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Thread: 2009 Lions Offseason/Preseason News Thread

  1. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by Wilfredo Ledezma
    I don't want any part of Laurinaitis. He may be a ball-hawk type LB, but he has major flaws, plus we already wasted a pick on a Lauriniaits type player last year in Jordon Dizon.

    I think we'll be able to snag an OLB like Brian Cushing with the #33 pick...then from there, I'd draft an Offensive Guard & Defensive End with our 2 Third Rd Picks.
    You probably would have said the same about this guy (that year Arrington was considered far and away the best LB prospect):

    New Mexico’s Brian Urlacher is a 245-pound PFW All-America strong safety/rover. Although he is a dominating player, Urlacher just has not gotten the type of exposure he deserves. A superior athlete, Urlacher spearheads the defense, returns punts, covers kicks, plays on all special teams and finds time to play some offense. He has the best hands on the team, makes a ton of tackles, always seems to be around the ball and has amazing versatility and stamina.
    For the past two years, Urlacher has played so well that if he played at a big school that got a lot of television exposure, people would have been talking about him as a Heisman Trophy candidate. While he’s a different type of player than Charles Woodson was, Urlacher does just as much for his team. If you are wondering why he ended up at New Mexico, the reason is he was a late bloomer who has grown by leaps and bounds in terms of size and ability since his early high school days, when he was a 5-9, 160-pound receiver with unspectacular speed. Urlacher played linebacker his first two years at New Mexico, and although he did not start as a sophomore, he still had over 100 tackles. In ’98, he became a full-time starter at strong safety/rover and led the nation in tackles by some counts and the Western Athletic Conference by everyone’s count. Although Urlacher is not a great cover guy, some scouts say they might leave him at strong safety and use him as the Bengals used David Fulcher when they went to the Super Bowl in ’89. Most scouts, however, like Urlacher best as a weak-side linebacker.
    And Dizon was an OLB in college. We played him out of postion (which is what you want to continue by drafting an OLB).
    Phil Wenneck: The man purse. You actually gonna wear that or are you just fuckin' with me?
    Alan Garner: It's where I keep all my things. Get a lot of compliments on this. Plus it's not a purse, it's called a satchel. Indiana Jones wears one.

  2. #12
    CLEVELAND'S FINEST Zekyl's Avatar
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    I'd like to see us bring in a 3-4. Redding moves back to DE, which would be good for him in a 3-4. Cody seems like he could be a decent 3-4 end, being one of those tweener DE/DT's out of college just like Redding. Sims on one side, try out Avril on the other for the OLBs, you could try Dizon as a MLB in that system but if not he's depth at OLB, maybe competing with Avril. Then you just look for defensive players that fit the 3/4 scheme in the draft. You've got to know what type of defense you're going to install before the draft though, so you can know what type of players to focus on.
    _

  3. #13
    One of the front runners (Jim Swartz) uses a 4-3.
    Phil Wenneck: The man purse. You actually gonna wear that or are you just fuckin' with me?
    Alan Garner: It's where I keep all my things. Get a lot of compliments on this. Plus it's not a purse, it's called a satchel. Indiana Jones wears one.

  4. #14
    Terrible. Wilfredo Ledezma's Avatar
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    If you went to a 3-4, you could play Dizon & Laurinaitis in the middle, and Sims & Lenon on the outside.

    Two run stuffers in the middle, and two quick OLB's, that would easily translate into a top 15 run defense, IMO.

    Best of all, you'd only have to burn 1 draft pick (probably the Dallas pick) to make that work since you don't need to spend any money in FA to sign a LB nor do you have a glaring hole at MLB.

    Redding at the nose (so we don't have to waste $ on another DT), DeVries & White on the ends, with Avril as a hybrid DE/LB (sort of like what Adalius Thomas plays)...

    Then you can just use all the other Marinelli projects (Cohen, Fluellen, Hawaii 5-0) as reserve roster fodder.

  5. #15
    Terrible. Wilfredo Ledezma's Avatar
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    Lions' roster set for major overhaul in offseason
    by Tom Kowalski


    Wednesday January 07, 2009, 12:30 AM

    ALLEN PARK -- As the Detroit Lions continue their search for a new coach, one of the drawbacks to the job is the team's talent-challenged roster.

    However, the Lions offer a couple of positives for a new coach: a lot of draft choices and a great deal of room under the salary cap. The Lions are expected to make a major overhaul of their roster in the offseason, and they are in position to do it.

    After going 0-16, the Lions have eight draft picks, including five in the first 82 overall picks.


    One of those is the first overall choice, the first time the Lions have held that selection since they took Oklahoma running back Billy Sims in 1980. The Lions also hope to get a compensatory pick, based on free agent losses in 2008, which would give them nine draft picks.

    There are several other factors that will allow the Lions to make a lot of moves on the roster.

    The Lions currently have $95 million committed to their 2009 roster, and, according to Sports Business Journal, the NFL cap for 2009 will be a minimum of $123 million. According to a document obtained from the NFL Players Association, Detroit has $28 million under the cap, but that number could grow significantly because of some expected roster moves.

    Quarterback Daunte Culpepper, cornerback Leigh Bodden, guard Edwin Mulitalo, safety Dwight Smith and tight end Dan Campbell have big salaries coming, and they could be released in the offseason.

    Culpepper, who was signed in mid-season, has a $2.5 million roster bonus due in late February that would trigger a $2.5 million salary for next season. If Culpepper is released, the Lions would save $5 million off their cap.

    Bodden, who has an $8.6 million roster bonus also due in February, likely will be released, trimming $4.6 million of cap commitment in 2009. Mulitalo and Smith are in the last year of their contracts and, if they get cut, the Lions save $2.8 million and $2.3 million, respectively. Releasing Campbell would result in a savings of about $1 million.

    If all of those players are released, the Lions would have an additional $15.7 million available in their cap, giving them almost $39 million to spend on new players for the 2009 season.


    The Lions can look for free agents elsewhere because it doesn't appear they will re-sign many of their own unrestricted free agents. Detroit has 18 free agents, and there are only four or five the Lions likely will be interested in re-signing, and all of them, except kicker Jason Hanson, would fill backup roles.

    In addition to the draft, the Lions will replenish their roster through free agency, but they won't do it with big-money signings, but a series of solid lower-profile players to fill starting gaps and backup positions.

    "In terms of getting players to come here, I have a tremendous degree of confidence that we're going to be able to do that," Lions president Tom Lewand said. "It's not about spending a bunch of money in March to plug holes, and then, all of a sudden, 12 months later have the same holes.

    "I've said it repeatedly, from a salary cap perspective, it's easy to get headlines in March. Those aren't the ones we're looking for. We're looking for headlines in December and January and hopefully beyond. Those are the ones that take a strong organization to build. We want to build through the draft."

    Lewand isn't only referring to future drafts, but recent drafts as well. Lewand has said the team needs to make more of a commitment to play younger players and allow them to either blossom into productive starters, or cut their losses and move in a different direction.

    The Lions have 24 players currently on their roster that are slated to make less than $1 million in salary next season, and 13 of those are former Detroit draft picks, most of whom haven't had a shot at much playing time. The Lions need to make evaluations on these young players so they know whether they need time to develop or whether they need to be replaced.


    UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS
    Here is the list of Detroit's 18 unrestricted free agents (Jason Hanson is on the list, but because he's still tethered under the 1983 transition tag rule, he still is not totally free because the Lions will have the right of first refusal):

    • RB Aveion Cason
    • DT Shaun Cody
    • WR Keary Colbert
    • G Damion Cook
    • T George Foster
    • K Jason Hanson
    • RB Rudi Johnson
    • LB Paris Lenon
    • C Andy McCollum
    • WR Shaun McDonald
    • DT Langston Moore
    • LB Ryan Nece
    • FB Moran Norris
    • QB Dan Orlovsky
    • TE John Owens
    • DE Corey Smith
    • G Stephen Peterman
    • CB Stanley Wilson

  6. #16
    Cut Daunte, for sure. Bodden--seems like he has talent, but that bonus is pretty huge and I don't know if the benefit is worth the cost. Part of me wants to keep him and part of me says cut him. His is a tough situation.

  7. #17
    A Great Name Timone's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by DrRay11
    Cut Daunte, for sure. Bodden--seems like he has talent, but that bonus is pretty huge and I don't know if the benefit is worth the cost. Part of me wants to keep him and part of me says cut him. His is a tough situation.
    Tahoe disagrees, especially if bring in a real QB.

  8. #18
    He's barely worth 1 million, let alone 5.

  9. #19
    Tahoe says Dante is a real QB. Just as good as the QB who carried his team into the playoffs over Dallas and might beat the Super Bowl champs in their building this weekend.
    Phil Wenneck: The man purse. You actually gonna wear that or are you just fuckin' with me?
    Alan Garner: It's where I keep all my things. Get a lot of compliments on this. Plus it's not a purse, it's called a satchel. Indiana Jones wears one.

  10. #20
    CLEVELAND'S FINEST Zekyl's Avatar
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    Bodden will depend on what system the new coach brings in. He seems like he just doesn't fit the Cover 2 in the slightest but he was much better in man-to-man.
    _

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