Detroit Lions Weblog

Lions Sign Massive G Fonoti, Visit with CB Hood, Release G Coston and WR Franklin, On Being Kevin Smith

Amid the OTA’s, the Lions have been a little quiet. Not to say that things have been static, but since the signing of Larry Foote, there has been little of consequence to occur.

The Lions did sign gigantic G Tonio Fonoti, who has been regarded as a titanic underachiever during his NFL career. With the Lions lack of depth at guard, Fonoti could eventually find his way onto the Lions roster.

The Lions are also scheduled to visit with CB Roderick Hood today. Hood would be a solid addition. The Lions, as most teams, can never possess enough depth in the secondary. If you look at the depth of the ‘08 Titans secondary, that level of depth, even if it would be of a lower quality, would seem to be an aspiration for the Lions, too.

It is too early to say whether Philip Buchanon, Anthony Henry, Eric King, and potentially Hood, will struggle as badly as Travis Fisher, Brian Kelly and company did last season, or if they may provide a tangible upgrade.

The Lions released G Junious Coston and WR Will Franklin, too. Franklin was someone who I was hopeful could emerge as a longshot contributor, but with the signing of Ronald Curry, and the draft selection of Derrick Williams, Franklin became expendable.

RB Kevin Smith seems to possess a similar gift for providing outspoken comments as former Lions WR Roy Williams, without being awash with humor, like Williams’ comments often were.

I like Smith’s brash, tough-mindedness in the face of rumors that the new Lions coaching staff perceives him to be a poor fit in their new offense and the rumors that they nearly replaced him with “Beanie” Wells during the draft:

“You’ve got to understand,” Smith said. “This man’s(Culpepper) a professional. He knows what he’s doing. Every year there’s going to be a guy that comes in. This is a competitive league. We signed (running back Maurice) Morris, we have Aveion Cason. There’s no one guy at one position. You go out there, you battle all for one common goal: to win.

“He’s a professional. He does this. Everyone welcomed Stafford aboard, and let’s win games. How ’bout that? Forget Daunte versus Stafford. Let’s get to the playoffs.”

Smith’s willingness to stick his neck out, along with his tough running remind me of Kevin Jones, who was equally outspoken, and James Stewart, who was a much more soft-spoken but underappreciated runner.

Smith’s bravado continued on his website:

“I won’t make a prediction about how many games we’re going to win, but I will say this: We will definitely make the playoffs this season. Believe it or not we weren’t far off last year.”

I hope that the Lions don’t buff the luster off of Smith’s rookie campaign, by allowing him to fall out of favor without the opportunity to succeed within the new offense. A season of Maurice Morris and Aveion Cason, with a disgruntled and benched Smith, would be exceedingly painful.

By the way, here is Yahoo writer Jason Cole’s take on the remaining available free agents:

Offense

QB: Brett Favre – America’s favorite vagabond passer continues his mid-life crisis. Other options: Rex Grossman(notes) and J.P. Losman(notes).
RB: Edgerrin James – His once-great burst is gone, but he’s still workmanlike. Other options: Warrick Dunn(notes), Deuce McAllister(notes) and Rudi Johnson(notes).
FB: Cecil Sapp(notes) – Better athlete than most fullbacks, but still nothing special.
TE: Ben Troupe(notes) – Best from a mediocre offering. Other options: Mark Campbell(notes) and Dan Campbell(notes).
No. 1 WR: Plaxico Burress – Legal issues are holding him up, but he’ll play.
No. 2 WR: Amani Toomer(notes) – Only 16 months ago, Toomer and Burress helped win a Super Bowl. Other options: Marvin Harrison(notes), Drew Bennett(notes) and Joe Jurevicius(notes).
LT: Levi Jones(notes) – Injuries curtailed a nice career, but he’s still only 29.
LG: Mark Tauscher(notes) – He’s a tackle, but could easily switch inside.
C: Jeremy Newberry(notes) – His knees are bad, but they have been forever.
RG: Pete Kendall(notes) – Smart, tough, but a lot of mileage.
RT: Jon Runyan – Biggest if of an iffy group. His knee still isn’t healthy. Other O-line options: Fred Miller(notes), Jonas Jennings(notes), Wayne Gandy(notes), Melvin Fowler(notes) and Jason Whittle(notes).

Defense

DE: Kalimba Edwards(notes) – He’s 29 and banged up, but still has some pass-rush skill.
DE: Ebenezer Ekuban(notes) – Pretty nice pass rusher still out there on the market.
DT: Kevin Carter(notes) – Amazing longevity, productivity and versatility.
DT: Ellis Wyms(notes) – Has his limitations, but is a very tough player.Other D-line options: Dewayne Robertson(notes), John Engelberger(notes) and La’Roi Glover(notes).
LB: Morlon Greenwood(notes) – At 30, he’s one of the youngest starters.
LB: Pisa Tinoisamoa(notes) – A tackle machine, but he better play in a two-gap system.
LB: Derrick Brooks – Still can bring great leadership to a young defense. Other options: Napoleon Harris(notes), Paris Lenon(notes), Antwan Peek(notes) and Nate Webster(notes).
CB: Chris McAlister(notes) – Coming off injury and has lost speed, but still very physical.
CB: Ty Law(notes) – Perennial late-signee can still make a couple of plays if the offense isn’t careful. Other options: Jason Craft(notes), Dre Bly, Deltha O’Neal(notes) and Roderick Hood(notes).
SS: Lawyer Milloy(notes) – Years of physical play have taken their toll, but he’s really smart.
FS: Dexter Jackson – Has lost a step, but who on this team hasn’t? Other safety options: Mike Brown(notes), Michael Boulware(notes), Kevin Kaesviharn(notes) and Will Demps(notes).

It seems likely that the Lions will still be looking for help along the offensive and defensive lines and also are likely considering adding another veteran Qb, too.

Give ‘Em an Inch, They Take a Foote

I promise that this is the last time I will PUNish you, Larry Foote. Especially, since you are now a member of the Lions.

Foote, a seven year NFL veteran, has been a starter in Pittsburgh for the last five seasons. I had previously believed that he was more of a role player/part-time player and in a way, he was. Foote was often replaced in passing/nickel coverage situations.

Foote did log 102 tackles in 2005, but has since seen a steady decline in performance, with a career low 63 tackles last season.

Decline in performance aside, Foote meets an immediate personnel need and makes the sting of the Lions ‘09 draft burn a lot less painfully. Foote brings, at least in part, the modus operandi of the Steelers organization to one of the losing-est franchises in the history of all professional sports, which is certainly a welcome and much-needed presence.

“In Pittsburgh, we weren’t the most talented team, I don’t think. But together, we loved to fight and we’d fight on the field or off the field. That’s the way we were, we were competitive and that’s why we won. Hopefully, (the Lions front office) can bring enough (or already have! Steve) guys with mentality and we can turn this thing around.”

I hope that Foote brings an incorrigible and irascible presence to the complacent and staid Lions locker room. I hope that he is an annoying, uncompromising figure and generally a mean and badassed MF’er.

The bearing of your typical Steelers linebacker is not to back down from anyone, at anytime. He needs to bring that level of menace to the Lions.

“I’m a talker, they’re going to notice that early,” Foote Said. “It’s my work ethic, I’m up every morning, hours before first meeting and always working out. You lead by actions…”

He should be, he is currently playing on a one-year contract, which he could parlay into a big time deal, should he perform well and have a significant impact on the Lions.

The rest will come out in the wash.

The Steelers Release Ex-UM Linebacker, Will the Lions Foote the Bill?

For a week or so, along with some earlier speculation that occured several months ago, there has been a great deal of intrigue surrounding the future of LB Larry Foote, who has finally been released by the Pittsburgh Steelers today.

Foote, clearly not concerned about his bargaining power, has indicated that he would like to return to his hometown, Detroit, and eventually play for his hometown team.

Foote has spent his whole career in Pittsburgh, mostly as a backup, within the Steelers 3-4, zone blitz-heavy pressure scheme.

The mystery remains, what level of interest do the Lions possess in Foote? Would he fit as a middle linebacker in the Schwartzingham scheme? Is he only a two-down linebacker, or can he assume the responsibility of playing on all three downs, like he believes that he can.

The Lions really can ill-afford to bypass Foote. They have several candidates to man the position, but a player of Foote’s experience, and relative youth, coupled with his desire to return to Detroit, all seem to good to be true, at least for Lions fans.

TE Gaines, CB Fisher Released, Rookie Minicamp

The Lions, like all NFL teams do, have engaged in a little bit of post-draft roster shaving this week, in order to free up some valuable salary cap space. The recipients of this personnel “straight blade” from the Lions were CB Travis Fisher and TE Michael Gaines.

Each player retains some value, so they will likely experience little difficulty in finding future work. In fact, CB Travis Fisher remains a strong candidate to return to the Lions roster at some point, at a lesser charge, especially if injuries befall them in the secondary, which will inevitably occur as the ‘09 season approaches.

Gaines was a bit of a disappointment for the Lions last season, but he would still remain a viable candidate for many teams as a backup TE, who could fill in for a starter in a pinch. In the end, Gaines’ performance is not worthy of a starting player’s pay, but when the Lions pursued him, their options were seriously limited. Upon the selection of Brandon Pettigrew, it became a team priority to clear the decks for Pettigrew’s future playing time.

The Lions have been amid their rookie minicamp this week, and there was an expected throng of paparazzi gathered to document QB Matthew Stafford’s every move. They provided attention befitting the coverage of a first overall draft pick, who had just received an astronomical payday the week prior.

There are other interesting stories in the Lions minicamp to be sure. Thankfully, the story does not entail the collapse of their training facility, but there are several intriguing rookies whose performance bears watching.

Walled Lake’s small college QB Justin Goltz will be a sentimental favorite, even if, at best, he’s the proverbial “training camp arm, as opposed to a viable candidate to make the team’s 53-man roster.

The Lions, whose well-documented defensive needs have resulted in a lot of pre- and post-draft consternation among Lions fans, have two players in minicamp who may be able to help immediately in massive DT Sammie Lee Hill and LB DeAndre Levy. The development of each player will go along ways towards restoring credibility to the Lions scouting and personnel evaluation process, which was completely destroyed during Matt Millen’s tenure.

The Lions have also brought in a couple intriguing undrafted free agents who will draw some attention in WR D.J. Boldin (Anquan’s younger brother) and former Michigan State S Otis Wiley.

All in all, the development of Stafford, Louis Delmas, and TE Brandon Pettigrew will draw the widest attention. The report that Lions Hall of Famer Charlie Sanders has already spoken with the 1st-rounder Pettigrew, is of inestimable value, in my opinion.