Lions Will Not be Kings as Kitna Claims . . . but Close!!

I was in front of my computer screen ever so close to hurling Detroit Lions QB Jon Kitna under the bus which was towing a semi . . . Kitna was on a sports radio show and was asked to forecast his team’s Win/Loss record for the upcoming season. While refusing to give an exact number, he divulged that the number was ‘more than 10’.

Now granted . . . considering that Detroit’s juggernaut NFL franchise went an impressive 3-13 under the always astonishing leadership of GM Matt Millan, it’s a completely logical conclusion that the Lions would be a dominate force within the NFC bidding for a shot at a first round bye in the 2008 playoffs and potentially Super Bowl bound to Glendale, Arizona playing for the championship where I will be bringing you the action from the booth replacing that loser Joe Buck with a fresh new multi-year multi-million dollar contract with FOX. . . .

Or not

OK – so the above was a little far fetched, (I would never want to work with Troy Aikmen) but don’t make the same mistake I did on completely dismissing the seemingly drug-induced optimism of the Lions passer. While more than 10 wins is certainly out of the question for the Motor City Morons and their Bobby McFerrin idolizing QB, 8-10 wins is definitely within the realm of possibility . . . (that’s right, bitches . . . I said it!)

Now for those of you who are guessing that I’m about to bring up the New Orleans Saints as a defense with them winning only 3 games in the 2005 regular season and surging to a 10-6 2006 record that sealed them an NFC South Division Championship and an appearance the in the NFC Championship Game, one game away from the Super Bowl – you’d be wrong.

In the Off-Season between the 2 aforementioned performances, the Saints added NFC Pro Bowl QB Drew Brees after a huge shoulder injury (replacing the INT prone Aaron Brooks) as well as rookie sensation Reggie Bush, who lead among NFL RBs in receptions, and seventh-round draft pick turned super sleeper WR Marques Colston in addition to last year’s Coach of the Year Sean Payton and the morale resurgence that came with the completion of the rebuilt Superdome representing a city rising from the rubble of the Hurricane Katrina disaster.

The Lions have added WR Calvin Johnson, whose NFL combine performance made him the most hyped prospect of the recent NFL draft; But even that in addition to the minimal lift of RB Tatum Bell, DE Dewayne White, and OT George Forrester hardly matches the talent the above listed overhaul implanted to create the recent Brilliance of the Bayou.

So if I’ve shot that comparison down like a pass thrown by Rex Grossman in a Super Bowl, what possible evidence could I produce to lend slight credence to Kitna’s crazy claim?

The reason is as simple as clicking on single link on the Detroit Lions website . . . their upcoming schedule. There are those who instantly insist to bring up that the Lions are forced to face the past year’s NFC Champions, the Chicago Bears, twice as fellow members of the NFC North. Despite their penchant for giving weaker teams a poor performance and a shot at beating them during the previous season (i.e. the Cardinals, the Dolphins, the Vikings, the Bucs, as well as the Lions themselves) I’ll go ahead and crown their asses and proclaim that the Bears will sweep. This means that I am claiming between 8 and 10 of their other 14 games are winnable contests for this seemingly hopeless franchise.

First off, we can get about half of those out of the way in the form of the other 2 teams in the NFC North, the Green Bay Packers and the Minnesota Vikings who are, for varying reasons, franchises struggling. It’s no accident the NFC North is the weakest division in the NFL and the Lions, Packers, and Vikings are in it . . . thusly all 4 games this represents for the Lions are completely winnable.

As we view further, we see the NFC East is the sampling that the NFC North draws as the other NFC division the Lions are required to face. While they’ll likely struggle against the New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, and Dallas Cowboys, the Washington Redskins are in such disarray thanks to owner, Dan Snyder, that this gives the Lions a chance to topple a member of the best division in the NFC.

With 5 attainable wins down, we also see that the Lions draw the AFC West as the AFC division they are matched up against this season. A cake walk game for the San Diego Chargers, Denver Broncos, and Kansas City Chiefs, but for the Oakland Raiders . . . not so much. While the Raiders have rebuilt themselves to be a likely-greater threat to the Lions than their NFC North cohorts not named the Bears, Oakland is still a young and struggling offense. If they survive the defense, the Lions will be the kings of that jungle.

Which bring us to the other teams remaining on the schedule – the Arizona Cardinals and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With Tampa’s aging ‘D’, their questionable offensive play calling, and precarious QB situation (I like Jeff Garcia, but still . . .) that is a matter of which team screws up less.

It is my belief that the Cardinals will be the toughest of their 8 games that I have deemed winnable. With a substantially overhauled ‘D’ and an offense brimming with excellent potential the Cardinals need only overcome one thing . . . their history. Easier said then done ever since the let the Bears off the hook last year.

There are 8 winnable games on Detroit’s schedule that are undeniably within the grasp of any team in the NFL – Lions included (Just as the Lions are considered an easier game by the other 31 franchises in the league). Beatable Teams #9 and #10 are on the cusp of what could be a frightening decline. I’m not prepared to say that the Lions can consider them beatable as of right now, but both teams have suffered the losses of future Hall of Famers and situations that leave an abundance of questions marks in their roster — The New York Giants and the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Giants are dealing with morale issues beyond anything else any team in the NFL must endure. That’s part of being the team who resides within the biggest media market in the nation. Also, with RB Tiki Barber now retired and working on his enshrinement speech he’ll likely give in 5 years, the RB position is a question mark with Brandon Jacobs and Reuben Droughns attempting to replace the biggest single asset of the Giants offense during the past few seasons. And on top of that the LB corps is thinner than Paris Hilton sliding through the bars to escape her jail cell. Stopping the run was an issue before, now it’s just a straight up weakness.

As for the KC boyz, with QB Trent Green’s departure to Miami, the retirement over recent seasons of O-linemen Willie Roaf and Will Shields who both have a legitimate shot at making the Hall of Fame in the near future as well as the 2nd best RB in the league, Larry Johnson, threatening a hold-out on top of an aging defense, they will have trouble achieving the main goal of Head Coach Herm Edwards who demands they ‘play to win the game.’

I’m not going to sit here and proclaim that the Lions will win all 10 of these games, hence the 8-10 figure offered earlier. With the advent of being in the NFC, I’d tell Kitna his claim of 10+ wins is indeed ridiculous. . . he’ll just have to settle for being a playoff contender.