To properly kick off training camp, Detroit Lions head coach Jim Caldwell clearly states the goal for the 2017 season: To hoist a Lombardi Trophy.
As players began reporting for Detroit Lions training camp on Saturday, head coach Jim Caldwell reiterated during the open press conference what the team’s ultimate goal is this season: Super Bowl or bust. As it always is.
Coming off the Lions’ second playoff berth in three seasons, expectations are high as Detroit’s front office did a good job of mitigating the team’s offseason losses by signing quality free agents and essentially resetting this roster for another run. And make no mistake, hoisting a Lombardi Trophy is the endgame.
"“The same way I’ve defined it every time that I’ve ever stepped in front of this podium,” Caldwell told the team’s official website on Saturday. “Winning it all is a sign of success, and we’re looking at nothing other than that. We want to be the last team standing. That’s our goal.”"
This kind of optimism at the start of training camp is normal as every NFL team is undefeated until September. Still, the Lions do have a lot going for them. The biggest of which might be consistency.
A majority of this Detroit team that went 9-7 last season are returning. Healthier and hungrier. Quarterback Matthew Stafford is entering his ninth year. He was a real contender for NFL MVP prior to things falling apart late last season. The 29-year old threw for 4,327 yards, 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while completing 65.3% of his passes.
His supporting cast returns with two healthy running backs in Ameer Abdullah and Theo Riddick in the backfield. And wide receivers Golden Tate and Marvin Jones Jr. along with the growing Eric Ebron at tight end give Stafford plenty of offensive weapons with which to strike.
And Stafford has himself an improved offensive line that added quality free agents in guard T.J. Lang and tackle Ricky Wagner. Both should help protect the Lions’ franchise quarterback while also giving a boost to Detroit’s rushing attack.
Defensively, the Lions’ hope elite pass rusher Ziggy Ansah returns to Pro Bowl form after nagging injuries limited him to just 2.0 sacks in 2016. Detroit seriously upgraded their linebacker corps drafting Florida’s Jarrad Davis to man the middle of the field. His presence should boost what many considered to be the team’s weakest positional group in 2016.
Finally, let’s talk about this Lions’ secondary. For me, it starts and ends with Darius Slay. It’s time for this defensive giant to get his due from the NFL for the playmaker that he is and finally get that Pro Bowl nod he deserves. In order to do so, Slay will need to get more takeaways this season. He’s posted just two interceptions for each of his past three seasons in Detroit.
In fact, creating turnovers is something the entire Lions’ defense needs to focus on as they ranked a lowly 28th in the NFL in total takeaways last year. The additions of free agent cornerback D.J. Hayden and second round rookie Teez Tabor to the secondary should help in that department.
Next: Detroit Lions - Problems cutting down to a 53-Man roster
Make no mistake. The 2017 Detroit Lions are “for real” this season. But that’s easy to say in the final week of July. Let’s see if we are all saying that exact same thing in the first week of February.