9-8, 4th place
Year II was a surprise for the Lions, who spent much of the season on the fringes of the playoffs. It was all a little streaky: a 4-0 start including wins over Dublin and Rio de Janeiro raised expectations, but were followed by 3 losses and then by 3 wins to reach 7-3, followed by a very unsatisfying 2-5 second half of the season.
Still, they never seemed to be serious threats for the postseason, and the club needs some upgrades to succeed in Year III.
The defense was the best in the league–and the best in league history–allowing a mere 17 points and 268 yards per game.
So the challenge is how to maintain the defense and overhaul the offense.
The Off Season
The decision to abandon the Cam Newton experiment looms large.
Bottom Line
Strengths
The defense overall. RB and #1 WR.
Needs
A franchise QB, deep threats at WR, OL, RB depth. At some point, an OLB.
Offense
Pts: 15th
Rush/G: 6th
Pass/G: 16th
Yards/Play: 16th
Skill
The biggest question is what to do with Cam Newton (9.0 AV, 69.9 QBR, 7 rushing TD in 15 G, 9:11 TD:interception, 553 rush yards), who has spent 2 years as a very mediocre WFL QB. Given that he was yanked in the midst of a playoff surge, and the fact that the offense was dead last in the league in passing yards per game and yards per play, look for Newton to be looking for a job elsewhere next season.
Matthew Stafford (1.0 AV) has been waiting for a chance for a while, and we’ll have to see if the Year II starter is brought in via a draft, or if Stafford is given a chance.
Barry Sanders (6.5 AV, 1136 yards, 5 TD), a solid WFL back so far, remains the starting RB, but it’s time for Billy Sims (0.1 AV) to move on. Sims had provided a great option in Year I, but went largely unused in Year II before succumbing to injuries. He should find a home somewhere else. After a solid Year I, Joique Bell (0.2 AV) did little to impress and will be let go, but FB Mike Tolbert (0.4 AV) remains a solid contributor when healthy.
The receiving corps are a little hard to figure out. Calvin Johnson (4.4 AV, 411 yards) is amazing, but he only played 7 games. Still, he’ll be back next year. TE Greg Olsen (2.3 AV, 46 rec) was their best receiver, which was part of the problem. Neither Miles Austin (2.5 AV, 414 yards) nor Steve Smith (1.0 AV) did much, meaning only Herman Moore (1.9 AV in 6 G) is retained as a WR (see below for Smith’s saving grace).
OL
The OL is strong, but not fantastic, which is certainly related to Sanders’ inability to produce a dominant year. C Ryan Kalil (4.4 AV) is a franchise mainstay and Lomas Brown (6.0 AV, 27 Holes) is a fixture at T. But the rest is a bit of a mess.
Jimbo Covert (3.4 AV) was a great pickup in Year I, and solid in 7 games in Year II, so he gets another chance. Trai Turner (2.7 AV) was solid in limited playing time, and deserves a shot as a reserve.
Neither Larry Warford (4.9 AV, 19 holes) nor Andrew Norwell (3.0 AV) did enough to retain a roster spot in their 2nd years, but both are certainly WFL level reserves, so look for them to be picked up somewhere. The same is true for WFL rookie Travelle Wharton (2.8 AV).
Special Teams
Eddie Murray (1.1 AV, 3 50+) was one of the only reliable kickers in the league, and Sam Martin (0.7 AV) did just enough to retain his P duties.
Steve Smith (2.4 ret AV) was really quite effective on returning kicks, especially punts, and did enough to stay around for next year, especially given how weak Stefan Logan‘s (-1.7 ret AV) performance as a KO man was during Year II. That said, Logan was–largely through is defensive efforts–the Lions’ ST player of the year and, hence, is retained.
Defense
Pts/G: 1st
Rush Yards/G: 10th
Pass Yards/G: 1st
Yards/P: 2nd
DL
Now we’re cooking with gas … Mike Rucker (17.8 AV, 7 sacks, 65 tackles, 20 hurries, 11 stuffs, 5 forced fumbles), Julius Peppers (17.5 AV, 85 tackles, 21 hurries, 12 stuffs), and Alex Karras (13.4 AV, 18 hurries) are a magnificent front 3, and Ndamukong Suh (11.5 AV) is making an argument for a switch to a 4-3. Ziggy Ansah (0.8 AV) warrants a job somewhere.
LB
The challenge with the notion of going to a 4-3 is that both Luke Kuechly (16.2 AV, 114 tackles) and Joe Schmidt (10.0 AV, 56 tackles) are franchise players here on the inside. Paul Naumoff (6.9 AV) is quite strong at one outside position, although the other is up for grabs with A.J. Klein (0.4 AV) testing the waiver waters.
DB
The starting 4 are all retained, with Jack Christiansen (11.7 AV, 3 interceptions, 95 tackles, 17 deflections, 43% comp rate) and Night Train Lane (6.2 AV, 71 tackles) among the best in the league and Roman Harper (7.8 AV, 24 deflections) and Yale Lary (3.4 AV) all performing quite well. Josh Norman (4.6 AV, 49% comp rate) and Glover Quin (3.6 AV) did enough to play somewhere, as did James Ihedigbo (1.0 AV), although his Year II form was quite a drop from an impressive year I.
Players Retained
Retained
RB: Barry Sanders
WR: Calvin Johnson
OL: Ryan Kalil, Lomas Brown
DL: Mike Rucker, Julius Peppers, Alex Karras
LB: Luke Kuechly, Joe Schmidt
DB: Jack Christiansen, Night Train Lane, Yale Lary
Protected
TE: Greg Olsen
WR: Herman Moore
OL: Jimbo Covert
LB: Paul Naumoff
DB: Roman Harper
K: Eddie Murray
P: Sam Martin
Reserves
QB: Matthew Stafford
RB: Mike Tolbert
OL: Trai Turner
DL: Ndamukong Suh
ST: Steve Smith, Stefan Logan
Taxis Kept
RB: DeAngelo Williams
WR: Muhsin Muhammed
Players Waived
To Start Somewhere
QB: Cam Newton
RB: Billy Sims
DL: Ziggy Ansah
DB: Josh Norman
To Play Somewhere
WR: Miles Austin
OL: Andrew Norwell, Nate Chandler, Travelle Wharton, Larry Warford
LB: A.J. Klein
DB: Glover Quin, James Ihedigbo
Released
QB: Eric Hipple, Solly Sherman, Johnny Lujack
RB: Jamal Anderson, Joique Bell, Kenyan Drake, Brad Hoover
WR: Harry Ebding, Dwayne Jarrett, Gino Cappalletti, Jack Snow, Mel Gray, Buster Mitchell
TE: Casey Fitzsimmons, Ulysses Norris, Phillip Supernaw
OL: Levi Brown, Riley Reiff, Nate Chandler, Jon Weeks, J.J. Jansen, Brett Goode, Dave Lutz, Gus Sonnenberg
DL: Shaun Rogers, Robert Porcher
LB: Kevin Reddick, Chuck Howley, Travis Lewis, LaVern Toergeson, Paul Worrilow, Marshall McFadden, Ashlee Palmer
DB: Robert Lester, Leodis McKelvin, Chris Culliver, Chris Harris, Brett Goode, Warren Livingston
K: Bruce Gossett