The Lions have made an upgrade at linebacker. Julian Peterson is still a very good player - and it was evident in the preseason. Larry Foote is solid in the middle. There is still some tread left on his tires, so to speak. Ernie Sims will be better, if for no other reason than the linebackers surrounding him, are better. I just wonder when the day will come when Sims will actually make a big play or two.
In the secondary, I don’t know if the Lions are improved, though. I didn’t see much from Anthony Henry to suggest he can still play cornerback. He didn’t have a bad year for Dallas last year. We’ll see. I didn’t think Phillip Buchanan was impressive in the preseason, either. Again, we’ll see. He has played well in the league in the past - the recent past.
Rookie Louis Delmas didn’t play well in the preseason games. The Lions are throwing him into the fire. Against Drew Brees and the Saints Sunday - it will be difficult for Delmas not to get burned. The rest of the Lions’ safety corps is comprised of marginal NFL starters at this stage of their careers.
But at least the back seven is workable. The front four...
The Lions really need Grady Jackson to still be a top player. Can’t envision him being that at 36. They need Landon Cohen, who has gotten much stronger, to emerge. Again, a long shot. Jason Hunter was a special teams player for the Packers. He is the Lions starting defensive end. His career high for tackles in an NFL game is two - during his first three years in the NFL. Dewayne White and Cliff Avril are good edge players, but not strong at the point of attack.
That whole defensive line is pretty much a stop gap, which is amazing because all the Lions seemed to do during the Rod Marinelli era was draft defensive linemen. Most of them are gone.
Scheme does count. Jim Schwartz was a defensive coordinator. Gunther Cunningham is one of the more decorated defensive coordinators in NFL history.
It take all their skills to get this defense out of the bottom quarter in the NFL this season.

Random Thoughts

- The first preseason college basketball magazine is out and lists Michigan State as No. 2 nationally. Athlon’s has Kansas No. 1. Didn’t the Spartans beat Kansas twice last year? They must really think the Spartans will be hindered by the losses of Goran Suton and Travis Walton. They will be missed, obviously, but the Spartans have plenty to make up for it.
Athlon’s picks Oakland to win the Summit League and reach the NCAA tournament.

- Notre Dame’s wide receivers Michael Floyd and Golden Tate aren’t good football players; they are great football players. Michigan’s secondary will be severely tested Saturday at The Big House.

- The Tiger losses the last two nights in Kansas City were disappointing. It’s like they gave back the momentum they gained in Tampa Bay. Had they won both games, the A.L. Central race is over. As is, it is game on. The Twins are hovering again.