Adrian Fedkiw
Each day leading up to the official start of the NFL football season, I will be providing you with player rankings, team previews, analysis, predictions, opinions and a whole lot more.
History has repeated itself in Detroit.
After the Lions greatest running back in franchise history Barry Sanders retired at 31 years old in 1999, their greatest wide receiver in franchise history Calvin Johnson hung it up at 30 this past offseason.
The one glaring difference between Sanders and Megatron, at least Detroit won a playoff game during Sanders’ career. The Lions’ 1991 NFC Divisional playoff win over the Dallas Cowboys remains their only postseason triumph since 1957.
Detroit was unable to build on a promising 2014 campaign when it won 11 games before losing to Dallas in the Wild Card Round. The Lions began 1-7 before getting hot later, but still finished the year at just 7-9 following a 6-2 close to the campaign.
The Lions hired Bob Quinn as general manager after he spent his last 16 with the New England Patriots. He decided to retain Jim Caldwell and the rest of his staff, including offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter, who took over for Joe Lombardi midway through the season.
Grading the Roster
QBs- Matthew Stafford (7.6), Dan Orlovsky (7.1)
RBs- Ameer Abdullah (7.4), Theo Riddick (7.3), Zach Zenner (7.2)
WRs- Golden Tate (7.5), Marvin Jones (7.4), Anquan Boldin (7.3), Jeremy Kerley (7.2)
TEs- Eric Ebron (7.3), Brandon Pettigrew (7.1)
Ts- Taylor Decker (7.2), Riley Reiff (7.4), Cornelius Lucas (7.3)
Gs- Larry Warford (7.5), Laken Tomlinson (7.3), Geoff Schwartz (7.3)
Cs- Travis Swanson (7.3), Graham Glasgow (7.3)
DEs- Ziggy Ansah (8.5), Devin Taylor (7.3), Wallace Gilberry (7.2), Anthony Zettel (7)
DTs- Haloti Ngata (7.6), A’Shawn Robinson (7.3), Tyrunn Walker (7.2), Stefan Charles (7.1)
OLBs- DeAndre Levy (7.6), Josh Bynes (7.4), Kyle Van Noy (7.2), Antwione Williams (7.1)
ILBs- Tahir Whitehead (7.4), Jon Bostic (7.2)
CBs- Darius Slay (7.9), Nevin Lawson (7.2), Quandre Diggs (7.1), Johnson Bademosi (7.1)
Ss- Glover Quin (7.5), Rafael Bush (7.3), Tavon Wilson (7.2)
K- Matt Prater (7.3)
P- Sam Martin (7,3)
KR- Ameer Abdullah (7.3)
PR- Golden Tate (7.3)
Team Rankings
Team- 7.345 (28/32)
Offense- 7.319 (28/32)
Defense- 7.395 (16/32)
Quarterbacks-7.35 (22/32)
Running Backs- 7.3 (20/32)
Receivers- 7.3 (28/32)
Offensive Line- 7.33 (21/32)
Defensive Line- 7.53 (3/16)
Linebackers- 7.32 (10/16)
Secondary- 7.34 (19/32)
Special Teams- 7.3
Coaches- 7.3
PREDICTION– 5-11 (4th NFC North)
QUARTERBACKS
Matt Stafford excelled with Bob Cooter as the offensive coordinator, throwing 19 touchdowns and two interceptions during the final eight games. He showed a lot more consistency in Bob Cooter’s simplistic offense.
Stafford’s decision making improved drastically, was tough in the pocket and was able to show off his rocket of an arm.
Dan Orlovsky is the backup at quarterback.
RUNNING BACKS
Ameer Abdullah averaged 4.2 yards per carry during his rookie season. He has quick, sudden and has great jump cutting ability. He accelerates quickly and is electrifying when you get him in space.
Theo Riddick is a tremendous pass catcher out of the backfield. He’s dependable and smart. Zach Zenner is a darkhorse candidate.
RECEIVERS
Golden Tate saw his production drop by more than 500 yards despite catching just nine less passes in 2015. Tate is strong and has solid ball skills. He’s elusive after the catch, but didn’t showcase the deep ball ability like 2014.
Marvin Jones got $30 million guaranteed to help make up for Johnson’s production. He has size, can high point the ball and makes a lot of contested catches. The 35-year-old Anquan Boldin was also brought in to contribute.
Eric Ebron enters his third year and the former first-round pick has yet to live up to the hype, which is a similar path to that of Brandon Pettigrew.
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN
Taylor Decker was taken in the first round and will be the immediate starter at left tackle. He’s a physical mauler who is tough, long and smart. The gritty Riley Reiff is the starter on the other side.
Larry Warford and Laken Tomlinson are the starters at guard. Both are powerful and nasty. Travis Swanson will be the starting center and Graham Glasgow was taken in the third round to potentially be the future center if Swanson doesn’t step up his game.
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN
Defensive end Ziggy Ansah’s potential is unlimited. I don’t think he’s reached his ceiling yet. He had 14 ½ sacks, which was third in the NFL.
He’s a freak of an athlete. He has the speed to get around the edge and the strength to power through a blocker. It’s crazy because Ansah is still a bit raw and learning the techniques of a defensive end. As a run defender, he uses his strength, length and physicality to fight through blockers. He does a great job chasing down runners from behind. Devin Taylor will be the starter opposite of him.
The 32-year-old Haloti Ngata is obviously not the elite player he used to be. At 6’4, 340, Ngata is still, however, one of the best two-gap space eaters in the league. He’s still successful at shedding blocks and getting to the ball carrier. Despite his age, he can still move and make athletic plays for a man of his massive girth and size.
Tyrunn Walker is the other starter at defensive tackle and A’Shawn Robinson was taken in the second round to be a starter down the line.
LINEBACKERS
DeAndry Levy returns following a hip injury. He’s made remarkable strides in Detroit over the last couple of seasons. He used to play a bit out of control at times early on in his career, but has certainly learned how to harness his craft.
He’s best as a run defender, an aggressive run and hit type. He uses his leverage and lower body strength. He can take blockers on head on. He uses his intelligence to sift through traffic and take down ball carriers. Levy can get after the quarterback when he blitzes or stunts.
Josh Bynes did a solid job filling in for Levy, but is on injured reserve due to a foot injury. Kyle Van Noy hasn’t lived up to his second-round pick billing, but will start at outside linebacker. The underrated Tahir Whitehead will be the starter at middle linebacker.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
Cornerback Darius Slay is very overlooked in Detroit. He uses his physical skill set and long arms to disrupt a receiver throughout his route and at the catch point. He also possesses some very quick feet and is overall just very smooth.
The depth behind Slay is lacking and Nevin Lawson got the nod as the other starter. Last year’s sixth-round pick Quandre Diggs and Johnson Bademosi are the other options.
Safety Glover Quin plays with great range and instincts as a single-high centerfield safety, but can also step in and play man. Quin has good hands too. Quin is solid in the running game and is at his best in the open field. Rafael Bush was the third wheel for New Orleans at safety the last few years, but will finally get his chance to start for Detroit.
TEAM PREVIEWS
AFC East: Buffalo Bills | New England Patriots | Miami Dolphins | New York Jets
AFC North: Baltimore Ravens | Cincinnati Bengals | Pittsburgh Steelers | Cleveland Browns
AFC South: Indianapolis Colts | Houston Texans | Jacksonville Jaguars | Tennessee Titans
AFC West: Denver Broncos | Kansas City Chiefs | San Diego Chargers | Oakland Raiders
NFC West: Los Angeles Rams | San Francisco 49ers | Seattle Seahawks | Arizona Cardinals
NFC South: Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Atlanta Falcons | New Orleans Saints | Carolina Panthers
NFC North: Chicago Bears
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NFL PLAYER RANKINGS