OT: Lions bold predictions
I wanted to make this topic right after the draft but had to get back to 100 points after the great point exodus of 2011. With the draft over and the beginning of the most hopeful offseason since we went 7-9 in 2007 and since that went so well (0fer in 2008) i decided that we should share this hope with eachother. So without further ado i bring to you my bold predictions for 2011 lions.
1. Top 5 in the league in sacks. (suh has 12+)
2. Top 5 in the league in forced turnovers. ( Delmas has 8+ int)
3. Leshoure rushes for 1000+ yards.
4. And the boldest of them all, Matt Stafford starts all 16+ games.
now lets hear yours
Suh and Fairley spend at least 8 games on IR, but before that happens they will knock Aaron Rodgers out for the season!
I have a strong aversion towards the NFC north!
Cheering for injuries?
You stay classy, Haiti...
Lol, I was joking. Don't let my foolishness taint your view of a nation! lol
But let's be clear... the NFC North is going to be pretty damn good this year.
Super Bowl Champions
If Stafford ACTUALLY starts and finishes all the regular season games the Lions will make the playoffs. I highly doubt that happens though. I think the Lions are screwed until their QB is no longer made of glass.
Two thoughts:
Thought the first: How indicative are Stafford's injuries of being injury prone? As far as I know, he was never hurt in college, it wasn't like he had the same injury (or even to the same shoulder) in both seasons, and wasn't his latest injury the same thing that Bradford had? I guess, is Stafford really "made of glass" or is he just unlucky? As improbable as it sounds, I kind of feel like Stafford's just been very unlucky regarding injury.
Thought the second: As far as I know, Hill is still around as the back-up. Although I'd much rather have Stafford healthy all season, I feel OK with Hill as a back-up. He's not specatular (ranked 23rd in passer rating), but he doesn't strike me as a harbinger of doom if he needs to go in.
That said, 16-0 in the regular season with a Super Bowl win, with or without Stafford. This is the year my perennial fantasy football team name comes true: LIONS SUPER BOWL
Correct me if I am wrong but Troy Aikmen was banged up a lot his forst 3 years and then stayed relatively healthy the rest of his career. I think Stafford has just had some hard shots and was brought back the last time too early. Anyone who takes a lick like the one he did his rookie year and comes out to throw a game winning touchdown is a tough SOB in my book. I think he can play through a lot of pain, but the 2 injuries he got just happened to be the type you can't play through and take a lot to heal.
That being said- I think the Lions make the playoffs and win 12 games if he is healthy. They are going to surprise people for the first time in my life and scare the hell outta teams up front. And I felt that way before we drafted Fairley. With him its going to be that much more physical.
I feel like its unfair that I get to see the Lions become good after many old men died waiting their entire lives waiting for them to be winners.
Most would say that the Lions will be a better team than 2010, a year in which only a couple of close losses kept them out of the playoffs. In fact, the Lions made a bit of a run toward the end of the season without Stafford, including the win against Green Bay. They can definitely make the playoffs without Stafford playing. And if Stafford is healthy, watch out.
Stafford goes down for the year after the second game
Fairley has an extended holdout
The Lions get blanked on MNF
*If there is a season
But really, it's pro footballl, who really cares.
I would say you're a probably in the minority of people who don't care about pro football.
what would have without your unbridled optimism
But I have correctly predicted the win totals in the previous two seasons.
And about pro football in general. I'm 25 and the last time the Lions were any good was over a decade ago. I think this town, (I live in Detroit) has lost a generation of fans because of such poor decision making. The team has one playoff win in almost 54 years making them one of the worst franchises in sports, why should I care?
The pro game is just boring to me. It's not even close to college and never will be. I know I am in the minority, but that's just how I feel.
Im glad we got a power runner but I would think that Best will outrun LeShoure.
I do predict, however, that Hanson won't make the team, and Rayner will.
I also predict that the Lions will get two MNF games awarded, due to their popularity, for 2012.
there is zero chance Hanson doesn't make the team. He is the 2nd best player in Lion's history.
I don't see suh getting 12 just cause he will be someone they always are locking to trry and block. But i do see us as a team getting low 40s in sacks.
He had 10.5 last year and we just added another potentially dominant DT. 1.5 more sacks isn't that much to ask
I'm gonna say 10-6, with a close victory on MNF. I have to say, I was upset with the Titus Young pick at the time, but I was also intoxicated at the time, which may explain why I was angry we didn't pick an OL. Boldest prediction - Young has 500+ yards receiving.
"I was upset with the Titus Young pick at the time, but I was also intoxicated at the time"
You, sir, have discovered the Tao of MGoBlog.
They will play 16 games. Or 18 games. Maybe.
The Lions will lose a game before UofM, but will finish with a higher winning percentage.
Fairley will have a promising preseason, lackluster first four games, but dominant last 12.
Titus Young will have the second most TD receptions on the team.
LeShoure will be the Lions' Tate Forcier: i.e. has his obligatory snaps due to the starter being dinged up.
The Lions finish in the top 15 in running offense, top 10 of overall offense.
(!!!) The Lions make the post-season and win their first game, losing a close second game due to a blatant no-call pass interference.
Anyone who follows the NBA understands what I'm saying. The year before they made the playoffs, Oklahoma City lost a bunch of close games before finishing out the season strong. The next year they clinched a playoff birth, losing a tightly fought series to Los Angeles. This year, they are one of the favorites for the NBA title.
I see the Lions following that same path, assuming Stafford - Durant? Westbrook? - stays healthy.
These predictions may not be bold but I expect the Lions to win 8 to 10 games and either be the last wild card or first out of the playoffs.
They will beat Chicago on Monday night where there will be at least 30 fights at Ford Field.
Megatron and Suh will be all pro and Delmas and Stafford will make the Pro Bowl
Sub and Fairley dominate. Stafford, Johnson, and Titus Young have breakout years. Wins against Green Bay and Chicago on the road. Make the playoffs!
Our winning streak at lambeau will not end this year.
Dude, the lock out is over. ;-)
Leshoure has more TDs than Best.
Best has more yards than Leshoure.
Lions lead the league in sacks. Number 1 in pass defense, top 10 in total defense. Stafford plays all 16 games and starts in the pro bowl. Lions knock all 3 division rivals starting qbs out for several games and in doing so win the division. The offense is in the top 10 as well.
My prediction is that that for the first time in over 10 years I will watch my Lions each week, win or lose, and actually enjoy the games and have pride that I'm a fan.
I also predict that we're going to start seeing a lot of fans that haven't been caught dead wearing Lions gear in years... and we will welcome them back with open arms.
The Roar will be Restored
I just bought a barry throwback jersey but it was more that it was forty bucks at flee marker (so probably "fell" off the back of a truck) than anything else.
I predict it will be mostly the same as every year:
- Sunny and warm with plenty of blue skies above to start the season.
- Cold, dark, gray and gloomy to finish it.
Spring is taking way too damn long to get to Michigan. Maybe I need a Xanax.
Is that we have had 3 seemingly competant drafts in a row. I love that mayhew actually backs up his claim to draft who he thinks is going to be the best player not who can fill a need today.
Don't take Xanax, just drink til you can't tell that its still cold
Best advice I've been given all day.
I abodoned "The Kittens" sometime ago! I wish them well but the way I see it, the "Cornbread" curse avows it's repulsive subsistence at the door step of Sir William Clay.
I think the lions will be back in the playoffs with a 9-7 record, 4-2 in division.
No way that 9-7 wins the NFC North. This division is stacked. The packers just got a ring and the bears had a first round bye. Honestly the Vikings are the only bad team in the division. Don't worry though, the lions are just gonna 11-5 and win the division
9-7
Winning Season
10-6, NFC Wild Card
10-12 win season isn't entirely out of question for the Lions. I do expect them to make the playoff next season. The Lions beat the Packers with 3rd string QB starting for them and they finished the season strong with 4 games winning streak. The Lions have finally learned how to close out games.
The Lions DL unit is elite and already garnered 44 sacks last year. I would expect the stats to be similar if not exceed the total sack total.
Not out of the question that Stafford will throw 30 TD passes. He threw for 7 TDs in 2 and half games which is on pace for about 45 TD passes for the season. I would take that stat every time if that were to happen. I do think he'll be healthy for the entire season and has been durable before his first snap in the NFL.
I am hoping the Lions can sign Jonathan Joseph(most realistic signing), Justin Durant and Stephen Tullouch(assuming that the NFL doesn't apply 2010 rules) and the defense would be improved already. I think they can re-sign Chris Houston who has done well as the #1 CB last year.
11 wins, First round of the playoffs the Lions win, 2nd round the lions win. They lose a heartbreaker in the NFC championship game to the New Oreleans Saints.
Suh finishes the year with ~ 14 sacks. Their defense is one of the best in the NFL. The offense breaks out in a way that we haven't seen since Barry and Herman Moore and Scott "LOL" Mitchell were in town.
Life is good.
Sustaining pre-season hype for the first time in who knows how long.
is that the Lions go 8-6 and earn a playoff spot.
My second bold prediction is related to the first. The Lions and the other NFL teams will only play 14 games this year. I think that the owners will take this labor dispute all the way down to the start of the season before working things out with the players.
I looked at the schedule of each team for 2011 and only few teams play a divisional rival in the first two games. Perhaps the NFL did this on purpose so that the first two games can easily be used as pre-season games that don't count for the actual records.
I also predict that the Lions lead defensive line will be the best in the league in sacks, although there is nothing bold about that. Those guys will be beasts!!
He's injury-prone and the Lions will struggle at QB when he's down.
and I still refuse to attend a Lions game at Ford Field until they become a .500 team.
Jim Branstatter says, "Oh no. Not again" 20 times this year.
Mark Champion says, "I cant believe it" 30 times
Jim Swartz says "we had a good practice this week" 16 times,
You mean 6-10?
Also, are you saying the Lions will have the same record despite playing a tough schedule last year with 2nd string QB playing the majority of the season? They have several close games that were about a break or two away from winning. They finished the season with a 4 game winning streak that featured 2 games that were on the road which is something the Lions really struggled the past few years and 2 teams that were basically a playoff team including the Super Bowl Champion. They did all of this with the majority of players on IR. Yeah, they're 6-10.
NFL have placed the Lions on MNF because they expect the Lions to do well next season and there are higher expectations (and rightfully so) that the Lions will be a playoff team. They added a lot of talents to the team.
At worst, the Lions will finish 8-8 IMO. I expect them to win 10 games with the upside of 12 games if upsets goes in their way.
My bold prediction? We're a wild card play off team! D= And we do it without Mr. Breakable.
Super Bowl champs.