Detroit Lions Weblog

Lions sign DE/DT Tyoka Jackson, Re-sign Restricted Free Agents FitzSimmons and Redding, Huff’s stock rising….

The Lions signed veteran Tyoka Jackson to provide additional depth in their defensive line rotation. Jackson has worked with Marinelli in Tampa and was also a long-time member of the Rams under Martz. He provides some additional insurance if “Big Daddy” Dan Wilkinson decides not to return to the team.

The Lions have also re-signed TE Casey FitzSimmons and DE Cory Redding. FitzSimmons, who has never fully blossomed, appears to have a lot of potential and I think Mike Martz will be more capable of finding a method to draw quality performance from FitzSimmons. Redding, who is very reliable and durable, may have to play more Defensive Tackle this year should “Big Daddy” Wilkinson retire. The Lions desperately a more consistent rush of the edge, a trait that is not one of Redding’s stronger suits. Redding is a valuable contributor in a lot of other aspects of the game, though.

It appears that Michael Huff’s draft stock is rising. The chances of him being available when the Lions draft at #9 may be slipping. It wouldn’t surprise me that the Lions attempt to trade up for Mario Williams, A. J. Hawk or Michael Huff. It also wouldn’t surprise me if they attempted to trade down if they were unable to draft one of those three players. Obviously the team’s recent comments about having an interest in possibly drafting a QB would be a transparent smokescreen to try and goad someone into trading for their spot or trading above them to get their desired player(s) and the player(s) the Lion’s want actually may fall to them as a result.

Detroit Lions Blog Mock Draft Round 2 through the Lions pick at #74

Round 2
33. Texans Eric Winston OT
34. Saints Antonio Cromartie CB
35. Jets Richard Marshall CB
36. Packers Santonio Holmes WR
37. Niners Sinorice Moss WR
38. Raiders Davin Joseph G
39. Titans DeMeco Ryans LB
40. Lions D’Qwell Jackson ILB
41. Cards Daryn Colledge OT
42. Bills Daniel Bullocks SS
43. Browns Gabe Watson NT
44. Ravens Abdul Hodge ILB
45. Eagles Joseph Addai RB
46. Rams Deuce Lutui G
47. Falcons Maurice Drew RB
48. Vikings Marcedes Lewis TE
49. Cowboys Gerris Wilkinson LB
50. Chargers Demetrius Williams
51. Vikings Thomas Howard OLB
52. Pats Jerious Norwood RB
53. Skins Tamba Hali DE
54. Chiefs Matthias Kiawanuka DE
55. Bengals Babatunde Oshinowo DT
56. Giants Alan Zemaitis CB
57. Bears Joe Klopfenstein TE
58. Panthers Devin Hester Athlete
59. Bucs Jeremy Trueblood OT
60. Jags Charles Spencer OG
61. Broncos Ko Simpson S
62. Colts Jon Alston OLB
63. Seahawks Ray Edwards DE
64. Steelers Jeremy Bloom WR/KR

Third Round
65. Texans Mark Anderson DE
66. Texans Dominique Byrd TE
67. Packers Stanley McClover DE
68. Niners Darryl Tapp DE
69. Raiders Pat Watkins S
70. Bills Brodie Croyle QB
71. Jets Kellen Clemons QB
72. Cards Claude Wroten DT
73. Bills Tim Jennings CB
74. Lions John McCargo DT

Detroit Lions Blog 1st Round Mock Draft

1. Texans Reggie Bush RB
2. Saints Mario Williams DE
3. Titans Matt Leinart QB
4. Jets D’Brickashaw Ferguson OT
5. Packers A.J. Hawk LB
6. Niners Vernon Davis TE
7. Raiders Vince Young QB
8. Bills Brodrick Bunkley DT
9. Lions Michael Huff S
10. Cards Jimmy Williams CB/S
11. Rams Haloti Ngata DT
12. Browns Kamerion Wimbley LB
13. Vikings from Ravens Jay Cutler QB
14. Eagles Winston Justice OT
15. Broncos Chad Jackson WR
16. Dolphins Manny Lawson LB
17. Ravens from Vikings Donte Whitner SS
18. Cowboys Jason Allen FS
19. Chargers Tye Hill CB
20. Chiefs Johnathan Joseph CB
21. Pats Chad Greenway LB
22. Niners Ashton Youboty CB
23. Bucs Ernie Sims LB
24. Bengals Darnell Bing SS
25. Giants Marcus McNeill OT
26. Bears Kelly Jennings CB
27. Panthers Bobby Carpenter LB
28. Jags Lendale White RB
29. Jets Nick Mangold C
30. Colts DeAngelo Williams RB
31. Seahawks Max-Jean Gilles OG
32. Steelers Laurence Moroney RB

Perry’s Chicago Sports Blogs Mock Draft Pick

With the #9 Selection, the Lions draft Linebacker Chad Greenway . I intended on selecting Safety Michael Huff but he was already off of the board. I frantically attempted to trade down so that I didn’t have to make a reach pick, which in turn I obviously resorted to. Players like DE/LB Kamerion Wimbley, LB Manny Lawson, S/CB Jimmy Williams, OT Winston Justice, DT Haloti Ngata, and LB Ernie Sims were all worthy of consideration with this draft pick.

I didn’t select Wimbley because I believe he is more of a 3-4 Linebacker than a Defensive End. Same with Lawson. Williams and Justice both have character issues. Ngata is more suited to being a Nose Tackle. Sims would have been a more natural fit for the Tampa Cover-2 zone defense than Greenway. All of these players may have more upside than Greenway, but they are projects. I strongly believe that Greenway can contribute immediately (which the Lions desperately need!) and is a pure football player which hopefully would titillate Lion’s fans as well as Matt Millen. Please let me know what you think

Stranded at the Corner

Taking a bit of a tangent, I would like to mention a new documentary that has been filmed about Tiger’s Stadium. The documentary is entitled “Stranded at the Corner” and it is about the history of the stadium since the Tiger’s have left for Comerica Park. I looking forward to previewing the documentary soon. You can read more about the documentary at Stranded at the Corner .

I have a lot of positive and negative memories about seeing the Tigers play there. I always had a good time (some times too good of a time) and hope that their can be a resolution so that the stadium remains a landmark for years to come in Detroit.

Lions Re-Sign Several Players, Minicamps, Draft, Joey Plays Hardball

The Lions recently re-signed S Vernon Fox, S Terrence Holt, LB Nate Wayne, OL Brock Guiterrez, and OL Tyrone Hopson. All of these players can provide valuable depth and special teams assistance. None of them are likely to threaten for a starting spot (except for Holt). The Lions have also signed Defensive Linemen Cleveland Pinckney, Damian Gregory, and WR Brett Fischer. All three of these players have long odds to overcome to make the team’s final roster.

I really like what I have heard about the minicamps. It appears that the players are buying into the changes offensively and defensively being brought by this coachign staff. It appears that the coaches have been unafraid of being critical of star players like Dre Bly and Shaun Rogers in early practices. The positive element of that is that both Bly and Rogers appeared to have responded positively to this criticism. It was also encouraging to read some of Kevin Jones comments about how excited he is about the new staff. I am thoroughly convinced that Kevin Jones can be a valuable NFL talent and that he was grossly underutililized by the former staff. Hopefully, with Mike Martz’s penchant for the passing game, Jones will be able to thrive in the new offense.

Perry from Chicago Sports Blogs.com has graciously invited me to participate in his blogger mock draft. In this mock draft various bloggers from the blogosphere will serve as GM’s for their respective team’s for whom they blog. I will post the link to the results of the draft as it occurs. This mock draft, my impending mock draft and my upcoming draft analysis of the Lions all have me really geared up for next weekend’s draft, which I plan to attend at Ford Field in Detroit. The way that things are currently shaping up this could be one of the most interesting drafts in recent years.

Joey Harrington has attempted to back the Lion’s into a corner by announcing that he would like to play for the Dolphins and that is who he intends to play for. He is forcing the Lions hand and taking away their leverage in pursuing other trades. The Lions want a 4th or 5th rounder and the Dolphins only have a 7th rounder, or possibly a 2007 6th rounder. The Broncos recent trade with the 49ers may have opened the possibility for Harrington to be heading to Denver. In effect, Harrington and his agent have shut that possibility down. A 7th round draft pick has no value whatsoever. I am glad that Matt Millen is holding firm and I hope that Joey Harrington will cease in tampering with the Lion’s plans. At this point, I would prefer that the Lions hold on to him until June and eliminate the possibility that he could fully prepare to play for another organization and force teams to look at other possibilities as punishment for his recent statements.

Minicamps begin, Wilkinson, Harrington and Backus are Likely to be Absent

The Lions are beginning their first mini-camp under the direction of it’s new coaching staff. Three very familiar faces are unlikely to attend: Joey Harrington (he’s in the middle of his multi-team NFL tour trying to find a new home), “Big Daddy” Dan Wilkinson (contemplating retirement), and Jeff Backus (unhappy with his long term contract negotiations. The situation will likely be resolved by July 15th, which is the deadline to renegotiate his contract and avoid losing the ability to use the franchise tag throughout the remainder of his contract, according to Tom “Killer” Kowalski.)

With the recent reports of the team’s unhappiness with a couple of it’s players, this is an important minicamp. The team needs to determine who will be on board with the new coaches system’s and who will be well-suited to perform under them. The Lion’s have a desperate need for this to be a productive draft while this staff continues to familiarize itself with the team’s current roster. A productive minicamp could go a long ways in helping them to determine the team’s unfulfilled needs.

WR Mike Furrey signed, Troubles Brewing

The Lions have recently signed veteran WR/S Mike Furrey. Furrey has been listed as WR on the current Lions depth chart. Furrey is a high effort player who is a coach’s favorite. He should contribute on special teams, should provide depth as a slot receiver and could be moved back to the secondary if there was a need for added depth there.

The Furrey signing is a strong affirmation of issues that were recently reported by MLive.com’s “Killer” Kowalski. Kowaslki said that the Lions coaches have grown increasingly disappointed with the efforts of WR’s Charles Rogers and Mike Williams. Rogers is rumored to have continued his hard-partying lifestyle and Mike Williams, who is overweight and out of shape, has missed ten days of conditioning for “family matters”. It is very hard to be critical of the Lions over these two players performance. Even though I preferred Andre Johnson over Charles Rogers, every draft expert seemed to believe that his overwhelming athletic ability would propel him to future NFL success. I was a strong proponent of drafting Mike Williams. While at USC, Williams had great hands and appeared to have a strong desire for the game. Apparently he lacks any desire whatsoever for success.

The Lions should be criticized roundly for using so many costly 1st round picks on WR’s, though. Wideouts are very difficult to project for future NFL success and thought of losing three first rounders this offseason (including Harrington if Williams and Rogers are cut) could set the team back for another 7-8 years. The acquisitions of Corey Bradford and Mike Furrey are clear signs that the team may have to soldier on without these underachieving players. Worst of all, they may have to use ANOTHER high round draft choice for a receiver if things continue at their current rate. I shudder!

The Lion’s Fanatics, orchestrator’s of last year’s “Orange Out” when the Lions played the Bengals, have reported that Alex Lewis will likely be starting ahead of “Dirty” Davis at OLB. Lewis fits the bill as an undersized, quick LB like those that have been utilized by the Buccaneers in the past in their cover-2 defensive scheme. Lewis, who showed flashes of talent in his rookie year, is very inexperienced after missing last season due to injury. It also would appear that Teddy Lehman will be the team’s MLB according to their report. If this true, it becomes increasingly apparent that the Lion’s may be targeting Texas’s Michael Huff or Virginia Tech’s Jimmy Williams as their first selection in this year’s draft.

Marty Mornihnweg Named Co-Offensive Coordinator, Wayne Fontes Named Assistant to Team President Matt Millen, Joey Harrington to Quit Football

In what amounts to being one of the craziest and busiest evenings in team history, the Lions held a 11:59 P.M. press conference on March 31st to make three major announcements.

1) Marty Mornihnweg has returned to Detroit and joins Mike Martz as Co-Offensive Coordinator. It has also been reported that Mornihnweg will resume his professional career as a QB. For those who are unaware, Mornihnweg was a successful Arena League QB and we are all quite aware of Mike Martz’s past success with Arena League-seasoned QB’s.

2) Wayne Fontes, The “Big Buck”, has returned to the fold. He will help Matt Millen run football operations and will have a major impact on the team’s draft preparation. Fontes, the most succesful coach in recent Lion’s history, will also provide some much needed motivational spark as the team embarks on it’s hoped for organizational turnaround.

3) Joey Harrington has hung up his spikes. He was recently signed to a multi-record deal by jazz label Concord Records. Harrington’s debut recording will cover similar terrain to artists like Bruce Hornsby, Dave Matthews Band and Billy Joel. Harrington’s album will feature a varied array of guests rumoured to include the likes of Steve Mariucci, Jason Mraz, Peter Cincotti, Clay Aiken, Bill Clinton, Bono and Nike CEO/Oregon Duck fanboy Phil Knight, who will make his debut as a “gangsta” rapper. Harrington also is rumoured to have begun dating hollywood starlet Nicole Richie, infamous for her role on the popular FOX reality television program, “Simple Life”.

The NFL world has evolved so much that it now revolves all year ’round for 24 hours a day. Yet, last nights announcements are unfathomable and have to be among the strangest ever in league history. Lion’s fans can only hope that with the team’s recent major announcements that the heavily rumored plans by the Ford’s to sell the team to the International Order of Rosicrucians will temporarily cease. Even with the family’s economic struggles with their primary business Ford Motors, it would be an unmitigated blunder to sell their favorite toy (The Lions) to such a shadowy and seemingly nefarious group of investors.