Detroit Lions Weblog

R.I.P. Ray Oldham, Lions sign QB Orlovsky, CB Wilson, CB Ty Law returns

Former Lion Defensive Back Ray Oldham has passed away. He was a member of the secondary in the late 70’s and early 80’s. Our thoughts go out to his family.

The Lions recently signed two 2005 draft picks: QB Dan Orlovsky and CB Stanley Wilson, Jr. Wilson has the most immediate chance to contribute to the team with his incredible athhletic ability and size at corner. Orlovsky is a project who will battle for the third string QB position with undrafted free agent, Todd Mortensen.

Matt Millen has always kept veteran (aka washed up?) defensive backs on his speed dial to fill roster openings. In his tenure, he has signed the likes of Brock Marion, Otis Smith, Doug Evans, Eric Davis, Robert “Beetle” Bailey, and Todd Lyght just to name a few. With the recent signing of R.W. McQuarters and the team’s continued interest in Ty Law the trend continues. Law, coming off of a serious foot injury, still remains tantalizing because of his leadership skills, playoff experience and playmaking abilities. I can’t fault the Lions for considering the signing of Law with the potential impact he could make in the regular season and even more importantly, in the post-season should the Lions be fortunate enough to make the playoffs. It remains to be seen if Law will retain the abilities that made him so effective in big games and what role he would play in an already packed Lions secondary.

Law is also still drawing interest from teams like the Jaguars, Jets, and his former team, the Patriots, who will all remain a factor in his pursuit by the Lions. One wonders if the asking price will remain too high for the Lions to sign Law, with all of the interest he is still receiving. If the Lions are able to sign Law it will not come without some risk. They will most certainly have one of the deeper secondaries in football with Law’s addition. Yet, if Law doesn’t posess the same playmaking abilities and skills coupled with the Lions continued inability to develop a more consistent pass rush, the signing will be in danger of being a serious bust. Either way, by signing Law or not, Matt Millen deserves to be commended for his continued attempt to return the team to NFL respectability this offseason.

Pre-Training Camp Depth Chart-Positional Battles

Scout.Com has published the Lions pre-training camp depth chart . There will be many interesting positional battles (I am not referring to a lost chapter of the Kama Sutra, either) in camp that will have major impact on the team the Lions field in the regular season.

The position which is most likely to obseved will be Quarterback. Will Joey Harrington finally emerge as a capable NFL QB? Can Jeff Garcia, who flourished under Steve Mariucci in ‘Frisco, regain his esteem as a NFL QB? The skill players have been upgraded significantly in the offseason, whichever QB assumes the role of starter will be saddled with very high expectations. If there is one position on the entire Lion’s roster which MUST perform at a higher level this upcoming season it will be starting Quarterback. As far as I can tell, it is Joey’s job to lose. Does that inspire confidence? Definitely maybe?

On defense, the Linebackers and Secondary will both feature some interesting roster battles. The Lions feature a lot of quality young linebackers with the return of Boss Bailey from injury and the valuable experience obtained by 2nd year pros Alex Smith and Teddy Lehman. Add rookie Johnathan Goddard to the mix, and the Lions have a lot of options. It would appear, that Bailey will man the Strongside LB position, Earl Holmes the Middle LB, and James “Dirty” Davis the Weakside LB. The wild card is will Teddy Lehman have gained enough upper body strength and toughness at the point of contact to move into the middle or will he and “Dirty” Davis battle for the starting weakside position? Holmes is aging and both he and Lehman are liabilities on passing downs. Ultimately, I believe that Lehman will be forced to the middle and is probably a year away from the assuming that job.

The secondary battle will be intriguing. The Lions have a lot of capable bodies with undetermined roles thus far. It appears one corner will be helmed by Dre Bly and that the starting Strong Safety will be Kenoy Kennedy. Fernando Bryant was a disappointment last season and the Lions have young veteran corners in Chris Cash and Andre Goodman who could challenge for playing time. The Free Safety position would appear to be Terrence Holt’s to lose. The Lions recently acquired R.W. McQuarters who could have a major impact upon who starts at Free Safety and the CB opposite of Bly. McQuarter’s most likely will be best utilized as a nickel back yet if Holt or Bryant should falter McQuarters is a proven commodity at either position. The job I believe is most tenuous is Bryant’s because he performed so meekly last year. With the pressure placed on NFL secondaries due to a new intrepretation of the 5 yard contact rule it is imperative that the Lions get improved play from their personnel in the secondary.

Going deeper into the roster charts, Defensive End and Tight End both could offer some surprises. Kalimba Edwards has been a disappointment as an edge rusher and Bill Swancutt could press Edwards for a roster spot. It’s Edwards’s job to lose but Swancutt will not go down easily. At Tight End, Casey FitzSimmons has inconsistently exhibited sure hands and impressive athleticism. In early mini-camps, Free Agent rookie Tight End Jason Randall from Michigan State drew a lot of praise and FitzSimmons by no means has no lock on the backup Tight End position.

One last battle to observe will be at backup running back. Kevin Jones is the undeniable starter. Shawn Bryson serves the duel role of 3rd down back and potential fill-in should Jones get injured or need a rest. The other running back will come down to Artose Pinner who the Lions had high hopes for and has done little impress in his limited opportunities. In the offseason the team acquired Jamel White. White has done well in limited opportunities with Cleveland but is a longshot to make the roster. That being said, White could be a valuable receiving back and has had some exposure to the West Coast Offense in Tampa Bay. Pinner would appear to have an edge but must prove that he can help on 3rd downs to keep a roster spot.

The least publicized and quite possibly most important roster battle will be which linemen will emerge as the starting right offensive tackle? Victor Rogers, Kelly Butler and Kyle Kosier will all have opportunities to win the position. Many feel that Kosier is best used as an utility linemen but if neither Rogers or Butler prove capable he would appear to be the right man for the job with his valuable game time experience.

I can’t believe training camp is finally on the horizon. Their is no greater thrill than the NFL season. The pre-season is viewed as an annoyance by players, coaches, and front office staff’s. Yet, hardcore fans view it is a valuable dress rehearsal and opportunity to find players to root for who will never appear on a regular season roster with any sort of regularity. It is a time when the Scott Genord’s, Jeff Sanchez’s and Blue Adams’ have their opportunity to shine. This has been one of the more positive offseasons the Lions have had in recent years. Even with all of the inherent questions, for the first time in a while, it would appear the Lions posess the roster depth and higher quality level amongst it’s skill players make it possible to contend for the playoffs. What more can we ask for?

Lions ink LB Goddard, DE Swancutt

It is now roughly one week before the Lions will converge upon Allen Park, MI and begin training camp. With the onset of camp, things will liven up significantly around here. Nothing stirs my heart more than the commencement of the football season.

The Lions signed their 2005 6th round draft picks, DE Bill Swancutt and LB Johnathan Goddard last week. Both are longshots to make the roster but are also both the type of players who if they flourish, could make unexpected and much-needed contributions to the 2005 teams’s success. Goddard, a DE at Marshall who lead Division I football in sacks, is being converted to linebacker. He may play some DE on third downs. Hopefully, his ability to pressure the quarterback and nose for the ball will translate to NFL success.

Swancutt is an interesting case. Co-Pac Ten defensive player of the year, Swancutt is the classic example of the “tools” versus game performance (statistical and intangible) debate. Swancutt was often referred to as a “poor man’s David Pollack” when scouts discussed him at the combines. Both he and the Georgia linebacker are both high effort, overachieving type of players whose actual game performance exceeds expectations due to their relative lack of athletic ability. Swancutt seems to be a player who is a stark contrast to former 2nd round pick, Kalimba “The Ghost” Edwards. Edwards is your classic “tools” player. Kalimba has incredible athletic ability and if he were ever to remain healthy and harness those abilities he may be able to establish himself as a successful NFL player. Edwards appears to to lack the focus and aggressiveness to meet the once lofty expectations that were held for him. The most aggressive efforts we have seen from Edwards were directed at a highway patrolman this offseason.

Meanwhile a player like Swancutt often gets overlooked and underappreciated while all he has done is consistently perform at an level to make a major impact for his teams. It will be interesting to watch the performances of these two players and see whether the presence of a Swancutt will impact Edwards’s performance at all. Swancutt is exactly the blue collar type of performer that Lion fans often gravitate towards. It remains to be seen whether Swancutt is going to perform at a high level in the NFL but he is the type of player that fans like to get behind. If Swancutt doesn’t pan out, the tackle I saw but Kyle Farnsworth of the Tigers on Sunday on Kansas City Royal’s pitcher Jeremy Affeldt gives me some hope that he could be a NFL defensive linemen.

Hank Stram R.I.P.

As a young boy I spent an inordinate amount time consumed in reading sports trivia books, collecting cards and when given the opportunity wathing ESPN. During my ESPN viewing opportunities, I often was able to watch their broadcasts of NFL films features on players, coaches, teams, etc. Hank Stram,miked in Super Bowl IV, for some reason made a strong impression upon me. He was as serious as every other coach, but he was loose enough that his players seemed to really benefit. Last year, I even named one of my fantasy football teams “Hank’s Matriculators” (Matriculate the Ball up the field) from his famous quote while miked in Super Bowl IV.

At any rate, Hank Stram is a member of a shortlist of major innovative forces in the NFL and probably the first charisdmatic, modern-style NFL coach (i.e. player’s coach). Many nostalgists prefer the John Wayne-like toughness of Vince Lombardi or the expletive-filled coarseness of George Halas, legends both. That being said, I prefer Stram because he appeared to be having fun and had a good rapport with his players. His attitude was more familiar to people like me who weren’t raised in a WWII-era culture. My thoughts go out to his family.