Detroit Lions Weblog

Dominic Raiola Excited About the Lions Off-Season Moves, G Chester Pitts Acknowledges Lions Interest

The Lions de facto team leader, as a long suffering member of the organization and a player who never seems to be at a loss for words, Dominic Raiola made statements to the Detroit News’ Tim Twentyman about his feelings regarding the Lions off-season, thus far:

“You know it is a little more exciting because they’ve made the effort to make this team a little more stable and a little more solid,” Raiola said from his home in Hawaii.

“They’re spending money and trying to make this a better place for people to come to, a more inviting place. With (Matthew) Stafford on the team and Calvin (Johnson) on the team, it’s a little more exciting around here and you can sense there’s a little more buzz to the offseason.”

Dominic Raiola is Cautiously Excited About the Lions Off-Season Additions

“I think you have to really just know that the coaches have a history with these guys and they know what they’re doing. I think the impressive thing is that I didn’t know of any other names they were going after if this failed. This was no-fail. They were going to get these guys no matter what,” he said.

“I’ve been lobbying for Vanden Bosch since the end of the season. You can’t begin to describe what he brings to the table. He is always going 110 miles per hour.

“I’m excited about Burleson, too, because he gives us a lot a balance. You can stick anyone in that No. 3 spot and he’ll be that much better because of Nate and Calvin. He just makes us a much more complete offense.”

Burleson, With His Knowledge of Linehan's Offense, Should Help Calvin Johnson Immediately

Raiola is right. Just short of adding help for the offensive line and finding another running back, the addition of a solid, dependable route-running wide receiver, with good hands, is an essential element of building a productive offense for the Lions.

“You go out and get the top (free-agent) guys you wanted this year and you keep implementing the system that you’ve been teaching us, and it has to get better, right?

“I know that stuff doesn’t happen overnight and it doesn’t happen in March or April — it happens starting in September — but this is where you build a foundation of things to come.”

As for the prospects of the Lions drafting fellow Nebraska Cornhusker Ndamukong Suh with the No. 2 overall pick, Raiola thinks it’s a no-brainer.

“I don’t think I need to lobby,” he said. “I think they know he’s special. If Suh is there, I don’t think there’s any doubt who they’ll take.”

With Subterfuge Accounted For, Suh Looks to be the Best Option for the Lions in April

That’s the crux of the situation. The Lions, if Martin Mayhew and company continue to draft well, will eventually become a contender, as the long as the team is built upon a sound foundation.

Acquiring players through free agency and via trades, is a patchwork, quick fix exercise. Even if the Lions add help at running back, or sign a guard like Chester Pitts, who says the Lions have interest in him (and is rumored to be meeting with the team Wednesday), in the long run, they will need to continue to strike it rich with young players, like Ndamukong Suh.

Lions Sign CB Wade, Trade For CB Houston, Still Meeting With CB Lito Sheppard? D-Line Remains in Flux

As expected, the Lion signed CB Jonathan Wade and completed a trade for CB Chris Houston with the Atlanta Falcons. Houston is likely pencilled in as one of the starters, but Wade, Kevin Hobbs, Jack Williams, Brian Witherspoon, Eric King and recent acquisition and ex-CFLer, Jonathan Hefney, will all battle for the other starting spot, assuming the Lions don’t sign, trade or draft a starting cornerback, which I believe they will they do, as the season rapidly approaches.

Jonathan Wade, Another Member of The Cult of the Dreadlocked DB?

Rumors are increasing that the Lions are one of the teams who are preliminarily involved in the pursuit of recently released CB Lito Sheppard, whose pedigree, much like former Lion, Phillip Buchanon, is likely inflated, at this point. That being said, Sheppard should represent an immediate personnel upgrade, should he decide to join the Lions.

Beyond Sheppard, or re-signing Phillip Buchanon or Will James at a reasonable price, there are few defensive backs remaining who could provide much assistance for the Lions secondary. As each day passes, chances increase for the team devoting a 2nd or 3rd round draft selection on a cornerback, in hopes of finding another starter at that position.

Sammie Lee Hill is Anxious to See Who He'll Line Up With Next Season

The Lions defensive line remains in flux. Even with the acquisitions of DE Kyle Vanden Bosch and DT Corey Williams, the Lions have also released DE’s Dewayne White, DE Jared DeVries, and DT Grady Jackson. This leaves DE/DT Turk McBride, DE/DT Andre Fluellen, DT Sammie Lee Hill, DE Cliff Avril, DE Jason Hunter, DE Copeland Bryan, DT’s Landon Cohen and Joe Cohen, along with longshots DT’s Matthias Askew and Terrance Taylor on the Lions roster, all fighting for playing time.

In all likelihood, White and DeVries might have had a difficult time making the Lions roster, anyway. Given DeVries’ versatility and toughness, I would not be surprised to see the wily vet return, once he has fully healed from last season’s injury.

Much like their secondary, the Lions possess a rag-tag bunch of depth guys, beyond Hill, Williams, and Vanden Bosch. Assuming they take either Ndamukong Suh or Gerald McCoy with the second pick, and Avril and Hunter can hold serve, the Lions will certainly have an improved defensive line.

Ultimately, I would like to see the Lions look at some productive veteran help to bolster the team’s defensive end personnel, if that player should become available. At this point, Adewale Ogunleye is the closest player on the current market to boast the pedigree to potentially fit that bill. Needless to say, having more confidence in Cliff Avril as a consistent edge rusher would make the Lions defensive line situation much clearer than it currently is.

The Lions Need Avril to Become More Than Kalimba, Part Deux

It is clear that Martin Mayhew and Jim Schwartz made addressing the team’s vast defensive woes an off-season imperative, as it rightfully should be. The Lions are not going to become a top-flight defense overnight, but becoming credible and average could make them significantly more competitive than they have been with an utterly awful defense during past seasons.

Vanden Bosch Likes Fellow ‘Husker Suh, Matt Bowen Acknowledges the Solid Job Done By the Lions Front Office

With a trade for DT Corey Williams already on the ledger, plus another in the works for CB Chris Houston, along with the free agent addition of Kyle Vanden Bosch, the Lions clearly have been working very hard to improve their defense, even if they are losing defensive contributors from last season like MLB Larry Foote and CB Phillip Buchanon.

Martin Mayhew continues to give proof that he possesses an imeasurably higher acumen for executing the “art of the deal” than Matt Millen ever possessed while running the organization. It makes you wonder if opposing front offices made sport of abusing the clearly overmatched and out-of-his-element, Matt Millen. The results would seem to indicate as much.

No Lions Player is More Emblematic of the Failed Millen Era Than Big Baby

The National Football Post’s Matt Bowen, a former NFL player, wondered if the Lions made the best decisions in acquiring players upon the opening of free agency, even with the big splash made by the Chicago Bears after signing DE Julius Peppers:

But it’s hard not to ignore what the Lions did.

Because on the opening weekend of free agency, when there wasn’t as much buzz and action due to the uncapped 2010 season, Jim Schwartz and Detroit made some solid moves.

And that’s what free agency is about — improving your roster.

and later:

The NFP’s Michael Lombardi talks about it all the time, as the best teams in the league are built from their offensive and defensive fronts.

Now, we can’t start throwing parades in downtown Detroit after one day of free agency, but if you’re keeping score and looking at teams that made some plays in the market, you have to acknowledge what Schwartz did with the Lions.

They improved their roster yesterday, and for a coach like Schwartz, the first step to winning is creating a winning depth chart — and upgrading in key spots.

It is nice to see that observers are taking notice that an organization with a 2-30 record in it’s last two seasons appears to at least have a plan and a direction, as opposed to the bumbling that has ruled the day during the last ten or so years, which has marked their extended run of futility.

Chris Spielman Must Respect the Efforts of Martin Mayhew to Rebuild the Lions Defense

Pro Football Weekly’s Eric Edholm believes that the Lions have made some head way in rebuilding their defense, or at least are taking steps in the right direction:

In the course of 24 hours, the Lions made two moves to help bolster their defense, starting with the front four. First, they traded for Browns DT Corey Williams (reportedly for a mid- to late-round draft choice), a player who was stout in a 4-3 system in Green Bay but struggled to fit in Cleveland’s 3-4 scheme, and later signed DE Kyle Vanden Bosch.

First, the moves improve the personnel and depth up front. And they could ease the transition for a potential top pick at defensive tackle — either Ndamukong Suh or Gerald McCoy — with better bodies around him. It should be noted, though, that the team has sought to trade this No. 2 pick and add draft choices, and the team’s spending spree lends some credence to that plan. Vanden Bosch will be paid $10 million in the first year, and salary cap or not, that’s a lot of money. Their top pick could demand guaranteed money in the $35 million range.

I am not much of a fan of trading down, since the impact of Ndamukong Suh, Gerald McCoy, or even Russell Okung remains so lustfully tantalizing. The argument is, that the Lions could add two or more players who could also provide an immediate impact, in a draft that is incredibly rich in defensive line talent, at a significantly lower price.

I am going to go against the objective, stats and performance-based approach, which is supposed to a be a more sustainable and less sentimental model for success, and go on record that given the film I have seen (I know, I am not a pro scout!) that the Lions would be foolish to pass on either Suh or McCoy, or whomever is available to them at pick#2(Funny thing is, Suh’s stats are better, too).

The Detroit News’ John Niyo agrees:

If the Lions really want to make this investment in Kyle Vanden Bosch pay off, they need to go help the guy they brought in to help.

And that means investing millions more — tens of millions, actually — in the foundation of their defense by drafting Nebraska’s Ndamukong Suh with the No. 2 overall pick in April’s draft.

There’ll be plenty of talk for the next six weeks about the Lions’ myriad options at the top of the draft. Trading down remains a possibility, though it’s still a longer shot than most fans seem to acknowledge. They could select a left tackle in Russell Okung, or a playmaking safety like Eric Berry.

But I don’t think the signing of Vanden Bosch or, more important, the trade for defensive tackle Corey Williams, change much, if anything. Not after hearing snippets of Jim Schwartz’s free-agent sales pitch.

“Coach Schwartz said we were going to build the defensive line,” Vanden Bosch said. “A point of emphasis was bringing guys back from last year, adding pieces, but being a dominant defensive line.

“You can do a lot of things with a good front four. You can be a good run defense, you can be a good pass defense, just because you can get pressure or get sacks. And a lot of it is a good guy in the middle. Not necessarily a big guy to eat up blocks, but a guy who’s dynamic, a guy who’s a playmaker, a guy who can get in the backfield and just disrupt things.”

Suh Pities the Fools Who Pass on Drafting Him in April

Even new Lions and fellow former Nebraska Cornhusker DE Kyle Vanden Bosch, got in on the act and provided his perceptions of the considerable potential of DT Ndamukong Suh:

“I saw him in the spring game two years ago and then any chance I got this year to watch him,” Vanden Bosch said. “I’m not a scout. … But for a young kid, he uses his hands maybe better than any college kid I’ve ever seen. He just instantly locks out guys that are 350 pounds and he sheds ‘em. And he’s got a good feel. He’s just a football player, you know? He’s a physical specimen. But he’s a football player. He makes plays, he sheds and escapes and he’s always around the ball.”

Vanden Bosch has made his his living playing alongside another talented DT, Albert Haynesworth, whom Suh closely resembles in style of play. Upon the trade of “Big Baby” Shaun Rogers, a void was created, that could be ably filled in April, along with a better defense to match.

Lions Visiting With, Trading For Cornerbacks?

As anyone who has read my most recent previous entry well knows, I am very concerned about the Lions secondary moving forward, and despite the obvious improvements that they have made to their front seven during the early days of free agency, that personnel group needs to take considerable precedent for Martin Mayhew prior to the ‘10 season.

There is now a flurry of reports regarding the Lions and a pair of young, high-upside, cornerbacks who could very well help immediately:

from Pro Football Talk:On Saturday, the Atlanta Falcons signed veteran cornerback Dunta Robinson to a free-agent deal. With Robinson under contract, they no longer need cornerback Chris Houston.

And so, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, they’re trading Houston. To the Lions. For a sixth-round draft pick and a flip-flop of fifth-rounders.

It’s a dramatic free fall for the second-round pick from Arkansas, who has started 37 regular-season games and every 2008 contest — including a playoff loss to the Cardinals.

Chris Houston (#23) Looks Very Much Like a Lions DB in This Picture

Besides a potential trade for Houston, there are numerous reports that the Lions will visit with recently released former Rams CB, Jonathan Wade:

from MLive.com:Jonathan Wade, a third-round pick in 2007 for the St. Louis Rams, will visit the Detroit Lions tomorrow.

Wade, who was released by the Rams, could add some depth for the Lions, who have lost their top three cornerbacks from last year. Detroit cut Phillip Buchanon and Will James and Anthony Henry left via free agency.

Wade started just six games in his three years with the Rams, including four starts last season. He didn’t have any interceptions in those games, but had one interception in each of his first two seasons.

Neither player will resemble a Hall of Famer like Lem Barney, nor will they likely even exceed the Bryant Westbrook-level in performance, but, that being said, each player does possess some upside and could be better than the aging, feckless stiffs that the Lions have utilized in their secondary during recent seasons.

This all comes after the Lions had been previously connected with the San Diego Chargers in a potential trade for disappointing, but talented DB Antonio Cromartie, who was ultimately traded to the New York Jets.

Never, Ever, in a Million Years, Did I Think I Would Make a Backhanded Compliment of Bryant Westbrook's Play as a Lion

If the Lions actually add both players, that leaves them with Wade, Houston, Kevin Hobbs, Jack Williams, Eric King, Brian Witherspoon, and former CFL player and off-season addition, Jonathan Hefney, hardly a formidable group. In fact, King, Williams and Witherspoon all had their seasons end with significant injury, in 2009, which only adds to my concern.

Veteran journeymen Lito Sheppard was recently released by the Jets, and it would seem (at least) prudent for the Lions to bring him in for a look, as well.

The Lions Should Take Note of What a Fantastic Defensive Back (Lem Barney) Looks Like

The Lions have been poor in their secondary for so long that is difficult not to be overwhelmingly optimistic about the team’s personnel, with each successive acquisition. The general sentiment among many fans is that the Lions secondary absolutely could not perform any worse. Yet, during recent seasons the situation continues to remain dire.

I am particularly excited about the addition of a former second round draft pick in Houston, for the relatively low cost of a 6th-round draft pick (and a fifth round draft position swap). Houston also possesses a lot of game experience, which shoould not be discounted.

The Lions will consider strongly adding secondary help in the upcoming draft, too. At this point, the Lions current secondary is clearly undermanned. Hopefully, the Lions will continue to make acquisitions that aid the team’s long, arduous march towards respectability, starting with the potential additions of Jonathan Wade and Chris Houston.

Lions Extraordinarily Busy During First Day of Free Agency

The Lions were very aggressive within the first 24 hours of NFL free agency. The Lions signed veteran DE Kyle Vanden Bosch, who previously thrived within Jim Schwartz’s defense with the Titans, signed WR Nate Burleson, re-signed veteran OT Jon Jansen, and traded for former Packers stalwart DT, but a substantially more disappointing player while playing within a Browns 3-4 defense, Corey Williams.

All of this comes after several days of rumors suggesting that the Lions were going to deal for embattled, talented-but-disappointing Chargers DB Antonio Cromartie, who was eventually traded to the Jets. The Lions did release veterans CB Phillip Buchanon and DT Grady Jackson, which with the acquisition of Williams, made Jackson extraneous.

Restauranteurs Throughout the Detroit Area Are Flying Their Flags at Half-Mast Today, After the Lions Released the Svelte Jackson

The Lions secondary is in dire shape, at this point. William James is a free agent, and with the decision to jettison Buchanon, and after losing out on dealing for Cromartie, the Lions will have to devote some significant attention to the team’s debatably weakest personnel group, as the draft rapidly approaches.

Corey Williams Hopes to Flourish With the Lions

Corey Williams and Kyle Vanden Bosch provide the Lions with a veteran presence along their defensive front, which mixed with the youth of players like Cliff Avril (Kalimba Part Deux?), Sammie Lee Hill, and Jason Hunter, and considering the potential future draft selection of either Gerald McCoy or Ndamukong Suh, makes the Lions front seven substantially improved.

Lions Head Coach Schwartz Aggressively Recruited Vanden Bosch, Entering Free Agency

There is some thought that the Lions may have set themselves up to go in a different direction than defensive tackle at pick #2, or opened up the opportunity to consider trading down and acquiring additional draft picks, after the trade for Williams (at the bargain basement price of the 2010 fifth rounder that they received from the Broncos last year, and receiving the Browns 2010 seventh round pick in addition to Williams).

In my opinion, it is clear that the Lions have considerably opened up their available options entering the draft (they likely aren’t finished, either) but I am also of the mind that the Lions should not stray from continuing to bolster the front seven of their defense, especially considering just how weak their secondary still appears to be, which can not be entirely “fixed” in the remaining off-season.

Burleson Will Not Wear Jersey #81 in Detroit

The most polarizing decision that the Lions made was to overpay for Nate Burleson, in an attempt to provide franchise WR Calvin Johnson with a companion who alleviates some of the attention that opponents direct towards Johnson on game day.

Personally, I like the signing of Burleson. He has good hands, has been a much more proven, reliable receiver than last season’s addition of Bryant “Don’t Call Me Criminally Underwhelming” Johnson, who was a miserable performer last season. Add the fact that Burleson is intimately familiar with Scott Linehan’s offense from his days with the Vikings, and the Lions may actually have something positive brewing.

Statistics—–Rec Yards Y/R TD Long R/G Y/G
Nate Burleson 63 812 12.9 3 44 4.8 62.5
‘09

Nate Burleson 263 3547 13.5 27 68 2.9 39.4
9 yr. Career

Bryant Johnson 35 417 11.9 3 36 2.3 27.8
‘09

Bryant Johnson 210 2675 12.7 9 58 2.7 34.7
7 yr. career

The Lions still have a lot of work to do. They need help along their offensive line, desperately need a gamebreaking, feature running back, a veteran backup QB and in case I didn’t make it clear enough, THE LIONS SECONDARY DESPERATELY AND UNEQUIVOCALLY NEEDS TO BE UPGRADED!

Martin Mayhew, Giving Thought to Adding Additional Help in the Lions Secondary?

Donte Stallworth Signs With the Ravens, Tom Lewand Says That The Lions Want Foote, And Running Backs

The Lions apparently lost out on the Donte Stallworth sweepstakes, since Stallworth decided to sign with the Baltimore Ravens yesterday. In all likelihood, Stallworth will thrive in the Ravens vertical passing attack, with the strong-armed Joe Flacco delivering the ball.

With that in mind, and thinking, in the Lions case, what about the Lions strong-armed QB, Matthew Stafford, throwing to Stallworth? I am fully confident that Stallworth’s tenure as a Lion would have somehow managed to have become a complete disaster. Call me a Lions fatalist, but I just have no confidence in the Lions ability to maximize a player like Stallworth’s ability, given Stallworth’s checkered and inconsistent performance during his career, yet.

Tom Lewand recently commented that the Lions wanted for Larry Foote to return to the organization, but it remains to be seen if the two sides can agree upon a contract for 2010.

Foote is Ready to Leave, If Need Be?

Foote, a vociferous leader, has vociferously stated that he is going to test free agency, since the Lions don’t appear to have made signing him a priority.

Here are Lewand’s comments, taken from the Detroit Free Press:

“It’s always my hope that if we want somebody to be here, and they want to be here that we can work out a deal,” Lewand said. “It doesn’t always happen, but it certainly gives you a better chance when the parties genuinely have an interest in each other, rather than some other thing driving the discussions — whether it’s other leverage, whether it’s selling to the highest bidder, whatever those things are.”

Billy Sims Ruled, Because You Don't!

The Lions running back situation, which if more productive, would apply pressure on opposing safeties, and open up the Lions vertical passing game, has been a major topic of conversaton during the off-season, thus far.

The Detroit News’ Tim Twentyman, who has earlier suggested that the Lions should look at Reggie Bush(to my chagrin), recently wrote an interesting article about the predicament the Lions currently find themselves in, with their running game.

This is the most damning proof of the sad state of the Lions ground attack:

The Lions year by year ranking in rushing yards
Year / Rank

2009 — 24th

2008 — 30th

2007 — 31st

2006 — 32nd

2005 — 26th

2004 — 19th

2003 — 32nd

2002 — 29th

2001 — 28th

2000 — 28th

Twentyman does a good job of breaking down potentially available players, and how their availability will be effected by the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement between the league and the players. The most desirable NFL backs, who previously would have been unrestricted free agents, will now likely become restricted, and much more difficult to acquire.

There is no question that the Lions current running backs stable, Aaron Brown, Maurice Morris, an injured Kevin Smith, and recent free agent acquisition DeDe Dorsey, will likely have a difficult time improving the Lions lot. They all appear to be supplemental players, and incapable of carrying the load.

In a recent mailbag, Q & A session, Tom “Killer” Kowalski mentioned the Lions should make an offer for Panthers RB DeAngelo Williams.

Ross: I keep hearing about DeAngelo Williams being on the trading block. What will it take to get him?

Tom Kowalski: As far as I know, I’m the only one who has put him on the block. Just looking at the situation - with Jonathan Stewart emerging as a No. 1 back - it makes sense for the Lions to try to pursue Williams. I don’t know if the Panthers want to part with him - they like having two strong backs - but it wouldn’t hurt the Lions to make an offer that Carolina can’t refuse. If I was running the show, I’d give up the second-round pick (34th overall) for Williams. Will that be enough? I don’t know, but my guess is that the Lions are certainly going to ask.

Not entirely a bad move by the Lions, in my opinion, but in the case of a running back, especially one with some tread worn off his tires and an injury history, I would much rather the Lions utilize that draft pick, than have them part with it. Twentyman agrees:

Mayhew and coach Jim Schwartz are insistent upon building the Lions the right way. They want to do that by acquiring young, talented players through the draft and veterans that are still in the upswing of their careers. and later

The Lions aren’t a player or two away from being competitive. They are five or six players away, and that could take two or three more years. By that time, those backs(mentioned in the article) will be facing retirement.

James Stewart Was Among a Long Line of Stop-Gap Backs For the Lions

In the end, the Lions will not be hurt by acquiring the best available players in the draft, and continuing to add supplemental, stop-gap players via free agency. This a rebuilding process, no one personnel move will change their current lot immediately.

Off-Season Soon Begins Period of Speculative Overdrive

The 2010 NFL off-season will be particularly interesting due to changes in the NFL salary cap (it doesn’t exist), free agency (there will be fewer of them to choose from, more tags to reserve players with and the final eight teams will have some limitations added), and the fact that the draft will occur over three days.

Homer is Inconsolable Over the End of the 2009 NFL Season

For Lions fans, this is a time when we contemplate buying into any number of “Ponzi” schemes, “Get Rich Quick” financial panaceas, ponder which weight loss pill will make us particularly attractive to our prospective partners, and which available NFL players are burgeoning franchise saviors, who may be able to assuage the pain of losing year after year, ad infinitem. All of these options for self improvement usually have an equally limited (or no?) return, and seem to generate much agony and disappointment, but yet, we succumb to their wiles, year after year.

In my case, I am particularly concerned about recent articles mentioning the stripe of player the Lions should consider adding next season, be it Donte Stallworth, Reggie Bush, or eventually a player like Marshawn Lynch, all players who are admittedly talented (or once were), but have struggled and disappointed throughout most of their NFL careers.

Each of the aforementioned players also has been involved in questionable off the field scenarios of varying severity that has put their integrity under considerable question, and makes the pursuit of each player highly susceptible to scrutiny, in my opinion.

I realize that NFL players aren’t noted for their intelligence, nor are they often going to win awards for their superb and un-impeachable character. In other words, they are human like the rest of us, JUST REALLY DAMN BIG ones. Still, these issues shouldn’t be ignored.

The Precedent Has Been Set, NFL Free Agents Aren't Usually Good Fits in Detroit

SI.com’s Don Banks has been particularly supportive of Martin Mayhew’s 2009 draft, and makes several enlightened statements in regard to the Lions 2010 off-season:

DETROIT LIONS — Can the Lions continue building on last year’s strong draft class and take a much bigger step than 2009’s two-win improvement?

Though the Lions’ record didn’t show it, there’s hope in Detroit, thanks to a 2009 draft that yielded four starters in the opening three rounds: quarterback Matthew Stafford, tight end Brandon Pettigrew, safety Louis Delmas and linebacker DeAndre Levy. And now to that bounty head coach Jim Schwartz can add either Oklahoma defensive tackle Gerald McCoy or Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh — one of which will be the choice when Detroit’s No. 2 pick comes up April 22. At that point, each level of the Lions defense will have added a stud player in the span of two drafts. This much Detroit has learned and won’t be repeated: Signing a bunch of older free agents to late-career deals does not improve a bad team. Additions like Larry Foote, Julian Peterson and Phillip Buchanon fell flat last year.

*And another thing: Running back Kevin Smith had an injury-marred sophomore season, and who knows if he’s still capable of fronting the Detroit running game? But the Lions offense can’t put it all on Stafford’s shoulders, so finding another potential lead rusher in free agency or the draft is fairly vital.

I don’t entirely agree with Banks’ assertion that Foote and Peterson “fell flat” as performers last season, but I do heartily agree with his sentiment. The solution to the Lions problems does not reside in being agressive during free agency, nor do the top tier of the NFL free agents consider Detroit to be a legitimate landing spot for them, either.

Perennially, the Lions have added a Pat Swilling, Rick DeMulling, Dre Bly, Grady Jackson, Damien Woody, Daunte Culpepper, Ernie Holmes, Jeff Garcia, Az Zahir Hakim, Bill Schroeder, and Phillip Buchanon, through various means, only to leave Lions fans considerably disappointed, after some preliminary anticipation and unwarranted excitement. Why would prospective Lions players like Donte Stallworth prove any different?

Top 10 Lions Free Agent Busts of the 2000’s
1. Fernando Bryant CB-just a miserably awful defensive back during his Lions tenure. Plus, he was incredibly fragile, too.
2. Damien Woody G-Woody was a lazy, sulking presence with the Lions, after winning a Super Bowl with the Pats. Attended the Duke Weight Loss Clinic during off-season, while with Lions. He was a highly-motivated individual, for the record.
3. Rick DeMulling G-coming from the Colts, DeMulling was expected to help shore up a weak Lions offensive line, oops!
4. Bill Schroeder and Az Zahir Hakim, inseparably awful Lions WR’s. Schroeder had “alligator” arms and Hakim was maddeningly inconsistent. Millen brilliance, personified.
5. Tai Streets WR-Another in a long line of disappointingly bad Lions receivers, sort of the precedent for this season’s lack of production from Bryant Johnson.
6. Marcus Pollard TE-a disappointingly sad shell of himself at the end of his career, and more importantly, a failure without Peyton Manning.
7. Brian Kelly CB-over the hill, complete non-factor, part of Rod Marinelli’s “the band, Elwood, the band!” plan to reinvent the Tampa-2 by taking the Bucs aging, non-essential cast-off’s to “improve” the Lions roster.
8. Olandis Gary RB-an injury-plagued, non-entity with the Lions who had some success while with the Broncos, (whose running backs not named Clinton Portis, generally failed elsewhere, during the Mike Shanahan-era) which was never to be seen again.
9. Kenoy Kennedy S-a liability in pass coverage, meanwhile losing a step in run support, and shackled by league rules which severely penalized his headhunter ways, Kennedy was a non-factor as a Lion.
10.Brendan Stai G-the player whom I reserve the most enmity for, since his addition was the result of the first failed free agent decision of the Millen-era, not re-signing Jeff Hartings, who enjoyed several productive post-Lions years in Pittsburgh.

Double FacePalms...Because I Couldn't Find a Pitcher of Three FacePalms

At any rate, the consensus seems to be that the Lions can do no wrong at pick #2, given their likely choices will be between either of two DT’s, Ndamukong Suh or Gerald McCoy. Unless the Ghost of Millen’s past enters the draft room in April and selects:

With the 2nd Pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, The Lions Select WR Dez Bryant, From Oklahoma State...

Dick LeBeau Inducted Into the Hall of Fame, Former Lion Bill Dudley Passes Away

Dick LeBeau has enjoyed a long and illustriously successful career as both a player and coach. LeBeau is the 13th Lions player who played at least four seasons with the team to become a Hall of Famer, and their 18th total. At 72, LeBeau still appears to have several productive years ahead of him within the NFL, too.

Lebeau intercepted 62 passes (good for 8th all-time) and started 171 straight games. He is the Lions all-time interceptions leader.

Lions DB Dick LeBeau Was Both a Great Player and Defensive Coordinator

A widely-held perception is that Jauron benefited from playing alongside other Lions Hall of Famers Dick “Night Train” Lane, Lem Barney and Yale Lary, which gave him more opportunities for interceptions, since teams wanted to avoid throwing against his more highly-acclaimed teammates.

Here is Joe Schmidt, on that topic, from the Detroit Free Press:

“Dick wasn’t blessed with great speed,” said Joe Schmidt, another Hall of Famer, who played linebacker with LeBeau and later coached him with the Lions. “I think everybody felt they could take advantage of him.”

Joe Schmidt Is Among the Most Revered and Respected Former Lions...And a Hall of Famer

and later:

“His shrewdness and his intelligence and his knowledge of the game and knowing what they were trying to do to him all the time helped him intercept all those passes,” Schmidt said

LeBeau, rather than completely basking in his own personal success, took the time to mention that a couple of his former teammates were also worthy of Hall of Fame consideration too.

“I think Alex (Karras) was a great player,” LeBeau said. “I think Wayne Walker was a great, great player.”

Beyond these two players, and potentially, but highly unlikely, current and former Lions players like Jason Hanson, Herman Moore, Mel Gray and Robert Porcher, it will be a very long time before the Lions see another player inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame.

“Bullet” Bill Dudley Former
Lion and NFL Hall of Famer

“Bullet” Bill Dudley recently passed away at age 88. He played three seasons for the Lions and was a dynamic multi-threat player, who despite his physical limitations (height, lack of speed) was able to thrive in the NFL and become a Hall of Famer.

In many ways, Dudley was the template for game-breaking versatile players like Percy Harvin, Reggie Bush, and Devin Hester, except he was not a specialist, and he was a two-way player, more remarkably.

In Dudley’s first season as a Lion, he scored 11 touchdowns. The manner in which he did so is most remarkable: one punt return, one interception return, seven pass receptions and two rushes.

Players like Dudley and LeBeau are the type of players Lions fans have always loved and have been sorely lacking during the Lions 3-37 run in their last 40 games.

Lions Sign RB Dorsey, Possibly Working Out WR Donte Stallworth, and Mike Mayock

The Lions clearly have to investigate all available options to improve their entire roster as a 2-14 team. Given their recent struggles, signing a journeymen running back like DeDe Dorsey and giving disappointing, yet talented WR Donte Stallworth a work out, are the type of things they will need to do, as they continue to claw their way back towards respectability.

DeDe Dorsey Touchdown Maker?

Dorsey is 25 years old and started his brief NFL career with the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent. He has bounced between the Bengals and Colts during his three NFL seasons, but it was his performance during the inaugural UFL season with Las Vegas Locomotives that appears to have caught the Lions eye.

To Dorsey’s credit, he appears excited to have arrived in Detroit, given these comments from his Twitter account, published in the Detroit News:

“I am the newest member of … The Detroit Lions. Motown here I come! I can’t wait to get out there and do my thing! Back to the Jungle … I was a Lindenwood Lion in College and now I am a Detroit Lion in the NFL … makes sense.”

In all likelihood, Dorsey will be the Lions new Aveion Cason. He is a veteran, versatile player who can help on special teams and serve as a 3rd down back. It would seem, with the presence of Maurice Morris and with Kevin Smith returning from injury, Dorsey will have to battle Aaron Brown to carve out a role and gain touches with the Lions.

Donte Stallworth Has Been Down Some Hard Roads, Both On and Off the Field

Donte Stallworth, recently re-instated by the NFL, after serving a prison stint for his highly-publicized manslaughter case last year, is going to be a controversial addition, if the Lions choose to sign him.

Stallworth came out of Tennessee in 2002 as a 1st round draft pick, who was gifted with some serious foot speed. After a promising rookie year with the Saints, Stallworth has been somewhat of a disappointment, and has bounced between several teams during his NFL career, which reeks of a player who has been given ample opportunity due to the talent that he possesses, but with none of the intangibles or dedication necessary to make the best of that vast talent.

G Rec Yds Y/G Avg Lng YAC 1stD TD
2002-03 New Orleans 13 42 594 45.7 14.1 57 7.4 26 8
2003-04 New Orleans 11 25 485 44.1 19.4 76 8.4 19 3
2004-05 New Orleans 16 58 767 47.9 13.2 45 6.0 35 5
2005-06 New Orleans 16 70 945 59.1 13.5 43 3.8 50 7
2006-07 Philadelphia 12 38 725 60.4 19.1 84 5.7 30 5
2007-08 New England 16 46 697 43.6 15.2 69 7.1 27 3
2008-09 Cleveland 11 17 170 15.5 10.0 19 5.2 8 1
Career 95 296 4383 46.1 14.8 84 6.0 195 32

Stallworth’s career has been on a clear downward trajectory, since leaving New Orleans, and that is without considering his vast off-the-field troubles. As a 29 year old receiver, who has squandered his considerable talent, he could still posess enough talent and remain hungry enough, that the Lions could be taking on a low risk, high reward player(on the field), with a cheap price tag.

The rub is, can the Lions afford to add a troubled player and assume that Stallworth’s past problems will not flare up again? The Lions desperately need help at their wide receiver position, but doesn’t adding Stallworth seem to be akin to giving Charles Rogers a second opportunity? Stallworth is not a solid NFL citizen and he is a disappointing player, why bother?

Gerald McCoy May Be the Best Available Player In the '10 Draft

In some circles, Mike Mayock is considered the most competent and consistent of the NFL draftniks who are involved in analyzing and prognosticating about the NFL draft. Mayock has recently ranked Oklahoma DT Gerald McCoy as the top player in the upcoming NFL draft, whereas many other experts view Nebraska DT Ndamukong Suh as the consensus top player, and likely favorite to be the first overall selection.

Here are Mayock’s comments, along with a brief comment from FoxSports’ Pete Schrager:

“I don’t care what order they’re in,” Mayock said. “They’re the two best players (Suh and McCoy) in the country.

“I look at McCoy and I see the most disruptive force coming out of the draft as far as an interior defensive linemen in years. He’s got a little bit of Warren Sapp to him, a little bit of Tommie Harris to him, he’s explosive, he’s disruptive, he’s clean off the field.”

“Both of these guys can play three downs. They don’t get tired, they play a lot of snaps, they can push the pocket. Suh pushes the pocket with strength, where McCoy’s a little bit more quick.

“So it’s really what flavor do you want, but in my opinion, they’re 1 and 1A, and then there’s a big falloff after that.”

Pete Schrager of Foxsports.com says: “Suh’s the safe bet, but McCoy may have the greater NFL upside.”

Without considering the improbable and unforeseen rise of a quarterback to the top of the draft boards, the Lions appear to have a win-win scenario entering the ‘10 draft.

The Lions Linebacker Situation

Ty from Lions in Winter, a fellow traveler in the hoisting of the Lions millstone around our necks, is as energetic and informed as any blogger currently devoting their attention to the Lions.

The Lions Are a Weighty Beast of Burden. Is It Bad Form to Use One Cliche In the Service of Another?

Recently, Ty had the good fortune of increasing his exposure by contributing to MLive.com’s “Highlight Reel” blog. After the envy subsided, I read Ty’s compelling argument for the Lions need to utilize one of their few personnel groups (their only one?) that could be remotely construed as an area of strength as a bargaining chip.

This move would comprise of one of the personnel executive’s most common gambits for deal-making. By utilizing an area of strength in a deal, in order to strengthen another personnel group, hypothetically, sacrificing little (hopefully) of the level of performance in the stronger personnel group in the process, the team improves holistically.

Ty does a very good job explaining that Martin Mayhew exhibited a light-on-his-feet ability to negotiate the treacherous waves of the most difficult and under-utilized modes of altering a team’s roster (in the NFL at least), making trades. Ty rightfully commends Mayhew’s ability to trade Roy Williams, and even more improbably turn a player with limited value to the Lions, Cory Redding, to one of value, Julian Peterson (ironically, a player who added to the relative strength of the Lions linebacking corps). He Posits:

Is there another Cory Redding on this roster?

The easy answer is “Yes, Julian Peterson.” Why? He’s now an expensive asset at a position of sudden surplus. With the emergence of DeAndre Levy, the Lions have four “starting” linebackers for their base 4-3 defense. Peterson played well in several games, but was far from a consistent impact performer; he didn’t approach justifying his lofty salary.

However, Julian Peterson is the exact type of player that Schwartz and Mayhew want at OLB: a big, strong, fast outside linebacker, who can generate pass rush off the blitz. If the Lions could wave a magic wand, they’d have a young JP man both OLB positions. No, Peterson still has value in this defense; the trade bait has to be someone else: an undersized, overpaid, underperforming defender with no clear role.

Ernie Sims.

Sims was locked in constant battle with Levy for starting reps and playing time, and has been maddeningly inconsistent throughout his four-year career. He’ll flash breathtaking quickness and incredible hitting ability one week, and a total inability to hit the correct hole or tackle well the next. That reckless, undisciplined play is bad enough when it comes from an otherwise excellent defender – but when it comes from Sims, it’s inexcusable. All that freelancing has generated only 2.5 sacks, 5 passes defensed, and 1 INT in his entire career.

So, if Sims is the bait on the hook, who’s the prey?

This is where I deviate. I think, assuming that Larry Foote (more on that later…) re-signs, that the Lions should do absolutely nothing to diminish DeAndre Levy’s versatility. By committing to Levy as the weakside LB, I believe that the Lions will limit Levy’s ability, using Jim Schwartz’s term, to be a multi-dimensional player.

Levy gives the Lions a player who can play nickel MLB, serve as a starting weakside LB, and gives them someone who seems surpemely adaptable, a rare commodity. By trading Sims, the Lions would be calling upon either Jordan Dizon or Zack Follett, collectively known as the “Pain Train” to step forward and assume a much larger role, which may actually be beyond their capabilities at this point.

The Lions would also hinder their ability to utilize the occasional 3-4 defensive alignment, even though Follett began to earn playing time in those situations, later in the ‘09 season.

Ernie Sims Ponders a Fickle Lions Fan Base?

Ernie Sims Game Log
Week Solo Ast Total
1 4 1 5
2 4 5 9
weeks 3-5 DNP
6 1 0 1
7 Bye
8 3 4 7
9 2 1 3
weeks 10-13 DNP
14 4 0 4
15 6 2 8
16 4 1 5
17 4 3 7

Sims’ ‘09 performance was less than inspiring, that goes without debate. He was injured throughout the season, and is not entirely a natural fit in the Lions current defensive scheme. Sims is inarguably better suited for the Tampa-2 defensive scheme, which is becoming an endangered species among NFL defenses.

That being said, Sims did have several games where he approached 10 tackles and still can be a relentless, nettlesome presence to opposing offense’s.

Ultimately, I believe that it will be difficult for the Lions to obtain anything other than a low-ball offer for Sims, since he is undersized, and considering last season’s injuries, could become an increasingly injury-prone player. The Lions would not be able to maximize his value at this point. Moving Sims would be akin to re-arranging deck chairs on the Titanic.

Denizens of Lions Nation Are Not Surprised to See Another Matt Millen Draft Pick De-Value Exponentially

Meanwhile, having “four starting linebackers”, two of whom are veterans operating on borrowed time, would allow the Lions the luxury of a valuable replacement in the unfortunate event that one of their starters succumbs to injury.

With Larry Foote angrily declaring that the Lions lethargy in providing him with a new deal will force him to consider testing the free agent market, the Lions vaunted “surplus” at the linebacker position could be vanishing before our very eyes.

But now it’s looking like the two parties may be going their separate ways after 2009, which saw the 29-year-old Foote register 99 tackles – the second-highest season total in his career.

Feb. 4, The Detroit News: “We’re just going to free agency and see from there,” said Foote, citing unproductive talks between his agent, Brian Levy, and Lions general manager Martin Mayhew.
“I mean, obviously, I’m not a big priority for them. So that’s just how I’m taking it.”

Foote Believes That the More Linebackers the Lions Have the Merrier

But Foote, who, including signing bonus, earned $1.5 million in 2009, said he isn’t looking for a huge increase in pay; the main thing he wants is a multiyear deal.

Whether or not Foote re-signs with the Lions will depend mostly on what he can earn in free agency, and what the Lions coaching staff thinks the Detroit native’s role would be, especially considering defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham’s explicit desire to see Levy manning the middle linebacker spot.

Foote doesn’t necessarily agree that it’s either he or Levy in the middle.

“I mean, I don’t look at it like that. Me and Levy played all year together, practically,” Foote said, noting Levy started eight games at outside linebacker. “You want to stack up enough good linebackers as you can.“

Truer words have never been spoken, Larry. The fiery, pernicicious leadership that Foote posesses, along with his solid performance, all strike me as good reasons for the Lions to extend Foote.

The Lions don’t have the luxury of being able to take risks with their incredibly awful defense. Determining how they can improve their defense, with additional components, not by weakening a vulnerable position group, strikes me as the best plan of attack.