It will be interesting to see if the Lions will stick with Jon Kitna this whole season if he keeps turning the ball over at such an astounding rate.  He threw 20 pickoffs and fumbled 17 times (losing 6 of them) last season!  That can’t be tolerated again no matter how many yards Kitna is throwing for.  His problem is that his hands are really small and it doesn’t take much to jar the ball from his hands.  When he’s getting protection he is still a solid NFL QB but that can be said about most QBs in the NFL.  Kitna started all 16 games for the Lions last season and he completed 355 of 561 passes (63.3%) for 4,068 yards with 18 TD passes and 20 interceptions (80.9 QB Rating).  Kitna also carried the ball 25 times for 63 yards (2.5 ypc).  Don’t look for Kitna to throw for as many yards as he did last season as offensive co-ordinator Mike Martz is off to San Francisco.  That means that the Lions will try to go with a more balanced attack.  Kitna has now played in 124 games (111 starts) in his NFL career and he has completed 2,394 of 3,994 passes (59.9%) for 26,535 yards with 147 TD passes and 146 interceptions (76.8 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 273 times for 777 yards (2.8 ypc) with 10 TD runs.  Kitna has also fumbled the ball an amazing 100 times in his NFL career, losing 43 of them.

Drew Stanton missed all of his rookie season due to knee surgery but he still projects as the Lions’ QB of the future and it could be soon.  He doesn’t have a great arm but it’s strong enough.  Stanton also is as tough as nails and he doesn’t hesitate to take off running if the opportunity presents itself.  He might get his first NFL action this season if Kitna keeps putting the ball on the ground or in the opposing defenses’ hands.

Dan Orlovsky is a limited player as he doesn’t have a big time arm to drive the ball down the field.  He didn’t get on the field last season for the Lions.  He has played in 2 games (0 starts) in his NFL career and he has completed 7 of 17 passes (41.2%) for 63 yards with 0 TD passes and 0 interceptions (51.8 QB Rating).  He will be the #3 QB for the Lions this season.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  C-