Lions sign Kennedy, Pollard spurned by Warner.

March 8, 2005 on 1:03 pm | In Uncategorized |

In a rapid-fire burst, the Lions have finally become players in the free agent market bonanza. I will have to admit, I was completely taken by surprise by the acquisition of Marcus Pollard. Pollard is no longer the game-breaker he once was, but he will be extremely valuable in the Red Zone and will force defenses to acknowledge his threat in making their game plans. With the continued development of Dallas Clark, Pollard was no longer going to be as essential to the machinations of the Colts offense. A major element of Pollard’s presence indicates to me that the Lions are very serious about continuing to surround Joey Harrington (or whomever else may assume the reins) with capable talent. In the copycat NFL, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Lions utilize Pollard’s talents in many of the same ways as the Colts did.

Kenoy Kennedy will provide an explosive and intimidating presence in the Lions secondary. He is younger than the more talented Donavan Darius, who the Lions also were quite interested in. I think that Kennedy will make the Lions even more stout in their run defense. However, I am concerned about his potential liabilities in coverage and the likelihood that Kennedy may miss time due to his propensity for helmet-to-helmet contact. That being said, the Lions have missed the presence of a player who puts fear into the hearts of the offense like Mark Carrier and Bennie Blades once did. Kennedy’s presence may counterbalance any his liabilities in pass coverage. I think the free safety position immediately becomes all the more critical in pass coverage, hopefully Terrence Holt is up to the challenge.

Kurt Warner also has signed with the Arizona Cardinals, removing what appeared to be the Lions favored potential backup to Joey Harrington from the market. Their options are limited to Jeff Garcia and Brad Johnson at this point. I believe still that Johnson is the best option, but already their are rumblings that they have heightened their pursuit of Garcia for the role.

3 Comments

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  1. I agree with all your comments. I like both pick ups. Apparently, we’re still on the hunt for a third WR, a guard, and a QB.

    Interestingly, most mock drafts had us picking Miller or Thomas Davis, both of which I assume are out of the question now. So, do we go D-line (Dan Cody, perhaps excellent value @ #10) or an OTackle, the guy from Fla State.

    Comment by orangeandbrown — March 8, 2005 #

  2. Kennedy will make receivers think twice when they hear footsteps.

    Comment by Hondo — March 8, 2005 #

  3. My number one wish for the draft is a 1st round selection of Derrick Johnson, should he slide to the Tenth spot. This would give the Lions a ton of depth on their defense. Also, Earl Holmes is getting on the downside of his career so the plan for Teddy to move to the middle (with added bulk and ability to meet the contact at the point of attack without getting blown up!) would allow Boss Bailey to play the strong side and Johnson on the weak side. Dirty Davis and Alex Lewis would be able to continue to bolster the defense. I would also not be opposed to the selection of another CB or DE in the draft.

    Comment by Steve B — March 10, 2005 #

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