Detroit Lions Weblog

Vanden Bosch Likes Fellow ‘Husker Suh, Matt Bowen Acknowledges the Solid Job Done By the Lions Front Office

With a trade for DT Corey Williams already on the ledger, plus another in the works for CB Chris Houston, along with the free agent addition of Kyle Vanden Bosch, the Lions clearly have been working very hard to improve their defense, even if they are losing defensive contributors from last season like MLB Larry Foote and CB Phillip Buchanon.

Martin Mayhew continues to give proof that he possesses an imeasurably higher acumen for executing the “art of the deal” than Matt Millen ever possessed while running the organization. It makes you wonder if opposing front offices made sport of abusing the clearly overmatched and out-of-his-element, Matt Millen. The results would seem to indicate as much.

No Lions Player is More Emblematic of the Failed Millen Era Than Big Baby

The National Football Post’s Matt Bowen, a former NFL player, wondered if the Lions made the best decisions in acquiring players upon the opening of free agency, even with the big splash made by the Chicago Bears after signing DE Julius Peppers:

But it’s hard not to ignore what the Lions did.

Because on the opening weekend of free agency, when there wasn’t as much buzz and action due to the uncapped 2010 season, Jim Schwartz and Detroit made some solid moves.

And that’s what free agency is about — improving your roster.

and later:

The NFP’s Michael Lombardi talks about it all the time, as the best teams in the league are built from their offensive and defensive fronts.

Now, we can’t start throwing parades in downtown Detroit after one day of free agency, but if you’re keeping score and looking at teams that made some plays in the market, you have to acknowledge what Schwartz did with the Lions.

They improved their roster yesterday, and for a coach like Schwartz, the first step to winning is creating a winning depth chart — and upgrading in key spots.

It is nice to see that observers are taking notice that an organization with a 2-30 record in it’s last two seasons appears to at least have a plan and a direction, as opposed to the bumbling that has ruled the day during the last ten or so years, which has marked their extended run of futility.

Chris Spielman Must Respect the Efforts of Martin Mayhew to Rebuild the Lions Defense

Pro Football Weekly’s Eric Edholm believes that the Lions have made some head way in rebuilding their defense, or at least are taking steps in the right direction:

In the course of 24 hours, the Lions made two moves to help bolster their defense, starting with the front four. First, they traded for Browns DT Corey Williams (reportedly for a mid- to late-round draft choice), a player who was stout in a 4-3 system in Green Bay but struggled to fit in Cleveland’s 3-4 scheme, and later signed DE Kyle Vanden Bosch.

First, the moves improve the personnel and depth up front. And they could ease the transition for a potential top pick at defensive tackle — either Ndamukong Suh or Gerald McCoy — with better bodies around him. It should be noted, though, that the team has sought to trade this No. 2 pick and add draft choices, and the team’s spending spree lends some credence to that plan. Vanden Bosch will be paid $10 million in the first year, and salary cap or not, that’s a lot of money. Their top pick could demand guaranteed money in the $35 million range.

I am not much of a fan of trading down, since the impact of Ndamukong Suh, Gerald McCoy, or even Russell Okung remains so lustfully tantalizing. The argument is, that the Lions could add two or more players who could also provide an immediate impact, in a draft that is incredibly rich in defensive line talent, at a significantly lower price.

I am going to go against the objective, stats and performance-based approach, which is supposed to a be a more sustainable and less sentimental model for success, and go on record that given the film I have seen (I know, I am not a pro scout!) that the Lions would be foolish to pass on either Suh or McCoy, or whomever is available to them at pick#2(Funny thing is, Suh’s stats are better, too).

The Detroit News’ John Niyo agrees:

If the Lions really want to make this investment in Kyle Vanden Bosch pay off, they need to go help the guy they brought in to help.

And that means investing millions more — tens of millions, actually — in the foundation of their defense by drafting Nebraska’s Ndamukong Suh with the No. 2 overall pick in April’s draft.

There’ll be plenty of talk for the next six weeks about the Lions’ myriad options at the top of the draft. Trading down remains a possibility, though it’s still a longer shot than most fans seem to acknowledge. They could select a left tackle in Russell Okung, or a playmaking safety like Eric Berry.

But I don’t think the signing of Vanden Bosch or, more important, the trade for defensive tackle Corey Williams, change much, if anything. Not after hearing snippets of Jim Schwartz’s free-agent sales pitch.

“Coach Schwartz said we were going to build the defensive line,” Vanden Bosch said. “A point of emphasis was bringing guys back from last year, adding pieces, but being a dominant defensive line.

“You can do a lot of things with a good front four. You can be a good run defense, you can be a good pass defense, just because you can get pressure or get sacks. And a lot of it is a good guy in the middle. Not necessarily a big guy to eat up blocks, but a guy who’s dynamic, a guy who’s a playmaker, a guy who can get in the backfield and just disrupt things.”

Suh Pities the Fools Who Pass on Drafting Him in April

Even new Lions and fellow former Nebraska Cornhusker DE Kyle Vanden Bosch, got in on the act and provided his perceptions of the considerable potential of DT Ndamukong Suh:

“I saw him in the spring game two years ago and then any chance I got this year to watch him,” Vanden Bosch said. “I’m not a scout. … But for a young kid, he uses his hands maybe better than any college kid I’ve ever seen. He just instantly locks out guys that are 350 pounds and he sheds ‘em. And he’s got a good feel. He’s just a football player, you know? He’s a physical specimen. But he’s a football player. He makes plays, he sheds and escapes and he’s always around the ball.”

Vanden Bosch has made his his living playing alongside another talented DT, Albert Haynesworth, whom Suh closely resembles in style of play. Upon the trade of “Big Baby” Shaun Rogers, a void was created, that could be ably filled in April, along with a better defense to match.