2010 Detroit Lions

[firstandten]

smogboy, Do you think the team would ever consider TO. ?, to team up with CJ.

Let me take a crack at that. BD the short and long answer is NO! The Lions aren't going to let a head case like TO give Stafford any more challenges than he already has.They can find that second receiver to go along with CJ either in the draft or as a FA

[sirrealone]

Interesting read in the Bleacher Report this morning stating that if the Bears sign Julius Peppers, that could make the Lions re-consider their pick and maybe consider an offensive tackle, since Peppers has had Backus' number since forever.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/3...draft-strategy

I personally don't put a lot of weight into this one. I think Mayhew/Schwartz have shown that the draft strategy is firm and they're not going to be pushed into passing over a more talented player.

I still believe that, for this year anyways, adding a solid left guard is the best approach to shoring up the offensive line and could cause Peppers to be less disruptive when the Bears-Lions meet [[assuming he signs there). When the left guard failed his assignment, which was more often than not in 2009, that puts extra pressure on Backus and the whole side collapses. Adding a solid left guard will not only make that position better, but it will improve Backus' play as well.

I also agree that T.O. probably wouldn't get very much consideration here. First, he didn't show that he still has it for most of the season, so would he even be an upgrade over Bryant Johnson at this point? Second, I think Schwartz & Co. would selectively bring in veterans at key positions but with the intent that their secondary job would be to mentor the young guys. No way does T.O. come anywhere near being able to do that.

[kenp]

Of course we need all kinds of help on the O-line and this includes Backus. Most players have had Backus's "number". We shouldnt use the 2nd pick on o-lineman. Maybe if we trade the 2nd pick for a later pick.

[smogboy]

Let me take a crack at that. BD the short and long answer is NO! The Lions aren't going to let a head case like TO give Stafford any more challenges than he already has.They can find that second receiver to go along with CJ either in the draft or as a FA

Thanks for the back up there, firstandten. I couldn't agree more about saying NO to TO. I'm not so sure I would've wanted him the Honolulu Blue & Silver in his prime much less in his current state to decline. This is one guy that has never understood the concept of team and has always been about himself. He's practically thrown every QB that he's played with [[Garcia, McNabb, & Romo) under the bus. Neither Stafford nor do the Lions need this sort of distraction. No way, no how.

[smogboy]

Interesting read in the Bleacher Report this morning stating that if the Bears sign Julius Peppers, that could make the Lions re-consider their pick and maybe consider an offensive tackle, since Peppers has had Backus' number since forever.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/3...draft-strategy

I personally don't put a lot of weight into this one. I think Mayhew/Schwartz have shown that the draft strategy is firm and they're not going to be pushed into passing over a more talented player.

I don't see the Lions changing up their draft strategy just to offset the addition of one player on a division rival. I can see them possibly revamping their offensive strategy to offset the rush of Peppers but that could be as easy as having someone in the backfield come up, or add an additional tight end on that side to help Backus. Even simpler things like involving more draw plays, rolling the QB out to the right, two step drops, and quicker release plays can alleviate this. There are plenty of ways to minimize the impact of one explosive player on the opposite team.

[smogboy]

Corey Williams huh?
http://www.detnews.com/article/20100...Corey-Williams

While he's not Kyle Vanden Bosch, pairing him up with a Suh or a McCoy could be interesting on the front four.

[kenp]

Williams can help, I would take him for a 5th round pick.
I see Cromartie was traded to the Jets for a 3rd round pick.

[Thruster315]

Vanden Bosch signed for four years.

http://www.freep.com/article/2010030...ch-4-year-deal

I like how aggressive the Lions have been.

[kenp]

I just went in the Lions site to read about Vanden Bosch, and see Corey Williams was offically traded to the Lions. So now we have both Vanden Bosch and Williams. To me it looks like we are now in a position to trade down.

[smogboy]

http://www.detnews.com/article/20100...-Nate-Burleson

Nate Burleson signed for a five-year, $25 million deal, including $11 million guaranteed deal too. Hopefully he's going to be the "eraser" that will help ease Calvin Johnson's load. Williams & Vanden Bosch too? Talk about being active and wanting to jump into free agency!

I'm not enthralled with the length of the contracts but it's nice to see the team being so pro-active. Hopefully these players work out well in the long run. Stylistically it's also nice to see Schwartz being a lot more cordial and friendly when it comes to courting these free agents.

And kenp, I'm not sure if the Lions will jump at a trade down but they will obviously be more willing to entertain the thought now. If there aren't any decent offers, I'm sure they'll still use it. Having a young buck like Suh or McCoy can still be more than viable especially if they're planning for the long term.

All and all pretty exciting stuff for this team. It might not make them a playoff team just yet but this- on the surface definitely looks positive.

[d.mcc]

Having Vanden Bosch, Suh, Williams, and an improving Hill/Avril on the front line would NOT be bad, gives our linebackers [[Peterson, Sims, Levy) time to swarm and find the ball, and free's up our Safeties and DB's from being blocked downfield.

Some very good moves today. This is the Lions, right?

[Big Dog]

This is the most aggressive, the lions have been in years. This could be a good thing.

[smogboy]

I was in traffic today and heard the Vanden Bosch interview on WDFN today and he sounds like a pretty good pick up. What really impressed me was what he had to say about Jim Schwartz. He said that Schwartz was at his house one hour before Vanden Bosch could sign on the dotted line. Schwartz impressed upon him his philosophy, the team goals and what really got me was how Schwartz talked up our area to young parents like the Vanden Bosches. He told them of the schools that they could send their kids to, the community, the family atmosphere, and about the loyal fan base here.

It was to the point where Vanden Bosch didn't even want to pick up his cell phone and listen to other offers and/ or to his agent. It must've been one heckuva pitch! So bravo to Jim Schwartz for targeting who he thinks will be an impact player immediately, going after him and more importantly, landing him. Usually guys of this caliber will at least digest the offer and stew on it for a little bit.

And while we malign the old man Ford for being a total irrelevant owner, I'm sure he's got to be commended at least a little bit for loosening up his wallet this cap free season to acquire some key players. He's lots of things [[stubborn, stand-offish, dopey, delusional, etc.) but today old man Ford wasn't cheap nor timid about letting his football men go out and get the necessary people to win.

[smogboy]

Having Vanden Bosch, Suh, Williams, and an improving Hill/Avril on the front line would NOT be bad, gives our linebackers [[Peterson, Sims, Levy) time to swarm and find the ball, and free's up our Safeties and DB's from being blocked downfield.

Some very good moves today. This is the Lions, right?

Let's see how the linebacker situation plays out. Peterson still wants a boatload of money, Sims still could be trade bait and the only sure thing in the LB corps is Levy. Has anyone heard word about re-signing Larry Foote yet? That front's gone frigid as of late.

[Thruster315]

Having Vanden Bosch, Suh, Williams, and an improving Hill/Avril on the front line would NOT be bad, gives our linebackers [[Peterson, Sims, Levy) time to swarm and find the ball, and free's up our Safeties and DB's from being blocked downfield.

Some very good moves today. This is the Lions, right?

If there was a place for the Lions defense to get aggressive I'm glad to see it happening in the trenches. They can do without a shut down corner or safety if they can still apply heat on the opposing team's quarterback. Get after that QB! Going at the ball has always been a good idea. Putting pressure on the other team's quarterback and invading their backfield is never a bad thing. Our linebacking group isn't bad even if Peterson decides not to re-sign with the Lions. I'm impressed with the free agency signings.

Free agency doesn't solve everything though. It can be a very good stop gap measure and we still need to build from within the draft. Get Suh now.

[kenp]

We have put ourselves in a win win situation. If we keep our pick then we are going to have one of the two d-lineman. Thats makes our line very solid. If we get a great deal on moving down and get more picks its a positive as well because d-line isnt as important now.
We need to keep Foote and continue our attempt to be strong at linebacker.
I think we paid to much for the receiver, but its not my money, hopefully it doesnt hurt our cap space.
Now we need corners, o-lineman and a running back.

[GOAT]

I don't think the ol drunk bastard deserves any credit! He has always been loose with wallet whenever it suited him [[ie. liked the player or coach or President a lot).

That being said the free agent pick ups were good.

What I am fretting about it the lack of protection for our QB. Yes our defence stinks but the Lions have committed $42 million to one position. Shouldn't they try somewhat to protect that investment?

I say draft or sign only on the lines of BOTH sides of the ball and nothing more.

[GOAT]

Kenp, the corners are not needed if you have great pass rushers. You can get by with mediocre corners because the pass rushers should keep the QB off of his game.

RB's are a dime a dozen in the NFL. I am with you onthe )-line though. Why are the Lions ignoring that wet paper protection?

[d.mcc]

Does anyone think part of the pitch to Vanden Bosch was that the Lions were about to draft a monster DT who would free him up to get to the QB like he did when he had Haynesworth next to him?

[firstandten]

Good move, Lions, a good start!

I've always felt you build a team from the inside out. Take care of those positions that play with one hand in the dirt first then go from there. If you can put pressure on the QB even so-so corners will look good.

Work on that O-line as well. One of the reasons Peyton Manning is such a great QB is that most games his uniform is one of the cleanest you 'll see on the field.

[smogboy]

I don't think the ol drunk bastard deserves any credit! He has always been loose with wallet whenever it suited him [[ie. liked the player or coach or President a lot).

That being said the free agent pick ups were good.

Now would you have been one of those irate fans that would've said Ford was too cheap if we didn't go out and make a splash in free agency as well? If he deserves blame for all of his mistakes [[and there are plenty of them), then he also needs to at least have some credit for the good that he does. You can't slam the old man in one sentence and then say the free agents are a good pick up without being consistent now. Be fair to the old coot.

The team has solved a few of their needs with these pick-ups. By no means are they done. I like what they've done in this salary cap free year and from the looks of things, the contracts have also been front loaded to ease the burden when the cap is back on in the future. Also I see this team having to over pay to get free agents to come here. Jim Schwartz had to make a personal pitch to Vanden Bosch. Linehan had to make a personal plea for Burleson. We're not a destination for players to come to just yet; for us fans to expect that to happen is just not realistic. Seeing our professional level coaches go out and personally recruit like college coaches shows a little bit their desperation [[or is it their smarts?) to build this team. Not only is it going to take old man Ford reaching deeper into his wallet, there has to be some proof that this team is on its way to winning. I can't see players and their agents craving to come here especially after the last decade's free fall decline under Millen's rule. There has to be some incentives for these players to want to come here besides money; whatever Schwartz said obviously got Vanden Bosch here. Whatever Linehan said obviously worked too. So hopefully the momentum of having made somewhat of a splash [[not as momentous, desperate or risky as the Chicago Bears) will also attract some others to come here- ala. Pudge Rodriguez going to the Tigers after winning the World Series.

Now obviously we still hold a huge trump card in the second overall pick. I'm of the contention we use it as opposed to trading it away, not unless we can get some absolute amazing deal. And we don't discuss that trade down up until the waning seconds up at the draft board. I think Mayhew/ Lewand would be best served to hear all of the offers for that draft pick before they even make that choice. And as much as I hated finishing so miserably to "earn" this second overall pick- it's a solid tool to use to further the team. This system is made so mediocre teams like ours can climb out of the cellar - IF used properly. Under half ass leadership like Millen, he took it as an extension of his ego and wanting to make a splash. He was more about gloss than substance when it came to draft picks; all one has to do is look at how many wide receivers he took with his first pick.

What I'd like to see them do is use the second pick and take Suh or McCoy- the best one available, to help out the defensive line. d.mcc- I think you might be onto something there that a promise to draft a fellow defensive monster for Vanden Bosch to play alongside would be a huge incentive. Having selected offensive players highly in last year's draft, I wouldn't have a problem addressing the defensive side of things this year. That's not to say that third round and beyond, they shouldn't address the offense either. They do need help on the offensive line; re-signing a versatile and aging Jon Jansen is not going to solve what ails them. Also signing a decent running back [[either free agency or draft) will also help to protect Stafford. Hopefully he can block a little as well as carry the ball up the gut for an explosive run; that's just one of the ways to keep the other team's defense from just pinning their ears back and taking a full run for our QB on 3rd and longs.

But it is nice to see our team have some off season excitement and have some lively discussion about how this team is slowly and hopefully puling themselves out of mediocrity.

[jiminnm]

And while we malign the old man Ford for being a total irrelevant owner, I'm sure he's got to be commended at least a little bit for loosening up his wallet this cap free season to acquire some key players. He's lots of things [[stubborn, stand-offish, dopey, delusional, etc.) but today old man Ford wasn't cheap nor timid about letting his football men go out and get the necessary people to win.

I must admit that when I read about these signings, my first thought [[albeit cynical) was that WCF was going to try to rack up a few wins prior to putting the team up for sale.

That said, smogboy, I hope you're right. After all, hope is all I've ever gotten from the Lions in the 45 or so years since I went to my first Lions' game and threw snowballs at Harry Gilmer [[one of many, many lousy coaches).

[smogboy]

I must admit that when I read about these signings, my first thought [[albeit cynical) was that WCF was going to try to rack up a few wins prior to putting the team up for sale.

That said, smogboy, I hope you're right. After all, hope is all I've ever gotten from the Lions in the 45 or so years since I went to my first Lions' game and threw snowballs at Harry Gilmer [[one of many, many lousy coaches).

jiminnm, if the old guy wants to put a few Ws in the column, who are we fans to complain? That's what we hope for every Sunday! And if he wants to sell this team, I think there are enough fans out there that would celebrate that as well. Personally I'd prefer that he just step to one side and let his son, who seems to have a little more business acumen and caring for this team run the works. I would sure as heck hate to see this team sold off to someone that didn't care about it, who just wants to turn it into their personal cash cow and God forbid move it out to Los Angeles. The other worst case scenario is that he sells it to an owner that is worse off than he is [[hard to believe at times) such as an Al Davis or a Daniel Snyder type.

As true fans, we have to stay eternally optimistic; if not I guess we wouldn't be called fans.

BTW- did any of your snowballs ever hit their mark with Harry Gilmer?

[sirrealone]

The Burleson signing was good in my eyes because it improved two positions at once. You improved your number two WR spot by adding Burleson, but it also improved the number three WR spot. Bryant Johnson, as terrible as he looked, was simply not suited to be a number two guy, but I think he's shown in the past that he can be a capable number three WR, and last I looked, we really didn't have anything much besides Calvin. I'm fine with the tandem of Calvin-Burleson-Bryant as the top three guys.

They look like they're doing some nice things with the D-line and I like that. They basically swapped out an old and pretty much ineffective Grady Jackson for a younger, speedier Corey Williams without having to give much up in the way. Vanden Bosch was a nice addition, and if they can indeed add Suh, they'll have a nice front four and some good rotational depth, which is something that they've been lacking for the last decade.

I still maintain that the most effective way to address the offensive line is to try to add a starting left guard in the second or third round. I've cursed Backus more times than I care to remember over the past few years, but if Suh is there, I just don't see how a tackle can be justified at the number two pick. They're saying it's a weak year for offensive tackles. I'd much rather the Lions get the cream of the crop at a deeper position [[like Suh) than a guy who has had his value pushed up [[Okung) because the field below him is weak.

[smogboy]

Great observations sirrealone.

I also like the Burleson signing as well. I like the fact that he can stretch the field vertically like Calvin Johnson can. I never felt comfortable with how Dennis Northcutt or Bryant Johnson played more like slot receivers. They never seemed to explode off the line and their lack of productivity didn't help sway anyone's opinion. Burleson might also help out with the punt & kick returns so that's just another dimension he could bring to the table. Whether Schwartz & Company want to "save" him and only use Burleson for wide receiver will be up to them.

Another aspect of the Burleson signing that could also be that he helps out the offensive line. Couple his speed and Stafford's quick release might give our less than sterling offensive line a fighting chance to move the ball. But then that really makes the team one dimensional in relying so heavily on Stafford's arm. I would love to see our offensive line have a push and even have a solid viable running threat. I can't see the team picking up an O lineman anytime prior to fifth round and even then, they'll probably be a development project this year. Any chance of us getting a stud offensive lineman that could start on day one probably won't happen until the year 2011.

This team is still one massive work in progress. And the investments that the team has made in free agency this year haven't been for older veterans; they're relatively young or in their prime. The Lions are no longer signing veterans who are in the twilights of the career but I still wouldn't mind seeing a Larry Foote signing to help with the leadership & locker room attitude of this young team.