The offensive tackle will help solidify Detroit’s aging line and help protect quarterback Matthew Stafford for years to come. This was not at all a bad selection for the Lions.

Picking an offensive tackle addressed a major need. The team will have to focus on finding help for the defensive secondary and for the running game as many questions exist at that position as well.

With OT Jeff Backus getting up there in age and coming of a season with injury problems look for Reiff to contribute in the near future. He will probably start off as a backup to Backus, but that could all change if an injury or a lack of performance occurs at the left tackle position.

Detroit will need some help if they are to get one of these two talented young corner-backs. Gilmore and Kirkpatrick fit the needs of other teams slotted ahead of the Lions so Detroit will need both players to fall to them at the 23rd pick.

Martin Mayhew has kept quiet about what the teams true intentions are with the 23rd pick, but everybody knows that Detroit has some significant weaknesses with the corner-backs currently on the roster.

Detroit is in uncharted territory here as the team has its lowest pick in two decades. The Lions have been a constant in the top 10 or top five of drafts for the past decade so the team really needs to do its homework to address needs in the secondary and along the offensive line.

If the team fails to land one of the two corners listed above do not be surprised if the Lions do address that offensive line need. Offensive tackle Jonathan Martin from Stanford is a real possibility with the 23rd pick if Detroit cannot upgrade the corner position.

Johnson beat out Newton by capturing 52% of the 651,000 votes that were cast. Johnson with Newton looking on as well said that he was “shocked” to see that he won the cover when he looked up at the big Times Square video screen and saw his image on the game.

“Megatron” is coming off of a marquee season where he amassed more than 1,600 yards receiving, 16 touchdowns and 96 catches. Johnson will have to try and shake off the “madden curse” stereotype that each player on the cover has had deal with.

Calvin Johnson not only posted some all time stats in the 2011 season, but he also became the highest paid wide receiver in the NFL.

The money thing was probably enough to deal with and to try and live up to in 2012, but now Johnson has to see if he can silence the “curse” with big numbers on the field.

Detroit fans certainly hope Johnson continues to dominate in 2012 and that the team builds off of last year’s success.

Johnson easily dispatched of Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers en route to the finals and now has Carolina Panthers stud quarterback Cam Newton in his sights. In the semi-final match-up against Rodgers, Johnson won going away by picking up 67% of the vote against the NFL 2011 most valuable player.

With the threat of the so-called “Madden Curse” it is no wonder that Detroit fans and even Carolina fans for that matter would not want their player winning the cover.

Whether or not the Madden “Cover Jinx” really exists is up for debate and is probably more of a case of coincidences and pure chance more than anything else. At least that’s what Detroit and Carolina fans will be telling themselves if their guy wins the tournament.

Ask the previous players from Madden covers past who have had to question the existence of a curse. Just ask players like Michael Vick or even Peyton Hillis last year if there is a possibility to rumors about downfall of being featured on the games cover.

It’s understandable that Detroit fans have concern over their player winning the cover for the Madden 13 game. What is surprising is that Johnson and Newton both seem to want to win the competition. They both look confident and do not appear to be worried about any cover jinx at all.

Week two’s Sunday night game features the Lions and the San Francisco 49ers in a match-up that produced a memorable game last season and ended with the coaches not ending on the nest of terms. Lions coach Jim Schwartz would want nothing more than to beat the 49ers and Jim Harbaugh in San Francisco to get a little revenge.

The schedule also features a Monday night game in Chicago against the Chicago Bears and a Thanksgiving match-up against the Houston Texans. Other televised games include games against the Green Bay Packers and the Atlanta Falcons.

Just four years ago in 2008 the Detroit Lions were the laughing stock of not only the NFL, but of the sporting world in general. The team was ripped apart in many jokes from late night comedians to the average sports fan. It even got so bad that even people with little to no knowledge of sports whatsoever never mind football itself, understood how historically bad the 2008 Lions were.

The year 2008 was a bad one for many people in this country as the economy collapsed, unemployment rates went up and home foreclosures increased at an alarming rate. The city of Detroit’s economy was hit as hard as any place in the United States and the football team struggled miserably on the field with a 0-16 season.

Many would think that this would further create a bigger rift between fans and the franchise, but instead both the Lions and their fans developed the common thread of being underdogs. Both entities are undergoing a rebuilding process and to everyone outside of Detroit’s surprise the city is making strides and the Lions are once again a playoff team that is being featured in nationally televised games.

Tulluch sacked Tebow and then dropped to his knee in the now familiar pose that we all connect with Tim Tebow and his faith. This was probably the lone moment for the Denver Broncos to take away from the game on any sort of level in a 45-10 thrashing at the hands of the Detroit Lions at Mile High.

This memorable moment stuck with the Broncos for the rest of the 2011 NFL season and according to Tebow himself helped spur the interest of his now all to famous prayer pose.

Who would have known that a seemingly innocent Sunday in late October could have been the birthplace of the “Tebowing” craze? The act of “Tebowing” not only captured the interest of NFL fans, but also the interest of the whole country as we all know by now.

Tulluch by no means started the pose, but he definitely contributed to making it popular as images of his improvisational post-sack act went viral. Who would have thought that a linebacker or player in general of Tulluch’s stature would get credit with creating a craze that America grew to love or hate.

This is great news for the Lions and their fans. They have been through a trying couple of weeks after the recent arrests of Nick Fairley and Mikel Leshoure. As well as the more recent news of former Lions player Charles Rogers getting arrested for allegedly threatening to kill his mom.

Although, Best has not been officially cleared by the Lions medical staff, he has been working out on his own since December. During the first weeks of the Lions off season workout program, Best and his Lions teammates will only be doing strength and conditioning workouts. This is a huge step for him just being around and working out with his teammates.

The Lions missed Best after he got injured. They became primarily a passing offense, that became one of the NFL’s best. They reach the playoffs for the first time since 1999. The Lions were easily beaten by the New Orleans Saints because of their defense’s inability to stop the Saints offense. They also did not have a running game that could get them first downs, and control the clock as the Saints were able to against them.

Having Best back gives the Lions a running game that will complement their strong passing offense. They will be able to not only challenge the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears for the NFC North Division title, they will have an offense that will give them a great chance to advance further in the playoffs.

The Lions know they are a better team with Best in their back field. If Best is able to use his great running and receiving abilities to make the Lions offense better than they were in 2011 then the Lions will be legit Super Bowl contenders for seasons to come.

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Robinson would be a wise choice for the Lions to pick instead. He has all the abilities of Jenkins without all the added baggage. Robinson is a safer choice, but has the makings of being an impact player that will get the Lions to the next level.

With less than two weeks until the NFL draft. The Lions will be going back and forth over how they should use the 23rd pick to improve their team. They know they have obvious areas on defense they have to address. Their offensive line is continuing to get older, and is a concern the Lions will need to focus on either in the later rounds of the 2012 draft or soon after.

After reaching the post season for the first time since 1999. The Lions should put their focus on improving their defense in the early rounds of the draft. Their offense got them to the playoffs, while their defense was a liability that will prevent them from progressing further. Unless they draft or bring in players to address those areas..

Drafting Robinson, who impressed many at the NFL combine with his speed and agility. He will make an instant impact with his abilities to make the plays the Lions were not able to in 2011. His great speed and strong tacking is something Lions need in their efforts to improve in 2012. If the Lions decide to not select Janoris Jenkins in the first round. Josh Robinson will be ready to give the Lions the defensive playmaker they need.

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James Farrior has played 15 seasons in the NFL with the New York Jets and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Farrior just came off the 2011 season, in which he made 78 tackles, 54 of which were solo, and assisted with 24 tackles. The most important reason the Lions should want to sign James Farrior is the leadership and experience he can bring to their young and very talent club. He has been to three Super Bowls with the Steelers and won two of them.

Bringing in a player with the kind of experience he has to a team that have shown they can be great, at the same time have made mental errors on the field and off the field. That they have to learn from, to be recognized as legitimate contenders for the Super Bowl.

The Lions should seriously consider signing James Farrior to improve their defense that was ranked 22nd against the pass, and ranked 23rd in the against the run. Super Bowl winning teams generally, except for a few exceptions have had better defensive statistics than the Lions had in 2011. By Signing Farrior the Lions will be bolster the defense against both the pass and run.

NFL experts and fans may be turned off by Farrior because he is 37 years old with many mileage on his body. The Lions front office needs to focus on his career statistics. More important his play on the field speaks for it self. If they do, they will want to sign him to help improve the Lions become Super Bowl contenders in 2012.

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There are scouts and analysts that say drafting a player with off-field issues means bringing those issues to the NFL. Randy Moss is always used an example. He was always in and out of trouble when he was playing for Marshall. Moss was extremely talented and played great as a wide receiver when he was on the football field.

When it came to the NFL draft, Moss and his off-field issues took away his chances of being a top 5 or top 10 pick in the 1998 draft.  He fell into the hands of the Minnesota Vikings as the 21^st pick. Moss, with the help of veteran wide receiver Cris Carter, helped the Vikings to a 15-1 record.  The Vikings were one win away from reaching the Super Bowl in 1998.

When Moss kept his mouth shut, he kept out of trouble. He has put up hall of fame numbers for a wide receiver. Janoris Jenkins could be seen in a similar light. He has great talent that the Lions need in their secondary. One of the main reasons they lost to the New Orleans Saints in the playoffs in 2011 is the Lions could not stop the Saints passing game when needed. Drew Brees threw the ball at will and decimated the Lions secondary in a blow-out victory.

Drafting Janoris Jenkins will go a long way in preventing another blow out loss in the playoffs. Yes there is a high risk in drafting Jenkins but with a high risk can come high rewards. Jim Schwartz brings the type of football that has earned the full respect of his players. Ndamukong Suh got suspended for 2 games. Schwartz talked to Suh and when Suh came back from his suspension his play did the talking and nothing else happened for the rest of the 2011 season.

If Jenkins is left on the board and the Lions do not draft him, they will feel like those 20 NFL teams that missed the opportunity to take Randy Moss in the 1998 draft. If you asked any of those teams today, they would have picked up Moss.

After reaching the playoffs for the first time since 1999, the Lions have to keep improving their play on the field. Even if they lose key players to free agency because of salary cap issues, the draft is a good way to bring in other talent to help fill those voids.

Drafting Janoris Jenkins is a must. His great talent and abilities can disrupt the opponents’ passing game. The Detroit Lions need this type of player. The Lions do not have much in the secondary position. Jenkins can bring the needed improvement for years to come.

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