| Curtis A. Clark. 29th September, 2005 - 11:47 am
 There are let downs and then there are let downs. The Detroit Lions have been chalked full of let downs their whole existence, but last weeks loss to the Chicago Bears may have taken the cake. Not since the Lions lost to the Redskins in the second round of the NFL playoffs in the early 90’s have fans been so deflated. That loss hurt, but somehow this loss stings a little more.
Maybe because the Lions looked so promising coming off a good victory against the Packers. Maybe because by beating the Bears the Lions would have been 2-0 in a division full of 0-2 teams. Maybe because the Bears were the only team that Lions fans knew were worse than the Lions coming into this season. Maybe because the Bears started a rookie quarterback in Kyle Orton and it always hurts Lions fans to see another team have a quarterback show promise. Or maybe because we finally thought it was our year.
Maybe.
The point is that the Lions should have beaten Chicago and been out a solid lead to a promising season. But instead they overlooked Chicago, showed their flaws, disenchanted their fans, and got beat worse than anyone could have imagined. So maybe we were naive.
The Lions may have fallen prey to getting ahead of themselves. Putting to much stock in starting the season with a win over Green Bay caused them to lose sight that the season is a marathon not a sprint. Either way adjustments need to be made, never has there been a better season to salvage than 2005. A team could win the North with a sub .500 record. So saddle up boys, you can save this sinking ship.
Usually a terrible bye week to draw, the week 3 bye for the Lions was a needed break. The Lions were not just beaten by the Bears, they were also battered. Likely losing cornerback Fernando Bryant for the year, along with injuries to James Hall, Jason Hanson, and others, has them licking their wounds. Their ego’s could also use a whirlpool and some tape. Fullback Cory Schlesinger, slated to be ready to start practice around week 4 or 5, is a player the Lions can use to help refocus their efforts. He can also help get the struggling running game in gear.
The Lions created a whole years worth of negative film to study in the Chicago loss. But they will have to burn those tapes in order to move on. That film can only do more harm than good this season. Mariucci’s job will be to motivate and rebuild the teams moral after they let the ball drop against Chicago.
Coming into week 4 against the Bucs the Lions already conservative philosophy will have to evolve or perish against the stingy Bucs. The Lions have spent the last few off seasons stockpiling speed. They need to start taking advantage of it. On both sides of the ball the Lions are still playing it safe. That makes sense with tough grinding talent, but speed needs innovation and the open field. The Bucs are going to keep the Lions under pressure and the ball on the ground. Detroit will need to open it up on offense, let the young talent roam, and take advantage of their speed in order to catch the Bucs off guard.
Don’t forget the central is still wide open.
The packers (0-3) are winless and looking to be on the downside of Brett Favre’s career, Minnesota (1-2) is just now learning to play without Randy Moss, and the Bears (1-2) offense (except against the Lions) is deplorable at best. This season is still a great opportunity for the Lions to climb to the top. After 1 giant step back they need a win on the road against the Bucs to get things moving forward again.
So the checklist this week?
First off Charles Rogers find your hands. Roger hasn’t looked like the number 2 overall pick at all this year. This was the year he was suppose to stay healthy and prove his draft position. So far he has looked tentative and not as willing to lay out for a ball. Against the Bears he had three passes dropped that an NFL receiver catches.
Get Kevin Jones the ball. They had been playing from behind against Chicago, but this Kevin Jones doesn’t look like the one at the end of last season. The running game is obviously missing Cory Schlesinger, but the line just doesn’t seem to be making a big enough push, and Jones seems to have forgotten that he needs to make one cut and initiate contact in the NFL.
The defense needs to find some aggression. They just seem to wait for teams to march down field on them. Keeping everything in front of you is good, but they seem to wait on plays instead of making them. They need to push the envelope and take a page out of the effective defenses in this league, pressure, pressure, pressure. If you can’t get it with the front 4 bring more, there’s a mantra that all NFL teams should follow.
Eddie Drummond we need you. Trust your body Eddie, you seem tentative. He needs to find his pro bowl form and confidence to help the Lions struggling offense with solid field position. One way to help an O lacking a swagger is to shorten the field for them. We all know Drummond has that ability, he will need to bring it against a D like Tampa. Joey and the boys will need all the advantages they can get.
Sunday is a day of reckoning for the Lions. This may not have been a game Mariucci circled as a win in the off season, but after last weeks loss it has to become one. Experts are calling the Lions the worse team in the division, saying that the Vikings and Packers can still win because Chicago and Detroit are so terrible. One win, one tough game, and you silence a few. C’mon guys, give Tampa their first loss, show the speed, take control of the division, and give your great Detroit fans a reason to hope.
Curtis A. Clark
Detroit Resident Writer for Realgm.com
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