Will the Detroit Lions win the Super Bowl this year?

In 1958 a dejected Bobby Layne proclaimed that the Lions would not win in 50 years. 53 years have passed and the Detroit Lions are still searching for it first Super Bowl Championship.

This year, the Lions fans are quiet optimistic that the Detroit Lions will have a winning season. Just 3 years removed for a winless season, the Lions have built one of its strongest teams in years. The high draft picks have helped and the new coaches and management have brought in new culture in Detroit. Many good players now go to Detroit as free agents.

This hub will tell the story of the Detroit Lions starting in the 2011 Season.

The 2011 team's foundation started at the end of 2008 season when the Lions finished dead last and winless with a 0-16 record. By virtue of their embarrassing record, they were awarded the 2009 draft's top pick. The owners fired Matt Millen and all the coaches. The new brain trust is composed Martin Mayhew and Tom Lewand. Jim Swartz became the head coach with Gunther Cunnigham as defensive coordinator and Scott Linehan as offensive coordinator. The new team drafted the following players in 2009:

1st Round Pick 1 Matthew Stafford QB Georgia - After 2 seasons of shortened play, he is the starting QB for the 2011 team. This year, he is expected to have a breakout season.

1st Round Pick 20 Brandon Pettigrew TE Oklahoma St. - Pettigrew is the starting TE for 2011. In 2010, he was among the league leaders in receptions for his position although he also led the league in dropped passes. This year, he is expected to improve on his performance and a healthy Stafford can bring an increase in his stats across the boards.

2nd Round Pick 33 Louis Delmas S Western Michigan - Delmas made instant impact in his first year as hard-hitting safety. He has developed into one of the most dependable secondary starters for the Lions.

3rd Round Pick 76 DeAndry Levy LB Wisconsin - Levy became of the "steals" of the 2009 draft as he became the best LB in the Detroit line-up in 2009 and 2010. This year, he is getting support from durable free agents in Justin Durant and Stephen Tulloch.

3rd Round Pick 82 Derrick Williams WR Penn State - Williams has been underachieving and might be cut this year.

4th Round Pick 115 Sammie Hill DT Stillman - The big boy from a small college is now a vital part in the Lion's formidable defensive line rotation. He will get a lot of reps this year as newly drafted Nick Fairley suffered an injury at the beginning of the season.

6th Round Pick 192 Aaron Brown RB Texas Christian - Brown is still surviving and had some bright moments in the special teams. He could be one of the last RBs signed into the season's rosters. The injury Mikel Leshoure somehow helped his stock.

Other Picks:

Lyndon Murtha T (7th Round) - Now with Miami Dolphins

Zack Follett LB (7th Round) - retired due to injury

Dan Gronkowski (7th Round) - Now with Denver Broncos

The 2009 Draft was a big haul for the new management and most of the picks are still actively playing in the NFL. It reflects an improved scouting and talent evaluation by the management.

The 2009 Team finished with a 2-14. The record was bad but not as bad as the year before. There were signs of hope for the team that was basically starting from scratch. The Detroit Lions were to pick second in the 2010 Draft and here are the key players that were drafted that year:

Round 1 Pick 2 Ndamukong Suh DT Nebraska - Suh won defensive rookie of the year honors and a pro-bowl selection in his first year in the league. He is expected to be the face of the new Detroit Lions. In 2011, expect Suh to Suh-per!

Round 1 Pick 30 Jahvid Best RB California - He started 2010 with amazing stats then he got injured. A healthy Best this year is needed to provide a perfect complement to their potent passing game.

Round 3 Pick 66 Amari Spievey CB Iowa - He has now shifted to Safety and will be looking to start this year.

Round 4 Pick 128 Jason Fox T Miami - With the injuries in the Lion's offensive line, it is critical to have players like Fox to step into the role of protecting prized QB Matt Stafford.

Round 7 Pick 213 Willie Young DE NC State - Young has matured and expect to get a lot reps in maintaining the intensity of its front 4 in the whole match. He has fast becoming one of the vital parts in Detroit's Silver Crush.

Round 7 Pick 255 Tim Toone WR Weber St. - Toone is still in the roster so far but he will have a hard time make team unless the team sees him as an ST specialist.

The 2010 Team ended with a 6-10 record. A 4 win increase from 2009. They beat teams like Tamba Bay and Green Bay before the end of the 2010 season. For the 2011 Draft, Detroit's first pick will be the 13th pick overall:

The most notable picks in the 2011 draft were DT Nick Fairley, RB Mikel Leshoure, and WR Titus Young. Leshourse is out for the season. Fairley has not played a game yet while Young got his first NFL preseason game against the Bills.

Veterans that you can count on:

WR Calvin Johnson - Megatron came off a very productive 2010 even if he was playing with 3 different QBs. This year he is expected to be a fantasy star as he will team up with Stafford to form one of the most amazing tandems in the league.

WR Nate Burleson - Acquired from free agency last year, he will be a dangerous No.2 as teams would try to double Calvin Johnson.

DT Corey Williams (2009 Free agent acquisition) - One of the most underrated DTs in the league, the Willians-Suh pairing is one of the most feared DT couple in the NFL.

DE Kyle Vanden Bosch (2009 Free agent) - He was one of the first major FA acquisition in the Schwartz era. He has proven himself as the leader on field and he has one of the primary reasons why the DL improved by leaps and bounds.

The Lions went 4-0 in the pre-season. The last time they had a perfect pre-season was in 2008 where they finished 0-16 in the season proper. The preseason was a big gauge on what Detroit is capable of. After the last preseason game, the attention now shift to the head coaches who decides on who makes the cut for the first regular season game against the Tampa Bay Bucaneers

After the 4 preseason games, the NFL teams have to trim their line-ups to 53 men. Here are some of the notable from the Lions.

Punter Nick Harris - He has been with the Lions since 2003. The tandem of Harris and Kicker Jason Hanson was a fixture for almost 10 years. Hanson was able to stave off a serious challenge by Dave Rayner (who is now hired by the Dallas Cowboys). Harris was not as fortunate as Ryan Donahue was picked to be the Lion's punter this year.

WR Derrick Williams - The former 3rd Round pick has been let go by the Lions.

This is the initial 53 who made it to the cuts but expect more changes in the coming days as teams look for new talent in waiver wire after the cuts are made.

QUARTERBACK (3)
*Matthew Stafford
Shaun Hill
Drew Stanton

RUNNING BACK (4)
*Jahvid Best
Maurice Morris
Aaron Brown
Jerome Harrison

WIDE RECEIVER (5)
*Calvin Johnson
*Nate Burleson
Titus Young
Rashied Davis
Maurice Stovall

TIGHT END (3)
*Brandon Pettigrew
*Tony Scheffler
Will Heller

OFFENSIVE LINE (8)
Center:
*Dominic Raiola
Dylan Gandy

Guard:
*Stephen Peterman
*Rob Sims

Tackle:
*Jeff Backus
*Gosder Cherilus
Corey Hilliard
Jason Fox
Johnny Culbreath (IR)

DEFENSIVE LINE (9)
Tackle:
*Ndamukong Suh
*Corey Williams
Sammie Hill
Nick Fairley
Andre Fluellen

End:
*Kyle Vanden Bosch
*Cliff Avril
Lawrence Jackson
Willie Young

LINEBACKER (7)
*DeAndre Levy
*Stephen Tulloch
*Justin Durant
Ashlee Palmer
Bobby Carpenter
Isaiah Ekejiube
Doug Hogue

CORNERBACK (5)
*Chris Houston
*Eric Wright
Aaron Berry
Brandon McDonald
Alphonso Smith

SAFETY (4)
*Louis Delmas
*Amari Spievey
Erik Coleman
John Wendling

SPECIAL TEAMS (4)
Kicker: Jason Hanson
Punter: Ryan Donahue
Returner: Stefan Logan
Longsnapper: Don Muhlbach

September 5, 2011

Claimed G Jacques McClendon off waivers from Indianapolis. Signed C Dan Gerberry, WR Nate Hughes, S Ricardo Silva and T Casey Bender to the practice squad.

September 4, 2011

Released RB Aaron Brown and C Chris Morris. Claimed RB Keiland Williams off waivers from Washington.

People saw a glimpse of what the Lions can do this season as they beat the Buccaneers at Tampa 27-20. The last time the Detroit Lions won their opening game was way back in 2007. Tampa Bay was 10-6 last year but were also defeated by the Lions in overtime dashing their hopes for a playoff berth.

ESPN Game Recap

Interesting Game Stats for the Lions

Passing - Matthew Stafford 24/33 305 yard 3 TD 1 Int 118.9 Passer Rating. Stafford was very accurate and continued his stellar play from the preseason.

Rushing - Jahvid Best 21 carries 72 yards

Touchdowns - Calvin Johnson 2, Tony Scheffler 1

Total Receptions - Calvin Johnson 6, Nate Burleson 5

Receiving Yards - Calvin Johnson 88, Burleson 60, Pettigrew 54

Fumbles Recovered - Louis Delmas 1

Interceptions - Chris Houston 1 (For -1 yards)

FGs - Jason Hanson 2/2

Punting - Ryan Donahue 5 attempts 48.2 avg. 3 inside 20 1 Touchback

Top Tackler - Amari Spievey 7

Sacks - Stephen Tulloch 1, Kyle Vanden Bosch 1

Detroit is now 1-0 and they match division rivals GB Packers and Chicago Bears. There are still several areas that the Lions can improve on. The Lions are clearly better than any Detroit Lions Team in the past decade.

The Detroit Lions faced the Kansas City Chiefs in their home opener and boy, they put on a good show. They routed a 2010 playoff team, 48-3.

The Lions are now 3-0 after coming back from a 0-20 halftime deficit in Minnesota. The Lions handed the Vikings its 3rd straight defeat. Calvin Johnson had his third straight 2 TD game of the season.

Injury Report: Isaiah Ekejiuba is in the IR. Lions signed CB Anthony Madison.