Lions Diary

Another season in Detroit Lions history is complete. I am not even going to dwell on it. Well, I am not going to dwell on it right now. No, I will save that for another day. Right now, I am going to make two predictions for the 2005 Lions.

The Detroit Lions will make the playoffs in '05. They will also (please sit down immediately) win a playoff game. Yes, you read that correctly. I am predicting the second playoff victory in Lions history since 1957 next season.

You could argue that my prediction is just me being a homer. In part, you are probably right. I do, however, believe they will make the playoffs for more solid reasons than that. Three reasons should be self-evident.

Reasons one and two are the Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers. I'm not overly impressed by either. Both certainly have talent, especially on offense. That just doesn't bother me all that much.

Am I impressed by Dante Culpepper? Of course. Is Bret Favre a certain Hall of Fame choice? Yes. Do I think the Vikes are much better than the Lions? No. Are the Packers light years ahead of the Honolulu Blue and Silver? No way. Realizing that neither the Vikes or Pack are super-powers helps the Lions chances in 2005.

Which leads me to the third obvious reason I think the Lions will get into the post-season next year. The whole NFC is down. Only Philadelphia has played consistently above average football. If the Lions can have a solid, not spectacular, just solid, off-season, they should be as good as just about anyone in the conference.

There are some other reasons I predict a post-season appearance. Like the number tenth overall pick in the 2005 draft. A guy who should start and improve a position somewhere on the field. A safety would be nice, but I'll take an upgrade anywhere.

There are the kids. Roy Williams. Kevin Jones. Teddy Lehman. Boss Bailey. Charles Rogers. The Lions have a nice nucleus of young talent. (I'll also predict that Rogers plays in 10 games minimum next year.)

Steve Mariucci appears to finally understand that Joey Harrington is better suited throwing the ball down field, not laterally. If the Lions' head coach allows Harrington to wing it like he did at Oregon, the Lions' signal caller should make more noticeable improvement in 2005. (Note that a change in strategy late in the season, allowing Harrington to throw downfield, led Champagne Joey to toss for over three hundred yards in two of his last three games.)

I expect all of this to lead up to the Leos making the playoffs and actually winning a game next year. If this young and seemingly improving team cannot make the playoffs in a pitiful NFC in 2005, things will not be pretty in the Motor City for Mariucci.