I’m in the same boat. I think the beginning of the season will be rougher than expected. We could drop a couple games early that we shouldn’t. I think we hit our stride later as our new coordinators and rookies all gain experience and figure out the details. Add that to players like alim coming back and I think we hit our stride going into the playoffs. Think 2023 season if we had gotten in. With injury luck I can see us in the 10-13 win category easy.
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What worries me most is the youth and growing pains we’re likely to have in the beginning of the season on the interior of the line. Pressure right up the middle wrecks this offense. I’m expecting opponents to send the house early and often right up the middle. Fraley is the best but there will be some ugly moments while the line gains experience.
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Oline might be the one thing that holds the lions back. 3 question marks. Plus decker wasn’t good last year
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I should have clarified, I’m talking about compared to the start of last season since we’re talking about the start of this season in comparison.
I also want to reiterate that I think both units will be strong by playoff time but I think there could be some serious obstacles to overcome in the regular season before the lines gel and the players grasp the systems of the new coordinators.
Tbh, I think it could be a struggle to make the playoffs in a strong division and with that insanely tough schedule but I do think they’ll be as dangerous as anybody once they get in. There’s just a lot of question marks now, more than there has been in a few years.
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Not as worried as some about the OL. Not trying to be Polyanna here, but I think we should have more faith in Hank, Morton and Dan here. There will be some growing pains, no doubt, but I don’t think they will amount to anything that will put us in a hole early in the season.
Why?
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If it appears we are struggling to establish the run out of the gate, we can run a lot of 12 personnel. If they load the box we can handle it and with ARSB and Jamo running routes make them pay.
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Gibbs only needs a crease, he doesn’t need a hole for a truck to run through. I trust Fraley will be able to give him a bit of daylight one way or another.
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Ratledge is STRONG. That’s key here. If he starts at C, whatever he lacks in experience admittedly, he should still be able to hold up 1:1 vs. powerful DTs and not get driven into Goff’s lap after the snap.
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If they blitz to try to take advantage of the young linemen:
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The question on Ratledge for me isn’t the strength factor it is how well he reads defenses.
Schemes and more to the point, how quickly he understands what he is seeing, and can relay that to the others correctly is my concern.
Granted Goff can help with protection calls as well, but Ratledge’s mental acuity is the early concern.
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I don’t think they will be counting on him much for that early. GG would be to his immediate right and could handle that along with Goff.
And Tate is reputed to be very smart. He certainly comes across that way in the interviews I’ve watched. Granted, it’s still a lot for a rook to learn.
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My biggest concern by a mile is Goff staying clean. He fumble 8 or 9 times last year, but we only lost one of them to turnover. We had some luck there, for sure. I trust him to not throw a bunch of picks, but he’s gotta be more mindful not to throw multiples in a game. Goff is the best pre-snap QB in the league, and that’s not gonna change. That’s going to help ALL of the OL, as well as the skill positions.
Also, I expect Goff to improve, as he has every year under Campbell. I think he needs to work on hand strength. Some of those fumbles look like he was barely touched when the ball gets dislodged. Get some hand grips, Goffster!
I’m predicting top 3 offense to couple with a top 3 defense.
I’m not remotely worried about the regular season.
I see 12 wins as the floor
We need to NOT have turnovers in the playoffs (look at the last 2 years).
I guarantee coach Dan is talking that into Goff’s head already.
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I agree on the optimism regarding the defense being a top unit. Loaded with talent.
That will certainly help the offense work through whatever challenges they have and not force them to be boatracing all year.
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I keep seeing 33-17 visitors in the season opener.
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Goff is also a lot more athletic than people give him credit for. He was an all-state CB in high-school, and probably would be a great CB in the nfl if he didn’t give the job to Petey.
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Above 18 though.
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And I think that might still win the division with 10 wins. Pack to me are a .500 team. Vikes have a qb with zero nfl snaps. And the Bears are the bears. I think the NFC north as a whole will be weaker next year.
Dangerous 10 win team vs an injured 15 win team… We know how that ends.
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The Lions kinda own Lambeau of late. I’ll take the team that won 27 games over the last two seasons, including being unbeaten on the road in 2024. 
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Yes, I thought about editing to say 20’s, but I figured everyone assumes I’m not a pervert. But you know what they say about assume…
This is EXACTLY how I feel about this year. I think we’re in for a rocky start, and I could see us losing four games before the bye to go 3-4 (Bal, KC, Cin, and either Chi or GB).
The bye will come at a great time, and the schedule eases up a bit after that. Our coaches will make some adjustments, and we can go either 7-3 or maybe 8-2 the rest of the way to get to 10 to 11 wins.
If we’re 11-6, I think we’ll win the division, but, like you said, it may not matter, we’re going to be a tough out come January.
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Agree.
I also believe that they kept Glass at his cap number expecting this from Rags. I think they know if Tate struggles converting to center full time, at worst they have him at RG and CM at LG, and Glass in the middle. It’s not ideal, but with young and talented depth like Manu, Frazier etc, it’s not awful.
I think worst case we take a decent step back st C, improve at LG, and hopefully regress slightly at RG.
We may only win 10 games this year, but I doubt it. The Chiefs are counting rookie Josh Simmons at LG, Kingsley stepping up in year 2 from a rough rookie year, and J Taylor?
We have an insane safety duo, a really strong CB room… I like our LBs…. Hutch will find a running mate by year end
If Tyliek steps in and is really good from the gate, our D will be as good as it was games 1-6 last year.
We have more WR depth, and Laporta and Gibbs are grown men know.
We might not win it all, it we will be good. Look at Buffalo the last 6 years. That’s where we are now.
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