Alright, I'm going to give you a somewhat far-fetched scenario which I'm going to ask you to swallow for the sake of answering a specific question. Ok, Avril signs his tender, comes into camp and is performing at a good level. However, he is being matched in performance by another DE on the roster, and the coaching staff makes the determination that Avril is expendable. Now the Raiders have their eye on Avril, and offer the Lions an assortment of draft picks for him. What would the cap impact be for an Avril trade? Is this a feasible trade with respect to the salary cap?

As Jason Hanson laces up the cleats for his 21st season with the Lions, which would be the most all time for a player with one team, he faces perhaps the stiffest competition of his career in training camp and pre-season. It's not just former Illinois kicker Derek Dimke that he needs to fend off, but also the enemy within.

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Now, I have been reading your lineup projections, talk of the future, so on and so forth, etc. etc. One thing I keep seeing over and over is everyone assumes that Donahue will be the punter. I really don't understand why this is, and no one seems to want to give a valid explanation for this either. I think there COULD be some reasonable explanations out there, and I would love to hear what they are. Before we get into that though, let me make my case for why I believe Graham will be the Lions punter once the dust settles.

Poll

After carefully considering the evidence, who would YOU choose to be the Lions punter for 2012?

50%

Donahue

41 votes

49%

Graham

40 votes

81 votes | Poll has closed

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It was a dark and stormy…..day, yeah it was daytime. Lightening shot across the sky, and thunder rumbled from all those spectators who had partaken of the baked beans, and the three bean salad, and the bean dip too. Yeah, oops.

The two gangs slowly walked toward each other across the grungy parking lot, one dressed predominantly in silver, the other in blue. From the masses, one strode forth. The man from the west, LionsDecade.

"I am immortal", he said as he reached for his longsword under his leather duster. "I have inside me blood of Kings. There can be only one, and that one must be DeCastro.".

Not to let the challenge pass, a steely eyed man (Tufflynx this pard goes by) stepped forth from the other side. He reached to his shoulder holster and said, "This is a .45 caliber Reiff, so ask yourself this, ‘Do you feel lucky?’ Well, do ya?"

The masses from the other side parted to let through a man wearing a bullet sash, headband, and carrying a very large automatic weapon. It’s SuperHero. "Yo Adrian, no one calls me a punk."

The steely eyed man blinks momentarily, confusion washes over his eyes, as he begins to say, "I didn’t, who are-"

A very large and imposing man comes forth with a thick Austrian accent, "It’s time to say Asta Ala Vista little brother, Grab my hand!"

THIS HAS BEEN AN ADVERTISEMENT! See this steel cage, tag team, death match live on Pay-per-View (contact Sean for payment details, ringside seats still available for alimited time) complete with folding metal chairs, aluminum ladders, and for the first time ever, real working CHAINSAWS!

Guest star appearances by – Kdawg, JCruize, and joshun.

GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!

Poll

Ok, just for the sake of argument, would you pay $29.95 to watch this event? May want to pay attention to the results of THIS poll Sean, hehehe.

61%

Yes

32 votes

38%

No

20 votes

52 votes | Poll has closed

Well, here we are agian folks, post draft time again. Kind of like the week between Christmas and New Years. The gifts have been unwrapped, some people would like to trade their's in, some are pretty happy, and we all have hope for the future that awaits us. I'll be handing out my pick by pick analysis, as well as a composite grade and analysis of our approach to this draft. Without further ado, here we go.

Poll

Let's see what you think. What is you're final composite grade for this years draft?

5%

A+

7 votes

6%

A

9 votes

9%

A-

13 votes

26%

B+

36 votes

26%

B

37 votes

10%

B-

14 votes

5%

C+

8 votes

7%

C

11 votes

1%

C-

2 votes

0%

D+

0 votes

0%

D

0 votes

0%

D-

0 votes

0%

E as in Epic Fail

1 votes

138 votes | Poll has closed

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Now, I'm going in the way way back machine here, but I think that I recall something. Amazing, I know. On at least one occasion, wasn't Prince Fielder the bat boy for the Tigers during a game back when Cecil was playing? I seem to recall hearing Ernie Harwell on the radio saying something about it. Hoping someone knows the facts on this. Thanks! OK, I need nine more words. That should do.

Got a chance to go to my first spring training game last week, when the Blue Jays came to Joker Marchant. A couple of pitchers really stood out to me (other than Verlander of course) Chris Bootcheck looked pretty solid during his inning of relief, and when Collin Balester came in, I was hearing the catchers mitt cracking like a whip every time he thre the ol heater. How fast does this guy throw anyways? Is there any chance one of these guys could be the one to send Coke packing?

From what I've been reading, Presebytarian's Pro Day was this past Saturday, March tenth. Does anyone happen to know what the results were for Bethel? For that matter, anyone have a dig spot up their sleeve for keeping up with players Pro Day results? It would also be interesting to note which teams are sending scouts to who's Pro Days as well. This is a guy that I have my eye on as real "Mayhew" pick.

Thought it might be cool if we all shared our first Lions game experience. I'll kick it off. KDawg and I were renting a house south of Traverse City in 1995. We were trying to figure out where we were going to watch the game at about ten in the morning, and I said, "Why don't we just go?" "Are you serious?" he asked. "Yeah, I am. I've never been to one before. Think we can make it?"

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Lately, and I'm sure it'll be cropping up more and more as America rediscovers Lion Nation, there have been fans coming out of the woodwork that are suddenly 'Lion' fans (or at least willing to publicly acknowledge it for the first time). Now there's a strong part of me that, the part that enjoys endless Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefers, that says welcome aboard, the more the merrier, yada, yada. Then there's the other part, the part that cranks up Rob Zombie and Ozzy Osbourne, let's just say that side is a bit resentful for some undefineable reason.

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Ah yes, no better way to ensure people tuning in to a somewhat nit-picky, marginal poll than to overblow the significance. Learned that from watching politicians. OK seriously, if you've been watching the Lions preseason, and have seen Delmas "tackling", I'd like your opinion to be heard. Also, as an offtopic thing, I could use so,me advice, I have Green Bay and New Orleans starting D's on my team, which one would you start on Thursday?

Poll

What do you think of Delmas's tackling thus far?

17%

Nothing wrong with it, he's just fine the way he is.

39 votes

27%

He needs someone to have a chat with him over a cup of herbal tea.

60 votes

32%

He needs some serious coaching and someone to show him clips of unemployed "talented" players as a wake-up call.

71 votes

3%

He will be replaced by midseason by someone willing to break down and wrap-up.

7 votes

0%

He needs to be benched now.

2 votes

17%

You guys are all nuts, he's going to the Pro-Bowl as is.

38 votes

217 votes | Poll has closed

Alrighty folks, with roster cuts to 53 looming just around the corner and the Lions for the first time in a decade plus having some very real talent choice headaches to deal with on their cuts, this is your opportunity! Give me your best Mayhew style deal deal that ships a player out that's on the bubble, and tell me what we get in return.

Contest rules and eligibility - Contest entries must be received within the next twelve hours. You do not need to be a citizen anywhere to enter. Must be a member of POD for entry to be valid. Not valid in Guam, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island or polygamous sections of Utah. Winner selected will receive 346.5 Bonus Tokens of no value whatsoever, bragging rights, and a limited expense paid, uninclusive trip to Hoboken, New Jersey that can be designated on someone they truly despise. Good Luck!

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Haven't seen you on in awhile. I have a fantasy league that I've been running for the last eleven years. Recently one of our owners had to drop out of the league due to the fact that he has some of the best events in his life happening all at once. I am specifically inviting you to join. This is a Keeper League, and you would be choosing 5 players to Keep off of last years roster, then we will have a live draft on September 5th. If you are interested, please email me at bbazzett@yahoo.com. I understand you may already be involved in many leagues and may not wish to add another. If not, please post, and perhaps someone else here may be interested.

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Dear Bears, Packers, and Vikings,

   You are now officially on notice. The NFC North belongs to the Detroit Lions. If you want your starting QB healthy for the other 14 games of your schedule, I recommend you sit them against the Lions, otherwise take your chances against Ndamakong Suh, Kyle Vanden Bosch, Nick Fairley, Cliff Avril, Corey Williams, and Lawrence Jackson.

   Oh, and your running game is now meaningless. We now have the Linebackers to shut down your running game, including the second leading tackler in the NFL last year, Stephen Tulloch. Unlike last year, where your QB's had an easier time, our D-Line won't have to worry about the run as much and will be able to focus more on putting your QB on the sideline one way or another.

   Over the next several years, YOUR players will gain a new understanding of the word pain when they play us, and YOUR fans will get to experience the type of misery that our have endured for the last decade. Your cooperation in this matter is completely irrelevant, as are your teams now.

Sincerely,

TCLion of the Lions Nation

I'm not going to list every free agent signing, just sticking to our identified areas of need and the names that have been kicked around to bring in here. Update the list as you see fit. Hopefully it'll be a bit of a time saver.

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Long did I wander. Some called it a walkabout, some called it a lockout, but I remember. I remember, and I will never forget. It was mostly dark, and cold, and there was all this white stuff on the ground. That was when they told me football was going to come to a close, with millionaires fighting billionaires.

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Without over-dramatizing, the situation here is dire. There has seldom been a time when it has been more so. Before you rush to judgement as to why it's not, please read what I have to say before making your rush to judgement. I'm going to simply numerically list out points, which I hope makes it easier for you to reference in your response.

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Alright, with the draft slowly creeping up on us once again, and the Lions picking in Limboville at #13 with only 5 picks, many here have suggested trading down and picking up more picks. Question is, who's our dance partner? It seems like alot of teams are looking to trade down these days, and few are looking to move up, so with that in mind, I'm going to list those picking behind us that I think may have an interest in #13 if the right player is there.

Poll

Who do you think the Lions have a shot at making a trade down deal with? If you have a plausible scenario with whom it might work with for what player, I'd love to hear it! I didn't include the Steelers, Bear, or Packers for simplicities sake.

12%

St. Louis Rams

12 votes

2%

Indianapolis Colts

2 votes

3%

New York Jets

3 votes

0%

New Orleans Saints

0 votes

2%

Kansas City Chiefs

2 votes

5%

San Diego Chargers

5 votes

2%

Jacksonville Jaguars

2 votes

1%

Atlanta Falcons

1 votes

3%

New York Giants

3 votes

5%

Philadelphia Eagles

5 votes

35%

New England Patriots

35 votes

9%

Baltimore Ravens

9 votes

10%

Seattle Seahawks

10 votes

3%

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

3 votes

7%

Miami Dolphins

7 votes

99 votes | Poll has closed

alright folks, enough doom and gloom. time tor me to reveal my six-week 1e step program to return our beloved lions to the playoffs ("playoffs?!?, talk to me about playoffs... playoffs!) much to you awe, wonderment, and outright awe, here it is. rip away! lol

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this is the first of two posts detailing my own personal reading of the tea leaves, and takes into assumpiot that owners and players alike do a collective pluck-me-out-of-me and not screw up the golden goose that is the nfl by failing to come to an agreement.

i'm writing this off my blackberry in the laundromat waiting for my coveralls to dry, so please forgive grammatical errors, as i can't see what i'm typing.

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As a child I recall being subjected to the hideous 4 year torture of watching the winter olympics. After watching an especially impressive performance by an American, and then seeing him get the silver after getting beat out by a technically correct but uninspiring Soviet, it gives me a clue as to what may have happened on the field yesterday.

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I know many of you may be critical of this, judgemental, etc. I don't care. This needed to be said. Some of you may find this inspirational. Feel free to copy, or hopefully, improve upon it. I'm also very curious to see what some of your letters looked like as well, as I know I'm not the only one who wrote and sent one. I'm still livid.

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Come with me on a journey of what may be...... The Detroit Lions 2011 season. As I peer into the crystal ball, the mists of the future begin to clear............

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Alright, it was flat out wierd. Paul Pratts fourth quarter INT for a TD. Seriously, had Pratt not caught that (by the way, give the guy a tryout at WR and Returner) I think the ref would have been well within his rights to flag Levi Brown for intentional grounding. Seriously, who was the nearest Bill, how far away was he, and WHAT was Brown thinking? Colorblindness doesn't even cover it. I can only draw one comprehensive conclusion from that play. So Wayne Fontes, how much did you pay Brown? Lol.

Its that time of year again when my mind has gone through the yearly tune-up of pre-season and is rounding into football, strike that, full football form. (I never REALLY am not thinking about it). This year has a lot of excitement to offer. Missed hearing from you guys, but between "the job", summer's hectic "if there's a weekend there's a family event" schedule, and combing the beaches of Lake Superior for agates, I've been pretty busy. That being said, I'd like to submit a few thoughts for your mental digestion, and I'd appreciate hearing your thoughts.

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I have a slot available for an expansion franchise owner in the Darkhorses League, a keeper league which is celebrating its tenth year. Hoping to have the expansion draft this weekend. Very competitive league at which bragging rights are at stake. No money required, donations accepted, lol. Please post expressing interest. Looking for active owners who will stick with the league til they start shoveling dirt over me. Pinheads, douche-bags, and other wet blankets (you know who you are) need not apply. Join the league kdawg and I founded in Y2K. Ciao.

I'll be the first to say that this is unlikely, however sometimes rebuilding projects start to take shape faster than anticipated, and pieces come together in ways that's hard to imagine. I think this team has the potential to do something special this year, and while part of that may still be thinking under the influence of blue kool-aid, there are three former Tennessee Titans I'd like to see on our roster prior to the start of the season. I'm not trying to turn the Lions into Titans North, but fact of the matter is, these are all players who individually could help the team that just happen to have all played for one team.

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The drums are beating.

Tuh-tum, Tuh-tum

I'm sorry, but I've never been so amped, so excited, so positive about a draft EVER, and that includes Barry. I was excited about Barry, but I had niggling doubts too. I have no doubts now. I have no reservations. Ndamukong Suh will mean every bit as much to this franchise as #20 ever did. Oh, we haven't drafted him yet? We aren't going to? We're going to trade down? The Rams will take him? No way.

The drums are beating.

Tuh-tum, Tuh-tum

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Mayock, McShay, and Kiper have all updated their rankings and now have Tennessee safety Eric Berry listed as the third best Safety in the draft, ranking behind Earl Thomas AND Taylor Mays. The reason for the sudden drop? Solely to watch GRLion go into a near epileptic/rabid fit where he begins to eat his own shoes, and to send Evilsmurf on a sociopathic rampage.

Really, I'm sorry, but I had to do it. Gotcha.

Prior to GR reading this, try to put some comments down, and some recs to get it looking legit. Hehehe

While reading this article, I ran across something interesting.

 

Mayhew would not say the team would try to fill a need at cornerback early in the draft.

"I won't get into our specific needs," he said. "Unlike last year, when we really could have upgraded just about anywhere, I think you (reporters) look at our roster, you guys have been around for a while, but I'm not going to stand here and tell you what we need."

In other words, we are tempering the BPA approach and going to use some common sense.