For the entire month of August, the Sportable Staff will look at one National Football League team a day. We?ll look at their offense, defense and in the end, assess their playoff chances. Previews will be done by division, starting with the NFC East. Each new division will also feature a new podcast devoted entirely to that division.

Motor City Has a New Toy
There’s lots of reasons to dislike Detroit. First, it’s located in Michigan. But there’s also crime, a betrayed automobile industry and most of all, the Detroit Lions. For the last eight years, Lions President Matt Millen has spit in the face of logical management. “Fire Millen” has replaced “Built Ford Tough” as the slogan of the entire city. With the selection of yet another wide receiver in the first round (the fourth such selection in five years) of the NFL Draft, it doesn’t look like Millen and Co. have changed their ways.

Offense
There were a number of reasons the Lions went 3-13 in 2006. Offensive production wasn’t really one of them. Quarterback Jon Kitna threw for over 4200 yards in his first year with Detroit. With rookie Calvin Johnson joining Roy Williams and last year’s surprise Mark Furrey, there’s no reason to think he can’t do it again. It’s the turnovers that hurt Kitna and the Lions. His 22 interceptions helped contribute to a -9 turnover differential, one of the worst in the NFL. Mike Martz may be a “Mad Scientist” on offense but nobody is going to win with that many turnovers. Kitna’s turnover woes started up front, where he was sacked 63 times, the most in the NFC. However, the Lions didn’t upgrade the offensive line until the 4th round of the draft, instead choosing to upgrade through free agency and trades. Broncos offensive tackle George Foster was traded to Detroit with running back Tatum Bell, in exchange for cornerback Dre Bly. Zach Piller and Edwin Mulitalo were also signed to help shore up last year’s shoddy line.

With the acquisitions of Tatum Bell and TJ Duckett, the Lions’ backfield is suddenly a crowded place. Kevin Jones’ foot injury isn’t expected to heal anytime soon. With Bell and Duckett sharing the rock, you’d expect the Lions to run the ball more than the 304 times they did in 2006. An improved running game should open up Martz’s passing attack even more. Calvin Johnson, considered the best wide receiver prospect in years, automatically makes the offense better. He should challenge those rookie receiving records set by Anquan Boldin. Roy Williams will continue to run his mouth and put up numbers. The former Texas Longhorn caught 82 passes for over 1300 yards. But that’s not all. With the Lions shitcanning busts Charles Rogers and Mike Williams, they got an unexpected lift from Mike Furrey, who caught 98 passes for almost 1100 yards.

Defense
After I wrote the offensive preview, I was beginning to see hope for the Lions in ‘07. But the defensive unit really throws a wrench into those postseason plans Jon Kitna has. Think they’re regretting that Mike Williams selection? The two picks after Williams were DeMarcus Ware and Shawne Merriman. If the Lions are to have any success, it needs to start with a relatively underrated defensive line. Shaun Rogers and Cory Redding could prove to be one of the better defensive tackle duos in football, provided Rogers cares about football. Redding led the Lions with eight sacks and was rewarded with a $49 million contract extension, which makes him the highest paid tackle in football. On the ends, Kalimba Edwards will likely return as starter despite getting just three sacks in 2006. Opposite Edwards is former Buccaneer Dewayne White,, who had five sacks in just eight starts.

Much like the defensive line, the success of Detroit’s linebacking unit requires on staying healthy. Teddy Lehman and Boss Bailey are both impressive players. However, they’ve been hampered by injuries lately. If they can play a full year with last year’s first round pick Ernie Sims, the Lions could be set in the front seven. The Lions’ secondary was also overhauled, thanks in part to the installation of the Tampa-2 defense. Defensive coordinator Joe Barry will have to break in a couple of new starters. The Lions allowed 220 passing yards a game last year. If that can’t improve, they’re in trouble.

Outlook
The Lions have the benefit of playing in the NFL’s softest division. They certainly have the offense to win some games. But there’s still some lingering problems, one of which is the failure to see the big picture. LaRon Landry would have made far more of a difference in year one than Calvin Johnson, who enters an already crowded wide receiver corps. The 24-72 era of Mike Martz is an ugly one and it’s because of decisions like those. Despite the potential to score lots of points, I don’t see the Lions doing much more than five or six wins, which would still be an improvement from last year.