Delusion.
What? Where did you think I was going with that?
There aren’t many people who will argue that the Detroit Lions won’t be improved in 2010. Hell, these guys won two games last season, so there’s not much room to get worse.
Still, you have to like the way this team is going if you’re a Lions’ fan (which I am not).
Quarterback Matthew Stafford will continue to improve in his second season and looks as if he may be the real deal. The Lions may actually have a serviceable No. 2 receiver to pair with Calvin Johnson, after signing Nate Burleson in the offseason. The team drafted running back Jahvid Best in the first round, so the running game looks set. If the team’s offensive line can hold up, the Lions’ offense could be solid.
The defense was the worst in the NFL in 2009, but the Lions have added defensive linemen Ndamukong Suh, Kyle Vanden Bosch, and Corey Williams, and cornerbacks Chris Houston and Ko Simpson. Seriously, there’s nowhere to go but up.
Anyway, what does all of this get you?
Well, the Lions will be improved. That’s for sure.
However, there appears to be a little bit of delusion floating around the Detroit locker room.
“My expectations are the playoffs at the least, and I don’t see why we can’t get that,” first-round pick Ndamukong Suh said. “I think we’re all excited with what we have. What I saw from last year, even though we went 2-14, that we had a great offense, and the offense needs some help on the defensive side of the ball.”
Hmmmm…
The guy’s 23 and probably has no idea the Lions haven’t made the playoffs since 1999, so we’ll chalk this one up to youthful exuberance.
Suh isn’t the only Lions’ player with high expectations, though.
Safety Louis Delmas, who looks like he may turn into a hell of a player, has similar expectations.
“If we get eight wins and we don’t make it to the playoffs, I’ll be pissed. So that’s what we’re shooting for,” Delmas said.
Maybe Delmas is unaware that zero eight-win temas made the playoffs last season, but hey, he’s 23 and entering his second season in the league.
So, we know this about the 2010 Lions. They’re likely to improve on their two-win total of 2009. They’re young. They have no sense of history. They’re not real bright.
Maybe that’s a good thing in Detroit.
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