Here we are. The start of the NFL season. After months of free agency, the draft and training camp, the Detroit Lions kicked off preparations for the season today with their first practice.

So I took a highly scientific poll. I asked two beat writers, who shall remain nameless because they’re usually wrong about most things, in which area they think the Lions are significantly better this year?

I prefaced the question by telling them to answer quickly and with little thought because I wanted their most honest, instinctive opinion.

What did I get? A few seconds of silence, some blinking and then blank stares. Their silence spoke volumes.

“Safety,” one writer finally said.

“Linebacker,” said the other.

Now ask yourself the same question. Where are the Lions significantly better this year than they were last year, when they cut some sort of Faustian deal to pull off an NFL-record eight fourth-quarter comebacks, finished 9-7 and squeaked into the playoffs, only to get blown out by the Seattle Seahawks?

Where?

If it takes you more than a second to answer this question, you have your answer: Nowhere. There is no clearly amazing upgrade at any position this year. No difference-making coaching addition. No free-agent superstar. No jaw-dropping rookie phenomenon.

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What you basically have with this year’s Lions is last year’s Lions. What you basically have with the 2017 Lions is the 2017 Tigers — a lot of wild, blind hope that a largely unchanged nucleus of players will produce better results.

Tigers fans seem to buy this dream of hope from the Ilitches. So why shouldn’t Lions fans buy it from the Fords? Let’s give it one more go with the old gang!

All right. Sure. Football isn’t baseball. With just 16 games in a season, fans, players and coaches find a way to validate their optimism every year if their team just catches the right breaks. I’m sure there’s a fan who has connected the dots like an FBI profiler and is convinced the Cleveland Browns can win the AFC North and get hot in the playoffs.

The way I look at the Lions this year is that all their work seems like it’s added up to a zero-sum game. For all the improved health of their running backs and upgrade at linebacker, they’ve lost their left tackle, their punter and their sacks leader.

Lions coach Jim Caldwell took a stab at identifying the Lions’ most marked area of improvement. His answer wasn’t exactly inspiring.

Caldwell said “we got a real good core group of guys leading the way for us that have certainly proven that they can play in this league and play well. And then we got a group of young guys that I think are coming that have talent and ability. They just got a little ways to go in terms of learning and developing, but I’m excited about this group.

“I mean, this is a good group. So, health’s on our side. And where it’s not, we get the next man up playing and doing his job. We’ll be fine. But it’s a great group.”

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This isn’t much of an answer, but I wanted to be fair and let Caldwell to have his say.

I’m no monster, though. I won’t leave you without any hope. So, I present to you receiver Golden Tate.

“I would say, as a whole, we have depth,” Tate said. “You see it on the film. We speak about it. I feel like we have the most depth we’ve had since I’ve been here in this locker room, and that’s exciting. The-next-man-up attitude, we have to rotate guys and trust them late in the games, and that’s important.”

It sure is. Depth can make a difference. When a team doesn’t have verifiable, difference-making stars, depth can be a viable alternative.

Running back Ameer Abdullah spoke about something similar when the New England Patriots’ starters obliterated the Lions in the third exhibition game, using solid but ordinary players who functioned excellently within the scheme.

Now ask yourself one last question. And be honest. How much confidence do any of the Lions’ supposed significant areas of improvement give you this season?

Contact Carlos Monarrez: cmonarrez@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @cmonarrez. Download our free Lions Xtra app on your Apple and Android devices.