The Detroit Lions have used the franchise tag on 25-year old DE Cliff Avril. Avril played in all 16 games for the Lions last year and he had 36 tackles, 11 sacks, 2 tackle for a loss, 6 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries, 4 passes defensed and a interception that he returned for a TD. Avril has now played in 57 games in his first four years with the Lions and he has 133 tackles, 30 sacks, 9 tackles for a loss, 14 forced fumbles, 5 fumble recovered, 12 passes defensed and 1 interception that he returned for a TD. This was an outstanding move for the Lions as Cliff Avril is a good pass rusher and he’s also a big time playmaker.

The rookie class of 2011 for the Lions has a very nice upside as a whole but two of the five players they picked spent their rookie seasons on I.R.  This class might be looked upon in the future as a great bunch, but time will tell.  Here is a look at what the Lions’ draft picks did in their rookie years:

23-year old DT Nick Fairley had a rough rookie season as the first round pick was dogged by minor injuries that kept him off the field a lot.  He played in 10 games for the Lions last year and he had 15 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss.  The Lions expect big things out of Fairley in the near future.

22-year old WR Titus Young was picked in the 2nd round last April and he was easily the most productive player in this draft for the Lions in 2011.  Young played in all 16 games for the Lions last year and he caught 48 passes for 607 yards (12.6 avg) with 6 TD grabs.  He also carried the ball 2 times for 15 yards (7.5 ypc) last year.

21-year old RB Mikel Leshoure was a 2nd round pick last April for the Lions.  He missed his entire rookie season due to an Achilles injury.  This was a blow to the Lions’ offense as they saw Leshoure as the thunder to Jahvid Best’s lightning.

22-year old OLB Douglas Hogue was a 5th round pick last April.  He played in 13 games and he had 6 tackles as he did most of his work on special teams.

23-year old OT Johnny Culbreath was a 7th round pick for the Lions.  He missed his entire rookie season due to an undisclosed illness.

GRADE FOR THE 2011 SEASON:  D

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  B

The Lions had some bad calls go against them and they dropped a couple of easy interceptions (Eric Wright and Aaron Berry) that would have changed the outcome of this game.  The Lions were up 14-10 at the half, but then the roof caved in on them.  The Saints were playing keepaway from the Lions, as they had possession of the ball for 37:36.  That makes the numbers that Matt Stafford and his receivers put up all the more impressive.  Stafford completed 28 of 43 passes for 380 yards with 3 TD passes and 2 INTs.  He also carried the ball 2 times for 1 yard (0.5 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Kevin Smith led the way on the ground for the Lions in this game with 21 yards rushing on 6 carries (3.5 ypc).  Calvin Johnson led the way through the air for the Lions with an incredible 12 catches for 211 yards (17.6 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Nate Burleson (4 rec, 50 yards), Brandon Pettigrew (4 rec, 49 yards), Titus Young (4 rec, 33 yards) and TE Will Heller (1 rec, 10 yards for a TD) also pitched in for the Lions in the passing game.  The Lions finished up with 32 yards rushing on 10 carries (3.2 ypc) and they also completed 28 of 43 passes (65.1%) for 380 yards as they had possession of the ball for 22:24.

The Lions’ defense was pretty good in the first half, but terrible in the second half.  LB Stephen Tulloch led the way for the Lions with 15 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 2 passes defensed.  Safety Louis Delmas (10 tackles) and LB Justin Durant (9 tackles and 2 fumble recoveries) also had solid games for the Lions.  The Saints finished up with 167 yards on 36 carries (4.6 ypc) and they also completed 33 of 43 passes (76.7%) for 459 yards in this game.  The Lions had a great season and a good first half yesterday.

The Detroit Lions have won three of their last four games, earning them a spot in the playoffs for the first time since the 1999 season.  That’s the good news.  The bad news is that they are playing the Saints.  The Saints are 8-0 this yearat home and they have outscored their opponents by an average of 41.1 points to 17.9 points per game.  The Saints beat the Lions 31-17 just five weeks ago in New Orleans.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Lions have the ball:  The Lions have a puncher’s chance in this game as they are going to fight fire with fire.  Matt Stafford is likely going to throw 40-50 passes tomorrow night against the Saints.  The Saints only had 33 sacks and 9 interceptions this year, so Stafford should have time to throw the ball without having to worry about throwing pickoffs.  Stafford will likely focus on getting the ball to Calvin Johnson (96 rec, 1,681 yards and 16 TD grabs) early in this game.  If the Saints start paying too much attention to Calvin Johnson, Stafford will start throwing ball around the field to Brandon Pettigrew, Tony Scheffler, Nate Burleson and Titus Young.  The wildcard for he Lions tomorrow will be RB Kevin Smith.  The Saints allowed  108.6 yards rushing per game and 5.0 yards per carry this year during the regular season.

When the Saints have the ball:  The Saints are going to come out throwing the ball, as usual tomorrow night.  The Lions have 41 sacks and 21 interceptions so far this year, so Brees is going to have to be sharp to make plays down the field on the Lions.  That being said, the Lions are giving up 239.4 yards passing so far this year, so Brees could have a field day.  Brees will spread the ball around to TE Jimmy Graham and WRs Marques Colston, Devery Henderson and Robert Meachem in this game.  The Saints are not just a passing team though, as the Lions will likely find out tomorrow.  They spread the carries around to Darren Sproles (also a great receiver out of the backfield), Chris Ivory and Pierre Thomas against a Lions’ D that is giving up 128.1 yards rushing per game and 5.0 yards per carry this year.

PREDICTION:  SAINTS 37, LIONS 27

23-year old Matt Stafford finally stayed healthy in 2011 and the result was a 10-6 record and a trip to the playoffs for the Lions.  Stafford played in 16 games (all starts) for the Lions this year and he completed 421 of 663 passes (63.5%) for 5,038 yards with 41 TD passes and 16 INTs (97.2 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 22 times for 78 yards (3.5 ypc) this year.  Matt Stafford has now played in 29 games (all starts) in his NFL career so far and he has completed 679 of 1,136 passes (59.8%) for 7,840 yards with 60 TD passes and 37 INTs (84.7 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 46 times for 197 yards (4.3 ypc) with 3 TD carries so far in his career.  The Lions are 13-16 (44.8%) with Stafford at QB during this first three years in the NFL.  The sky is the limit for Stafford as long as he can stay healthy.

31-year old Shaun Hill is one of the better backup QBs in the NFL.  Hill played in 2 games (0 starts) for the Lions this year and he completed 2 of 3 passes (66.7%) for 33 yards without a TD pass or INT (103.5 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 1 time for -1 yard last year.  Hill has now played in 32 games (26 starts) in his NFL career and he has completed 581 of 941 passes (61.7%) for 6,209 yards with 39 TD passes and 23 INTs (84.7 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 69 times for 319 yards (4.6 ypc) with 3 TD runs so far in his NFL career.  Hill is 13-13 (50%) as a starting QB in his NFL career so far.

UPDATE:  (2/5/2012) – The NFL has named Matthew Stafford as the Comeback Player of the Year for 2011.

The Lions fought fire with fire but they still lost yesterday in Green Bay.  Can’t blame the loss on Matt Stafford as he completed 36 of 59 passes for 520 yards with 5 TD passes and 2 INTs.  Kevin Smith got some work in with 35 yards rushing on 9 carries (3.9 ypc) and 4 grabs for 26 yards (6.5 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Calvin Johnson had a monster game yesterday with 11 catches for 244 yards (22.2 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Brandon Pettigrew (7 rec, 116 yards), Tony Scheffler (4 rec, 65 yards, TD), Nate Burleson (6 rec, 45 yards) and Titus Young (4 rec, 24 yards, 2 TD grabs) also pitched in with solid games for the Lions.  The Lions finished up with 73 yards rushing on 15 carries (4.9 ypc) and they also completed 36 of 59 passes (61%) for 502 yards as they had possession of the ball for only 28:20.

The defense got torched repeatedly by QB Matt Flynn, who was making his first start of the season for the Packers.  LB Justin Durant (9 tackles) and CB Alphonso Smith (8 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception) led the way for the Lions on D in this game.  LBs Stephen Tulloch (7 tackles and 1 fumble recovery) and DeAndre Levy (7 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 QB hit) also had solid games for the Lions.  The Packers finished up with 81 yards rushing on 24 carries (3.4 ypc) and they also completed 31 of 44 passes (70.5%) for 469 yards.  The Lions finished the season with a 10-6 record and they will play the Saints in the playoffs next weekend.

The Lions need either a win over the Packers or a Falcons’ loss at home to the Bucs to give them the #5 seed in the playoffs.  That means the Lions are going to play this like a regular game.  They are on a 3-game winning streak right now.  The Packers got back on the winning track against the Bears last weekend.  The Packers will likely get their starters a little work in the first quarter, before putting in the second team.  The Packers beat the Lions 27-15 in Detroit on Thanksgiving.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Lions have the ball:  The Lions are going to come out throwing the ball against the Packers.  They need the O-Line to give Matt Stafford time to throw the ball so that he can have another huge game.  Stafford is going to spread the ball around to Calvin Johnson, Titus Young, Nate Burleson, Brandon Pettigrew and Tony Scheffler are likely going to overwhelm the Packers’ backups on D.  The Lions are going to rest Kevin Smith in this game, which could set up Maurice Morris for a lot of carries this Sunday.

When the Packers have the ball:  The Lions aren’t likely going to have to worry about Aaron Rodgers and his excellent receiving corps too much in this game as the Packers have nothing to gain by playing them.  Matt Flynn will be playing QB most of this game for the Packers and this will be a showcase for him as he will be a free agent this summer.  He will have to beat the Lions with the backup WRs, TEs and RBs as the Packers are going to look like a team playing in the pre-season.

PREDICTION:  LIONS 31, PACKERS 20

26-year old WR Calvin Johnson will be heading to the Pro Bowl.  He has played in 15 games for the Lions so far this year and he has caught 85 passes for 1,437 yards (16.9 avg) with 15 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 1 time for 11 yards so far this year.  Johnson has now played in 75 games in his first five years with the Lions and he has caught 355 passes for 5,628 yards (15.9 avg) with 48 TD grabs.  Johnson has also carried the ball 19 times for 167 yards (8.8 ypc) with 1 TD run in this career.  If Johnson can stay healthy a few more years, he will not only be the best receiver the Lions have ever had but he will be a Hall of Famer.

The Lions have waived 26-year old RB Aaron Brown.  Brown played in 1 game for the Lions this year in which he carried the ball 1 time for 0 yards and he also caught 1 pass for 9 yards.  Brown played in 22 games in parts of three years with the Lions and he carried the ball 45 times for 189 yards (4.2 ypc).  He also caught 18 passes for 138 yards (7.7 avg) with 1 TD grab for the Lions.  The Lions won’t miss Brown too much going forward.

The Lions surged to a very impressive win over the Chargers last weekend.  They clinched their first playoff experience since  1999.  The Lions were up 24-0 at the half and they never looked back.  Matt Stafford was almost perfect in this game as he completed 29 of 36 passes for 373 yards with 3 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Kevin Smith led the way on the ground for the Lions in this game with 49 yards rushing on 15 carries (3.3 ypc) with 1 TD run and he also caught 2 passes for 12 yards (6.0 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Maurice Morris pitched in with 22 yards rushing on 5 carries (4.4 ypc).  WR Calvin Johnson (4 rec, 102 yards, TD), WR Nate Burleson (6 rec, 83 yards) and TE Brandon Pettigrew (9 rec, 80 yards, TD) led the way for the Lions in the passing game.  TE Tony Scheffler (3 rec, 47 yards) and WR Titus Young (4 rec, 39 yards) also pitched in for the Lions in this game.  The Lions finished up with 87 yards rushing on 23 carries (3.8 ypc) and they also completed 29 of 36 passes (80.6%) for 353 yards as they had possession of the ball for 32:21.

The defense gave up quite a few yards in this game but they also made huge plays to negate the yards.  LB Justin Durant (11 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack and 1 QB hit), CB Eric Wright (8 tackles) and LB Stephen Tulloch (7 tackles) led the way for the Lions in this game.  CB Chris Houston (3 tackles, 4 passes defensed and 1 interception that he returned 43 yards) and DE Cliff Avril (an interception that he returned 4 yards for a TD) also had big plays in this game for the Lions.  The Chargers finished up with 70 yards rushing on 16 carries (4.4 ypc) and they also completed 28 of 53 passes (52.8%) for 297 yards.  The Lions are now 10-5 on the year.