STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
Coach Rod Marinelli should qualify for a degree in personnel juggling for the
mixing and matching he and offensive coordinator Mike Martz have had to do on
the offensive line.
They have lost three projected starters and this week lost Barry Stokes, a
replacement starter who had logged time at both guard and tackle.
The loss of Stokes means the Lions will be lining up a fifth-round rookie
tackle (Jonathan Scott), an undrafted rookie guard (Frank Davis) and probably a
guard plucked off their practice squad (Stephen Peterman).
Martz's goal will be to put together some kind of game plan to give QB Jon Kitna a chance to get his passes off before he is trampled by the Chicago
defense. The alternative is to hand the ball to RBs Arlen Harris or Aveion Cason, who have been pressed into active duty after the Lions lost their top
three backs -- Kevin Jones, Shawn Bryson and Brian Calhoun -- to injuries.
GAME PLAN: Offensive coordinator Mike Martz has his hands full trying
to come up with an effective offense against the NFC's No. 1 defense while
fielding a lineup that includes three backup offensive linemen and a RB who was
cut before the start of the regular season. His best hope is to get production
out of QB Jon Kitna with WRs Roy Williams and Mike Furrey, although Kitna
currently leads the league with QB sacks (55). The Lions defensive line is as
badly beaten up as the offensive line. Only one projected starter -- Cory Redding -- is still able to play and he had to move from DE to DT. The Lions are
particularly vulnerable against the run, a hole that coach Rod Marinelli
probably won't be able to patch until next season.
BY THE NUMBERS: 7-28 -- The Lions' six-season division record going
into the Chicago game Sunday. That includes one division win in both 2001, '02
and '05, and two division wins in 2003 and '04. They are 0-5 so far this season
against NFC North opponents.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH:
--Lions QB Jon Kitna vs. Bears DE Mark Anderson. Kitna has been sacked 16 times
in the last three games and will have to be aware of Anderson, who leads the
Chicago pass rusher with 10 sacks.
--Lions WR Roy Williams vs. Bears CB Charles Tillman and FS Danieal Manning. The
Bears probably won't double Williams in their cover-2 defense as much as Green
Bay did when they effectively took him out of the Lions offense, but both
defenders pose an interception threat.
--Lions special teams vs. Bears PR/KOR Devin Hester. The Lions coverage teams
have improved in the second half of the season but they face a major threat in
Hester, who has three punt return TDs and two kickoff return TDs.
INJURY IMPACT: The Lions are playing with a hodgepodge on both their
offensive and defensive line, with the loss of two more starters -- RT Barry
Stokes and DT Marcus Bell -- to injured reserve this week. Look for coach Rod
Marinelli to rotate players into the action, hoping to find an effective
combination or develop experience for next season. It appears CB Fernando Bryant
might be ready to return to action after missing the last two games with a
concussion.
SERIES HISTORY: 154th game between the Lions and Bears in a series
dating back to 1930, when the Lions were still the Portsmouth (Ohio) Spartans,
and continuing when they moved to Detroit in 1934. The Bears hold an 86-62-5
lead in the series and have won the last three games by a combined score of
91-26.
PLAYER NOTES
--DT Marcus Bell, who had taken over the NT job since the Lions lost Shaun Rogers to a four-game suspension and then to a knee injury, was put on injured
reserve with a hand injury. Anthony Bryant, signed by the Lions in late
November, started in Bell's place last Sunday at Green Bay and is probable as
the starter Sunday against Chicago.
--OT Barry Stokes, who started 11 games at OG and OT, was lost for the season
after going on injured reserve with an ankle injury suffered in the 17-9 loss
Sunday at Green Bay. Stokes was expected to start at RT the rest of the season
because of the injury that put Rex Tucker on injured reserve also.
--OT Clint Stickdorn, who has spent part of the past two seasons on the Lions'
practice squad, was signed to the active roster and could be used as a backup OT
in the game Sunday against the NFC North-champion Chicago Bears.
--RB Lamar Gordon, a former third-round draft pick of the St. Louis Rams, has
been signed by the Lions as a backup RB to pick up the slack after the loss of
the team's top three RBs -- Kevin Jones, Shawn Bryson and Brian Calhoun -- to
injuries. Gordon would probably play behind current starter Arlen Harris.
--P Nick Harris, who battled an early season slump that saw him with eight
touchbacks in the Lions' first seven games, has punted his way out of it. In the
past seven games, Harris has just one touchback and has dropped eight punts
inside the opponents' 20-yard line.