Thursday Notes: Lions Sign Ephraim Salaam

by Sean Yuille on May 21, 2009 12:31 PM EDT in Detroit Lions Notes

The Lions signed veteran offensive tackle Ephraim Salaam today. Salaam has been in the league for 11 seasons already and has played for 4 teams prior to signing with the Lions. He visited the Lions back in early April and left without a deal. He wanted to wait until after the draft to make sure someone like Jason Smith or another highly rated tackle wasn't drafted. It's not that he is afraid of competition, but Salaam wants to make sure he doesn't voluntarily put himself in a situation like last season, where rookie Duane Brown beat him out for the starting job at left tackle. In 2006 and 2007, Salaam started 30 out of 32 games for the Texans. I don't know if he will be able to beat out Jeff Backus for the starting job at left tackle, but at the very least he will bring some competition to the position.
Roderick Hood has received a contract offer from the Rams and is going to visit the Bears next. He has also visited the Lions, Browns, and Bengals, though Cincinnati is "out of the picture," according to PFT.
Zack Follett was surprised at how tough it is to learn an NFL defense.
With cornerback Walt Harris likely out for the season, the 49ers are already looking for his replacement, as they are going to meet with Dre' Bly today.

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i think...

it’s motivational thing, for him to realize he needs to earn a spot, not just be handed it. But, he’s about the size of Gos, maybe a little bigger. A good couple inched on Backus & ABOUT 30-40#.

by LTownDown on May 21, 2009 5:03 PM EDT reply actions

why can't i find the report anywhere

was it taken down off of nfl.com? did it fall through??

by londonlion on May 21, 2009 6:47 PM EDT reply actions

Salaam is a good signing

We need depth on the O-line and he will provide it and push starters to perform at their best…..this was a great move by the Lions.

by KDawg on May 21, 2009 7:53 PM EDT reply actions

I like Schwartz bringing in some competition

Does anyone know how long his deal is.

by cincyboy on May 21, 2009 9:30 PM EDT up reply actions

Getting better from the bottom, up. The signing is great. Maybe he can play guard.

by BIGWalt2990 on May 21, 2009 9:54 PM EDT up reply actions

Are you guys sipping Kool-aid yet?

by cincyboy on May 21, 2009 10:12 PM EDT up reply actions

Have been for a while now

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

by Hyperion Ecta on May 21, 2009 11:29 PM EDT up reply actions

You know it.

by BIGWalt2990 on May 22, 2009 8:31 AM EDT up reply actions

This is an updated picture of me:

by Nate D. on May 22, 2009 6:05 PM EDT up reply actions

Pretty happy with the signing

I’m unsure whether he’ll start or not, I still see Backus being our LT, but Salaam might keep him on his toes at least. Maybe Backus could find a career year this season (if that is even possible).

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

by Hyperion Ecta on May 21, 2009 8:51 PM EDT reply actions

I first noiced this dude by watching him on that Superbowl commercial

and now he’s a Lion. cool!

by cincyboy on May 21, 2009 10:11 PM EDT reply actions

i think this is a good signing. last year, backus struggled mightily, teams knew we had noone to replace him with, and they took it to us. at least now we have a legitamate tackle we can utilize if backus struggles again this year. i have been pretty impressed with what schwartz has done this offseason, and see salaam’s signing as another step in the right direction.

by big smoove on May 21, 2009 10:44 PM EDT reply actions

Good solid value

I agree. Good pickup. I always liked Salaam (I always used to draft him late in Madden). He wasn’t that bad in games either, what few I saw (Texans don’t make TV that often). He’s a good solid player at a cheap price. He’s tall, strong, can play either tackle position, ……..and he was funny in that commercial. At the very least Salaam gives us depth and competition at OT like we had with Jonathon Scott, and he’s a better player than Scott. We need OL depth badly, so I agree with KDawg, this looks like a great move. The only knock on him as a young player was that he wasn’t very smart, but most young players have that learning curve. He’s been in the league for a few years now, and knows what to do. I’m very happy he’s here. =) Now go get Rod Hood and a NT!

by GRLion on May 21, 2009 10:58 PM EDT reply actions

I'm starting to worry

That we aren’t going to get one of the better FA corners that are available…..the Lions are whiffing on Hood. Either they didn’t think he was good enough to make him an offer that he couldn’t refuse, or the guy just doesn’t want to play in Detroit, St. Louis, Cincinnati, or Cleveland…..I have a sick feeling that he is going to sign with the Bears.

by KDawg on May 22, 2009 1:01 PM EDT up reply actions

St. Louis...

I really think that Detroit is happy with its situation at CB… They’re going to entertain guys like Hood just because of talent level, but we’re still not the place to be..

I wish we’d sign McAllister for a year or something, but like I said, I think they like the Henry/Buchanon situation.

by Nate D. on May 22, 2009 6:06 PM EDT up reply actions

Are we going to protect CB Henry in the defense?

You often hear about teams “protecting” a player in their defense who might lack range or experience. Could this be an example of that? The other day S Louie Delmas said that in every team drill, he’s been lined up on the same side as Henry. Hmmmm. Not only does that let Delmas benefit from Henry’s experience, but it also lets Delmas use his speed to cover a bit for Henry’s lack of range. Each covers for the other, in a different way. I agree, it’s starting to sound like Hood is about the money and wants to stir up a bidding war…..so we may need to find a way to make it work in the secondary with what we have.

by GRLion on May 23, 2009 5:36 AM EDT reply actions

Interesting POV and thought

If that is the case, then I hope it works because what I would do as an offensive coordinator to combat that is simply beat you over the middle. If one safety is coming up to far to compensate for a lack of ability on one corner, the opposing TE or slot receiver (depending on what side of the field) will have a field day. If the compensating safety starts to respect the pass over the middle, then they beat you at the weak corner…..I don’t like it.

by KDawg on May 23, 2009 5:15 PM EDT up reply actions

That's what good LBs do for you -

When a vet like Foote, or a speedster like Sims recognizes the pass, he moves to cover the slot/TE guy if there’s a bracket or double on the Y… Granted the two of them haven’t shown they’re phenomenal pass defenders, but what LB is? They will be there to make the QB second guess his pass. If you think a DB coach doesn’t understand the intricacies of pass coverage and how to mask coverages, we’ve got bigger issues than Anthony Henry.

I think that’s a great point, GR, and it could really benefit us. They try to take advantage of Henry, thinking there’s single coverage, giving Delmas a chance to move in and intercept/force a fumble, while a LB keeps the TE/slot at bay. (Remember that not every TE is a ’Grew or Gonzalez, and those slot guys are usually pretty small).

People aren’t giving Henry enough credit… I hope he comes in and blows the doors off this place…

by Nate D. on May 24, 2009 1:27 PM EDT up reply actions