Detroit Lions Weblog

Lions Edge Toward Draft Day, Secondary Remains in Flux, Rob Sims, and Casey FitzSimmons

The Lions are rapidly approaching this week’s draft with a number of remaining personnel needs to address. That being said, with the recent acquisitions of DB Dante Wesley and G Rob Sims, they continue to put themselves closer to being in a postion where all of their draft day decisions will be talent-based, as opposed to being beholden to their personnel needs.

Massive Rob Sims Should Immediately Solidify the Interior of the Lions Offensive Line

The Lions secondary remains a considerable work in progress, unfortunately. Even with the additions of DB’s Dante Wesley, Chris Houston, and Jonathan Wade, aside from Louis Delmas, and a potentially healthy return to productivity by Daniel Bullocks, the Lions have few resources to draw upon to bolster one of the all-time worst pass defense’s in NFL history.

The recent releases of DB’s Kevin Hobbs, Brian Witherspoon, and Kalvin Pearson does little to clarify their secondary issues, except to make it abundantly clear that they most definitely will be addressing that personnel group in the upcoming draft, without question.

Someone, Please Tell Me That My Unabiding ManCrush For Suh is Healthy and Prurient?

With the increasing likelihood that the Lions defensive line will continue to be upgraded by their selection of either Ndamukong Suh or Gerald McCoy at about 7:50 P.M. Thursday April 22nd, does the Lions secondary pose as imminent of a concern? Would Suh/McCoys’s addition help protect the transparently obvious shortcomings in the Lions secondary?

Even if its unmitigated dorkiness is unquestioned, this ESPN Sports Science Feature on Ndamukong Suh is fantastic!

The recent trade for G Rob Sims was a major coup for Martin Mayhew. Even with Sims’ addition, the Lions need to continue to look towards adding a value draft pick for their offensive line, given the shortcomings of Gosder Cherilus and the team’s clear need for quality depth in that position group, anyhow.

I envision the Lions power running attack will become much better now that Sims has arrived, which if successful, will allow the Lions play action/vertical passing game to fullly blossom behind Matthew Stafford’s arm.

FitzSimmons Always Played With Guts and Effort

This week, one of my favorite Lions, Casey FitzSimmons, retired due to concussion-related symptoms. FitzSimmons, whose improbable rise from 7-on-7 high school football in Montana, then small college football, and finally to playing professional football was a source of inspiration. FitzSimmons had a workmanlike, reasonably productive, if too brief career as a Lion.

FitzSimmons in the Detroit Free Press:I think the worst part about this whole deal is that I can’t see the ship right — for the Ford family, for the people of Detroit, for every Lions fan across America,” the former tight end said today over the phone from his home in Montana. “I can’t be a part of this turnaround that I think is right around the corner.

“I think that’s what hurts the most having to make this decision, knowing damn well that my body — legs, arms, everything — can still play at a high level. It’s just one hit to the head, and it could be a whole different ballgame.”

Casey, I wish I could say that I completely understand your anguish, but I believe that most NFL fans can commiserate with a stalwart, blue collar performer walking quietly off into the sunset. Good luck with all of your future endeavors, Casey!