Beware of blinding loyalty...

The nice thing about the NFL off-season compared to other sports is that it gives every fan a reason for new optimism and hope with their team.  Unlike other sports, the NFL Draft provides teams with players who can make an instant impact.  For Lions fans like myself, you finally have a defensive play-maker that should, based on all projections, be an unstoppable force that frees up the rest of the defense while stopping the hell outta the run.  For New England Patriots fans, it's a chance to restock and reload some aging pieces on a once formidable defense.  New hope can also be found with the approach the Chicago Bears took this off-season in bringing in an offensive/defensive specialist to be a new coordinator.