Lions 2-minute drill

Lions 2-minute drill


Speed kills

The Lions offense is built on speed, and coach Rod Marinelli wants to keep the pedal down against everybody.

The 36-21 victory in the opener at Oakland was an example of how Marinelli wants to attack defenses. It's a fast, quick-strike attack, not a grind-out offense with a power running game. The Lions averaged 9.31 yards on first down, highest in the league.

"To be a really good team, if we put ourselves into a shell, I don't know if we can do that," Marinelli said. "Our money and our talent is in some of those skilled guys. We've got to find a way to get those guys the ball."

During the offseason, Shaun McDonald , Calvin Johnson and Tatum Bell were added to a unit that had Roy Williams and Mike Furrey . QB Jon Kitna considers Williams the key to the passing game, no matter what the stats show (four receptions, 20 yards; McDonald 6-90, Johnson 4-70, Furrey 5-52).

"Our best player is 11," said Kitna, referring to Williams' number. "We're going to try to get him the football. If you do something that doesn't allow us to get him the football, we'll go to somebody else."

Dominant defense

The Vikings hammered the Lions twice in '06 (26-17, 30-20). The Lions had 13 yards rushing combined. This season, the Vikings' defense already is rolling -- L Kevin Williams and CB Antoine Winfield scored TDs on INTs in last week's victory over the Joey Harrington and the Falcons. "They probably have one of the best collections of talent throughout the league," Lions QB Jon Kitna said. "There's not a glaring weakness on their team."

No ordinary rookie

The Vikings added speed and power in their running game in one package -- rookie Adrian Peterson . He rushed for 103 yards and caught a screen for a 60-yard TD vs. the Falcons last week. "He runs hard," Lions MLB Paris Lenon said. "He trusts the seams, and he stays in them. He makes a lot of plays. We got ourselves in a little trouble last week. We didn't play the screens as well as we should have (vs. the Raiders)."

Forcing turnovers

The Lions did well in turnovers last week vs. the Raiders -- two INTs and a fumble recovery; lost two INTs. Minnesota scored two defensive touchdowns to beat Detroit in the first matchup last season. "Once you get turnovers, it changes the mind-set," said Lions E Dewayne White , who had an INT and forced two fumbles against the Raiders.

Let home fires burn

The Lions must create a home-field environment, something they haven't done in the past. "We want the stadium to be rocking," Lions DT Cory Redding said. "We want the fans to be on their feet, get them excited. It's fun to play football."

Prediction

The numbers stack up against the Lions -- 10 straight losses to the Vikings and 14 out of 15. It's time for a change. Lions 23, Vikings 13

[www.detnews.com]