The season is finally over for the Detroit Lions. Now we as fans look to the future and leave what occurred this season in the past. Obviously, with a 4-12 record, there is plenty of holes on the roster, but an NFL franchise can only do so much in one offseason. There is, however, plenty that the front office can do and should do to improve this roster. I am no general manager by any means, but here is the direction Martin Mayhew and company should take this offseason to get the Lions back to the playoffs.
Step 1.) Re-sign current players: The team shouldn't re-sign every player they have like they did last year, but they should try and keep a handful of players. Here is a list of what players should be brought back for 2013, probably for smaller contracts: S Louis Delmas, LB DeAndre Levy, CB Chris Houston, DE Willie Young, DE Lawrence Jackson, WR Kassim Osgood, CB Drayton Florence, DT Sammie Hill, K Jason Hanson, and TE Will Heller. All would be small signings mostly starters and key reserves. Chris Houston could require a larger contract, but he does deserve it after how he has perform the last two seasons. The Lions could place the franchise tag on Delmas or Levy, possibly Delmas because the franchise tender for safeties is much cheaper financially for this season. The rest are key reserves such as Willie Young and Lawrence Jackson, Sammie Hill, Drayton Florence and Will Heller. Re-sign Hanson and Osgood for special teams. The team might also want to get into talks with quarterback Matthew Stafford on terms of an extension.
Step 2.) Release some current players: Now that the re-signing period is over, let many players walk or release them to save cap room and upgrade their positions. The following players are to whom I am referring to: DE Cliff Avril, DE Kyle Vanden Bosch, DT Corey Williams, G Stephen Peterman, and LB Justin Durant. Vanden Bosch and Williams have been good mentors to many young players on the defensive line, but their roles will be diminished with the emergence of players like Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley and the dire need to upgrade the pass rush. Peterman must be upgraded on the interior offensive line and he has a larger contract the Lions should take off of the books. I could also list center Dominic Raiola on this list, but I doubt the Lions manage to upgrade both guard and center this offseason. Avril and Durant, although the stats show they had solid years, actually played very poorly and don't deserve to be re-signed. Avril deserves his walking papers after holding out for a large contract, before settling on his franchise tender for $10.6 million, and then having as poor of a season as he had. If the Lions don't manage to upgrade linebacker, then Durant would be welcomed back as sort of a stop gap. The plan was also to have wide receiver Nate Burleson on this list due to his large contract. However, the plan has changed for the Lions to keep all of their receiving weapons and Burleson is open to a pay cut to stay with the team.
Step 3.) Free Agency period: Like last offseason, I wouldn't expect much coming from the Lions organization in free agency. That doesn't mean they will or should stand pat. Free agents the Lions should target: Bills S Jairus Byrd, Dolphins RB Reggie Bush, and Giants DE Osi Umenyiora. Byrd is in the mold of Ed Reed and gets interceptions for his team. Byrd should be priority number one. Bush gives that speed presence in the backfield that can help create a three-headed monster at running back with Mikel Leshoure and Joique Bell. Umenyiora, like Vanden Bosch, is aging and his craft could be diminished. However, he could be a stop gap for the Lions as he is still a good pass rusher and fits what the Lions are looking for, he forces turnovers. If the Lions don't manage to land Bush or Umenyiora, then there is no problems, but they must make an attempt to sign Byrd.
Step 4.) The Draft: Finally, I shall take a look at the Lions draft and whom they should target with each of their picks. There are three needs the Lions must address in this draft: a pass rushing defensive end, an athletic linebacker, and a stout interior offensive lineman. A 4-12 season means the team picks high in the draft, and they do picking fifth overall. There should be some real good defensive talent when Detroit selects, such as Notre Dame LB Manti Teo, Florida State DE Bjoern Werner, and Texas A&M DE/OLB Damontre Moore. With three players like that and also the possibility of having Georgia linebacker Jarvis Jones on the board makes the selection at five a tough one, but there is no way that the Lions can miss on any of those prospects. I would not be surprised to see the Lions trade back though, but the only route the team can go after that is selecting Alabama guard Chance Warmack when they select following the trade. the team must also get a very good deal in order to trade back, but the top prospects seem to be very appealing. The fifth overall pick also means a high second round pick too. The prospects get thin around this area. Alabama center Barrett Jones would be the best pick. Jones would upgrade the interior line but can also play all five positions on the offensive line. The other prospect to keep an eye on is Stanford LB Shane Skov. Skov has recent knee troubles, but is very athletic. The third round gets even tougher in evaluating talent. The prospects that might be worth it here are Michigan State DE William Gholston and Kentucky G Larry Warford. After no pick in the fourth round, the Lions should spend the rest of their picks just building the depth of the team after more free agents will leave and to help special teams more.
No one is to say this is what direction the team goes, but the Lions must take action towards some of these plans to improve so 4-12 doesn't happen again.
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Grading the Lions
As Lions fans, I think we can all say thank goodness the 2012 season is finally over. A season where the Lions were expected to perform well, they finished a very disapointing 4-12.
This post is merely a prerequisite for a future post for me to break down the keys to this offseason. I will break down each unit on the team as I did before the season started and find out what the weaknesses and the strengths are to find improvements.
Quarterbacks: B-/C+: Stuck here for a grade because Matthew Stafford did end up 33 yards short of his second straight 5000 yard season. Stafford has much to improve on. This is not a mechanical problem, he just needs to stop being lazy with his throws. Needs to get on page with the receivers not named Calvin Johnson. In fact, he wasn't exactly on page with Johnson for much of the season. Simple improvements that do need to be made for the Lions to get back to being successful.
Running Backs: B: Not fair to judge the running backs when they don't have a good offensive line in front of them. Mikel Leshoure could, however, cut out some of the fumbles he had this season, as he had three lost fumbles at crucial times when the Lions were trying to score. Leshoure was able to cut very well after coming off an Achilles Tendon tear. Joique Bell was a nice little find by GM Martin Mayhew. Bell played with determination, which helped him be successful this season, and he will only get better.
Receivers: C: Should be graded lower because of all the drops and sometimes lazy route running, but when one of the receivers breaks an NFL record, the grade should be a little more lenient. As I said, drops really plagued this unit for the most part. It is not just on Stafford to get on the same page, the receivers must do their part as well.
Offensive line: C-: Nothing changed from a season ago, which means they were still not that great. Run blocking remains to be a problem. Center Dominic Raiola and guards Stephen Peterman and Rob Sims struggled to get a push on the interior line. Left tackle Jeff Backus' age appears to be catching up with him, although he still did have a solid season. Rookie Riley Reiff started one game at left tackle, but was only brought in as an extra blocker for much of the season. Reiff should be exciting to see when he takes over the full time job at left tackle.
Defensive Line: D+: Only a D+ because of the great season from defensive tackles Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley. The duo combined for 13.5 sacks and made it tough for opponents to run the ball up the middle. Sammie Hill and Corey Williams also had solid seasons on the interior. The rest of the defensive line, however, this was a terrible effort from them. Defensive end Cliff Avril proved that he was overpaid this last offseason, as he was dominated consistently by opposing tackles. Kyle Vanden Bosch should be set to retire, because his craft has diminished. Willie Young and Lawrence Jackson didn't meet expectations as well coming off the bench. All four of the ends struggled against the run and never got a consistent pass rush even with the one-on-one situations thanks to Suh and Fairley. The Lions must find a defensive end that can set the edge and can consistently get to the quarterback.
Linebackers: F: By far the worst unit this season. Statistically, the three starters of DeAndre Levy, Stephen Tulloch and Justin Durant did alright. But, if you put on the game film, you will see that the linebackers weren't very good this season. None of the linebackers could blitz, fill gaps or make any explosive plays. Levy probably did the best of the three, but took bad angles in some situations and lacks explosiveness. Tulloch would leave the middle of the field wide open on some plays, and opposing quarterbacks of course took advantage. That leaves Durant. Durant had a very poor season and really does not deserve to return after how he played. Missed tackles, poor angles, terrible blitzing, never filled gaps well, and, like Tulloch, left the middle of the field open for offenses. Put in the film in the game against the Indianapolis Colts. The final play of the game, Durant left the field wide open for Colts quarterback Andrew Luck to find receiver Donnie Avery to run into the endzone from ten yards out to cap the 35-33 win for Indy. That area Avery ran threw was Durant's area, and to top it off, he didn't even come close to making a game saving tackle. That play is just an example of how poorly the linebacking corps played and how they affected the season.
Secondary: B-: A surprise to many, but the secondary did very well considering the injuries and youth in the back-end. That and of course the lack of a pass rush to help them out. Chris Houston had an outstanding season. Veteran Drayton Florence gave some help at cornerback as well. Rookie 3rd round pick Dwight Bentley only played in four games, so it is not fair to judge him based on that. Rookie 6th round pick Jonte Green, however, played very well and was perhaps the Lions team rookie-of-the-year. Safety was hit by the injury bug hard, as Louis Delmas struggled to stay healthy as he has his entire career. Amari Spievey didn't play much this season. Ricardo Silva did play very well when he played but ultimately also fell victim to injury. Safety did affect the team's performance, but it didn't help when the team is looking to the streets to fill the spot on the field. The corps group could use more grooming, but should be a solid one in the future.
Specialists: D+: The Lions became the first team in NFL history to allow a kick and punt return for a touchdown in the same game in back-to-back weeks. Even though the coverage units did improve over the course of the season, it didn't prevent a bad grade to the unit. Returns continue to be a problem for the team. Returner Stefon Logan's season can be described as having a one or two good returns early in the season, but was just plain awful for the rest of it. Fumbles, especially on fair catches somehow, bad decisions and lack of vision costed the Lions any chance of impact from the special teams. The Lions must find a kick returner for the special teams to get better.
This post is merely a prerequisite for a future post for me to break down the keys to this offseason. I will break down each unit on the team as I did before the season started and find out what the weaknesses and the strengths are to find improvements.
Quarterbacks: B-/C+: Stuck here for a grade because Matthew Stafford did end up 33 yards short of his second straight 5000 yard season. Stafford has much to improve on. This is not a mechanical problem, he just needs to stop being lazy with his throws. Needs to get on page with the receivers not named Calvin Johnson. In fact, he wasn't exactly on page with Johnson for much of the season. Simple improvements that do need to be made for the Lions to get back to being successful.
Running Backs: B: Not fair to judge the running backs when they don't have a good offensive line in front of them. Mikel Leshoure could, however, cut out some of the fumbles he had this season, as he had three lost fumbles at crucial times when the Lions were trying to score. Leshoure was able to cut very well after coming off an Achilles Tendon tear. Joique Bell was a nice little find by GM Martin Mayhew. Bell played with determination, which helped him be successful this season, and he will only get better.
Receivers: C: Should be graded lower because of all the drops and sometimes lazy route running, but when one of the receivers breaks an NFL record, the grade should be a little more lenient. As I said, drops really plagued this unit for the most part. It is not just on Stafford to get on the same page, the receivers must do their part as well.
Offensive line: C-: Nothing changed from a season ago, which means they were still not that great. Run blocking remains to be a problem. Center Dominic Raiola and guards Stephen Peterman and Rob Sims struggled to get a push on the interior line. Left tackle Jeff Backus' age appears to be catching up with him, although he still did have a solid season. Rookie Riley Reiff started one game at left tackle, but was only brought in as an extra blocker for much of the season. Reiff should be exciting to see when he takes over the full time job at left tackle.
Defensive Line: D+: Only a D+ because of the great season from defensive tackles Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley. The duo combined for 13.5 sacks and made it tough for opponents to run the ball up the middle. Sammie Hill and Corey Williams also had solid seasons on the interior. The rest of the defensive line, however, this was a terrible effort from them. Defensive end Cliff Avril proved that he was overpaid this last offseason, as he was dominated consistently by opposing tackles. Kyle Vanden Bosch should be set to retire, because his craft has diminished. Willie Young and Lawrence Jackson didn't meet expectations as well coming off the bench. All four of the ends struggled against the run and never got a consistent pass rush even with the one-on-one situations thanks to Suh and Fairley. The Lions must find a defensive end that can set the edge and can consistently get to the quarterback.
Linebackers: F: By far the worst unit this season. Statistically, the three starters of DeAndre Levy, Stephen Tulloch and Justin Durant did alright. But, if you put on the game film, you will see that the linebackers weren't very good this season. None of the linebackers could blitz, fill gaps or make any explosive plays. Levy probably did the best of the three, but took bad angles in some situations and lacks explosiveness. Tulloch would leave the middle of the field wide open on some plays, and opposing quarterbacks of course took advantage. That leaves Durant. Durant had a very poor season and really does not deserve to return after how he played. Missed tackles, poor angles, terrible blitzing, never filled gaps well, and, like Tulloch, left the middle of the field open for offenses. Put in the film in the game against the Indianapolis Colts. The final play of the game, Durant left the field wide open for Colts quarterback Andrew Luck to find receiver Donnie Avery to run into the endzone from ten yards out to cap the 35-33 win for Indy. That area Avery ran threw was Durant's area, and to top it off, he didn't even come close to making a game saving tackle. That play is just an example of how poorly the linebacking corps played and how they affected the season.
Secondary: B-: A surprise to many, but the secondary did very well considering the injuries and youth in the back-end. That and of course the lack of a pass rush to help them out. Chris Houston had an outstanding season. Veteran Drayton Florence gave some help at cornerback as well. Rookie 3rd round pick Dwight Bentley only played in four games, so it is not fair to judge him based on that. Rookie 6th round pick Jonte Green, however, played very well and was perhaps the Lions team rookie-of-the-year. Safety was hit by the injury bug hard, as Louis Delmas struggled to stay healthy as he has his entire career. Amari Spievey didn't play much this season. Ricardo Silva did play very well when he played but ultimately also fell victim to injury. Safety did affect the team's performance, but it didn't help when the team is looking to the streets to fill the spot on the field. The corps group could use more grooming, but should be a solid one in the future.
Specialists: D+: The Lions became the first team in NFL history to allow a kick and punt return for a touchdown in the same game in back-to-back weeks. Even though the coverage units did improve over the course of the season, it didn't prevent a bad grade to the unit. Returns continue to be a problem for the team. Returner Stefon Logan's season can be described as having a one or two good returns early in the season, but was just plain awful for the rest of it. Fumbles, especially on fair catches somehow, bad decisions and lack of vision costed the Lions any chance of impact from the special teams. The Lions must find a kick returner for the special teams to get better.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Early mock draft.
Yes, the NFL season just ended yesterday and the playoffs are just about to start, but I thought I would take a moment and mock the NFL's future by getting an early mock of the first ten picks of the draft before the combine. This will be a test to see if these picks will stand after the combine. This will be only the first ten picks and analysis behind each pick.
1. Kansas City Chiefs- Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia: Although Smith has had a tough season at West Virginia this season and may have hurt his draft stock, but the Chiefs need to take him for the franchise. They need to make a statement by finding the franchise quarterback. Smith has a very strong arm and was very accurate prior to the mid-season struggles. The Chiefs have struggled in many places, particularly at quarterback, and they might have their man in Smith.
2. Jacksonville Jaguars- Matt Barkley, QB, USC: Same situation as Kansas City with Geno Smith. Barkley had a bad senior season at USC, but the Jaguars need to make the same statement as a franchise with the quarterback position. Regardless of Tim Tebow rumors, the Jaguars need to find their signal caller for the franchise because Blaine Gabbert is just sunk cost at this point.
3. Oakland Raiders- Jarvis Jones, DE/OLB, Georgia: The Raiders are in a good position to take anyone they please with the first two picks taking quarterbacks. Jones is the best player available and can fit the Raiders. Oakland might use him like Denver uses Von Miller, a pass rushing linebacker in a 4-3 scheme. Using Jones in this way might work since head coach Dennis Allen was the Broncos defensive coordinator in Von Miller's rookie season in 2011.
4. Philadelphia Eagles- Luke Joeckel, OT, Texas A&M: After what occurred this last season to the Eagles up front, they must address the offensive line. Jason Peters is now in question after coming off an Achilles Tendon tear, so the best tackle prospect in Joeckel will be the best fit for the Eagles. The quarterbacks in this class makes it obvious for the Eagles to address the offensive line while they still can.
5. Detroit Lions- Manti Teo, LB, Notre Dame: Many areas the Lions could address with the fifth pick. The Lions could really use a pass rusher here, and it wouldn't hurt to take the ones on the board, but Teo fits the criteria for the best player available strategy. Teo is an athletic and explosive linebacker that can help solidify the front seven in Detroit. Could be the next superstar at linebacker.
6. Cleveland Browns- Damontre Moore, DE/OLB, Texas A&M: Following the best player available could be the Browns who might find time to take a pass rusher. No real offensive weapons to take here, so Cleveland might as well. Moore fits more of a 3-4 outside linebacker, but can also be suited having his hand in the dirt in the 4-3.
7. Arizona Cardinals- Taylor Lewan, OT, Michigan: Could be a reach, but after how Lewan performed in the Outback Bowl against Jadeveon Clowney could raise his stock very much. Arizona needs to protect the quarterback before they can get a fair evaluation on the quarterbacks they have. Lewan is a start, but it won't save the offensive line.
8. Buffalo Bills- Star Lotulelei, DT, Utah: Buffalo already has a lot invested in the defensive line with using the 3rd overall pick in 2011 on DT Marcell Dareus and big contracts to DEs Mario Williams and Mark Anderson. However, how is it possible to have that much invested and still rank dead last in the league in rushing defense? Luckily, the Bills have a chance to take the top defensive tackle on the board who could go higher than 8th. Lotulelei could help create one of the most dominant and deepest defensive lines in the league.
9. New York Jets- Barkevious Mingo, DE/OLB, LSU: Many needs for the Jets, but no quarterback for them to take. So the Jets continue to find that elite pass rusher to build the defense. Mingo has been falling as of late, but could still find his way in this position. Either way, the team would still find more ways to use him than Tim Tebow.
10. Tennessee Titans- Bjoern Werner, DE, Florida State: The Titans are in a bad spot when they need to improve the offense. No offensive lineman or tight ends worthy of drafting here, so luckily Bjoern Werner is on the board. The Titans might not think they need pass rushers, but you can never have enough pass rushers.
1. Kansas City Chiefs- Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia: Although Smith has had a tough season at West Virginia this season and may have hurt his draft stock, but the Chiefs need to take him for the franchise. They need to make a statement by finding the franchise quarterback. Smith has a very strong arm and was very accurate prior to the mid-season struggles. The Chiefs have struggled in many places, particularly at quarterback, and they might have their man in Smith.
2. Jacksonville Jaguars- Matt Barkley, QB, USC: Same situation as Kansas City with Geno Smith. Barkley had a bad senior season at USC, but the Jaguars need to make the same statement as a franchise with the quarterback position. Regardless of Tim Tebow rumors, the Jaguars need to find their signal caller for the franchise because Blaine Gabbert is just sunk cost at this point.
3. Oakland Raiders- Jarvis Jones, DE/OLB, Georgia: The Raiders are in a good position to take anyone they please with the first two picks taking quarterbacks. Jones is the best player available and can fit the Raiders. Oakland might use him like Denver uses Von Miller, a pass rushing linebacker in a 4-3 scheme. Using Jones in this way might work since head coach Dennis Allen was the Broncos defensive coordinator in Von Miller's rookie season in 2011.
4. Philadelphia Eagles- Luke Joeckel, OT, Texas A&M: After what occurred this last season to the Eagles up front, they must address the offensive line. Jason Peters is now in question after coming off an Achilles Tendon tear, so the best tackle prospect in Joeckel will be the best fit for the Eagles. The quarterbacks in this class makes it obvious for the Eagles to address the offensive line while they still can.
5. Detroit Lions- Manti Teo, LB, Notre Dame: Many areas the Lions could address with the fifth pick. The Lions could really use a pass rusher here, and it wouldn't hurt to take the ones on the board, but Teo fits the criteria for the best player available strategy. Teo is an athletic and explosive linebacker that can help solidify the front seven in Detroit. Could be the next superstar at linebacker.
6. Cleveland Browns- Damontre Moore, DE/OLB, Texas A&M: Following the best player available could be the Browns who might find time to take a pass rusher. No real offensive weapons to take here, so Cleveland might as well. Moore fits more of a 3-4 outside linebacker, but can also be suited having his hand in the dirt in the 4-3.
7. Arizona Cardinals- Taylor Lewan, OT, Michigan: Could be a reach, but after how Lewan performed in the Outback Bowl against Jadeveon Clowney could raise his stock very much. Arizona needs to protect the quarterback before they can get a fair evaluation on the quarterbacks they have. Lewan is a start, but it won't save the offensive line.
8. Buffalo Bills- Star Lotulelei, DT, Utah: Buffalo already has a lot invested in the defensive line with using the 3rd overall pick in 2011 on DT Marcell Dareus and big contracts to DEs Mario Williams and Mark Anderson. However, how is it possible to have that much invested and still rank dead last in the league in rushing defense? Luckily, the Bills have a chance to take the top defensive tackle on the board who could go higher than 8th. Lotulelei could help create one of the most dominant and deepest defensive lines in the league.
9. New York Jets- Barkevious Mingo, DE/OLB, LSU: Many needs for the Jets, but no quarterback for them to take. So the Jets continue to find that elite pass rusher to build the defense. Mingo has been falling as of late, but could still find his way in this position. Either way, the team would still find more ways to use him than Tim Tebow.
10. Tennessee Titans- Bjoern Werner, DE, Florida State: The Titans are in a bad spot when they need to improve the offense. No offensive lineman or tight ends worthy of drafting here, so luckily Bjoern Werner is on the board. The Titans might not think they need pass rushers, but you can never have enough pass rushers.
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