Lions generate high hopes for 2011: Detroit's season breakdown

With wise roster changes and smart draft choices in the past few seasons, the Lions have finally assembled a team that their fans can get excited about.  But they are not the only ones with hope for the team.

ESPN’s Tedy Bruschi said that he believes the Lions to be one of the teams most likely to make the playoffs this year that finished below .500 last year.

However, despite all the expectations and great players Detroit has for this year, 16 games with the other competitive and hopeful teams of the league will determine the Lions’ success.

And that success will have to be fought for, as Detroit will embark on the fourth toughest schedule in the league according to the ratings on NFL.com.

Detroit’s 2011 schedule includes seven games against teams that made the playoffs in 2010 and two contests with the Super Bowl defending champion Green Bay Packers.

The Lions start the year against Tampa Bay, a team in a similar situation but about a year ahead of Detroit. The Buccaneers went 10-6 last year but did lose to the Lions in overtime in week 15.

This should be another hard-fought game by both teams, but will definitely be a winnable game for Detroit.

Game two of 2011 pits the Lions against the NFC west champion Kansas City Chiefs. Kansas City was the best team in the league last year at running the football, but with the Lions solid defensive line it will come down to what the Chiefs do throwing.

The next two games for the Lions are on the road against Minnesota and Dallas, respectively, and both of these games will depend on what team shows up for the Lions to play. With quarterback issues for the Vikings, and off-field and coaching issues for the Cowboys both teams have been known to play below their potential as of late.

Out of the first four, the Lions should come out at least even, although I don’t expect them to win out in that stretch.

The fifth game of the year will be huge for Detroit, as it will be the first time the Lions have appeared on Monday Night Football since the 2001 campaign. Detroit will face off against division rival Chicago on that night.

The Bears always play the Lions tough, but in front of a national audience, and hopefully with some momentum, Detroit will return the favor. This should be another close game for the Lions, but again winnable.

DOJ Wants to Know Why There is No College Football Playoff ...

The NCAA has received a letter from the Justice Department questioning the lack of a college football playoff system, writing that “serious questions” surround the idea that the existing Bowl Championship Series could be in violation of federal antitrust laws.

People who are pushing for a playoff system have asked the department to look into the BCS for antitrust violations. They contend that certain schools are given the chance to play for the national championship and in high-profile bowls, while other schools are consistently overlooked.

The letter, which was sent this week, came from Christine Varney, the antitrust chief for the Justice Department. She questioned Mark Emmert, President of the NCAA, as to why a playoff system is not in place for college football as a way to decide who the national champion is, especially since other NCAA sports have such systems in place. She also asked if the NCAA has begun to put one in place and if Emmert believes that any of the components of the BCS system might be against what the fans, players, and schools would like to see.

She said, “Your views would be relevant in helping us to determine the best course of action with regard to the BCS.”

Varney also mentioned that Mark Shurtleff, the attorney general of Utah, has said he intends to pursue an antitrust lawsuit against the BCS, and that the Justice Department has received a letter from 21 professors seeking an investigation into antitrust violations.

In the fall of 2010, Shurtleff had a meeting with Justice Department officials to talk about a potential federal investigation. He believed that this kind of investigation is a vital step toward instituting a playoff system.

Shurtleff stated, “You get the DOJ behind one and the BCS will finally say, ‘OK, we’ll go to a playoff.”

The executive director for the BCS, Bill Hancock, who also received the letter, indicated that he is sure that the BCS is in compliance with antitrust laws.

H said, “Goodness gracious, with all that’s going on in the world right now, and with national and state budgets being what they are, it seems like a waste of taxpayers’ money to have the government looking into how college football games are played.

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