Previewing Detroit Lions season opener vs. Rams on Sunday Night Football

THEY ARE LAUNCHING INTO THOSE PROGRAMS. HEY EVERYBODY, I'M NICK MONACELLI. WE DO WANT TO GET YOU CAUGHT UP ON WHAT'S MAKING HEADLINES THIS AFTERNOON. AND GUESS WHAT? MOST OF THEM HAVE ALL TO DO WITH THE LINES. WE'RE GOING TO BEGIN WITH THAT EVERYBODY IS TALKING ABOUT IT. WE ARE 56 HOURS AWAY FROM LIONS KICKOFF. NOW THEY'RE GOING TO GET A PRIME TIME SLOT FOR THEIR SEASON OPENER AGAINST THE RAMS RIGHT HERE SUNDAY NIGHT ON LOCAL 4. WE ARE SO FIRED UP FOR THIS GAME. SO WHAT ARE THE BIG STORY LINES WE'RE GOING TO WATCH. DEREK HUTCHINSON IS OUR LEAD EDITOR AND CLICKONDETROIT.COM AND OUR HEAD SPORTS WRITER. HE ALSO IS THE KEEPER OF THE KOOL-AID RIGHT OUTSIDE OF HIS DESK THERE. HE'S ALSO PART OF THE DETROIT SPORTS PLUS WEEKLY VIDEO PODCAST. DEREK, OBVIOUSLY THIS IS A HUGE GAME FOR THE LIONS. HOW MUCH, THOUGH ARE WE LOOKING AT THE REST OF THE SEASON? DO WE JUST FOCUS ON THIS FIRST GAME RIGHT OFF THE BAT? >> YEAH, OBVIOUSLY IT'S ONLY ONE GAME IN 17, BUT YOU JUST SAID IT. THE LIONS HAVE NEVER HAD THIS MUCH HYPE COMING INTO A SEASON, ESPECIALLY SUPER BOWL HYPE. SO YOU'VE GOT SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL. IT'S ON PRIME TIME MATTHEW STAFFORD I BACK. SO IF THEY DO WIN IT'S REALLY GOING TO GET THE BALL ROLLING FOR THE SEASON. AND IF THEY LOSE, YOU KNOW IT'S NOT A DISASTER. BUT IT WOULD BE A LITTLE BIT DEFLATING. >> WELL HERE'S MY CONCERN THOUGH DEREK. AND WE HAVE BEEN THROUGH THIS SO MANY TIMES WITH THAT SAME OLD LIONS. THIS ISN'T THE SAME OLD TEAM, RIGHT. BUT WE'RE USED TO HYPE AND THEN LETDOWNS. MY CONCERN IS THAT WE SEE OURSELVES ON THE COVER OF SPORTS ILLUSTRATED WINNING THE SUPER BOWL. AND THEN WE GO DOWNHILL FROM THERE. DO YOU THINK THE HYPE COULD BE INFLATED AND COULD WE HAVE ISSUES IF THERE'S TOO MUCH PRESSURE ON THE TEAM? >> YEAH, NICK, I KNOW U DON'T WANT TO BE HURT AGAIN, RIGHT? I MEAN, YOU'VE BEEN HURT SO MANY TIMES, BUT YEAH, THIS IS NOT THIS IS NOT YOUR SAME OLD LIONS. I THINK WE THROW THREW THAT PHRASE OUT THE WINDOW LAST YEAR. DAN CAMPBELL SAID IT FIRST DAY OF TRAINING CAMP. HE SAID WE'RE NOT GOING TO LET THERE BE ANY SORT OF LETDOWN THIS SEASON. SO THE LIONS, THEY'RE CONFIDENT. THEY'RE QUIETLY CONFIDENT. SO I DON'T THINK THAT THERE'S GOING TO BE ANY LETDOWN. >> AND I LOVE THE QUIET CONFIDENCE THAT'S THE KEY RIGHT THERE TOO. OKAY SO BIG GAME TOMORROW. RAMS COMING BACK TO DETROIT AGAIN. WE SAW THEM RIGHT THERE IN THE PLAYOFFS. WHAT DO YOU THINK IS GOING TO BE DIFFERENT IN THIS GAME VERSUS THE PLAYOFFS. YEAH. >> SO THE LIONS WON THE GAME OBVIOUSLY. BUT I'M SURE YOU REMEMBER MATTHEW STAFFORD AND PUKA NACUA TORCHED THE LIONS I MEAN THEY HAD NO ISSUES WHATSOEVER. SO WHAT DID THE LIONS DO. THEY WENT OUT AND THEY SPENT THE ENTIRE OFFSEASON BEEFING UP THE SECONDARY. THEY USED THEIR TOP TWO DRAFT PICKS ON CORNERBACKS THEY ADDED VIA FREE AGENCY AND TRADES. SO THIS FIRST GAME, WE'LL SEE IF THAT ALL NEW SECONDARY CAN GEL AT THE VERY IN THE VERY FIRST GAME AGAINST ONE OF THE BEST WIDE RECEIVER GROUPS THAT THEY'RE GOING TO SEE ALL SEASON. >> YEAH OKAY. NOW OUR GUYS WHO ARE WE WATCHING. OBVIOUSLY GOFF ON THE QUARTERBACK THOUGH. IS IT GOING TO BE HUTCH. IS IT GOING TO BE JAMEER MAKING THE BIG PLAYS FOR OUR WIN. >> YEAH I'M EXCITED TO SEE GOFF. I MEAN YOU SEE HIM SIGN THIS MASSIVE CONTRACT. AND IT'S ALWAYS INTERESTING TO SEE HOW GUYS DO RIGHT AFTER THAT. ON DEFENSE BRIAN BRANCH IS A GUY THAT I'M REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO WATCHING. HE WAS A STANDOUT ROOKIE LAST SEASON. THEY MOVED HIM TO SAFETY SO THAT HE COULD BE A LITTLE BIT MORE INVOLVED. SO I'M EXCITED TO SEE HOW THAT EXPERIMENT WORKS. AND THEN JAMISON WILLIAMS, WE'VE BEEN HEARING ABOUT THIS GUY NONSTOP ALL OFFSEASON. SO I JUST IS THE HYPE REAL? IS HE ACTUALLY GOING TO TAKE A STEP FORWARD IF WE WIN? >> WHO IS IT BECAUSE OF? >> YEAH, YEAH. IF THEY WIN, IT'S BECAUSE THE OFFENSE THAT WAS SO DYNAMIC LAST SEASON WAS ABLE TO KEEP EVERYBODY TOGETHER. BEN JOHNSON IS BACK. THE OFFENSIVE LINE IS MOSTLY BACK JARED GOFF IS HERE. ALL THE WEAPONS. SO THE CONTINUITY ON THAT OFFENSE SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET THEM STEPPING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION RIGHT OFF THE BAT. AND I THINK THAT THAT WOULD BE WHY THEY WIN. >> I DON'T WANT TO ASK THE QUESTION, BUT IF WE LOSE, WHOSE FAULT IS IT? WHAT DO WE DO WRONG? >> OKAY. >> THE SECONDARY IS SO MUCH MORE TALENTED THIS SEASON, BUT THEY'RE STILL THE TWO GUYS ARE STILL ROOKIES. THIS IS THEIR FIRST GAME AND THEY'RE GOING UP AGAINST A GREAT OFFENSE. SO IF THEY DON'T IF THE LIONS DO LOSE THIS GAME, I THINK IT'LL BE BECAUSE THEY COULDN'T GET ANY PRESSURE ON MATTHEW STAFFORD. KIND OF LEFT THOSE ROOKIES OUT HANGING OUT TO DRY. THAT'S A LOSING RECIPE FOR SURE. YEAH. >> YOU KNOW, WE HAD THE ARTICLE UP ON CLICKONDETROIT.COM ABOUT STAFFORD. LOOKING FORWARD TO ALL OF THE JEERS AND THE BOOING WHEN HE COMES BACK TO DETROIT. IT DIDN'T SURPRISE ME. WHAT DO YOU THINK? >> YEAH I MEAN IT'S THE STAKES WERE SO HIGH IN THE PLAYOFFS LAST YEAR. AND YOU KNOW I THINK LIONS FANS WANTED TO MAKE IT CLEAR, LIKE WE'RE SUPPORTING JARED GOFF. HE'S OUR GUY NOW. AND I THINK IN THE HEAT OF THE MOMENT STAFFORD WAS MAYBE A LITTLE BIT HURT BY THE WAY THAT IT WENT DOWN. BUT HE REALIZES NOW LIKE HE WAS A PLAYOFF ATMOSPHERE. THEY WAITED SO LONG FOR THIS. SO I DO I DO BUY THAT. >> DID YOU SEE THE PODCAST WHERE THE LA RAMS COACH SEAN, WAS TALKING ABOUT THE NOISE IN FORD FIELD AND HOW HE HAS NEVER, EVER, EVER EXPERIENCED ANYTHING LIKE THAT BEFORE? >> YEAH, HE SAID IT'S THE LOUDEST ENVIRONMENT HE'S EVER COACHED IN AND HE WASN'T THE ONLY ONE SAYING IT. I REMEMBER THE BUCCANEERS PLAYERS A COUPLE OF BUCCANEERS PLAYERS WERE SAYING IT THE FOLLOWING WEEK. SO YEAH, FORD FIELD IS ABOUT AS GOOD AS IT GETS. >> AND HERE'S THE THING TOO. LIONS FANS, BECAUSE THERE ARE PLENTY OF AND I HATE TO SAY IT HERE LIVE, BUT THERE ARE SOME BANDWAGON FANS. WE KNOW IT. YOU JUST HAVE TO BE CONSCIOUS THAT THAT LEVEL OF CHEERING ACTUALLY PLAYS A PART IN THE GAME. I MEAN, YOU CANCTUALLY THROW OFF THE RAMS OFFENSE IF YOU IF YOU'RE LOUD ENOUGH. >> ABSOLUTELY. AND I ALWAYS ADMIRED LIONS FANS. I MEAN, EVEN WHEN THE TEAM STUNK FOR ALL THOSE DECADES, FORD FIELD WAS PRETTY LOUD AND THE FANS WERE VERY INTO IT. SO NOW THAT THE TEAM IS ACTUALLY A SUPER BOWL CONTENDER, YOU'RE SEEING HOW THAT CAN SORT OF PARLAY INTO AN AMAZING ELITE ATMOSPHERE. YEAH. >> LET'S TALK ABOUT TICKET PRICES. YOU YOU JUST WROTE AN ARTICLE ABOUT THE PRICES LIONS RANKING. I THINK YOU SAID THIRD IN THE NFL, THIRD IN THE NFL IN AVERAGE TICKET PRICE, FIRST IN THE NFL FOR A FAMILY OF FOUR. >> IF YOU WANT TO GO TO A GAME. SO OBVIOUSLY THAT SHOWS THAT THERE IS A LOT OF EXCITEMENT ABOUTHIS SEASON. >> COWBOYS WERE NUMBER ONE, THOUGH. DO YOU AGREE? WHAT DO YOU THINK? SHOULD THEY BE? >> I MEAN, I GUESS I GUESS THE DATA DOESN'T LIE, BUT LIKE I MEAN, ARE THEY WORTH THE HIGH TICKET PRICE I GUESS IS THE QUESTION. DURING THE REGULAR SEASON, THE COWBOYS ARE ALWAYS WORTH IT, RIGHT? BUT YOU DON'T WANT TO GO TO THE PLAYOFF GAME BECAUSE IT WILL BE ONE AND DONE. >> ALL RIGHT DEREK HUTCHINSON, APPRECIATE YOUR TIME MAN. OVER IN THE NEWSROOM. NOW WE'VE GOT YOU COVERED AS WE GET READY FOR THE LIONS SEASON OPENER DEVIN KIMBERLY HOBBY M