Detroit Lions Weblog

Haynesworth to the ‘Skins, Lions Looking at Wide Receivers?

Well, as per usual, Daniel Snyder and the Washington Redskins fired a shot across the bow in NFL free agency, by blowing everyone out of the water with their offer, and eventual signing of DT Albert Haynesworth.

Other than wondering how exactly Snyder and his front office ever balance their cap budget with their drunken-sailor-on-shore-leave free spending ways, I am mildly disappointed by the Lions inability to make a play on Haynesworth.

Haynesworth would have been an excellent acquisition. The Detroit Free Press’ Drew Sharp equated the organizational credibility gained by signing Haynesworth to that which was gained by the Tigers signing of “Pudge” Rodriguez several years ago.

That being said, the financial commitment would have been exorbitant, even by professional sports standards. The Lions still have DeWayne Robertson and Rocky Bernard as defensive tackle options, although their market price will only increase as time marches on.

Appaently, the Lions are also looking at WR’s Nate Washington, who will be visiting, and T.J. Houshmandzadeh, who has garnered less interest than originally expected.

The Lions have so many gaping roster needs that really, the only way that they can go wrong is by not signing anybody, or by over-spending just to fill those needs. If they are going to overspend this off-season, it had better be on an actual roster upgrade.

These opening days of free agency will have a major impact upon the Lions draft plans and will be a sign whether the Lions new front office and coaching staff can do a convincing job of selling the organization to it’s prospective employees.

Lions Swing and Miss on Panthers CB Lucas, SI’s Don Banks on Lions, Uncapped Season Bad for Lions?

Apparently, according to a number of reports, the Lions attempted to make a trade for Panthers CB Ken Lucas today, prior to the beginning of free agency.

Lucas would have had to agree to a newly re-structured deal in order for the trade to occur. Lucas effectively killed the deal by refusing to re-structure. Nice try, Lions front office. Better luck next time.

It is no secret that the Lions are desperate (we’re talking junkies in the throes of withdrawal symptoms, people!) for help in their secondary. Ideally, they would end up with a starter and a backup (or two) during the free agent signing period. Rumors continue to surround the Lions potentially acquiring versatile Titans corner Chris Carr.

SI’s Don Banks , after Peter King’s recent jab at free agent-to-be Dan Orlovsky (he should play in Canada– they have bigger end zones) and it’s recent feature on Matthew Stafford, continues that venerable publications fixation on the lamentable Lions organization, as it speculates upon where the 0-16 team will cast it’s lot in April with the first overall draft pick.

In Banks’ mock draft, he believes that LB Aaron Curry’s combine performance was notable enough to vault him atop the draft board, especially given the Lions terrible ‘08 defense and clear need for a playmaker in the middle of their defense, who can play on all downs. Curry would give the “Schwartzingham” defense a versatile chess piece to utilize in their scheme.

Even more intriguing, is the possibility that the Lions could select DT Peria Jerry with their second first round pick. In Banks’ mock, the Lions could even select Jerry’s teammate and potential franchise left tackle Michael Oher with their pick at the top of the second round. If this were how the Lions draft actually played out, I would be ecstatic.

In order to be “fair and balanced”, Pro Football Weekly’s Eric Edholm gives a more stinging assessment of the Lions potentially drafting Curry in April.

Edholm believes that Scott Linehan’s success presiding over the development of young QB’s would trump Curry’s excellent combine performance. From my vantage point, not being a proponent of selecting a QB with the first pick, this is both entirely too logical and very troubling news.

Free agency does put some contingencies upon what the Lions could eventually do, though. Such as, if they are unable to actually sign any cornerbacks, a left guard, or backup Qb in free agency, then they would have to re-consider all of these selections.

Speaking of free agency, as the likely uncapped 2010 season approaches, Tom “Killer” Kowalski does an excellent job of teasing out exactly how an uncapped season may impact the Lions as they attempt to rebuild towards respectability:

1) a unrestricted free agent has to play six years instead of four, meaning less available players than usual in free agency.
2) Teams would receive an additional “transition” tag, which again would slow player movement significantly

The Lions had a terrible draft in ‘06, so they would not benefit from the extra two years of retaining the relatively inexpensive players that they could hold onto the rights of. (curse you, Matt Millen, you imp).

One benefit for the Lions, if this scenario plays out and the owners and players don’t agree to a new collective bargaining agreement by next March, is that the four teams who play in the conference championship games will be limited in what they can do in free agency, as a result of their success. It seems incredibly unlikely, CBA or no CBA, that the Lions will appear in a conference championship game anytime soon.

Dan O. Jilts the Lions

Dan “The Polish Pop Gun” Orlovsky has decided to test the free agent waters and not re-sign with the Lions when free agency begins this weekend.

Interestingly enough, Orlovsky claims he doesn’t want to sign with the Lions to be Daunte Culpepper’s backup. I wonder, what NFL team, besides the Lions, will promise Orlovsky a starter’s job, let alone even an open opportunity to compete for a starter’s job.

Orlovsky is the quintessential career backup, despite his desire to be otherwise. With Culpepper, or more improbably, Jon Kitna at the helm, Orlovsky would stand a very realistic chance of starting during a 16 game season since it is very likely that each of these Qb’s would get injured at one point or another.

The interesting thing now is that Jon Kitna may now become a viable alternative to remain on the roster, should he be willing to have no guarantee of holding the starting QB job. Admittedly, this scenario is highly unlikely, too.

So if Kitna and Orlovsky don’t return, the Lions will be left with Culpepper and the “Two Drews”.

Since Martin Mayhew has made recent comments mentioning Drew Stanton’s relative lack of experience being an impediment to his being considered for the starter’s job, you have to wonder, do the Lions, without disparaging Stanton, feel that Stanton is incapable of becoming a legitimate NFL QB? It would seem so.

Does this situation realistically leave the Lions with aging, injury-prone Daunte Culpepper, one of the “Two Drews” and a draft pick to man the position next season? Does the likely loss of Orlovsky force the Lions to have to draft a Qb out of necessity, since it is unlikely that there would be any exceptionally desirable candidates available to them via free agency?

I think the Lions will select a Qb and my gut feeling is that they will not make that player the first overall draft pick. I would not be surprised to see them take someone with pick #20 or #33, since the their is a high probability that whomever they pick may have to play this season at some point, given Daunte Culpepper and Drew Stanton’s injury histories, if they are the two Qb’s who remain upon the Lions 53-man roster.

“Killer” Believes The #1 Pick Will be LB Curry or OT Jason Smith, Dan Orlovsky, Derek Anderson

“Killer” Kowalski is in Indianapolis for the NFL draft combine and he reported on a local radio show that Baylor OT Jason Smith and Wake Forest OLB Aaron Curry are the current front-runners for the Lions 1st overall draft choice.

This is exciting news, even though a lot can change in the upcoming weeks. A number of reports indicate that the Lions will have a player signed to a contract, as a prerequisite, before draft day. Each player strikes me as a legitimate choice, and their selection would begin to solidify the Lions talent-starved roster.

“Killer” also makes some interesting comments about the Lions pursuit of Dan Orlovsky. Does Orlovky really think he will get a better opportunity to play anywhere in the NFL than with the Lions next season, even if Jon Kitna or Daunte Culpepper eventually return? It would seem unlikely, but apparently he has a bruised ego over the notion that Culpepper is the starter, for now.

“Killer” has spent the last two off-seasons expressing his unrequited lust for Browns QB Derek Anderson, as a potential Lions QB. Anderson does have a big arm and has enjoyed some success, within a very talented offense that was running on all cylinders.

My gut feeling on Anderson is that amid his promise, he needs to be in the right situation surrounded by talent. The Browns suffered last season because the very players who helped Anderson find success in ‘07 were either old (Jamal Lewis), unhappy (Kellen Winslow, Jr.) or completely unfocused “Braylon ‘Oops’ Edwards).

If Anderson remotely has what it takes to become a solid NFL QB, he should have been able to find ways to help his team succeed and overcome the aforementioned obstacles, and hometown hero Brady Quinn breathing down his neck, too.

Kitna Not Out?, Jim Schwartz, Stop It You Silly Guy (Blushing)

I hate to gush about Jim Schwartz, but I am going to! The guy has a certain swagger and approach to things that is difficult to not like:

“You can go play blackjack in Vegas and play at the $5 tables for a couple hours and make decisions and lose $100 and have some fun” Schwartz said at the combine.

“You can go play at the $5,000 and $10,000 tables, you’re making bad decisions, and you’re walking home. You’re not flying home. So I think you’ve got to add that into the equation. Not only is it an opportunity to get a great player, but you also need to make sure.” (regarding the Lions 1st overall pick)

The Lions have a track record of their coaches and front office collectively “walking home” from Vegas, with a tattered suitcase in hand, and no dignity remaining. It’s too bad, that in the Lions case, what happens in “Vegas” often does not stay in “Vegas”, but dogs them for years to come.

That’s what makes Schwartz seem so different, up to this point. He seemingly realizes what is at stake and shapes his opinions accordingly. He gives the impression of being grounded.

Hopefully, due diligence will assist the Lions in their sorting out process. Most Lions fans biggest fear is the meddling of the Ford’s, which will lead to the Lions making the wrong decision at the “$10,000 table”, again.

As premature as it may be, I feel like Schwartz’s smarts, combined with his scouting experience, and membership in a successful franchise in Tennessee, will all color the Lions decision-making, too.

Maybe Schwartz’s grounded-ness will offset any malingering concerns about putting asses in the padded Ford Field seats, which have been conspicuously empty for the last season or two.

The Jon Kitna-era in Detroit may not be over, yet. The Lions are content to let the off-season play out and let their quarterback situation be resolved as time goes on, if Jim Schwartz’s recent comments are true.

“What are the odds Kitna will return?”
Schwartz: “I really can’t handicap it yet,” “Let’s let free agency sort of play a little bit and stuff like that.”

Schwartz also stated that Kitna is expected to be a part of the team’s off-season programs and says that “I’d like to keep as many options open as we could.”

This could be a ploy to attempt to generate trade value for Kitna, or additional security in case Daunte Culpepper returns to the team looking like the “Michelin Tire” man.

Either way, it resonates to me as sound thinking. Sound thinking is commodity that has been sorely lacking for at least ten seasons in Allen Park now.

Blogger Mock Draft Round 2, Lions Re-Sign Hanson, Peterman, Re-Structure Culpepper, Are Danny O. and Moran Norris next?

Ty from The Lions in Winter and I recently collaborated for our selection in the 2nd round of Next Season Sports’ blogger mock draft.

With the first pick of the 2nd round, we were a bit conflicted. Given the affinity that most Lions fans have for white linebackers (see Teddy “China Doll” Lehman, Stephen Boyd, Chris Spielman), we were nearly convinced to select another one, in former USC LB Clay Matthews.

We considered Matthews because he would be an intriguing player to add, considering both his vast NFL pedigree (father and uncle were NFL players) and the incredible growth that he showed as a Trojan player evolving from a walk-on to a high NFL draft pick over the course of four years.

In the end, however, the availability of a playmaking cornerback trumped the selection of the versatile Matthews. Wake Forest CB Alphonso Smith, represents the same type of skill set that allowed another former ACC player, Dre Bly, to thrive in the NFL, despite his lack of desirable size.

Smith is a difference-making playmaker, as his being the career interceptions leader in the ACC will attest. Last season, Smith had eight interceptions, three of which he returned for TD’s. He also forced four fumbles and had multiple quarterback sacks.

The selection of Smith helps the Lions in two personnel areas since Smith is also a quality returns specialist. Given the fact that the returns game and secondary are likely the two weakest personnel areas on the entire Lions roster, Smith represented a tantalizing option that refused to be ignored, at least for Ty and myself.

The Lions quarterback situation is becoming clearer, after yesterday’s announcement that the Lions had agree with Daunte Culpepper to restructure his contract.

Culpepper was awful last season. There is no denying it. Hopefully, with an off-season of conditioning (No Doritos, No Paczkis for Daunte) and his being reunited with his former Vikings offensive coordinator Scott Linehan, maybe Culpepper will provide a one year stop-gap until the Lions figure out what direction they want go in with the position.

The Lions re-signed K Jason Hanson and G Stephen Peterman, too. Hanson, a potential hall of famer, was an absolute no-brainer decision. Had the Lions let Hanson escape, an already battered and broken Lions fan base would have been distraught.

Peterman’s return provides the right side with some much-needed continuity. Hopefully, Peterman and ‘08 first rounder Gosder Cherilus will make a formidable tandem for years to come.

An interesting sidebar is that the Lions new offensive line coach, George Yarno, coached Peterman in college. Maybe Peterman will help the offensive line in any transition that occurs due to Yarno’s arrival.

The Lions are rumored to still be in pursuit of FB Moran Norris and Qb Dan Orlovsky, which likely means that QB Jon Kitna, and potentially, at least one of the two Drew’s (Stanton/Henson), are not likely to return next season.

I am hopeful that the Lions view the QB position as one that needs to be upgraded in the future, but not immediately. They should not feel the desperation to select a young QB that most draft prognosticators have speculated thus far. They have larger issues to address, in my opinion.

Schwartz’s Interview With Mike Reiss

Alright Lions fans, take a deep breath, and grab a seat. You are about to read some of the smartest, shrewdest comments made by anyone recently connected with the Lions organization (and possibly ever).

In a recent talk with the Boston Globe’s Mike Reiss , Schwartz provides music to the average Lions fan’s ears:

“We don’t plan on being the ‘Greatest Show on Turf’; we’re going to be a big, physical team that can run the ball and stop the run.”

Schwartz further states:

“We need to be built to have to go up to Lambeau Field in late December and win a game. We have to be built to go into Soldier Field and win a game in December or January that could mean the division. The best way to do that when the weather gets bad and the wind gets blowing-you have to be able to run the ball and stop the run.”

“The one lesson I learned from Bill Belichick and Jeff Fisher is that if you can run the ball and stop the run-if you’re strong up front on the offensive and defensive line-you’ll be consistent from week to week.”

Preach on brother Jim. Now, obviously the real challenge is to get the Lions mismatched bunch of castoff’s, “never-were’s”, and any new additions that they may include this off-season to actually stop the run and allow the team to consistently run with the ball.

Still, at least taken upon face value, do these comments sound like ones coming from someone who will be willing to allow the organization to take a chance on a talented, but inexperienced and erratic young quarterback? “The Schwartz” may be the only reliable entity currently operating within the ivory towers of Lions headquarters. This my friends, for now, is good news.

News on the Muddled Lions QB situation?

The staff of the Detroit Free Press has been working overtime teasing apart the muddled Lions QB situation this weekend.

Carlos Monnarez reports that Mike Furrey told Sirius radio that Daunte Culpepper would be the Lions starting QB this season, or at least that’s what the quarterbacks were told, according to Furrey.

I am uncertain why Furrey would conjure that story, although, ultimately, who really knows. I don’t really support this decision, upon face value, but if it means standing pat, and not drafting, or should I say, over-drafting for a Qb for one more season, then I am more in line with the team’s thought processes.

Drew Sharp speculates that the Lions may be “smoke-screening” their interest in drafting a quarterback, in an attempt to acquire more draft picks by moving down in the draft. I applaud the new front office’s due diligence, but my heart palpitations will not soon subside, if the QB speculations continue to ramp up.

ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay recently stated “eight of the past 11 underclassmen quarterbacks drafted in the first round have either failed to meet expectations or have been outright busts.”

Well, that settles it for me. Don’t draft a QB. Keep up appearances and leave the phone lines open. If nothing comes to fruition…”With the first pick in the ‘09 draft the Detroit Lions select OT…” It’s that simple. The Lions can’t remotely afford blowing their first round draft picks this season. Not an iota.

“Shack” Attack, Conspiracy Theories, Franchising Hanson

The Lions announced that they have finally hired James “Shack” Harris as Martin Mayhew’s assistant, and right-hand man in evaluating and scouting personnel.

Harris brings a great deal of front office experience and a relative amount of success to the table. Harris immediately solidifies the Lions front office, and provides a confident, battle-tested foil to Mayhew and the Millen-era’s many failures.

As I have mentioned before, I am not entirely optimistic that the Lions front office triumvirate will survive peacefully for long. Eventually, in the executive gladiatorial arena, someone is going to become more power hungry, there is going to be an unresolvable difference of opinion, or even more likely, in my opinion, someone is going to win the battle for the hearts and minds of the Ford’s, and in that battle, to the victor goes the spoils.

So as cautiously optimistic as I am about the new Lions front office representing a tangible improvement or a genuine changing of the guard, I am also concerned that even a minimum level of success will be cause for their current arrangement to fracture in the future.

Mayhew even mentioned during Harris’ introductory press conference that there were plenty of “yes men” available, and he was sure that Harris and he would have many differences of opinion along the way.

In spite of any potential differences they may have, Mayhew will benefit from Harris’ presence, even if it’s for a brief period of time.

As February 19th moves closer, it seems more and more likely that the Lions will be placing a “franchise tag” upon Jason Hanson.

What does that say about an organization, as far as it’s personnel strength, that among it’s many available free agents, it’s best and most valuable player, who needs to have his availability protected and restricted with this designation, is it’s kicker, a personnel position that many organizations regard as if it were an easily-replaceable spare part.

I love Jason Hanson and the continuity that he has (and will) provided. I guess I wish that Shaun Cody or some other position player were valuable enough that the Lions would need to utilize that tag to retain them, as result of their immediate value to the organization.

As many of you know, I am more than a little prone to conjuring a conspiracy theory or three. As a connoisseur of the fine sport of fake-fighting, or “Pro Wrasslin’” I can smell a “work” from a mile away.

With those facts in mind, am I the only one who believes that Brett Favre’s recent “retirement” announcement, as far as it’s timing, was orchestrated by the league’s powers-that-be to trump baseball’s emergence in the public mindset with the onset of spring training, and the recent Alex Rodriguez steroid hubbub?

The NFL season just ended, it is retreating from public view until the combine and free agency signing period’s get rolling. Between steroids and the furor over MLB commissioner Bud Selig being rewarded a $3 million salary increase, the NFL, at least for a brief time, was being pushed to the margins.

I wonder, did the NFL, Jets and Brett Favre all know that he would eventually “retire” during this off-season. In response to all the attention being given to MLB, would the NFL/Favre/Jets decide that revealing Favre’s “retirement” now, rather than later, was “good for business”, to borrow a wrasslin’ axiom?

Coincidentally, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell also announced that he was going to freeze his salary in direct contrast to the public relations-challenged Selig and his cadre of rapacious owners.

With the emergence of the MLB Network, one has to wonder, have the two league’s become direct competitors for our discretionary income to the point that they would have an interest in usurping each other’s relative primacy, by any means necessary?

The other thing, in my opinion, is that it is obvious that performance-enhancing drugs are part of NFL terrain, too. Does the Favre “retirement” help, at least briefly, stave off the would-be-inquisitors that might consider an analogous purge of the NFL’s drug-testing, etc.

The reports that the Atlanta Falcons are gauging interest in the availability of the soon-to-be released, convicted dogfighter Michael Vick, is another sign that the respective leagues may be battling for advertising dollars, TV money, and the hearts and minds of the short-attention spanned, entertainment-overloaded, 24 hr-sports coverage fed masses. Who knew that our eyeballs were our most salable commodity, during these econonmically-challenged times.

I’m just saying… Now back to looking for black helicopters and affixing my tin foil helmet atop my head.

Colletto Gone, Coaching Staff Completed, Jason Hanson

In a move that likely represents the end of the Marinelli/Millen era, at least symbolically, the Lions reported yesterday that Jim Colletto will not be a coach for them next season.

Colletto, a grizzled coaching vet, was an unmitigated failure as a Lions offensive coordinator, on par with someone like Ted Tollner, last season.

The Lions completed and announced their coaching staff today. They retained rising hot commodities in coaches Shawn Jefferson and Sam Gash, and for continuities sake, the solid Stan Kwan.

I am intrigued by Kwan’s retention. I am hoping that by having Marinelli’s shackles removed, Kwan will be allowed to be more adventurous with their special teams moving forward.

For Chuck Priefer’s sake, they had better devote some real energy into improving their returns game. The Lions way undervalued the importance of field position during recent seasons, in my opinion.

The other coaches are a bit of a mystery to me. I do trust Schwartz, after selecting Cunningham and Linehan, to find solid candidates to round out his staff, though.

In a few days, I expect for the Lions to announce that they have signed K Jason Hanson to a new contract. In the event that they will be unable to, Killer Kowalski mentions the possibility of the Lions putting a franchise tag on Hanson, since they have no other free agents worthy of the designation, and the organization can ill afford to take any chance of losing Hanson’s services.

In my opinion, Hanson, like other former Detroit sports stars like Jack Morris and Alan Trammell, will get jobbed by hall of fame voters due to his spending his career out of a major media market, and the unfortunately ill-state of the Lions organization during Hanson’s career.

It is almost indisputable, that Hanson has been one of the most valuable Lions, and improbably, he seems to be improving as each year passes.

I hate to consider the possibility of Hanson leaving to play for a legitimate contender. If any kicker is worth of this special designation, even if it costs the Lions plenty, it is Hanson.

Aside from Hanson, Ernie Sims, and Calvin Johnson, the Lions have 50 roster spots that seem to be relatively uncertain. Obviously, the organization values players like Dom Raiola, Jeff Backus, and Cory Redding and holds high hopes for Gos Cherilus, Cliff Avril, and Daniel Bullocks. Still, they have precious few reliable players on their current roster.