The Detroit Lions will return to the Playoffs in 2012
The only way the Detroit Lions do not reach the postseason in 2012 is if and only if, they lose key players to injuries. The Lions have such a high powered offense, led by Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson, that moving the ball down the field, like they did in 2011, should not be a big issue.
They do need to improve their running game with a healthy Jahvid Best returning. The rushing element, that the Lions did not have for the last half of the season, will be there in 2012. I have read some articles that say the Lions will not make the playoffs in 2012. These individuals forget who the Lions have leading their defensive line: Ndamukong Suh and Kyle Vanden Bosch. The Lions do need to decide if they will re-sign Cliff Avril to a long-term deal. (It would be smart for the Lions to get this done right away.)
If the Lions keep their defensive front-line in order, and just draft or bring in via free agency the right players to help their passing and rushing defense, the Lions should not only return to the playoffs but [hopefully] advance further in 2012 with the hope of winning the Super Bowl. But, of course, there are those teams that make the playoffs the year before but make no postseason appearance the following season.
The Chicago Bears are one of these teams. Losing star players Jay Cutler and Matt Forte meant the Bears could not win the games needed to make a playoff appearance. The New York Giants, who won the Super Bowl, did not make the playoffs in 2010 because of inconsistent play on both sides of the ball. In 2011, they played with more consistency (even though they slumped midway through the season). They got hot, played better than anyone else down the stretch, and became champions. (Also see Green Bay Packers 2010 season.)
The Lions have a talented nucleus that believes they can win and, more importantly, believe in their head coach Jim Schwartz. The Lions have youth on their side; yes some players have made youthful mistakes getting penalties that prevented the Lions from winning games. Ndamukong Suh made a mistake by stepping on a player and got suspended for 2 games. With every successful team that goes on to win a Super Bowl, teams have to go through growing pains to make themselves better and the Lions are doing just that.
Going in to the 2012 NFL draft, the Lions must be feeling good about themselves. They know they need some key additions to help fill the voids where opponents feasted on them in 2011. They will also need to look at free agents carefully, in a cost effective matter, so they can keep key free agents like Cliff Avril and Stephen Tullock.
The Lions do not have a lot of room to work with. Most of team salary is tied up with Johnson, Stafford, Suh, and Vanden Bosch (which is good problem to have). The Lions have tough decisions to make to help keep the Lions successful.
The Detroit Lions will make the playoffs in 2012. They, just like other teams that made the playoffs in 2011, will have to figure out a way to draft and bring in the right players. But the Lions have an edge over most of the other NFL franchises: the Lions have a great team to put on the field already.
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