Ahhh, the draft is over and once again the Lions faithful begin to lose their minds over who we should have drafted rather than who [whom?] Mayhew et al did draft. Yes, those screams and wails of frustration are from the fans who watch in impotent horror as their faves get passed over, not once or twice, but three or four times, by Mayhew and the Lions for some guy they barely ever heard of. SAY WHAT??!!??

So I thought I would look at who was passed and construct a straight draft [no trades] of who the Lions could have walked away with. And just try to imagine the state of the fan base if the Lions had picked these guys. Just think if before the draft someone had told you that this would be the Lions 2012 draft haul.

Round # 1 at # 23 - David DeCastro G

via i.cdn.turner.com

AHHHHHH!!!! THE GUY IS A BEAST! Goodbye Mr. Peterman.

Round # 2 at # 54 - Peter Konz C

via www.falconsgab.com

OMG!!! THE GUY IS A BEAST!! Goodbye Raiola! We will never lose a game again! Or the Leos could also have picked Josh Robinson CB or Reuben Randle WR if you did not care to load up on the O Line.

Round # 3 at # 85 - Lamar Miller RB

via www.palmbeachpost.com

PINCH ME!! I have to be dreaming! How can every other team in the NFL be so stupid!! So long to that druggy Mikel whatsisname and to that head case Jahvid Best. I used to like you but hey, that was last year. Hey, maybe we should get some defensive players? We do NEED a CB or two, right?

Round # 4 at # 117 - Brandon Boykin CB

via maroonandwhitenation.com

I LOVE THIS GUY!! Did you see what he did against my beloved Spartans? He is an awesome kick returner too. So long Stefan Logan. You were so last year. If you wanted a taller guy, Josh Norman CB was also available. We have to make sure that Aaron Berry never sees the field again! Did you see the two INTs he flubbed against the Saints? What a useless jerk!

Round # 5 at # 158 - Markelle Martin FS

via ginosdrafttalk.files.wordpress.com

via cdn.bleacherreport.net

WOW!! Did you see him knock the ball loose, then take that guys helmet off?! WHAT A BEAST! We need a Safety to get that horrible Amari guy back on the bench or maybe back to starting cornerback! Whatever.

Round # 7 at # 219 and # 230 - Alfonzo Dennard CB and Cam Johnson DE

via www.nepatriotsdraft.com

LOOK!! An INT!! He's awesome! Cut that Berry fella right now! I hate him!

via guysnfldraftlockerroom.com

HOLY MOLEY! Did he just beat that Kalil guy to crush the USC QB?!! PERFECT! Let's get rid of that greedy bum Cliff Avril! I hate his money grubbing guts!

The guys that I pictured all spent a great deal of time on Mock Drafts in the first, second, and sometimes the third round. And imagine that, we could have drafted them in the third, fourth, fifth and even seventh rounds.

The lesson I learned [again] is that the Big Boards and Mock Drafts of fans and pundits are nearly useless, and my judgement based on [wasted] hours of you tube watching and internet surfing is even worse. I have my own oh for twenty performance as an armchair GM to prove it. OH WAIT!! That just proves that I am a lot smarter than Mayhew because my guys will be ten times better than his!! I WIN!!!

"Do you really think you know what I'm thinking? Really?"

via gridironfans.com

There is an interesting Armchair GM Championship being set up over at Mocking the Draft. The idea is to list twenty players in this year's draft who you think are most likely to get picked by the Lions [or whatever other team you want to pick for]. You get twenty points if the top person on your list is taken, nineteen for the second, eighteen for the third and so on. Since the Lions have seven picks in this year's draft the best you can do is 119 points [Mayhew's picks match your top seven].

Here is the LINK:
http://www.mockingthedraft.com/2012/4/23/2968669/the-armchair-gm-championship#storyjump

This will be a chance for all the Draft Whiz Kids to show what they really know. ON THE RECORD!

The winner of the Detroit Lions entries gets to make the 2013 SB Nation selection for the Lions. Apparently Sean's job as Mock Drafter is up for grabs! Sorry, You will be the Lions GM in a different Mocking the Draft Mock Draft that will be like the one that the SB Nation reps run. Sean, your Draft job is safe...........for now.

Whadda ya say guys? Up for the challenge?

UPDATE: By the way, can someone add a fourth rec to this so it stays up through the draft and could everyone who enters over at Mocking the Draft, copy their list over here in a comment? Thanks

UPDATE 2: As of 0900 April 26 there are eight Lions entries, and one Lions fan doing a Browns list. Almost as importantly, I noticed that all of the Lions fans entries were formatted exactly the way the contest asked to be. Other teams fans apparently have trouble reading or following instructions. Good luck to all of you.

e Pride of Detroit held their annual Mock Draft and I was happy to serve as the Bengals GM. Are you kidding me? Two first round picks and a second round pick for a young team coming off a playoff appearance? What else could I possibly want?

My philosophy with being a GM is to listen to advice, but mainly to act on my own judgement of what available talent best fits my team and who will give my team the best long term value. So I made a board and stayed very true to it at # 17, # 21, and # 53.

I did visit your site and reviewed your feedback to other requests for draft input and other discussions related to the draft and also asked a few questions to get a feel for what the Bengals need position wise and what players fit that their scheme. My review of the roster and recent performances identified the following positions for potential upgrade: CB, S, RB, DT, DE, OG, WR, and MLB.

By upgrade, I don't necessarily mean replacing existing starters, but also providing quality depth and future starters.

PICK # 17 - Dre Kirkpatrick CB - DeCastro OG went at # 6 in our draft, Cordy Glenn at # 16 and another high value target of mine [Brockers DT] went at # 15. So this pick came down to Kirkpatrick CB, Gilmore CB, and Barron S. I am not a big Barron fan [I don't think he is good enough against the pass to merit this early a pick] and I consider Gilmore a poor mans Kirkpatrick. So, I took Kirkpatrick. I thought this was a good meeting of value and need. If Hall is able to play this year, Dre can get some snaps in as a third CB or sometime starter, but if Hall is not ready, I think Dre can step in and start from week one. Frankly, I expect him to start the majority of the games.

PICK # 21 - Devon Still DT - after my first pick I looked at my board and started reviewing it a bit based on my first selection and further research. I narrowed my selection down to Barron S, Still DT, Nick Perry DE, and Doug Martin RB. I felt it was too early for Martin, although he was at the top of my available RB list; I though Perry was not a good fit for the Bengals defence; and I just could not get excited about Barron. I took Devon Still DT to provide a long term partner for Geno Atkins. Still is a rapidly improving DT who is great against the run [a must in this division] and who has the potential to become an effective pass rusher. He can start out as a rotational DT behind Peko and hopefully take over the starting job in a year or so.

PICK # 53 - Lamar Miller RB - this pick came down to Miller, Mohamed Sanu WR, Amini Salitolu G, and Andre Branch DE or Chandler Jones DE. I eliminated the DEs as I believe there will be some talented DEs available in the third round and the impact of these two is much less than the offensive players. I like Salitolu a lot, but felt the offence needed a playmaker more than a lineman. While I believe Sanu is a great fit for the Bengals offence as a reliable # 2 WR, Lamar Miller just has too much value and potential to pass by. The fastest RB in the draft, who has very good hands and is shifty and tough too? This was eventually an easy choice. Miller's faults are more to do with his lack of experience [blocking and route running] and youth [stamina and strength] that can be easily corrected with good coaching and hard work. He will be an outstanding running mate with BJ Green-Ellis.

Feel free to comment about my selections and strategy. I'll be happy to answer any questions.

UPDATE: Here are the links to the original articles.

http://www.prideofdetroit.com/2012/4/8/2934389/2012-nfl-mock-draft-cincinnati-bengals-dre-kirkpatrick

http://www.prideofdetroit.com/2012/4/9/2936162/2012-nfl-mock-draft-cincinnati-bengals-devon-still

http://www.prideofdetroit.com/2012/4/20/2963201/2012-nfl-mock-draft-cincinnati-bengals-lamar-miller

There has been a lot of chatter on the POD and around the world regarding the possibility of the Lions drafting a Defensive End early in the 2012 Draft. While I believe I have made my own position pretty clear on that as far as using a first round pick, little did you know that I am interested in seeing the Lions select a DE later in the draft [third or fourth rounds] to develop as a potential starter. Here are a few candidates that have caught my eye and may be available late in the second round to early in the fourth.

They are in order of my interest, although I would be pretty happy with any of these guys in the third round:

Cam Johnson 6' 4" 268 lbs

I like that Cam is athletic enough to have played as a 3-4 rush OLB, but has the size to be strong 4-3 DE. A high motor, durable, easily coached, hard working, with room to grow as a pass rusher and strength wise too. A great understudy for KVB and a guy that could rotate in this year.

via www.fanaticalfootballfiend.com

Scouting reports: http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/college_player_scouting_report.html&player=36635

http://www.sidelinescouting.com/rankings/2012/de/cameron-johnson/

Video: http://www.youtube.com/embed/2937_3Z1N-g

Continue reading this post »

I have been looking at Mock Drafts, Big Boards, scouting reports, and prospect highlight videos until my eyes started to go blurry. One position on the Lions that is not a crying need, but might be due for an upgrade in depth is Tight End.

WHOA! Before you jump off the roof let's look at what a third Tight End could offer our dynamic offence. Currently the Lions have Brandon Pettigrew and Tony Scheffler as our primary receiving TEs. Will Heller has served as a blocking TE with not much value as a receiver. I am looking at finding a TE who could replace Heller and be a better receiving option. The new Tight End would be a viable option for short or long term replacement of one of our starters too. Here are a few candidates and the rounds I would pick them:

#1. Dwayne Allen from Clemson 6' 3.5" 255

via nbcsportsmedia1.msnbc.com

This guy looks great and because of his slow 40 time may end up dropping a round from his second round grade. He seemed to play as an H back a lot with Clemson which would suit the Lions offence better.

Scouting reports: http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/college_player_scouting_report.html&player=100037

http://www.sidelinescouting.com/rankings/2012/te/dwayne-allen/

VIDEO: http://draftbreakdown.com/dwayne-allen-vs-florida-state-2011

I would move up in the third or even very late second to nab this guy.

Continue reading this post »

via lh6.ggpht.com

Here is an article from the Jets SB Site about Drew Stanton's apparent request for a release or trade from the Jets.

LINK:
http://www.ganggreennation.com/2012/3/22/2893649/drew-stanton-wants-to-be-traded-or-released#comments

I really don't agree with Drew on this at all [if this is true]. As I posted in the comments to this story, I think Drew should stick it out and show the Jets and their fans what he is capable of. He would be the back up QB going forward into the season and perhaps get a shot to start some games after Sanchez goes down due to injury or continuing poor performance.

I know some on here will rip me for this but I believe that Drew will be a career back up in the NFL, and potentially a pretty good one. I don't think there is anything wrong with that, but maybe Drew is aiming higher. Best of luck Drew.

via cmsimg.freep.com

The FO stands for Football Outsiders, and the looking is by esteemed [by me at least] football writer Mike Tanier.

Here is the Link to the article: http://www.footballoutsiders.com/walkthrough/2012/walkthrough-bon-avril

This is an outstanding article where Mr. Tanier begins by looking at Cliff Avril's sacks in 2011 with the intent of trying to project whether his level of performance will be transferable [to another team and D Line] and sustainable [on the Lions].

The method he uses is to watch the tape of every sack that Cliff had in 2011 and determine who he beat, who was double teamed on the Lions D Line,and the type of sack. He then repeated that exercise with KVB's 2011 sacks.

I will highlight a few of the interesting conclusions or observations that he makes based on his study.

Opponents double-teamed Suh or Sammie Lee Hill on most of the sacks, but keep in mind that defensive tackles regularly draw double teams in pass protection. Avril was not benefitting from too much extra emphasis on his teammates, though it was also rare for a tight end or running back to chip him on the plays in question.

None of the sacks were really "clean up" sacks; most occurred in the pocket, and Avril was the first guy on the scene. It’s important to note, though, that many of the strip sacks were really just swipes at the quarterback’s elbow that jarred the ball loose. Avril did not escape his blocker and deliver a blow to the quarterback.

Vanden Bosch sacks looked a lot like Avril sacks: he beat his blocker off the line, got to the edge, and was more likely to swipe the ball free than bring down the quarterback in many cases.

Vanden Bosch does not appear to be drawing single coverage because of Avril, Avril did not draw single coverage because of Vanden Bosch, and Suh did not get a disproportionate number of double-teams, either. No one Lions defender rode the coattails of any of the others.

And the guy who looked most impressive after watching all of that tape was ... Sammie Lee Hill.

Please take the time to read the entire article as there is much more that should be of interest to all Lions fans. I will confess that the article is not really about the entire D Line, but it was interesting to see the comparison on the sacks between our two most prolific sackers and what was happening on the rest of the line.

I was especially interested in Mr. Tanier's take that no one player on the Lions D Line was the focus of attention of the opponent's O Line which made the job easier for others. This is completely against what is preached as gospel on this site and by most media gurus.

I will happily respond to any questions or comments below. GO LIONS!!!

NOTE: I did not put this up as a FanShot because..., well......, nobody even looks at those things.

via ww1.hdnux.com

Like most of you, I have been immersed in the Cliff Avril saga for the last week or two. That story line has spawned some spin offs regarding the future of our two veteran leaders on the line Defensive End Kyle Vanden Bosch and Defensive Tackle Corey Williams.

I have been a frequent participant in these discussions, also reviewing CAP data, PFF performance ratings, and individual and team statistics of all the Lions defensive linemen, not to mention most of the available free agents and other DEs around the NFL for comparative purposes.

After all of this debate and analysis, one conclusion finally penetrated my thick skull; the Defensive Line cannot remain unchanged from 2011 to 2012. Following is my reasoning for this and what I see the Lions doing and what I would do in their place.

Continue reading this post »

(Ed. note: bumped to the front page.)

Now that the actual playing of football is over, it is time to really get serious about what the NFL is really all about -- the Draft! Sorry guys, it is hard to overcome over 40 years of conditioning from being a life-long Lions fan.

I wanted to take a few moments and break down the last 20 years of the 23rd pick in the draft. 54fighting presented a FanPost listing the picks and their accomplishments over the last 12 years, but I wanted to dig a little deeper. So here is the skinny on the twenty-third pick in the draft since 1992.

Continue reading this post »

(Ed. note: Bumped to the front page.)

When I started thinking about this offseason, I realized that the Lions may be at a vital and historic decision for the upcoming season. Who will be the left tackle and provide the protection that the pass happy Lions need for their outstanding QB?

This has not been a worry for the Lions organization for 11 years, although it has been a subject of intense debate among the fan base for much of that time. I'll present the options available, their positive and negatives, and then how I think the Lions should address this issue.

Poll

I think the Lions should fill the left tackle position by ...

48%

Re-signing Jeff Backus

704 votes

36%

Drafting a stud LT to start in 2012 (Adams/Reiff/Martin)

537 votes

10%

Signing one of the three available LTs (Gaither/Bell/Starks)

153 votes

4%

Promoting Jason Fox and hoping for the best

62 votes

1456 votes | Poll has closed

Continue reading this post »

.

After the Chargers game, Coach Schwartz spoke to the media at length regarding the path to the playoffs and how and why the Lions are successful. Some gems that really hit home:

1. FAITH IN THEIR PLAN

"Probably the most difficult thing to do in the NFL is to stick to a plan when you’re not winning," Schwartz said Monday. "Too many times, people haven’t accomplished what they want to accomplish because they’ve turned back at the first sign of storm. Or the first cloud’s on the horizon; ‘Hey, let’s turn around and go back.’"

I think this is really relevant to the 2010 Lions. Schwartz and Mayhew did not panic when the team was 2 and 10 because they saw how their team played and knew the guys they were collecting and training were very close to getting over the hump. Since then, 14 and 5.

"There’s a lot of fool’s gold in the NFL," Schwartz said. "There are a lot of teams that win and they’re really not on the right track. Sometimes you put too much into just getting the win."

2. FAITH IN THEIR QB

"We had a good group of good, young players, we’d put some good veterans around them and we had a lot of confidence in the quarterback." he said. " It was hard for other people to have confidence in the quarterback because they didn’t see him enough. We saw him every day. "We knew how he stacked up against other guys, we knew what he could do for this team, we knew that his injuries weren’t going to be injuries that set him back in the future and it was that confidence in knowing that you have ‘that guy’ that probably had as much to do with that as anything else."

The patience and faith that they had in what Stafford could do in the NFL when healthy was obvious then, even though a lot of Lions fans did not share that commitment. Their faith was rewarded this year and especially this last Saturday. Schwartz emphasized that point with the following comment:

"We've got a good quarterback, and we put it on him," Schwartz said. "I'm sorry for all the people that want us to run the ball 40 times a game, but we're going to put the ball in No. 9's hands and he's going to make plays for us like he did today."

The Lions best chance of succeeding is to put the ball into the hands of the best players, and on this team, that refers to Calvin Johnson and Matthew Stafford.

Now, let's be clear. The journey is far from over. The Lions have just cleared another of the many hurdles that have been placed in front of them, and there will no doubt be more disappointment ahead, but I think that some day, in the not too distant future, this franchise will reach the goal that has eluded us for over fifty years thanks to the leadership of Martin Mayhew and Jim Schwartz.

NOTE: I was inspired by and borrowed heavily from an article by Tim Twentyman of Detroitlions.com. A great read that you should definitely take the time to check out

LINK: http://www.detroitlions.com/news/lions-insider/article-1/Staying-the-course-despite-losing-has-been-the-key-for-Schwartz-and-Mayhews-successes-thus-far/14bd6323-0d01-437a-ab82-7ad58a39494f

Hats off again to Sandman7773 for producing these great videos. This should be a pre-Thanksgiving Day treat that all Lions fans can enjoy watching....again and again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_profilepage&v=oiAAMYcD5sU

One observation from watching these videos, Delmas has to be the worst blocker ever. On the first three INTs he was in position to provide a decent block and twice did not even try and the third time, he took the worst of the hit and did not slow the guy down at all. With all the interceptions the Lions get maybe the DBs and LBs should practice their blocking a bit. I know the DLs know how to block and love the chance to nail the O Linemen.

On the other side, some nice blocking by the line, Peterman especially, and by the WRs. Titus is making an effort but he is still a work in progress. Calvin leveled a couple of CBs helping set up those big gains by Smith and Nate's TD.

Happy Thanksgiving to all and GO LIONS!!

I was reading an article in the National Football Post  that had a short piece on Rashied Davis. I thought it would be a good way to reintroduce Pride readers to a player who we have not seen that much.

via t1.gstatic.com

Continue reading this post »

A tip of the hat to Veihl789 for providing the much needed link to one of the High Lights of the week for me.

LINK:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=929FSzWaiac

The runs by Jahvid are a thing of beauty for me. He is hitting holes [YES! I said holes!] decisively and is actually breaking some tackles. I was concerned last year how Jahvid would go down on arm tackles, but this year he is shrugging them off and running through them much more often.

He won't be a heavy duty RB, but he is the explosive threat on the ground and through the air that Mayhew wanted and Schwartz fantasized [LOL] about.

Enjoy Lions fans, and as always my deep appreciation to Sandman for putting these outstanding videos together. We are not worthy.  GO LIONS!

Guys, I won't be in the area for the Monday nighter but I will be watching the game from Edmonton, Alberta. My wife and I are flying there for Thanksgiving. In case you don't know, Canadians have Thanksgiving the second Monday in October. My brother is taking me to see the clash between the Edmonton Eskimos and Saskatchewan Roughriders.The first CFL game I have ever attended. This is a historic rivalry in the CFL. Not as mean as Edmonton vs. Calgary, but close. By the way, I'll be wearing my Lions jersey to the game.

Anyway, the game will be over in time for us to watch the Lions dismantle the Bears. Hopefully we will be able to enjoy Calvin embarrassing the Bear defence again like last year.

HQ Calvin Johnson Stiff Arms Chicago Bears for Touchdown (via daHiPHoPKiNGz)

 

I love to watch that one, it never gets old.  NASTY!!  GO LIONS  and Happy Thanksgiving from Canada.

Hello to all my fellow Lions fans. With the end of the first quarter of the season, I thought a quick poll would be an interesting exercise to see how the POD fan base feels about their Lions. I designed the answers to the question based on a careful review of POD comments and FanPosts over the last six weeks or so.

Poll

The Lions are........

22%

Not as good as their 4 and oh record.

29 votes

2%

Extremely lucky to have played four terrible teams who all played terribly/choked.

3 votes

3%

Not good at tackling, running, blocking, and are overhyped.

5 votes

59%

The worst unbeaten team in the NFL.

75 votes

3%

headed for disaster later in the season. Lambeau? Playoffs? Super Bowl?

4 votes

8%

DOOMED! Doomed I tell you!

11 votes

127 votes | Poll has closed

Continue reading this post »

ProFootballFocus has been cranking out a series of articles that summarize and analyze the relative pass protection abilities of all the teams in the NFL..

via cdn.bleacherreport.net

 

The first article was rating teams as far as giving up pressure. PFF defines pressure as whenever the QB is sacked, hit, or forced to move out of the pocket.

 LINK:   http://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2011/06/06/surrendering-pressure/

The Lions gave up 232 pressures in 715 pass snaps for a rate of 32.45% pressures per play. This ranked the Lions seventh in the NFL, ahead of teams like Miami, New England, New Orleans, and Green Bay among many others. Rather surprisingly, Seattle led the NFL in this stat just ahead of the Jets. The article then breaks down the source of the pressures; for example, whether they are the cause of an O Line failure or skill position [TE or RB] failure, or QB induced. The Lions finished tied for 13th in the O Line rating, 27th in skill position blocking, and 17th in number of QB induced pressures.

The second article reviewed the teams' performance regarding how often that pressure was turned into sacks. The Lions gave up 28 sacks on 232 pressures, which is a rate of 12.07%. Good enough to be the sixth best in the NFL, ahead of such teams as New England, the Jets, Atlanta, Green Bay, and Seattle among many others. The best team in this category was the Giants, followed by Indy, the Saints, the Rams and the Bucs.

LINK:        http://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2011/06/07/pressure-into-sacks/

This is a bit of an odd stat which owes as much to the QB's ability to get out of trouble by dumping it off quickly [Peyton] or just being able to shake off most hits and pressure [Freeman], or a combination of both [Brees]. Then you have Eli Manning who seemed to throw the ball up for grabs when he got under pressure, avoiding the sack but leading the league in INTs.

The next article reviewed which teams used additional blockers besides the five on the O Line. I think this will be surprising to most of us, but the Lions kept an additional blocker back less than any other team in the NFL...according to PFF. The Lions kept in an average of 5.31 blockers per pass play ranking first. Indy was second in this category with 5.39. Green Bay was 25th keeping 5.67 blockers in, which is equivalent to an extra blocker  two out of every three pass plays compared to the Lions, who kept one extra blocker in one out of every three pass plays.

 LINK:     http://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2011/06/08/extra-blockers/

I think a lot of people here, including me, believed the Lions went to two TE sets to help the O Line, but according to these observations they rarely kept those TEs in to pass block. And that also includes the RBs. It seems the Lions saw more value in sending them out on routes rather than staying back and blocking. That does not say that those skill players don't pause to chip and slow the on rushing D Linemen.

NOTE: I won't go through the math again, but I showed in a previous post that the Lions ran more three wide sets than two TE sets. Even with our terrible third WR and injuries to Nate  and Calvin.

And finally, PFF put all these stats together to qualitatively rank all the teams in their Pass Blocking success in 2010.

LINKS:     http://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2011/06/10/team-pass-protection-rankings-part-2/

               http://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2011/06/09/team-pass-protection-rankings-part-1/

The Lions were ranked fourth, behind Indy, the Seahawks, and the Jets. Here is what they had to say about the Lions:

Somewhat surprising, this owes a lot to the Lions being the number one team when it comes to shunning the thought of extra blockers. That isn’t to slight their pass protection unit which still performed extremely well. No, this is, in large part, on Shaun Hill. The quarterback did an extremely good job of getting rid of the ball and avoiding sacks compared to his quarterback peers. A very handy back-up to have.

Frankly, their explanation is a bit off. I think the first line should read, "this DOES NOT OWE a lot to the the Lions being the number one team when it comes to shunning the thought of extra blockers." I do agree with them as to Hill's ability to avoid pressure and dump off quickly. Linehan's play calling is also a factor in the minimizing of pressure and sacks.

For the record, one of the problems I have with the PFF stats is the disconnect between the individual blocking scores and the overall performance of the team in pass blocking or any other measurable for that matter. The Lions players as a group had a cumulative score of  -9.8 in pass blocking, good for 13th in the NFL. They were well behind teams like Green Bay and Denver, who they were well ahead of on nearly every other pass blocking stat you could name.

To me this just shows, more than anything, how important the QB and play calling is in minimizing the impact of defensive pressure on the QB. Specifically his ability to recognize the pressure, locate his outlet, and releasing the pass. The ability of the QB to avoid pressure by running around is highly overrated in my opinion. QBs that can stand in the pocket and buy an extra second like Freeman and Roethlisberger, and still get rid of the ball before taking the sack, are much more successful than guys who take off and run [ie. Mike Vick]. That is why Peyton Manning is still the best QB in the NFL regardless of how lousy an O Line he has.

There is a lot here to digest but I thought this would make an interesting addition to some of our marathon debates on our O Line, overall pass blocking ability, play calling, and the overall effectiveness of our passing attack.

As always, questions, comments, personal attacks [oops], and intelligent debate will be very welcome.

GO LIONS!

As per the Detroit Free Press, this coming Thursday NFL Commish Roger Goodell will have a teleconference with Lions season ticket holders.

via lockerroomcancer.files.wordpress.com

LINK: http://www.freep.com/article/20110513/SPORTS01/105130412/1049/rss14

Lions season-ticket holders will have an opportunity to discuss the NFL labor situation and 2011 season as part of a conference call next week with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and Lions president Tom Lewand.

Lions radio play-by-play man Dan Miller will be the moderator for the call between noon and 12:30 p.m. Thursday. Season-ticket holders were notified of the call in an e-mail message Thursday.

I hope some of the POD regulars who are season ticket holders can take advantage of this opportunity and ask some questions of Mr. Goodell [THAT BASTARD!] regarding the lockout, and what the NFL is doing to move to a negotiated settlement in particular.

All kidding aside, I appreciate that he is making this effort to speak with the fan base. You can call it a PR stunt if you will, but it speaks well of the NFL and Mr. Goodell that he is making this effort and putting himself on the firing line, so to speak.

If any of you guys want suggestions for questions just ask. I am sure a lot of guys have some good ideas here. If you  could also report on what transpires, it would be much appreciated. Sean, not sure if you have any access to this, but from what I understand, it is restricted to season ticket holders.

 Any of you season ticket holders still out there? Love to hear from you.

I might as well start this off. I hereby nominate Thomas Howard OLB of the Oakland Raiders [currently] as my number one target for the Detroit Lions this offseason. 

via prod.static.raiders.clubs.nfl.com

"Why did I choose Mr. Howard?", "Who the hell is Thomas Howard?", are two questions that might instantly pop into your head. Let's tackle the second question first.

Thomas Howard is an OLB with the Oakland Raiders. He was drafted in 2006 early in the second round [# 38]. Here are his physical statistics: 6' 3.5" 240 pounds. Ran a 4.49 in the combine.

Here is his scouting report from 2006 from SI.com: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/2006/draft/players/3274.html

POSITIVES: Athletic linebacker with outstanding size/speed numbers. Breaks down well, quick to the sidelines and is effective in space. Plays with good degree of suddenness, flashing on the scene and offers terrific skills in pursuit. Quickly locates the ball and works to make plays. Easily runs downfield with backs or tight ends in coverage.

NEGATIVES: Undersized, easily blocked from the action and not a strong tackler. Inefficient and does not consistently take proper angles to the play.

ANALYSIS: An exceptional athlete, Howard offers plenty of upside for the next level. Has starting potential once he improves his playing strength.

Since being drafted Thomas started 62 games out of his first 64 at OLB. In 2010, he was relegated to the bench as the Raiders went in a different direction [using Quentin Groves and Kamerion Wimbley at OLB]. Here are Thomas's stats from NFL.com: http://www.nfl.com/players/thomashoward/profile?id=HOW416588

He was extremely productive and durable for his first four years in the NFL. In those years he totalled 381 tackles, 4 sacks, 23 passes defensed, and seven INTs. He is just turning 28 this July and has not been injured in his career.

I chose Thomas as my number one FA target for the following reasons:

1. He fits a need for the Lions. I still think we need to upgrade our OLBs.

2. He fits our profile for a Linebacker. He is fast, can cover in space, and is very versatile.

3. He has demonstrated the ability to play at a pretty high level in the NFL and is durable.

4. I think he can be had for a reasonable contract. He strikes me as a player who wants the opportunity to start again and he would look at the Lions as his best chance to do that.

5. Most importantly, I think he can be a solid OLB in our system. Maybe even outstanding.

I look at him as one of those square peg guys that no longer fits into his current team, but has the raw talent and ability to succeed in the NFL in the right environment. I believe Detroit will provide the right home for him.

Any comments from the few of you left visiting this and any other NFL sites will be readily responded to.

Here is his comment on the pick of Nick Fairley at # 13 by the Lions.

The Lions are on the up and up as they land, in my mind, the best defensive lineman in the class. Fairley is as talented as Ndamukong Suh was coming out of school last year and now he will be paired with him inside. Character concerns caused Fairley to fall a bit, but I can see him and Suh creating one of the better defensive line tandems in the league for a long time.

LINK: http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/With-the-13th-pick-the-Detroit-Lions-select.html

I know this pick was a shock to pretty well all of us, but lets face it, this is what they mean by being true to your board and taking the Best Player Available.

Chris McCosky of the Detroit News had an interesting article from the press conference that Martin Mayhew held on Thursday. Here is the whole article:

http://detnews.com/article/20110422/SPORTS0101/104220367/1126/rss14

What I found most interesting were some of Mayhew's comments around his philosophy of drafting.

"I guess the "Mayhew Doctrine" is keep your options open," he said. "You don't want to paint yourself in a corner."

He also made it clear there is no positional preference."We have a lot more needs than people realize," he said. "There are a lot of places we can get better. Our philosophy is to take the best player and that's not going to change."

He elaborated on that as to how it not only relates to the draft, but to all player acquisitions including free agency, trades, and waivers.

With the lockout, there is no free agency period, nor is there presently any avenue for teams to sign undrafted free agents. Mayhew, though, says the change isn't necessarily a bad thing for the Lions."It actually fits in great with our philosophy," he said. "It allows us to be true to our board. We know there will be some form of free agency coming forward, so this allows us to take the best player now and then fill in the gaps later with a better quality of player."

That is a point that Mayhew has demonstrated in the past. He has always been able to get quality [sometimes not great quality] players in free agency. Before, and after the draft. He is confident enough [unlike a fair number of PODers] that he can get the players he needs in free agency to plug any holes in the line up or in depth.

Mayhew also emphasized his focus, in any draft year, is for the future.

"We're not drafting to get ready for the first game of next season," he said. "We're drafting for the future of the franchise. We don't view the draft as a finish line. We're not going to get done and say, 'We're all good now.' I think our pro scouts have done a great job of finding players after the draft — guys like Stefan Logan and John Wendling who were Pro Bowl alternates last year and young guys like Alphonso Smith and Lawrence Jackson."We're going to keep looking after the draft. We won't fill all our needs in the draft process."

I think the last line is another key point that has fueled a huge amount of debate here at the POD. While most of us look at the draft as an opportunity to fill out a grocery list of needs, Mayhew is saying that the Lions do not approach the draft in that way. Personally, I think that Mayhew and the Lions structure their board with position needs in mind, but again that is not the most important factor. As Mayhew said, the Lions have more needs than a lot of people realize, so it is easy to have a fairly flexible approach that will allow them to take the best player and still be able to fit him into a spot to get good long term value.

Perhaps I am reading too much into this, and maybe it is just another Mayhew smoke screen, but I think he is being fairly honest and open about this, because he really is not giving any information away, and the other NFL teams are intelligent enough to know that Mayhew is capable of taking almost any player at any position.

This should be a very interesting draft and off season. As usual, any comments will be happily responded to.

In the Pride of Detroit's Mock Draft I am representing the Jaguars and with the forty-ninth pick found myself in another pickle. Pretty well all of the defensive players that I thought represented decent value and fit into the Jags were gone. Brooks Reed, Rahim Moore, Brandon Harris, Aaron Williams, Bruce Carter, Martez Wilson, etc were all taken just prior to my pick.

Defensive players left on the board that met a need on the Jags were;

At OLB -  Mason Foster. I like him a lot, but not this early. Quan Sturdivant also got a look, but again too early.

At Safety - nobody. After Moore they are late third round value at best.

At Corner -  Curtis Brown. I can't get excited about this guy in the second round. I really don't see much of a difference between him and about six other corners so I choose to wait until the next round.

At DE - Jabaal Sheard.An excellent pass rusher who will only get better, and I think he is a great value at # 49.

via cbspittsburgh.files.wordpress.com

I did consider some players on the other side of the ball, specifically at WR and Guard. Danny Watkins OG is a guy that I actually think is the best player left on the board but I pass due to his positional value and his age. I don't think the Jags have a crisis at Guard and can afford to grab a later round Guard to provide depth and challenge for a starting spot next year. If the Jags really needed a Guard to step in now, Watkins would be the pick. Your Canadian fan base would rejoice and the Jags would get the steal of the draft.

The WRs available were Hankerson, Torrey Smith, Titus Young, and Randall Cobb. I felt like Hankerson was the best fit and was decent value here, but he reminded me so much of MSW that I really did not feel like the Jags would replace him with such a similar player so I passed.

Is Jabaal a player that the Jags might consider at # 49? I personally feel he is better than Brooks Reed, but that is only my opinion.  Comments?

Some folks at Mocking The Draft are looking for a real Detroit Lions fan to represent our team in a LIVE draft this weekend.

LINK:  http://www.mockingthedraft.com/2011/4/11/2104805/live-mtd-gm-mock-draft-sign-up

I did it a few weeks ago and had a great time. One warning though, it is a big time commitment and you need to do a fair bit of preparation if you want to have a "realistic" draft. They are planning on five rounds over two days [Friday and Saturday] with a possible Sunday draft if needed.

I hope someone from POD takes this on and will let us know how they did.

I am starting to hear more rumours about the Lions being able to trade down from the # 13 spot. Here are a few of them:

Meanwhile, Detroit, which has the 13th pick, has reportedly taken some special interest in UCLA OLB Akeem Ayers. Again that would be a little early for Ayers, however, the Lions are likely to get plenty of trade offers from teams looking to move up and grab one of this year’s excellent DEs at that spot and could conceivably move down to a point where Ayers would make more sense. Stay tuned.

One of the teams that could very well be giving the Lions a call on the 28th in New England. The Patriots appear to be in the market for one of those pass-rushing specialists, but could end up be a pick or two late sitting at #17. Of course, with 6 picks in the first three rounds, the Patriots have plenty of weapons to manipulate the board. There has been some speculation, though, that the Patriots actually want to try and move up from the 28th pick, their other first rounder, into the middle of the first round such that they could hopefully acquire both a pass rusher - either a DE or OLB - and an offensive lineman. Indeed, like the Cowboys, the Patriots appear to have invested a lot of time in scouting this year’s top OL prospects including Smith, Pouncey and Colorado OT Nate Solder.

 

 From Great Blue North Draft Report:  http://www.gbnreport.com/draftbuzz.html

While our own Killer [Tom Kowalski] is much more pessimistic:

Thomas: Don't you think maybe the Lions, because most teams figure they may draft an OT at 13, are in a BETTER position to trade down, as opposed to a worse position, as a previous article suggests? One of those OT needy teams are apt to fall in love with a guy, and will be afraid the Lions will take him at 13, and trade up to 13 so they get "their" guy.

Tom Kowalski: I don't see that happening because, even if Tyron Smith is gone by No. 13, there are still a lot of good prospects sitting there. If a team thinks the Lions are going to take Anthony Castanzo, there are still guys like Nate Solder, Gabe Carimi and Derek Sherrod who are first-round possibilities.

I think the best scenario for the Lions to move down is if one of the top two quarterbacks (Cam Newton or Blaine Gabbert) falls. That's going to be nearly impossible. The better hope is that one of the top two receivers (A.J. Green or Julio Jones) falls. Unfortunately, that's also unlikely.

After that, I just don't see a player out there who would spark a team to give up draft choices to move up to No. 13. It's possible because you don't know how each team views these guys but, to me, I think the Lions need a stroke of luck to move down.

LINK: http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2011/04/answering_emails_how_detroit_l.html

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No it is not another one of Alfie's April Fools articles, it is the result of the Pride of Detroit Lions 2011 Mock Draft. I represented the Jaguars and made this selection. See article here:

http://www.prideofdetroit.com/2011/4/6/2094230/2011-nfl-mock-draft-jacksonville-jaguars-cam-newton#storyjump

I just wondered if in any universe that Cam Newton fell to the Jags at # 16 whether you actually think that Gene Smith would select him?

I do not mean to sell Gene Smith short and say that he would ignore all this value for some character concerns [because that is probably exactly how I wrote the article up], but I have my doubts. And please note that I could not take Christian Ponder because he was already taken by the Vikings at # 12.

I would be very interested in your reaction and comments. I have only one request; please hold off on the Lions jokes.

Continuing on with the Mocking The Draft LIVE Mock Draft, Day Three saw an early start to the action and a pleasant surprise for the Lions.Here are the Links:

http://www.mockingthedraft.com/2011/4/2/2087691/mtd-live-mock-draft-round-5

http://www.mockingthedraft.com/2011/4/3/2088675/mtd-live-mock-draft-round-6

http://www.mockingthedraft.com/2011/4/3/2088871/mtd-round-7-the-final-round

I came into the day with three picks left; two in the fifth [# 154 and # 159] and a pick in the seventh. The MTD draft order showed the Lions with a pick late in the sixth round also [# 183]. After a quick discussion, I was allowed to keep it. I only hope Mayhew is so lucky.

ROUND FIVE

# 154 - I was targeting the top three players left on my board, Brandon Fusco C, Jordan Cameron TE, and Niles Paul WR. Naturally, they disappeared quickly and I quickly moved down the list to make some kind of pick. I took a long term project; David Mims OT from Virginia Union.  A year or two on the practice squad should do it.

REPORT: http://www.sidelinescouting.com/rankings/ot/david-mims.shtml

A massive offensive tackle prospect who possesses a long, good-looking frame. Carries his weight well, isn't fat by any stretch and actually looks a bit thin throughout his upper half. Showcases impressive power at the point of attack in the run game and can absolutely dominate defenders at his level of competition at the point. Is a pretty good bender for his size and is really heavy handed; once he gets his paws on you the battle is over. Now, obviously he gets a bit upright and isn't real technically sound maintaining leverage and using proper hand placement, but the skill set is most definitely there.

Possesses above-average range for his size in pass protection. Showcases good coordination and balance when asked to mirror and again likes to get his hands on defenders and anchor. Doesn't exhibit much of a kick-slide and is really raw and upright with his footwork. But talking with sources the guy doesn't even have an offensive line coach at his school.

Impression: Physically the guy has the size, strength and athleticism to play in the league and is dripping with upside. Is going to take some time, but is an ideal later-round developmental guy who could really catch fire with some time.  Wes Bunting --  National Football Post

 

 

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So, the second phase of the MTD LIVE Mock Draft got off to a slow start when the organizer [who overall did a great job by the way] was an hour late due to a family emergency. Once he arrived, the mocking went fast and furious.

  LINKS:  http://www.mockingthedraft.com/2011/4/1/2086187/mtd-live-draft-round-3

http://www.mockingthedraft.com/2011/4/2/2087160/mtd-live-mock-draft-round-4

These two rounds were done in about three and a half hours.  Less trades, less thinking, and less screw ups.

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Friday night I represented the Detroit Lions in a LIVE! Mock Draft on Mocking The Draft. Each team was represented in person or by submission of a list of ten possible choices at each of their draft positions. Originally, I thought the requirement for a list like that was ridiculous, but it proved to be invaluable later on.

Here are the LINKs: http://www.mockingthedraft.com/2011/4/1/2085600/mtd-live-draft-round-1

http://www.mockingthedraft.com/2011/4/1/2086009/mtd-live-mock-draft-round-2

for the first two rounds.

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