ESPN NFL

Posted by ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert

After Detroit's 28-21 loss at Houston, here are three (mostly) indisputable facts I feel relatively sure about:

1. I wasn't at Reliant Stadium and so I can't say I saw exactly how the Texans were covering receiver Calvin Johnson. But the Lions and their fans might want to get used to the kind of limited production Johnson turned in. (Two catches in the four passes thrown his way.) While positive in many ways, the Lions' trade of receiver Roy Williams will make Johnson the target of every future opponent. Why let Johnson beat you when the Lions have so few offensive weapons? Johnson is going to find himself regularly double-teamed, and the Lions will have no room for error in capitalizing on the times he is not.

2. The Lions should stop wasting time using Rudi Johnson at tailback. Yes, Johnson has proved himself as a productive runner over time. And in case you hadn't noticed, the Lions are really, really trying to force their running game. But rookie Kevin Smith is making enough big plays and has shown enough capacity for improvement that the Lions owe it to themselves to give him most of their carries. They might be playing for the "now," but Smith is their future and should be their present.

3. The Lions should pick a lineup and stay with it. There has been a lot of shuffling over the first six games, in part because the coaching staff doesn't want to promote a sense of entitlement by rewarding underperforming players. But if the Lions want to find any sort of rhythm, they need to establish a consistent rotation, if not starting lineup. Patience is important. Some moves need more than one week to prove effective.

And here is one question I'm still asking:

Is Jim Colletto going to make it through an entire season as the Lions' primary play-caller? Colletto is having a rough go over the first seven games and some teams might feel compelled to target his job during the season. Detroit coach Rod Marinelli would probably see that as disloyal, but it will be interesting to see if Marinelli decides to give another assistant a shot at calling plays while Colletto continues to coordinate the scheme. Play-calling takes a certain skill, and the Lions' disjointed performances this season suggest Colletto isn't doing a good job at it so far.