How the Lions can become a Super Bowl contender for years to come

In the interest of a better, more productive NFL offseason, SB Nation’s NFL crew is putting on the general manager’s cap and fixing some of the league’s most moribund franchises, from free agents to marketing campaigns guaranteed not to backfire.

The Detroit Lions are mostly fine. They won 11 games last season, and made the playoffs for the second time in four seasons -- something they could last say in 1999. The defense was outstanding, finishing No. 2 in yards and points allowed per game during the regular season. The offense probably didn’t give Detroit the return on investment it was hoping for, averaging a hair over 20 points per game, but it’s still a relatively young unit that was in its first year under head coach Jim Caldwell and offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi.

The Lions could be one of the NFL’s best next season, depending on how they address the elephantine defensive tackle in the clubhouse. Accommodate Ndamukong Suh without jeopardizing the rest of the roster, and you may see the outline of a Super Bowl contender if you step back and take in the long view of the team.

That should sound insane to anyone who has closely followed Detroit. Every hint of promise shown by the Lions tends to be dashed rather quickly. The last time the team strung consecutive winning seasons together was 20 years ago, a time now far away, before Wayne Fontes and Barry Sanders got burnt out on Detroit and left the Lions in a mire.

The Lions are close to becoming a perennial winner, with name brand stars surrounded by young, cheap, drafted talent. It isn’t a perfect team, but it’s close to being a very good one if the Lions focus their efforts correctly. With the right free agent moves and a little re-branding, Detroit may finally kick its downtrodden reputation.

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Heading into the season, the Lions were seemingly in fine shape up front, but the unit finished just south of mediocre in 2014, giving up 47 sacks and springing the running game for just 3.6 yards per carry with Reggie Bush and Joique Bell. The veterans got pooped. Dominic Raiola has already been let go for being a poor center, as well as an unpleasant person. Nine-year left guard Rob Sims may be next.

What would be left are a bunch of youngsters entering, at most, their fourth season in the NFL, and that’s fine. The Dallas Cowboys’ top-notch unit was exactly the same way last season, outside of right tackle Doug Free. Travis Swanson (2014) and Larry Warford (2013) appear to be hits. If the Lions can find something other than an undrafted rookie to plug into the right tackle spot for next season, the line could be in great shape for years to come, and that would help Matthew Stafford and the offense much more than trying to give him another splashy playmaker.

Speaking of which ...

Yeah, he’s the Lions’ $53 million golden goose. If he’s so good then you can probably stop hurling wide receivers and tight ends at him with hopes he’ll find reliable targets.

Okay, lop on Golden Tate -- but that’s it.

The Lions have been trying really hard to turn Stafford into an unstoppable throw-bot, but only have a lot of ultimately wasted draft picks to show for it. Since Stafford was drafted in 2009, the Lions have had a terrible time selecting offensive skill players. Jahvid Best (No. 30 overall, 2010) and Titus Young (No. 44, 2011) are already out of the league for reasons that were mostly out of their control. Ryan Broyles (No. 54, 2012) has only appeared in 21 games in three seasons due to injuries.

The verdict is still out on tight end Eric Ebron (No. 10 overall, 2014). Unfortunately, his rookie season looked a lot like that of teammate Brandon Pettigrew (No. 20, 2009), the Lions’ other first-round tight end. Ebron struggled with dropped passes in college, through the pre-draft process, into training camp and during the regular season, dropping four of his 47 targets to finish with 25 catches for 248 yards and one touchdown.

Having first-round caliber weapons is nice, but you don’t need them to be a good offense, if this year’s Super Bowl contenders are any indication. A Tate-supported Calvin Johnson, Joique Bell, Stafford and a good, young offensive line are enough, especially if the Lions ...

Holding on to Suh will be tough, but it appears that the Lions may just be able to give him the mega contract he’s angling for if the salary cap increases appropriately. They’ll have to re-sign him or let him walk, because the franchise tag would amount to a $35 million cap hit, and a team that knows it can win now shouldn’t mortgage a season just for the opportunity to go through the same headache a year from now (at the moment, the Lions have just under $30 million committed for EVERY OTHER defensive player for 2015).

Over the Cap estimates that the Lions have nearly $127 million committed to a salary cap that is expected to top $140 million when it is announced. Though the increase is significant, it still doesn’t leave the Lions much immediate wiggle room. Thankfully, the team is well aware of Suh’s situation and importance. General manager Martin Mayhew has vowed to make Suh return to Detroit, and Johnson has stepped up and said he will do whatever it takes to help the Lions retain the defensive tackle.

If Johnson is willing to restructure his contract, it will go a long way towards keeping pivotal non-Suh defensive players in place. Inside linebacker DeAndre Levy may be coming off the best season no one talked about in 2014, with 151 tackles, 2.5 sacks and an interception among four passes defensed. He worked in harmony with a Suh-led front and a solid defensive backfield that featured smart free agent signings and a Lions drafted-and-developed second-year standout in cornerback Darius Slay.

The Lions were fortunate to retain defensive coordinator and alchemist Teryl Austin. Give him the same pieces for another offseason, and we could see a great defense become stellar, bringing the offense up with it.

Detroit has been coasting off that Clint Eastwood car commercial for far too long. The 2014 campaign, One Pride, produced a catchy rallying cry, but based on the well-tread tropes of losers -- win or lose, we have each other and our bond formed by being born within 10 miles of one another. To Hell (Mich.) with that! The Lions need to embrace this:

Photo via Ebay

That’s what Michigan-vintage exceptionalism looks like: being angry about stuff for no real good reason. Underdogs don’t hug their neighbors if they want to win. They throw elbows, and kick shins, and rub dirt in faces. And it has worked really well for the city before.

No, things like Suh’s step on Aaron Rodgers’ ankle shouldn’t be condoned by anyone. The Lions should do something to distance themselves from the last two decades, however. Solidarity is fine and good, but as players were so quick to point out before playing the Packers at Lambeau Field last season, they aren’t the same as the teams that established an ignoble tradition of losing.

These Lions aren’t bound by the past, they’re too damn good in their own right. And they should be rightfully upset that anyone suggests they have anything to do with their predecessors.