Never before in a season at Ford Field has Week 17 meant anything for the hometown Lions. In a stadium that pretty much has everything that the Pontiac Silverdome didn’t, the Lions and success have not gone hand-in-hand. The 2009 season finally came to an end during a chilly cold Sunday afternoon with a listless loss to a Chicago Bears squad.
Who’s to blame for the 2-14 record this season? While ownership is frequently the most typical response to this question, there are many other pieces that collaborated to what amounted to be a two-win improvement from the previous year.
Coach Jim Schwartz and his staff dealt with injuries starting in the preseason and were handed many players that had just played through an 0-16 season. Matthew Stafford played through numerous injuries and showed signs of solid play, as was demonstrated during a win over the Browns midseason. This team has very few stars and playmakers on a team that has holes throughout its entire depth chart.
So, what does this mean for the no. 2 pick?
For any Lions fan thinking that Nebraska’s Ndamukong Suh will be wearing the Lions colors next season, think again. St. Louis may need a QB with that first pick, but passing on Suh would be a death sentence to what already is a bad franchise. The Lions will have to go to an interior player in Gerald McCoy or Tackle Russell Okung with the number two pick and perhaps a personal favorite, Syracuse’s DT Arthur Jones with their second round pick. The price of losing is very steep for a Lions franchise that has so much money tied up in youthful players for the long haul.