga this season because I really do believe he will surprise all of us this season. Max Scherzer and Jeremy Bonderman, yes Jeremy Bonderman will most likely be the 4th and 5th starters. Jeremy Bonderman who is still recovering from the blood clot he had removed in his axillary vein in the 2008 season might be looking to prove something this season as we saw some signs of progess last season including when he was in the bullpen and did what he was supposed to do he shows some signs of returning to the starting rotation as long as we don't see what Bonderman did last year against the White Sox in Chicago in that double header last season oh boy. I really like the addition of Jose Valverde who replaced Fernando Rodney who had 37 saves last season as our closer for this season. Valverde however had more saves in 2007 and 2008 that Rodney might not even come close to where Valverde had 47 saves in 2007 and 44 saves in 2008. So yes our key losses were Curtis Granderson, Edwin Jackson, Placido Polanco, Fernando Rodney and Brandon Lyon. But our key gains this season are Johnny Damon, Austin Jackson, Jose Valverde and Phil Coke. I expect Johnny Damon to start at left field, Austin Jackson to start at center field, Magglio Ordonez to start at right field, Gerald Laird/Alex Avila to start at catcher, Brandon Inge at 3rd base, Scott Sizemore at 2nd base, Adam Everett at shortstop, Carlos Guillen at DH and of course Miguel Cabrera at 1st base.

I don't expect Sizemore to step into Polanco's shoes right away and be the clutch #2 hitter Polanco was but like Avila did last season I don't expect him to suck either. One more thing I expect this season is Miguel Cabrera to finally have that MVP type year we have been waiting for him as long as he lays off the alcohol seriously