2010 Detroit Lions

[gnome]

Great insights guys. Sure wish, Blksoul X would sign in and unpack all these moves. His look at our team sports were always interesting and usually correct.

Of these recent moves, I haven't seen a clinker yet. I think part of the problem with the offensive line could be eased with Burleson running the lanes. It's tough throwing the ball when everyone is covered ... not saying our O line doesn't define chickenshit, just saying that our young QB is still learning to "see" and Burleson should help in that regard.

With Shwartz growing up on the defensive side of the ball, it's only natural he beefed up the D with his Vanden Bosh and Williams. Suh would be a great addition and could prove to be a long term anchor. I wonder if Sammie Hill will fit with the new guys. I thought both Hill and Suh and Williams all played the same position, but maybe you guys can straighten me out

[smogboy]

With Shwartz growing up on the defensive side of the ball, it's only natural he beefed up the D with his Vanden Bosh and Williams. Suh would be a great addition and could prove to be a long term anchor. I wonder if Sammie Hill will fit with the new guys. I thought both Hill and Suh and Williams all played the same position, but maybe you guys can straighten me out

IF the Lions get the chance to draft Suh, I would almost envision seeing the defensive front four looking like:

Suh at left end, Corey Williams at left tackle, Sammie Lee Hill at right tackle, and Vanden Bosch at right end.

Williams and Hill would be the beef in the middle, can play well against any interior runs and the speed of Vanden Bosch & Suh on the outside would be pretty deadly. As far as back-ups at any of those positions it's going to be Jason Hunter & Cliff Avril on the left side where both of them developed pretty nicely last year. Andre Fluellen & Landon Cohen would be the tackle replacements. Turk McBride and maybe the re-signing of Jared DeVries would be the depth on the right side of the line. Seeing as how Grady Jackson got released a few days ago and the injury prone DeWayne White got let go today, our line got progressively younger although not any less potent.

Again, all of this speculation is still based upon the Lions keeping the number two pick and acquiring Suh. I've also heard how explosive McCoy is off of the line too and either one of those would fit in very nicely with this bunch.

[smogboy]

Two new corners in the fold now.

http://www.freep.com/article/2010030...ons-CB-Houston

Jonathan Wade and Chris Houston were both starters for their previous teams and only a paltry 25 years old. Wade came here as a free agent signing and Chris Houston is here because we gave up a 6th round pick and we swap out fifth round picks. I'm not saying that these were upgrades from last year's ever changing cornerbacks but we can hope. Jonathan Wade does have some flexibility in the sense that he can play either side CB and be the nickel back if need be. Also if we've upgraded the defensive line and they can put some heat on the opposing team's QB, their jobs should be a little easier.

So what I see Mayhew/ Lewand doing now is utilizing the draft to obtain young players in a very strategic way. We've yet to technically lose a draft pick [[the one we did give up for the Corey Williams trade was a 5th rounder we had gotten from Denver) and yet we pick up some known commodities. It's aggressive and ballsy- something Millen and his Pennsylvania sized ego would've never do.

[Thruster315]

Jake Delhomme or Daunte Culpepper for Stafford's back-up QB?

I'm surprised that this hasn't been addressed by Jim Schwartz or people on this forum yet.

[sirrealone]

I wonder if Sammie Hill will fit with the new guys. I thought both Hill and Suh and Williams all played the same position, but maybe you guys can straighten me out

I have to laugh. Not at you, gnome, but just in general because of how conditioned we have become at having a bad team, and going along with that, not having any recollection of what it is to have....depth. That's what this would give us. Instead of looking at only the four guys that would be listed as the starters, you would actually have depth at the defensive line level. This is key to any legit defense. You want to be able to swap guys in and out for the purpose of having fresh legs on the field. You want to be able to swap guys in and out based on what Cunningham feels are passing or running situations.

Simply put, I don't think it's possible to have too much depth on the defensive line.

Jake Delhomme or Daunte Culpepper for Stafford's back-up QB?

I'm surprised that this hasn't been addressed by Jim Schwartz or people on this forum yet.

I think that the coaching staff and the brass are looking to fill needs based on priority. The D-line, the secondary, the WR, those are all positions that have guys out on the field all the time. The backup QB is a position that needs to be addressed, but you hope he never plays a down all season. I'm sure that they will address it, but my guess is that they probably see a group of guys out there that are all in the same tier, and as long as there's a pool of guys available, they'll keep one eye on it but will focus their attention more on the 'on the field' matters.

I think they have to find a guy that will be comfortable in the backup role. Culpepper wasn't [[but he sucked anyways, so forget him) and I'm not sure Delhomme would be 100% OK with being a backup. Quite honestly, I'd be more than happy with Jeff Garcia, but I thought I saw he was being looked at by the Giants.

[Thruster315]

I think they have to find a guy that will be comfortable in the backup role. Culpepper wasn't [[but he sucked anyways, so forget him) and I'm not sure Delhomme would be 100% OK with being a backup. Quite honestly, I'd be more than happy with Jeff Garcia, but I thought I saw he was being looked at by the Giants.

We looked at Derek Anderson a few years back. Now that he's been cut by the Browns, do you think he might be a good fit? He was a starter and then not a starter with Brady Quinn in Cleveland so I don't know if that would fulfill your criteria of a guy satisfied with being a backup.

With the role of a backup, shouldn't he also have enough drive to start? Stafford is the starter here but we shouldn't have a backup like Culpepper that is pretty much useless and not a threat. If only there was a backup QB that could be a mentor and still have some gas in the tank.

[kenp]

Delhomme isnt going to be looking for a backup role.
Anyone that comes here is going to have to realize they are purely a backup. I'm not sure Anderson thinks that.
With this being a non cap year its worth paying a little more for a backup at a one year contract.

[smogboy]

Delhomme isnt going to be looking for a backup role.
Anyone that comes here is going to have to realize they are purely a backup. I'm not sure Anderson thinks that.
With this being a non cap year its worth paying a little more for a backup at a one year contract.

I've always contended that getting an top notch back-up QB position has got to be one of the weirdest in all of professional sports. For our team ideally the back-up QB has to be:

1) damn good. Good enough to contest for the starting QB role but not that good to provide a heated QB controversy.
2) be able to step in at a moment's notice and still run the offense efficiently.
3) able to hold a clipboard and understand everything there is to the number one offense.
4) respected by his team even though he might not even know half of their names.
5) able to go back to the role of back-up without any grumbling.
6) confident enough to know he can step up at anytime.
7) able to recognize that if you play for the Lions, Stafford is the future.
8) able to place that ball down neatly for Jason Hanson if called upon.

So as it stands there's a handful of QBs that are out looking for work.

Kyle Orton-Restricted FA
Jason Campbell-Restricted FA
Matt Moore-Restricted FA
Tavaris Jackson-Restricted FA
Kellen Clemens-Restricted FA
Charlie Batch
Kyle Boller
David Carr
Brodie Croyle-Restricted FA
Daunte Culpepper
Charlie Frye– Restricted FA
Rex Grossman
Joey Harrington [[uh, no thanks. The firestorm would melt the Ford Field roof off.)
Jon Kitna
Chris Redman
Brett Ratliff
Troy Smith
Derek Anderson
Jake Delhomme

So the pickings are kinda slim. I'm not exactly sure how many of these guys still have much left in the tank or have much to prove. Granted I would hope we never ever see the back-up QB come to play with the exception of pre-season games. And Stanton just might be able to climb out of the third string category this year and become our number two QB.

So yes, the back-up QB is important but obviously not priority right now.

[jiminnm]

Damn smogboy, where's Andre Ware when you need him?

No, I never hit Gilmer [[or Milt Plum) with a snowball. It would have been a major league throw and then some from my seat.

[Thruster315]

http://www.detnews.com/article/20100...-QB-Shaun-Hill

Shaun Hill- welcome our new back up quarterback. Not too bad for a 7th round pick IMHO. At least he's got some experience starting.

[gnome]

I'd like them to give Matt Baker a look-see. A Brother Rice grad and has been in the Buffalo system for a few yrs. No real reason other than to give a hometown boy a shot. Call me sentimental.

[kenp]

I hate the idea of giving up a draft pick, especially for a backup QB who probably will be gone next year.
As far as the choice of QB I think its a solid choice.

[smogboy]

I hate the idea of giving up a draft pick, especially for a backup QB who probably will be gone next year.
As far as the choice of QB I think its a solid choice.

The one caveat to this is that it was an extra seventh round draft pick in 2011, which they got from the NY Jets for quarterback Kevin O'Connell [[who?) last season. We'll still have a seventh round pick in 2011 and conceivably [[not hopefully) he could be put into play if called upon. Who knows if that seventh round draft pick will ever pan out? It could conceivably turn into the next Hall of Famer or a Millen-esque bust, but for now we know we have a solid commodity in a guy who has starting experience, actually comes to this team with a [[gasp!) winning record as a starter and some experience with the offensive coordinator Scott Linehan.

[kenp]

Anthony Hargrove of New Orleans visited the Lions yesterday. He is a DT and a restrictive Free agent. If we sign him we give up a 3rd pick. Also NO can match our offer and keep him.
Whats interesting here is this is another DT. If they do sign this guy its at a heavy price and I cant image them keeping the 2nd pick.
There are a lot of good guards out there in free agency, wish we would look at some of those.

[smogboy]

The Lions get Rob Sims to help shore up that left side.

http://www.detnews.com/article/20100...-at-left-guard

I'm sure Matthew Stafford will feel a little safer knowing he won't have a journeyman at that position. From the sounds of it, Sims seems like a good positional sort of guy who can pass protect. He's young and might have a great upside with this team as it gels. With any luck he can be one of the building blocks on that line.

Let's see what other deals will be swung by Martin Mayhew & Tom Lewand now.

[kenp]

Getting Sims and other recent developments have really been interesting.

1. Bradford impresses so much in his workout he looks like the sure #1 pick for the Rams.
2. The RedSkins trade for Mcnabb who were the perfect "trade down" team the Lions were looking at.
3. DT Hargrove stays with the Saints instead of the Lions.
4. The Lions get Sims which makes our need for O-Line less important and reducing the chance we draft Okung.
5. McCoy's stock has gone down lately.

It looks to me that what everyone wanted after the bowl season will probably come true, we draft Suh #2.

[smogboy]

Well Jared DeVries comes back to the fold as a Lion today and it made me think about what the defensive front line will look like in the upcoming season. Now if all of the football pundits are correct and we end up getting Ndamukong Suh in the upcoming draft, we could actually have a pretty potent front four for once. It's been so long since we even had a dominant defense, it'd be a sight for sore eyes. And we might actually have depth at some of those spots?

A front four consisting of Ndamukong Suh, Sammie Hill, Corey Williams, and Kyle Vanden Bosch?

With back-ups being [[and this is the big guess here) Cliff Avril, Jason Hunter, Andre Fluellen, and Jared DeVries? Guys like Joe Cohen, Landon Cohen, Terrance Taylor, Turk McBride, and Copeland Bryan will all be struggling for a spot on this roster. Again, it's all speculative at this point but the thought that the Lions actually took care of a very vital part of business here and with some sense of decorum & responsibility has to give one a slight sense of hope.

Yes, there are still many many holes to fill but at least one part of the puzzle seems to be coming together nicely. And one thing that I really seem to like about this is that they didn't exactly get guys who are at the twilight of their careers. They've actually got some proven talent with some upside with additions like Vanden Bosch and Williams. Add a touted player like Suh- and if he pans out, could be pretty darn good news for our down trodden Lions' defensive front four.

[smogboy]

Goodbye Ernie Sims & hello Tony Scheffler.

http://www.freep.com/article/2010041...sense-to-Lions

With DeAndre Levy coming n strong last year as a rookie, I guess Ernie's days were numbered. While I liked Ernie's intelligence and candor, he was expendable and I'm glad that Martin Mayhew got some value out of this pick. With Casey Fitzsimmons retiring because of concussion issues, we needed a back-up for Brandon Pettigrew.

I remember listening to Ernie Sims his rookie year talk about the game the day before on the Monday morning drive into work. He'd come on the air after what was a total disaster the day before and would speak very openly and candidly about what he saw, what he thought and one could get an idea of what it was like to be a rookie on one of the worst teams in the NFL. He knew he wasn't going to be the solution to what ailed the Lions. There were certain times one could almost hear him groan in pain from the game play the night before and one could also hear the exasperation of his efforts gone for naught.

He tried hard here in a bad situation. Given some more talent around him, he might've been more than just an average LB- but as a person, I thought he was a bright soft spoken guy who cared and wanted to be a part of the solution here. He got the undignified label of being a "Millen Pick" not by his choice. I'll wish him well in Philly.

[sirrealone]

Pros:

• It seems like it's a zero-sum move. We gave up a good LB for a good TE.
• It provides good compliment [[not backup) to Pettigrew. I don't think Scheffler was happy in a limited role in Denver, so I don't think they brought him in to warm the bench. He compliments Pettigrew so you will probably see a nice rotation or even some cool two TE sets, something that I think will be brand new to many Lions fans.

Cons:

• Depth at LB is now very weak. The starting unit could be as good as it was last year even losing Foote and Sims, but what we don't currently have is depth. As it stands, we're one injury away from being in deep trouble, plus this also limit rotations, which is one thing defensive units need to be able to keep fresh legs.

I've seen where people are hinting that Follett could expand from a special teams role to playing in the rotation. That would be awesome if it worked. I love Follett and think he's brought an amazing spark to special teams, which is something the Lions ignored for most of the last decade [[along with winning). But, don't assume just because he's an awesome ST player that he will be on the same level in defensive schemes, plus if you spread him too thin he might not have enough gas in the tank to dominate the ST coverages. They have to be careful with this.

Generally, I'm in favor of the move only because Mayhew really hasn't let us down yet so I have faith that he knows what he's doing. He's showing himself to be one that can make moves to bring in better players. What I really want to see is how all the pieces fit together to form a 'team'. They seem to be bringing in guys that aren't just parts and pieces but that are actually willing and excited to work together and can elevate each others game.

I'm kind of getting the impression that this might further open the door for Adam 'Pacman' Jones to be signed after the draft. I know that they don't slot picks to positions, but you have to figure that the second and third round would probably have the heaviest 'looks' given to RB, CB, and S [[assuming Suh is the pick at 2), but now you have to factor in LB to that equation. I know they won't hesitate to pull the trigger on a CB if one falls to them that they feel is 'best player available', but if it's between a CB and a LB for example, they might just take the LB and figure that Pacman could 'plug the hole'. After all, he couldn't be any worse than what they trotted out last year?

I'm looking forward to the draft Thursday night. Go Lions!

[smogboy]

I'm looking forward to the draft Thursday night. Go Lions!

I'm also stoked as to the NFL Draft too. After seeing this link:

http://espn.go.com/blog/sportscenter...-ndamukong-suh

I, too would hope for Suh.

[smogboy]

Well, we finally landed him. We got Suh!

And coming up to the draft as I read up a little more on him is that he seems like a bright individual as well. He's already committed a big chunk of his change to his college alma mater. He's in a construction management degree program at Nebraska. He has said he doesn't want to hold out and wants to start training camp with his team mates already. So far, he's saying the right things- with the right amount of wisdom and intellect. So beyond his physical prowess, he seems like a bright personable kind of guy that will become a fan favorite.

Granted the best way to become any Lions fan favorite is to play well- and amazingly well. There are never any guarantees when it comes to playing football and we can only hope that he doesn't turn into a Millen-esque kind of pick [[anyone remember Kalimba Edwards?). And unlike Stafford last year, I think a fair amount of the Lions faithful feel good about this pick. It wasn't like last year where there was a huge contingent hoping for an Aaron Curry. I can see the Suh jerseys flying off the shelf now long before he even takes a snap in the NFL.

I can honestly say that for a defensive pick- which has generally never been sexy, this one has some fan appeal to it. Let's see how thing shake down and see how Day #2 will fare for us. Day #1 seems to be a success so far.

[firstandten]

Great Job ! so far. The Lions got Jahvid Best late in the first round as well. I am real interested in how Mayhew works the middle rounds. However I have a feeling we aren't looking at Matt Millen Jr.here. I think Mayhew actually knows what he's doing. I haven't been encouraged like this in a long while. Not so much that they got Suh and Best but because they are actually making moves that makes sense.

[smogboy]

Great Job ! so far. The Lions got Jahvid Best late in the first round as well. I am real interested in how Mayhew works the middle rounds. However I have a feeling we aren't looking at Matt Millen Jr.here. I think Mayhew actually knows what he's doing. I haven't been encouraged like this in a long while. Not so much that they got Suh and Best but because they are actually making moves that makes sense.

I'm curious as well. So we traded up and got the homerun potential RB in Best and our Day #2 is going to be silent. We don't pick until the:

-66th pick in the third round
-128th pick in the fourth round
-no fifth round
-no sixth round
- and the 213th, 220th and the 255th picks in the seventh round.

Let's hope we can get some value in the third and fourth round picks. It's not to say that Mayhew couldn't because he did manage to sang DeAndre Levy last year with that pick. Our other third round pick in Derrick Williams really hasn't panned out. I don't exactly hold out much hope for the seventh rounders but one never knows if there's a gem in the mix.

One other thing about the way Mayhew has conducted this draft is that he didn't exactly blurt out or reveal his hand. He held out until the last possible moment before making any moves- waiting to see if an offer would come in. That's so unlike Millen, I have hopes there as well. And I agree wholeheartedly firstandten; there does seem to be somewhat the semblance of a plan here to make this team better for the long haul. Even with the recent acquisitions- they've all been younger guys with good growth potential; gone are the days of signing outrageous contracts with guys well into their mid 30's in the twilights of their careers [[sorry Larry Foote).

Hope eternal for the Honolulu blue & silver.

[smogboy]

One other nice giddy thought I had coming into this season was envisioning some of the two tight end sets that the Lions could use.

Imagine having Scheffler and Pettigrew as the twin bookends; both pretty big boys with an ability to catch the ball. Calvin Johnson to one side and Nate Burleson to the other. Scheffler, Pettigrew and Johnson are all 6'5" and Burleson coming in at a "puny" 6'0". Toss in the likes of a speedster like Jahvid Best in the backfield?

I'm not saying that the Lions still shouldn't address upgrading the offensive line or anything like that at all but one has to admit that with that kind of receiving group coming at you, as a defensive coordinator for the opposition, is just going to be scrambling to cover these guys. Oh yeah, did I mention that I still love Matthew Stafford's quick release? By all accounts, Best can also catch the ball out of the backfield and cause the linebackers some serious grief.

Without even having drafted a true offensive lineman, having these sort of weapons can help protect Matthew Stafford too. The other team can't just pin their ears back and come after him like they did last year; they've got to have some sort of coverage [[at least double on CJ) to prevent getting burned long now. Whether it's by design or not, I think the team of Mayhew/ Lewand/ Schwartz has done a pretty good job so far in offering up some support to Calvin Johnson. It seems a lot more balanced of an attack now.

[sirrealone]

I came away very impressed after last night. Suh was the obvious choice and I think along with the other additions they've made, that their line will actually be good and could help hide some of the weaknesses elsewhere in the defense. Their secondary will most likely still be very weak, but at least having a pass rush or way to stop the run will put some pressure on the opposing team while the QB holds / hands off the ball.

My guess is that this opens the door for the signing of Adam 'Pacman' Jones. I think if someone like Kyle Wilson had fallen, they might have chosen a corner over the RB, but once their corners went off the board, they focused on the RB position.

If Jones gets signed and can keep his head on straight, he can at the very least be a warm body that doesn't do any more damage than the guys at corner did last year, and at best could actually contribute.

Regardless of what happens, there's no way that they were going to fill every hole this draft. They still need a LB, S, CB, and it'd be nice to get a T, DE. With only two more meaningful picks as of now, obviously areas will be lacking. Still, you have to admit that there's less and less holes each time you look at the progression. Mayhew has done a good job at plugging holes via drafts and this years free agency and don't forget that we're only 16 months removed from an 0-16 season so if you keep that perspective, I think Mayhew has done great.