2013 NFL PREDICTIONS!!! (TYLER)
THE LION SLEEPS TONIGHT... OR DOES IT?
For Day 22 of my 2013 NFL Predictions i will be breaking down the DETROIT LIONS!
Last year the Lions struggled through a 4-12 season, finishing last in the NFC North. I think the 4-12 record is deceiving. Most of the Lions losses last year were by a TD or less including games against the Packers (lost by 4 and 7), the Texans (lost by 3), the Bears (lost by 6 and 2), and the Colts (lost by 2). This offense has a lot to work for QB Matthew Stafford, obviously WR Calvin "Megatron" Johnson is the best wide out in the NFL no question. WR's Nate Burleson and Ryan Broyles will see more looks their way as teams continue to focus on Johnson. TE's Brandon Pettigrew and Tony Scheffler are serviceable but not elite by any standards. New addition RB Reggie Bush should bring a spark to the run game that has had to rely on the services of Jahvid Best and Mikel Leshoure. On defense DT Ndomukong Suh and Nick Fairley provide pressure up the middle. The linebackers and defensive backs are a serious weakness for the Lions, so much so that the Lions acquired the services of veteran CB Ron Bartell to try to stop gap the pain as much as possible. Offensive line isn't the greatest either for the Lions but lets see how they drafted. Did they help themselves out? Hmmmm...
ROUND 1: Ezekial "Ziggy" Ansah DE (BYU)
ROUND 2: Darius Slay CB (Mississippi State)
ROUND 3: Larry Warford OG (Kentucky)
ROUND 4: Devin Taylor DE (South Carolina)
ROUND 5: Sam Martin P (Appalachian State)
ROUND 6: Corey Fuller WR (Virginia Tech)
ROUND 6: Theo Riddick RB (Notre Dame)
ROUND 7: Michael Williams TE (Alabama)
ROUND 7: Brandon Hepburn ILB (Florida A&M)
I really... really like the Lions draft. First of all, with the loss of DE's Cliff Avril and Kyle Vanden Bosch the Lions needed pass rushing and got it with the pickups of DE's Ziggy Ansah and Devin Taylor. Darius Slay will start Week 1 at corner (yeah he's good). RB Theo Riddick will be a nice change of pace back to come in with Mikel Leshoure. Lastly, i absolutely love the late round pickup of TE Michael Williams in the 7th Round. This guys i huge! Watch for Williams to score when the Lions get into the red zone, great snag. What can this roster do with the schedule they have ahead of them? especially in a really tough division? Lets take a look.
OPPONENTS W/L
MINNESOTA W
@ ARIZONA W
@ WASHINGTON L
CHICAGO W
@ GREEN BAY L
@ CLEVELAND L
CINCINNATI L
DALLAS W
BYE WEEK
@ CHICAGO W
@ PITTSBURGH L
TAMPA BAY W
GREEN BAY (THURSDAY) W
@ PHILADELPHIA W
BALTIMORE (MONDAY) L
NEW YORK GIANTS L
@ MINNESOTA W
FINAL RECORD 9 - 7
Analysis: Head Coach Jim Schwartz is going to be happy with this season. The Lions are on the rise and will be a threat to the division championship as early as next year i predict. The disruption that the Lions defensive line will cause major headaches to each team on their schedule. Calvin Johnson basically can't be stopped so look for him to have another very productive year. I really like the addition of Reggie Bush, he makes the offense not so one dimensional. 8-8, 9-7 is very achievable in my mind.
Do you think the Lions can bounce back from 4-12 to hit 9-7? Let me hear why.
(Casey) I think the Lions will be better than there record is shown here, I think they will beat the Browns and they should be able to beat the Ravens on a Monday night! This Team could be a 11 win team this year and be in the playoffs as long as Staford can stay healthy and they can get a run game! They have the best WR in the league and he will open up the entire field
ReplyDeleteI think this team will make a splash this year as well. Like you stated, their play last year wasn't as bad as their record made it look. I think the pick up of Ansah will be a huge impact on the line. Teams will already have to watch Fairly and Suh. He should add another dimension and help the rush out. I also think that Stafford is a really good and very capable QB. He just needs time to throw. This year with Reggie Bush should help them add a much needed dimension and give opposing defenses a lot more to worry about. I think that they made the moves that they needed to make (maybe need a bit more on the offensive line) to be competitive in the division. I see them as a 10 or 11 game winner this year.
ReplyDeleteI think both of you are nuts. I mean this is the lions were talking about. The only offensive weapon they have is megatron and as good as he is he showed last year that he can't do it all by himself. Reggie Bush has shown many times that he's not that every down back that can run between the tackles. The defense will be better but still need a year for ansah to learn the nfl game and they still play in green bays division I would be surprised if they finish with more than six wins the only games I would be confident in picking would be Arizona Chicago at home Cleveland maybe and probably minnesota at home
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