Detroit Lions: Just where is this team headed this season?

Now don’t get me wrong, this whole team and coaching staff have all contributed to this poor record and underachieving season so far, but the Lions share of the blame, if you’ll pardon the expression, has to be heaped on the defensive front seven.

And the majority of that goes to the defensive line.

This franchise knew they were undermanned on the defensive line after last season. Once Haloti Ngata went down to injury in week five last year, the defense became a sieve. They couldn’t stop the run to save their lives or their Mothers lives or anyone else of consequence.

That meant the Lions had to know going into the offseason that they needed to upgrade their defensive front seven.

They instead chose to invest in the run game. Now considering that the Lions were equally as putrid at running the ball as they were stopping it, this wasn’t the worst choice in the world. After all, it’s not like they used their first pick in the draft on a receiver when the Lions have one of the most talented receiving corps in the league.

However, they have no one to blame but themselves for bypassing on what could have been an integral piece to this defense; free agent nose-tackle Johnathan Hankins.

While the Lions have been brutal at setting the edge on defense against the run, in a 3-4 defense, which is the front they run the majority of the time, the ability to shut down opposing running backs starts with the nose-tackle. Hankins is one of the premiere nose-tackles in the league. He’s still young at 26 years old and a native of Dearborn Heights. Signing him would have solidified the middle of the defense against the run.

Yet by all accounts the Lions chose not to reach out to him. It was pointed out that the Lions had already signed Sylvester Williams by the time the Indianapolis Colts released Hankins, but good teams don’t allow details like that stop them from upgrading their talent.

Now signing Johnathan Hankins wouldn’t have cured all the Lions ailments in their front seven, but it would have solidified at least one position. He’s a monster against the run and is that rare athlete who can also push the pocket back into a quarterbacks lap.

In short, the Lions bungled that opportunity.