By: Eric Thomas

So it's official. Mikel Leshoure will not be playing against the Rams or against the 9ers in prime time.

I feel like I am on an island on this. It seems among the media and fans the consensus formed. The Lions will have a better running game this year. I am confused. Where did you see that? Is there a piece of information that I missed? I know they drafted Reilly Reiff. I good pick, but that will manifest more in the future. Do you really think that a rookie on the line is going to turn the Lions ground attack all the way around?

The Lions off season has been foreign territory. They have looked to maintain the important pieces. We are very spoiled to have Calvin Johnson on our roster. In any other city the signing of Megatron would have been the greatest news ever. It was an important signing here, and we all gave it the due deference, but it isn't anybody… you know… new. It wasn't splashy. It didn't represent a 180 for the organization to still have the best receiver in the game.

So the biggest signing of the offseason kept a great player in Detroit. That was a priority. Good. But we still have no running game.

I suppose you can hope that Jahvid Best and Kevin Smith can stay healthy for two whole games. This means that Leshoure will make his NFL debut (KNOCKING ON WOOD) against the Titans. I suppose that is a good team to start against.

I am struggling with this. The Lions aren't making any big splashes and I am frustrated. Last year there was gaping hole in the secondary and they got linebackers. In 2010, they needed to get better along the defensive line and they got that. It's been a call and answer situation for the Lions in the last couple of years and I am so far left wanting.

But the Leshoure situation makes this far more frustrating. Now that we know he is gone for two games, the season is going to open under a pall. The Lions open the season with serious questions about the running game. The Lions are going to be newly under the radiant heat of constant scrutiny and expectations. They enter all that without a running game.

I find it worse somehow that they are going to be still looking for answers in the third week.