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It's a couple of days before the Detroit-Washington game, so it's time for another Lions Congregation roundtable question-fest hosted by Rev. Spielman of The Church of Schwartz. Read on for this week's edition!
1. Are there any weak spots in the Redskins defense that the Lions offense can exploit?
It has to be the Redskins' secondary, as it has yet to fully recover from the '07 murder of safety Sean Taylor. Any team who loses a very productive high 1st round draft pick will be hurt in the long-term, as Lions fans well know. A good passing attack, such as the Giants' in week 1, can move the ball against the 'Skins. Manning the younger averaged nearly 9 YPA against Washington in week one, which is, well, awesome! Meaning this could be the game where Matthew Stafford has a break out performance, as downfield passing is the most developed skill of his still developing game, and his propensity for the pick should not be as much of a factor against a weaker pass defense. 2. The offensive line will likely be in a constant state of flux this season. What's the combination of players you think has the best chance for success?
The best offensive line combination is the one we saw last week against the Vikings. Jeff Backus and Gosder Churilus at the tackles, Stephen Peterman and the Manny Ramirez who was not busted for taking women's fertility drugs at guard, and Dominic Raiola at center, with Brandon Pettigrew at tight end. As much as the fanbase rags on Backus, and he is wildly overpaid, he's still their best left tackle, even if it's only by default. Opposite Backus, Churilus is coming into his own as a solid right tackle. He'll be a Lion for a very long tine. Daniel Loper has been a disappointment at guard. Ramirez stepped into the starting lineup at left guard against Minnesota and played fairly decently opposite the average, at best, Peterman. Raiola is undersized at center, but is very consistent. As he learns the offense, Highly touted. multi-talented rookie tight end Pettigrew will help improve both the running and passing games. Even though Pettigrew is the most talented tight end on the roster, he's still a rookie, and prone to mistakes. At this point, there's bigger problems on the Lions than their offensive line. It's really too late to do much to improve it, anyway. The line is what it is, average on a good day, below average on a bad one. 3. If there's any game the Lions are going to win before the bye week, this is it. What's your prediction for Skins-Lions?
Lions keep it close, but Matthew Stafford's knack for the ill-timed turnover, and the defense's inability to get off the field on 3rd down, keep the Washington "curse" alive. The Lions lose their 20th game in a row, as the Redskins win in heartbreaking fashion, 24-21, on a late game field goal. Detroit's first win will have to wait till the battle of the bottom feeders with the St. Louis Rams in week 8.
To read the answers given by some of the best and brightest of the Detroit Lions' blogosphere, click on over to The Church of Schwartz!
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