... do indeed need to figure out what they are going to be. To me, they look like a classic Denver-type team in the making: Let them run (except for Monroe; let him lope), add a high-powered two and three via trade, FA or draft, and let them do it, thusly. (R) = Resigned free agent
First Line: B. Knight/New two-Guard/New three-Forward/Monroe/Drummond
Second Line: Bynum (R)/Middleton/Singler/Maxiell (R)/Jerebko
Third Line: PG/English/SF/PF/Kravtsov
Gone: Stuckey, Villaneuva, Maggette, Calderon
Friday, April 26, 2013
The Wings...
... may just have a chance to get to Rnd 2 of the playoffs, if they end up with the seventh seed and play Anaheim. Though I still think Anaheim beats them in 7.
With Today's Second-Day Picks, the Lions should...
By position, go...
DE (Yep, again) -- Tank Carradine (probably gone in picks 33-35, although he is coming off an injury)/Margus Hunt (a huge man)/Alex Okafor/Damontre Moore/Sam Montgomery -- Imagine a Lions front four of Ansah, Carradine or Hunt, Suh and Fairley. If it's true that defense lives and dies based on the disruption that starts with pressure at the line, well, this would be an amazing front four for, potentially, some time. Ronnell Lewis may have screwed himself out of a job with his arrest, but there's still fine DE depth with Jason Jones and Willie Young rotating in, while C. J. Mosley and someone else bring DT up in depth.
LB, preferably OLB -- Arthur Brown/Corey Lemonier/Mantei Te'o -- Big need. I love all these three potential picks. But I really want to see the Crazy World of Arthur Brown take over on the strong side.
T -- Menelik Watson or Terron Armstead. Their weakness, position-wise, now. Still can't believe Fisher, Joeckel AND Johnson all were gone in the first four. Strange days.
G/C -- Larry Warford merits consideration. I like Barrett Jones if he lasts to our third round pick, or maybe Schwenke. Look, at this point, the Lions line, from LT to RT, is probably Fox/Sims/Raiola/Reiff/Hilliard, and that's awful. Really awful. I wish we could've gotten about two to three more top 100 picks somehow.
DB -- I would favor depth at safety ahead of CB, only because we already have Bentley, Greenwood, Bartell and Green as candidates opposite Houston, and because, much as I love my fellow Bronco Louis Delmas, he's been hurt since I saw WMU beat Illinois at Ford Field several years back, and he only knows one way to play: smash mouth. Plus, I'm high on Cyprien. Plenty of CBs if you must; I think I'd take Banks, although I like Slay (great football name), Wreh-Wilson and Ryan too.
WR/TE -- I would consider Escobar, Ertz or Kelce in the third round, esp. Escobar. And while I do like Woods, Allen and (somewhat) Hunter, I just hate the thought of spending a high pick on these positions again when, I'll say it once more, our O-Line is Fox/Sims/Raiola/Reiff/Hilliard.
Or, could they take Geno Smith for trade bait? Wait -- no, they couldn't.
DE (Yep, again) -- Tank Carradine (probably gone in picks 33-35, although he is coming off an injury)/Margus Hunt (a huge man)/Alex Okafor/Damontre Moore/Sam Montgomery -- Imagine a Lions front four of Ansah, Carradine or Hunt, Suh and Fairley. If it's true that defense lives and dies based on the disruption that starts with pressure at the line, well, this would be an amazing front four for, potentially, some time. Ronnell Lewis may have screwed himself out of a job with his arrest, but there's still fine DE depth with Jason Jones and Willie Young rotating in, while C. J. Mosley and someone else bring DT up in depth.
LB, preferably OLB -- Arthur Brown/Corey Lemonier/Mantei Te'o -- Big need. I love all these three potential picks. But I really want to see the Crazy World of Arthur Brown take over on the strong side.
T -- Menelik Watson or Terron Armstead. Their weakness, position-wise, now. Still can't believe Fisher, Joeckel AND Johnson all were gone in the first four. Strange days.
G/C -- Larry Warford merits consideration. I like Barrett Jones if he lasts to our third round pick, or maybe Schwenke. Look, at this point, the Lions line, from LT to RT, is probably Fox/Sims/Raiola/Reiff/Hilliard, and that's awful. Really awful. I wish we could've gotten about two to three more top 100 picks somehow.
DB -- I would favor depth at safety ahead of CB, only because we already have Bentley, Greenwood, Bartell and Green as candidates opposite Houston, and because, much as I love my fellow Bronco Louis Delmas, he's been hurt since I saw WMU beat Illinois at Ford Field several years back, and he only knows one way to play: smash mouth. Plus, I'm high on Cyprien. Plenty of CBs if you must; I think I'd take Banks, although I like Slay (great football name), Wreh-Wilson and Ryan too.
WR/TE -- I would consider Escobar, Ertz or Kelce in the third round, esp. Escobar. And while I do like Woods, Allen and (somewhat) Hunter, I just hate the thought of spending a high pick on these positions again when, I'll say it once more, our O-Line is Fox/Sims/Raiola/Reiff/Hilliard.
Or, could they take Geno Smith for trade bait? Wait -- no, they couldn't.
Monday, April 22, 2013
Detroit Lions 2013 Draft Big Board -- My take
My take on the way the Lions big board should look through the top ten, with a little rationale for, or comment on, each:
(1) Luke Joeckel -- The most ready and complete player, and at a position of need. Likely a #1 overall to KC, though.
(2) Eric Fisher -- Bigger than Joeckel and a hometown (ish) kid, but not as polished as LJ. Very well could be there at 5, depending on if the Jags opt to go DE, or CB, or even QB. If he's there, I think he's the pick.
(3) Dee Milliner -- Only because Mayhew has enthused about him, and he tracks to have a fine pro career with his skill set, vis-a-vis today's NFL. Could be a smoke screen, but I don't think so.
(4) Chance Warmack -- Much is made of the LT positional need for the Lions, but they need a RG too. Reiff probably goes there otherwise, which could work, but this guy is almost a can't miss, and would allow Reiff to play RT.
(5) Bjorn Werner -- A close call over Ziggy Ansah and Dion Jordan, but fits the Lions' newly proclaimed "safer picking" strategy. Figures to be a good, solid, above average player for some time. Think: the Jeff Backus of DEs, or Kyle VandenBosch with a bit less fire. Of course, the Lions picked Backus up farther down the line, not at 5.
(6) Ziggy Ansah -- Maybe the "safe" line is also a smoke screen. This guy could turn out to be a beast, although for some reason I sense injuries waiting to happen here. Still, the thought of him next to Suh and Fairly is very appealing, no?
(7) Dion Jordan -- Any of these last three picks works for me, really. They need edge presence, especially with Levy and WhoKnowsWho as edge LBs (yikeys)...
(8) Tavon Austin -- Look, we know the Lions love him. But I see them ending up with someone like Quinton Patton, Robert Woods or Keenan Allen.
(9) Lane Johnson -- They might. They might.
(10) Desmond Trufant -- I like him, and I think the Lions do too.
This all presupposes they don't trade down (or, God forbid, up).
A couple of notes about a couple of hometown guys: If Denard Robinson were to be there at pick 132, I take him. He could learn from Reggie Bush and give the Lions stodgy-ish offense (how does an offense with that much alleged talent end up so stodgy as they did last year?!) a potential wildcat element that would be most intriguing. Plus, he comes with a "Big house" full of built-in fans, who could then be expected to track his progress west to Ford Field.
Then, if William Gholston is there at pick 137, I take him too. I think the kid will turn it around. I could be a fool. But I'd like to see the Lions taking two DEs in their first five picks.
(1) Luke Joeckel -- The most ready and complete player, and at a position of need. Likely a #1 overall to KC, though.
(2) Eric Fisher -- Bigger than Joeckel and a hometown (ish) kid, but not as polished as LJ. Very well could be there at 5, depending on if the Jags opt to go DE, or CB, or even QB. If he's there, I think he's the pick.
(3) Dee Milliner -- Only because Mayhew has enthused about him, and he tracks to have a fine pro career with his skill set, vis-a-vis today's NFL. Could be a smoke screen, but I don't think so.
(4) Chance Warmack -- Much is made of the LT positional need for the Lions, but they need a RG too. Reiff probably goes there otherwise, which could work, but this guy is almost a can't miss, and would allow Reiff to play RT.
(5) Bjorn Werner -- A close call over Ziggy Ansah and Dion Jordan, but fits the Lions' newly proclaimed "safer picking" strategy. Figures to be a good, solid, above average player for some time. Think: the Jeff Backus of DEs, or Kyle VandenBosch with a bit less fire. Of course, the Lions picked Backus up farther down the line, not at 5.
(6) Ziggy Ansah -- Maybe the "safe" line is also a smoke screen. This guy could turn out to be a beast, although for some reason I sense injuries waiting to happen here. Still, the thought of him next to Suh and Fairly is very appealing, no?
(7) Dion Jordan -- Any of these last three picks works for me, really. They need edge presence, especially with Levy and WhoKnowsWho as edge LBs (yikeys)...
(8) Tavon Austin -- Look, we know the Lions love him. But I see them ending up with someone like Quinton Patton, Robert Woods or Keenan Allen.
(9) Lane Johnson -- They might. They might.
(10) Desmond Trufant -- I like him, and I think the Lions do too.
This all presupposes they don't trade down (or, God forbid, up).
A couple of notes about a couple of hometown guys: If Denard Robinson were to be there at pick 132, I take him. He could learn from Reggie Bush and give the Lions stodgy-ish offense (how does an offense with that much alleged talent end up so stodgy as they did last year?!) a potential wildcat element that would be most intriguing. Plus, he comes with a "Big house" full of built-in fans, who could then be expected to track his progress west to Ford Field.
Then, if William Gholston is there at pick 137, I take him too. I think the kid will turn it around. I could be a fool. But I'd like to see the Lions taking two DEs in their first five picks.
Monday, December 3, 2012
Monday, Dec. 3 2012:
I listened with interest to John Feinstein's piece today on CBS Radio (specifically, the Ticket), praising the Pittsburgh Steelers for their consistent winning ways, even in the face of monumental injuries, with the latest example being their squeaker road win yesterday in Baltimore.
Having witnessed the must-be-millionth Lions debacle unfold yesterday, I had to wonder. Here are the Lions, the very antithesis of how Feinstein described the Steelers. Wherein lies the difference? Could the Lions have gone into Baltimore and won with Kellen Moore playing? The answer: Yes. But WOULD they have? The answer: Who are you kidding? Is Charlie Batch better than our QBs? Hell, we HAD him here, and he wasn't good enough then. How about Mendenhall; Redman? Better than our backs? No. Their receivers? No. Their O-line? Their defense? Not really. Special teams? Maybe a tiny bit. Their coaches? GM? I doubt it.
It's the "brand."
I have come to believe in the power of human thought, and especially when that thought is amplified many times over. And we, as fans, believe this team is shit. And so, they are. When we created a brand-new (albeit Arena-League) team in the 80s, they were winners. My proposal is simple: New ownership, and along with it, a new name (why not revive those winning Michigan Panthers, and keep the "big cat" name trend going?), new uniforms (my vomit actually comes up Honolulu Blue at times), and then let us forever sink the cursed moniker and brand that is the Detroit Lions for all time and evermore.
Sacrilege, you say? High time for a little sacrilege, I say. Besides, their play has been sacrilegious for decades already, anyway.
#IHATETHISFINGTEAM
I listened with interest to John Feinstein's piece today on CBS Radio (specifically, the Ticket), praising the Pittsburgh Steelers for their consistent winning ways, even in the face of monumental injuries, with the latest example being their squeaker road win yesterday in Baltimore.
Having witnessed the must-be-millionth Lions debacle unfold yesterday, I had to wonder. Here are the Lions, the very antithesis of how Feinstein described the Steelers. Wherein lies the difference? Could the Lions have gone into Baltimore and won with Kellen Moore playing? The answer: Yes. But WOULD they have? The answer: Who are you kidding? Is Charlie Batch better than our QBs? Hell, we HAD him here, and he wasn't good enough then. How about Mendenhall; Redman? Better than our backs? No. Their receivers? No. Their O-line? Their defense? Not really. Special teams? Maybe a tiny bit. Their coaches? GM? I doubt it.
It's the "brand."
I have come to believe in the power of human thought, and especially when that thought is amplified many times over. And we, as fans, believe this team is shit. And so, they are. When we created a brand-new (albeit Arena-League) team in the 80s, they were winners. My proposal is simple: New ownership, and along with it, a new name (why not revive those winning Michigan Panthers, and keep the "big cat" name trend going?), new uniforms (my vomit actually comes up Honolulu Blue at times), and then let us forever sink the cursed moniker and brand that is the Detroit Lions for all time and evermore.
Sacrilege, you say? High time for a little sacrilege, I say. Besides, their play has been sacrilegious for decades already, anyway.
#IHATETHISFINGTEAM
Friday, November 30, 2012
Hot Stove Jambalaya
Guesses: Boesch is moved for a combo of cash/minor leaguers/draft picks; Porcello stays; Drew comes, Peralta goes to AZ, we get back not much; Raburn signs minor league contract with Rangers or Rays, stays in A.L. and works on being a DH; Brandon Inge just "is," man. Can't we let him be? Oh, and we get either Anibal or Soriano, but not both.
The Lions will have a better record next year -- but will they be better?
Assuming they go roughly 2-3 the rest of the way (I'll give them wins vs. Indy and at AZ), they will finish at an all-too familiar 6-10. Further assuming this leaves them at the bottom of the division, they'll face a schedule with two games against other bottom dwellers, likely St. Louis or Arizona and Carolina. Still, they'll face the NFC North Three 2x each, NYG/Dall/Wash/Phil, and isn't it their turn for Balt/Pitt/Cin/Cleve again? Let me go on record as saying that, with another top 12 draft in their pocket, they'll crawl back up to a respectable 8-8 in 2013.
Assuming they go roughly 2-3 the rest of the way (I'll give them wins vs. Indy and at AZ), they will finish at an all-too familiar 6-10. Further assuming this leaves them at the bottom of the division, they'll face a schedule with two games against other bottom dwellers, likely St. Louis or Arizona and Carolina. Still, they'll face the NFC North Three 2x each, NYG/Dall/Wash/Phil, and isn't it their turn for Balt/Pitt/Cin/Cleve again? Let me go on record as saying that, with another top 12 draft in their pocket, they'll crawl back up to a respectable 8-8 in 2013.
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