i like your idea of drafting an oline. i do not agree with keeping players like alama-francis or peterman. i think we could update at these positions at the draft. there should be some good players available throughout the draft at these positions. i hope there will be a new staff that has some balls and wants to actually stop the run. scrap that P.O.S tamba-who defense and go with a real defense. if there is any interest in any remaining lions players i hope a GM would take serious consideration for them. i do like the idea of moving backus to the inside. i think it would be sweet to see gosder at LG and move Jeff Suckus to RT or RG. we could draft a franchise LT w/ the #1 and draft the remaining open spot at the next 1st rounder. it would be hard to pass up a good d/lineman at the lions second pick though.

Millen didn’t just mismanage the team; he mismanaged the salary cap. And the salary cap is not infinite.

Every million you pay for a high-round “impact” rookie is money you can’t pay for someone else.

If we have a new GM and coach, they might want to make some sweeping roster changes, which could mean cutting a lot of veterans. When you cut a guy, his pro-rated signing bonus becomes due immediately, so we might have a big chunk of 2009 cap money tied up in paying these Millen players off & getting them off the books.

Also, the #1 overall pick is getting more absurdly expensive every year, and paying for that guy will tie up $millions and $millions too.

I wouldn’t be opposed to banking either the DAL#1, or our top of round#2 pick pick for a 2009 2nd- or high 3rd-round pick plus a 2010 1st-round pick. We’d save cap money in 2009 (when we really need money), and go into 2010 (when we’ll be in better cap shape, hopefully) with two first-round picks that we’ll actually be able to afford this time.

We’re in a multi-year rebuilding phase with more holes to fill than we have money or draft picks for in one year.

I’d rather be able to afford a good mix of veterans and free-agents to begin rebuilding with in 2009 and still have extra picks in the 2010 draft too, than tie up all our limited cap money in a huge rookie class this year.

Plus, if we solidify the o-line with the #1 overall this year on a left tackle (allowing Backus to help out as Guard or as depth), then 2010 might be the year to go after our “face of the franchise” QB. If we have 2 picks in the first round and a good salary cap situation going into 2010, we could probably trade up to whatever position we need to to make that pick happen (the top QB in a draft tends to be gone in the first several picks).

Am I nuts, partially wrong, partially right?

Lots of thought put into this. Not sure that I agree on some of this, but well thought out. First, if Alama-Francis and Peterman are still starting, we’ve got problems. Backus will not be replaced next year, so I think that drafting Oher or Smith high in the first is out of the question. The reason is that he simply costs too much to replace and he is just good enough not to be a top priority. The more important position to replace on this team is right defensive end (as long as we stay in a traditional 4-3 defense). Also, I’m not sure Gerald Alexander is the long term solution at safety either. I agree with n4ry4 above, that we simply can’t dump all of the veterans you have listed. Some of these guys will have to stay on as filler and add depth (and also not to become dead money). Orlovsky will not be back next year either. I noticed that you don’t have cornerbacks listed here… why? This is one of the biggest team needs. Especially if they cut Fisher and Kelly like you’ve suggested.

The problem with predicting the draft is that the player order will shuffle more times than you can count. Remember two years ago when everyone was convinced that Brady Quinn was the number one overall? This is a crapshoot at best… especially in the later rounds. But nice work putting this together.

Okay, maybe I’m being too critical because I know that we can’t fill all of the holes in one year… there are simply too many. So I’ll give you that benefit here.

I’ll tell you what I like in your post. I like the idea of leaving Dizon on the strong side and drafting or signing a top middle backer. In concept, I like moving Backus to guard, but that likely won’t happen. He makes too much money for a guard.

What we fans have to bank on is that we hire a GM that can pick the right players… even if we are not familiar with them. The names don’t matter, just how they play on Sunday. GM will be the most influential pick-up of this offseason.

n4ry4 you are right in a lot of areas… I am glad we can agree in some areas to disagree in other areas. However this piece discusses what can be done in the short term to ensure long term progress….. you are on point in terms of salary cap considerations.

And DrewsLions, when it comes to O-line and D-line men progression and development, the rule of thumb is to allow 3-4 years. I believe Peterman and Alama-francis have two years under their belts [example- Jason Peters, Mario Williams]. From my perspective, the biggest problem with the defensive line is at the Nose Tackle position. its sad when Cory Redding (UT) draws more double team than the starting NT [Darby, Cody]. We can draft another defensive end for all we want but if the lions can’t prevent the run up the middle, the ends will be ineffective. A good pass rush and run defense is a cornerback’s best friend just ask Cortland Finnegan

As for corners, I had a corner in the draft….. we have Ramizee Robinson, Leigh Bodden, who is a good corner, and the lions can pick up some FAs

On the offensive line, Backus should be encouraged to move inside just like Robert Gallery. It’s not the best situation but will help the O-line group in the long run.

Overall, I enjoyed reading your posts and its very entertaining.

this is just another reason “CLEAN HOUSE” Mayhew/Lewand were the cap guys that got us into this mess