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boogerlovejoy
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Here is what I think the starting lineup looks like game 1. This is assuming, of course, that there are no injuries.
WR 1 - Calvin Johnson (98) Megatron....enough said.
WR 2 - Golden Tate (91) Best #2 in the league. Yeah, I'm lookin at you Randall Cobb!!
WR 3 - Impossible to say. Lombardi usually uses a TE....or Fuller outside and Tate in the slot. Or a RB......Riddick or Abdullah......so I don't see the Lions having a true slot WR. I would love Broyles to win the job.....but Caldwell is sticking to his "he plays the same position as Tate does" reason for not playing him so......
TE - Eric Ebron (80) He will improve this year, but that's not saying a whole lot. I think he has a couple games in 2015 where he justifies his draft position.....but not enough of them.
LT - Riley Rieff (83) Solid starter......but certainly not elite.
LG - Laken Tomlinson (88) Yeah....88!! I think he is going to be a very good player.
C - Manny Ramirez (81) Better than Swanson at this point....he wins the job.
RG - Larry Warford (92) Elite RG.....will go to the pro bowl in '15.
RT - LaAdrian Waddle (75) I think he wins the job with Robinson the future at the position.
QB - Matthew Stafford (86) Needs a big year for the Lions to make a playoff run.
RB - Ameer Abdullah (83) I think he wins the "starting" job....but I have concerns if he can
be an every down back at the NFL level at his size and style. Joique will still get 10 carries/game.
FB - Michael Burton (No Grade) Wins the job because, hey, he's the only FB on the roster. You don't spend a 5th round pick on a FB if he isn't going to start. Seems to have decent hands and is more athletic than your average bruising FB. Can he clear a path or is he strictly a goal line H-back type? Clearly, this pick ends the "Ebron as a multi-positional player" theory that was popular after he was drafted last year.
LE - Ziggy Ansah (84) Shows flashes....solid run defender.....but disappears too often to be considered anything more than good.
DT 1 - Haloti Ngata (93) Elite run defender. OK pass rusher. Will he make people forget about #90.....no......will he have a good year. YES.
DT 2 - Tyrunn Walker (80) Will benefit from playing next to Ngata. Will have a solid year, but not the year it seems everyone is predicting for him.
RE - Jason Jones (71) Worst Lions starting player. Offers little more than decent run support from the position. Will be replaced on passing downs by Taylor/Van Noy/Webster. Webster has a shot at winning the starting spot here with a good camp.
OLB - DeAndre Levy (95) Best player on the D. Elite. It's a fucking TRAGEDY he didn't make the pro bowl last year. If he was a Seahawk or Patriot......he'd be an All-Pro.
MLB - Stephen Tulloch (82) Solid MLB who will see the field less in 2015 because of "the Zit" (Whitehead). Will still be a solid 1st and 2nd down MLB.
OLB - Kyle Van Noy (85) Wins the job. I thought he was a GREAT pick last year and was going to win DROY......I expect him to be very good in 2015. I think Levy and Van Noy as Nickle LB's will be the best 3rd down pair in the NFL. Yeah. I said it.
CB 1 - Darius Slay (85) Will improve some again in 2015, but not to the elite status.
CB 2 - Rasheed Mathis - (84) Still gettin it done at the age of 64! I think he has another solid year....but it will be his last as a starter.
CB 3 - Nevin Lawson (78) I think he wins the Nickle job easily and has a good year.
FS - Glover Quin (90) Very good FS has a year similar to '14.
SS - James Ihedigbo (80) If he signs....I think he will soon....he will provide the pop the other members of the secondary lack. He will not have the INT numbers this year....but is a solid NFL starter.
The Lions have solid/good starters up and down the offense and defense. They are built to sustain a level of winning I don't the the organization has had in many years. To me, that's a reason why this draft was so good......it didn't bring any flash to it, but added a day one starter to the Oline and 5 or 6 GOOD football players who all have a shot to be starters down the line. Better than the "projects" from round 4-7 that we have been famous for.
Good depth at LB
Solid depth at Oline
Weak depth at the DL.....tough to replace losing a HOF DT and a good DT.
Weak depth at WR.....shocked we didn't add one later in the draft or in FA (yet)
Solid depth at DB......like the Carter pick.....Lions REALLY needed a 3rd outside DB....Lawson/Wilson/Diggs/Bentley will fight it out for the last 2 spots. Carey a solid 3rd S.
Good depth at RB.....Bell moves into a role as part time starter but is a GOOD NFL backup RB. Tough to think of another backup as good as he is in the league.
TERRIBLE depth at QB - Please stay healthy again, #9!!!
Clearly, I had some time this morning. Feel free to agree....disagree......laugh......to each his own.
WR 1 - Calvin Johnson (98) Megatron....enough said.
WR 2 - Golden Tate (91) Best #2 in the league. Yeah, I'm lookin at you Randall Cobb!!
WR 3 - Impossible to say. Lombardi usually uses a TE....or Fuller outside and Tate in the slot. Or a RB......Riddick or Abdullah......so I don't see the Lions having a true slot WR. I would love Broyles to win the job.....but Caldwell is sticking to his "he plays the same position as Tate does" reason for not playing him so......
TE - Eric Ebron (80) He will improve this year, but that's not saying a whole lot. I think he has a couple games in 2015 where he justifies his draft position.....but not enough of them.
LT - Riley Rieff (83) Solid starter......but certainly not elite.
LG - Laken Tomlinson (88) Yeah....88!! I think he is going to be a very good player.
C - Manny Ramirez (81) Better than Swanson at this point....he wins the job.
RG - Larry Warford (92) Elite RG.....will go to the pro bowl in '15.
RT - LaAdrian Waddle (75) I think he wins the job with Robinson the future at the position.
QB - Matthew Stafford (86) Needs a big year for the Lions to make a playoff run.
RB - Ameer Abdullah (83) I think he wins the "starting" job....but I have concerns if he can
be an every down back at the NFL level at his size and style. Joique will still get 10 carries/game.
FB - Michael Burton (No Grade) Wins the job because, hey, he's the only FB on the roster. You don't spend a 5th round pick on a FB if he isn't going to start. Seems to have decent hands and is more athletic than your average bruising FB. Can he clear a path or is he strictly a goal line H-back type? Clearly, this pick ends the "Ebron as a multi-positional player" theory that was popular after he was drafted last year.
LE - Ziggy Ansah (84) Shows flashes....solid run defender.....but disappears too often to be considered anything more than good.
DT 1 - Haloti Ngata (93) Elite run defender. OK pass rusher. Will he make people forget about #90.....no......will he have a good year. YES.
DT 2 - Tyrunn Walker (80) Will benefit from playing next to Ngata. Will have a solid year, but not the year it seems everyone is predicting for him.
RE - Jason Jones (71) Worst Lions starting player. Offers little more than decent run support from the position. Will be replaced on passing downs by Taylor/Van Noy/Webster. Webster has a shot at winning the starting spot here with a good camp.
OLB - DeAndre Levy (95) Best player on the D. Elite. It's a fucking TRAGEDY he didn't make the pro bowl last year. If he was a Seahawk or Patriot......he'd be an All-Pro.
MLB - Stephen Tulloch (82) Solid MLB who will see the field less in 2015 because of "the Zit" (Whitehead). Will still be a solid 1st and 2nd down MLB.
OLB - Kyle Van Noy (85) Wins the job. I thought he was a GREAT pick last year and was going to win DROY......I expect him to be very good in 2015. I think Levy and Van Noy as Nickle LB's will be the best 3rd down pair in the NFL. Yeah. I said it.
CB 1 - Darius Slay (85) Will improve some again in 2015, but not to the elite status.
CB 2 - Rasheed Mathis - (84) Still gettin it done at the age of 64! I think he has another solid year....but it will be his last as a starter.
CB 3 - Nevin Lawson (78) I think he wins the Nickle job easily and has a good year.
FS - Glover Quin (90) Very good FS has a year similar to '14.
SS - James Ihedigbo (80) If he signs....I think he will soon....he will provide the pop the other members of the secondary lack. He will not have the INT numbers this year....but is a solid NFL starter.
The Lions have solid/good starters up and down the offense and defense. They are built to sustain a level of winning I don't the the organization has had in many years. To me, that's a reason why this draft was so good......it didn't bring any flash to it, but added a day one starter to the Oline and 5 or 6 GOOD football players who all have a shot to be starters down the line. Better than the "projects" from round 4-7 that we have been famous for.
Good depth at LB
Solid depth at Oline
Weak depth at the DL.....tough to replace losing a HOF DT and a good DT.
Weak depth at WR.....shocked we didn't add one later in the draft or in FA (yet)
Solid depth at DB......like the Carter pick.....Lions REALLY needed a 3rd outside DB....Lawson/Wilson/Diggs/Bentley will fight it out for the last 2 spots. Carey a solid 3rd S.
Good depth at RB.....Bell moves into a role as part time starter but is a GOOD NFL backup RB. Tough to think of another backup as good as he is in the league.
TERRIBLE depth at QB - Please stay healthy again, #9!!!
Clearly, I had some time this morning. Feel free to agree....disagree......laugh......to each his own.
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