Mid-season Review

“Progress is measured with wins,” said Head Coach Jim Schwartz. The Lions have one win half-way through the season. Progress from last year? Yes! But have the Lions really progressed at all?
In my opinion, they have. The Lions have showed the benefits and struggles of playing young talent. The Lions will benefit in the future by playing these players. But this year those players have struggled catching up to the speed of the pro game.
The Lions rookie starters include: QB Matthew Stafford, TE Brandon Pettigrew, Safety Louis Delmas, and LB Deandre Levy. All of them have gotten better every game.
Last week I called Pettigrew out, I apologize. Pettigrew caught his first career touchdown yesterday. He is now among Lions receiving leaders with 21 receptions for 239 yards. Not to mention he did not get much playing time at the beginning of the season. He has emerged as a legitimate threat at tight end.
Matthew Stafford did not have a good Sunday. I am still going to defend this guy even after he threw 5 interceptions. A lot of QB had terrible rookie seasons, Peyton Manning threw 28 interceptions his rookie season. Stafford has all the raw tools to make it in this league at QB. And if the Lions could keep him and Calvin Johnson together; I see a bright future ahead for Stafford.
The Lions defense has slightly improved. I feel like they found two young leaders in Delmas and Levy. The two have combined for 82 tackles and each have made a fair amount of plays. Delmas is a candidate for defensive rookie of the year.
I am impressed with this years rookie class. But still not impressed with the Lions play thus far. They are not exceeding expectations, only meeting them. My mid-season grade for the Lions is a D +.