2) Defensive secondary.
This won't be much of a battle, just some jostling.
Leigh Bodden and Brian Kelly are pretty much entrenched at cornerback. Or as entrenched as newcomers can be.
At safety, it looks like it will be Dwight Smith and one of the young guys opposite him -- either Gerald Alexander or Keith Bullocks. Both young guys have shown they belong in the NFL and the Lions' near future at safety looks great.
And, finally, the secondary has depth. There's already an extra safety, and hat isn't including heat-seeking missile Greg Blue, who plays like a linebacker at safety.
You're got Travis Fisher at nickel and then Keith Smith and Stanley Wilson. Plus possibly Ramzee Robinson and maybe even Kalvin Pearson, if he isn't in jail.
The Lions didn't spend a draft pick on a player in the secondary (counting Caleb Campbell as a LB) for the first time since 2001.
So they guys that make it are pretty set, aside from Pearson's legal woes. If he stays fairly clean, he's the fourth safety and adds a special teams presence and is a young guy who can also play safety if needed. In not, the door is wide open for Blue to step into that same position.
Blue could make the team anyway if the Lions decide to keep an extra special teams body around, which they should, given their recent lack of success in that department. All of their top three safeties can play corner in a pinch, which may squeeze out the need to keep Robinson as a sixth CB. It's not unusual to keep 10 DBs, so that last spot could be Blue, even if Pearson manages to stay out of stripes.
Personally, I like what Blue did last year in the time he was given. He gave the Lions a big-time hitter in the secondary -- the kind Kenoy Kennedy was supposed to be. At worst, he'll add to your specials teams and be someone you can bring in on short yardage for some extra toughness up close to the line.
Starters: Bodden, Kelly, D. Smith, Alexander/Bullocks
Nickelback: Fisher
Top backups: Alexander/Bullocks, K. Smith, Wilson
Reserves/special teams: Pearson, Blue
Longshots: Robinson, Lemarcus Hicks
Next up: Quarterback
Monday, July 21, 2008
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Camp position battles, Vol. 1
1) Wide Receiver
Interesting that WR is one of the positions that the Lions seem to be set at.
That'll happen when you throw four first-round picks into the poition in a five-year span. Luckily, MM resisted this itch this year.
So, the Lions go into the year with yet another new offense to learn, although this one is -- aerially, at least -- similar to the one that Mad Martz ran last year (yes, I realize putting the words "Martz" and "ran" in the same sentence is a rarity).
Roy Williams and Calvin Johnson are your top two is a no-brainer.
With the likelihood of seeing more fullbacks and tight ends on the field this season, the days of four-WR sets are going the way of Eddie Drummond.
So that leaves Mike Furrey and Shaun McDonald battling for the leftovers. Two productive (and not very big) slot receivers, in an offense that will only sometimes employ a 3rd receiver.
That's a nice situation to be in, having some depth and protection against an injury.
But it's also a little expensive, given that McDonald (counting $1.675M against cap) and Furrey ($2.9M) are not exactly cheap, and neither is much of a return man.
But they are here, which makes WR on what is supposed to be a newly-minted running team one of the most sound positions from a personnel standpoint. Interesting.
The Lions will keep a fifth WR and maybe even a sixth if things fall right on special teams.
That leaves draft pick Ken Moore battling with DeVale Ellis, Brandon Middleton, Reggie Ball, Ron Bellamy and John Standeford. Not much of a battle there. The top two are obviously Moore and Ellis, both of whom have return expierience. Ellis is coming off a wasted year in IR, however, so it waits to be seen how his knee will rebound.
If Ellis is healthy, he and Moore could make for an effective return corps for the Lions, something the team has lacked since the days of Drummond's prime.
Position breakdown:
Starters: Williams, Johnson
Top backups: Furrey, McDonald
Reserves/special teams: Moore, Ellis
Longshots: Bellamy, Middleton, Ball, Standeford
Practice squad candidates: All the longshots
Up next: Defensive secondary
Interesting that WR is one of the positions that the Lions seem to be set at.
That'll happen when you throw four first-round picks into the poition in a five-year span. Luckily, MM resisted this itch this year.
So, the Lions go into the year with yet another new offense to learn, although this one is -- aerially, at least -- similar to the one that Mad Martz ran last year (yes, I realize putting the words "Martz" and "ran" in the same sentence is a rarity).
Roy Williams and Calvin Johnson are your top two is a no-brainer.
With the likelihood of seeing more fullbacks and tight ends on the field this season, the days of four-WR sets are going the way of Eddie Drummond.
So that leaves Mike Furrey and Shaun McDonald battling for the leftovers. Two productive (and not very big) slot receivers, in an offense that will only sometimes employ a 3rd receiver.
That's a nice situation to be in, having some depth and protection against an injury.
But it's also a little expensive, given that McDonald (counting $1.675M against cap) and Furrey ($2.9M) are not exactly cheap, and neither is much of a return man.
But they are here, which makes WR on what is supposed to be a newly-minted running team one of the most sound positions from a personnel standpoint. Interesting.
The Lions will keep a fifth WR and maybe even a sixth if things fall right on special teams.
That leaves draft pick Ken Moore battling with DeVale Ellis, Brandon Middleton, Reggie Ball, Ron Bellamy and John Standeford. Not much of a battle there. The top two are obviously Moore and Ellis, both of whom have return expierience. Ellis is coming off a wasted year in IR, however, so it waits to be seen how his knee will rebound.
If Ellis is healthy, he and Moore could make for an effective return corps for the Lions, something the team has lacked since the days of Drummond's prime.
Position breakdown:
Starters: Williams, Johnson
Top backups: Furrey, McDonald
Reserves/special teams: Moore, Ellis
Longshots: Bellamy, Middleton, Ball, Standeford
Practice squad candidates: All the longshots
Up next: Defensive secondary
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Move along, Favre, move along
Brett Favre, let it go.
You're already all too close to becoming Roger Clemens with this year-in, year-out retirement ludicrousness.
It hasn't ended too well for Clemens.
And neither will it for Brett Favre.
Walk away at the top of your game while you still can and have some of your dignity. Don't be Evander Holyfield, Joe Namath or Willie Mays and stay in too long.
NFL fans have been captivated by you and your boy-ish excitement for the game. Then, for seemingly the last five years, Packer fans had to deal with your off-season child-like behavior as No. 4 couldn't make up his mind whether or not to retire.
Because of this, you forced your franchise to prepare for your inevitable departure. They did this, and have three young, promising signal-callers ready, including Aaron Rogers, who has been patiently waiting for three years since he was a first-round draft pick to get this shot.
The future of the team is Aaron Rodgers, not Favre. They may be able to coax one more solid effort out of No. 4 -- but that could easily come at a cost of driving away their future franchise quarterback.
This is a very awkward situation for both the franchise and Rodgers, who has handled it with much tact and maturity.
Unlike someone.
This is getting as ridiculous as the moronic proceedings of Rich Rodriguez trying to get out of paying up to get out of his West Virginia contract to bail for Michigan.
At least Rodriguez knew when to give up.
Despite what you think, the Packers hold all the cards in this.
They can activate you, sit you on the bench and ask you to relay calls to Rodgers as the most expensive clipboard holder in the NFL.
Then, all you can do is wait for an injury or try to tear the team apart from within. It's your call.
You aren't getting traded. Just give that pipe dream up and accept that you are a lifelong Packer. You are a God in Wisconsin, but that reputation will assuredly take a massive hit if you force a trade or continue with this impetuous tirade of yours. You are a sure-fire Hall of Famer; don't sully that with one mediocre year in Baltimore or Tampa Bay.
There are very few teams out there close to being able to win it all that don't already have an established quarterback, so there's no better situation than the one you bailed out of on March 3.
And none of those other teams are going to offer much to rent an aging quarterback whose desire to play can change from day to day.
In the 2005 and 2006 campaigns, you threw 47 interceptions to just 38 touchdowns. Then, last year, it suddenly bumps up to 28 TDs and 15 picks.
Did you suddenly get better in your late 30s? No. The team around you was better because GM Ted Thompson has drafted exceptionally well, to the point where the Packers signed only one free agent this season -- a backup linebacker -- because they're deep enough that they didn't need to.
Thompson has built a solid all-around team that can win without you.
You retired. The Packers moved on.
Move along, Brett. Go gracefully and sell jeans.
You're already all too close to becoming Roger Clemens with this year-in, year-out retirement ludicrousness.
It hasn't ended too well for Clemens.
And neither will it for Brett Favre.
Walk away at the top of your game while you still can and have some of your dignity. Don't be Evander Holyfield, Joe Namath or Willie Mays and stay in too long.
NFL fans have been captivated by you and your boy-ish excitement for the game. Then, for seemingly the last five years, Packer fans had to deal with your off-season child-like behavior as No. 4 couldn't make up his mind whether or not to retire.
Because of this, you forced your franchise to prepare for your inevitable departure. They did this, and have three young, promising signal-callers ready, including Aaron Rogers, who has been patiently waiting for three years since he was a first-round draft pick to get this shot.
The future of the team is Aaron Rodgers, not Favre. They may be able to coax one more solid effort out of No. 4 -- but that could easily come at a cost of driving away their future franchise quarterback.
This is a very awkward situation for both the franchise and Rodgers, who has handled it with much tact and maturity.
Unlike someone.
This is getting as ridiculous as the moronic proceedings of Rich Rodriguez trying to get out of paying up to get out of his West Virginia contract to bail for Michigan.
At least Rodriguez knew when to give up.
Despite what you think, the Packers hold all the cards in this.
They can activate you, sit you on the bench and ask you to relay calls to Rodgers as the most expensive clipboard holder in the NFL.
Then, all you can do is wait for an injury or try to tear the team apart from within. It's your call.
You aren't getting traded. Just give that pipe dream up and accept that you are a lifelong Packer. You are a God in Wisconsin, but that reputation will assuredly take a massive hit if you force a trade or continue with this impetuous tirade of yours. You are a sure-fire Hall of Famer; don't sully that with one mediocre year in Baltimore or Tampa Bay.
There are very few teams out there close to being able to win it all that don't already have an established quarterback, so there's no better situation than the one you bailed out of on March 3.
And none of those other teams are going to offer much to rent an aging quarterback whose desire to play can change from day to day.
In the 2005 and 2006 campaigns, you threw 47 interceptions to just 38 touchdowns. Then, last year, it suddenly bumps up to 28 TDs and 15 picks.
Did you suddenly get better in your late 30s? No. The team around you was better because GM Ted Thompson has drafted exceptionally well, to the point where the Packers signed only one free agent this season -- a backup linebacker -- because they're deep enough that they didn't need to.
Thompson has built a solid all-around team that can win without you.
You retired. The Packers moved on.
Move along, Brett. Go gracefully and sell jeans.
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