Detroit Lions Weblog

Things Getting Chippy In Camp, Roy Williams, Josh McCown?

Apparently, the approaching season has raised the hackles of several players and coaches. G Manny Ramirez, a borderline roster candidate, was unceremoniously bounced from the team’s practice yesterday by Defensive Coordinator Mike Barry. Today, the offense and defense got a little contentious during a scrimmage. First, S Dwight Smith called out an offensive teammate with some colorfully vociferous language. Then later on, Buster Davis whacked one player a little late, and a few plays later, whacked another receiver late, which drew Jon Kitna’s ire. Apparently, hard-assed Kitna needed to be restrained by the coaching staff.

I’d like to be the first to state, with the utmost certainty, that I really like it. As long as none of the players injure each other, and no one makes a bonehead play as a result of losing their cool, I think the time has come (it’s long overdue) for the Lions to develop a bit of an edge. They have been the league’s whipping-boy for the better part of the last decade, and they had better want to rip someone’s throat out, in a controlled manner, of course!

The Lions will have had a long time between last Thursday and this upcoming Sunday’s pre-season matchup with Cincinnati, it only makes sense as the pressure mounts to retain a roster spot and carve out an active role in the playing group, that tempers might flare up. The Lions are ready to level their blows at an opponent, and hitting teammates does not provide the same level of satisfaction.

Will Roy Williams be able to remain happy and satisfied with his diminishing role, given that he is entering a contract season, as the emerging supernova that is Calvin Johnson takes precedent within the Lions offense? Roy Williams is a crucial factor to the Lions success. Drew Sharp wrote an excellent article today about the very real possibility, that the Lions and Williams will be parting after the ‘08 season. Personally, given the added focus upon the ground game, the Lions aren’t going to have enough balls to keep both Williams and Johnson happy in the passing game, in my opinion. I also believed that the Lions should have extracted maximum value for him, prior to the ‘08 draft, too.

The Dolphins have made it abundantly clear that they will not be keeping four QB’s. Should Josh McCown become available, will the Lions give him a look as a backup, given his familiarity with the coaching staff and his experience having played with several members of the current Lions roster? It seems to be prudent to me.  Exchanging a 6th or 7th round draft pick for McCown would be a far safer decision than counting on Drew “Mikey” Stanton and Dan Orlovsky in the event that Jon Kitna suffer an injury, in my opinion.

The Lions Cloudy Wide Receiver/Running Back Situation

MLive.com’s “Killer” Kowalski has begun to speculate how exactly the Lions plan to fill out their skill player roster groups when they pare down to the 53 man roster entering the season. Kowalski suggests that the Lions may choose to keep just their four primary receivers, in order to keep either Aveion Cason, Brian Calhoun, or Artose Pinner as kick returners.

The Lions special teams were far from spectacular last season, and none of these players strike me as the kind of game-changing, productive, positive field position type of players that are necessary for NFL success. A Devin Hester, or to refer to ghosts of Lions past, Mel Gray, Glyn Milburn, or even a Desmond Howard is nary to be found among these players.

That being said, if the Lions stick with their four primary receivers (Calvin Johnson, Roy Williams, Shaun McDonald, and Mike Furrey) it does buy them some crucial developmental time for Kevin Smith, and allows them to sort out their running back situation more completely. The Lions could utilize RB’s Aveion Cason, Brian Calhoun, Tatum Bell, or even TE Casey FitzSimmons in the slot, when the situation dictates, if necessary.

I am eminently more concerned, if they are going to stick with their stated focus upon a solid running attack, that they are able to sort out the roles of each of their backs, and find a way to utilize them to their fullest. The combo of Bell, and hopefully, Smith should give the Lions the kind of rushing attack that they need. More importantly, especially on third downs, short-yardage, and goal-line situations, the Lions need to determine who provides them with their best opportunity to upgrade all of these crucial areas where they have so noticeably failed during previous seasons.

Aside from the pass rush, offensive line, backup QB and secondary, this situation bears watching, because it will be heated right to the finish line, in my opinion.

Lions Pre-Season Game 1, Lions Visit With C LeCharles Bentley

The Lions visited with free agent C LeCharles Bentley, who was a premier center a few seasons ago, before a severe knee injury and a few bouts of staph infection (a strangely common occurrence in Cleveland) have derailed his one promising career. The Lions would like to find a backup for Dom Raiola, and I believe that a meeting with Bentley may ultimately be a statement about there concerns at guard, too. Any player that the Lions add at center for depth, would also likely have to be willing to shift to other positions along the offensive line, too. With that in mind, a healthy Bentley would likely represent a solidifying, if not pernicious force, if he were able to regain even a small measure of his previous form. The Lions indicate that they are not going to sign Bentley, but that obviously could change quickly.

Until I have seen a stronger pass rush and a more productive running attack, I remain concerned about this team’s long-range potential. With that in mind, the first pre-season game did yield some positive signs, though.

I was impressed with the Lions discipline and toughness during their first exhibition game. They exhibited toughness and refrained from too many penalties. However, Gosder Cherilus, and more significantly coming from a veteran, George Foster each committed costly penalties. If Foster commits any more pre-season false starts, judging by the look on Rod Marinelli’s face during the game, it will likely be his last in Detroit.

The combo of Roy Williams and Calvin Johnson looked spectacular. In particular, Johnson’s brief appearance conjured a wanting lasciviousness within me usually reserved for an unfettered, Sunday morning mexican food buffet after a long, hard Saturday night of partying(I bet you thought I was going to drift into a more unseemly direction with this analogy!). Johnson easily  looks as good as advertised, and Abu Mara may actually say it best when he states that trying to find a weakness in Johnson’s game is like “picking lint off of an Armani suit”. The Johnson, Williams, McDonald/Furrey tandem will likely be the most productive since the days of Herman Moore, Brett Perriman, et al.

Apparently, one Novi fan, is concerned though. During a Lions open practice recently, a Novi fan was verbally upbraiding Roy Williams mercilessly for his lack of hustle and for routinely taking plays off. He was quickly ejected. This fan does bring up a good point. Williams has exhibited world class athleticism, and a big time mouth to match. What seems to be lacking, at least at crucial times, is Williams consistent focus and effort. Any future success the Lions will enjoy, is heavily dependent upon Williams fully realizing his high-ceiling talent. I don’t agree with the Novi fan’s methods, but I hope Williams, and the Lions organization take note, they are being held accountable, even if it’s from a vocal minority of fans.

I am anxious to see how the Lions will benefit from the additions of Shaun McDonald, Dan Campbell, Edwin Mulitalo and Daniel Bullocks to their playing group, and off the PUP list. The Lions roster is significantly improved with the addition of each player, and Bullocks has a lot of promise.

In the aftermath of the first pre-season game, the Lions jettisoned K Eddie Johnson and replaced him with journeymen  (is calling a kicker a journeymen, redundant?) Dave Rayner, a MSU alum. The Lions came to an injury settlement with once promising CB Stanley Wilson, Jr., who ruptured his achilles tendon. In the meantime, CB Kiwaukee Thomas returns to the roster. The Lions will likely keep either 5 safeties and 4 corners, or vice versa. Assuming that Leigh Bodden, Travis Fisher, Brian Kelly, and Keith Smith are the corners, S Kalvin Pearson helps in the slot in nickel and dime packages, that would likely leave Dwight Smith, Daniel Bullocks, Gerald Alexander and one more player left to fill out the personnel group. This will be a spirited battle, to be sure.

Thoughts on First Pre-Season Game, Takeo Spikes,

For at least a couple of days, I have celebrated the dismay and confusion that has engulfed Packer-land upon the trade of their immortal folk hero, Brett Favre. Selfishly, I hope that their misery is compounded with more Harrington-like performances by Aaron Rodgers as the season approaches. Am I wrong for deriving joy out of this “cheesehead” misery?

When the Favre trade was announced, I was cautiously hopeful that the Lions may acquire former Jets QB Chad Pennington to back up Jon Kitna. That was until Bill Parcells paid Pennington $11 million to assume the starting job in Miami. That is a little rich for most teams blood, considering that Pennington, as efficient as he can be, is a rag-armed immobile, and injury-prone version of his former self.

After Thursday’s pre-season performance, I am still left wondering, why aren’t the Lions in the market for a backup QB? I like Dan Orlovsky, but my perception of Drew Stanton, err I mean, Mike McMahon Jr., is that he is a VERY long way from being ready to play in the NFL. I was inspired by McMah-er I mean Stanton’s gutty performance at the end of the game, as he scrambled and dove for every inch of crucial yardage, against unfortunately, the Giants 3rd and 4th string defense. If Jon Kitna suffers even a mild injury, it would be an organizational disaster.

The Lions loss out on their pursuit of LB Takeo Spikes to the lowly 49ers.  Spikes presciently sized up the relative health of the two organizations and, let’s just say the Lions were the bridesmaid, again.  The Lions seem happy with the performance and growth of young linebackers Buster Davis and Jordan Dizon, so there may yet be a light at the end of the tunnel for them on the strong side.

Overall, the Lions pre-season performance was surprisingly solid.  Their mental errors were surprisingly limited, but I still was left with the feeling that they have no running attack and that their pass rush has a long ways to come before it is even an average NFL pass rushing attack.  I’ll give ‘em, a C+.

Lions Pre-Season Game Will Highlight Organizational Strengths/Weaknesses

The Lions will face the world champion New York Giants tomorrow evening, in what will be each teams first exhibition game of the 2008 season. The Lions starters will be in the game for about 10 snaps on each side of the ball, which is a relatively brief appearance.

Even with all of the absent injured players accounted for and the brevity of the starter’s appearance in the game, this game will be our first tangible sign of whether the draft picks and all of the off-season free acquisitions, er–I mean ex-Tampa Bay Buccaneers, can contribute to a higher quality of play for the Lions than the inauspicious downhill slope that ground the ‘07 season to a discouraging halt.

Some things to keep an eye out for:

1) Have the Lions found a remotely supplementary pass rush to DeWayne White among players like Cliff Avril, Ikaika “Hawaii 2.0″ Alama-Francis, and Jared DeVries?

2) Has a simpler offense, with more “bread-n-butter” plays aided the weak Lions offensive line enough to show that they have potentially gelled into a cohesive, nominally acceptable unit? Can they limit costly errors (George Foster?)

3) The running backs need to establish a pecking order, which ideally, shows signs of an emerging Kevin Smith along with credible role-playing by players like Tatum Bell, Aveion Cason, and Artose Pinner which will lead to a spirited battle for carries/roster spots.

4) The Lions back-up QB competition. We have heard A LOT about how the Lions would hold an open competition for playing time and that Jon Kitna was no shoo-in as a starter. Are there signs that Dan Orlovsky or Drew Stanton could respond if their number is called. Should Byron Leftwich and Daunte Culppepper wait anxiously next to their phones?

5) The Lions rookies. Matt Millen has an incredible knack of having his draft picks spontaneously combust. The Lions need for Gosder Cherilus, Jordan Dizon, Kevin Smith and company to provide some indication that this organization has chosen a sounder, more dependable direction with it’s personnel evaluation.

“China Doll” to the IR, When Will the Favre Nonsense Cease, Thursday

In one of the briefest tenures of any Lions player that I can recall, Teddy “China Doll” Lehman was placed under a special injured reserve designation that might allow to him to return to football yet this season, if I fully understand the reports that I have read. Buster Davis will likely have to shift to the outside/ strong side in the interim to help bolster the team’s weakness there. The Lions signed former USC safety and converted LB Darnell Bing to fill Lehman’s roster spot in the meantime.

Unless Brett Favre is the Lions QB entering the ‘08 season, I would like to announce that I will no longer continue to follow this sad, interminable drama as it carries on in Green Bay. Has any player in league history ever been so selfish, but remained so blindly adored by both fans and media?

I am very excited about Thursday’s pre-season game. The Lions have a lot more questions interspersed throughout their roster than they are likely to have answers, but the early reports on Calvin Johnson and Ernie Sims, among others are encouraging. This will be the first public notice if the new and improved running scheme and Rod’s “Tampa North” defense are an improvement upon other recent, ill-fated schemes that the Lions have attempted to impose.

“China Doll” Returns, Fincher Cut, More on Kitna’s Bootlegging/QB Situation, “Hawaii-2.0″

The Lions cut veteran LB Alfred Fincher and signed the briefly ex-Lion, Teddy “China Doll” Lehman to help bolster their linebacking corps. Lehman, who was highly regarded upon his selection in the draft, still possesses some upside, but has been severely limited by a litany of injuries, and, at least earlier in his career, a lack of the upper body strength necessary to function as a middle linebacker in the NFL.

It is believed that Lehman will provide depth at the strongside linebacker position, but with the Lions linebacking situation being far from settled, beyond Ernie Sims being their starting weakside linebacker, who the hell knows!

A major concern, in my eyes, with more plays designed to roll Jon Kitna out of the pocket is that he may be subject to even more knock-out blow hits with the increased vulnerability that comes from moving out into open space. Given Kitna’s age, and the relative lack of QB experience behind Kitna on the Lions depth chart, one has to wonder how prudent this added wrinkle really is for the Lions offense.

The addition of another veteran QB would help assuage my concerns, slightly. I don’t regard Daunte Culpepper or Byron Leftwich as franchise saviors, but they have been put through the rigorous NFL meat grinder and have, at least temporarily, experienced some meager success. Dan Orlovsky and Drew Stanton, as much as I am pulling for them to develop into NFL-caliber QB’s, are too green to be relied upon, in my opinion.

Apparently, Ikaika Alama-Francis has become Kalimba “The Ghost” Edwards, version 2.0, and strayed from his “Hawaii Five-0″ moniker right into Rod Marinelli’s doghouse and will now be referred to as “Hawaii-2.0″ until his on-field performance improves.
Alama-Francis possesses the same tantalizing level of athleticism and promise as Edwards once did, but “2.0″ is an even rawer version, of a very raw player in Edwards. I am glad to read that Marinelli is attacking this situation head on, he may stand a better chance of reversing “2.0″ ’s career path, than he ever stood with the enigmatic Edwards.

Kitna Bootlegging, Jared DeVries, etc.

Tom “Killer” Kowalski is the best source available for Lions news, especially regarding the seminal stages of the ‘08 season. Interestingly, he mentions that the Lions are going to attempt to roll Jon Kitna out of the pocket more frequently in a number of designed boot plays, in order to buy him some crucial time to make more plays down field.

The Lions feel that Kitna has a knack for making plays while rolling out, in spite of his propensity towards turning the ball over. It does make some sense for the Lions to attempt to stretch the field vertically with a couple of lanky gazelles like Roy Williams and Calvin Johnson creating mismatch nightmares inside of opposing secondaries. Mike Furrey and Shaun McDonald seem likely to prove capable as safety valves for Kitna when he is unable to fire the ball deep into the opposing secondary, too.

Kowalski also mentions that Jared DeVries, a quality, versatile veteran is atop the depth chart at one of the two defensive end spots. DeVries, who had 6.5 sacks last year, has given the Lions some of the consistency and productivity that they were missing from the enigmatic Kalimba Edwards and any number of other unproductive players that they have lined up at the position during recent seasons.

Unfortunately, DeVries has a tenuous grip on a starting position because the Lions have attempted to address their unproductive pass rush with the recent selections of Ikaika Alama-Francis and Cliff Avril, who, if they can prove remotely capable, will press DeVries for playing time during the season.

The Lions signed veteran LB Leon Joe, which is likely a sign that they can ill afford to wait for Takeo Spikes to decide if he would like to join the team, given how green linebackers like Anthony Cannon, Buster Davis, and company are. The Lions have brought in Gilbert Gardner and Alfred Fincher to compete to make the roster, along with Joe, and provide experienced depth in a weak personnel group.

The Lions have a number of injured veterans who have been unable to participate in training camp drills. Ernie Sims, Edwin Mulitalo, Shaun McDonald, and Dan Campbell–all expected to make the final roster entering the season, are all nursing assorted injuries.

Easily one of the more disappointing performers for the Lions last season, Cory Redding must earn his large paycheck and recapture the performance level that made him a surprise success after shifting inside from defensive end to defensive tackle two seasons ago.

Redding is a team leader who, along with Chuck Darby and Shaun Cody, will be expected to perform more consistently than they did last season on the inside.  The Lions have a ton of questions on defense, but the successful Tampa-2 is completely predicated on the performance of the defensive line and it’s ability to generate a consistent pass rush.  Redding is a pivotal member of that group, who must perform at a higher level.

Jordan Dizon, Takeo Spikes, Leigh Bodden, Caleb Campbell, Camp Ensues

The Lions have entered training camp without signing 2nd round draft pick Jordan Dizon(oops, he’s signed now!), a player whose success in the cover-2 is crucial to any aspirations the Lions have for their ‘08 season.

Dizon, given his DUI prior to the draft, is truly damaging the supposed “character” appellation that the Lions applied to him upon his early selection in the draft. Would Chris Spielman hold out, with such a large challenge ahead of him?

The Lions would really like to sign Takeo Spikes but, apparently, he has decided to keep visiting other teams in order to avoid submerging himself within another disastrous situation akin to the one he left behind in Cincinnati, earlier in his career. Spikes would go along ways towards buying the Lions some crucial developmental time for some of their younger linebackers, that’s for certain.

Leigh Bodden was given a four year contract extension by the Lions yesterday. Is it me, or are my Pat Swilling, Scott Mitchell, and Bill Schroeder- (Oh, there have been so many more!) new Lion “disaster sensors” failing me in regards to Bodden? Shouldn’t Bodden actually have to perform in order to garner an extension and raise? I am a cynical Lions fan to the end, I guess.

I was sick of hearing about Caleb Campbell upon his 7th round selection in April, and the hubbub surrounding his change in playing status really confounds me. In one regard, Campbell is U.S. government property, right or wrong, so I don’t believe that he has got a legitimate beef by being called to service.

That being said, what is the Army thinking? If they had waited, they still would have gleaned a lot of positive publicity from Campbell’s pre-season performance, and given that he wouldn’t have likely made the team, still would have him back for active duty in a couple of months.

Now, they have a bit of public relations disaster on their hands. Has their ever been a 7th round draft pick in the NFL who has generated this level of discussion before? Did I forget to mention that Campbell was ONLY a seventh round draft pick, by the way?

I am glad that training camp has begun. It reduces my consternation, somewhat, but I am more hopeful entering the season knowing that the Lions will likely not being facing Brett Favre in either a Packers, or more improbably, a Vikings jersey.

Training Camp Begins Wednesday, Rampant Personnel Speculation is Likely Just That

The Lions enter training camp this week with a lot to prove. Understatements aside, few, if any, Lions fans actually buy into the “Do You Believe In Now” fusillades that have been ringing out in an attempt to stimulate excitement for the upcoming ‘08 Lions season.

We have been conditioned, during Matt Millen’s abysmal 31-81 tenure, that for any hopeful upturn that this organization may take, there is just as likely to be several steps to be taken backward in the process. Entering the ‘08 season, the Lions would like us to believe that they are on the precipice of some new horizon. Show Me!!!

Training camp is the first stage of the process. Lions fans desperately need something positive to cling to. A healthy, productive Calvin Johnson would be nice. The emergence of multiple young players, and rookies, would also stimulate optimism (see Ernie Sims, Ikaika Alama-Francis, Daniel Bullocks, Gerald Alexander, et al).

There has been a lot of speculation about the supposed interest the Lions may have players like Takeo Spikes, LaMont Jordan, Daunte Culpepper, and Chris Simms. If Tom Kowalski is to be trusted, none of these players, except for potentially Spikes, is likely to be a Lion anytime soon.

The Lions have exercised due diligence in their inquiries about Jordan and Spikes. Spikes, injury-history aside, would likely be a productive player and a quality locker room influence. According to Kowalski, the Lions are going to approach any interest in Jordan or the QB’s with a more cautious wait-and-see approach.

The Lions are willing to give Dan Orlovsky and Drew Stanton every opportunity to fail, before looking at acquiring either Simms or Culpepper, among others. I feel that this organizational negligence on a grand scale.

Entering the season with only Jon Kitna possessing legitimate game experience is bordering on suicidal, given his age and the recent performance of the Lions offensive line.  Last season, when Jon Kitna was briefly out of the lineup, we were given a glimpse of just how bad this team can be.  I don’t believe that this situation has been rectified in one off-season.

Culpepper, who is his own agent, would be a popular choice, in my view.  I believe that Culpepper’s best days are likely behind him, but given that he would have so many weapons at his disposal, I believe that he could actually be a surprising success story, if thrust into duty. He still is unable to read defenses, and is limited as player, though.

At any rate, the Lions season will soon be upon us.  Much the like the flagging Michigan economy, Lions fans are grasping for whatever meager signs of hope are fungible and tangible. As far as diversions go, the Lions still rank quite high.