Week One- Detroit VS Oakland Preview
Written by: Kyle Horner
The 2007-2008 Detroit Lions start off their season on the west coast at a stadium known as the black hole, or as I like to call it, a used toilet bowl after Charlie Weis had just digested a double Whopper sandwich. The good news for Detroit is that the Raiders went two and six last year at the used toilet bowl and have lost their last two home openers. The problem for the Lions could be on offense. Now I know Detroit is suppose to rely on their offense to have any chance on making it to the playoffs this season, but the Raiders lead the league against the pass last year. Jon Kitna will definitely have his hands full come Sunday as the Raiders intercepted 18 balls last year and sacked opposing quarterbacks 34 times. Kitna on the other hand threw 22 interceptions and was sacked an unbelievable 63 times for a loss of three hundred and 88 yards. Kitna will definitely need to have patience in the pocket and go deep only when the opportunity presents itself. Don’t expect Calvin Johnson to get very many balls this first week. What about the running game for the Lions you may ask; well it may be the only place the Lions offense can take advantage of the Raiders. The Raiders were 25th against the rush last season with Morrison and Howard leading the defensive line with a combined two hundred and 38 tackles. The Lions have a revamped running game this season with Tatum Bell, T.J Duckett becoming the running backs and Shaun Bryson becoming a full time starter as fullback. There’s no doubt the running game will be better this season as they were the worst running team in the league last season. Expect Bell to have over 20 carries if there is any chance of the Lions putting up points on the offensive end. For Oakland there are not many positive things I can say about them on the offensive end. Their starting quarterback is better known in Detroit as a wide receiver and their passing game was 31st in the league last year. I am however a Ronald Curry fan and with his experience and speed he could definitely exploit the horrible Lions secondary. Another great stat for the Lions is that Oakland was the worst team in scoring last season which could make the Detroit defense look much better then it really is. Obviously if Oakland has any chance of winning this game they will have to rely on their defense and to hope and pray their offense can put up more then the 10.5 points per game they averaged last season. With that all said I definitely don’t expect this game to be a classic. I expect the game to be close and low scoring. My prediction is the Lions 21, and the Raiders 15 in an ugly punt filled game.
Comments, Questions or Thoughts Contact Kyle Horner at kyleh@wxousports.com
Written by: Kyle Horner
The 2007-2008 Detroit Lions start off their season on the west coast at a stadium known as the black hole, or as I like to call it, a used toilet bowl after Charlie Weis had just digested a double Whopper sandwich. The good news for Detroit is that the Raiders went two and six last year at the used toilet bowl and have lost their last two home openers. The problem for the Lions could be on offense. Now I know Detroit is suppose to rely on their offense to have any chance on making it to the playoffs this season, but the Raiders lead the league against the pass last year. Jon Kitna will definitely have his hands full come Sunday as the Raiders intercepted 18 balls last year and sacked opposing quarterbacks 34 times. Kitna on the other hand threw 22 interceptions and was sacked an unbelievable 63 times for a loss of three hundred and 88 yards. Kitna will definitely need to have patience in the pocket and go deep only when the opportunity presents itself. Don’t expect Calvin Johnson to get very many balls this first week. What about the running game for the Lions you may ask; well it may be the only place the Lions offense can take advantage of the Raiders. The Raiders were 25th against the rush last season with Morrison and Howard leading the defensive line with a combined two hundred and 38 tackles. The Lions have a revamped running game this season with Tatum Bell, T.J Duckett becoming the running backs and Shaun Bryson becoming a full time starter as fullback. There’s no doubt the running game will be better this season as they were the worst running team in the league last season. Expect Bell to have over 20 carries if there is any chance of the Lions putting up points on the offensive end. For Oakland there are not many positive things I can say about them on the offensive end. Their starting quarterback is better known in Detroit as a wide receiver and their passing game was 31st in the league last year. I am however a Ronald Curry fan and with his experience and speed he could definitely exploit the horrible Lions secondary. Another great stat for the Lions is that Oakland was the worst team in scoring last season which could make the Detroit defense look much better then it really is. Obviously if Oakland has any chance of winning this game they will have to rely on their defense and to hope and pray their offense can put up more then the 10.5 points per game they averaged last season. With that all said I definitely don’t expect this game to be a classic. I expect the game to be close and low scoring. My prediction is the Lions 21, and the Raiders 15 in an ugly punt filled game.
Comments, Questions or Thoughts Contact Kyle Horner at kyleh@wxousports.com
