ALLEN PARK -- The Detroit Lions continue to say they are retooling, not rebuilding, and can compete this season. One sportsbook disagrees. Strongly.
William Hill has projected the Lions to win just five games this season, tied with the Houston Texans for fewest in the league. Yes, fewer than even the Jets, Jaguars and Bengals (each of whom checks in at 6.5 wins).
It’s not hard to understand why. The Lions allowed the second-most points in NFL history last season. They have needs all over that side of the ball, and only so many draft picks and dollars to fix it. Matthew Stafford was the only thing separating them from total embarrassment last year, and now he’s gone too, shipped to the Los Angeles Rams in a trade that net them Jared Goff and three draft picks, including a pair of future first-rounders.
That’s quite the haul, and should help accelerate their rebuilding efforts. Of course, talk to them about it, and they say this isn’t a rebuild at all.
“It’s not a rebuild at all, to be honest,” Goff said. “I know you guys are going to throw that word around. I don’t see it as that at all. I think it takes the right pieces to win, but it can happen in one offseason.
“It’s going to take a lot of hard work, and that’s the challenge that I think I’m most excited for is this challenge of bringing this team and bringing this city and bringing this culture back to what it should be.”
That’s in line with what new general manager Brad Holmes and coach Dan Campbell have said. They’re clearly taking the long view on roster building, but don’t consider 2021 a wash either.
“Here’s what I do know: Every player on this roster is going to be better than they were last year,” Campbell told MLive earlier this offseason. “I know that with everything in my heart because of the staff I brought in. That’s why I made this investment into our staff of guys that we kept or added. I believe these guys are outstanding teachers, they’re outstanding men, they’re outstanding coaches. You want to change a culture? Bring in great people. You want to make your guys better? Don’t just bring in great people, bring in great teachers of the game.
“If nothing else happens, those players will be better next year than they were last year. That’s the starting point.”
Campbell did bring in an interesting staff stocked with former players, and there has been a lot of good energy building in Allen Park. But so far, it seems the oddsmakers aren’t buying what the Lions are selling, projecting them to win the same number of games as last season -- when they finished dead last for the third straight year -- despite the expansion to a 17-game slate.
William Hill projects Kansas City to win the most games (12), with Tampa Bay (11.5), Green Bay (11), Baltimore (11), Buffalo (10.5) and the Los Angeles Rams (10.5) rounding out the top five.
"last" - Google News
April 16, 2021 at 08:25PM
https://ift.tt/3uULFb1
Sportsbook picks Detroit Lions to finish dead last in the NFL - MLive.com
"last" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2rbmsh7
https://ift.tt/2Wq6qvt
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Sportsbook picks Detroit Lions to finish dead last in the NFL - MLive.com"
Post a Comment