decessor's performance. It would be un-
fair to expect otherwise. No one player
will equal Nassib's 15.5 sacks, 19.5 tack-
les for loss and six forced fumbles. But it
does bear mentioning that at this time a
year ago, no one envisioned Nassib
amassing those numbers, either. All
anyone wanted to know about was
whether a largely unproven former
walk-on could replace an NFL hopeful
like Deion Barnes. Things ended up
working out pretty well.
They could work out pretty well this
year, too. Brown has already established
himself as one of the team's better de-
fensive ends, and he's only heading into
his second season. That makes him a po-
tential breakout player this spring.
The Lions also have needs at defensive
tackle, on the o
