97.1 The Ticket -- Thursday marks the end of the preseason for all 32 NFL teams, one week before the regular season kicks off with Bears-Packers on Sept. 5.
The Lions will put the finishing touches on their camp at Cleveland Thursday night, then officially turn the focus to the season opener at Arizona on Sept. 8.
ESPN released its annual "10 lists of 10" on Thursday, with 10 different personalities ranking the league's best coaches, stadiums, uniforms, traditions and more.
The Lions managed to crack one top-10 list -- thanks to new offensive coordinator Darrell Bevel, who ESPN's Mike Clay says is the 10th best OC in the league:
- Bevell has never been a head coach and was out of the league in 2018. But the former Minnesota and Seattle OC has led five of his past six offenses to a top-11 finish in points scored, good enough to beat out Dirk Koetter (Falcons) and Randy Fichtner (Steelers) for the last spot on my list.
The Lions hired the former Vikings and Seahawks coordinator back in January hoping to revamp an offense that struggled, ranking in the bottom 10 of the league for yards and points per game. The team is hoping to put more emphasis on the run game, and Bevell has been known to have impressive run games in the past.
Other top-10 lists included the best head coaches, defensive coordinators, front offices, referees, stadiums, uniforms, traditions, mascots and games to watch. SEE ALL THE LISTS
The Bengals, Redskins and Buccaneers were the only teams that didn't appear on any lists.
What do you think -- should the Lions appear on any of the other lists?
