FanHouse AndreFluellen

Training camps are underway, the NFL season is a month off, and to get you ready for 2008, FanHouse previews all 32 teams, "heat index" style. We'll rate each club in 10 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

Quarterback: Jon Kitna -- man of God, man of many passing yards, man of many lapses in judgement. With Kitna, Mike Martz found a quarterback who could air it out appropriately in his offense. Appropriately, in this instance, means bombing away with little regard to risk, and the interception and sack totals with Kitna under center reflect that. Martz is gone and the Lions are shifting to a more conservative offense. Kitna isn't the right man to helm it, and, turning 36 early this season, should be on his last tour in Detroit. The problem is that the Lions aren't sure if they have anyone behind him to take over, with Dan Orlovsky and Drew Stanton possessing exactly zero starts and only 17 passing attempts between them, all Orlovsky's. Heat Index: 5

Running back: That conservative offense will put more work at the feet of the team's tailbacks. The Lions' running game in 2007 was 31st in the league and lost their best runner in Kevin Jones. Still, they're going about improving in the right way. They kept Tatum Bell and Brian Calhoun from last year and tailored their attack to a one-cut zone blocking system that suits their skills. Bell had almost 2,000 yards and 10 touchdowns running in that system in 2005 and 2006. Assuming he stays healthy, he should bring a big-play punch. But the biggest impact will be made by the biggest unknown -- rookie Kevin Smith. He also excels in a zone system, and the wildly productive college back is one of the players I think is going to absolutely turn heads this year. Heat Index: 7

Detroit Lions 2008 Draft Picks:

Round 1 (17): Gosder Cherilus, OT, Boston College
Round 2 (45): Jordan Dizon, OLB, Colorado
Round 3 (64): Kevin Smith, RB, Central Florida
Round 3 (87): Andre Fluellen, DT, Florida St.
Round 3 (92): Cliff Avril, OLB, Purdue
Round 5 (136): Kenneth Moore, WR, Wake Forest
Round 5 (146): Jerome Felton, FB, Furman
Round 7 (216): Landon Cohen, DE, Ohio
Round 7 (218): Caleb Campbell, S, Army

The Good: I don't care what anyone thinks, I like the Cherilus pick. Most wanted a running back in that spot, but the Lions needed one of those first-round tackles and the only other viable option, Jeff Otah, is overrated to me. And the Lions got a very good running back anyway in Smith, who never got the recognition he deserved while being incredibly productive in college. He's the perfect big back for the Lions' new zone scheme and will surprise people with his NFL-ready talent.

The divisive story of Campbell is feel-good to some and has been good fodder for talk radio today, but forget about that. He's simply a very good player. He's smart, talented, and has the personality Rod Marinelli likes. Campbell will begin his career as a special teams demon but with steady development can get time in the secondary either this year or next.

We are officially 1/3 of the way through the regular season. After the first 4 games, these are the Seminoles that stood out to me the most:

1. Buster Davis - No surprise here. Buster was named National Defensive Player of the Week after his dominating performance down in Miami and followed that with ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week honors (even though he's a LB, I don't get that one) in Week 2 vs. Troy. He has been as good as any LB in college this year.

2. Tony Carter - Carter is turning into the shutdown corner we all hoped he would become. Teams have avoided his side of the field as much as possible, even though he stands only 5'9". His 2 blocked kick returns against Clemson are the only reasons that game was even respectable. Hopefully he'll pick up right where he left off when he gets back from his knee injury in a couple weeks.

3. Andre Fluellen - With all of the injuries at the DT position, Fluellen has been counted on more than ever to carry the load inside. He has been an absolute beast, not allowing any sign of an opposing running game up the middle all season.

4. Lawrence Timmons - We haven't heard Timmons's name as much as anticipated this season, but that's not a bad thing. Buster has demanded all the attention (and deservingly so), but Timmons could be every bit as great. You rarely heard Greg Olson's name against Miami right? Guess why.

5a. Geno Hayes - Hayes was all over the field against Miami, making huge play after huge play. His development from his freshman to his sophomore season has really impressed. If he puts on 15 more pounds, watch out.

5b. Joe Surratt - In a valiant effort to sneak an offensive player onto this list, who else but the guy who has scored the most TDs on the team. Surratt has been the short yardage/goal line specialist, racking up 5 TDs in 4 games.

Just missed out: Marcus Ball, Gary Cismesia