Detroit Lions Weblog

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.