Lions

It is tough being a Detroit Lions fan. This season has been particularly tough, as they have been in all but three games until the final minutes. Those three games, a big loss to Chicago early in the season, blown out by Miami on Thanksgiving, and a win versus Atlanta, show just how good and bad this team can be.

However, the fact that they only have one other loss by more than a TD (a loss vs. Minnesota by 9) show they have been tough all year. They have been up in many of those games, too! In their most recent loss, Detroit was beating New England, doing all the right things, until about 8 minutes to go in the game. Then NE got their act in gear, tied the game, and the Lions frittered away the game with some very late turnovers.

In the first game of the season, versus a Championship-calibre Seahawks team, they dominated. Only a bad coach's decision late in the game (punting rather than trying for the FG) allowed the 'Hawks to hold on for a 9-6 win.

I think this new coach is getting the team to believe. They have a decent offense. Where they fail is on the defense and special teams. They need a better QB, of course, (Kitna is a serviceable guy to fill in, but they need a franchise guy), but this team is losing these games on defense. They need much better DBs and at least one more solid linebacker to really shore up this defense. They also need to spend more money on the O-line; Jones can only run so far and whomever the QB is can only do so much as long as the team is letting the defense into the backfield. But you can shore that up through free agency and better coaching. They also have some unused talent that they can likely trade for some upgrades at certain positions.

And, of course, they MUST fire Matt Millen. He is an abject failure at GM who is sporting the worst record of ANY team during his tenure. Yes, of ANY team; even the perennial bad teams, like Arizona and Cleveland, have better records during the last 6 seasons (including this one). It is imperative that he be fired and someone with at least some experience at the job is hired to replace him.

At this point, I almost hope they lose out and have a lock on the first pick in the draft. Brady Quinn has some good press about him, and this coming draft looks to have some good overall talent. Of course, if Millen is still in charge it won't matter-- the Lions will pick yet another WR. *sarcasm However, if Millen is gone, any GM worth his salt will go with the absolute best talent available and the Lions should get a good QB, defensive player, or other position.

Yes, I'm a fan. I'm eternally optimistic that THIS will be The Year for My Team. However, their competitiveness and overall quality play and change in attitude this season does indicate some positives for the next season.

Here's hoping.