In 2007 Lions came out swinging in the first eight games. The Lions started the season 6-2 and then fell apart finishing 1-7 in the last eight games. One thing the Lions had going in the first eight games is balance in the offense and the defense made big plays. The final eight games included none of that. The Lions stopped running the ball with success, which in turn made them one dimensional. The only thing the defense stopped was making big plays.

  In 2008 the Lions will be looking to balance the offense that Mike Martz could not. In order to do this the lions have instituted the zone blocking scheme used in Denver. The trouble is, they got rid of their best two runners. The Lions cut Kevin Jones and T.J. Duckett is now a Seahawk. However they did draft Kevin Smith in the 3rd round and he is now the starter in front of newly signed and now bagless Rudi Johnson. Tatum Bell had to go because the Lions had him deactivated for the final 11 games, and in Denver he wasn’t the back they used in their zone blocking plays. He was an outside runner and he still has those small hands that give him a seemingly a chronic case of fumblitis!

  What the Lions offense has going for it is a veteran quarterback, two top tier wide receivers, and a new man calling the plays. Calling the plays is a much bigger deal than you would think. Mike Martz often abandoned the running game and also would calls plays that weren’t even practiced. Also the quarterback is to stay in the pocket and throw to a spot even if the receiver isn’t there yet. This year the Lions may even throw to their tight end Dan Campbell, remember him? If they don’t they have roll out plays to get Wrs space if the running game is an actual threat.

  On the other side of the ball the Lions have made many additions. By subtracting overweight and under motivated Sean Rogers for a solid cornerback Leigh Bodden who just got a contract extension. The Lions also signed former Buccaneer’s corner Brian Kelly, safety Dwight Smith, and defensive tackle Chuck Darby.

  The lions also drafted Colorado linebacker Jordan Dizon in the 2nd round to play the middle next to their best defensive player "Hurtin" Ernie Sims.......eventually. Ernie Sims has led the Lions in tackles each of his first two seasons and is one of the best Lbs in the entire NFL. In the preseason the Lions defense did what it has failed to do for many many many years......swarm to the football. They had multiple players at each tackle and that is what a team needs to establish a solid defense.

  In 2008 the Lions have a lot of questions that need and should be answered. The Lions can not continue to have losing seasons and ignore the many holes the have year after year. The Lions have not been able to put together and sort of dominant lines on either side of the football. It has been said and proven that teams need to control the game through winning in the trenches. Unfortunately the Lions have not dominated them since the early 90’s.
 
  The 2008 Detroit Lions have more questions than answers right now but look poised to be better than years past. As Kansas City Chiefs head coachHerm Edwards said "you deal with right now, the past is what you learn from. Here are some of the burning questions facing the Lions this season. There are a lot of them and I am sure I missed a bunch.

1. Will the Lions be able to run the ball? They do not have a proven running back and have a questionable offensive line. The have a new run scheme with zone blocking which should help.

2. With all the new players on defense, Can they gel as a unit? The Lions had a league worst points per game against them last season. The Lions have to be able to outscore their opponents to win just like every other NFL team. It is hard to score with the offense on the sidelines.

3. Can third year head coach Rod Marinelli figure out when to challenge plays? He has not been very good at this in his first two years.

4. Did Matt Millen draft the best players for this team? We all know the answers to this question in years past and it looks the same again at the front of this latest class.

5.Can the Lions string together a better run that just the first eight games? We all know it isn’t how you start, its how you finish. This can be said in each game as well.

6.Can quarterback Jon Kitna win games in the 4th quarter? He has been pretty good at losing them in the 4th quarter.

7.Will the tandem of Kevin Smith and Rudi Johnson be good enough to open up the passing game?

8. Will the Lions be able to pressure the QB in order to make the secondary better? DE DeWayane White is moving to RDE so he will be now facing the other teams LT which is usually the best lineman.

9. Will Roy Williams have a typical "contract year" season like so may other players have?

10. Is Calvin Johnson really the next big thing? CJ and Roy both have an opportunity to have a great season if the Lions take the focus away from them with a solid running attack.

11. Can the Lions finally win at Lambeau Field? They have not won there since pre-Brett Favre.

12. Will the Lions identify their weakest links this season so that in 2009 when they have a great deal of cap space they can fill those needs?

13. Left Tackle Jeff Backus is running out of excuses for mediocre at best seasons. He is healthy this season and needs to keep Jon Kitna off his back. Backus has been known to throw some "lookout blocks" (a lookout block is when the lineman misses the defender and yells to the QB "LOOKOUT!").

14. Who is going to step up and be this teams go-to RB?

15. Will this be the first season in Ford Field history where the Lions have a blacked out home game? Ticket prices actually went up and season tickets have gone down. The Owners (William Clay Ford) run the football team just like their Ford Motor Division.

16. Does this team have a shot for the NFC North division? (Yes)

Predictions:

Kitna will throw for more than 4000 yards

Rookie Kevin Smith will rush for over 800 yards.

Roy Williams will catch 10 tds with 1,000 yards receiving

Calvin Johnson will catch 12 tds with 1,100 yards receiving

Ernie Sims will lead the team in tackles.....again

Matt Millen will not be fired

season record will be 6-10

3rd in the division

10th pick in the 2009 draft

The most common draft strategy used by many fantasy team owners is to draft running backs in round one and two. Some even take backs in the first three rounds. But if everyone does this how would anyone separate their team from other teams besides injuries? This year there are four QBs you should consider in the first round as well. This doesn’t mean to skip RBs all together, but consider other options.

This year is the year you can finally get an edge. This doesn’t mean you need to draft a kicker in round three, you still should be drafting your kicker dead last. What you may need is a new strategy. If everyone is using the same strategies usually the only thing that separates your team from theirs is dumb luck.

The era of the three down back is over. In 2007 the NFL saw it lowest total of 300 carry backs (6) since 1999. There are a lot of quality backs you can get after the RB draft frenzy is over. In fact there are only a few backs worthy of round one status. Lets break it down.

Round 1 RBs

1. LaDanian Tomlinson – he is healthy and a fantasy stud, he is worthy of a number one overall pick.

2. Adrian Peterson – Peterson is unstoppable at times and can rack up monstrous fantasy numbers against any team any week. Worthy of a top 5 pick.

3. Steven Jackson – Jackson was injured in 2007 and the Ram offense was a non-factor. In 2008 big things are expected from Jackson and unless he holds out for a long period of time he is worthy of your round one pick in the 4-8 range.

4. Joseph Addai- The Colts offense is predicated on the ability of Peyton Manning to be able to run play action passes. This makes Addai’s role very important again in 2008 and he should deliver as well. Addai is a "inside the 5 guy" as well (see below)He is worthy of your round one pick in the 4-8 range.

5. Brian Westbrook – Westbrook does it all in Philly. He runs well, catches the ball, and blocks. Westbrook and McNabb should both have good years, but Westbrook is the key to it all and they will use him as such. He is also worthy of your round one pick between 5-10.

Round 2 RBs

Frank Gore had a bit of a down year after his breakout season in 2006. But with a new offense coordinated by Mike Martz Gore should flourish once again. Gore could be yours at pick 10-13.
Larry Johnson is back and ready to go. He is rated low this year based off of last years stats. Last season he held out almost all of camp and then was injured. The Chief’s offense has a bright spot and it shines on Johnson. He may fall all the way to the end of round 2 or even into round 3.

Clinton Portis is now under the West Coast offense in Washington. Portis will get more catches and should be better in 2008 with a healthy shoulder. He should go early in the 2nd round.

Marshawn #### is the number one back in Buffalo and could have another good season. He was a surprise as a rookie and should be able to build on that to haveyet a n even bigger 2008. #### should go in the 2nd round for sure.

Marion Barber is now the featured back in Dallas. With an offense like the Cowboys have he could have yet his biggest season yet. He hasn’t been at his best as the featured back in the past when Julius Jones was out, but Jones is gone now and Barber doesn’t have a choice but to be the man. Barber may go early in round 2 but he would be better late in round 2 or early round three.

Best of the Rest

Jamal Lewis is part of a very potent Cleveland attack. He was one of the better RBs last season but is still ranked too low in pre-draft rankings. You could snag him as late as round 5!

Matt forte is a rookie in Chicago this year and is going to be the featured back. First Cedric Benson was arrested twice and then swiftly cut. Then the Bears brought in former Lion Kevin Jones but he is still hurt yet again from last season. Forte may slip under the radar onto your roster in round 4 or later.

One-Two Punch

These are the players that if you draft one you need to get the other.

Willie Parker is still the one in the one-two punch in Pittsburgh. Parker will get the bulk of the load ahead of rookie Rashard Mendenhall.

Kevin Smith is a rookie in Detroit where they team has changed from a pass happy offense to a run oriented zone blocking scheme used in Denver. Tatum Bell is the veteran of the duo. Bell started the first 5 games last year until Kevin Jones returned. However once Jones did return, Bell was deactivated in all 11 weeks after.

Maurice Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor may actually have better numbers as a duo in 2008 with the additions to the already stout defense. The offense should be on the field even more so they will be solid picks once again.
Don’t Forget Backs

Brandon Jacobs, Darren McFadden, Edgerin James, Rudi Johnson, Ronnie Brown, Thomas Jones, Julius Jones, TJ Duckett, Reggie Bush, and Michael Turner should all be available after you have filled your other starters at every other position.

RBs to Stay Away from Early


Laurence Maroney- The Patriots use so many backs and Maroney has been injured so many times that you should pick him with caution. He should be a late round find instead of an early round buster without the rhymes.

Willis McGahee is highly ranked and lowly productive. The Ravens offense is terrible and the QB situation may change every week making Willis a weak pick. Hope that another fantasy owner goes bananas and drafts him in the 2nd round.



Handy Dandy Chart

Here is another way to look for a RB late in your draft that can have an impact on your season. With so many teams running by committee it is very important to have the back that teams go to in the red zone. Although some of the players didn’t rack up a ton of points last year that doesn’t mean they won’t in 2008. You should seriously consider these numbers when determining one player ahead of another.


Here are the top ten go to backs when it matters. They may not be your franchise back but they each had at least 200 carries.

Player                              carries                inside the 5

Jamal Lewis                    298                      
    22

Joseph Addai                  261                           18

Clinton Portis                  324                           17

LaDanian Tomlinson    315                           17

Thomas Jones               310                           15

Willis McGahee              294                           14

Earnest Graham            222                           14

LenDale White                304                          13

Marion Barber                 201                          13

Edgerin James              323                           11