Working out a free agent is nothing new for the Detroit Lions. As they continue to look for talent, workouts are key to finding players and seeing if they are worth signing. Just look at wide receiver Lance Long. He was brought in for a workout in early April and ended up being signed on May 1.
Something that is a bit different than usual is the workout the Lions held on Tuesday. According to Dave Birkett, the Lions brought in Christian Bollmann, a wide receiver from Germany. Bollmann apparently plays for a team nicknamed the Lions in Germany, and now he's hoping to land a spot on the NFL's Lions following the workout.
According to an article on Bollmann from a German website, the Lions had only seen him play on video prior to setting up the workout. So how exactly did it come about? Birkett explains:
According to the Google translation of a news release from the team, Bollmann’s tryout apparently came about because of an undisclosed connection his coach, Phil Hickey, has with Lions general manager Martin Mayhew.
Hickey is the ex-director of team operations for the Los Angeles Xtreme of the UFL and was a game development manager in NFL Europe.
You never know where you might find talent, so Bollmann is certainly worth a look, especially when you consider the Lions' fifth wide receiver spot is up for grabs. It will be an interesting battle during training camp to see who emerges as the fifth wide receiver, and if the workout went well on Tuesday, perhaps Bollmann will be added into the mix.
Here's a look at some highlights of Bollmann:
UPDATE: Bollmann's workout is scheduled for Wednesday.
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