Detroit Lions, NFL 2006 Season Thread

[Hockeytown0001 7,652]

Training camp is set to begin this week, and many are saying that this will be the most exciting NFL season in a long time. The Lions are expected to fare better than last season due to the hiring of Rod Marinelli and new QB's Josh McCowan and Jon Kitna. Hopefully this year will be a different story for the Lions. My prediction is for them to go 9-7 and qualify for the first round and lose, and they will build on that and hopefully become a contender within the next few years. I think this year belongs to the Indianapolis Colts. Had it not been for that missed field goal vs the Steelers, I think they would have won it last seaon. Colts defeat the Cowboys in the Superbowl.

2006 Detroit Lions schedule

Preseason

Date Opponent Location Time Network

Friday, August 11 DENVER BRONCOS Ford Field 7:30 p.m. UPN 50

Friday, August 18 @ Cleveland Browns Browns Stadium 7:30 p.m. UPN 50

Friday, August 25 @ Oakland Raiders McAfee Coliseum 10:00 p.m. UPN 50

Thursday, August 31 BUFFALO BILLS Ford Field 7:30 p.m. UPN 50

All Times Eastern Time (ET)

Regular Season

Date Opponent Location Time Network

Sunday, September 10 SEATTLE SEAHAWKS Ford Field 1:00 p.m. FOX

Sunday, September 17 @ Chicago Bears Soldier Field 1:00 p.m. FOX

Sunday September 24 GREEN BAY PACKERS Ford Field 1:00 p.m. FOX

Sunday, October 1 @ St. Louis Rams Edward Jones Dome 4:05 p.m. FOX

Sunday, October 8 @ Minnesota Vikings The Metrodome 1:00 p.m. FOX

Sunday, October 15 BUFFALO BILLS Ford Field 1:00 p.m. CBS

Sunday, October 22 @ New York Jets The Meadowlands 1:00 p.m. FOX

Sunday, October 29 Bye Week

Sunday, November 5 ATLANTA FALCONS Ford Field 1:00 p.m. FOX

Sunday, November 12 SAN FRANCISCO 49ers Ford Field 1:00 p.m. * FOX

Sunday, November 19 @ Arizona Cardinals Cardinals Stadium 4:05 p.m. * FOX

Thursday, November 23 MIAMI DOLPHINS Ford Field 12:30 p.m. # CBS

Sunday, December 3 @ New England Patriots Gillette Stadium 1:00 p.m. * FOX

Sunday, December 10 MINNESOTA VIKINGS Ford Field 1:00 p.m. * FOX

Sunday, December 17 @ Green Bay Packers Lambeau Field 1:00 p.m. * FOX

Sunday, December 24 CHICAGO BEARS Ford Field 1:00 p.m. FOX

Sunday, December 31 @ Dallas Cowboys Texas Stadium 1:00 p.m. * FOX

All Times Eastern Time (ET); Home Games in BOLD CAPS

Edited July 25, 2006 by Hockeytown0001

[Lou_Siffer 1]

Every damn year i pick the Lions to go 10-6, and it never happens. Ive definitely learned my lesson, therefore, im predicting the Lions to go 11-5.

Maybe its the way the Tigers have turned everything around, but I think this years coaching staff is gonna turn into a massive improvement. Their O-line still seems like garbage, but with Martz running the show on O anything is possible. I'm really excited to see the new offense, and i expect a big year out of Roy Williams....and even out of Charles Rogers if he stays healthy and out of trouble.

[Hockeytown Red Wings 245]

I expect nothing from the Lions. That way I am not disappointed. But you can probably expect them to start 3-1 or something to get your hopes up....and then tank.

[Lou_Siffer 1]

I expect nothing from the Lions. That way I am not disappointed. But you can probably expect them to start 3-1 or something to get your hopes up....and then tank.

Well that means they either beat Seattle or won at Chicago, so i think i'll have legit reasons to get my hopes up! I know what you mean though. I dont know, something just feels different about this season.

[mannysBETTER3434 1]

If you look back at old Lions forums you will notice that I have predicted the Lions record right on the last 2 years. (had to brag!) So I'm going for the 3 peat this year saying they will go 9-7.

I'm intrested to see if the Lions cut Mike Willaims this year. Sounds like once again he's out of shape, and becoming more of a draft bust.

As for the line...I know Jeff Backus personally, and he says the new schemes are much better. He also said last year none of the line really cared because 1)- All 5 hated Mooch, and his schemes for them..2) They didn't respect Harrington. After hearing this I expect the Lions line to be much better.

[Hockeytown0001 7,652]

If you look back at old Lions forums you will notice that I have predicted the Lions record right on the last 2 years. (had to brag!) So I'm going for the 3 peat this year saying they will go 9-7.

I'm intrested to see if the Lions cut Mike Willaims this year. Sounds like once again he's out of shape, and becoming more of a draft bust. As for the line...I know Jeff Backus personally, and he says the new schemes are much better. He also said last year none of the line really cared because 1)- All 5 hated Mooch, and his schemes for them..2) They didn't respect Harrington. After hearing this I expect the Lions line to be much better.

Hopefully that won't be the case for Ernie Sims.

[timothy1997 0]

I will say the same thing I say every year.

THIS IS THEIR YEAR!!

Edited July 25, 2006 by timothy1997

[redwings1914 18]

^^ I think we have officially hit the end of the world if that happens.

[Hockeytown Red Wings 245]

It's the Curse of Bobby Layne

[gowingsgo 3]

I think this year belongs to the Indianapolis Colts. Had it not been for that missed field goal vs the Steelers, I think they would have won it last seaon. Colts defeat the Cowboys in the Superbowl.

You mean, had it not been for two wrongly overturned Troy Polamalu interceptions, Pittsburgh would have blown Indy out at home in yet another blow out playoff lose for Golden Boy Manning.....oops......sorry NFL.

The NFL tried to fix the game, Indy had no business being in the game at the end. Pittsburgh hammered Indy despite the close score. Explain to me how the Colts IMPROVED after losing a 1,500 yard back? I think the Colts have taken a huge step backwards....not only did James rush and catch balls, but he is a damn fine blocker and they will miss that extra protection for Manning. Peyton having to throw more this year without a stud RB is not good for the Colts IMO. Jacksonville will challenge hard for the AFCS.

If things go the way I think they will go, the title goes through Pittsburgh in the AFC and Carolina in the NFC. Unless Big Ben can't regain his play from his accident, I see no reason why the Steelers arent BETTER than they were last year when they struggled to make the playoffs. This is why the games are played though, everyone starts off with the same record, 0-0....we'll see what happens from there. I wish the Lions well.

[timothy1997 0]

Pittsburgh didn't even win their divison last year. IMO, the AFC is wide open. I expect New England and Indy to grab the top two seeds with Pittsburgh and Denver getting the other divisons along with Miami and Cincy as wild cards. Miami makes the biggest strides in the AFC this year, however, the Pats are back. New England will be back in the Super Bowl in a rematch against Carolina.

[mannysBETTER3434 1]

Jacksonville will challenge hard for the AFCS.

I'm making a bold prediction here..Jacksonville is going to the Super Bowl wtih Garrad being the starting QB

[Lou_Siffer 1]

Say what you will about T.O., but I predict Dallas to be Super Bowl bound. AFC is indeed wide open, out of the favorites however im ruling out Indy. I'm convinced the combination of Manning and Dungy will never get there...I for one will not be buying into the Colts hype whatsoever throughout the season. I like Cincy depending on how Palmer's knee recovery goes of course.

[timothy1997 0]

I'm making a bold prediction here..Jacksonville is going to the Super Bowl wtih Garrad being the starting QB

next thing your telling me is Jacksonville will play the Lions with Kitna as their starting QB.

[betterREDthandead 58]

next thing your telling me is Jacksonville will play the Lions with Kitna as their starting QB.

y'know, don't laugh, but whoever starts for the Lions could end up being the division's best QB. Favre and Brad Johnson are fossils, and don't try and convince me that Rex Grossman is an actual NFL quarterback. If there's one advantage the Lions have going into the season, it's that the division sucks.

[timothy1997 0]

y'know, don't laugh, but whoever starts for the Lions could end up being the division's best QB. Favre and Brad Johnson are fossils, and don't try and convince me that Rex Grossman is an actual NFL quarterback. If there's one advantage the Lions have going into the season, it's that the division sucks.

true. But i still think the better QB is Josh McCown. His mobility is what impresses me the most about him. I would still say to start Jon Kitna...but midway thru the season, hand the reins over to McCown.

[mannysBETTER3434 1]

next thing your telling me is Jacksonville will play the Lions with Kitna as their starting QB.

Hey you never know. This is the NFL. None of us would have thought Brady/Warner would be Super Bowl MVP's a few years ago.....

[redwings1914 18]

y'know, don't laugh, but whoever starts for the Lions could end up being the division's best QB. Favre and Brad Johnson are fossils, and don't try and convince me that Rex Grossman is an actual NFL quarterback. If there's one advantage the Lions have going into the season, it's that the division sucks.

Doesn't the division suck every year?

[gowingsgo 3]

Pittsburgh didn't even win their divison last year. IMO, the AFC is wide open. I expect New England and Indy to grab the top two seeds with Pittsburgh and Denver getting the other divisons along with Miami and Cincy as wild cards. Miami makes the biggest strides in the AFC this year, however, the Pats are back. New England will be back in the Super Bowl in a rematch against Carolina.

New England is still tough, but they have been losing pieces of their team from the front office to players every off-season. I look at New England and see a team on a slow decline. Pittsburgh tied with Cincy for the division last year and lost the tie breaker. Obviously it didnt matter if they won or lost the division, they only needed to get to the dance.

Indy is not going to be anywhere near as strong as in the past. You dont lose a 1,500 yard back who can block like Edge and improve. They will fall back to 10-12 wins this year. That window is slowly closing on Manning. The media has used every excuse as to why he can't win the big games. Last year it was home field and they said with home field in the dome Manning was a lock to win it all.....until he got beat down by Joey Porter and company.

If anything about Pittsburgh, they are going to be better than last year. Parker is in his 2nd full year of starting at RB. Our right tackle is now in his 2nd full year starting. Our tight end Heath Miller is in his 2nd year. Polamalu is getting better by the year and is possibly the best defensive player in the league. We replaced an aging RE with a young fire baller. There have been no changes on the coaching staff for the 2nd straight year. Everything is in place to challenge for a repeat. We just have to get to the dance first.

26-6 over Big Ben's first two years with an AFC title game loss as a rook and a Super Bowl. As long as he doesnt have any lingering effects of that accident the league is in trouble again this year.

[timothy1997 0]

New England is still tough, but they have been losing pieces of their team from the front office to players every off-season. I look at New England and see a team on a slow decline. Pittsburgh tied with Cincy for the division last year and lost the tie breaker. Obviously it didnt matter if they won or lost the division, they only needed to get to the dance.

Indy is not going to be anywhere near as strong as in the past. You dont lose a 1,500 yard back who can block like Edge and improve. They will fall back to 10-12 wins this year. That window is slowly closing on Manning. The media has used every excuse as to why he can't win the big games. Last year it was home field and they said with home field in the dome Manning was a lock to win it all.....until he got beat down by Joey Porter and company.

If anything about Pittsburgh, they are going to be better than last year. Parker is in his 2nd full year of starting at RB. Our right tackle is now in his 2nd full year starting. Our tight end Heath Miller is in his 2nd year. Polamalu is getting better by the year and is possibly the best defensive player in the league. We replaced an aging RE with a young fire baller. There have been no changes on the coaching staff for the 2nd straight year. Everything is in place to challenge for a repeat. We just have to get to the dance first.

26-6 over Big Ben's first two years with an AFC title game loss as a rook and a Super Bowl. As long as he doesnt have any lingering effects of that accident the league is in trouble again this year.

So losing Randle El has no effects on the steelers. Amazing. The Steelers beat up on a lot of weak teams last year (Houston, Tennessee, Cleveland, Green Bay, Detroit). Yes you did beat Chicago & Cincy and won in the playoffs when it counted...don't forget that if the Colts had a kicker, that game would be heading to OT. Now whether that game deserves to be heading to OT or if it was over a long time ago, is another argument.

The Colts will be back this year whether you like it or not. They will miss edge but they still have a potent offense and now an all pro kicker that knows how to kick in the playoffs.

The NFL is too unpredictible to predict who will win and who will not. The steelers have an equal shot at getting to the super bowl as they do to miss the playoffs completely. That is what parity means in the NFL.

[Lou_Siffer 1]

Shaun Rogers injures his shoulder at practice...great...i hope this isnt serious. This is the one the guy they can not afford to lose.

[gowingsgo 3]

So losing Randle El has no effects on the steelers. Amazing. The Steelers beat up on a lot of weak teams last year (Houston, Tennessee, Cleveland, Green Bay, Detroit). Yes you did beat Chicago & Cincy and won in the playoffs when it counted...don't forget that if the Colts had a kicker, that game would be heading to OT. Now whether that game deserves to be heading to OT or if it was over a long time ago, is another argument.

The Colts will be back this year whether you like it or not. They will miss edge but they still have a potent offense and now an all pro kicker that knows how to kick in the playoffs.

The NFL is too unpredictible to predict who will win and who will not. The steelers have an equal shot at getting to the super bowl as they do to miss the playoffs completely. That is what parity means in the NFL.

We let 6'5" 1st round pick Plaxico Burress WALK the year prior when the team was 15-1 and we suffered with a Super Bowl win.

Plaxico was a MUCH better receiver than Randle El. Where we will miss Randle El is on punt returns and his gadget plays.

We still have TWO WR's who are former QBs who can run gimmick plays, Hines Ward and Cedrick Wilson. Wilson got recruited to Tennessee as a QB but switched positions to WR because Manning was the starting QB then. I'm sure we'll have to work out who our new gadget man is.

Here are Randle El's stats. You tell me where we will miss his 1 TD catch. He did break some long catches, but he dropped a LOT of balls. I was saying this before he left the team too. We addressed Randle El's leaving with our first round pick, Santonio Holmes and our 2nd third round pick Willie Reid (punt return specialist).

ARE's stats from last year.

2005 Pittsburgh Steelers 16 15 35 558 15.9 63 1 10 3 23

Santonio Holmes

#4 Santonio Holmes | WR Roster:

Full Name: Santonio Holmes

Born: March 3, 1984

Birth Place: Belle Glade, FL

Height: 5-11

Weight: 190 lbs.

Age: 22

Pos: WR

Class: Junior

REC 53 | YDS 977 | TD 11

Profile Stats Game Log

Stat Overview Receiving Rushing Fumbles

YEAR REC YDS AVG LNG TD ATT YDS AVG LNG TD FUM LST

2003 32 549 17.2 47 7 1 -1 -1.0 -1 0 0 0

2004 55 769 14.0 80 7 2 19 9.5 19 0 0 0

2005 53 977 18.4 85 11 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0

Vanderjagt despite missing that kick is still the most ACCURATE kicker in NFL history. The NFL couldn't even hand Peyton a ring last year when they tried.

I look at the Colts this year and if I'm a d-coordinator challenge them to run the ball. You don't go from a Pro Bowl/ almost HOF back to a journeyman or rookie and get the same production. I've heard all off-season about how losing Bettis will kill Pittsburgh....problem with that argument is that Jerome was the back up for the past 3 seasons in a row and only got starting time when we were grinding out the clock or someone was injured.

[timothy1997 0]

Plaxico was a MUCH better receiver than Randle El. Where we will miss Randle El is on punt returns and his gadget plays.

I've heard all off-season about how losing Bettis will kill Pittsburgh....problem with that argument is that Jerome was the back up for the past 3 seasons in a row and only got starting time when we were grinding out the clock or someone was injured.

Thats exactly why I didn't mention Burress or Bettis, because neither player really "kills" the team with their absence. Bettis will effect the team most in leadership. I think Randle El will have a bigger impact then you want to admit.

Randle El at least made the trick play a threat by him just being on the field. You have got to be kidding me when you say that Wilson and Ward can replace that aspect. They can't. if i am a d-coordinator going against pittsburgh, I double Ward and try to stop the run with everyone else. The key player this year for the Steelers on offense isn't Ward or Parker or even Ben.....its Heath Miller. If the Steelers can use Miller in the same way they Mark Bruener or Eric Green, he can be key to opening up Ward and Parker.

[gowingsgo 3]

Thats exactly why I didn't mention Burress or Bettis, because neither player really "kills" the team with their absence. Bettis will effect the team most in leadership. I think Randle El will have a bigger impact then you want to admit.

Randle El at least made the trick play a threat by him just being on the field. You have got to be kidding me when you say that Wilson and Ward can replace that aspect. They can't. if i am a d-coordinator going against pittsburgh, I double Ward and try to stop the run with everyone else. The key player this year for the Steelers on offense isn't Ward or Parker or even Ben.....its Heath Miller. If the Steelers can use Miller in the same way they Mark Bruener or Eric Green, he can be key to opening up Ward and Parker.

They already double Ward. Most teams play Pittsburgh to run the ball and it wasnt until the playoffs that Cowher let Ben open it up and beat teams passing. Miller will be a huge part of our passing game. As will Wilson and depending on who steps up to be #3, Quincy Morgan, Santonio Holmes, Nate Washington (sleeper), & Willie Reid.

Ward is a few yards away from being the all time leading rusher at WR in Pittsburgh history behind Swann or Stallworth. Ward played RB, QB, and WR in college at Georgia. He can and has been used as a gadget player with reverses. We haven't seen it from Wilson yet, but I know they will work him into the fold. Ward and Wilson have 3 combined pass attempts in their NFL careers. Hopefully Jerome taught Willie how to throw a good HB option before he retired. Jerome was damn good with his HB option passes.

Where we will miss Randle El the most is on punt returns....but our draft picks should take care of that.

[Lou_Siffer 1]

Pittsburgh will be fine without Randle El and the Bus,...as long as their O-line stays healthy. Willie Parker wouldnt do anything without them, the line is the key.