Detroit Lions Weblog

Dizon Compared to Spielman and Boyd, Pinner Returns, and Cody’s Final Days?

The Lions have signed journeymen RB Artose Pinner to compete with RB’s Brian Calhoun and Tatum Bell, both of whose futures may be in jeopardy with the Lions upon Pinner’s return to the organization.

Pinner, who has been mediocre, at best, throughout his career, except for one stellar performance against the Lions, his then former team, will contribute on special teams which gives him an edge over Bell, and possibly Calhoun, too.

Indefatigable Aveion Cason also remains in the picture, and with Cason’s ability to contribute to the special teams, the running back personnel group suddenly seems very crowded.

I really like the idea of a tandem of Bell and newly-drafted Kevin Smith, especially if the Lions are serious about adding a zone-running attack, a system Bell is quite intimate with.

Pinner would provide the Lions with a Shawn Bryson-like 3rd down back, who can pick up blitzes and catch the ball of the backfield, too. Competition is always good, so this situation will be an intriguing one to monitor.

I wonder if the training camp performance of rookie FB Jerome Felton, an intriguing combo back, could factor into the future of Pinner, since Felton could potentially assume the aforementioned “Bryson” role, if he proves capable of blitz pickup? If Felton can thrive in this role, the Lions could consolidate two valuable roster spots into one.

A number of people have begun to compare MLB Jordan Dizon to former Lions LB’s Stephen Boyd and Chris Spielman, which if this holds true, will resonate deeply within Lions fans hearts. If Dizon is the gritty, blue collar, overachiever that he has been alluded to, I can imagine a Ford Field engulfed in a sea of Sims and Dizon jerseys for several years to come.

The Lions need for Dizon to be an immediate contributor on their defense, not just as a special teamer. Dizon, along with DT Andre Fluellen and DE Cliff Avril, will determine significantly the success of the Lions ‘08 defense.

In regards to Fluellen, “Killer” Kowalski believes that former second round DT Shaun Cody may be another Lion that will be looking over his shoulder during training camp. I like Cody, and hate to see the Lions suffer from yet another busted high draft pick, but Chuck Darby “eats hearts”, Cory Redding is a franchise cornerstone, and Langston Moore has been a sound contributor in the middle, which leaves the affable Cody out on a ledge, so to speak. Again, intense competition is ultimately good for the team, and the Lions can ill-afford to carry too many developmental players.

Revisionism in the evaluation of the Lions draft has run rampant. Initially, they were scalded for reaching for players like Gosder Cherilus and Jordan Dizon. Since then, many experts like the Dallas Morning News’ Rick Gosselin, one of the pre-eminent draft evaluators, has stated that the Lions did a nice job of finding value with each pick.

The criticism of the Cherilus pick is a little odd, in my book. Cherilus has been a well-established draft prospect for awhile now, and he struggled at times on the left side, a position the Lions don’t envision him ever manning.

Cherilus will play immediately, and may not project as highly as players like Chris Williams and Jeff Otah, but his tenacity and “team first” attitude are exactly what Rod Marinelli, and the Lions, desired in a player.

The criticism of Dizon is more reasonable, but as disappointing as it would be for him not to start next season, the Lions have nobody else on the roster who could slide into the middle of the Tampa-2, something that they must have believed internally that Dan Connor was incapable of.

The most important issue, in my eyes, is whether the combo of Ikaika “Hawaii Five-O” Alama-Francis and Cliff Avril can provide an upgrade over the likes of players like Corey Smith and Kalimba “The Ghost” Edwards, not that that would be too difficult.