Williams is expected to return to his former defensive tackle position after playing end in Cleveland’s 3-4 scheme. With Grady Jackson (whom the Lions signed to a three-year, $8 million contract last year) occupying the defensive tackle position next to Williams, there’s a chance that Detroit will pass on a DT at No. 2 come April’s draft.
That said, Jackson is also 37 year’s old, so the Lions might view Ndamukong Suh or Gerald McCoy as his eventual replacement for 2011. Plus, Jackson isn’t an effective pass-rusher, so he could be replaced on obvious passing downs in order to give Suh or McCoy playing time in their rookie season before they took over as a starter.
But it would be interesting to find out that the Lions made this deal for Williams in order to go in another direction on draft day. They also have a huge need at offensive tackle and might target Oklahoma State’s Russell Okung at No. 2 instead of a DT.
Lions’ GM Martin Mayhew entered the offseason knowing he had to acquire more talent in order to continue his re-building project in Detroit, which is why he has been busy over the last couple hours.
The NFL free agency period just kicked off, but already the Lions have agreed to terms with receiver Nate Burleson on a five-year, $25 million contract, which also includes $11 million in guaranteed money. The team also signed defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch to a four-year, $26 million deal according to ESPN.
Neither of these players will keep opposing coordinators up at night, but both should play significant roles for the Lions next season. Detroit has long needed a No. 2 receiver opposite Calvin Johnson and Burleson was productive in the Seahawks’ horrendous offense in 2009. He caught 63 passes for 812 yards and three touchdowns for Seattle, routinely outperforming T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the process.
Charles Rogers admitted on ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” that he smoked marijuana every day during his three years in the NFL.
He’s a small clip of the segment (via the Detroit Free Press):
This is a classic example of a player who just wasn’t dedicated to developing his game in order to become great. Rogers had all the talent in the world, but he clearly wasn’t willing to work on his craft and excel. I’m not about to suggest that marijuana derailed his career because 1) I don’t have enough facts to make a generalized claim like that and 2) something tells me it was a collection of things that contributed to Rogers being a bust, including drugs, a poor work ethic and injuries.
I just hope he’s the minority and that there aren’t more players like Chuck Rogers, who smoke the hippie lettuce on a regular basis. I’d like to believe that more players are dedicated to the game than he was.
There have been mixed reports the past couple days on whether or not rookie Matthew Stafford will start under center for the Lions in Week 1 of the 2009 season.
The reality is Stafford, the first overall pick in the draft, is on the fast track to become the Lions’ starting quarterback when the season opens Sept. 13 in New Orleans. So far, Stafford has passed every test with flying colors and cleared every hurdle with plenty of room to spare.
I should note that Kowalski stressed that the Lions are going to proceed with extreme caution with Stafford and that fans should exercise some patience when it comes to the former No. 1 overall pick starting this season. But it is interesting to see two members of the national media come to two different takes on this subject. And before anyone discredits Kowalski (especially when compared to Clayton’s take), keep in mind that he spends more time at Allen Park than Clayton does.
Personally, I think the Lions should park Stafford on the sidelines until GM Martin Mayhew is able to build a more talented roster. Wide receiver Calvin Johnson is a stud, running back Kevin Smith is a developing player, and rookie tight end Brandon Pettigrew could emerge as a quality playmaker as well. But Detroit’s offensive line is brutal and there’s no need for Stafford to get trampled on with Daunte Culpepper willing and waiting to serve as a beating post for opposing defenders. Plus, the defense might show a little bit of improvement this year with the additions of Larry Foote, Phillip Buchanon, Grady Jackson and Louis Delmas, but chances are the Lions are still going to be playing from behind a lot this season, which is never a good situation for a rookie quarterback trying to learn on the job.
Detroit should let Culpepper play rag doll this season and give Mayhew at least one more offseason to acquire more talent. Then maybe next year Stafford can become the full-time starter.
Even though training camp is still over a month away, the talk in Detroit right now is whether or not the Lions should start rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford in Week 1 of the regular season.
Before we debate this topic, let’s get something out of the way first because I know there’s a commenter out there who just can’t wait to throw out this boring, overused statement: It’s way too early to know whether or not Stafford should start Week 1 considering it’s only June and we haven’t seen him take one snap against live action (either in practice or preseason).
But I’m going to throw the topic out there anyway because it takes the sting out of knowing that the NFL season is still light years away. So save all of your, “It’s way too early to tell,” comments and tuck them under your pillow to be used at another time.
There will be two names that some Lions fans will throw out there when making the argument that Stafford should start as a rookie: Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco. If Ryan and Flacco could respectively lead the Falcons and Ravens to the playoffs, why couldn’t Stafford do the same with the Lie-Downs?
The difference is that Ryan and Flacco had help. The Falcons hit a home run with free agent running back Michael Turner, who carried the ball 376 times and helped take the burden off Ryan by opening up lanes in the passing game. Ryan also benefited from having a solid receiver corps (led by Roddy White), as well as an offensive line that overachieved and stayed healthy. Don’t forget that Ryan was also considered one of the most NFL-ready quarterbacks to come out of college in the past couple years.
Jay Glazer of FOXSports.com reports that the Detroit Lions have signed quarterback Matthew Stafford to a six-year, $78 million contract and will select him with the top overall pick in Saturday’s draft. The deal also includes $41.8 million in guaranteed money.
Some scouts and draft pundits don’t feel as though Stafford is a franchise-type quarterback and they might be right. If he were to come out next year, there’s a good chance he would be the third or fourth best quarterback prospect behind Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy and/or Tim Tebow.
But the bottom line is that if new GM Martin Mayhew believes that Stafford can lead his team, then he had to take him. The money is ridiculous, but unfortunately that’s the way the rookie salary structure is currently set up. In the end, Mayhew couldn’t be scared off by the contract demands if he felt that Stafford turn the Lions into a winner.
For fans sake, let’s hope this was a football decision above all else, and not an opportunity for William Clay Ford Sr. to sell jerseys, hats and tickets. Hopefully Ford allowed Mayhew to get the player that he wanted or else this is going to be the Matt Millen era all over again. (Okay, well maybe it won’t be that bad, but you get the point.)
Time will only tell if the Lions made the right choice in Stafford. Obviously there are no sure things in the draft, but maybe he can follow in the footsteps of ’08 first round quarterbacks Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco. Stafford certainly has the arm strength to make all the passes at the next level and appears to have a good head on his shoulders. The Lions needed a quarterback and they got one.
Busy night. Very busy night, as the Lions and agents for Matthew Stafford moved closer to a deal to make the Georgia quarterback the first pick in Saturday’s NFL’s draft.
I think the financial parameters of a deal will be done in principal by late this afternoon, though it may not be signed for a while because of its complexity. But you can take it to the bank: Stafford’s going to be a Detroit Lion.
Although I wouldn’t rule Aaron Curry out until Roger Goodell reads Stafford’s name for the Lions’ pick Saturday afternoon, Peter King is usually spot on. He has a great relationship with NFL players and front office personnel and I trust his judgment.
Sorry Lions fans.
Or…
Congratulations Lions fans – you (possibly) have your quarterback!
According to NFL.com, the Detroit Lions are in final negotiations with quarterback Matthew Stafford to become the No. 1 player taken in this weekend’s draft.
The Lions are in negotiations to finalize a contract with Georgia QB Matthew Stafford, who would be the No. 1 overall draft pick Saturday.
An accord could be reached as soon as Wednesday night.
Lions general manager Martin Mayhew said the team hoped to have a contract completed for the top selection — without naming him — during a pre-draft news conference Tuesday.
Lions officials have been negotiating with Tom Condon and Ben Dogra, who not only represent Stafford but also Baylor OT Jason Smith. Smith is believed to be the Lions’ second option should a deal with Stafford not materialize.
Should Stafford and the Lions agree to terms, the quarterback is expected to initially work behind veteran Daunte Culpepper, who impressed coaches at a recent minicamp. Stafford could receive the opportunity to compete for the starting job, which some NFL coaches and scouts said he could handle following private workouts and interviews.
Nothing is final yet, but if it does happen, this news won’t sit well with some Lions fans. But the bottom line is that Daunte Culpepper and Drew Stanton aren’t the answer. In fact, they’re not even close to being the answer and while Stafford isn’t the best quarterback prospect to come out of the collegiate ranks, there’s no denying that he has a good head on his shoulders and he’s got enough arm strength to make all of the throws at the next level.
Detroit has a ton of holes and GM Martin Mayhew will do his best to fill them as soon as possible. But it’s extremely hard to win in the NFL without a quality quarterback and if Mayhew truly believes that Stafford can lead the Lions for years to come, then it’s a good pick. Granted, that doesn’t mean that he will succeed, but Lion fans must now trust in Mayhew’s scouting and judgment.
4/22 Update: Lions’ beat writer Tom Kowalski is reporting that the Lions have a contract in place for linebacker Aaron Curry, but they’re in wait-and-see mode with Matthew Stafford.
Personally, I think that’s ridiculous. If the Lions aren’t completely sold on Stafford, then why take him? Why invest so much money on the most important position on your roster if you’re not 100% convinced that he can be the guy? This isn’t like deciding between an offensive tackle and a defensive end – you’re deciding on a freaking quarterback.
Rotoworld.com (via KFFL) has a juicy draft rumor about the Lions:
KFFL posted an item late Sunday saying that the website has “learned” the Lions will take Baylor LT Jason Smith with the No. 1 pick in the draft.
KFFL is usually very accurate, but it rarely reports anything and there are no sources cited. It’s also still over a month away from the draft, leaving plenty of room for skepticism. That the Lions have begun contract talks with their No. 1 pick to be makes it possible, however, that they’ve settled on Smith. He is probably willing to take a deal only slightly larger than Jake Long’s.
I’m sure we’ll see a lot of these rumors in the next month. As Rotoworld points out, KFFL.com is solid but this report can be filed in the speculation category.
ProFootballTalk.com is reporting a rumor that the Lions are focused on USC quarterback Mark Sanchez and not Matthew Stafford.
We’re putting this one squarely in the “rumor” file for now. But since this is a “rumor mill,” we’re not going to ignore it pending official confirmation or a second source.
There’s a rumor making the rounds in league circles that the Lions are focused not on Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford, but on USC quarterback Mark Sanchez.
As previously mentioned, the Lions apparently plan to talk to multiple players about a possible rookie contract. It could be that the Lions will float multiple names, and ultimately talk to multiple players, in order to soften up the expectations of the guy whom they really want.
I wouldn’t trust anything PFT.com posts, but if the Lions do take Sanchez at No. 1, that would be the shock of the year.
Who knows, maybe Sanchez will be a solid pro. But he had some of the best talent in the country around him at USC and he was far from spectacular. He has limited starting experience, wasn’t necessarily great in the clutch and doesn’t throw a great ball.
Stafford might not have been spectacular in college himself, but there’s no denying he has pro talent.
