Sorry to Hondo and all the guest authors, but I don't see the Lions getting to .500 this season.

So I’ve read all of the predictions of the guest bloggers and Hondo. I just don’t see it. I don’t see as much of an improvement with the Lions as many

So I’ve read all of the predictions of the guest bloggers and Hondo. I just don’t see it. I don’t see as much of an improvement with the Lions as many of you. I hear Jon Kitna guarantee more than 10 wins, I saw Mike Furrey back him up and see the optimism of the rest of the players. I don’t see it. I really don’t.

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Sure the Lions went out there and acquired some good players. They got rid of some problem players. They had a very good draft in my opinion. These are all reasons to be optimistic about the upcoming season. I just can’t see more than a 3 game improvement from the 3-13 they threw out there last season. It just isn’t there yet.Â

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In the draft they took the best overall player, the second best quarterback (yeah, I’m putting Drew over Brady) and some good defensive pieces that will be on the squad for years to come. They signed Dewayne White, T.J. Duckett and Travis Fisher among others. They traded for Tatum Bell and George Foster. These are all good moves. The problem is that with these moves, it also meant losing other players. Even if James Hall and Dre Bly were malcontents on the team, they were both good players. Bly was even a pro bowler in 2005. You can’t lose of the top players on a defense, and expect people to just step in there and perform as well. The defense will be improved. It has to because it can’t go anywhere but up from where it was last year. I just don’t see the improvement that many of you do. The offense will win at least 3 games this year on its own. It is that good. I would not be surprised if they put up 30 points at least 7 times this year. I just don’t see it carrying the load for 16 games.Â

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The biggest issue with the Detroit Lions team this year will be the depth. The starters have more talent than 75% of the teams in the league. But they can’t remain healthy the entire year. It has not happened in the history of the NFL. It won’t happen this year. The talent from the backups on this Lions team are just not there yet. They’re young, inexperienced or just not good enough to be an everyday NFL player. You saw what happened last year when the offensive line had problems. If that happens again this year, look for another downward spiral. If Jon Kitna goes down, I don’t think that Stanton or Orlovsky are ready to take over Mike Martz’s offense. The secondary and Linebacking corps are very thin already and when the injuries hit, it’ll be even worse. But there is hope.

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For the first time in 5 years, I see this team actually improving, but just not at the pace that most Lions fans see. I predict a 6-10 season, with a couple close late season losses. You will see improvements all around, but they just won’t be able to stay healthy enough to keep the top players on the field. Things are looking up, stay with the Lions. Eventually you’ll be rewarded just as Tiger fans have been rewarded.