Following an exciting first round, we break down the favorite picks, most pleasant and biggest surprises, most under-appreciated pick, worst move and more.
Peyton Manning, Mario Williams, Mike Wallace and Carl Nicks headline an intriguing free agent class that can shift the balance of power this offseason.
The Eagles seemingly came out of nowhere to sign Nnamdi Asomugha as they eye a trip to the Super Bowl.
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I deliberately held off on reacting to the long-overdue firing of Lions' GM Matt Millen, in part because I wanted to see how the team responded on the field. After Sunday?s pathetic debut of the post-Millen Lions, it?s pretty clear that Millen will not be the only scapegoat for long. When your team comes out of a bye week and loses at home to a flawed division rival 34-7 in a contest that wasn?t as close as that score might indicate, that is indicative of a far deeper, more fundamental problem than can ever be laid on the feet of one man.
When so much is so wrong, it takes more radical action than an overhaul. No matter how much surgery she gets, Joan Rivers will never look like Jessica Alba. Likewise, cosmetic changes aren?t going to change anything in Detroit. That is ironic, because the hiring of Millen straight from the broadcast booth with zero front office experience is precisely the type of radical action the Lions need right now. The Ford family has to be trigger shy for another such move, but they do have some experience in this area. After all, Ford once transformed the almighty Mustang into a cheesy hatchback and limp Sebring copycat for some time before restoring the roar with the latest dramatic re-design.
In keeping with what the Ford?s understand, here is a plan to transform the Lions from laughingstock Edsel status into the sleek, stylish, successful, universally respected Shelby Mustang the fans so desperately covet.
1. Decide on a design vision. The Lions have not had a tangible identity since the run-n-shoot years with Barry Sanders under Wayne Fontes. That model ultimately proved inadequate--not enough safety features to handle the horsepower--but those teams knew what they were, and they had a purpose. Look at Pittsburgh, which has run the same defense and featured a pounding running game for generations, or Denver with its trap blocking and deep-ball offense. Management could choose players that fit with the team, and players who could thrive in that situation were attracted in free agency. As Ford well knows, attracting consumer attention and captivating them enough to buy is a basic principal of success. For the Lions, this means hiring a man with a plan. Look to the Bills, Parcells and Belichick, for how to fundamentally transform a clunker into a champion. Since neither is available, find someone within their universe you can trust to do things the right way. It worked for Atlanta by hiring Tom Dimitroff. Potential targets should include not just high-profile Scott Pioli, but lesser execs like Nick Caserio or Brian Gaine, young up-and-comers steeped in the way of the Bill.
2. Give complete authority to your new head man, and show him the same loyalty you showed Millen. The Ford family has a surprising history of doing this, so it shouldn?t be a problem. No back-seat driving allowed.
3. Get as much flexibility as you can. In the NFL, that means acquiring draft picks, and you get those picks by dealing away marketable talent that isn?t a part of your own future. With this season a lost cause, it?s time to have a frank look into that future and realistically evaluate who a reasonable football man would build a team around. To me, that looks like Calvin Johnson, Ernie Sims, Kevin Smith, Dewayne White and some of the young DL talent (Fluellen, Avril, Cohen), Daniel Bullocks, Dominic Raiola, and Mike Furrey. Everyone else should be on the market. There is no chance Roy Williams is going to re-sign, so deal him now and get something for the talented but aloof wideout. It?s not like Dallas or Tampa Bay couldn?t use him and wouldn?t give up a draft pick or two for his services. Same with Jared Devries, Shaun McDonald, Cory Redding, and Alex Lewis, decent veterans capable of helping good teams get better but not guys likely to survive the unscrupulous roster purge that is forthcoming. Miami, Atlanta, and San Diego have all undergone recent massive overhauls that largely stemmed from huge draft classes and successful player development.
4. As painful as it might be, you have to ride out this season with Rod Marinelli as the head coach. Yes, he?s simply not cut out for the job and has no future with the team, but Marinelli is a good man and a savvy soldier who can read the writing on the wall. Lean on him to play more of the younger talent as an evaluation tool and offer help him land a gig elsewhere as a D-line coach after the season. The next head coach of the Detroit Lions is not currently in the organization, and that guy is not going to jump into this car as it speeds towards the brick wall. The fans will understand, and it?s not like Ford Field was full of Lions fans to watch the Bears debacle anyways.
5. Learn from your mistakes as an organization. Matt Millen was ultimately a mistake, but why? In many situations (drafting Williams, Sims, Jones, and Johnson; taking a shot with Marinelli; bringing in Kitna) Millen made the correct decisions that simply didn?t work out right. Some of it has to do with a lack of discernible identity. Some has to do with the lack of a franchise QB, something the Lions haven?t really had since Bobby Layne. Some of it has to do with a culture too used to losing. Some has to do with instability, always looking for the quick fix. You don?t build a new house with spackle and duct tape, but that was the primary err of Millen?s ways. There is no quick fix when your offense has just 6 first quarter first downs in four games (3 came in the Green Bay game), or when your defense allows an opposing QB rating of 122, including an obscene 149.6 in the first half of games.
I encourage all my fellow long-suffering Lions fans to embrace the overhaul with patience and optimism. This team is not any worse than how Little Nicky Saban left the Dolphins after 2006, and Miami has beaten the Pats and Chargers in their last two games while in the midst of their Parcells-fueled revival. That can happen in Detroit too. I know that seems incredible, but once upon a time people scoffed at a Detroit product known as the common engine-powered automobile marketed towards mass consumers. The Fords won that one, and this Ford product can ultimately win as well.
