Lions Identity - Part 2

i rather have a D and O in the middle of the pack

then a top 10 O and bottom 2 D

Yes, Okung is the best OT, but we have a far bigger hole at Left Guard and Defensive Tackle than at Left Tackle. If we go one more year with Backus at LT and grab a stud OG (e.g. Mike Iupati at the top of round 2) next to him, Our O-Line will be very much improved heading into next season.

I think the best value at #4 for us, assuming Suh is gone, will be Gerald McCoy. Fill a huge hole at DT with a very good DT who can start immediately and create an inside pass rush. McCoy + Hill means we’re all set at DT (finally) for years to come.

If we go BPA Offense at the top of rounds 2 and 3, one lineman and one skill position, there will be a lot of talent to choose from. Then we have five more picks in the draft (4,5,5,6,7) to hopefully pull out a few more solid guys to fix the defense. Maybe there’s a decent OT in the mid-later rounds in there too.

we’re not gonna see ALL D or ALL O in this years draft. It’ll be BPA, regardless of what side of the ball they play on or what position they play (except QB). I think this regime has already shown us that. I’m sure during/after the draft there’ll be lots of “why didn’t they pick (insert position here)?!!?”

No matter the talent I dont see the Lions taking a WR in the 1st in the next 10 years. the PR would be a nightmare.

A star running back and a DL that can blot out the sun Now back 2 my cigar

Everyone on here seems pretty knowledgeable about football and the NFL and our beloved Lions. I really hope Schwartz sticks to his guns and builds a team in the likes of the Titans. Big, physical defense and a ground attack offense, with a QB who is capable of the big play every now and then (we all know we have that)

If Shcwartz does what I think he will do then we are going to get a lot bigger this draft, notably on the OL, DL and CB positions. I really don’t want to draft sexy for the rest of my lifetime!!

why would we draft a WR in the 1st?? or at all for that matte Dez Bryant will be like 20th pick maybe i wouldn’t be shocked to see him in 2nd…
ALL DL OL CB S
ALL DL OL CB S
ALL DL OL CB S
ALL DL OL CB S
ALL DL OL CB S
ALL DL OL CB S

if all goes well, maybe some skill players in 2011.

with an awesome offensive line. A beautifully created internal and external wall to form the perfect pocket 75% of the time. Then we COULD go with 3 or 4 wides more often, and he would have a) a passing lane to throw through and b) more time to find open receivers.

He seems to do his best work in the 3 & 4 wide sets, but if we look at the tape, we have probably run it less than 10% of the plays (excluding 2 minute drill). It seems like the 2 tight end sets we run most often bring more defenders into the box, and that hampers both the run and the pass game.

I might be smoking crack, ie having no real data to back it up, but it just feels that way to me.

In Part 1, my concern was it was not about creating an identity, but rather about tearing down our identity (trading Calvin) to create a team of average faceless players and failed draft picks. And at best, we could draft the good players to help us without needing to trade Calvin.

Now in Part 2, we are more focused on defining an identity, but ultimately, I see the same underlying flaw as before…….impatience. People in Part 1 seemed to want to trade Calvin for a boatload of picks in a reckless attempt to catapault to the playoffs or beyond in one offseason. Now, in Part 2, people are taking stabs at defining our “Identity”, then using every draft pick, especially the early ones, exclusively to fill those needs, Best Player Available be damned. If you want better WR’s for a high-flying passing attack or a better RB for a run-based offense, etc., etc………you don’t have to get it all THIS offseason! It’s allowed to also address other areas like the Defense, etc. By taking the BPA we can address areas where we need to improve without reaching for players too soon…….and we can still do it without compromising our “identity”……it’s what I’ve been talking about all along when I said certain players (like Gerald McCoy) are not a good FIT here. But this whole talk of “we MUST take a WR (or DT or whatever) in the 1st round”, ……or “We MUST ONLY draft OL, DL, CB, S, etc”………this is reckless.

We have areas of need. We have visions of our “Identity”, the kinds of players we want to fill those needs. But we need to be nuanced and disciplined, take the BPA at a position that isn’t already well-filled, IF that player is a good FIT for our “Team Identity”. I say team. All 22 starting positions matter. Fill them all. Don’t panic, don’t reach, and don’t try to do everything in one offseason, let alone only through 1 draft. Don’t arbitrarily set the position priorities, either. Let the talent come to us. BPA got us 5 starters; it can do it again. BPA that fits.

Oh, and a note about what fits…….Calvin fits. Stafford fits. Like someone said, you build around your stars. Your stars CREATE your identity. We didn’t draft Stafford to have him hand off 30 times a game.

In the words of Paul Silas,

“AM I SPEAKING CHINESE???”

we have to do something in DEFENSE…and the lines RB could fall later in the draft or free agency… damn this draft talk is getting me pumped up… it almost makes me forget about the BAltimore beating…