"Here are some thoughts, opinions and predictions about the Lions halfway through the exhibition season:

• When the 2008 schedule was released, I wrote the Lions could win nine games. It wasn't a prediction, just a somewhat humorous way of showing how a 9-7 season was possible.

From what I've seen so far, I was wrong. The Lions will win nine games, maybe more. They're super fast on defense, they will build a running game, protect the quarterback and have talent at wide receiver. I say 9-7 is the standard. Whether that earns a playoff spot remains to be seen, but this team will not fall apart, unless shredded by injuries.

• Calvin Johnson is currently one of the 10 best players in the NFL. Forget about how the Lions should have drafted Joe Thomas (Browns offensive lineman) or Adrian Peterson (Vikings running back) last year. They got the right guy. Herman Moore set the standard for all Lions receivers, and Johnson is meeting it.

• Tatum Bell is playing -- or not playing -- his way into being the odd man out at tailback. He plays and acts like he isn't interested in playing football. He doesn't seem to be engaged with the team in any manner. His performance has been dreadfully lackluster, and it looks like he has lost his desire to play. Kevin Smith , Aveion Cason , Artose Pinner and Brian Calhoun all are ahead of him.

• From what I hear, coach Rod Marinelli and team president Matt Millen are quietly high on quarterback Drew Stanton (Michigan State). I've said and written before that I never bought in to instant predictions -- many coming from folks with Ann Arbor connections and an axe to grind -- Stanton was a bad choice as a second-round pick in 2007. He didn't look great in drills, but on the field, he's a player. He's an athlete-quarterback who makes plays. Players need to know their quarterback doesn't have to follow the dotted lines to make plays, and Stanton has done that for two games. He's still behind Jon Kitna and Dan Orlovsky , and could remain the No. 3 quarterback. But he's making a move with quality play, not because others are collapsing."