Detroit Lions Weblog

Lions Continue to Build from Ground Up, Sign S Idrees Bashir

The Lions have signed veteran Safety Idrees Bashir to a 1-year contract. Bashir, whose career started off quite well but has been disappointing in recent years, has some prior expereince in a Tampa-style “Cover-2″ defensive scheme. Bashir will compete with Terrence Holt and Jon McGraw for a roster spot. Bashir is the next in a long string of free agent signings that are decidely without flash or glamour. Yet, if these players respond to the new coaching staff and the obvious opportunity that they are being given to potentially succeed in Detroit, they could provide the dependable foundation to build upon that the team has been so sorely lacking in recent seasons.

It is quite obvious that Matt Millen has undergone some conceptual changes since hiring Marinelli. None of the team’s acquisitions have been anywhere near as attention-grabbing as the recent terminus of John Joseph Harrington’s career in Detroit. Furthermore, the queue that has grown for Harrington’s future services may cause some Lion’s fans to give pause and wonder if they should have been careful about what they had wished for.

That being said, I strongly believe that the Lions finally have football coaches in place who can make an immediate difference. Matt Millen has (stubbornly) appeared to have come to the realization that “bright and shiny” objects are not necessarily of a higher quality or essence as a result of their effervescence. The upcoming draft will be very telling about the future of this team with it’s new leadership. If the Lions have the opportunity to draft a player like Vince Young and instead opts for a player like A.J. Hawk or Michael Huff that would be indicative of new direction in my book or at the very least a dramatic change of direction from recent draft day selections.