Shaun Rogers

[tigers527]

I heard on sports radio today that, outstanding defensive lineman Shaun Rogers had to be carted off the practise field with a shoulder injury. It really bothers me that it was a shoulder, as it must be pretty bad if you need to cart off a person with a hurt shoulder?

I guess, I will wait to hear the prognosis before I put in my # of wins prediction...Sorry Racosun.

[racosun]

I don't blame you for waiting. Losing a guy like Rogers for an extended period can easily cost us a few wins. He's a beast, hope he can recover quickly.

[racosun]

Update on Rogers: he's said to be "week-to-week" and is expected to miss the first two preseason games. That is said to be the cautious approach, and he's not expected to miss any regular season games due to this particular injury. That's about as good of news as we could get, I guess.

[ATLFalcons]

I think he'll be fine, the guy is athletic and he should be ready to go.

[racosun]

He'll be more important than ever with Big Daddy Dan Wilkenson retiring. Shaun Cody is much smaller than Big Daddy, but is much quicker and is more of a pass-rusher as opposed to a run-stuffer. The Lions are expected to use both Rogers and Cody as pass-rushers this season. Hopefully the secondary can stay healthy, because they'll probably be busy.

[ATLFalcons]

With Shaun and Shaun rushing the QB and solid defensive ends, the Lions have a good front 4.

[racosun]

With Shaun and Shaun rushing the QB and solid defensive ends, the Lions have a good front 4.

Yeah, I think so too. James Hall has been dominant at times, although he has yet to do it consistently. Perhaps this new gung-ho coaching staff can scare him into killing the opposing QB more often. Kalimba Edwards has also shown flashes of dominance, but he too can't do it consistently enough. Coach Marinelli was probably the best DL coach in the business, so I'm sure he'll have some great pointers to help these guys put it all together. Maybe a couple decent rotation guys and the DL shouldn't be the downfall this season.

That'll put more pressure on the secondary, and it's been young and banged up for a while now. I think the linebackers could be absolutely awesome if they can do what they're capable of. Boss Bailey, Teddy Lehman, and Ernie Sims are all quick, hard hitters. Dre Bly and Fernando Bryant are a quality duo at the corners, if they can stay healthy for once. Back-up Stanley Wilson is a very underrated CB, and with the right coaching he could easily be a #1 corner in a couple years. Rookie Daniel Bullocks and Kenoy Kennedy make this a solid unit at safety, too. Kennedy instills fear in many a reciever that told to run a route through the middle. Back-up Torrance Holt was really looking like a bona-fide NFL player at the beginning of last season, but got hurt. He's had time to recover, and should be even better now.

The defense overall should be vastly improved, although little has changed with the roster. A more focused coaching staff, more determined players, some luck (just a tad) and good health can make this one of the best defenses in the league. If the offense and special teams can get their heads on straight, the Lions will prove that parity reigns supreme and will make a strong push deep into the playoffs. Of course, this is the Lions I'm talking about, so we know what little luck we have will be bad luck. Maybe someone up in the sports heavens is looking after all the Detroit teams. Pistons, Wings, Tigers...Lions?

[ATLFalcons]

I think the Lions can contend in the NFC North because the division is so mediocre, if Jon Kitna can stay effective (which he always is) this team has a chance to make the playoffs.