2002 Results

Coach: Marty Mornhinweg Record: (3-13) Passing Offense: 25th, 187.1 yds/gm, 19 TDs Rushing Offense: 29th, 92.3 yds/gm, 9 TDs Scoring Offense: 26th, 19.1 pts/gm Team Leaders Passing Att Comp Yds TDs INTs Rating Joey Harrington 429 215 2294 12 16 59.9 Mike McMahon 147 62 874 7 9 52.4 Rushing Att Yds Avg TDs Long   James Stewart 231 1021 4.4 4 56   Cory Schlesinger 49 139 2.8 2 17   Aveion Cason 26 107 4.1 0 40   Mike McMahon 14 96 6.9 3 22   Receiving Rec Yds Avg TDs Long   Bill Schroeder 36 595 16.5 5 46   Az-Zahir Hakim 37 541 14.6 3 64   Mikhael Ricks 27 339 12.6 3 49   James Stewart 46 333 7.2 2 52   Scotty Anderson 25 322 12.9 1 34   Aveion Cason 19 288 15.2 2 37   Cory Schlesinger 35 263 7.5 0 43   Larry Foster 14 152 10.9 0 22

2003 Results

Coach: Steve Mariucci Record: (5-11) Passing Offense: 24th, 182.8 yds/gm, 17 TDs Rushing Offense: 32nd, 83.6 yds/gm, 5 TDs Scoring Offense: 26th, 16.9 pts/gm Team Leaders Passing Att Comp Yds TDs INTs Rating Joey Harrington 554 309 2880 17 22 63.9 Mike McMahon 31 9 87 0 2 12.7               Rushing Att Yds Avg TDs Long   Shawn Bryson 158 606 3.8 3 39   Olandis Gary 113 384 3.4 2 27   Artose Pinner 39 99 2.5 0 12   Joey Harrington 30 86 2.9 0 26   Az-Zahir Hakim 3 51 17 0 35   Mike McMahon 5 32 6.4 0 12   Receiving Rec Yds Avg TDs Long   Az-Zahir Hakim 49 449 9.2 4 28   Mikhael Ricks 37 434 11.7 2 38   Bill Schroeder 36 397 11 2 26   Shawn Bryson 54 340 6.3 0 26   Scotty Anderson 17 325 19.1 2 72   Cory Schlesinger 34 247 7.3 2 33   Charles Rogers 22 243 11 3 33   Casey Fitzsimmons 23 160 7 2 22

2004 Fantasy Outlook
Coaches: Steve Mariucci (HC), Sherman Lewis (OC), Dick Jauron (DC)
Passing SOS: 6th (1 = Easy, 32 = Difficult)
Rushing SOS: 10th (1 = Easy, 32 = Difficult)

The Lions have struggled mightily the last 3 years notching only 10 wins during that time. They have lost an NFL-record 24 straight road games yet there remains optimism in Detroit; a belief that the team is moving in the right direction. The team is definitely getting younger at almost every position and will showcase new faces on offense this season. Can this crew help 3rd-year QB Joey Harrington prove his worth? Its a make or break year for the Lions QB.

Detroit has added young talent at the offensive skill positions including projected starters Roy Williams (WR, seventh overall pick) and Kevin Jones (RB, 30th overall pick). They will team up with 2003 first-round pick WR Charles Rogers to form the nucleus of the Lions offensive attack. TE Stephen Alexander has been signed while TE Mikhael Ricks has been released.

Quarterbacks: Joey Harrington, Mike McMahon, Rick Mirer
The Lions continue to march forward with the West Coast Offense (WCO). Bill Walsh believes QBs must grasp the scheme by the third season, or they'll never get it.

"I do understand the third-year concept," says Mariucci.

Meaning, its put up or shut up time for Harrington. Granted he hasn't had the most talented skill people in the huddle but his TD-to-INT ratio (29 TDs - 38 INTs ) has been putrid the last two years and 54 catches by Shawn Bryson in '03 tells you that he's having trouble getting the ball downfield to his wideouts. Yes, the WCO calls for a lot of passes to the RBs but in many cases last season Harrington was looking to dump the ball before his wide receivers could develop their routes. Nobody questions his arm strength, release, and his mobility, but he'll need to improve his command and knowledge of this system in order to be a quality fantasy prospect. Perhaps the talented youngsters can aid his effort in '04 but considering this system is probably the most difficult for young receivers to learn, I wouldn't bank my fantasy money on Harrington making a huge leap forward this season.

Mike McMahon will once again serve as Harrington's backup. He's seen limited playing time the last two years but has done enough to gain Mariucci's confidence. Veteran Rick Mirer has been brought in this season to fill the #3 role because he knows the WCO and Mirer played for Mariucci in San Francisco.

Projected Stats
Joey Harrington - 3,096 yds, 18 TDs, 16 INTs; 94 rush yds; 0 TDs; 236.2 FF Pts
Mike McMahon - 172 yds 0 TDs, 0 INTs; 0 rush yds, 0 TDs; 8.6 FF Pts

Running Backs: Kevin Jones, Artose Pinner, Shawn Bryson, Olandis Gary
Fullbacks: Cory Schlesinger, Stephen Trejo
I hear Detroit hasn't drafted a running back in the first round since Barry Sanders. I wonder if Kevin Jones is tired of hearing that? I'm sure he is but he'd better get used to it. .Jones is the favorite to win the starting job but will get competition from second-year back Artose Pinner. The Lions moved up to the No. 30 spot to nab Jones in a desperate attempt to add life to their 32nd-ranked running game... and Jones just may be what the doctor ordered. He's a good fit for the WCO and has the speed/quickness to go the distance at any time. He averaged 5.6 yards per carry during his career at Virginia Tech and provided he can hang onto the ball during training camp, he should find himself the starter Week 1. One thing to keep you're eye on... Mariucci has indicated he might use both Jones and Pinner in a rotating system much like the way he used Hearst/Barlow in San Francisco. Not good news for fantasy owners. Despite his 2.5 yards-per-carry last season, Pinner remains high on the Lions depth chart. He doesn't have the speed that Jones possess enough power and strength to be a nice compliment.

Shawn Bryson was battling a knee injury most of last season but was the leader of the Lions rushing woes. He will be moved into a 3rd-down role this season which is a better fit considering the depth at this position. FB Cory Schelsinger will catch some passes out of the backfield in this system and will likely find the endzone once or twice but has minimal fantasy value at best.

Projected Stats
Kevin Jones - 893 yds, 5 TDs; 25 rec, 170 yds, 0 TDs; 136.3 FF Pts
Artose Pinner - 411 yds, 1 TD; 10 rec, 75 yds, 0 TDs; 54.6 FF Pts
Shawn Bryson - 116 yds, 1 TD; 34 rec, 225 yds, 1 TD; 46.1 FF Pts
Cory Schlesinger - 22 yds, 1 TD; 36 rec, 264 yds, 1 TD; 40.6 FF Pts

Wide Receivers: Charles Rogers, Roy Williams Rookie, Az-Zahir Hakim, Tai Streets, Scotty Anderson, Reggie Swinton, Eddie Drummond
By the end of last season, the top receiving threats for Detroit were Bill Schroeder, Az-Zahir Hakim and Scotty Anderson... even TE Mikhael Ricks was forced to move outside during a crunch. Yuck.

The teams #1 wideout, Charles Rogers, got off to a decent start catching 22 passes and scoring three TDs but missed the next 11 games due to a broken collarbone. The second overall pick in '03, is back and ready to pickup where he left off. Expect him to be in the starting lineup. But, who will be his running mate? Tai Streets was signed as a free agent, and he knows the WCO having played for coach Steve Mariucci in San Francisco. Rookie Roy Williams was the 7th pick in this years draft and has more play-making ability than Streets. How quickly Williams can pick up the system will go along way into determining his playing time and whether or not he can hold onto a starting spot throughout camp. Most think his talent will win him the job (as do I ) and the thought of having two young game-breaking options on the outside must have Mariucci salivating. However, watch the learning curve for Williams in camp and if he starts to struggle bump Streets up your rankings.

WR Scotty Anderson filled in nicely last season when the Lions became decimated with injuries. Then Anderson suffered an ankle injury of his own causing him to miss the last month and a half of the season. He'll battle another injury-prone receiver, Az-Zahir Hakim, for the 4th receiver position. Hakim led the team in receiving yards last year (449) but has had a hard time staying on the field himself; battling hip and knee injuries the last two years. A healthy Hakim could be a great slot player in this system but his injury downside is too great to even consider him a viable fantasy option.

Projected Stats
Charles Rogers - 78 rec, 1,050 yds, 7 TDs; 147.0 FF Pts
Roy Williams - 35 rec, 438 yds, 2 TDs; 55.8 FF Pts
Tai Streets - 26 rec, 327 yds, 1 TD; 38.7 FF Pts
Az-Zahir Hakim - 17 rec, 246 yds, 2 TDs; 36.6 FF Pts
Scotty Anderson - 6 rec, 68 yds, 0 TDs; 6.8 FF Pts

Tight Ends: Stephen Alexander, Casey Fitzsimmons
The Lions let go of Mikhael Ricks this offseason (picked up by the Jets) but have added former Chargers TE Stephen Alexender to the mix. Ricks spent the past two seasons in Detroit, catching 64 passes for 773 yards and 5 TDs. Alexander will slide right into the starting role and has topped the 500-yd plateau twice in his career (2000 & 2002). He's never scored more than 4 TDs in a season though and has been injury prone, missing most of 2003 with a hernia. There is an opportunity in this system for the tight end to post respectable numbers so you might pencil in Alexander as deep sleeper and grab him late in your draft as your backup.

Projected Stats
Stephen Alexander - 32 rec, 346 yds, 3 TDs; 52.6 FF Pts
Casey Fitzsimmons - 10 rec, 98 yds, 0 TDs; 9.8 FF Pts

Detroit T.O.D Discussion on the FF Today Board