Detroit Lions Weblog

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.