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2009 NFL Draft HQ
| Rd. | # | Player | Pos. | |
| 1 | 1 | Matthew Stafford | QB |
|
| 1 | 20 | Brandon Pettigrew | TE | |
| 2 | 33 | Louis Delmas | S | |
| 3 | 76 | DeAndre Levy | LB | |
| 3 | 82 | Derrick Williams | WR | |
| 4 | 115 | Sammie Hill | DT | |
| 6 | 192 | Aaron Brown | RB | |
| 7 | 228 | Lydon Murtha | OT |
|
| 7 | 235 | Zack Follett | LB | |
| 7 | 255 | Dan Gronkowski | TE | |
Dick LeBeau Elected to Pro Football Hall of Fame
by Sean Yuille on Feb 8, 2010 1:03 PM EST
in News
6 comments
Former Lions cornerback and current Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday. Officially, LeBeau is the 14th player to be elected to the Hall of Fame as a Detroit Lion, joining the likes of Dick Lane, Yale Lary, and Lem Barney, who were all teammates of LeBeau's in the Lions' defensive backfield. LeBeau will officially enter the Hall of Fame in August alongside Russ Grimm, Rickey Jackson, Floyd Little, John Randle, Jerry Rice, and Emmitt Smith, who comprise the rest of the 2010 class of inductees.
LeBeau's career with the Lions began after he was cut by the Browns, which had originally selected him in the fifth round of the 1959 draft. The Lions brought him in as a free agent and the rest is history. LeBeau spent all 14 seasons of his career with the Lions and went on to become an outstanding cornerback. He made the Pro Bowl from 1965-67 and finished his career with 62 interceptions, which is the third-most of any cornerback in league history. Also, LeBeau holds the record for the most consecutive game appearances (171) by a cornerback.
Here is what Tom Lewand had to say about the news that LeBeau was elected to the Hall of Fame:
"The Detroit Lions and the William Clay Ford family congratulate Dick LeBeau on being selected for enshrinement into Pro Football Hall Fame. As one of the NFL's all-time great cornerbacks, this recognition is extremely well deserved.
"Few players in Lions' history were as productive and durable as Dick was during his 14-year career. Not only was he a critical piece of several outstanding defenses during his career, but he also played the game with tremendous class and dignity. In 1970, Dick eclipsed the franchise's all-time record with a remarkable 62 career interceptions, a mark that still stands after almost 40 years."Dick was a special player, and he now joins 17 players in Lions' history to bestowed this great honor."
Congratulations to Dick LeBeau for achieving this great honor.
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Pride of Detroit Interviews Matthew Stafford
by Sean Yuille on Feb 6, 2010 1:59 PM EST
in Interviews
48 comments
Matthew Stafford has been down in Miami this week to promote, among other things, AXE Hair, and he took some time out of his busy schedule to catch up with Pride of Detroit to answer some of the questions you guys submitted for him a couple weeks ago. In the interview Stafford shared his thoughts on last season, the future, and Jim Schwartz, just to name a few of the topics covered. Check it out:
Pride of Detroit: How big is the difference - if there is one - between preparing for games in college and games in the NFL? What types of things do you now do in the NFL (i.e. watch more film, spend more time practicing, etc.) that you didn't do as much or at all in college?
Matthew Stafford: It's spending more time in the film room because there's no class. Pro practices are very similar to college. In the pros, it's especially important to put last week behind you and focus on the upcoming game.
POD: On a related note, how long does it take for a quarterback and a receiver to truly get on the same page and develop a rapport with one another? Is it just a matter of playing together long enough that it will naturally happen or can you go out on the field and throw passes in the offseason to speed up the process?
MS: Building a rapport is extremely important; every situation is different, but getting a chance to play with another receiver for multiple years is how you gain success in this league as an offense.
POD: In hindsight, do you think you came back from your shoulder injury too quickly in order to play on Thanksgiving, just four days after you injured it against Cleveland?
MS: I probably could have sat out that game, but as a competitor, I really wanted to be in there. Wish I could have played better.
48 comments | 1 recs |
Larry Foote to Test Free Agency
by Sean Yuille on Feb 4, 2010 10:35 AM EST
in News
100 comments
Larry Foote came to Detroit after being released by the Steelers last year with the hope of finishing his career in his hometown. Now, though, whether or not that will actually happen is very up in the air, both because of the Lions' potential future plans for the linebacker position and because of Foote's feelings about the way the organization is handling this situation.
With the emergence of DeAndre Levy, it is unknown if the Lions will want to spend the money on someone like Foote, who possibly could be beat out by the young linebacker from Wisconsin. Gunther Cunningham has talked about how he someday wants to see Levy leading the defense as the starting middle linebacker, although it's possible he could start at outside linebacker as well. Just how long the Lions want to wait before Levy becomes a starter, namely at MLB, will play a big role in whether or not Foote is brought back.
On top of that, there is an issue with how many years Foote would get on his contract if he is brought back. Foote wants a multi-year contract, but who knows if the Lions will be open to that considering there is no guarantee that he will be anything more than a backup in a few years. I suppose the Lions could take the risk considering how great Foote is for the city of Detroit off the field and considering he passed up other offers to join the Lions last year, but the newest issue with this situation is that he is feeling a little unwanted right now and is more than willing to listen to offers from other teams.
"We're just going to free agency and see from there," said Foote, citing unproductive talks between his agent, Brian Levy, and Lions general manager Martin Mayhew. "I mean, obviously, I'm not a big priority for them. So that's just how I'm taking it."
I think it would be a big mistake if the Lions don't bring Foote back. I definitely understand that they don't want to break the bank or anything like that, but Foote is a great leader, brings a veteran presence to the defense, and as mentioned, he is a great person for the city of Detroit. If DeAndre Levy continues to improve and it gets to the point where he is ready to start full time either in the middle or outside, then some serious consideration will have to be given to which other linebackers should stay on the team. Obviously Foote's name will come up as someone who may not be part of the picture down the road, but I don't believe the Lions are quite to the point where they can pass up talent at linebacker. Sure, it's nice to have solid depth at that position for a change, but that doesn't mean that players like Foote suddenly have become expendable.
I guess we will have to wait and see what happens with Foote, but my guess is that his comments are nothing more than an attempt to gain some leverage with the Lions. If he hits the open market, I'd be willing to bet more than a few teams will come calling, so this is basically a warning to the Lions that if they're going to get something done with a new contract offer, they better do it before free agency begins. At that point, anything could happen.
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Tuesday Notes: Lions' Tags to Go Unused This Offseason?
by Sean Yuille on Feb 2, 2010 8:17 AM EST
in Notes
30 comments
- Martin Mayhew doesn't believe the Lions will use any tags this offseason to keep free agents in Detroit. According to Tom Kowalski, the Lions do want to bring back the likes of Larry Foote, William James, Jon Jansen, Casey FitzSimmons, and Will Heller. None of them are simply big enough names to use a tag on, though.
- Mayhew is excited over the fact that this year's junior class for the draft is one of the deepest in quite some time.
- Jim Schwartz talked a little bit about how important it is to get a rush from the defensive tackle position and how that can make the entire defense better.
- John Niyo has a list of the local players who have been invited to the NFL Combine later this month in Indianapolis. The full list of invites can be found here.
- More pictures of Matthew Stafford have ended up on Deadspin, although I don't really know why these latest ones are even worth posting considering they're just regular pictures of him with his girlfriend.
- Want Barry Sanders to come to your house and watch the Super Bowl with you? Well, look no further than eBay, where there is an auction that will make that possible. The proceeds of the auction will go to the Jimmy V Foundation.
- A few people from SB Nation are in Miami for the Super Bowl.
- The ratings for the Pro Bowl went up 40% this year, making it the most watched edition of the game in a decade. I think it's safe to say it will continue to be the week before the Super Bowl in the future.
- Mike Martz is headed to Chicago to be the Bears' offensive coordinator. That should be interesting to watch.
30 comments | 0 recs |
Three Observations from Senior Bowl Week
by Sean Yuille on Feb 1, 2010 8:47 AM EST
in Draft
41 comments
The week in Mobile for the Senior Bowl taught us quite a bit about many potential draft picks, including both positive and negative things. Obviously we are still a long way away from the draft, especially considering the combine still has to happen later this month, but here are the three main things I took away from Senior Bowl week:
1. The Lions will be lucky to have a shot at drafting Brandon Graham in the second round.
Graham's stock was soaring all week just during practice, and once he took the field on Saturday for the game he showed everybody why, wreaking havoc with the South's offensive line and taking home MVP honors. Sure, people aren't necessarily thrilled with some of his measurables, but Graham is a football player. When he's on the field, his play speaks for itself, and I think that, combined with his amazing week in Mobile, will make him a first-round pick for sure. I suppose anything could happen come draft time, but Graham just seems like he is too talented for there not to be a team, say in the last 12 or so picks, that decides to draft him. He can obviously play as a defensive end in a 4-3 defense, and many people believe he can be a linebacker in a 3-4 (much like LaMarr Woodley). Quite frankly, I just don't think he will be around when the Lions go on the clock in the second round, although I'd love to be wrong.
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Senior Bowl Open Thread
by Sean Yuille on Jan 30, 2010 2:16 PM EST
in Game Threads
122 comments
I will be at a basketball game and therefore unable to watch the Senior Bowl live, but feel free to chat about it (4 p.m. on NFL Network) just like we do with Lions games during the season. I know this game would have been of great interest to everybody no matter what, but considering Jim Schwartz and company are the coaches for the north team, it almost feels like the Lions do play today in a sense. Anyways, enjoy the game and I look forward to reading everybody's thoughts on it (I plan on catching a replay later).
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Friday Notes: More from the Senior Bowl
by Sean Yuille on Jan 29, 2010 5:30 AM EST
in Notes
56 comments
- NFL.com posted a video of an interview with Jim Schwartz.
- Also on NFL.com are mic'd up videos of offensive line coach George Yarno and offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Scott Linehan.
- Linehan thinks Kevin Smith will be back before the start of next season.
- Martin Mayhew said that he anticipates bringing in another running back this offseason via the draft or free agency. What that new back's role will be is currently unknown and will probably greatly depend on how Smith's recovery goes.
- In the above-linked interview with Schwartz, Boise State cornerback Kyle Wilson was one of the things discussed. Wilson has been great all week in practice so far, and Schwartz really seems to be a fan of his football skills and attitude. Wide receivers coach Shawn Jefferson is impressed with Wilson as well because he has been shutting down Jefferson's players all week.
- Schwartz is also a fan of Idaho offensive lineman Mike Iupati. Iupati's stock is soaring this week, and it is starting to look like he will be a first-round pick. That's too bad for the Lions because Iupati is a great player and would be a great pick at the beginning of the second-round. It's also too bad because we probably won't get to hear Schwartz talk about Iupati's hair again in the future.
"I was kidding him yesterday," Schwartz said. "He’s going to take that Troy Polamalu shampoo commercial away from him, because Mike has much nicer hair than Troy. That hair is like Fabio. It’s flowing. It’s beautiful."
Schwartz didn't say this, but I will add it for him: no homo. - ESPN's Kevin Seifert thinks Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount could be a good match with the Lions.
(More after the jump)
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