FanHouse Julian Peterson

Training camps have wrapped up, the NFL season is right around the corner, and it's still hot as sin outside. But instead of cooling you off with a warm island song, FanHouse break out ye old heat check for our 2009 NFL Season Previews." We'll rate each club in 5 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

Without playing a game, the Detroit Lions have matched their 2008 regular season win total. Naturally, this is an embarrassing fact, and one that Lions fans are probably sick of hearing. However, it also serves to show how easy it will be for head coach Jim Schwartz to be hailed as a genius this season. The Lions will win a game (or more!) in 2009, and Schwartz has done some things in the offseason to point this franchise in a positive direction. It's time now for the players to see the benefits of their hard work during the spring and summer.

Following a historic 0-16 season, the Detroit Lions have undergone a franchise makeover -- both on and off the field. Martin Mayhew has taken over for the maligned Matt Millen and Jim Schwartz is now the head coach. They have made myriad changes via trade, free agency and the draft.

Thus, they look toward training camp with a new motto. Detroit is "The Land of Opportunity." The meaning to the phrase is that Schwartz and Mayhew have instilled a new philosophy, which they are calling "no starters, no depth chart." The theory is that nothing is set in stone and anyone can win a job in training camp (though I'm guessing Calvin Johnson is quite safe as the starting WR1).

When you go a whole season without winning a game, it's hard to fault people who don't want to watch you play anymore. So rather than grumble about losing season ticketholders, the Detroit Lions are doing something about it. The team sent e-mails to about 6,000 former season ticketholders a few weeks ago, inviting them to attend Wednesday's minicamp session. A few of them took the team up on it and attended workouts.

"I think it's important for them just to reconnect with the team," new coach Jim Schwartz said. "There have been a lot of changes since they had season tickets. I want them to see the direction that we're taking. I think if you watch practice, you can see sort of the philosophies that we're going to have and you see a lot of different faces and you need to get reacquainted with your team. There's so much turnover."

In its effort to rebound from the worst season in NFL history, Detroit is hoping a hometown hero can provide some optimism.

A little more than 24 hours after he was cut by Pittsburgh, Detroit native Larry Foote agreed to a one-year deal with the Lions. Foote said that he expected to sign his new contract on Wednesday -- and he will immediately inherit Detroit's starting middle linebacker position between Julian Peterson and Ernie Sims.

The Lions had all the swagger of a tranquilized sloth in 2008. It's hard to blame them, really, given their 0-16 season -- at some point, even the most cocksure player on that roster (no, not Dan Orlovsky) had to feel pretty defeated. So as with all new coaches who inherit beaten-down teams, Detroit's rookie head man Jim Schwartz has set about trying to change the attitude in Motown.

Schwartz wants more hard-nosed players, and guys with a little bit of attitude. Something tells me he's going to enjoy linebacker Zack Follett, a seventh-round draft pick of Detroit's last weekend.

If quarterback Matthew Stafford is going to be the No. 1 pick at the NFL Draft in April, then Thursday is a critical day. Stafford, who did not take part in passing drills at the league's scouting combine in February, will be the featured attraction at Georgia's pro day in front of a multitude of scouts -- including, of course, representatives from the Lions.

While quarterbacks often sit out certain drills at the combine (though it's worth noting that Southern Cal's Mark Sanchez participated), Stafford's decision immediately led to questions about the impact on his draft status. He's still expected to be one of the first guys off the board, but Detroit's opinion on him may be changing. For one thing, since the combine, Detroit reportedly engaged in talks with Denver about Jay Cutler's availability, hinting that the Lions may not see what they want from a QB at the No. 1 pick.

Something very odd is going on in Detroit this offseason: the Lions are actually showing signs of knowing what they're doing. The latest move reportedly has the Lions sending defensive tackle Cory Redding and a 2009 fifth-round to Seattle for Pro Bowl linebacker Julian Peterson.

Peterson was named to the Pro Bowl in each of his three seasons in Seattle. The Michigan State alum will slide into Detroit's starting strongside linebacker spot and, paired with Ernie Sims on the weakside as the Lions continue to rapidly rebuild their miserable defense. There are implications here beyond immediate on-field payoffs, though.

Training camps are underway, the NFL season is right around the corner, 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:One of the consistencies of Mike Holmgren's regimes has been strong quarterback play. Maybe Matt Hasselback never became the "next Brett Favre", but maybe, on a number of levels, that's actually a good thing. What Hassyback has become, though, is one of the most consistently underrated and, um, consistent signal callers in the league. He's not flashy but he doesn't need big name wideouts to post big stats either. He's got a bad back early this year though, and I'm automatically docking the Seahawks one "heat point" for refusing to use Seneca Wallace at wideout. Also: Charlie Frye. Heat Index: 7

Running Back: There's something to be said of your running back situation when neither Julius Jones nor Maurice Morris can perform at a high enough level in training camp or preseason to make Mike Holmgren name a starter. T.J. Duckett could still be cut, although with the recent Ben Obomanu injury, it looks like both he and Justin Forsett could be on the roster, with Duckett manning goal line carries and Forsett returning kicks. It's not a really attractive situation either way you slice it. Heat Index: 5

With Fantasy Football season ready to kick in high gear, Fantasy FanHouse is here to preview each and every team. Listen closely, you're almost guaranteed to win your free fantasy football league, only over at Fleaflicker.

Meet The ...
Boys finally freed from the albatross that is Shaun Alexander. I'm guessing Mike Holmgren feels like a gigantic weight has been lifted from his chiseled physique with the departure of the former superstar. A franchise QB will help the offense move forward, along with the freedom to actually play whichever running back runs the hardest.

The Breakout
Just like I said in the Browns preview about Donte' Stallworth, we've been down this road with Nate Burleson before. And just like I said there, I'm ready to gamble again. It's a problem, I know. He did have a breakout season in '04 with the Vikes where he racked up 1006 yards on 68 catches ... nine of which went to paydirt. Since then he hasn't been playing full-time whether injury or being buried on the depth chart was the culprit. Last year he found the end-zone nine times again, and he didn't play near full-time. This year he will, with Deion Branch scheduled to miss some possibly significant time. I expect a baseline of 1000 yards on 75 catches to go with 8 TDs. Anything after that is gravy, considering his current ADP (48th WR).

With Fantasy Football season ready to kick in high gear, Fantasy FanHouse is here to preview each and every team. Listen closely, you're almost guaranteed to win your free fantasy football league, only over at Fleaflicker.

Meet The ...
Boys finally freed from the albatross that is Shaun Alexander. I'm guessing Mike Holmgren feels like a gigantic weight has been lifted from his chiseled physique with the departure of the former superstar. A franchise QB will help the offense move forward, along with the freedom to actually play whichever running back runs the hardest.

The Breakout
Just like I said in the Browns preview about Donte' Stallworth, we've been down this road with Nate Burleson before. And just like I said there, I'm ready to gamble again. It's a problem, I know. He did have a breakout season in '04 with the Vikes where he racked up 1006 yards on 68 catches ... nine of which went to paydirt. Since then he hasn't been playing full-time whether injury or being buried on the depth chart was the culprit. Last year he found the end-zone nine times again, and he didn't play near full-time. This year he will, with Deion Branch scheduled to miss some possibly significant time. I expect a baseline of 1000 yards on 75 catches to go with 8 TDs. Anything after that is gravy, considering his current ADP (48th WR).