Lions use bye week to regroup
Delmas close to returning
Jason Hanson has almost seen it all in his 21 seasons with the Detroit Lions. Strong starts. Flat finishes. A winless season. Three straight post-seasons and five in a seven-year stretch back in the 1990s.
When Hanson hears someone mention last year’s accomplishment — a 10-win season that snapped an 11-year playoff drought — was just a mirage, he doesn’t bristle and respond with bravado.
“I say, ‘Maybe it was,”’ Hanson said.
“Nobody on this team should open their mouth about whether it was or wasn’t. When people say that, we have no argument until we start winning games. We better start winning games.
“We’ve got lots of proving to do.” Yes they do. The Lions entered their bye week at 1-3.
Since winning their first five games last season, they have lost 10 of 16 games, including a loss in an NFC wild-card game at New Orleans.
Detroit’s problems that were obvious for all to see — the lack of a running game and a poor secondary — might be worse than expected.
Meanwhile, the team’s failure to cover kickoffs and punts along with the inability for Matthew Stafford to connect with Calvin Johnson in the end zone wasn’t anticipated.
Just when it looked like the Lions had an answer on the ground when Mikel Leshoure ran for 100 yards and a touchdown in his NFL debut two weeks ago, a 44-41 overtime loss at Tennessee, Leshoure ran for 14 yards on one carry and averaged one yard on his 12 other attempts in a seven-point loss to Minnesota.
Speedy Jahvid Best, recovering from two concussions he sustained last year, can potentially provide a complement to the powerful Leshoure as soon as Oct. 22 at Chicago.
The Lions look like they have much-needed help in the secondary even sooner.
Louis Delmas, who had surgery on his left knee two months ago, practised Wednesday for the first time since early in training camp and might be active in Detroit’s next game at Philadelphia Oct. 14.
“Lou is one of our vocal leaders, he flies to the ball and is spirited and everything you want in a safety,” linebacker Justin Durant said.
“It’ll be a big plus to get him back.”
If Detroit can put Delmas back in the starting lineup, it can get his replacements — Ricardo Silva and John Wendling — on special teams where their help is desperately needed.