Lions camp report: Kings of the bungle will bag some wins

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DETROIT -- On one fine afternoon here the Lions demonstrated why they are simultaneously the most miserable and most promising -- you read that right, promising -- team in all of football.

The Lions were playing their first preseason game of the year and, as if on cue, came the initial embarrassing moment of the new season. When a singer attempted to croon the national anthem, his microphone went dead. It was the ultimate in symbolism.

Then the game began. In the third quarter, top draft pick Matthew Stafford threw an interception that was returned 42 yards for a touchdown by Atlanta's Tony Gilbert. It was absolutely Lions-like. The Lions' defense gave up 63 yards on six carries to Michael Turner, including a 40-yard score, and they tackled like the Falcons were covered in vegetable oil.

It seemed for the moment: same old Lions. Pull the designer paper bags out of the attic and prepare to cover the face. Or barf in the first available one you can grab. Just another day in Matt Millen hell, you want to say.

And the fans ... the poor Lions fans. Despite the attendance being announced at 34,000 it looked like half that number. How anyone stays a Lions fan without drinking themselves into unconsciousness is a greater mystery than the location of Amelia Earhart's plane.

Sleeper ... Matthew Stafford: Gunning deep for Calvin Johnson shouldn't be a problem for Stafford, or for Johnson for that matter. The Lions won't be blowing out many opponents this year, which will mean more pass plays called. There's 300-yard-per-game potential here. Stafford also has decent receiving options around him besides 'Megatron' in veterans Ronald Curry and Bryant Johnson as well as rookie Brandon Pettigrew. But in addition to the 41.7 million reasons the Lions have for starting Stafford, they can also look at the Falcons and Ravens from a year ago and see that getting to the postseason with a rookie quarterback is possible. Breakout ... Kevin Smith: Kevin Smith had a good rookie year in 2008 but not the debut season he was hoping for. Aside from the miserable team record, Smith got off to a slow start and didn't get 20 carries until his ninth NFL game. From there, he took off, showing his potential as a future Fantasy star. Smith finished with 708 rushing yards and five touchdowns in his final eight games, which was the majority of his production. This season, Smith will be a starter in all Fantasy leagues as a No. 2 option instead of just a part-time player on your roster. Bust ... Bryant Johnson: Many Fantasy owners are excited at the prospect of Johnson coming to Detroit and taking some pressure off of Calvin Johnson. Don't be one of those owners. Johnson has long been a disappointment, never scoring more than four touchdowns in a season and only once getting more than 600 yards in one year. He'll be working in his third new offense in as many years, which only complicates his progression. Sure, the Lions will be throwing a bunch, but Johnson has a modest track record and limited upside. You're better off going in another direction with a late-round pick when you draft. -- Dave Richard Current Draft Averages QB: Matthew Stafford (178th overall) RB: Kevin Smith (37th) WR: Calvin Johnson (19th) TE: Brandon Pettigrew (209th)

Lions Fantasy outlook | '09 Draft Prep

Then, something really odd started to happen in the game. The Lions looked -- gulp -- good.

Daunte Culpepper led a field goal drive, Stafford rebounded from his pick-six with a scoring drive of his own and rookie runner Aaron Brown had two touchdowns. The audio system was also soon fully functional.

"It was fun, it was a blast. I threw it around a little bit," Stafford said after the 27-26 victory. "Obviously, I don't want to throw anymore pick-sixes, but we jumped back and had a touchdown which helped us out." Watching preseason games is about as much fun as developing a case of pink eye. To demonstrate their overall worthlessness, remember that the Lions last year went 4-0 in the preseason before setting the ultimate mark for obnoxious futility by going winless in 16 games.

Yet it's important to focus on this particular preseason contest. It was the first one since the exile of Millen to the television studio and even to the untrained eye -- just from that game alone -- you can tell the Lions are different and for the better.

These are your new Detroit Lions: frustrating and sloppy but also building and -- double gulp -- overflowing with promise.

The new personnel regime led by general manager Martin Mayhew has already made some decent moves. They drafted Stafford, who is clearly just a short time away from being an NFL-ready thrower.

"He's a very confident guy who knows how to work and picks up things pretty quickly," Lions coach Jim Schwartz said of Stafford.

The rookie Brown was picked in the sixth round and has demonstrated highly capable playmaking ability. He could turn out to be one of the steals of the draft. How often is that phrase used when it comes to the Lions?

Again, the preseason doesn't mean much, but the fact the Lions beat the Falcons without their top four wide receivers, two best safeties, best defensive lineman and top tight ends who didn't play because of injuries was inspirational to the team and the 17 fans who came to the game.

growndNpownd: Do you feel like you have a tough act to follow, given the recent success of young quarterbacks like Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan? Matt Stafford, quarterback: The coach talks about trying to get better every day, and that's my goal. Those guys are great players, but the best thing is for me to control what I can control. You don't want to try and be someone else. Have a question for your team? Ask it here!

The most important thing is the sense of optimism. Millen was like an anchor draped around the organization's neck; his absence has allowed the Lions to focus on football instead of being constantly reminded about Millen and the organization's ineptitude. Their camp is as optimistic as any and there is very little DNA residue from the Biblical disaster that was last year.

After all, the organization understands one blunt fact better than anyone: It can't get any worse.

The Lions will win some games this year. Not many. But some. That's progress.

The team is building a decent foundation and making smart decisions, which means the new regime won't pull a Millen and draft 11 wide receivers to start on offense.

Thankfully.