Matt Millen has been gone for less than a month, and the change taking place in the Detroit Lions organization is already noticeable.

Earlier today, the trigger was pulled on a deal that sent wideout Roy Williams to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for 1st, 3rd, and 6th round draft picks. The Lions also gave up a 7th round pick. The trade is quite uncharacteristic of the Detroit Lions. Namely, they somehow managed to get the better end of a deal. Williams was headed into free-agency at the end of this season. While he has said that he will miss being a Detroit Lion, Williams also said "I’m more happy to be a Dallas Cowboy then when I got my first bike." He is a competitive, Pro-Bowl caliber football player that deserved to be moved to a legitimate contender after suffering with the Lions since 2004. The Lions could have tagged him their franchise player next season, but unloading one of their most valuable players was a wise move. The Dallas Cowboys get what they want, Roy Williams gets what he wants, and most importantly, the Lions begin to distance themselves from the Millen era.

Roy Williams will now line up next to Terrell Owens and Jason Witten, and take passes from Tony Romo (once Romo returns to the starting lineup after breaking his pinky). Dallas entered this season an early favorite for Super Bowl contention. So far they have managed to lose some of that hype, but expectations are still high. Dallas owner Jerry Jones adds a missing piece to the puzzle with Roy Williams. With the newly loaded passing game and the Felix Jones/Marion Barber duo on the ground, defenses will have their hands completely full. A dream scenario for Williams, and one of those "too good to be true" scenarios for coach Wade Phillips. Dallas benefits might not be apparent right away. Give Williams some time to get used to the Cowboys' playbook. Once he does, Dallas will be a bona fide playoff team when it counts most.

Now for the Lions, the real winners of this deal. Matt Millen is gone. Left behind is a franchise in ruins, reeling from several losing seasons in a row. Millen was notorious for blowing draft picks on highly touted offensive players. Of six taken in the first round, only Calvin Johnson remains with the team. Joey Harrington, Mike Williams, and Charles Rogers are all unemployed. Kevin Jones is a backup in Chicago. Millen's last selection of offensive tackle Gosder Cherilus was a step in the right direction for the team.

Under new leadership, the Lions need to improve all aspects of the team--not simply bring in an offensive weapon that is largely useless if the larger machine has no cohesion as a whole. With the newly acquired draft picks, Martin Mayhew has the Lions in position to do just that. The extra picks provide opportunity to improve a defense that is the league's worst, and an offensive line that Barry Sanders would be hard-pressed to find a hole in. Were they to use their own 1st round pick (assuming it will be in the top 10, at the very least) on a tackle to take the place of the painfully average Jeff Backus, Cherilus and the newcomer could become building blocks for a Detroit offensive line that has been a joke under Millen. The acquired pick they could use on a defensive player. In fact, the Lions should not draft one offensive "position" player in the upcoming draft. No wide receivers, no running backs, not even a quarterback. These picks from Dallas were acquired for a talented wide receiver in Roy Williams. To draft a replacement would be a mistake. By shipping out Williams, it appears as though the Lions are fully aware of this, and know what needs to be done to build a competitive team. Unlike Matt Millen, it looks like they are actually taking steps to do just that.