FanHouse Jeff Backus

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.

The decision of the Washington Redskins to release veteran lineman Jon Jansen on Friday came as a bit of a surprise.

There was no question Jansen had plenty of struggles with injuries over his decade in the nation's capital, but he is still a pretty solid lineman. That, and his many ties to the state of Michigan, have led him to quickly come to terms with the Detroit Lions.

Jeff Backus was the first draft pick of the Matt Millen era in Detroit, and he has started every game at left tackle for the Lions since then. So it's appropriate that as the Lions prepare to move on from the Millen disaster, they may be moving on from Backus.

For now, Lions coach Jim Schwartz is saying he likes Backus and plans to keep him in place. But as it becomes apparent that the Lions are looking at left tackles with the first pick in the draft, Schwartz is leaving room for the possibility that Backus could get moved to guard.

We won't know until this fall if hiring Jim Schwartz will pay off in wins for Detroit, but we already know it paid off in free agency on Friday.

The Lions signed offensive tackle Daniel Loper to what was reportedly a one-year deal. Loper has been a backup for the Titans for four years, stuck behind David Stewart and Michael Roos. But while he couldn't start for the Titans, he should give Gosder Cherlius or Jeff Backus some competition, could slide into play guard if needed and, at worst, will be a very versatile backup. The Falcons had also been interested in signing Loper, but his familiarity with Schwartz helped convince him to choose an 0-16 team instead of a 2008 playoff team.

Lions G Damien Woody was recently placed on the injured reserve list, which puts an end to his 2006 season. With the loss of Woody, the Lions will go into their game Sunday against the Bills with only two of their original starting offensive linemen healthy. The Lions also have veteran free acquisitions Guard Ross Verba and Tackle Rex Tucker injured. Both Verba and Tucker aren't expected to return until after the bye week. This rash of injuries directly influenced their loss last Sunday against the Vikings. After Woody and Tackle Jeff Backus missed significant playing time last week, the Lions replacement linemen had difficulty picking up blitzes and communicating their line calls, which ultimately determine their blocking responsibilities. In order for the Lions to have a legitimate chance at obtaining victory this weekend, these communication problems need to be overcome.

If their is an upside to the injuries on the Lions offensive line, it is that the Lions may be able to determine what future value Tackle Jonathan Scott and Guard Frank Davis have to the organization. As difficult as it is to accept, this team is going nowhere this season and the coaching staff's are starting to enter into evaluation mode. Unfortunately for Jon Kitna, he will likely be reduced to running for his life and having to hurry through his reads in order to avoid annihilation. The loss of these linemen will likely stymie some of the rhythm and effectiveness that had begun to develop in recent weeks.

As with all personnel issues, Matt Millen is largely to blame for this predicament. He was active in the off-season in acquiring veteran offensive linemen in hopes of upgrading the performance of the offensive line. Unfortunately, he made a lot of risky decisions by signing players who possesed checkered injury histories. Now the team is suffering as a result of these decisions.