Naughty Nurse: Detroit Lions off life support

The Vital Signs

Coach (record): Jim Schwartz (18-30 with Detroit; 18-30 overall)
2011 Record: 10-6 (29.6 PPG-24.2 PPG)
Record against the spread: 7-7-2
Record vs. Quality Opponents: 0-5 (21.6 PPG – 30.2 PPG)
Record last five seasons: 25-55
Best Quality Stat in 2011: Scoreability, Real Quarterback Rating, Offensive Passer Rating (5th)
Worst Quality Stat in 2011: Quality Standings (29th)
Overall =Overall position in Quality Stats Power Rankings; QS= Quality Standings; SCOR = Scorability; Bend = Bendability; RPYPA = Real Passing Yards Per Attempt; DRPYPA = Defensive Real Passing; QBR = Real Quarterback Rating; DQBR = Defensive Real Quarterback Rating; OPR = Offensive Passer Rating; DPR = Defensive Passer Rating; PRD = Passer Rating Differential; OHI = Offensive Hog Index; DHI = Defensive Hog Index; REL = Relativity Index.

Statistical curiosity of 2011: Detroit finished the season 0-5 in out Quality Standings but still found a way to claim the sixth seed in the NFC playoffs. That may not be as big an anomaly as it first appears: the Patriots were 0-2 and went to the Super Bowl, but it left the Lions no room for error in the remainder of their schedule. Detroit's record against Quality Opponents may be a bit deceiving, too. The Lions beat the Cowboys, Bears and Raiders at a time when all three looked like they could be contenders, but all three ended the year 8-8 Still, the 0-5 record against Quality Teams shows that there’s still a lot of room for improvement in 2012.

Best Game of 2011: 38-0 win at home against San Diego (Week 16). It was win-and-in time for Detroit that weekend after a roller coaster ride of a season. A record crowd of 62,249 crammed into Ford Field to watch the Lions score on all four of their possessions in the first half to take a 24-0 lead. The Lions injury-riddled secondary kept Philip Rivers and his group of talented receivers under control all afternoon. In the end, head coach Jim Schwartz was drenched with two coolers of Gatorade and then he and the team walked over to the brick wall in front of the stands to take a victory lap and high-five the fans that ringed the field.

Worst Game of 2011: 27-15 loss at home against Green Bay on Thanksgiving Day (Week 12). When the Lions matched the Packers with a 5-0 record to start the season football fans all over the country began to change their Thanksgiving Day traditions from brunches, turkey bowls early dinners to making sure the keg was ready for television time when these two kicked off the NFL action. By game time the Packers were still undefeated at 10-0 and even though the Lions had slipped to a 7-3 record, the losses came against quality competition and the game was still highly anticipated.

The Lions dominated the first half of the game, moving the ball into Packers territory in each of their first three drives but key mistakes each time kept them from being able to capitalize. As well as the Lions played, they went into their locker room at the half losing 7-0. In the second half, problems emerged that would plague the team the remainder of the season. Ndamukong Suh lost control and was ejected from the game (and suspended for two more). The incident started discussions around the league about discipline problems that got worse the following week. On the defense, injuries began to mount up in the secondary. Things got so bad that wide receiver Rashied Davis was called on to play safety. The secondary depth never improved for the remainder of the season.

Strength: Quarterback and receivers. Seriously, is this a trick question? Matthew Stafford played all 16 games of the season for the first time in his career and reminded anyone who needed reminding, after injuries cut the first two seasons of his career short, why he was the first overall pick in the 2009 draft. Stafford finished 2011 ranked at or near the top of every positive statistical category with the other elite quarterbacks of the NFL. He was the third quarterback, along with Drew Brees and Tom Brady, to pass the 5,000 yards passing milestone this season. Stafford was also in the top three in passing touchdowns and completions.

Stafford made it clear as early as Week 1 that Calvin Johnson was going to be his main target. Johnson caught nine touchdown passes in the first five games of the season and caught 16 for the season, one behind league leader Rob Gronkowski. Johnson led the NFL with 105.1 receiving yards per game and was fourth in receptions (96). Stafford and Johnson worked so well together that Johnson just signed a seven-year contract extension to make him the highest paid player in NFL history.

Johnson is the cornerstone of one of the best receiving corps in the league. Nate Burleson caught 73 passes last season and rookie Titus Young caught 48 while adding speed to pass catching ability. The Lions also have two quality tight ends in Brandon Pettigrew and Tony Scheffler. Both are big targets and Pettigrew was No. 8 in the NFL in receptions last season with 83, just four spots behind his more famous and more wealthy wide receiver teammate.

Weakness: Run offense and defense.The Lions were consistent last season. They struggled to run the ball effectively and their inability to stop the run cost them a couple of key games and kept others closer than they needed to be.

Lions second round draft choice Mikel Leshoure had been brought in to add a power option to the backfield to offset Jahvid Best but tore his left Achilles tendon in training camp and was out for the season. Best struggled to run the ball effectively the first four games of the season but had a big game in week five against the Bears with 163 yards rushing, 88 of those on one third quarter touchdown run. The following week against the 49ers he was only able to pick up 37 yards on 12 carries but the worse news came after the game when it was found out that he had suffered a concussion, his second of the season. Best never got back on the field for the Lions and was finally cleared medically to begin working out again at the beginning of March.

The Lions tried to acquire Ronnie Brown from Philadelphia for Jerome Harrison but doctors found a brain tumor during Harrison’s physical and the trade fell through. The team did get a shot in the arm week 11 against the Carolina Panthers after they re-signed Kevin Smith and he ran for 140 yards on 16 carries and two touchdowns to help spark a 49-35 victory. Smith suffered an ankle injury in the game and he, along with Maurice Morris and Keiland Williams, were used in a rotating system at running back the rest of the season.

On defense, the Lions were 29th in the league in yards per carry average at 5.0 and No. 23 in yards per game average at 128.1. They had beaten the Bears in week five even though Matt Forte had run for 116 yards and had gained 35 more on four receptions. The following week Frank Gore broke off two long runs to set up scores and allowed the 49ers to keep the clock moving late in the fourth quarter. In week 14, Joe Webb almost brought the Vikings all the way back for a win when he started their comeback with a 64-yard touchdown run.

General off-season strategy/overview: So far the Lions have been content with getting their own players under contract. They locked in Megatron with a Megadeal and re-signed safety Erik Coleman to a one-year contract.

Depth in the secondary became an issue last season due to injuries and Coleman is a valuable player to have back for 2012. Also at safety, Amari Speivey had an inconsistent season and was benched in favor of Chris Harris, who was acquired mid-season from the Bears, until injuries gave him a second opportunity. Unfortunately for the Lions, safety is not a strong position in either free agency or the draft this season. They also have a problem at cornerback with Aaron Berry opposite Chris Houston. Berry was torched in the Wild Card playoff game against New Orleans. Berry is young and there’s still potential for him to develop. They also have Alphonso Smith who has been an effective cornerback in two seasons with the Lions so they should be able to prioritize other positions first. They’ll likely draft at safety and cornerback in the later rounds to try and build depth and bring in an undrafted free agent or two to look at in mini-camp.

It appears middle linebacker Stephen Tulloch may not be back for the Lions next season depending on whether they can get closer together on money for a long-term deal. The Lions want him back but it’s still early in the process. Tulloch is small for a middle linebacker which might have contributed to the difficulty the Lions had in run defense last season. Their ability to tighten up their defense against the run in 2012 will depend on what direction they take with the middle linebacker position.

The last position group of the team that will need to be addressed as the offseason continues is the offensive line. It’s not that the offensive line is a team weakness; it’s that the line is ready to drop back into rocking chairs at the snap. Center Dominic Raiola and left tackle Jeff Backus predate the Millen “error” and guard Stephen Peterman just completed his seventh year in the league. So far in this free agent period there has been no information on the Lions and Backus working on a new deal so a replacement on the left side of the line may be in the works. It shouldn’t be underestimated about how important it is to have a line that’s played together for consecutive seasons. The group tends to be stronger than the parts but younger talent needs to be added at some point. Whatever they do accomplish on the offensive line an upgrade in run blocking ability is a necessity.

Totally premature 2012 diagnosis: In 2011 the patient ripped off the life-support mechanisms, trashed the monitors and tore the door to the hospital off its hinges as he walked out to get on with his life again. About the discipline problems and especially the spotty play that emerged at times during the second half of the season; you have to remember how long the patient had been comatose. The Lions need to learn from their issues, especially that lapses in discipline are only imitations of toughness. Those lapses hurt the entire team and lead to more embarrassment and end in losing. If they figure that out in 2012 then this team is ready to be dangerous.

It may be too early to predict the Lions taking a trip to New Orleans to play in Super Bowl XLVII but general manager Martin Mayhew has put a solid foundation in place for the Lions to be a perennial winning team and playoff participant for the immediate future. Between what the Lions have built, what the Packers still are and the moves the Bears have made so far this offseason, the NFC North has the potential to be one of the best divisions in football for a long time.

By Tom Pollin