Detroit Lions Weblog

Hakim, Marion bid adieu

The Lions released two players on Monday, Az Hakim and Brock Marion. Hakim, one of two horrible Millen early free agent wide receiver signings (the other being Bill Schroeder), never could remain healthy and play consistently enough to warrant his pay. Hakim will remain an exciting athletic talent who has been incredibly resillient after his numerous injuries. There is no question that Kevin Johnson will be a major roster upgrade.

Brock Marion was also released. He appeared a step too slow at most times last season and missed a lot of tackles. I have also heard reports that he was not a good citizen in the Lion locker room. Terrence Holt is the heir apparent to the position, but I would not be surprised to see the Lions pick up another free agent at the position, should one of value become available.

It is significant that the Lions would release capable contributors like Marion and Hakim, in recent years they may have been forced to make due with players like this on the team. Now, they have generated the depth and increased the overall quality of their roster to the point that they are not forced to keep players of Marion and Hakim’s ilk. Again, without being overly optimistic, the Lions front office staff has done a fine job of putting the team into a position where they should be very competitive for years to come.