Detroit Lions Weblog

Are the Lions Set to Draft a Qb, Even With ’09’s Thin Pool?

With the decisions of both Tim Tebow and Sam Bradford to remain in college for another season, and the Lions apparently poised to be in the position of selecting an eventual franchise QB, will they change their course of action now that the pool is decidedly much thinner than what it was originally expected to be?

I expect the intrigue and speculation to only grow, as the KGB-like, newly-minted Lions front office will continue to remain sealed airtight and any “leaked” information will likely only be able to be considered as dubious, at best.

In other words, amid all of the obfuscation and serendipity, the Lions likely will want to create the impression that their plans are concrete, so that the value for their #1 overall draft pick will not diminish for any opposing organization who actually may be brave enough to consider trading up in the ‘09 draft.

The Lions Qb pool to select from is tepid, at best. Aside from Matthew Stafford and Mark Sanchez, the rest of the class is rife with underachievers (Cullen Harper, Hunter Cantwell), small school longshots (Rhett Bomar, Nate Davis) and system QB’s (Pat White, Graham Harrell).

I am of the mind that either Sanchez or Stafford could be NFL success stories, but their chances will diminish significantly in Detroit. The Lions have so much work to do on both sides of ball. It seems for every patch they utilize to protect a personnel weakness, only another critical problem emerges. Is that the kind of environment to thrust the “franchise” QB into?

Sanchez (like Bomar) possesses some character issues and was underwhelming at times when leading the absolutely loaded Trojans this season. His brief collegiate career was very successful, but who couldn’t win leading a team like the Trojans?

Stafford clearly is the better prospect, but even he was dogged with poor decision-making and despite all of his ability, has not shown the intangibles necessary to consistently lead a team to victory, especially in “big games”.

Hopefully, the Lions can shake another pick or two out of team that might be better positioned to risk moving up and snatching Stafford. I recently watched Stafford face my beloved Michigan State Spartans, and he clearly can make all of the passes necessary, and has a big-game arm. Stafford definitely passes the “eye ball” test. Heck, he’s even from Dallas, like another blonde, hard-nosed, and even harder drinking former Lions QB.

I also believe that it remains to be seen whether Stafford can eventually lead the Lions out of their “Egypt”, a 31-97 mind-numbing stretch, and “part the waters”, or navigate all of the organizational road blocks which have stood directly in the Lions path towards success for so many years now.

Lions Coaching Search Presses On

Amid the incessant decline of midwestern, rust belt America as we know it, during a time when people are fixated upon the harsh and undeniable reality that their expectations for their collective futures will need to be altered dramatically, the Lions continue to march quixotically on, deep within their most recent coaching search.

If there is anything positive that can be said about the Lions new front office regime, they have done a masterful job of keeping their search process sealed airtight. Aside from the public presentations of both Titan defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz and Dolphins defensive backs coach Todd Bowles, only speculation and here-say has provided the general public with even the slightest of ideas who might actually be eventually picked for the position.

It would appear that Schwartz is the nominal frontrunner, especially with the news that Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier and Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo have not been recently contacted by the Lions organization, according to a number of reports.

That being said, I would be surprised to not see a dark horse candidate to yet emerge, in which case, I hope that Todd Bowles is that choice.

Bowles, hopefully, has gleaned a bit of “Parcellian mojo” and he openly states that his recent experience in Miami would be beneficial to the Lions organization. Whose to argue?

In direct contrast to Schwartz, the Lions might actually be catching “lightning in a bottle” with the eventual hiring of Bowles, whose meteoric rise in the coaching ranks could yet still be nascent, and immediately comparable to the unexpected emergence of Mike Tomlin, in a organization that was obviously residing within a different quanta than the one the Lions are currently located within.

If the choice is another “Rod Marinelli”, or in this case, the Titans Schwartz, who admittedly has experienced a lot of NFL success but has been frequently passed over during recent coaching searches, then why not take a shot on an up-and-comer like Bowles? The Lions truly have nothing left to lose…

John Niyo on QB’s, “Killer” on a Upcomng Roster Overhaul

The Detroit News’ John Niyo wrote a relevant and informative article yesterday about the correlation of NFL success and possessing an established QB.

In it, (”Cream Rises..”) Niyo mentions that 6 of the 8 QB’s who were starting in the playoffs (as of yesterday) had started in a Super Bowl during their careers.

He also mentions that 75 percent of the QB’s who started in the ‘09 playoffs were former first-round draft selections (admittedly, a small sample), nine of whom, were top five selections in their respective drafts.

Obviously, drafting a QB in the first-round does not come without it’s own pratfalls, but Niyo makes the obvious point that it is difficult to be successful in the NFL without a talented QB who can provide both leadership and continuity.

In regards to the Lions, the performances of Tim Tebow and Sam Bradford in the BCS championship game may eventually lead to both of them returning to college for one more season, in my opinion. If Colt McCoy stays, too, that would leave the QB pool rather thin in the upcoming draft.

Where this helps the Lions is, that if they decide that Matthew Stafford is their burgeoning franchise QB, they can choose to select him, or if not, they may actually begin to receive offers to trade down and accrue additional draft picks, if another team decides that they can’t chance Stafford falling down the draft board.

The potential availability of Kurt Warner, Jeff Garcia, Kerry Collins, and Matt Cassel (via trade) figure heavily into the aforementioned equation, too. Still, it is possible that the QB market could turn out to be thin enough that the Lions could be facing a fortuitous decision entering the April draft.

MLive’s “Killer” Kowalski meticulously scrutinizes the Lions roster and salary cap situation. The Lions will have a lot of available cap space, and could increase it significantly by excising some awful and wasteful contracts from their books.

Likely first to go, CB Leigh Bodden and QB Daunte Culpepper, both due large bonuses which are unwarranted by their ‘08 performances. Also likely to go are G Edwin Mulitalo, S Dwight Smith, and TE Dan Campbell. Adieu.

At any rate, they will have to retain, despite a lot of fan’s ire, a number of players who should be shown the door. It would be unreasonable and imprudent to say, get rid of the entire defense besides LB Ernie Sims, S Daniel Bullocks, and DE Cliff Avril.

That is where the Lions coaching search is incredibly important. They can immediately begin roster evaluation according to the needs, wishes, and schematic parameters of their incoming coach.

The obvious fact remains, the Lions will be very active this off-season, as they attempt to expunge the fetid remnants of Millen-era. No player, aside from WR Calvin Johnson and a re-signed K Jason Hanson, should feel very comfortable about their position within the organization.

I fully expect that Martin Mayhew, in partnership with the number-crunching Lewand, to be exceptionally ruthless in their attempt to demarcate the end of the Millen-era and the onset of a new regime.

Jason Garrett, Jim Schwartz is Available Now

Apparently, the Lions did actually speak with Dallas offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, despite reports that Garrett had withdrawn his name from the Lions coaching search.

The Titans loss yesterday also opens the opportunity for the Lions to move quickly in offering Titans defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz their head coaching job, if they have determined that he is their top choice.

The Lions are being very secretive about their search and interview process, which I’ll give them credit for. They need to be duly diligent in their search process.

It would seem that this weekend’s playoff results, coupled with the fact that the Lions have interviewed quite a number of candidates, in all likelihood, their process will become much clearer and noticeably closer to completion during the upcoming week.

Millen Proof That Mediocrity Rises to the Top, 1st Overall Draft Pick

The announcement that Matt Millen will be a NBC studio analyst for the remainder of the NFL playoffs and Super Bowl is no real surprise. Millen is clearly talented serving in that role.

What is shocking, in my opinion, despite his mercurial rise from the ashes and charred wreckage of his Lions tenure, is that he has the credibility remaining, and necessary, for him to be able to be a desirable hire by NBC execs.

The guy is the worst executive in the history of professional sports, and somehow is supposed to provide an informed account of game day events? This is truly the “Peter Principle” in action.

If I were a coach or executive, and Millen decided to ever get cute or critical with an analysis, I would not cease in my defensive response to any sort of attack from the blundering incompetent that was Matt Millen as a NFL executive.

There is a ramped up speculation that the Lions will eventually choose to draft a QB with their #1 overall draft pick. ESPN’s Chris Mortensen posits as much by recently stating that the leading candidates for the Lions head coaching job were Atlanta offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey or Titans defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. He also states that the Lions WILL select a QB.

Aside from the deep-seated irritation and chafing that such an organizational decision causes me, if the Lions are going to attempt to find a franchise QB, then do it. Hire Mularkey, and devote the entire draft towards bolstering the offense. Retain both Jon Kitna and Dan Orlovsky as insurance for the newly-minted, anointed franchise savior.

The Lions will need to give any potential franchise QB a realistic chance for success. If the Lions don’t focus on that side of the ball, then why even waste the pick?

The Detroit News’ venerable Jerry Green has recently written an article about the Lions next draft decision. He believes that USC’s Rey Maualuga will fall in lock step with the Lions franchise history of LB’s like Joe Schmidt, Mike Lucci, Ken Fantetti, Chris Spielman, and Stephen Boyd. Maualuga is a spectacular talent who would provide an immediate impact, Jordan Dizon-be-damned!!!

This line of thinking is more in-line with the type of hard-nosed, midwestern thinking that has been sorely lacking in Allen Park for quite awhile now.

If this is the eventual decision that is made, then the Lions better damn well devote themselves to building a genuinely competitive defense.

The Lions will need Mayhew and his upcoming coaching hire to possess the clarity and focus necessary to see a genuine organizational plan through it’s various stages of development, uninterrupted. The Lions have been unable to develop a consistent and clear plan for years now.

Matt Millen Speaks, Mayhew/Lewand Press Conference

Matt Millen, likely still engaged in a protracted buyout negotiation with the Lions, re-emerged as a NBC in-studio analyst yesterday.

Millen, who will be known for time immemorial as the worst executive ever in all of team professional sports, was very candid. He said that he did deserve to be fired, but thought it was a poor decision to make the move during the season.

Millen also defended Rod Marinelli as coach. I am glad that Millen takes ownership of the franchise’s failings. He even admitted that he was prepared for the football side of operations, but was terribly unprepared for a number of aspects of his job, though.

Que Sera Sera, Matt. 31-97 is no big deal in the grand scheme of things, right? You apparently have landed on your feet…

This week Tom Lewand and Martin Mayhew made a number of interesting statements during their co-introductory press conference.

They both admitted that they were a major part of the Lions experiencing the worst season in modern NFL franchise history.

They both insisted, though, in platitude-filled declarations worthy of the ‘08 election, that they represented “change” and if you asked anyone internally, that a lot of change had already occurred.

Mayhew also made some thinly-veiled, critical comments about the design of the Lions defense. He stated that the personnel was too small, too slow, and needed to be smarter. Apparently, the Tampa-2 will be adapted, or expelled altogether, in upcoming seasons.

Mayhew also utilized the party line of gotta-play-my-cards-close-to-my-vest to maintain secrecy and subterfuge so that league observer’s need to continue to speculate about the organization’s future plans.

Mayhew appears to be a much more secretive, less transparent executive than Matt Millen was. This also appears to be a direct criticism of Matt Millen’s voluminous blundering in personnel-wise. We will have to wait and see just how wily Mayhew actually turns out to be in the future.

Ultimately, the Lewand and Mayhew combo will have to completely unsentimental in their upcoming personnel evaluations. They will need to exhibit an uncommon, for the Lions, ruthlessness in regards to the Lions roster evaluation, personnel decisions and salary-cap determinations.

Furthermore, they have about five months to make realistic and substantial changes to the worst franchise in all professional sports history. Not too challenging of task, right?

The Grand Rapids Press’ Brian Van Ochten is an excellent Lions beat writer, who also writes for MLive.com, too. He recently provided his own end of season personnel analysis that is both thoughtful and provocative.

In my view, the Lions defense is in complete shambles, and no amount of devotion to improvement will make them any better than league average in one off-season.

I think the Lions need to devote themselves to the task of shoring up their offense, something that could occur during one off-season. Let’s be honest, we are looking at a two to three year project with their defense.

Ultimately, as a organization, they need to choose, do they want to posess a less than average offense and defense, or just an below average, but promising defense with a dynamic and explosive offense.

The latter I believe, will lead to a more immediate return to credibility, if not garnering a few wins along the way.

Coaching Search Continues…

The Lions have reportedly spoken with Redskins secondary coach Jerry Gray, Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, who played with Martin Mayhew, Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, and are supposed to meet with Titans defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, too.

There have been rumors about them potentially meeting with Falcons offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey, Dolphins assistant Todd Bowles, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, and potentially Titans offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger.

They were also rumored to potentially meet with Dallas offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, who it appears they will not meet with after all. There have been internet rumors about Eric Mangini, too but nothing has been substantiated in official reports.

Had the Lions waited to promote Mayhew, and gave serious consideration to former Michigan resident and Eagles executive Tom Heckert, they may have stood a legitimate chance with Spagnuolo, due to their working relationship while Spagnuolo coached in Philly.

As far as the Lions unfilled front office position, it’s desirability is limited to available candidates because the position will be subordinate to the wet-behind-the-ears Mayhew. If the position were vested with legitimate authority, it would be incredibly desirable.

League front offices are bunkered down into an evaluation mode and in deep preparation for the senior showcases, workouts and draft combines. At this point, anyone the Lions add will likely be after this process has been completed.

The potential for an eventual power struggle with a front office constructed like the Lions’ will be, is very high.

At this point, if the Lions are going to move forward with Lewand and Mayhew, they need to find a coaching candidate who is simpatico with their organizational philosophies and is prepared for the unenviable task of entering the interminable Lions rebuilding program.