2011 Season

Week One

LIONS @ Buccaneers

The 2011 season begins with a repeat of 2010's Week 15 matchup which the Lions won in OT 23-20. It will not be a surprise if this years fixture is just as tight as it features two teams widely acknowledged to be on the rise. The Buccaneers may well have come up with more wins initially during the rebuilding process but that should not distract us from the fact the Lions have potentially superior personnel in many of the key matchups.

If Matthew Stafford came into the league with the burden of being the first overall pick and the expectations associated with that pick the Bucs Josh Freeman, his draft class fellow, appeared relatively free from expectation despite also being drafted in the first round. That Freeman hit the ground running while Stafford hit the ground and damaged his shoulder only helped to exaggerate those original expectations. Thus Freeman became the 'surprise' star that everyone had overlooked while Stafford was left needing to prove he could get through a season healthy. The slightly bigger Stafford has showed this pre-season just why he was taken with the first overall pick and Lions fans will be hoping the promise shown in those exhibition games transfers to the regular season. If it does then the Lions will most likely surprise even the pundits who think they'll make the playoffs with just how good they are. The array of offensive weapons available to Offensive Co-ordinator Scott Linehan and Stafford are as varied as they are potentially game changing. Bucs CB Aqib Talib has made much of his potential matchup with Calvin Johnson after not being involved in the game last year. Despite Talib's bravado I would expect Johnson to come out on top in this particular head to head. Likewise I believe the Lions O-Line should keep Stafford on his feet long enough to keep the chains moving. My one concern about the Lions offense going into the game will be the ability to run the football. Jahvid Best is capable of gashing the Bucs for long gains but it is yet to be seen if the O-Line in conjunction with Best & Harrison can grind out a series of 4 to 5 yard ground gains to keep the chains moving while wearing down the Bucs D. 

The Bucs began the pre-season as impressively as the Lions but then results and performances fell away. We shouldn't read too much into this as there could be all sorts of reasons for this that will not relate to how they will perform once the games start to count. That said the Lions unbeaten pre-season when coupled with the 4-0 finish to last season will have not just the Bucs fearing how good the Lions actually are. 

The Lions D-Line was headline grabbing last season and in the pre-season win over the Patriots the D-Line stole the show with the pressure they put Brady under. They will need to be at their best if they are to contain Freeman who's combination of short, high completion percentage passes together with his elusiveness  make him a very dangerous opponent. The key defensive group for the Lions in this game though may well be the new Linebacking trio. Their ability to break up or intercept Freemans dink and dunk passes together with their ability to contain the Bucs RB LeGarrette Blount will be vital to the Lions chances of success. The Bucs O-Line is not unique in the league in being considered to be weak and the Lions D-Line will be looking to enforce their burgeoning reputation by dominating potentially weaker opposition. If the Bucs are unable to run the ball then, I believe, they will find it difficult to generate the necessary offense to keep up with the Lions on the scoreboard.

The Lions are loaded on Special Teams but the new kickoff rules have severely reduced the chances of returning the ball. The Lions change at the punter position is unlikely to yield any significant improvements but it has to be hoped the average gain per punt will improve. If the game comes down to a Field Goal attempt then there is no one more reliable than Jason Hanson. 

This game has all the makings of a nail biting classic but I'm of the belief that this Lions side is further along the path to greatness than most realise so I believe they will win going away. I'll try not to go the complete opposite direction if I end up being proved wrong.

Prediction: LIONS 31 @ Buccaneers 17