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Offseason Review, Part Two: The Detroit Lions

Continuing on with part two of our series, it’s time to talk about the Detroit Lions.

Detroit Lions

Quick Refresher: Under second-year head coach Rod Marinelli, Detroit finished the regular season with a 7-9 record, good for third place in the division; Detroit went 6-2 in the first half of the season before stumbling to a 1-7 second half record. Still, the 7-9 record marked the first time the Lions avoided double-digits in the loss column under the heavily-maligned Matt Millen regime.

Where they were heading into the offseason: Although the team improved, record-wise, in 2007, the Lions still appeared to be a team with a good amount of holes to fill if they were to finally reach .500 or above in 2008.

All the talk about how Mike Martz was going to finally get Detroit’s offense going proved to be just that: Talk. The Lions finished 31st (remember, there are just 32 teams in the NFL) in total rushing yards and 30th in sacks allowed (a whopping 54 last season). Sure, they finished ninth in total passing yards, but they were also fourth in total passing plays (can you believe the Lions actually dropped back 587 - 587! - times last season?).

But Martz alone could not be blamed. For all the hype on Marinelli (hire a coach with no coordinator experience? Why not, right Matt?) Detroit was once again one of the worst defensive teams in the league, finishing dead last in touchdowns allowed and total offensive yards allowed. The Lions were also second-to-last in total passing yards allowed.

Offensively, the team desperately needed help at both o-line and running back. Defensively, the team needed to get better both along the line and in the secondary.

What happened in free agency: Millen made a big move right at the start of free agency, trading defensive tackle Shaun Rogers - widely considered to be the anchor of the defense - to Cleveland for cornerback Leigh Bodden and a third-round pick. The Lions brought in defensive tackle Chuck Darby (Seattle), possibly to help make up for Rogers’ loss.

Millen also picked up some of Minnesota’s trash, signing safety Dwight Smith to a two-year, $5 million contract. The overhaul of the secondary continued as Detroit signed cornerback Brian Kelly (Tampa Bay) to a three-year contract while releasing cornerback Fernando Bryant and safety Kenoy Kennedy.

The Lions tweaked their defense a little more when they released defensive end Kalimba Edwards and chose not to bring back linebacker Boss Bailey (signed with Denver).

Offensively, Detroit looked to be completely re-doing the running back position as it released Kevin Jones shortly after free agency began and chose not to re-sign T.J. Duckett (signed with Seattle). The Lions also chose not to re-sign tackle/guard Damien Woody (signed with the Jets).

What happened in the draft: Millen again made a big move in the draft when he chose not to take a wide receiver in the first round, much to the surprise of, well, everyone (sorry, I had to get that shot in there).

After doing almost nothing to upgrade perhaps his team’s biggest need heading into free agency, Millen finally addressed the o-line with Detroit’s first pick, selecting right tackle Gosder Cherilus (Boston College). Millen then targeted the team’s linebacking corps with the team’s second pick, selecting Jordon Dizon (Colorado).

Detroit was perhaps the busiest team at the start of day two, moving up to the top spot in round three to select running back Kevin Smith (Central Florida). The Lions then made two more picks in round three, nabbing defensive tackle Andre Fluellen (Florida St.) and defensive end Cliff Avril (Purdue).

The only other really notable selection made by the Lions on day two came in the seventh round when they took safety Caleb Campbell (Army), ending much speculation on whether or not Campbell would be picked.

Where they are now: The Lions had more than a couple holes to fill heading into the offseason. They did a decent job filling some holes while failing to properly address others.

Millen was smart to overhaul the secondary, first by getting rid of Bryant and Kennedy (both were dead weight), then by bringing in Leigh Bodden. Bodden is a player on the rise and should give the Lions the true No. 1 corner they’ve lacked in recent years. The Bodden move was a double-bonus because it allowed Detroit to get rid of the overhyped (and overpaid) Rogers. Yes, Rogers could dominate at times. But he could also take an entire stretch of two or three games off and the team will be better off without him.

The other moves made in the secondary overhaul were both risks, despite the fact that Kelly and Smith are both solid players who are well-versed in the Tampa 2 defense run by Marinelli.

Kelly is a risky move because of his age (32) and recent injury history (played in just 13 games the last two seasons). Bringing in Smith is risky because, well, he’s a pain in the arse. Vikings fans know all too well of Smith’s long list of off-the-field troubles. In fact, those troubles were, without a doubt, the main reason the Vikes sent him packing. If Smith can stay off the police blotter, he will be a big-time upgrade for Detroit’s secondary. However, he has given no indication he will be able to do that.

And while I believe that Rogers’ departure was good for the team, the Lions did almost nothing to replace his sizeable hole on the line. Chuck Darby? Really? Not only that, a team that had big trouble rushing the passer at times added almost no one to help out in that area, unless either Fluellen or Avril can be impact players as rookies.

Offensively, the team overhauled the running back position and with good reason. Jones failed his physical, so he had to be cut, and Duckett will never be anything more than a goalline back. Millen was smart to move up and grab Smith. He should be a good pro in time. But who is behind him? Tatum Bell? Brian Calhoun? Running back can be a hard position to learn as a rookie (not every rookie is A.P., remember) and if the Lions are thinking of starting Smith, then they should expect the running game to struggle again.

A big reason why the running game (and protecting the passer) will struggle again is because the Lions, outside of the Cherilus selection, failed to sufficiently upgrade along the offensive line. Cherilus should be a good pro, but he alone cannot bring the o-line back to respectability. Unless there’s someone we’re not hearing about, someone who will team up with Cherilus to make the o-line better (and you have to think there isn’t), then the offensive line will once again be bad.

All in all, Millen had a slightly better offseason (at least compared to the ones of the past under his regime of tyranny and oppression), but it was just not good enough to make the Lions a serious contender in the division. An under .500 record, meet Detroit. Detroit, meet an under .500 record.

Offseason Grade: C-

This entry was posted on Friday, May 16th, 2008 at 5:25 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.