The Detroit Lions are coming off their best season since 1991 even though they scored their fewest points since 2009, when the team posted a 2-14 record. The Lions became a playoff team in 2014 by reducing turnovers and playing to their defensive strengths. This was not a great team, but it was a much more reliable one -- it was a playoff team with a winning formula.
That formula will be tough to replicate now that the Lions' best player, defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, has signed with the Miami Dolphins in free agency. Almost every non-quarterback is replaceable, and if defensive end Ezekiel Ansah becomes a great player, the Lions could still field a very good defense in the coming years. Their quick move to acquire Haloti Ngata from Baltimore already soothed some of the sting from Suh's departure, at least for the 2015 season.
However, with Suh out the door and the defense in transition, a much less palatable alternative just became more likely: If the defense deteriorates, the Lions could again need more from quarterback Matthew Stafford, compromising the brand of complementary football that worked so well for them last season. Alarm bells are not yet sounding, but it's an appropriate time to consider the potential consequences for Stafford and the Lions.
The value of one player
If there were a surefire way to measure the value of a defensive tackle, the Dolphins probably wouldn't have given Suh the contract he commanded. There's simply no way a defensive tackle can be worth what some of the top quarterbacks in the league are getting. Projecting and measuring the impact Suh's departure will have on the Lions will be similarly difficult.
Great players rarely change teams in their primes, but it has happened on occasion.