Well, the first week of free agency has come and gone. So how have the Lions done so far? I wouldn't necessarily say that they've done a "great" job or that I "love" what they've done. However, I do think they've made some solid moves and I really do like their approach thus far.
When you're a team full of holes, you can't just go blowing all of your salary cap money on a couple of guys (a la Daniel Snyder's Redskins). You have to sign a bunch of guys and be careful not to overpay for them. That can be tough when you're coming off an 0-16 season - not too many guys are going to want to play for you unless you grossly overpay for their services. So taking those things into consideration, the Lions have actually done pretty well to get some quality free agents without over-paying. Some past examples of the Lions over-paying for free agents? Damien Woody, Fernando Bryant, Az Hakim. Blech. I'll give them credit for one good one, though - Dre Bly. That one did work out until he was eventually "Lionized." So, onto the moves.....
RB Maurice Morris - Morris signed for 3 yrs at just under 7 mil. He will be the backup RB and should also pickup 5-10 carries a game spelling Kevin Smith. He had rushed for over 500 yards 3 years in a row for Seattle and averaged 4.3 ypc last season. I would consider him an upgrade over the plodding Rudi Johnson.
WR Bryant Johnson - Johnson signed with the Lions for 9 mil over 3 yrs. He's a former 1st rounder who hasn't quite lived up to the hype. However, he's a steady player who has caught over 40 passes 5 years in a row. At 6' 3", he's an example of how Schwartz wants to build a bigger team. From that standpoint, he's an improvement over Shuan McDonald, who is built for the Mike Martz system of putting up meaningless stats.
CB Eric King - King signed for 4 mil over 2 yrs. He came from the Titans and therefore knows Schwartz. He's probably a nickel/dime back/special teamer. Honestly, I don't know much about the guy.
CB/S Anthony Henry - Henry was acquired for Jon INTna. Good deal. Though he's 32 and might be better suited for safety than CB at this point of his career, he was a very solid player for Dallas and a veteran leader who can help a pathetic secondary. Plus, getting anything for Kitna was a steal.
DT Grady Jackson - Grady was inked to a 3 yr 8 mil deal. Unfortunately, he's 36 and probably doesn't have much left. He's a perfect stop-gap for the Lions, though. He is so massive that he requires a double team, so he's a solid player on run downs. Again, another example of Schwartz's desire to get this team bigger.
CB Phillip Buchanon - Phillip signed for 8.5 mil over 2 yrs. Another good move to bolster the defensive backfield. Right now, he's their #1 CB. While ideally I think he should be a #2 CB, he's a definite upgrade over Bodden and all of the other jabroni CBs from last year. If the Lions can draft a CB high, I think they could be looking at a pretty good defensive backfield. Because of this, Buchanon is probably my favorite signing of theirs so far.
While I would've liked for the Lions to make more of a push for a guy like Nate Washington or Bryant McFadden, they did well to get the guys that they did. And most importantly, they didn't over-pay to do it. Also, none of the deals are over 3 years in length. And for those who are disappointed with what the Lions have done so far, here are 2 examples of how they could've done much worse:
Tampa Bay re-signed WR Michael Clayton at 5 yrs, 24.5 mil, with 10.5 mil guaranteed. Clayton has caught 2, yes 2 TD passes since 2004. Yikes!
Baltimore signed CB Dominique Foxworth to a 4 yr 27 mil contract with a whopping 16.5 mil guaranteed. He is only 25, but had 38 tackles and 1 int last year. How does that justify 16.5 mil guaranteed? I don't know.
What else will the Lions look for in free agency as they lead up to the draft? Probably a veteran backup QB. I'm hoping for Byron Leftwich, but they'll probably get Rex Grossman or JP Losman. Another offensive lineman would be nice (Daniel Loper?). Also a linebacker (Mike Peterson?). A CB or WR with kick returning ability would be good, too (Chris Carr?). And with the loss of Moran Norris, I think a FB might be a good idea, too (Mike Karney?). We'll see what happens. Bring on the draft!
Greg
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
GMart's Lions Blog 01-20-09
May The Schwartz Be With Us
The Lions coaching search concluded last week when Jim Schwartz was announced as the team's next head coach. Schwartz had been the defensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans for the past 8 years. The Titans had a very solid defense for most of his time there. Schwartz also has experince in scouting and has worked with 2 of the best coaches in the NFL in Bill Belichik and Jeff Fischer.
Though Schwartz clearly has his work cut out for him, I believe that the Lions made a good hire here. It's almost impossible for an 0-16 team with a history of a completely inept front office to lure a big name, and Schwartz was the "best of the rest" so to speak (with the possible exception of Steve Spagnuolo, although some might put him in the "big name" category, too, even though he was an assistant). The thing I like best about Schwartz is that he has said that he will evaluate what he has and fit the scheme to the players that he has. I've been waiting for a Lions coach to say something like that for years. I am so tired of the stubborn coaches that they've hired. Rod Marinelli was in love with the Tampa 2 defense and pretty much refused to make any adjustments, even though they were far and away the worst defense in the league this year. The Tampa 2 was an absolute disaster and wasted what little talent the Lions had on defense. For example, they dumped Dre Bly for 2 Broncos cast-offs because he "didn't fit the scheme." Also, Leigh Bodden is clearly a better man-cover than zone-cover CB and was basically neutered by the Tampa 2. More examples of coaching stubbornness came from the previous coach, Steve Mariucci. Mooch's offense was incredibly outdated and conservative, yet it seemed like he was the only one who didn't realize that. Some people say that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results. I don't know if Jim Schwartz will be a successful head coach or not, but I do think that he will at least put a stop to the "insanity" that we have been witnessing from previous head coaches.
Draft talk
The NFL draft is going to start creeping up on us now. The playoffs are almost over, the Senior Bowl is this week, and the scouting combine is next month. Yeah, it's still 3 months away, but this is when the hype just starts to get good. The hype that you're going to hear over the next 3 months (from the national media, anyway) will probably have the Lions taking Matt Stafford, the QB from Georgia or Mark Sanchez, the QB from USC. This would be a big mistake, in my opinion. Mike Mayock, the respected NFL draft analyst for NFL Network, has stated that neither of those QBs is as NFL ready as Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco were going into the '08 draft. The Lions need to forget about drafting those guys. Don't draft a QB!
What the Lions really need with the #1 pick is an impact defensive player or a franchise left tackle (to replace the atrocious Jeff Backus). Is there a consensus #1 pick among these players? Not really. However, there are some pretty good choices. There's Andre Smith, LT from Alabama. He's regarded as the best LT in the draft by many, but is said to have problems controlling his weight. Michael Oher, LT from Ole Miss is another great prospect, but some are down on him because of an inconsistent Senior season. And then there's Eugene Monroe, LT from Virginia. He hasn't gotten much hype yet, but I expect that to change. He was the reason that highly regarded OL prospect from '08 Branden Albert was moved from LT to LG. The guy that I'm starting to lean towards, though, is Aaron Curry, the LB from Wake Forest. Curry would be a real impact player. Mike Mayock has him rated as the best Senior in the draft and said that he basically has no holes in his game. He can stop the run, does well in pass coverage, and can rush the passer. He also has enough size and speed to make him a versatile player, too. He can play inside or outside and can play in a 3-4 or a 4-3 scheme. A lot can change in the 3 months leading up to the draft, but right now I'd make Curry the pick if I were the Lions (of course I would try to trade down first...and likely not get any takers). Hopefully we'll have some good draft and free agency news to discuss when the Super Bowl is over.
Thanks for reading,
Greg
The Lions coaching search concluded last week when Jim Schwartz was announced as the team's next head coach. Schwartz had been the defensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans for the past 8 years. The Titans had a very solid defense for most of his time there. Schwartz also has experince in scouting and has worked with 2 of the best coaches in the NFL in Bill Belichik and Jeff Fischer.
Though Schwartz clearly has his work cut out for him, I believe that the Lions made a good hire here. It's almost impossible for an 0-16 team with a history of a completely inept front office to lure a big name, and Schwartz was the "best of the rest" so to speak (with the possible exception of Steve Spagnuolo, although some might put him in the "big name" category, too, even though he was an assistant). The thing I like best about Schwartz is that he has said that he will evaluate what he has and fit the scheme to the players that he has. I've been waiting for a Lions coach to say something like that for years. I am so tired of the stubborn coaches that they've hired. Rod Marinelli was in love with the Tampa 2 defense and pretty much refused to make any adjustments, even though they were far and away the worst defense in the league this year. The Tampa 2 was an absolute disaster and wasted what little talent the Lions had on defense. For example, they dumped Dre Bly for 2 Broncos cast-offs because he "didn't fit the scheme." Also, Leigh Bodden is clearly a better man-cover than zone-cover CB and was basically neutered by the Tampa 2. More examples of coaching stubbornness came from the previous coach, Steve Mariucci. Mooch's offense was incredibly outdated and conservative, yet it seemed like he was the only one who didn't realize that. Some people say that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results. I don't know if Jim Schwartz will be a successful head coach or not, but I do think that he will at least put a stop to the "insanity" that we have been witnessing from previous head coaches.
Draft talk
The NFL draft is going to start creeping up on us now. The playoffs are almost over, the Senior Bowl is this week, and the scouting combine is next month. Yeah, it's still 3 months away, but this is when the hype just starts to get good. The hype that you're going to hear over the next 3 months (from the national media, anyway) will probably have the Lions taking Matt Stafford, the QB from Georgia or Mark Sanchez, the QB from USC. This would be a big mistake, in my opinion. Mike Mayock, the respected NFL draft analyst for NFL Network, has stated that neither of those QBs is as NFL ready as Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco were going into the '08 draft. The Lions need to forget about drafting those guys. Don't draft a QB!
What the Lions really need with the #1 pick is an impact defensive player or a franchise left tackle (to replace the atrocious Jeff Backus). Is there a consensus #1 pick among these players? Not really. However, there are some pretty good choices. There's Andre Smith, LT from Alabama. He's regarded as the best LT in the draft by many, but is said to have problems controlling his weight. Michael Oher, LT from Ole Miss is another great prospect, but some are down on him because of an inconsistent Senior season. And then there's Eugene Monroe, LT from Virginia. He hasn't gotten much hype yet, but I expect that to change. He was the reason that highly regarded OL prospect from '08 Branden Albert was moved from LT to LG. The guy that I'm starting to lean towards, though, is Aaron Curry, the LB from Wake Forest. Curry would be a real impact player. Mike Mayock has him rated as the best Senior in the draft and said that he basically has no holes in his game. He can stop the run, does well in pass coverage, and can rush the passer. He also has enough size and speed to make him a versatile player, too. He can play inside or outside and can play in a 3-4 or a 4-3 scheme. A lot can change in the 3 months leading up to the draft, but right now I'd make Curry the pick if I were the Lions (of course I would try to trade down first...and likely not get any takers). Hopefully we'll have some good draft and free agency news to discuss when the Super Bowl is over.
Thanks for reading,
Greg
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