Detroit Lions running back Reggie Bush runs a drill during an NFL football minicamp practice in Allen Park, Mich., Thursday, June 13, 2013. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
The Lions concentrated during the off season on revamping their roster and adjusting their collective attitude.
Training camp begins this week. It's time to start implementing their plan.
These are the figures in the Lions' organization, who will be most under a spotlight as training camp begins:
Reggie Bush - At 28, Bush is entering his eighth NFL season. He has a Super Bowl ring with New Orleans. He has a 1,000-yard rushing campaign on his resume. His NFL career has been, well, respectable. Certainly, it wouldn't fair to label Bush a bust. Yet, he hasn't emerged as one of the NFL's top players, either, which has been somewhat disappointing given what a truly great college player Bush was at the University of Southern California. It's reasonable to expect Bush will fall under the category of a "nice" addition. The Lions, in order to not only make the playoffs, but have an impact once there, need Bush to have be more than that. In some respect, Bush's legacy as an NFL player will depend on it.
Jim Schwartz - There are two ways of looking at the Lions? head coach. One is he inherited an 0-16 season and turned the franchise around quickly, leading the Lions to the playoffs in his third year. Another he raised expectations, only to let this town down with a dreadful 4-12 season in '12, which concluded with eight straight losses. Schwartz's fate will be determined based largely on a couple tangible factors. The Lions have completely revamped their special teams with a new coach, different kicking specialists and a redesigned scheme. The Lions have three first-round draft choices on their defensive line, and Schwartz is a defensive coordinator by trade. Can he get the most out of that talent? Also, it will be interesting to see if Schwartz has learned from his game management mistakes last year.
Riley Reiff - The known at offensive left tackle, veteran Jeff Backus, who has retired, has been replaced by the unknown in Reiff, the Lions' first-round draft choice in 2012 from Iowa. The Lions had the fifth overall pick in the '13 draft and selected defensive end Ziggy Ansah after three of the first four selections were offensive left tackles. The Lions' draft in '13 will not only be judged by what type of impact Ansah has on the defense, but whether Reiff is an effective left tackle. He has the size and athleticism for the position. While he was the 20th overall pick in the draft, Reiff was the second offensive lineman taken in the 2012 draft. But his challenge is especially unique and demanding in the NFC North. He will face Minnesota's Jared Allen, Chicago's Julius Peppers and Green Bay's Clay Matthews twice each this season.
DeAndre Levy - A potential free agent during this past off season, the Lions re-signed Levy, a linebacker, for three years at nearly $10 million with, reportedly, a $3 million signing bonus. Levy has good speed and is stout at the point of attack. He is 26. Logic dictates Levy should have the right combination of skill and experience to come into his own in 2013. But will he?
Louis Delmas - The track record has been simplistic for Delmas. When he plays, he plays well. Problem is, he has missed a lot of games. The Lions finally got Delmas a legitimate partner at safety by signing free agent Glover Quin away from the Houston Texans, but they are still lacking depth at the position. They desperately need Delmas on the field.
Sam Martin ? The Lions? thought enough of Martin to use a fifth-round draft pick to select him. He is the first punter taken by the Lions in the draft since 1984. He wasn?t projected to be chosen that early in the draft, if at all. Did the Lions know something other teams didn?t about Martin and will they be proven correct? Or will Martin be another late-round draft pick, who doesn?t pan out for the Lions?
Pat Caputo is a senior sports reporter and a columnist for The Oakland Press. Contact him at pat.caputo@oakpress.com and read his blog at theoaklandpress.com. You can follow him on Twitter @patcaputo98
Source: http://www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2013/07/21/sports/doc51eb5e5caa607132255144.txt
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