Pre-Season Preview: What to watch for from the Detroit Lions

The Offense

Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

Golden Tate has made no bones about it, this offense is a lot different from the one that took the field in 2014. He made that quite clear when I interviewed him back in June. Tate said “I think it’s night and day from we were last year.” He went on to say that “We know the offense and now we can really focus on the details.” In other words the Lions have the offense down, and now they’re working on other fine points.

Year Two

As I pointed out at the top of the page, the Lions have a much better understanding of the offense at this point. It’s no secret that learning an entirely new playbook isn’t a one year deal. The Lions will tell you themselves that last year they had trouble figuring out the playbook and translating it on to the field.

As you can see, the Lions feel a lot more confident about the offense now.

With Bell on the PUP,, Will Ameer Abdullah take advantage?

The common thought up until now has been that Joique Bell will become the Lions starting running back and receive the majority of the carries. Now with bell slated to start the year on the PUP list, this is Ameer Abdullah’s time to shine. The exciting thing for fans is they will get to see a lot more of Abdullah than originally expected. What will he do with that time?

Speaking of running back, who will win the Zenner Vs. Winn battle?

This should be fun. Two running backs that are arguably fan favorites going head to head for a roster spot. Right now the favorite has to be George Winn due to his NFL experience. But Zenner is only a step behind. How will he react to getting his first carries in the NFL?

Next: Other things to watch for