FanHouse UsamaYoung

The now 0-14 Lions have many believing that a winless season is not only possible, but probable. This is 0for08, FanHouse's eye on the Detroit Lions and their quest for a winless season.

Some fans and pundits have looked at the Lions schedule over the last four or five games of the season and thought that their best chance to get in the win column would come today against the Saints. On ESPN's Sunday Countdown this morning, Tom Jackson -- normally a rational NFL mind -- stood firmly against the rest of the crew in picking the Lions today.

The Lions aren't going to win today.

At halftime, the score is 28-7, and Detroit can't stop a single thing New Orleans is doing on offense. The Saints have scored four rushing touchdowns by four different players (Robert Meachem, Deuce McAllister, Pierre Thomas, and Mike Bell). Meanwhile, Dan Orlovsky has a quarterback rating of 19.6, though that number is damaged by a prayer at the end of the first half which was picked off by Usama Young, and a long touchdown pass to Calvin Johnson that was called back on an illegal formation penalty by Gosder "The Human Penalty" Cherilus.

Still, the game is as lopsided as the score indicates.

UPDATE: It gets worse. After returning the opening kickoff of the second half, the Lions get called for 12 men on the field. Those are your halftime adjustments at work.

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: Drew Brees is, to me, the third best quarterback in the league. And that's not just because I have a giant man-crush on him. Say what you will about your Tony Romos and Carson Palmers, but I'd take Brees over those two, especially as he appears to be in the prime of his career. All he's done since arriving in New Orleans is put up gaudy numbers through the air, but he plays a heady game based on quick (and good) decisions. He's also a good guy off the field and the unquestioned leader of the team. Mark Brunell was brought in as Brees' backup while project Tyler Palko continues to develop, and while you don't want to see the old lefty play at all, his arm looks good enough in camp to sustain for a couple of weeks if need be. Anything more than that, though, and the Saints are in trouble. Heat Index: 9

Running Back: Running back committees are a bitch for fantasy owners, but none have encountered a mess like this, where four backs are going to get a fair share of touches. Exactly how the carries shake out depends on Deuce McAllister's health; ditto for the productivity of the group. All four backs -- McAllister, Reggie Bush, Pierre Thomas, and Aaron Stecker -- are talented, but Deuce is the only pounder that can keep the running game glued together. If he's in the lineup, expect Bush to flourish, with Thomas making a solid impact as well. If he's not, Thomas takes on a larger role and, though he rolled up Chicago for over 200 yards from scrimmage in Week 17 last year, it remains to be seen whether he can be a full-time NFL back. Luckily, Deuce has looked healthy so far. Heat Index: 7

In about the same amount of time it took the Saints bandwagon to empty, their hospital ward is filling up.

You know about how Deuce McAllister tore his ACL on Monday night, and you know how emo the whole thing made me (that wound up being a long night of Dashboard Confessional singalongs and posting depressing missives on my MySpace page). But there's worse news.

Jason David will miss four-to-six weeks with a broken forearm, David Patten (strained calf) and Scott Fujita (sore ankle) are both expected to miss one-to-two weeks, and Jammal Brown has a dislocated finger. Thankfully for a large number of reasons, the Saints have an early bye this week. That should allow Patten, Fujita, and Brown to recover on time for the Week 5 game against Carolina.

As for David, despite the reputation garnered from the season opener in Indianapolis, the injury is a pretty big loss. David has been responsible for a large number of the big plays surrendered this season, but he's also been responsible for the only two big plays the Saints have made on defense, as well.

Stepping into his spot will be Usama Young, the third-rounder from Kent State (Neil Young would be so proud). Young has been the only rookie to get any playing time this season, and played well in increased action Sunday. While Young is green, he's incredibly athletic, and I'm intrigued to see what he can offer. Plus, you know, it's not like things could get much worse in New Orleans right now. Might as well throw the youngsters in and see how they fare.

That's the question a lot of pundits are asking today in trying to figure out how the Saints, preseason NFC favorites, are 0-2. But the magic they're referring to is that annoying, mythical "Katrina magic" that people invented last year. That's not what I'm referring to. Last year was based on a lot of really good personnel decisions, good coaching, and inspired play. We know that good coaching and inspired play have so far been nowhere to be found. But what of the personnel decisions?

Last year, the Saints had a magic touch shaping their roster. They got four starters in the draft (Roman Harper, Jahri Evans, Marques Colston, and Reggie Bush), six if you include draft-day trades for Jeff Faine and Hollis Thomas. They also made smart moves in free agency; besides Drew Brees, the team also got outsized contributions from Scott Shanle, Terrance Copper, and Scott Fujita. Almost every move they made turned to gold.

This year? Meh. Only four picks (Usama Young, Jermon Bushrod, Andy Alleman, and Robert Meachem) have made the team, all but Young have been deactivated for both games, and he only plays sparingly. Their dabble in free agency has been worse. Eric Johnson has been average at tight end, but at least he's doing something; it goes downhill from there. Kendrick Clancy won a starting job at defensive tackle but has been blah. Jason David's exploits are well documented. Kevin Kaesviharn has looked lost at nickel safety. And linebacker Brian Simmons can't beat out Mark Simoneau, who couldn't shed a block by Holly Mangold.

There's a lot of problems that need to be fixed with this team, and it's unfair to attack the new guys when so many of the holdovers have been so, so awful. Still, the Saints added a lot of players in the offseason, and counted on those players to improve the team. They haven't.

To get you ready for the season, FanHouse is previewing all 32 NFL teams. Here's New Orleans' outlook.

2006 record: 10-6

2006 Offense: The #1 offense in the league. Drew Brees. Reggie Bush. Deuce McAllister. Marques Colston. Devery Henderson. All led by Sean Payton, who has proved to be one of the most innovative offensive coaches in the NFL after but one year. Yeah, it was pretty good.

2006 Defense: The Saints ran an unusual defense last year -- the break but don't bend variety (yes, you read that correctly). Their job primarily was just to get the ball back to the offense, either by forcing an early three-and-out or by quickly giving up the big score. And they succeeded one way or the other. They still finished with the 11th overall defense, but causing turnovers was a major problem.

2006 Special Teams: Between Lance Moore, Michael Lewis, and Bush, the team did well enough returning the ball. Kickoffs were a problem though, so much so that the team had to waste a roster spot on Billy Cundiff, a kickoff specialist who still couldn't boom touchbacks into the endzone. John Carney retained his accuracy, but lost even more distance on his field goals. From the blocked punt that sparked the Superdome reopening, to Bush's first NFL touchdown (a game-winning punt return against Tampa), this unit produced some of the most memorable plays of the season.

This is how bad the Saints' secondary got torched at times last season: NFL Films is currently putting together a new anthology DVD entitled Fred Thomas: Burnt Toast. But while Thomas has become the whipping boy for critics, the secondary as a whole, besides Mike McKenzie (who had another typically solid, underappreciated season), underachieved.

So improving there, especially with guys who could thieve the ball, was key in the offseason. And if the reports out of camp so far are any indication, this group should be much better on the back end, thanks specifically to two newcomers.

Jason David (pictured) has drawn rave reviews from camp attendees for his ability to stick to a receiver and break up passes. David hasn't been overtly physical (not a surprise given his size), but he's made up for that by reading and reacting well. He's managed to hold his own with Marques Colston, who has eight inches and 50 pounds over David, and Devery Henderson, one of the fastest players in the league. That's a pretty good barometer.

Then there's rookie Usama Young. Young missed the first three days of camp with an injury but has since looked like the defense's best athlete. His physical skills -- 4.39 speed and a 43'' vertical jump -- were evident at his pro day, and sent his stock skyrocketing, but Young has proven to have a good head for the game as well. Since he's returned, he's intercepted at least one pass per practice, and has come up big on a number of other plays. The way things are looking right now, the nickel spot is open. Young could certainly ascend into that spot if he keeps playing the way he has thus far.

I think it's safe to say that there's nothing to worry about on offense. As long as the defense is marginally better, this team should be dandy. Luckily, the infusion of talent seems to be paying off.

Amidst the splendid news that the Saints have inked three of their draft choices -- third-rounders Andy Alleman and Usama Young, with fifth-rounder David Jones -- comes a bit of sadness, as the team has cut two long-standing, beloved Saints. The releases of return man Michael Lewis and defensive end/tackle Willie Whitehead were announced today.

Whitehead is the last last hold-over from Mike Ditka's disastrous run in the Big Easy, and has proved to be incredibly valuable. His versatility has done a lot in bolstering a Saints defensive line that has been the strength of the team for years, even as the rest of the roster lagged behind. He never received a ton of attention (if any) outside of New Orleans, but Whitehead always showed up for work prepared and did his job admirably.

Michael Lewis, meanwhile, has become a legend in New Orleans. Forget Invincible -- Vince Papale's got nothing on "Beerman." A local product who never went to college (driving a Budweiser truck for a living) and walked on at the NFL level, Lewis didn't just make it into a game, as Papale did. He owns the Saints records for kickoff and punt return yards. He also owns the season-high marks in both categories, and in 2002 set an NFL record with 2,432 combined return yards, a distinction that sent him to the Pro Bowl.

But both are long in the tooth, and room is needed for the Saints' influx of young talent. Lewis' release was expected -- he's dealt with injuries the last two seasons and with Reggie Bush, Lance Moore, and Jones looming, Lewis' inability to play receiver hurt his chances -- but Whitehead's was a bit more of a surprise. The team must feel comfortable in their depth at end behind starters Charles Grant and Will Smith, but Rob Ninkovich and Josh Cooper are largely unproven.

Though the future is exciting, it's hard for Saints fans not to be a bit saddened by today's news. Was it Nietzsche who said "It's so hard to say goodbye to yesterday"? Actually, it was Boyz II Men. Still poignant.