Detroit Lions Weblog

Lions Cut CB Bodden, TE Campbell, G Mulitalo, S Smith, WR Furrey and The Awful Black Alternate Jersey

You have to wonder, with the news of the eminent releases of these unfortunate(Dwight Smith, Leigh Bodden, Mike Furrey, Dan Campbell, Edwin Mulitalo, and some guy named Jon Dunn(?)) Lions, if the Lions gave them their very own black alternate jersey as an organizational keepsake?

The Lions are reportedly at/near $35 million under the salary cap entering free agency, with potentially more to come depending upon any upcoming roster moves.

The interesting thing to watch now will be, who do the Lions bring for free agent visits and what positions will they target, as the details of the “Schwartzingham” defense remain somewhat vague and mysterious.

I was glad to see that Tom Lewand at least has some good taste. He was quoted as saying that he loves the “throwback” uniforms, which means they will be likely be kept for the foreseeable future as the team’s alternate, third jersey. Hooray!

Hopefully, the awful, tasteless black jerseys will reside in a harmless, nostalgic dustbin similar to those awful, wacky teal-coloured (Think Bison Dele and Christian Laettner) jerseys the Pistons wore for a brief time during the 90’s.

Better yet, on some level, maybe it will finally signify some steps moving forward (rather than backward) for the Lions franchise.

The Blogger Mock Draft Coninued…

Ty from the Lions in Winterfaced the daunting task of correcting the overzealous and misinformed blunderings of his co-GM, who selected DE/OLB Michael Johnson purely upon his high ceiling, and made a more reasonable decision for the interblog 2009 mock draft.

Ty selected one of the draft’s rising stars, Kansas State QB Josh Freeman, obviously somewhat of an unknown commodity at this point. Freeman is a huge, Culpepper-clone with an absolute cannon of an arm.

The debate about him, if there will eventually be one, is that is a he a “system QB” or whether can he translate his bountiful skill set to the NFL or not.

Freeman could be a real find, even if he is unproven. Should the Lions decide to select Freeman, he would likely receive a season or two to grow into the job by being slowly groomed to take the reins.

If the Lions decide to forgo QB, with the relative wealth at the position in the ‘10 draft, they might have passed on Freeman and selected a player like DE Tyson Jackson, CB Alphonso Smith, DE/OLB Clay Matthews, TE Brandon Pettigrew, or Safeties William Moore and Rashad Johnson, depending on the direction taken by the “Schwartingham” defense or their evaluation of each of these prospective draft picks.

Ultimately, I believe that Ty’s selection would be very realistic, especially if they are more aggressive and risk-taking with their first overall pick, like I was by selecting Johnson.

G Edwin Mulitalo and TE Dan Campbell Next Up as Lions Clean House

A number of reports indicate that G Edwin Mulitalo and TE Dan Campbell are the next victims of Martin Mayhew’s roster purge.

Mulitalo, who is a seasoned vet who started games often, but was moderately productive, and Campbell, who was productive when available, but injured during most of his Lions tenure, are not major surprises as far as salary cap cuts are concerned.

That being said, aside from cornerback, the Lions are also now severely thin at guard, and find themselves at a bit of a disadvantage as far as completing their personnel at those positions.

With the upcoming releases of Mike Furrey, Leigh Bodden, Edwin Mulitalo, and Dan Campbell, along with the rumored potential release of S Dwight Smith, the real surprise is that both Daunte Culpepper and Jon Kitna appear unscathed, for now.

Culpepper is still due an off-season bonus, and given his performance last season, I would not expect him to remain on the roster long enough to eventually see it.

In Kitna’s case, as vocal as he usually is, I am surprised that he hasn’t attempted to engineer a trade or release. Apparently, rumors stating that he would consider remaining in Detroit for one more season aren’t completely unfounded.

MLive.com’sTom “Killer” Kowalski has speculated about whom the Lions may turn to, now that they have a glaring void at the cornerback position.

Names mentioned are Dunta Robinson, Dominique Foxworth, and Keiwan Ratliff. No great shakes, but still each player represents an affordable immediate upgrade.

Likely more far-fetched, but not completely impossible, the Raiders are likely to place the franchise tag on Namdi Asomugha, the Lions could make a big splash by trading for him, depending upon the number of draft picks they would have to surrender.

Leigh Bodden Reportedly To Be Cut, “Big Baby” Shaun Rogers Laughs Heartily…

Tom “Killer” Kowalski commented on MLive.com today about numerous reports that the Lions will release CB Leigh Bodden on February 9th.

Bodden, who was never a true fit in the Lions version of the Tampa-2 defense, is the embodiment of what has made this franchise so incredibly awful.

The Lions traded a Pro Bowl DT/NT, Shaun “Big Baby” Rogers to the Browns and received a CB, Leigh Bodden, whom they mismanaged badly, and now will officially have nothing to show for that costly, blundering decision.

I am actually astonished. The ever-present bungling of the Lions seemingly knows no bounds. Think for a moment. The Lions remaining CB’s now are: Keith Smith, Travis Fisher, Stanley Wilson, Jr.(coming off of an injury), and Ramzee Robinson. They are in deep trouble here, folks!

With this move, they have taken an awful, barren personnel group and have essentially blown it to bits. Bodden, though due a huge bonus and a disappointing underperformer last season, was the only promising CB on their entire roster.

I actually thought that the Lions were handcuffed to Bodden, ala Cory Redding and Jeff Backus. In that regard, I’ll give the new front office some measure of credit. They are setting a precedent that they are unwilling to overpay for a mediocre performance.

Furthering the agony, they will desperately need a run-plugging, athletic, defensive down lineman in order for the new “Schwartzingham” defense to be successful. Uhm, I believe that the Lions have been in this inversely serendipitous position before.

This is the kind of eventual outcome that the new Lions front office must be able to avoid, moving forward.

The third round pick the Lions received for Rogers, Andre Fluellen, has exhibited promise, which may off-set some of the sting of Bodden’s release.

Ultimately, much the like the disastrous Dre Bly trade with Denver, the Bodden for Rogers trade will stand as a premium example of both the stupidity and ineptitude of the Matt Millen front office and the dumbfounding incompetence of Rod Marinelli and his coaching staff.

The Blogger Mock Draft

One fun thing about participating in projects like the blogger mock draft at “Next Season Sports”, which I recently had the fortune of doing, is developing alliances with fellow bloggers.

Ty from “The Lions in Winter” and I had already become fellow compatriot’s by commenting upon each other’s blog entries prior to our participation in the blogger mock draft.

In order to make these type of dalliances seem less masturbatory, it is in the best interest of all parties to use it as a convenient platform to help each other out and bounce some ideas back and forth.

Ty recently posted an interesting and informed critique of my decision to select Georgia Tech DE Michael Johnson. As I recently stated, Johnson likely represents a long-shot pick, but is still worthy of consideration, in my book.

Ty presents the Lions with another, likely better, more realistic option in Wake Forest LB Aaron Curry.

By the way, Ty did a fantastic job during the recent Lions coaching search providing the straight scoop on each and every potential candidate, being both even-handed and informative at the same time.

Ty is also doing a stellar job analyzing each Lions personnel group, again with a clear-eyed fairness, but not drinking so much “Honolulu Blue Kool-Aid” to remain uncritical or unreasonable.

In regards to drafting linebackers, the Lions have either whiffed mightily (Alex Lewis, Barrett Green, “Dirty” Davis, Chris Claiborne, Teddy “China Doll” Lehman, Boss “Don’t Call Me Champ, Chump!” Bailey, and potentially Jordan Dizon), passed upon a golden opportunities (Jonathan Vilma, LaMarr Woodley, David Harris) or been damned by their own past misfortune (Jerod Mayo, Patrick Willis, Derrick Johnson) when attempting to fill out this veritable wasteland of a personnel group (see Lenon, Paris).

The upcoming draft is comparatively rich at the linebacker position, so I could even live with the Lions selecting 2 out of the 4-5 linebackers who are mentioned as being picked in the top 20 of April’s draft.

Please visit these sites and comment upon the hard work and passion these guys have put forward.

Matthew Stafford’s Politicking, Shouldn’t He Be Careful What He Wishes For?

QB Matthew Stafford is apparently becoming rather deft in the fine art in politicking to become first overall pick in the upcoming draft.

According to the Detroit Free Press, Stafford has been questioned directly about whether he would welcome being the first overall pick, which as we all know, means he would be selected by a certain 0-16 team whose fan base breaks out in hives, among other maladies, at the mere mention of the Lions selecting a QB, ever!

At any rate, Stafford’s response, after kissing several babies, pulling several stranded and hungry cats down from off of their perch atop some incredibly tall trees, and quite likely, smiling broadly was:

I think in the end that’s a heck of an honor, and that’s something I’d definitely love to be able to associate that with my name and maybe (stress these words!!!!)turn that franchise around.”

Matthew Stafford, you are following the advice of your agent to a tee. You could only have bolstered your chances of being selected first overall more completely if you has also offered to help resurrect the “Big 3″ automakers or stated that you had passed an advanced course in the fine art of “bootlicking”, from the very same school that Matt Millen has earned emeritus honors from.

Here is one caveat for you to consider though, Matthew. Detroit is a QB graveyard. If you are drafted by any organization other than the Lions, you will likely be a successful, Pro Bowl QB and enjoy a long and successful career, ala John Elway, or the at the very least Drew Bledsoe.

If Detroit selects you in the draft, you will face a contemptuous, mean-spirited fan base week in an week out, who is perennially looking for a convenient scapegoat to be the recipient of their pent-up anger, namely you.

The Lions precedent for drafting and developing successful NFL QB’s is nearly non-existent. You will have had predecessors like Chuck Long, Andre Ware, and Joey Harrington and with one bad performance, your name will be sullied in the very same breath as these doomed-from-the-start-would-be “franchise saviors”.

You will constantly be running for your life during games, as your blockers serve as whiffing turnstiles for opposing defenders. You will be subjected to a overwhelming number of new head coaches, along with dizzying array of fresh-faced coordinators who will be unveiling shiny, fresh and new schemes to go along with the new, “new and improved” Lions.

Cutting through all of this warning, that is admittedly daunting, you have to got to be beginning to see reality, if you don’t have an ample grip already? Matthew Stafford, you should be very, very, very, very careful what you wish for….

2/4/08 Update, or the Day After the Music Died: The venerable Mike O’Hara has provided his own informed and interesting take on Stafford, without the neurotic kvetching and hand-wringing that is normally associated with the Lions drafting a QB.

2009 Mock Draft, Disdain For Matt Milen, “Bubbles”, James “Shack” Harris Next Lions Front Office Exec?

I recently tendered the first overall pick in a blogger mock draft being coordinated by Next Season Sports , a Seattle sports blog.

To my dismay, I should have done a little more pre-selection research. Most of the pre-draft publications that I had come across projected DE Michael Johnson as a potential top 5 pick, and among the top seniors in the upcoming draft.

After submitting my entry, I have found that most experts project Johnson to be selected much lower than where I have him picked. A good performance at both the draft combine and pro day workouts could generate a rapid ascension up the draft boards for Johnson, despite his admittedly limited collegiate production.

It is inarguable that Johnson possesses freakish athletic ability and could be the second coming of another former highly-projected player whose draft stock took a precipitous fall several seasons ago, Giants DE/LB Matthias Kiwanuka.

I do honestly believe that the Lions need to look a difference-making defender, if they decide that Jeff Backus is a decent and dependable enough blocker that they should not select a left offensive tackle in April.

The Detroit Free Press provided a few nuggets this weekend that deserve commenting upon.

Drew Sharp hilariously skewers the deserving Lions organization with his commentary upon the recent intimations by the Lions that they may make some uniform changes in the next year or two.

Sharp states in reference to the Lions helmet logo, affectionately referred to as “Bubbles”, “It was a perfect match. The feline silhouette on the helmet reminds me of my cocker spaniel excitedly jumping onto the sofa because somebody’s got a treat for him. That’s not exactly an image that inspires ferocity.”

He goes on to further state that several franchises have enjoyed substantial success after making uniform changes.

The Lions organizational transformation may eventually be aided by an uniform change, but ultimately, that would seem very low on the pecking order of things that need to change, in my opinion. Matt Millen’s unveiling of the dreaded, black jersey alternates was definitely in lockstep with all of his other numerous failings atop the Lions organization, and did little to reverse the organization’s fortunes in the interim.

Lions fans are a sentimental lot. I have never understood why the Lions didn’t (at least) integrate some of the elements of their past jersey, which they currently wear as a “throwback”.

The relatively simple and unadorned look of the traditional Lions uniform, with a plain silver helmet, seems more fitting of the Lions fan base, who also long for a more roughly hewn midwestern-style of football than the Lions have offered for years now.

Speaking of Matt Millen, he took a couple of direct body blows of searing criticism this weekend from widely divergent locales, even as he re-emerged phoenix-like to renew his career as a NFL analyst upon it’s grandest stage, the Super Bowl.

Former Lions executive, Ron Hughes, who was fired upon the hiring of Millen and now serves as a scout for the Steelers, probably says it best when he told a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter “Does anybody have anything good to say about Matt (Millen) and what he did?”

Continuing to pile it on, Detroit’s channel 4 ran a crawl line, whenever Millen was on-screen, which served as an all too appropriate disclaimer:

“Matt Millen was president of the Detroit Lions for the worst eight-year run in the history of the NFL. Knowing his history with the team, is there a credibility issue as he now serves as an analyst for NBC sports?”

Millen is undeserving of any sort of closet apologists coming to his defense. He sucked as an executive, and the first time he boldly criticizes any NFL-affiliated enterprise, be it owner, coach, player, hell, even hot dog vendor, he should be rapidly and summarily reprimanded. He has no credibility remaining, despite his well-documented microphone skills.

Potentially, entering the Lions front office fray, is James “Shack” Harris, who has previously ascended atop the Jacksonville Jaguars organization and rapidly fell from grace as the team underachieved this season.

Harris’ experience and relative success, this is the Lions after all, should make him somewhat of a welcome addition. That being said, given the way that NFL executives ordinarily operate, I expect that a union of Harris, Lewand and Mayhew will exist peacefully for a season or two, before one or the other makes a power play, or inauspiciously worms/grovels his way into the Ford’s good graces, deposing his competitors. Sounds like fun, eh?