Detroit Lions Weblog

The Lions Linebacker Situation

Ty from Lions in Winter, a fellow traveler in the hoisting of the Lions millstone around our necks, is as energetic and informed as any blogger currently devoting their attention to the Lions.

The Lions Are a Weighty Beast of Burden. Is It Bad Form to Use One Cliche In the Service of Another?

Recently, Ty had the good fortune of increasing his exposure by contributing to MLive.com’s “Highlight Reel” blog. After the envy subsided, I read Ty’s compelling argument for the Lions need to utilize one of their few personnel groups (their only one?) that could be remotely construed as an area of strength as a bargaining chip.

This move would comprise of one of the personnel executive’s most common gambits for deal-making. By utilizing an area of strength in a deal, in order to strengthen another personnel group, hypothetically, sacrificing little (hopefully) of the level of performance in the stronger personnel group in the process, the team improves holistically.

Ty does a very good job explaining that Martin Mayhew exhibited a light-on-his-feet ability to negotiate the treacherous waves of the most difficult and under-utilized modes of altering a team’s roster (in the NFL at least), making trades. Ty rightfully commends Mayhew’s ability to trade Roy Williams, and even more improbably turn a player with limited value to the Lions, Cory Redding, to one of value, Julian Peterson (ironically, a player who added to the relative strength of the Lions linebacking corps). He Posits:

Is there another Cory Redding on this roster?

The easy answer is “Yes, Julian Peterson.” Why? He’s now an expensive asset at a position of sudden surplus. With the emergence of DeAndre Levy, the Lions have four “starting” linebackers for their base 4-3 defense. Peterson played well in several games, but was far from a consistent impact performer; he didn’t approach justifying his lofty salary.

However, Julian Peterson is the exact type of player that Schwartz and Mayhew want at OLB: a big, strong, fast outside linebacker, who can generate pass rush off the blitz. If the Lions could wave a magic wand, they’d have a young JP man both OLB positions. No, Peterson still has value in this defense; the trade bait has to be someone else: an undersized, overpaid, underperforming defender with no clear role.

Ernie Sims.

Sims was locked in constant battle with Levy for starting reps and playing time, and has been maddeningly inconsistent throughout his four-year career. He’ll flash breathtaking quickness and incredible hitting ability one week, and a total inability to hit the correct hole or tackle well the next. That reckless, undisciplined play is bad enough when it comes from an otherwise excellent defender – but when it comes from Sims, it’s inexcusable. All that freelancing has generated only 2.5 sacks, 5 passes defensed, and 1 INT in his entire career.

So, if Sims is the bait on the hook, who’s the prey?

This is where I deviate. I think, assuming that Larry Foote (more on that later…) re-signs, that the Lions should do absolutely nothing to diminish DeAndre Levy’s versatility. By committing to Levy as the weakside LB, I believe that the Lions will limit Levy’s ability, using Jim Schwartz’s term, to be a multi-dimensional player.

Levy gives the Lions a player who can play nickel MLB, serve as a starting weakside LB, and gives them someone who seems surpemely adaptable, a rare commodity. By trading Sims, the Lions would be calling upon either Jordan Dizon or Zack Follett, collectively known as the “Pain Train” to step forward and assume a much larger role, which may actually be beyond their capabilities at this point.

The Lions would also hinder their ability to utilize the occasional 3-4 defensive alignment, even though Follett began to earn playing time in those situations, later in the ‘09 season.

Ernie Sims Ponders a Fickle Lions Fan Base?

Ernie Sims Game Log
Week Solo Ast Total
1 4 1 5
2 4 5 9
weeks 3-5 DNP
6 1 0 1
7 Bye
8 3 4 7
9 2 1 3
weeks 10-13 DNP
14 4 0 4
15 6 2 8
16 4 1 5
17 4 3 7

Sims’ ‘09 performance was less than inspiring, that goes without debate. He was injured throughout the season, and is not entirely a natural fit in the Lions current defensive scheme. Sims is inarguably better suited for the Tampa-2 defensive scheme, which is becoming an endangered species among NFL defenses.

That being said, Sims did have several games where he approached 10 tackles and still can be a relentless, nettlesome presence to opposing offense’s.

Ultimately, I believe that it will be difficult for the Lions to obtain anything other than a low-ball offer for Sims, since he is undersized, and considering last season’s injuries, could become an increasingly injury-prone player. The Lions would not be able to maximize his value at this point. Moving Sims would be akin to re-arranging deck chairs on the Titanic.

Denizens of Lions Nation Are Not Surprised to See Another Matt Millen Draft Pick De-Value Exponentially

Meanwhile, having “four starting linebackers”, two of whom are veterans operating on borrowed time, would allow the Lions the luxury of a valuable replacement in the unfortunate event that one of their starters succumbs to injury.

With Larry Foote angrily declaring that the Lions lethargy in providing him with a new deal will force him to consider testing the free agent market, the Lions vaunted “surplus” at the linebacker position could be vanishing before our very eyes.

But now it’s looking like the two parties may be going their separate ways after 2009, which saw the 29-year-old Foote register 99 tackles – the second-highest season total in his career.

Feb. 4, The Detroit News: “We’re just going to free agency and see from there,” said Foote, citing unproductive talks between his agent, Brian Levy, and Lions general manager Martin Mayhew.
“I mean, obviously, I’m not a big priority for them. So that’s just how I’m taking it.”

Foote Believes That the More Linebackers the Lions Have the Merrier

But Foote, who, including signing bonus, earned $1.5 million in 2009, said he isn’t looking for a huge increase in pay; the main thing he wants is a multiyear deal.

Whether or not Foote re-signs with the Lions will depend mostly on what he can earn in free agency, and what the Lions coaching staff thinks the Detroit native’s role would be, especially considering defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham’s explicit desire to see Levy manning the middle linebacker spot.

Foote doesn’t necessarily agree that it’s either he or Levy in the middle.

“I mean, I don’t look at it like that. Me and Levy played all year together, practically,” Foote said, noting Levy started eight games at outside linebacker. “You want to stack up enough good linebackers as you can.“

Truer words have never been spoken, Larry. The fiery, pernicicious leadership that Foote posesses, along with his solid performance, all strike me as good reasons for the Lions to extend Foote.

The Lions don’t have the luxury of being able to take risks with their incredibly awful defense. Determining how they can improve their defense, with additional components, not by weakening a vulnerable position group, strikes me as the best plan of attack.