You guys are killing me....

by MatthewDC on Apr 6, 2009 5:51 PM EDT

There has been so much talk lately about taking a TE that it makes me sick. We don't need to draft a TE anywhere before round 6 if at all. TE is not a big need. We picked up a TE in FA to block, that is good enough. The coach has already said he wants to run the ball and stop the run. That is why we keep talking about an OT/OG and D so much.

A couple years ago our offense was ridiculous with Mike Martz and Kitna. There are several reasons why last year was so much worse.

1. Our QB changed every other game. The lack of continuity really effected the WR's and made for extra penalties with the false start syndrome.

2. Roy was having a lackluster season, as was Shaun McDonald and Mike Furrey. This was mostly due to the next 2 points.

3. Our playbook was like a childrens coloring book with 4 pages. It was pathetic. I have never seen a worse set of plays, and since we only had about 7 of them, it wasn't hard to defend.

Let's look at the reason for all of these failures, are you ready for this? This is the real reason our offense was so terrible last year....

Our COACHES were MORONS. That's right folks. Don't underestimate the value of a coaching staff that isn't completely ignorant. Our coaches last year all looked like a bunch of retarded monkeys. They didn't know how to call plays, they made horrible personnel decisions (George Foster, Rudi Johnson, No Drew Stanton, Etc.), and they just generally looked lost the entire season.

Our offense has talent. With Gos starting full time and Kevin Smith improving, Bryant Johnson taking Roys place and allowing CJ to be the hands down #1, and A NEW OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR that was a head coach and has previous success running an offense, our offense can be middle of the road with no other improvements than those we already made in FA (although I would still like to add an OT or a G).

That being said, think about this. Last year we had 0 head coaches on our team. Rod doesn't count because he didn't know what the hell he was doing.

This year? We have 3. I consider Schwartz perfectly capable of being a Head Coach, Linehan was a Head Coach, and Cunningham was a Head Coach. We are LIGHT YEARS ahead of last year in this department. You can't say enough for the difference that coaching experience will have with this team.

On a final note, our defense was terrible last year and cannot be so easily fixed. We have made good, solid moves in free agency, but we have a glaring hole at DT in my opinion. We HAVE to fix this hole to have any chance. This is why I have been such a supporter of Peria Jerry at #20 and Taylor in Rd. 3. We also need to address MLB, CB, maybe FS, as well as add another DE to the mix (although DE isn't as big a need as the others). Suffice it to say that our D is in dire need of major work to even hope of ranking above 30th in the NFL.

Let's stop talking about WR and TE before I go crazy and start acting like FB on here.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pride of Detroit or its writers. FanPosts are valued expressions of opinion by passionate and knowledgeable fans.

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Comments

good points but

You make good points but if you are rebuilding a team and you have a chance to get a player that you need whether you have more pressing needs or not. If he is a quality player and can hlp make the team better and you have a chace to get him and is worth what they want for him you go get him Period.Or at least see what they want for him,he may not be J.witten but he can hlp improve this team.

by MotorcityMaddogg on Apr 6, 2009 6:29 PM EDT reply actions

LOL

now Im a punch line…..

Although I really never once mentioned WR or TE or really tried to insult anyone until I was insulted.

And really Cunningham and Linehan were so inept at Head coach you really can’t consider them head coaches. If you do then Marinelli was a head coach.

by FreeBradshaw on Apr 6, 2009 6:34 PM EDT reply actions

They have a lot of experience.

And were great coordinators. They weren’t that bad as head coaches, they had some iffy personnel.

by MatthewDC on Apr 6, 2009 6:43 PM EDT up reply actions

I feel your pain, Matt.

But don’t rag on FB. He is a little over the top at times but I for one appreciate his dedication to his team and to his view point.

FreeB, I am the Giants GM in our Mock Draft, any suggestions?

by NorthLeft12 on Apr 6, 2009 6:43 PM EDT reply actions

The post wasn't about FB, I threw that in as a joke.

The point is i’m sick of everyone jumping on this TE bandwagon.

We have so many other needs that it is sad.

by MatthewDC on Apr 6, 2009 6:44 PM EDT up reply actions

Yea the TE

talk is a bit baffling, but it really can’t be underestimated in the offense. Even if they are blockers more, they are great "safetly valves’ and if you have a young QB (or any QB really) they are nice to have. IF you have good one they can make your O that much better.

The Pettigrew talk is a bit too much, but Ingram in say the 5th isn’t so bad.

by FreeBradshaw on Apr 6, 2009 7:13 PM EDT up reply actions

I don't know who will be available.

I like us getting Hakeem Nicks. We need a WR, although less so than what people may think. Plax wasn’t much more than a decoy, but even if he was still here Toomer was a step or 2 slow and we needed a replacement for him.

I like Nicks in the first round. If he isn;t there, I would say Kenny Britt, but Id rather wait on him until the 2nd round so if you have 2 rounds here Id say pencil him there.

If no Nicks, then Id say Sean Smith in round 1. From reading all the posts about your Lions, I don’t see this guy’s name a lot. But he’s 6"4, blanketed all comers if college as a CB and is considered a FS in the NFL, but that just means he can play both positions if need be. He be considered a reach at #20, but to me he’d be a great addition for you cuz I think he’ll be a great safety. The sky’s the limit for this guy cuz of his size. Your Lions have no secondary either from what I see, and he’d be as good a pick as any LB you want at #20.

The Giants have 2 starters already at safety and also 3 guys who are gonna be good for us a CB. So why the hell would I want the Giants to get Sean Smith? On defense rotating guys is key. The Eagles have been doing it for years, and the Giants have been doing so ever since Spags was there. You can never have enough secondary guys, and since we have the luxury of adding for depth, I say getting Sean Smith will really put our secondary over the top. Plus, Aaron Ross is always due for an injury, and Kenny Phillips may not be injury prone, but he likes to lay the anvil and is an ink.

So the short answer is Hakeem Nicks if he’s there, Sean Smith if no Nicks. And as a 2 other options if these 2 aren’t there, I like Brian Cushing or even Brandon Pettigrew.

by FreeBradshaw on Apr 6, 2009 7:26 PM EDT up reply actions

WR

Don’t you guys still have Hixon, Toomer, Smith, AND Manningham? I think Smith and Manningham are both going to be starters in this league.. and Hixon and Toomer would round it out quite well. I think you guys are ok at WR and I think that is why they didn’t hesitate to let Plax go.

by MatthewDC on Apr 6, 2009 7:33 PM EDT up reply actions

Yea, that's why

I say that it isn’t a HUGE need. Smith has a falling down problem, but I think yea he could be a starter. Manningham can be good too, but he barely played so we can’t count on him either. Sinorice Moss is another guy who hasn’t gotten a shot. He has never been give a fair shot tho, so I think Coughlin has it out for him somehow.

Toomer is gone tho. He was a step slow last year and I think it was time to let him go. I don’t like how unceremoniously he left cuz he was probably the 2nd best WR in our history, but its always tough to let go.

Right now Hixon and Smith are our 1 and 2. Serviceable yes. But even last year I constantly thought that we needed some new blood at WR, way before Cheddar Plax shot himself.

I want at least 1 WR added. My perfect draft would have us getting either Britt or Nicks at some point, a TE like Jared Cook in round 2, and then a guy like Rames Barden in the lower rounds. So I like getting 3 guys to force some competition.

by FreeBradshaw on Apr 6, 2009 7:42 PM EDT up reply actions

Kevin Boss wasn't too shabby, dude

just sayin’

by JazzyBBP on Apr 6, 2009 7:50 PM EDT up reply actions

I know

your right. I get flack for the TE talk when I mention this to giants fans too. I have no idea why cuz replacing KB is the last thing I want to do.

I;ll use the Cowgirls as an example. Jason Witton is one of the best TE’s in the league, out of Boss’s league actually. But they drafted Martellus Bennet in round 2 last year.

Point is I want a pass catching guy, like Bennet or optimally like Antonio Gates. Boss can do what he does, and then Jared Cook, Shawn Nelson or if available Pettigrew.

If the other TE cannot block, then Boss can stay at the true TE position while the other guy lines up all around. If he is a complete TE like Pettigrew or Nelson, we can rotate Boss and the new guy between lining up outside

by FreeBradshaw on Apr 6, 2009 8:00 PM EDT up reply actions

I'll take it under advisement.

Thanks FB, I have done a fair bit of research on the Giants already and I appreciate your take on your wants and needs. The Giants have ten picks total, with five in the first three rounds. Talk about flexibility!

The rich get richer.

by NorthLeft12 on Apr 6, 2009 7:57 PM EDT up reply actions

I suppose I fall into the category of being a TE supporter.

Unlike North, who has some crazy hatred for TE’s, I think they are quite valuable, obviosuly not like a RB or WR but still good. I’ve made points about the importance of TE’s on other threads and they were too lengthy to repeat here so I won’t.

I would like us to get a TE in this draft, but not at the expense of our Defence. I want us to trade down and acquire as many picks as possible to fill the many holes in our team. A TE can be picked with one of the acquisitions.

2009 = The start of the Lions Golden Age (We hope).

by Hyperion Ecta on Apr 6, 2009 7:30 PM EDT reply actions

TEs, the guys who catch the most important two passes a game.

One of them might even get a first down. I don’t hate them, I just think they are over-emphasized in the draft and by the ‘experts’, then completely under-utilized in the actual games.

The Lions haven’t had a good TE since Charlie Sanders. He was a great TE. Don’t even mention David Sloan in the same sentence. The guy was very overrated.

And for the last time, yeah draft one of them in the sixth round or if we trade the #20 pick and get a late three or a four, use that for a TE. Just don’t waste our good picks on one.

by NorthLeft12 on Apr 6, 2009 7:52 PM EDT reply actions

TEs might ctach 2 passes but a good one has to be covered by a S or CB..freeing up the other revc

by ralphgoblue on Apr 6, 2009 8:56 PM EDT up reply actions

I never thought of that!

I f we have a pass catching TE the opposing defence will be so worried about him catching a seven yard button hook that they will leave Calvin in single coverage. Brilliant.

Come on, enough already. They use a strong safety to cover him. That is one of the jobs of a strong safety. This discussion reminds me of Millen’s strategy of having two #1 WRs to spread the field. How did that work out for us?

Whoa there North, what about the mighty Arizona Cardinals? Sorry, you mean the 9 and 7 team that limped into the playoffs, got their defence hot at the right time and almost won the Super Bowl with two #1 WRs? Lets see how they do this year. Fitzgerald and Boldin were great in 2007 too. How far did they get?
To succeed in the playoffs you need an offence and a defence. One dimensional teams rarely win Super Bowls.

by NorthLeft12 on Apr 6, 2009 9:21 PM EDT up reply actions

Matt

I like your draft ideas, and I agree 100% that defense should be the focus of this draft for Detroit. I am also a huge supporter of the Lions going after Taylor from MI. I wanted to point out that Anthony Henry might be our answer at FS if we can draft a solid corner in the draft. That being said, I think pick 20 should be the best avail CB. I also am on the Curry bandwagon, and I am not giving up hope. If Curry goes #1, and we get either Jenkins or Davis at pick 20, the Lions could move Henry to FS and eliminate that need. If the Lions do not take Curry #1, then it changes everything. We would have a much bigger need to develop a LT immediately if Stafford or Sanchez is the first pick. That means to me that it would be likely that pick 20 would be the best available LT (assuming there is still one of the top 5, J. Smith, Monroe, A. Smith, Oher, or maybe Beatty, left). If those guys are all gone, then MLB or CB would be the greatest needs in my opinion. If Mauluaga is gone, then Jenkins or Vontae Davis would still be a good choice…..moving Henry to FS. We could get McKillop or Sintim with pick 33 likely. Everything is dependent on what the Lions do at pick 1. If they pass on the QB and take J. Smith or Monroe #1, then MLB or CB is still the greatest need at 20. In any case, it seems to me that Taylor will need to fall to at least pick 65 if we are to get him. I believe that we would be ok if we got Taylor at 65 and maybe another DT later in the draft as well. We do have Fluellen, Darby, Jackson, and Cohen……how bad do we need Peria Jerry and Taylor? Do we need them more than a solid MLB and CB? It is my opinion that they do not.

by KDawg on Apr 6, 2009 9:29 PM EDT reply actions

The Solution..

The Lions should look into drafting Connor Barwin from Cincinnati with the #33 pick if he is still there. He played TE for his first two years and then switched over to DE last year. He could be a nice two way player by taking 25+ snaps with the offense as a TE and then being part of the rotation at DE or OLB.

He ran 4.47 at his pro day. 6’4, 256lbs. 10 sacks in 08, 31 receptions in 07. Plus he’s a local kid who grew up a Lions fan.

by gotothejoe on Apr 6, 2009 9:33 PM EDT reply actions

What are back to high school football days or better yet AFL that have players play both ways. You would have to have a huge football IQ to learn both the offensive and defensive playbook enough to not look completely lost. I think Barwin is a project and needs to be stuck in one position in order to excel.

by Curse of Bobby Layne 50 Years Strong on Apr 6, 2009 10:27 PM EDT up reply actions

Agree.

Barwin looks like an interesting talent that needs to be focused on one job to realize his potential. With one caveat; the team that takes him should not be the Lions. He is a second round talent that just does not fit into our team right now.

by NorthLeft12 on Apr 6, 2009 10:48 PM EDT up reply actions

I think he could stay at DE and be fairly good in the NFL.

Like some of you said, he has a huge upside at several positions. I have been throwing his name out for a while just because he is so versatile and when you have as many holes as we do, versatility can do a lot of good. It is the same reason I always throw out Ungers name. But like curse said, I worry that he may not excel at one position unless we dedicate him there, and then he loses that versatility.

by MatthewDC on Apr 7, 2009 8:44 AM EDT up reply actions