Recently, I was asked to be part of "The Lions Congregation" a roundtable discussion over at RoarofTheLions.com . Click the link for the responses of the other congregants--Al Beaton of The Wayne Fontes Experience, Phil Zaroo of MLive.com, NetRat from Netrat.com and Joshua--the host.
The question this week, the state of the Lions.
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Ahh, the state of the team…
I like to think of myself as a realist, not jaded enough to be a full blown Lions pessimist, yet smart enough about football not to drink the Kool Aid and partake of the cornbread every time a player is picked up.
Still, it is hard to argue about a lot of the moves Mayhew and Co. have made. The addition of Shaun Hill (essentially for nothing more than the signing of Kevin O’Connell last spring) was genius. The fleecing of Atlanta for Chris Houston, reportedly by having him fail his physical, was shrewd if not a full-blown “dick move.” The trade for Corey Williams who would never have signed with Detroit had Cleveland cut him post-draft, was a no-brainer that no one would have thought about before it happened.
That isn’t to say he hasn’t had some help. The scouting background of Schwartz along with the tireless efforts of Shack Harris (who has to be leading the NFL in frequent flier miles) have helped. Prospects like Sammie Lee Hill are missed by lots of teams who don’t send their own scouts to small colleges, the Lions send VPs. The Lions have also been helped by other teams willing to give more than market value for commodities–Dallas to get Roy Williams and Cleveland to get rid of Corey Williams.
For a personnel department becoming known for secrecy, the Lions have done exactly what they’ve said they would do. The Lions added a few bigger names early–Williams, Burleson, Vanden Bosch, and are improving the depth with some shrewd signings of familiar players like Landon Johnson and Caleb Campbell (thanks Uncle Sam).
Yet, this team will be built through youth and the Lions have done themselves a service by turning lower draftpicks into players ill-suited for their old schemes. At 30, Corey Williams could have five or six more years of football left and Chris Houston could play for twice that. The youth movement continues with the flirtation of Pacman Jones who is a surprising 26.
What’s left? Even if Pacman is added, the coaching staff can’t be satisfied with he and Houston starting games. The Lions are likely to add one, if not two, defensive backs into that porous secondary. Jim Schwartz went on the record saying a defensive lineman is likely at number two, but if a trade down is possibly, Mayhew will pull the trigger. In that case, the Lions could look at Okung, Berry, or even Haden depending on the spot.
I expect a few more free agency signings pre-draft and more post draft as the Lions continue to build a roster, almost like an expansion team. What is clear is that Mayhew will turn over every stone to find talent which is a departure from the Millen era where the Lions GM didn’t even live in Michigan, let alone do the amount of work this personnel staff has done.
Michael Schottey operates Blue And Silver Pride and is a Detroit Lions featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He also serves as a team correspondent for DraftTek.com and is a guest blogger for Mlive's Highlight Reel. Check out his Podcasts and add him on Twitter!
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