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.