Detroit coach Jim Schwartz expectations in stride in 2011

ALLEN PARK, Mich. — Less than a year ago, Jim Schwartz was trying to defend his Detroit Lions following a 2-10 start that looked all too familiar for the troubled franchise.
A lot has changed for Schwartz and his team. The Lions enter this season as a trendy pick to contend for a playoff spot, and now the third-year coach’s biggest concern is keeping the hype in perspective. know people in Detroit, people around the country, are very optimistic about the Lions,” Schwartz said. “We’re the same way, but I think our optimism and our feeling about the team is maybe not coming from the same place. We still have a lot of work to do.”
Detroit won its final four games last season — a major step for a team that had lost 47 of its previous 52 games. The 6-10 finish was even more impressive considering quarterback Matthew Stafford hardly played. The Lions fielded a young team and started three quarterbacks, but they made clear progress.
In early December, following a loss to Chicago, Schwartz insisted the Lions were headed for “great things” and they didn’t lose another game the rest of the season.
“I just sort of got a little tired of the negativity and the doom and gloom,” Schwartz said.
The mood is different now. Schwartz doesn’t have to spend nearly as much time explaining his team’s shortcomings. The winning streak gave the Lions a positive vibe not even the NFL lockout could obscure.
Players were scheduled to report Thursday, but Stafford was at the practice facility Tuesday, proclaiming himself healthy after problems with his throwing shoulder limited him to three starts last season.
Although contact with players was limited because of the lockout, Schwartz was able catch an occasional glimpse of Stafford during the offseason.
“We TV-scouted him a little bit in spring,” Schwartz said. “We were getting ready for the draft and turned the TV on at halftime of the Georgia spring game to see him throw a throw for charity or something like that.”
The question now is whether the Lions can flourish amid positive expectations, which haven’t exactly been the norm. Schwartz scoffed at the notion that time off because of the lockout might actually help players by giving them more rest.
“Whether you’re doing what you guys do, or coaching or playing, the way you improve is you work on your craft,” Schwartz said. “You take criticism, and you try to correct things and try to work and things like that. ... That’s always going to be more valuable than sitting around.”
With the lockout finally over, teams are in the middle of a whirlwind start to the preseason, both in terms of personnel moves and practice. By Thursday night, Detroit had signed all its draft picks, capped by a four-year, $10 million deal with first-rounder Nick Fairley, the defensive tackle from Auburn.