Lord Stan The Man

I recently had the opportunity to chat with Yahoo! Sports expert and Detroit sports fan Eric Adelson about the Lions. He previously wrote for ESPN The Magazine, and he recently authored the book The Sure Thing: The Making and Unmaking of Golf Phenom Michelle Wie. Adelson graduated from Harvard University and Columbia University’s School of Journalism, but still bleeds maize and blue. Knowing his passion for Detroit sports, I asked him a few questions about his favorite NFL team:

Most football fans dread the off-season. But for the Lions, every NFL season is typically full of misery and despair. So is your football self-esteem higher in the midst of this off-season, or are you longing for autumn?

Adelson: There have been plenty of false starts on rebuilding in the last 50 years, but now it seems the Lions have put together three good drafts in a row. Calvin Johnson is a star, Delmas is a revelation, Sammie Lee Hill is a pleasant surprise, and Suh looks like the top player in this class. And that doesn't include Stafford, who showed me a lot in that Cleveland game. It could all fall apart again, but this looks like two steps forward instead of one step forward and two steps back.

Just curious: Do you have a favorite Lion?

Adelson: I like Delmas and Stafford. They both seem to be confident without being arrogant. And they are tough.

What is your assessment of Detroit's 2010 off-season changes? How much better (or worse) is the team right now than it was at the end of the 2009 season?

Adelson: It's better, especially on defense, but the Lions won't be a playoff team until they get a stronger offensive line. The team might win five games, but never 10 with what they have up front.

How would you grade the Lions' 2010 draft class? How big of an impact can Ndamukong Suh and Jahvid Best have both in the short term and the long run?

Adelson: Too soon to tell. They both had great college careers, but so did Mike Williams and Aaron Gibson.

What do you expect out of Matthew Stafford in his second year? How good of a pro do you think he can be?

Adelson: Reading Nick Cotsonika's profile of Stafford opened my eyes to his intellect. My belief in him has ramped up. He's a leader and he's got a big arm. But again, he's not going to be an All-Pro with that offensive line.

I know you are a big fan of all Detroit-area teams, so I'll mix it up a bit for these next few. More wins this year: the Lions or University of Michigan football?

Adelson: I’ll say both win 6.

I know you’re a baseball fan as well. At the end of their respective seasons, which number will be lower: Lions wins or Justin Verlander’s ERA?

Adelson: Haha. Gotta be Verlander's ERA. Otherwise it's going to be a long summer.

Most likely scenario: the Lions win the Super Bowl or LeBron James joins the Pistons this summer? Speaking of the Pistons, are they worse than the Lions now?

Adelson: These are good questions! I think both are non-playoff teams. But the Lions' immediate future looks better. Can't believe I said that. And neither of those scenarios are at all likely.

Most likely to occur first: The Lions make the playoffs or the Red Wings miss the playoffs?

Adelson: Another good one! I think the Wings are just fine. So the Lions should have three years to make the postseason. They can do it.

I know it's still a bit early to be making predictions (although I just asked you to make several ridiculous projections), but what do you see from the Detroit Lions in 2010?

Adelson: There will be improvement for sure. I think Suh will be great. The Lions will be in games. The defense will create turnovers (for once.) No more blowouts. But they have too many holes to win more than six.

Who is currently the best athlete in Detroit?

Adelson: Gotta be Miggy. Even though I could probably beat him in a race.

The next Detroit team to win a championship will be ...

Adelson: Could be the Tigers!

Last question. If Rich Rodriguez leads Michigan to another terrible season and gets canned, then who will have a worse Detroit-area sports legacy: Matt Millen or Rich Rodriguez?

Adelson: Millen. RichRod only cost the program three years. (But don't give up on RR yet!)


You can e-mail Stanley at lordstantheman@gmail.com with any comments or questions. Stanley writes a Detroit Lions blog for NFL.com's Blog Blitz powered by SportsFanLive.com.