With the Lions off today, I wrote about the defense's success so far this preseason for tomorrow's paper. On the blog here, I wanted to take a minute to check in a couple familiar faces the Lions could see on the schedule this year.

Just got done watching the NFL Network replay of the 49ers-Packers game (the DVR is a wonderful thing) and I have to say it's hard to believe J.T. O'Sullivan is the No. 1 quarterback in San Francisco. Judging by the reports, O'Sullivan has played better than his competition in camp, but there's a reason no one in the Lions organization (aside from Mike Martz) thought much of the journeyman last year.

O'Sullivan isn't the most strong-armed or accurate quarterback to begin with, and he showed little in his first four series against Green Bay. His final numbers were fine — 8-of-17 for 154 yards with one touchdown and one interception — but he couldn't move the ball early against the Packers' first-team defense.

I don't think that game Sept. 21 is a guaranteed Lions victory by any means, regardless of who's at quarterback. Frank Gore is too good and I can see Martz, now the offensive coordinator in San Francisco and O'Sullivan's biggest cheerleader, running 35 times just to prove a point. But I think starting O'Sullivan is the best-case scenario for the Lions.

I also DVR'd the Falcons-Colts game to get a glimpse of Mr. Blue Skies, Joey Harrington. At this point everyone knows what Harrington is, which isn't much of a quarterback. He played two drives against Indianapolis and led Atlanta to two field goals, though really it was Michael Turner doing all the heavy lifting.

Harrington could start the opener (he's led the Falcons to four scores in five drives this preseason) or he could get cut if Atlanta decides to keep D.J. Shockley as its third quarterback. Either way, how the Lions fare in their Sept. 7 opener will have less to do with Harrington (or Matt Ryan or whoever) and more to do with stopping Turner.