The Detroit Lions defense has a lot to prove this season, but is the secondary really a weakness?
The Detroit Lions fan base is getting excited. Many believe this could be a big year. A bounce-back year.
Considering how last season turned out, they can’t do a whole lot worse. But there is optimism in the air. Something that can only be described as ‘offensive optimism’.
The Honolulu Blue and Silver faithful are excited about the Detroit Lions offense. Perhaps with very good reason. On paper, this franchise compares very favorably to many of the best offenses in the NFL right now.
However, looking good on paper doesn’t mean anything. It has to be proven on Sundays. Last year we all gushed over the Lions talented defensive line, but the reality was that it never played as expected.
Granted injuries can wreak havoc on even the best of teams, but the Lions defensive line played poorly all season. Injuries did play a factor, but so did players not living up to the hype. This season, the offense still has to prove they are as good on the field as they are on paper.
The truth is that there is every reason to be excited about this offense. Matthew Stafford played like an MVP candidate last season until his injury. The Lions still possess one of the best receiving trios in the NFL. Second-year tight end T.J. Hockenson should be better and the addition of D’Andre Swift in the draft gives Detroit plenty of reason to believe that the long-dead ground game will finally have a pulse. Finally be productive.
The one lingering question mark is the offensive line. This is a big one too. On paper, once again, this group is more talented than last year. There is good reason to believe that they very well could be pretty good.
However, continuity is the question. A virtual offseason doesn’t build chemistry on the field. And as much as we talk about chemistry between a quarterback and his receivers, the offensive line has to have good chemistry to function at a high level.
This is the question around which the Lions possible offensive fireworks revolve. If the line functions well, then it seems a forgone conclusion the whole offense will. If the line struggles… well, the explosiveness may fizzle.