Detroit Lions Fan Blog

With the draft right around the corner, it’s the perfect time to analyze the Detroit Lions activity so far this off-season. This team continues to bewilder prognosticators, fans and even players, but that won’t stop me from trying to make some sense of it all. However, I might just need a drink when I’m done. So here goes.

In general, the team has made some decent moves this off-season. However, the “Lions’ Super Bowl” aka the NFL Draft is coming up, and there’s plenty of time for the team to make some blunders there. But I digress.

The first key move for the Lions this off-season came on offense. Detroit acquired explosive runningback Tatum Bell and offensive tackle George Foster, in exchange for Pro-Bowler Dre Bly. Bell has shown flashes of brilliance in Denver and the Broncos system makes the runningbacks expendable. So, this actually turned out to be a better deal for Denver than Detroit. However, the Lions were going to probably lose Bell to free agency anyway, so getting a young runningback with big upside was probably a smart move for the long term.

While some consider Bell simply an insurance plan in case Kevin Jones comes back slowly, we think that Mike Martz thinks that Bell might be the real deal. If Bell comes into camp in tip top shape, can catch out of the backfield and hits the ground running (so to speak) with the playbook, he could take this job away from KJ. Obviously, if the team was totally sold on Kevin Johnson, they would not have made this bold of a move. Blocking fullback Corey Schlesinger, a perennial fan favorite, departed to Miami and the Lions quickly brought in Kalamazoo native TJ Duckett as his replacement. Duckett is a better runner than Schlesinger, but we still hate to see Schlesinger go. He is probably the best blocking fullback in the NFL at this point.

Recent reports indicate that Kevin Johnson’s rehab is progressing nicely. It will be an interesting training camp - keep an eye on the RB battle this year. If KJ pushes things to stay in competition with Bell, and gets hurt, fantasy coaches need to bump Bell way up their draft boards.

The Lions recently signed veteran guards Edwin Mulitalo and Zach Piller. Nice moves. Pillar was a 6 year starter for the Titans and Mulitalo started 8 years for the Ravens. The team needs depth on the line and while these guys are not superstars, they can get the job done.

The Lions courted WR Kevin Curtis this off-season but Curtis ended up using the team to get a better offer elsewhere. Instead the team signed Shaun McDonald, the number four receiver out of St. Louis. Runs fast. Drops balls. At least that’s an improvement over Mike Williams. Runs slow. Drops balls. The best pass catching tight end on the team, Marcus Pollard, was released. Don’t get me started on that one.

The Lions have been rumored to be interested in former Ram QB Trent Green (now with the Chiefs), but I don’t see them making that move. He’s simply not that big of an upgrade over Kitna and they need a younger QB to groom for the years ahead. Rumors also flew about the web yesterday that the Lions might trade down in the first with Miami in exchange for Daunte Culpepper. I’m not so crazy about that move either. Culpepper’s Pro-Bowl days are way behind him, and his injury prone past makes him a huge risk. Let’s face it, gimpy old QBs are not what the team needs right now.

Brady Quinn could actually be chosen at the number two spot, but the Lions have so many needs to address, they would like to trade down and accumulate more picks if they can. Tampa Bay, Arizona, Cleveland and Denver are all drooling over that number two slot. If the Lions can trade down, grab a lineman, and still draft a young QB with upside, they would be ecstatic. But if they sit at the number two spot, it looks like it will be a tough choice between Quinn or offensive tackle Joe Thomas. Thomas could come in and contribute right away, while Quinn would probably sit for a season and learn the system behind Kitna. The smarter long term move might be to roll the dice on Quinn, and load up on big name lineman next off-season. In other words, plan to go 6-10 this year and then hope for 10-6 in 2009.

On defense, the team has tried to patch things together, but there are tons of holes to fill and there are still no impact players on this side of the ball. Remember Bennie Blades? Remember Chris Spielman? This defense needs an identity. Where’s the Urlacher on this team? We’d love to see the Lions go after Lance Briggs, but there’s no way that’s going to happen.

ANYWAY, with Dre Bly gone, the team swiftly moved to bring in free agent CB Travis Fisher, again from the Rams (see a trend here?) Fisher is certainly a serviceable player, but losing Bly will hurt. The team traded defensive end James Hall to (you guessed it) the St. Louis Rams for a fifth round pick. Not long after, Rod Marinelli brought in free agent defensive end Dewayne White to fill the role. A slight upgrade there. Shaun Rogers has shown up for off-season workouts and hopes are that he can stay healthy. Defensive tackle Anthony Bryant has been cut.

Overall, the team has done what it can to bring in quality players that can fit the “new Lions” system. The loss of Bly on defense may come back to hurt the Lions, especially if they find themselves bit by the injury bug early. The draft, as usual, will be fascinating to watch, as the Lions have so many holes to fill. Let’s hope that they can draft wisely, and build a better team for the future. If Matt Millen bungles this draft (even in public perception only) the fan outrage will be swift and ferocious. Unlike the Lions.