What to know: The Lions will be involved in a lot of shootouts. They can put points on the board, but they might not be able to stop opponents from doing the same. Quarterback Jon Kitna looks like he is thriving in Mike Martz’s passing game, and Roy Williams has arrived as perhaps the best receiver in football.
Williams’ speed should open underneath routes for Mike Furrey. The team will play a lot of three- and four-receiver sets, in part because they can’t run the ball. Or at least they can’t run the ball without a healthy Kevin Jones, who is out the first three or four weeks. Defensively, the Lions are a wreck in their back seven. Outside linebacker Ernie Sims is the only player they can count on. They have to hope coach Rod Marinelli’s Dungy-style defensive system can dominate. The defensive line is a talented group, but no lineman has consistently realized his talent. Cory Redding and Kalimba Edwards are paid like stars but don’t always play like it. Highly talented Shaun Rogers routinely struggles with weight, injuries and consistent effort.
Who’s new: First-round pick Calvin Johnson still is learning the offense, but his incredible physical skills should enable him to make a contribution early as the third receiver. The Lions picked up Tatum Bell to help the running game, but so far it looks like he’s not a great fit in Martz’s offense. If the Lions are going to run with any authority, they’ll need new offensive linemen Edwin Mulitalo and George Foster to make big impacts. Marinelli brought in another familiar face from Tampa Bay when the team signed free-agent defensive end Dewayne White.
Who’s gone: The secondary would look a lot better with Dre Bly, who was traded to the Broncos. Bly led or tied the Lions in interceptions for each of his four years with the team. The Lions gave up on return specialist Eddie Drummond, which gives Troy Walters a chance to make an impact. They also traded quarterback Josh McCown to the Raiders, so Dan Orlovsky figures to back up Kitna.
Outlook: It looks like more of the same. This is an incomplete team that will run a high-risk offense. They’ll probably lose a lot of high-scoring games.
