The Detroit Lions Look to turn it around in 2009

The Detroit Lions had an abysmal year last year and were the embarrassment of the league. The finished the year without winning a game and walked off the field in shame. As the NFL prides itself on the growing parity, this sort of thing was not supposed to happen to any team, yet it did. The good news for the Lions is that teams in history have been able to bounce back from season almost as bad, and the Lions have also made some good football moves over the last year.

In 1996 the New York Jets finished the season with a record of 1-15 and then followed it up the next year with a 9-7 record. Just the year before last the Miami Dolphins finished with an equally horrible record and then bounced back to finish last year with an 11-5 record and win the AFC East. Both teams made the quick bounce back under the guidance of football genius Bill Parcells. While the Lions do not have Parcells to lean on, they do have a great football mind of their own in head coach Jim Schwartz.

Schwartz comes from a background of success having won in Tennessee and has learned from some of the best in Bill Belichick and Jeff Fisher. Schwartz has the ability to instill confidence in young players and nurture them to match their potential. He also brings accountability to the team and makes players show up day in and day out. This is perfect for the Lions as they have put together a team full of young talent with a few veteran leaders mixed in throughout.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Detroit Lions really struggled last year. They allowed an average of 32 points per game and 404 yards. This is simply not acceptable and Schwartz knew that it was time to make a change. He realized that the team lacked size on defense so he brought in Julian Peterson and Larry Foote to give the team one of the biggest linebacker corps in the league. They drafted young safety Louis Delmas and added veteran cornerbacks Phillip Buchanon and Anthony Henry. This gives the Lions the perfect mix of young talent and experienced veterans that can mold the young players into efficient starters.

Aside from the added players, the Lions also have a few young players that looked very impressive in the second half of last season. RB Kevin Smith was great over the last 8 games of the season and averaged over 80 yards per game. If he could do this for the whole season then he would be putting up 1,300 yards per game. On top of this, young pass rusher Cliff Avril was huge over the last 6 games of the season. A whole season on top of this game would leave Avril with the ability to get 10 sacks in a season.

It remains to be seen whether the Lions can bounce back in the way that the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets did, but the foundation is there. With the emergence of young stars such as Kevin Smith, the added veteran presence of players like Larry Foote and the hopeful emergence of QB Matthew Stafford, all the pieces to the puzzle are in place.