State of the Union: Detroit Lions

I believe in Matthew Stafford.

Is anybody else actually excited to see the Lions play this year? I sure am. Not since John Kitna guaranteed 10 wins has there been any real excitement around this organization (for anyone who doesn't remember they came out hot, built hope in a starving fan base heading into a deep economic recession, and then crapped on everybody. Classic). This isn't the same Detroit team that went winless, but instead is a team full of youth and hope. They won't turn from 2nd worst in the league to a contender overnight, but this season will be a building year where they establish a foundation for the future.

After focusing on offense last season, the Lions built their defense by selecting Ndamukong Suh second overall. Suh is an absolute truck, and I'm not just saying that because he threw Colt McCoy around like a 16 year old girl at a Roethlisberger family reunion in the Big 12 Championship game. He was great all season long. I don't think he'll have an immediate impact, but after going through growing pains and giving the team time to build the linebackers behind him then he should be a stud. They solidified the line around him by signing defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch and defensive tackle Corey Williams, so this defense should improve even though they're shaky at safety and linebacker.

If the Lions are going to win any games this year it's going to be because of their growing offense. I was never on the Matt Stafford bandwagon until this summer when I heard that he ran everything at UGA in his college days. His ability to take over the bar in the clutch when owners would turn over the keys translates nicely into the pro game, so I have new faith in his ability to perform. How much different is avoiding a pass rush than avoiding drunk huskies trying to make moves? If he can dish out a couple of quick shots to his boys so they can get the job done, I'm pretty confident that he can pitch it out to explosive first round pick Jahvid Best or toss a quick slant to his, now healthy, safety blanket tight end Brandon Pettigrew. Plus, he never had a wingman at Georgia like he has in Calvin Johnson. If he were on a slightly better team he'd be talked about in the same sentence as Larry Fitzgerald and Andre Johnson. There's enough firepower on this offense to win a firefight or two as long as Stafford can stay healthy and build on his rookie year.

Let me be clear, this team isn't about to win 12 games and take the NFC North. In the division they're probably going to go 0-4 against the Vikings and the Packers, and maybe take one against the Bears. That doesn't mean that this team won't be fun to watch and show promise. As long as Megatron is in the mix and they have an explosive back, at the very least they'll celebrate a few Sportscenter top 10s. Hey, it's a step up from that loss counter a couple years ago.