Detroit Lions Weblog

Bly to Broncos?, Rams Release G Timmerman, Pollard Also Gone?

Apparently, the Denver Broncos and Washington Redskins have emerged as front-runners of sorts for the services of outgoing Lions CB Dre Bly.  Many sources have speculated that the Broncos may part with a third round draft pick and player(s) for Bly.   Several Broncos players are rumored to be available to be had via trade, in what will likely be one of the more active off-seasons for NFL trades, including RB Tatum Bell, OT George Foster, and QB Jake Plummer.   With that in mind, Bly still has some say where he can be traded similar to the manner in which Joey Harrington was able to restrict the Lions to a trade to the Dolphins last season.   The pairing of Bly with Champ Bailey would be an exceptional one, although Bly’s risk-taking style may make him even more vulnerable because few teams will chance throwing in Bailey’s vicinity and attempt to exploit Bly’s all-in, gambling tendencies.

With trade rumors in the air, another player has recently been added to the list of candidates who are earmarked to be heading out of Allen Park. TE Marcus Pollard, who was an ineffective and seldom-used component of the roster in ‘06, apparently has garnered some interest from teams.   DE James Hall has drawn some interest from the Rams and Raiders, but I believe it is safe to say that Hall, G Ross Verba, and DT Marcus Bell will eventually end up being released by Saturday, so why would the Rams or Raiders give up anything higher than a 5th or 6th round draft pick for Hall?  

If you are keeping a check list, the Lions will definitely not retain seven players: CB Dre Bly, G Ross Verba, DT Marcus Bell, FB Cory Schlesinger, TE Marcus Pollard, DE James Hall, and G Rick DeMulling.   They are unlikely to re-sign free agent Terrence Holt and I would say it’s a better than 90% chance that neither G Damien Woody or WR Mike Williams will return next season, either.  That is 10 players out of the 53 man roster who are likely heading out, with a possibility of more to come.    One thing that is certain in Rod Marinelli’s ongoing “weeding out” process, more chaff will need to be separated from the wheat as the Lions continue to attempt to build a roster to his liking.

The Rams released veteran G Adam Timmerman this week.   As much as I think the veteran O-Line acquisitions that the Lions have made in recent years have proven dubious, (ex.Stai, Brendan, DeMulling, Rick, and Verba, Ross et al) don’t be surprised if the Lions don’t at least give him a look with their willingness to serve as a St. Louis North since the hiring of Offensive Coordinator Mike Martz.   The Lions have also engaged in a very public courting of Rams WR Kevin Curtis and have also been rumored to be interested in RB Marshall Faulk, if he proves capable of returning from his year out of football.   This whole fixation on Rams castoffs is a little troubling since it has been nearly 10 seasons since the “Greatest Show on Turf” was turning heads.   It is safe to say, in my opinion, that the game has caught up with the innovation and overwhelming success enjoyed by that high-powered offense.   Not that I don’t have faith in Martz, but it seems that the Lions are never on the cutting edge of these trends, but always seem to find themselves significantly behind the curve in most cases when it comes to innovative and effective strategies for success in the NFL.

OT Thomas Continues to Impress, Bly to Falcons, Lions Reported Interest in DE Bazuin, QB Stanton

Joe Thomas continues to impress at the NFL draft combine in Indianapolis.  Apparently, he ran a 4.92 40-yard dash and his arms have been measured to be longer than was previously recorded.  You may scoff at the importance of arm length measurements, but apparently if someone is going to be a franchise left tackle, the added leverage and push gained from longer arms is an advantage.  In regards to Thomas’ 40 time, Charles Rogers reportedly ran (this from a player who used to run a low 4.3!) about a 4.8 40-yard dash in a recent tryout with the Chiefs.  The Lions will not likely have the luxury of attempting to trade down if they want Thomas, in fact is not beyond the realm of possibility that they would have to trade up to draft him to prevent another team from doing so, if you believe a recent report in Pro Football Talk’s Rumor Mill .  In regards to drafting an offensive linemen, Matt Millen recently said that they would not shift OT Jeff Backus if they selected another tackle.   That may be the case now, but Thomas may very well change that situation by his own accord if his combine performance is to be taken as an early indicator. 

NFL Network analyst Adam Schefter has reported that Falcon’s CB DeAngelo Hall has been lobbying with the Falcon’s front office to trade for Lions CB Dre Bly.  Hopefully, with Hall’s input the Falcon’s will cough up the draft pick(s) necessary for the Lions to consider moving Bly.   Millen has also said that a couple of teams have inquired about acquiring Bly.  The Lions will likely want the four players whom they have given permission to pursue trades to be off the roster before March 18, when off-season workouts begin. With that in mind, free agency will determine a lot when it comes to future Lions moves.  If all of the major CB’s come off of the market early, Matt Millen will receive more calls from desperate GM’s as they run out of options.

Matt Millen told MLive.com’s  Tom “Killer” Kowalski that the Lions were really impressed with Central Michigan DE Dan Bazuin and QB Drew Stanton.  Bazuin, who may be more suited to be drafted by a 3-4 defensive team, appears to be a bonafide pass rushing prospect.   Stanton has also had a really productive combine, but one has to wonder, if the Lions are so enamored with their current QB’s (as has been reported) why are they looking at another long-term project like Stanton? 

A couple of players who have garnered little immediate attention but who I believe should be intriguing to the Lions are Pitt CB Darrelle Revis and Penn St. LB Paul Posluszny, should they slip into the 2nd round.  Revis has the size and talent to thrive in a cover-2, if he is willing to be actively involved in run support.   Posluszny could eventually slide to the middle and serve a role similar to that of Brian Urlacher and use his athleticism to provide the range that the Bears have enjoyed with Urlacher.

Lions Re-Sign OL Saipia, Franchise Redding and More

The Lions re-signed veteran utility offensive linemen Blaine Saipia this week.  Saipia, who is well-versed in Mike Martz’s offense from his days with Martz in St. Louis, filled in admirably as a starter for a few games last season.   Ideally, Saipia will provide versatile, quality depth for the Lions O-Line going forward.  Saipia can even fill in as a jumbo tight end, if necessary.

The Lions franchised DE/DT Cory Redding this past Wednesday.   Redding is far too valuable of a member of this franchise for the Lions to take a chance of not keeping him by allowing him to enter free agency.   Redding, as most players who are given the franchise tag, was less than thrilled with the situaton.   The Lions will eventually reward him with a long term contract before June 15, like they did with Jeff Backus last season.   Redding will miss out on his chance to see what the market is for his services, but I think that the Lions will pay him quite well, in lieu of his breakout performance this past season.

Their are growing rumblings about who will be heading out of town before next season.   The Lions have no interest in bringing veteran FB Cory Schlesinger back into the fold next season.   Schlesinger has been a quality member of the franchise for a number of years and it is sad to see the cold reality of his career winding to a close.

Rod Marinelli has referred to this off-season as a “weeding out” process, particularly with players who don’t fit their personnel schemes or players unwilling to fully buy into the aforementioned coaching schemes.  The 4 players who were given permission to pursue trades will likely be gone very soon.   CB Dre Bly and DE James Hall will likely remain until the Lions find quality replacements for them.   G Ross Verba will be released before he receives his March bonus.   DT Marcus Bell could be jettisoned any day now.   It is no coincidence that Bell and Hall, who filed a grievance with the league over Marinelli violating practice guidelines, will be looking for work elsewhere this season.   The sad reality is that all four may eventually be released, since opposing franchises are aware of that the fact that the Lions do not want to retain any of these players.

The Lions have begun to disseminate the faints, decoys and smokescreens that are part and parcel of possessing the second overall draft pick.    They are attempting to keep their draft intentions a mystery, so that in the eventuality that they might receive a trade offer they will have the leverage to do so.   That being said, the Lions have reportedly met with OT Joe Thomas at the draft Combine in Indianapolis and it has become clearer that he will likely be their first choice.

Thomas will provide the Lions with a bonafide Left Tackle prospect.  The selection of Thomas will not come without concern.   Thomas has suffered a knee injury while in college and several scouts believe he is too short-armed to be successful at the Left Tackle position.    That being said, Thomas suffered the knee injury in a bowl game, playing Defensive End to help his team, even though it was a near certainty that he planned to leave school early and enter the draft last season.  Obviously, Thomas is willing to sacrifice for success, which is a highly desirable trait.

Lions Continue to Bestow Permission For Potential Trades, Redding, Martz…

Wow!  The Lions off-season is now really kicking into overdrive.   The Detroit Free Press has reported that the Lions have granted both DE James Hall and DT Marcus Bell the opportunity to engineer trades, if they are in the Lions best interest.   Bell, who was successful as a run-stuffing back-up to “Big Daddy” Wilkinson in his first season with the Lions, is not suited for the Lions new defensive scheme.   Bell can’t play on enough downs as a situational linemen and he doesn’t provide the pressure necessary to be a contributor in the Tampa-2 style of defense, which is predicated upon consistent pressure by it’s front four.   It is rumored that Bell will be jettisoned soon, irregardless of whether or not he can drum up potential trade partners with the Lions.

Hall, an overachieving, undrafted free agent, has been one of the Lions steadiest contributors in the past.   After having a career year three seasons ago, Hall has experienced a drop-off in his performance level and has suffered consecutive season-ending injuries. Hall can still potentially provide the Lions with quality performance, but it is rumored that he has become a disgruntled locker room lawyer.   These scenarios beg me to ask these questions, Who is going to be willing to trade for either of these players, and who are they to believe that there will be a number of available suitors anxiously awaiting their future services?

The deadline for the Lions to place the franchise tag upon DE/DT Cory Redding is 4 P.M. next Thursday (22nd).   If the Lions are unable to work out an extension with Redding, they will place the franchise tag upon him.   Free Agency begins March 2nd and Redding is not likely to be happy about his situation.   The Collective Bargaining Agreement between the players and owners states that the franchise tag will be designated for the position at which the player played the most games the previous season.  In this case, Redding a career defensive end, will be paid about $2 million less since he played more defensive tackle than defensive end.    The Lions will have until summer to work out an extension with Redding, similar to the deal they made with OT Jeff Backus last season.   On the other hand, Redding and his agent could hope to engineer a trade out of Detroit, although any potential suitors will have to relinquish a lot in return for Redding.

Mike Martz’s name has been mentioned as potential candidate for the Chargers vacant head coaching position.   There does not appear to be an interview scheduled, though.   If I were going to make a wager, I would think that the Chargers will shock the world by contiguously hiring USC’s Pete Carroll and making an announcement that the team will move to Los Angeles in the future.   I know it’s crazy, but so was firing a head coach whose team was 14-2 last season.

The growing tumult in the Lions off season indicates a lot.   For starters, it is apparent that not everybody is as on board with Coach Rod Marinelli as it was earlier indicated.   The entire defensive line appears to have one beef or another with Marinelli.   Hopefully, the players who remain, after any potnetial trades or releases,  will displace some of that surliness towards opposing QB’s, rather than continue to sulk over their individual situations.  It is also apparent that the players are losing faith in the ability of the Lions front office to turn their current situation around and are growing impatient.  Marinelli will not only have to continue to sell the current Lions on the value of hard work, discipline, and poise, but he will also have to convince them that their jobs are not an exercise in futility with Matt Millen in charge.   It is really no wonder that this team has one playoff victory in 50 years now.

By the way, G Damien Woody has entered Duke University’s weight loss clinic, which is likely an attempt to salvage his once promising career.   A trimmer, motivated Woody could help the Lions a great deal.   It is still debatable whether or not he will remain a Lion as the ‘07 season approaches.

CB Bly is Granted Permission to Explore Trade Possibilities

It has been announced in several publications today that the Lions are going to allow former Pro Bowl CB Dre Bly, and by proxy his agent, explore potential trade possibilities this off season.  The details around this process are somewhat scant at this time.  

Bly, who has been a Lion for three seasons, no longer adequately fits into the Lions defensive scheme, which emphasizes zone coverage by big, physical corners who are also tough in run support.   Bly is more of a risk-taking, playmaking, man-to-man coverage type of corner.  Bly only recorded three interceptions last season in the new system.

Bly is due in excess of $5 Million this season, so it is not totally clear what the immediate cap ramifications will be for the Lions if Bly finds a willing trade partner, as many expect he will. The Lions don’t have to accept any offers that Bly and his agent present from other teams, since Bly will become an unrestricted free agent after the 2007 season, but it would seem beneficial for both parties if they parted company.

In the past, Bly has been one of the more outspoken members of the team.   With that in mind, the Lions should definitely do their best to remedy the current situation, particularly if they receive an offer of a  high draft pick or another player who could fill a position of need in exchange for Bly’s services.   I expect that after the Joey Harrington trade debacle, opposing teams are likely to lowball and slow play the Lions in hopes that the situation becomes more contentious.  At that point, the Lions will have little option but to move Bly.

Ultimately, the Lions will have a wide open competition for the starting corner position.  Fernando Bryant, who looked pretty decent at times last season, has been dogged by injury throughout his Lions tenure.  Stanley Wilson, Jr. has come a long way in his development, but it is debatable whether he is ready to be a starter.   The Lions also have Dee McCann and Keith Smith who are young and have shown promise but are not likely to compete for a starting job.  If the Lions were able to acquire another first round pick for Bly (probably unlikely), they could look at a player like Darrelle Revis from Pittsburgh who may be capable of contributing immediately.   At any rate, if Bly is traded, the Lions have another position that will demand immediate attention this off-season.

Kevin Jones, More on Millen/Martz

MLive.com’s Tom “Killer” Kowalski recently blogged about a  NFL Network report by Adam Schefter that stated that the Lions were planning for the possibility that Kevin Jones will not be back until the season’s midpoint and that the Lions are going to have to find another feature back, along with all of their other many needs.   Kowalski contradicts that report by saying that Jones is on schedule for the start of training camp, which starts in the beginning of July.   The Lisfranc injury that Jones suffered is one of the more difficult to rehabilitate and predict to what degree a player will recover from the injury.   The Lions are going to be cautious with Jones, in hopes that the injury does not have any lingering effects and do their best to avoid re-injury. 

The Lions are still going to need help at running back, though.   Winning football teams have quality depth at running back and the Lions had to place three of their backs on the IR last season.   Shawn Bryson will likely serve as a FB and 3rd down back.  The Lions devoted a 3rd round pick to Brian Calhoun last season and Calhoun will basically return to the team this year as a rookie because he played so little and was injured for most of the season.  To a degree Schefter is correct, the Lions will need an upgrade at the position.

Kowalski also reported about the potential unrest within the Lions headquarters (namely between Mike Martz and Matt Millen) over who they should select with their 2007 draft pick.   Kowalski makes an interesting point in the article by stating that the fact that their is an emerging disagreement over whom to pick is a good thing.   If everybody fell lock step into place with Matt Millen, in spite of the complete lack of remaining credibility he has as Team President, it would be a very bad sign.   The Lions are not in a situation where they can have their “Decider” be surrounded by a bunch of sycophants.   In fact, it is the most promising news to Kowalski that their is dissension within the ranks.   The Lions do not have the luxury of not taking the best player available when they draft, irregardless of the position that player may play. 

Monday was the first day that teams were able to release players from their contracts.   Their has been a lot of speculation about whom the Lions may release.   At this point, they will probably be content to remain knee deep in their free agency and draft preparation, then begin releasing players as the team finds suitable replacements for the incumbents.  There are a number of players who I believe should go and it will be very interesting to see whom the Lions choose to part company with.   It will be the best current indicator of who is on board with Marinelli and his staff’s program, and who is not.

Is the Hiring of Jim Colletto the Lions Most Important Off Season Move? Martz and Millen at Odds?

The Lions recently hired Jim Colletto to replace Larry Beightol as their Offensive Line coach.   Colletto, who is a coaching lifer and was most recently UCLA’s Offensive Line coach, has prior experience working with Off. Coordinator Mike Martz (at Arizona St.) which should be a valuable asset.   Apparently Martz and Beightol were often at odds over a number of issues last season.   The situation was bad enough that Beightol would disseminate information in the classroom which would then, unfortunately, often be contradicted on the practice field, as plays were being worked out.   Colletto’s hiring is important because, if nothing else, the Lions will now feature a more cohesive coaching staff.

Colletto’s hiring becomes infinitely more important when you consider that Jon Kitna was under near constant duress last season because of the success of their opponent’s pass rush.  The Lions disappointing, patchwork offensive line unit allowed more than 60 QB sacks last season.   The Martz-designed offense utilizes very few maximum protection blocking packages since, by design, nearly everyone is a potential receiver on pass plays.   When you consider that the Lions have been rumored to have more than a passing interest in drafting Wisconsin OT Joe Thomas, Colletto’s job becomes all the more important.   Should the Lions draft Thomas, he will need to be game ready immediately.   Colletto will the be the coach most directly responsible in accelerating Thomas’ learning curve so that he can meet his anticipated promise.

With that in mind, their are a growing number of rumors that there is an evolving detente between Mike Martz and Team President Matt Millen.   Recently, Martz stated that he didn’t think that the Lions were considering drafting a QB, which generated a certain amount of consternation among observers because the draft process is analogous to a high stakes poker game in which no one wants to increase their opponent’s odds by revealing their hand.  In essence, by revealing the team’s draft plans, the Lions lose some of the value of their draft pick, which (the value of their pick) could eventually give them the leverage to trade down in the draft and acquire more with their pick. 

Pro Football Talk  recently reported (Feb 10th) in their “Rumor Mill” column that Millen and Martz could be at odds over who to take in the ‘07 draft.  They speculate that Martz wants the Lions to make their draft selection a player that would help them win now (i.e. Joe Thomas) as opposed to a selection that may not immediately pay dividends (i.e. JaMarcus Russell, Brady Quinn), but could down the line.   Why does Martz want to win now?  It would help open more future opportunities for him to become a head coach.  The intriguing aspect of this rumored disagreement is that Martz may eventually be a member of the organization longer than Millen, especially if next season is as poor as the 2006 season was. 

These type of disagreements are not foreign to the game.   It is obvious that when you put strong-willed, opinionated people together, they are eventually going to butt heads.   If anything, this could be a sign of the increasingly eroding respect and credibility that Matt Millen commands within the Lions organization.  Either that, or the whole thing is a ruse to keep the Lions true draft intentions a secret.   Should the Lions draft a QB, there are probably few coaches more qualified, and capable, to bring along a young QB and eventually have them become successful.   If anything, in spite of the results of ‘07 season, Martz will eventually become a desired candidate for a vacant head coaching position due to that fact.

Sam Gash, Cory Redding, Smoke & Mirrors, Charlie Sanders

Even though things are slow going early in the off season for the Lions, they have had a comparatively active off season when you consider that they have 1) Hired an assistant special teams coach in Sam Gash 2) Had a former player selected to be inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in Charlie Sanders 3) had a furor erupt over Off. Cordinator Mike Martz mentioning that the Lions were not likely to draft a QB in April and most pressing of all 4) are desperately in pursuit of re-signing DT/DE Cory Redding before he becomes a free agent.  Meanwhile, their scouting and personnel departments are working overtime to prepare for the NFL Combine, and subsequent April Draft, as well as preparing to find several players in free agency.

Sam Gash, who was a consummate professional who played Fullback for several teams in the NFL, has been hired to assist Stan Kwan with coaching the Lions special teams.  Gash will serve as an excellent mentor who has recently played in the league and will hopefully contribute to helping Kwan regenerate more productivity from the Lions special teams.

Former Lions TE Charlie Sanders, as a nominee of the veterans committee, has been selected to be inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame this fall.  Sanders, played 10 years in Detroit (7 of which he played in the Pro Bowl), and was the missing link in the line of sucession in the evolution of the Tight End position as it became more specialized.  He is the bridge between players like John Mackey and Mike Ditka to players like Kellen Winslow and Ozzie Newsome.   Sanders has remained loyal to the Lions since his playing days ended. Sanders has formerly served as a radio announcer and has also recently served the team in the scouting and personnel evaluation departments.

Re-signing Redding is the team’s utmost off season priority.   They are unlikely to allow him to become a free agent, but I am hoping that after Redding’s break out 2006 season that the Lions will negotiate a new contract with him before having to resort to franchising him.   Redding has emerged as quite a talent on the inside and I hope that the Lions do not disrupt this by low-balling Redding.  Generally speaking, Defensive Tackles are paid less than Defensive Ends and even though Redding has mostly played DE, the Lions may choose to consider him as a DT and offer him less.   As bereft of talent as the current Lions roster is, they should reward a player like Redding as opposed to alienating him and his teammates by not giving him his due.

Mike Martz’s recent comments stating that the Lions were not interested in drafting a QB can be interpreted a number of different ways.  On one hand, it was a boneheaded decision that will make it difficult for the Lions to have the leverage necessary to trade down in the April draft.   That being said, do you think for one second that the Lions are not taking a serious look at the Qb’s that are available.   Martz, even though he is a megalomaniac whose faith resides in the intricacies of the design of his offensive system over the talent, leadership, and character of any Qb who may helm it, is no dummy.   He realizes that his desirability as future head coach in the NFL could be drastically improved if he were instrumental in developing another young, All-Pro QB.  I regard Martz’s statements as a smoke screen.   I am not saying that the Lions are going to draft a QB, but they are not in the position to not at least consider it.   I think drafting a QB is more probable than them swapping their first round draft pick for Donovan McNabb, as rumored last week, which is just plain stupid.