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Post by Big Bri on Jan 9, 2012 10:22:38 GMT -5
I see a cat super bowl soon, very soon. LIONS vs. Bengals...... These teams have done major builds and are primed for dominance. Funny you should mention that. One of my good friends is a Bengals fan. We couldn't believe both the Bengals and Lions were in the playoffs. He joked that if they both made it to the Super Bowl it would probably be the first one in history to be blacked out on TV, LOL. Great season for both teams, and I hope you're right on that prediction! |
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Post by swarm on Jan 19, 2012 8:09:40 GMT -5
Looking ahead into the off-season -
The Lions have 18 of their 22 starters under contract for next season.
QB Matthew Stafford will be 24 next year. WR Calvin Johnson will be 27. The defensive is anchored by three 25-year-olds, DT Ndamukong Suh, DE Cliff Avril and FS Louis Delmas.
There is a workable mix of youth and experience throughout the roster. The days of annual roster upheaval are over for the Lions. Still, general manager Martin Mayhew faces a daunting offseason.
Gaping holes in the defense were exposed and exploited late in the season by the Packers and the Saints. The run game and the secondary were clearly deficient. There is some aging issues on the offensive and defensive lines, and some durability and depth issues at linebacker and safety.
The heavy lifting is over, though. The reconstruction is just about complete. Mayhew now must fortify some existing components (with long-term contracts) while upgrading others.
Avril, LT Jeff Backus, MLB Stephen Tulloch and CB Eric Wright -- all starters -- will be unrestricted free agents.
In addition, Johnson will be entering the final year of his contract and will occupy nearly $20 million on the cap. Mayhew would probably love to restructure that final year into a long-term extension.
If he can do that, then he would have a better idea what he can spend on the rest of the free agents.
Backus, 34, had surgery Monday to repair a torn bicep muscle. He is expected to re-sign for one more season, but the injury could cloud things.
The Lions don't have a lot of salary-cap space to spend on free agents, although they could decide to cut some payroll by releasing high-priced veterans (WR Nate Burleson, DT Corey Williams) though that seems unlikely.
"There are tougher decisions when you're trying to figure out how you're going to keep all your good players then how you're going to get rid of all your bad players," Schwartz said. "Honestly, that's the difference between a couple years ago and now. But if you keep drafting well, you keep signing good free agents, you develop young players -- you're going to have some of those decisions."
UNIT BY UNIT ANALYSIS
QUARTERBACK
Starter -- Matthew Stafford. Backups -- Shaun Hill, Drew Stanton.
Stafford answered all the questions about whether or not he is a franchise quarterback. In rewriting the single-season record book in Detroit, he proved he was durable enough, intelligent enough, accurate enough and tough enough. He threw for more than 5,000 yards and 40 touchdowns.
Shaun Hill and Drew Stanton are both free agents. Both have indicated they want to stay, but Hill, 32, could draw some attention on the free agent market. This would be his last opportunity to seek a starting job. If Hill goes, Stanton would re-sign and fight for the No. 2 spot.
RUNNING BACKS
Starter -- Kevin Smith. Backups -- Maurice Morris, Keiland Williams, Joique Bell. Injured reserve -- Jahvid Best and Mikel Leshoure.
Best and Leshoure were expected to give the Lions an inside-outside threat similar to what Pierre Thomas and Darren Sproles gave New Orleans. Leshoure tore his Achilles in training camp and Best sustained two concussions in October, the last in Week 6. His 390 yards still led the team, an indication of how far the run game sagged in his absence.
Both are expected to return when offseason work begins in April.
Kevin Smith was a great comeback story. Released by the Lions, unable to find work for the first half of the season, he was signed during the bye week and he wound up being the starter and had some productive moments (career-best 140 yards against Carolina). But the same issue that has plagued him his entire career -- unable to stay healthy -- bit him again. It's not likely the Lions want to go into 2012 with Smith as their No. 1.
Bell was signed off the Saints practice squad late in the season and given a two-year deal. They will give Bell every opportunity to prove he can be productive at this level. Maurice Morris has been a valuable and trustworthy player both in the backfield and on special teams, but he's going to be 33 and will be a free agent. Keiland Williams is under contract for 2012 and could be brought to camp, but he never won the trust of the coaching staff this season.
TIGHT ENDS
Starter -- Brandon Pettigrew. Backups -- Tony Scheffler and Will Heller.
This is probably as set as any position group on the team. Pettigrew broke his own single-season records for catches and yards. He was, for all intents and purposes, the Lions' run game. Their ground attack consisted of short, safe passes to Pettigrew.
All Scheffler did was catch touchdown passes. He had a career-high six touchdowns in 27 receptions. The Lions used mostly three-receiver and two-tight-end sets after Best was injured. Heller, who started and scored a touchdown against the Saints in the playoff game, was the team's H-back and a key special teams player.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Starters -- Calvin Johnson, Nate Burleson and Titus Young. Backups -- Rashied Davis, Maurice Stovall, Stefan Logan.
Critics wondered how good Johnson could be if he had a quality quarterback throwing to him. How's this -- 96 catches, 1,681 yards, 16 touchdowns. He saw every kind of junk coverage and tilted defense imaginable and he still managed to be that productive. The worry, though, is that his contract is up after 2012. His cap number is close to $20 million for next year, so it would behoove the Lions to work out a long-term deal for him now.
Burleson and Young gave offensive coordinator Scott Linehan what he's been yearning for the last two seasons -- complementary weapons to make teams pay for over-covering Johnson. Both started slow but finished fast. Combined, they produced 121 catches, 1,364 yards and nine touchdowns.
Davis and Stovall were primarily used on special teams. Stovall was a bit of a disappointment. He had some drops early and the coaching staff lost confidence in him. Both are free agents, but the Lions will work to bring Davis back.
Logan, aside from his return work, was used as a wide out and a running back.
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN
Starters -- LT Jeff Backus, LG Rob Sims, C Dominic Raiola, RG Stephen Peterman, RT Gosder Cherilus. Backups -- RT Corey Hilliard, G-C Dylan Gandy, G Leonard Davis. Injured reserve -- LT Jason Fox, G-T Johnny Culbreath.
It has been a long time since a Lions' offensive line stayed intact from Week 1 through Week 18. The blip on the line's perfect attendance was Week 2 when Cherilus was benched.
The first order of business will be at left tackle. Backus' contract is up and it was generally believed that he would come back for at least one more season, but he's battled some injuries this season. The most recent came in the last two weeks when he injured a bicep muscle.
The Lions don't have anybody ready to step into the all-important left tackle spot. Fox is believed to be the heir apparent, but his last two seasons have been marred by surgeries. He will be ready to compete this summer.
The rest of the starters will be back, as will reserve guard-center Gandy, but the Lions will have to make a decision on tackle Hilliard. He's been the primary back-up the last two seasons and there will be a market for him elsewhere.
Davis is also a free agent. He never cracked the active roster this season and it's doubtful he'd return to a backup role.
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN
Starters -- DE Cliff Avril, DT Ndamukong Suh, DT Corey Williams, DE Kyle Vanden Bosch. Backups -- DEs Willie Young, Lawrence Jackson, DTs Sammie Hill, Nick Fairley, Andre Fluellen.
The Lions have put a premium on signing Avril, an unrestricted free agent who is coming off the best season of his career. Although Young was one of the most improved players on the team this season, there is still a big gap between him and Avril.
Suh said the words "sophomore slump" were not in his vocabulary, but that's exactly what he had. His sacks went from 10 to 4, his tackles from 66 to 34 and his reputation went from exciting young talent to dirty player. He still demanded a double-team every game and had an impact on the games, but he will be looking for a redemptive season in 2012.
Fairley, though he battled the foot injury all season, had his moments. He was explosive off the ball, even with the injury. He should be a force next season.
Williams and Hill were both steady and dependable. Hill would start for a lot of teams.
Vanden Bosch, coming off neck surgery and 34 years old, had eight sacks and four forced fumbles. Jackson, despite missing five games with a thigh injury, had 4.5 sacks. So the Lions produced 12.5 sacks off the right end.
Fluellen, who filled in at both tackle and end, is a free agent.
LINEBACKERS
Starters -- OLB Justin Durant, MLB Stephen Tulloch, OLB DeAndre Levy. Backups -- OLBs Bobby Carpenter, Doug Hogue, MLB Ashlee Palmer. Injured reserve -- Isaiah Ekejiuba.
This unit was much improved over last year, especially because of Tulloch (team-high 111 tackles) and Durant (68). Those two added a speed and tenacity that was missing the last couple of years.
But there are still some concerns. For one, Tulloch is unrestricted. He was signed to a one-year deal last year. All indications are he wants to be back in Detroit, but with Avril's and possibly Johnson's deals to work out, you never know if his price can be met.
If he did leave, Levy would move back to the middle. Levy seemed somewhat miscast as an outside linebacker. He was good in the run game for the most part (107 tackles) but he was suspect in coverage. He seems better suited to defend in shorter spaces.
The Lions will be looking to upgrade at outside linebacker. Carpenter, unrestricted, isn't expected back and Hogue is still a year or two away from being able to contribute on defense.
Palmer, a key special teams player and a heavy hitter, could be in the mix at either inside or outside linebacker next season.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
Starters -- LCB Chris Houston, RCB Eric Wright. FS Louis Delmas, SS Amari Spievey. Backups -- CBs Aaron Berry, Alphonso Smith, Brandon McDonald, Don Carey; S Chris Harris, John Wendling, Ricardo Silva. Injured reserve -- S Erik Coleman.
This will be a point of emphasis for GM Martin Mayhew this offseason. Houston had a career season (five interceptions, two touchdowns) but for the second straight season he was bothered by a dislocation of the same shoulder. He also had an MCL tear that cost him parts of three games.
He has the talent to be a shut-down corner, but perhaps not the durability.
On the right side, Wright had a mostly solid year (four interceptions, 73 tackles), but he may be best suited as a slot defender in the nickel package. He is also unrestricted and probably won't get the money he's looking for from the Lions.
Berry and Smith are both under contract and shown flashes of brilliance. In a perfect world, they would be providing depth at corner next season, not starting.
Carey is a special teams player and McDonald probably won't be back.
Durability is becoming a concern for Delmas, too. He plays so hard and recklessly, he's yet to play a season at full strength. Spievey, though he's come a long way in two seasons, still makes too many mistakes, often at critical moments.
Wendling is a gunner on special teams and Silva, a rookie, was added to the 53-man roster as insurance when Delmas was injured.
The Lions will be looking to upgrade the strong safety and right cornerback spots this offseason.
SPECIAL TEAMS
K -- Jason Hanson, P Ben Graham, KOR-PR Stefan Logan, LS -- Don Muhlbach. Injured reserve -- P Ryan Donahue.
At 41, Hanson had another productive season. He was 24 of 29 on his field goals, hitting 5 of 7 from 50 yards or longer. And he did that with three different holders.
The Lions will have another camp battle next year at punter. Graham, the Aussie rules veteran, was extremely effective with his directional kicking the final seven games. He doesn't punt the ball the farthest, but he can stick it in either corner. He dropped 10 inside the 20.
Donahue, 23, injured his quad after Week 8, but the rookie beat out veteran Nick Harris because of his range. He had a 60-yarder in his first game. The Lions will give him every opportunity to reclaim his job.
Logan wasn't as productive as he was in 2010. The new kickoff rules certainly were part of it, but he seemed to lose a step. Although he has another year on his contract, the Lions may open up the return jobs in the spring. Titus Young could get a look, as could Joique Bell.
Muhlbach, who has been with the Lions for eight seasons, is a free agent. He hasn't made a bad snap in his career, so it's hard to fathom the Lions not re-signing him.
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Post by Big Bri on Jan 19, 2012 8:36:32 GMT -5
Thanks for the update Swarm. They'd be idiots not give Calvin a new deal immediately.
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Post by swarm on Jan 25, 2012 9:38:17 GMT -5
WR Johnson ready for contract talks
WR Calvin Johnson confirmed he expects to negotiate with the Lions about a contract extension this offseason. "We're going to have some talks soon, and hopefully get things rolling," he told ESPN’s Jim Rome show Monday. Johnson is entering the final year of his contract with Detroit.
Coaching staff likely to remain intact
With Lions’ position coaches Tim Walton and Shawn Jefferson expected to remain in Detroit, Jim Schwartz’ 2011 staff will remain almost completely intact heading into offseason workouts. GM Martin Mayhew’s efficient -- and successful -- contract negotiations with Lions’ coaches supports his assertion that maintaining staff continuity is vital to Detroit’s 2012 plans.
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In a time when several teams are re-hiring HC's (only Schwartz and Fat Rex remain from the 6 new HC's hired 4 years ago) and switching out coordinators right and left, the Lions are keeping the band together. Mayhew might be one of the very best GM's in the league right now. He hits on the draft, with trades and now with keeping the guys he gets. Consistency is key when you are winning. Entering the year with many of the same starters and all the coaches automatically puts any team like that 20 steps ahead of others making drastic changes (Packers/Bears for example). Feeling very good about the 2013 Lions right now.
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Post by swarm on Jan 29, 2012 10:36:33 GMT -5
Not surprisingly, reports say Jahvid Best's NFL career is over, and he will never play again. Concussions are a very real threat, and the Lions knew what they were getting into when they drafted him.
Mikel Leshoure is expected back but the fact is he suffered a career-threatening type of injury his rookie season and he has yet to play 1 down in the NFL. Not even a pre-season game. Kevin Smith is injury prone himself.
The Lions are absolutely a throwing team but as these playoffs showed us, you gotta be able to run the ball. So here is a quick look at possible RB possibilities for the Lions this year.
draft -
The top prize is Trent Richardson 5-11, 224 lb. truck from Alabama. The Lions showed last year they are not against trying to trade up into the top 5 for the player they want most (almost coming close to a deal with AZ to take CB Peterson from LSU last season) so you can't rule anything out. Would take a lot though, and if it's similar to what ATL coughed up for Julio Jones, it's not worth it.
Lamar Miller 5-11, 212, Miami (Fla.) is a guy I really like a lot and would be happy to see the Lions take in the 1st round. I think Miller slips into the 20's where he is a realistic possibility.
after this I don't have a real good grasp on the other backs coming out this year. On paper Chris Polk from Washington looks like a beast but I haven't seen any tape on him. There's another guy from Boise State...not sure about that cause of the way they run their offense. Then a guy from VT who seem to churn out average to below average backs every year.
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Post by Big Bri on Feb 2, 2012 22:04:09 GMT -5
Thanks for the update. Too bad about Best, and yes, we need to definitely up the running game.
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jcr48
Fighting Titan
Posts: 400
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Post by jcr48 on Feb 3, 2012 23:38:32 GMT -5
The DirecTV Beach Bowl is Saturday and Matthew Stafford is coaching one of the teams. He didn't win in the playoffs but maybe he can pull off a win here. Hopefully he can concentrate on his coaching duties with super hot babes Nina Dobrev and Erin Andrews on his team!
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Post by swarm on Mar 14, 2012 11:12:44 GMT -5
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Mar 14, 2012 11:48:51 GMT -5
Come a long way since the Matt Millen debacle days.
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Post by Big Bri on Mar 15, 2012 0:26:08 GMT -5
Come a long way since the Matt Millen debacle days. DAMN STRAIGHT! Great news! |
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