It’s time for me to give out my grades to the Lions offensive squad. It’s not really that pretty. Some of the less than stellar grades are directly related to expectations at the beginning of the year. Bottom line is that the as a unit, the offensive line did not perform up to expectations and were a disappointment. Let’s get to the grades…

Quarterback: B-

Jon Kitna certainly threw for a lot of yards this year (over 4000), but his other stats weren’t quite as impressive. He completed 63% of his passes this year, which was fair, but his 20 interceptions with only 18 touchdowns was horrible. Throw in all of his fumbles and you have way too many mistakes for a veteran quarterback to be making. Too many of those mistakes were in the Red Zone and cost his team points.

I give Kitna credit for early in the season getting the Lions off on the right track. During the first half of the season, the Lions certainly looked like his team. He was able to rally and focus them on the task at hand. He appeared to be a true leader for the team. However, when things went South in the second half, he started running his mouth and said some stuff a leader shouldn’t say. He was unable to get the guys back on track.

Running Back: B-

This grade may not be entirely fair due to the game plan of Martz, but the Lions didn’t really have a running game. Why in the World did we bring in Tatum Bell during the offseason. He was a complete flop, though I don’t really know if he was given a chance. Kevin Jones fought back from his injury this year and showed some moments of why the Lions drafted him a few years back. TJ Duckett was hot or cold. Some games he couldn’t do anything and other games he looked unstoppable. I suspect if the Lions had a more balanced attack during the past season, this grade would have been somewhat higher.

Wide Receivers: B

The Lions drafted heralded wide receiver Calvin Johnson in the last draft and big things were expected from the offense this year. Calvin had a more than respectable year, but most of it was in the first half of the season. Like many rookies, he appeared to tire and fade late in the season. Hopefully, he does some serious conditioning in the offseason and comes back ready to light it up next year.

Mike Furrey led the team in receptions last year. This year, he ended up as the fourth receiver statistically. Roy Williams was expected to exert himself as a big play receiver. While he did have a few plays, they were not of the big play variety. He often seemed to run the wrong route or drop a ball at the worst time. Roy will be a force in this league, but I think the thing he has to overcome most is himself. If he convinces himself he wants to be one of the elite receivers, he can be. Sean MacDonald was the surprise receiver this year leading the team in receptions. Unfortunately, there were too many times where he caught the ball and then gave up yards and first downs by running backwards trying to make something happen. He needs to just lower his head and get a few more yards.

Offensive Line: D

This is where the Lions offense failed the most. The offensive line was the most porous in the NFL giving up a league leading 63 sacks. Yup, that’s right, 63 sacks. That’s just about an average of 4 per game. That puts an incredible amount of stress and pressure on the quarterback. The line also failed to be consistent in the running game. Some games they opened up some holes and others they did nothing. In the past, I have thought pretty highly of Backus, but he had his worst year as a Lion. George Foster, who was acquired with Bell, was a complete failure. The bright spot was how well Damien Woody stepped in at right tackle in the last quarter of the season. One can only wonder what might have happened if he had started the season there. Unfortunately, Woody is a free agent this year and is likely to not return though he isn’t against it.

Offensive Coordinator: C-

It’s no secret that Mike Martz likes to pass, but to have games where you only attempt 8 runs is crazy. And those games were not out of range early forcing the Lions to throw. We just came in to some games with game plans that I just didn’t understand. I wouldn’t have minded us throwing more than running, but it shouldn’t be as lopsided as it was with the Lions this year. I actually respect Martz and his football savvy, but he just wasn’t right for the Lions. I don’t know if he and Marinelli ever saw eye to eye. I think he failed to react to the way his offense was playing. While giving up all those sacks, Martz kept doing the same thing instead of altering his game plan to best utilize the teams strengths.

Even with a win, the odds of the Lions making the playoffs have become very long. Still, to be at this point in the season with a shot, has to give some hope.

This week the Lions travel to San Diego to take on the Chargers. The Chargers started the season slowly and heard if from the fans and press. Still, at this point, they are now 8 - 5 and in complete control of the AFC West. Before the season, they were expected to challenge the Patriots and Colts for the AFC crown. After their sluggish start, they were written off, but I think, need to be considered contenders again, though its questionable if anyone will beat the Patriots.

The Lions come into the game riding a five game losing streak. They put up a good fight last week against the Cowboys but handed the game to them. With their impressive 6 - 2 start a distant memory and the playoffs fading fast, one has to wonder if they will be able to get themselves emotionally up for the game. I wondered that last week, but they more than came through in that department.

In the injury department, Chargers QB Philip Rivers practiced this week but is still questionable for the game on Sunday. However, LB Shawne Merriman, FB Lorenzo Neal and DE Luis Castillo will not play this Sunday. For the Lions, Roy Williams will be out again and will be joined on the sidelines this week by Troy Walters who suffered a concussion returning a punt last week. Fitzsimmons, Rogers and Kennedy are all probable for the game. Rogers missed his first practice of the year this week nursing some sore knees.

The Chargers have a potent offense with LaDainian Tomlinson at RB. He will get his yards. The big question mark for them has been the play of QB Rivers. It has been erratic. The Lions defense needs to keep the pressure on him (or his backup Volek). They need to try to rattle him and force him to make quick decisions. The defensive line has to step up take away the pass. I would like to see a bit more blitzing this week than is normal for the Lions. The Chargers run to set up the pass. We have to make the passing game not work for them. I say don’t load up and stop LT. Let him get a few yards, just make sure you stop the passing game. I hope the Lions use Greg Blue some more this week. He was electrifying last week.

On the offensive side, the Lions need to run the ball. Not run the ball to extremes, but have success. They don’t necessarily need another 164 yards rushing, but a 100 would be nice - enough to keep the attack balanced. I think we need to exploit the Jones / Duckett one-two punch. A balanced attack will give Kitna time to pass and be effective. When he has been hurried, he has made mistakes. Woody at right tackle has been a great find. He has done a good job protecting Kitna and opening up holes for the runners.

Another year long weak spot for the Lions has been special teams - at least the kickoff and punt coverages. We have a big zero in the return game too. I liked seeing Furrey dropping back to return punts after Walters got hurt. I hope he gets the job this week. We can’t afford to pooch kickoffs against the Chargers or any other team. We end up giving up way too much field position. I hope Coach Rod gave the specials a good talking to after last week. Sure, a little late, but maybe it can pay dividends late in the season.

I think the Lions manage to keep the game close this week. I think they stay close enough to perhaps win it. But, in the end, I think the defensive line fails to show up and we struggle to stop the Chargers. My shred of hope is that Rogers has been verbally abused in the press this week about his completely ineffective play, which he acknowledges. Sports Illustrated writwe Don Banks published his All-Bust Team for 2007 and Rogers was the only Lion to make the list. I can only hope that spurs him to have a career type game, but I won’t hold my breath.

In the end, I am picking the Chargers over the Lions by a score of 30 - 27. Go Lions - prove me wrong!