Detroit Lions Weblog

News About “Big Baby” Shaun Rogers May Be Premature

Apparently, a television station has recently reported that the Lions plan on releasing the talented, but controversial DL Shaun “Big Baby” Rogers soon. Their are conflicting reports in regards to Rogers’ future status, but MLive’s “Killer” Kowalski doesn’t believe that Rogers’ release is imminent, at least for the time being.

Rogers is a supremely gifted athlete, who regularly underachieves, and lacks consistency. These traits have become unfortunate trademarks of Rogers’ career in Detroit. That being said, the Lions don’t currently have a viable replacement on their roster and are reticent about releasing Rogers due to his latent talent. The fact is, the Lions have so many roster positions on defense to address before next season, that parting with Rogers without compensation would not be prudent.

Rod Marinelli was a very successful defensive line coach in Tampa, and thus far, at least, this success has not proven beneficial in Detroit. Cory Redding, Shaun Rogers, Shaun Cody, and Kalimba Edwards are among the Lions defensive linemen who have not met expectations since Marinelli arrived. Marinelli has often explicitly stated that the defensive line has to be the foundation of the team’s defense, in order for the Tampa-2 zone to be successful.

Defensive Line coach Joe Cullen publicly embarrassed the organization entering the ‘06 season (the fabled “Naked Drive Thru” incident) and given the poor performance of the team’s defensive line in ‘07, appears to be enjoying a surprising amount of job security within the organization at this time.

It only seems logical to me, that Cullen is expendable, and a new coach needs to be brought into the fold who will light a fire under Shaun Rogers’ rather large ass, since he is the nominal leader of the team’s defense. Any future success the Lions defense will enjoy, with Rogers’ still on active roster, rests entirely upon his shoulders. If Rogers is not going full speed, is in poor playing condition, and is emotionally disengaged, performances like this season 1-7 finish will continue to be replicated.