High hopes surround the Detroit Lions. Coming off their first playoff appearance since 1999, the young team remains a popular pick to drive deep into the postseason in 2012.
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Greg Jennings doesn't deny Detroit's talent, but when the Green Bay Packers receiver visited NFL Network's "NFL Total Access" on Thursday, he questioned whether the Lions -- following a rash of off-field arrests this offseason -- are mature enough to keep it together.
"Can they maintain their composure, both on the field and off the field?" Jennings asked. "They're a very talented team, but they have struggles on the field containing their composure, and definitely, the things we've heard of, them being in the media with off-the-field problems and off-the-field issues. Can they maintain their composure? Can they be a professional ball club for 16, 17, 18 solid weeks throughout the regular season?"
Jennings caught a first-hand glimpse of what the Lions -- at a boiling point -- are capable of. He was on the field last season when Ndamukong Suh stomped on Packers offensive lineman Evan Dietrich-Smith. Jennings didn't harp on that incident, and he didn't need to. We've heard more than enough about Lions behaving badly this offseason -- their string of arrests has become a confusing maze of misconduct.
It's not uncommon to see young teams break free for a season, as Detroit did, and then fall back to the pack. The Lions faced little pressure in 2011. Theirs was a nice story, widely celebrated, but the question this season is one of priorities. How hungry are the Lions to repeat last year's success? We'll soon find out.
