NFL.com reported Friday the Lions had just hit the "Powerball," receiving an $11.75-million salary-cap credit this week because defensive tackle Shaun Rogers didn't reach a playing-time incentive last season. The league's Web site said the Lions had a "windfall of salary-cap space that they didn't anticipate having" and one of the ways they could use it was on free-agent-to-be Drew Brees, "a quarterback that Detroit is expected to pursue." Lions chief operating officer Tom Lewand called it "an absolute non-story." When the Lions renegotiated Rogers' contract in 2004, signing him to a six-year deal, they took advantage of a nuance in the salary cap system, as teams do. If Rogers had played 95% of the Lions' special-teams plays in 2005, he would have gotten the $11.75 million. That was never going to happen -- Rogers is listed at 340 pounds -- but the clause was included to make some math work within the rules.

Right tackle Jeff Backus was designated the Detroit Lions' franchise player on Thursday, allowing the Lions to match any offer that he gets. Backus will be offered a one-year contract worth the average of the top five salaries at his position, or $6.98 million. The team can continue to negotiate a long-term contract while Backus is not required to attend team activities until he signs the franchise tender. Backus also can sign with other teams, but the Lions can match a new team's offer or receive two first-round draft choices if they decide to let him go.

To Mike Martz, turning around the Lions' offense doesn't seem as daunting as it does to others. "We don't need a miracle, and I'm not a miracle worker," Martz said Thursday after the Lions introduced him as offensive coordinator and Donnie Henderson as defensive coordinator. Martz thinks the Lions have a lot of talent -- from quarterback Joey Harrington, to running back Kevin Jones, to the three top-10 picks at receiver, to the line -- and he can teach it. "It's exciting to see the potential here and hope and think that you can help that," Martz said. "That's the challenge, and that's why you're here, the challenge of it. I think I'm up to the task. We'll see." Martz said the new coaches had to make up their own minds about the players, so everyone would start with a clean slate -- including Harrington. "Whatever problems he's had in the past," Martz said, "all sins are forgiven." Many have wondered about Harrington's status, including Harrington himself, because of his past performance and his upcoming contract. Harrington is scheduled to receive a $4-million bonus if he is on the roster June 15 and a base salary of $4.45 million each of the next two years. But the Lions haven't asked Harrington to renegotiate -- at least not yet -- and Martz and coach Rod Marinelli not only sounded like Harrington would be back, they sounded happy about it. Asked if Harrington would be one of his quarterbacks, Marinelli said: "Yeah, he's going to be one of our quarterbacks. ... I think he's a great young talent."

Mike Martz had taken a renewed interest in Kurt Warner?s career. As head coach of the Rams, Mad Mike had assured us that Warner was toast. That is why he elevated Marc Bulger to the starting role and jettisoned Warner to the New York Giants. But as the new offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions, Martz eyeballed all those 300-yard passing games Warner racked up for otherwise hapless Arizona last season. He figured the former MVP could help lead the underachieving Lions offense to respectability. Suddenly, Martz seemed covetous of No. 13. Compared to current Lions quarterback Joey Harrington, Warner looked like Joe Montana in his prime. Warner offered the potential of a quick fix in Motown.

Marinelli will be Joey Harrington's third head coach and Martz will be his fourth offensive coordinator in five seasons -- if, of course, he remains a Lion. They can't have a backup quarterback counting nearly $10 million against the salary cap next year, but that's the predicament they face should Harrington decide not to rework his contract to make it more cap-friendly. Harrington is scheduled to make $4.5 million in salary next season. He's due a $4-million roster bonus come June. And when you consider the prorated portion of his rookie signing bonus, Harrington alone could devour more than 12% of the Lions' salary allotment next season. Yet nobody can guarantee him the starter's job.

The Detroit Lions hired Mike Martz after all. The former Rams coach became Lions offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Wednesday, a week after he turned down the job for financial reasons. Martz interviewed with new coach Rod Marinelli and team president Matt Millen nine days ago, but said last Thursday he wasn't taking the job because, "It just didn't work out with the money." Contract terms weren't disclosed. The Rams fired Martz on Jan. 2, the day after St. Louis finished 6-10. He sat out the last 11 games recovering from endocarditis, a bacterial infection of a heart valve, but has been was cleared to return to coaching.

Apparently, the Detroit Lions aren't quite ready to take no for an answer from Mike Martz. According to league sources, the Lions contacted the former Rams head coach Friday, seeing if he would reconsider his decision on their offensive coordinator job. On Thursday, Martz pulled his name from consideration, telling the Post-Dispatch, "We couldn't come to an agreement on terms." Martz could not be reached Friday. But those familiar with negotiations say the Lions were offering somewhere in the range of $700,000 to $800,000 in the first year of the contract and about $1 million a year in the second and third years.

A source close to Mike Martz tells ESPN's Chris Mortensen that talks between the Detroit Lions and Martz to be the club's offensive coordinator have broken off with the sides unable to reach contract terms. On Wednesday, Martz had accepted the Lions' offer to be their offensive coordinator under new head coach Rod Marinelli, pending the sides reaching agreement on contract terms. The source said Martz was seeking a three-year contract that averaged just under $1.5 million a year. Martz's agent, Bob LaMonte, met with Lions officials Thursday afternoon at the Lions' facility in suburban Detroit before talks broke off. Martz and Marinelli met for several hours on Tuesday but no offer was immediately made to the former Rams coach, who missed the final 11 games of the 2005 season as he recovered from endocarditis, a bacterial infection of a heart valve. The Lions did, though, offer the job to Martz on Tuesday night.

Former St. Louis Rams coach Mike Martz has agreed to become the offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions, a job for which he interviewed on Tuesday, but there remains a fairly significant caveat: The two sides must still negotiate a contract. And those talks are still believed to be in the relatively early stages. Lions first-year coach Rod Marinelli, appearing at a Wednesday afternoon press session at the primary hotel for Super Bowl week, termed the parties "close" to a deal. "We still have plenty of talking and working through some things to do," Marinelli said. Martz and Marinelli met for several hours on Tuesday but not offer was immediately made to the former Rams coach, who missed the final 11 games of the 2005 season as he recovered from endocarditis, a bacterial infection of a heart valve. The Lions did, though, offer the job to Martz on Tuesday night, after he returned him.