Almost everyone says Jim Schwartz has the Detroit Lions pointed in the right direction.
Well, duh.
After an 0-16 season, there is only way to go.
But I'll admit, after initially being very skeptical of the new Lions' regime -- mostly from the top on down -- the team's direction does have some reason for cautious optimism.
The Lions have made some prudent moves in the offseason.
Originally, the decision to promote from within when hiring a new general manager to replace franchise-killer Matt Millen seemed like the worst thing possible. But Martin Mayhew seems to have learned a few things from watching the NFL's biggest train wreck firsthand.
In one off-season, Mayhew and the Lions have turned over more than 60 percent of their roster.
That's a good thing.
Many of Millen's mistakes that weren't already discarded were finally sent packing. The few wise decisions he made -- like drafting Calvin Johnson, Ernie Sims and Kevin Smith -- were rightfully kept around.
So after Mayhew has seemingly been more successful at doing what Millen tried so epically unsuccessfully to do -- build a deep team via the New England Patriots model of bringing in reasonably-priced and versatile veterans to build around a young core -- it remains to be seen if Detroit will actually produce on the field.
Adding some proven veterans -- linebackers Julian Peterson and Larry Foote, cornerbacks Phillip Buchanon and Anthony Henry and defensive tackle Grady Jackson -- should greatly improve what was a woeful defense a year ago. And a revamped receiving corps, depth at running back and the infusion of veterans such as Jon Jansen, Daniel Loper and Ephraim Salaam on the offensive line should help the offense be more productive whether Matthew Stafford or Daunte Culpepper is at the helm.
Still, Schwartz has nowhere to go but up. He's in the catbird's seat. Even a 4-12 season would be seen as drastic improvement and he'd be hailed as a hero.
Unless something unlikely and spectacular happens this year, it's season two that will tell his story.
Remember, the Lions were 7-9 in 2007-08 and were a perfect 4-0 in the preseason before the team's historically comical run to 0-16.
Schwartz probably doesn't want to say it, but in this case you need to take baby steps. Realistically, even if everything goes well, Detroit isn't going to contend for a playoff spot this year -- not with Green Bay and Minnesota in the division -- so what Lions fans can hope for is a step or two towards respectability.
If Schwartz can hang around long enough to see if the Lions' gamble on quarterback Matthew Stafford pays off -- none of Detroit's last five head coaches have lasted more than three years -- the team had to have put together many of those steps.
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