The Lions are in an interesting spot they are 9 million under cap with 22 RFA and UFA. The Lions need upgrades and depth in more then a few areas I will try and address each area with a real perspective.

Players too resign.. (7)
Jeff Backus OT UFA(franchised)
James Davis OLB RFA
Kalimba Edwards DE UFA
Cory Redding DE RFA
Terrence Holt FS RFA
Shawn Bryson HB UFA
Fernando Bryant CB (Restructure)

Players not resigned or waived....(25)
A.Goodman CB
J.Devries DT
E.Drummond KR
T.Edwards WR
C.Fitzsimmons TE
B.Gutierrez OG
W.Rainer MLB
P.Smith FB
V.Fox S
J.Garcia QB
V.Rogers OT
T Hopson OC
D.Loverne OG
K.Kosier OL
B.Walker DB (retire)
N.Wayne MLB
D.Kircus WR
E.Holmes MLB
L.Woods LB
R.W Mcquarters DB
S.Mcgarrahan DB
K.Dickerson TE
S.Mchugh TE
S.Benoit DE
G.Martinez WR

Who the lions should target in free agency..and length of term
Jon Runyan OT ( 2 years) starter RT
Julian Petereson LB (4 years) Starter MLB
Deshea Townsend CB ( 3 years) Fight it out with Bryant
Marlon Mccree FS (4 years) Starter
Grey Ruegamer OL ( 1 years) Depth
Patrick Ramsey QB (1 year) Fight it out with Harrington/orlovsky
Mike Flannigan OC (1 year) Depth and possible starter

What I would like to see come draft day...

Lions drop in with trade to Minnesota getting 17th pick overall plus 2nd rounder 49th overall and a 5th round pick#145 ( I believe) Minnesota selects Lendale White RB

Draft day....
1. Charles Spencer OG Pittsburgh
2a. Darryn Colledge OT Boise St.
2b. Will Blackmon DB Boston College
3. Dave Thomas TE Texas
4. Rodrekus Wright DE Grossmont
5. Leon Williams MLB Miami Fl.
6. Ashlan Davis KR/WR Tulsa

I drafted some projects in Wright,Williams but with good upside. Spencer/Colledge could both start at guard with Woody at center. Blackmon will play either CB or FS and return kickoffs with Ashlan Davis replacing Drummond on punts and kickoffs.This leaves 11 spots to go to UDFA's or 2nd ,3rd tier FA's. to fill out the roster..I am sure people will find flaws in my thinking please fill me in on your thoughts..

Uck!! Two olinemen. Rookie onlinemen for depth are not going to turn this team around. Defense wins championships. Ravens,TB,NE,Pitt. The problem with our offense was West Toast anyway.

4 offensive players will be drafted before #9.If not by all means take O again otherwise it's D time.
The 4 O's
1. Reggie Bush
2.Matt Leinart
3.Vince Young
4.D'Brickshaw Ferguson.

Now we are Going to get one of these guys. In my favorite order.
1. AJ Hawk he would be great flying around Ford Feild (likely gone)
2.Mario Willams we haven't replaced Porcher yet. We need more than a 6 sack guy.
3.Michael Huff a playmaker in the secondary. Do you think Holt is the guy??
4.Jimmy Willams a big physical corner 6'3" 216 . I'm sick and tired of Bryant and the 3rd round project gang.(Goodmen,Smith,Wilson)
5.Tamba Hali this guy can pressure the pocket.

Let's build a D let Martz reshuffle all our #1 O's.

Any word on who the Lions have visiting Friday????

I know they visited your grandmaw! :lol:

Oh, nice one....

It's getting more, more likely that the Lions are going to draft defensive player at #9 which is not bad considering that they'll could possibly get AJ Hawk, Mario Williams, Micheal Huff, Haloti Nagata at #9 based on the first 4 picks. The pivitol pick will be at #4(possibly #3) and #6. If Titans and Jets pick a QB, then the 49ers might pass up a defensive player to get D'Brickashaw or they could still stick with best defensive player available. The domino effect will begin with D'Brickashaw Ferguson possibly falling to the Lions at #9 unless there's a team that could trade up to get him.

Any one of those guys would be awesome.

What the hell's goin' on, Blion?? Detroit better get off their kiesters and sign some players already! Season ticket deposits are all in now....they've fleeced the fans again, so there's no need to improve the team! 4-12, here we come again!! :ph43r:

I agree they seem to be sitting on thier hands. I have heard Kevin Barry might be looked at Ex GB swing tackle. WOW stop the excitment!! I think they are looking to see how the market shapes up before they start spending. Cleveland just overpayed for Bentley,Schaffer. Granted they got two productive players but compared to the money spent not productive enough. Things will be interesting at the top of draft if New Orleans signs Brees,thats an open spot come draft day. Teams might be jumping each other to take a QB The Jets if they get Ramsey might bypass a QB as well. That would shake things up for sure. Lienart might be the only QB in top 5 picks leaving teams in need of a QB trading up( minnesota,Oakland,Arizona possibly even Denver. I could see Denver eyeing Cutler using thier two #1's to entice a trade.This is a very wierd year so far starting with delayed free agency,then Brees,Culpepper having major effect on top 10 order of draft. Millen better start shopping before his honeymoon with Marinelli,Martz goes sour.

Lions have Josh Mcknown visiting today. Great another another flopped starter. We already signed Shaun King.

RW is visiting the Giants along with Arrington.
I wish we would take a look at Ty Law ,Woodson,and Arrington.

The problem with Woodson and Law, is that they will probably be looking for large contracts that really aren't justified in light of the way they've played the last couple years. Arrington will want large coin also and I'm not so sure he would be worth it with all the crying he does. He's not too far behind Owens in the "cancer in the locker room" catagory.

I'd take a chance on McCown, if they can get him at a good price. Certainly better than King, in my mind.

I know this is a Lions thread and I am not trying to hyjack it, but since OL Kyle Kosier came from the Lions, I was wondering if anyone knew if he was any good? I mean, The Lions need O-line help, so if he was any good why would they let him walk?

Kosier stepped into the starting lineup at left guard last year, when 2005 FA aquisition Rick DeMulling struggled. They spent the rest of the year rotating these two. To be brutally honest, neither one got the job done. However, I thought Kosier was a viable backup (He also took some snaps at OT, I believe) so I was a bit surprised that Detroit didn't seem to make a push to resign him. Their offensive line looks horrible at the moment, with starters and backups lacking. I have no idea why Detroit it out of the gate so slow this year. I can only speculate it has something to do with the transition to a new coaching staff.

Thanks Little Henry:

The Cowboys paid a lot for Kosier in my opinion, I think they over paid for a guy that probably isn't good enough top start for a playoff caliber team. The Lions were probably smart to use their money elswhere. There are still a few O-line men out there better than Kosier.

The Kosier signing really miffed me. He better just be there to be a backup, hope they arent going to start him at RT. He never got the job done in SF or Det, why would the Cowboys think he could in Dallas.

Lions signed Corey Bradford to a four year deal almost worth 8 million a year.

Its 7 mil over 4 years. Not 8 mil. a year..LOL too funny..

I hear Drummond signed. RW singed with the Giants and Goodmen signed with Miami. That leaves us with Bly,Bryant(over paid injury)keith Smith,and stanley Wilson. Looks like Millen better go CB shopping. Law ,Woodson are still out their.
We ought to take a look at Runyan and Julian Peterson. Either would be the best player at their position on the team.
I see the Vikings made Hutchison a huge offer. Looks like they might get him.

What do you guys make of the Kitna signing? I personally am very glad for him, as he's a first class teammate and person. His skill set lends itself better to the Detroit sysem than it did in Cincinnati, as the deep ball isn't as much a staple. Of course, that may change somewhat with Martz overseeing the offense. But it's not as if Kurt Warner had a cannon in St. Louis either. I assume Harrington is still the starter going in though isn't he?

This is my take in the Kitna signing - much like the Garcia signing last year, Detroit is looking for a veteran QB to take over in the event that Harrington doesn't get it done. To me, Kitna represents a much better signing than Garcia. Jeff was Mooch's QB and familiar with the system which should have allowed him to step in easily and run the offense. Problem is, he got hurt in the preseason, although personally I think Garcia was done anyway.

It's really hard to say what will become of Harrington. He's shown a couple flashes, but he doesn't seem to have been in the right system under Mooch and Morninweg before that. Some of his receivers have stunk it up and the OL was terrible last year. Still, he really hasn't shown enough in my mind, to warrant the starter position without some competition on camp. I think Detroit will open up the QB position in camp and let the chips fall where they may.

Kitna is the veteran QB that can provide some leadership to this team (sorely needed too) while still having something left in the gas tank. Ramsey and McCown were intriguing prospects, but at the end of the day neither one was any more of a known commodity than Harrington (I still like Ramsey better than JH though). Kitna is the best insurance policy for Detroit in 2006. If Joey doesn't make something happen this year, I think he's gone. You can still get a few years out of Kitna to groom the next "can't miss" prospect.

Some other thoughts on the recent signings - I felt the TE position would be addressed and Campbell looks like a pretty good pickup. They really needed a blocking TE and he will bring that to the table. I still would not be surprised if they picked up one of the talented TE's available in the draft for future development (pass catching TE).

I'm not surprised with the Bradford signing. Again, the youngsters have not shown the ability to step up their game and they need a veteran with some good work habits. Not too sure about the Drummond signing. He has not been able to stay healthy and hasn't shown anything in the passing game. I still don't understand why they don't use Chuck Rogers to return kicks if they aren't gonna play him at WR on a regular basis. Maybe he's just too fragil from the shoulder injuries.

Kalimba Edwards continues to show "promise", although that was a pretty good pay day for him considering he hasn't been able to put it all together. Maybe Marinelli will get something out of him. I think they over payed.

Bryson was a good resign. He's the only one who can handle pass blocking duties (besides Schlesinger) in the backfield and he's carved out a niche for himself as a 3rd down back. Money well spent.

I am hoping they resign Earl Holmes. They need someone for the middle and the talk about putting Boss Bailey (or even Lehman) there is a pipe dream. They just don't have the size. Bailey should be on the strong side and Lehman should be on the weak. Rotate Lewis and Davis in on passing situations and turn some of these linebackers loose on the blitz, fer Christ sakes!

I am getting worried about the OL. There is no depth here and a HUGE need for a starting guard! This position had better be addressed no later than the 2nd round in April's draft. Backus is a poor option at LT and it's hard for me to comprehend the franchise tag, unless it's all a smoke screen. If they sign him to a long term deal, I'll defecate and fall back in it.

Depth at S and CB is also an issue. We could also use another DT. DeVries would be a huge loss if he is not resigned.

We don't need depth at cb we need a starter. Bryant is the poster child for injury prone over paid athlete. Bly hasn't been the most durable either. Keith Smith and Stanley Wilson are 3rd round projects, dime backs at best. In todays NFL nicklebacks are becoming more important with all the 3 wr sets. We need another starter not a backup.

If Bryant and Bly are injury prone, then depth at CB is exactly what you need. Think about it....

Dan Campbell is a very good TE. Hes a great blocker from the TE position and is a very underated receiver. He didnt catch many balls in Dallas but that wasnt due to his lack of receiving skills but that Jason Witten is one of the better receiving TEs in the NFL.
The Cowboys are really going to miss Campbell. Great pickup for the Lions. With Campbell and Pollard on the roster the Lions are pretty set at TE this season but they should draft a young TE in the draft because while Campbell and Pollard are very good at what they do they arent the youngest guys around.

Yes!!!!! Joey looks to be finally gone. Lions sign Josh Mcnown,which doesn't excite me as much as Joey being gone.

Finally Harrington saga is over. Time to see if this staff can build a winner. Kitna adds insurance Mccown a fresh start and Orlovsky 1 more year to learn NFL speed. After sitting still in the start of free agency the Lions are moving ahead. Just not sure what direction they will go in next. One thing is for sure drafting a QB this year is out of the question. I have heard some rumors that Martz is high on Orlovsky.Then again they are rumors so who knows. I would like to sign at least Julian Peterson or Charles Woodson to play FS. This team needs a name guy with some talent of course to sell with Rogers,and Bly only name players on the D.I would still like a Michael Huff in the draft.

Ive never seen anyone happy that McCown was going to be their future at QB.

at least this gives us options. we actually have two qbs on our roster with at least half way decent sucess at the nfl level. i just hope we can get something for joey and not just cut him. but is he really worth anything at this point? a 4th-5th rounder?

I think Martz wants to see what Harrington can do and brought in Kitna for insurance and McCown as a backup plan just in case. Martz has too big an ego for him not to think he can make Harrington into a good QB. I wouldnt expect the lions to give up on Harrington until at least after the preseason.

Harrington is gone. Local press is saying he asked to be moved after the 2005 season and Martz was upset with his lack of interest in the recent sessions Martz had with the QB's. Regardless of what management or coaches thought of JH, the rest of the team gave up on him last year and now JH has given up on the Lions. He's done in Detroit and they did the best they could with a bad situation by signing a couple players who can compete for the starting job.

well if thats the case then he needs to be gone. I cant stand anything more than an uninterested player and at QB to boot. There will be some team that will think it can turn Harrington into an NFL QB and will want him, but I dont think anyone will trade for him.

I agree. Detroit will have to release him and someone will pick him up from there.

Perhaps he should have a giant "Will Pass For Food" billboard erected. Of course, that strategy didn't work last time.

Here's a list of all the Lions signings.
Shaun King QB Arz 1yr
Corey Bradford WR Hou 4yr
Dan Campbell TE Dal 5yr
Shaun Bryson HB
Jared DeVries DE 5 yr
Eddie Drummond WR 5 yr
Kalimba Edwards DE 5 yr
Levar Woods LB 1 yr
John Kitna QB Cinn 4 yr
Josh McCouwn QB Arz 2 yr
Paris Lenon LB GB 3 yr
Rex Tucker OT StL
Barry Stokes OT Atl 1 yr
Courtney Van Buren WR SD 1 yr

No One to flashy or expensive but some good veterans.
Now they need to address the secondary Losses of RW McQuarters (NYG) and Andre Goodmen ( Mia). They haven't resigned Earl Holmes so the MLB position is wide open yet. Maybe Teddy Lehmen could be moved to inside.

Yep, they haven't done very well. Do they have a starting caliber QB on the roster? After Carson Palmer went down last year Kitna didn't look very good.

Draft is coming closer looks like the Lions could use secondary help.
They resigned Terrance Holt ,Verron Fox to play freesafety (these guys scare no one). They only have Dre Bly,Fernando Bryant(Mr Injury), Keith Smith (04 3rd),Stanley Wilson (05 3rd) for corners.
Secondary seems to be their biggest need.

Dan Wilkerson looks to be retired. That leaves Shaun Rodgers,Shaun Cody(last years #2), and Marcus Bell to man the DT position. Maybe a need??

De hasn't got a consitent push for them. No one has risen to take the place of Robert Porcher. James Hall, Correy Redding,Kalimba Hall , Jared DeVries are all on the roster.
Mlb They have not resigned Earl Holmes which leaves this spot wide open. With the cover 2 they need a speedy guy who can cover. Maybe a move for Teddy Lehmen to the middle or draft pick????

The oline was very shacky for the lions last year . No run push and pass protection break downs. Will they stick with 3rd year man Kelly Butler or opt to draft. They have a guard spot with some open competion as well.
Do you think they have solved the QB position. Joey is to be traded.
They signed Jon Kitna great backup veteran to groom a kid. Does he get it done as a #1??? Josh McNown he couldn't keep the job in Arz. Dan Overloski (05 5th rd)
Shaun King traing camp Arm. I don't think this position is setteled.

Looks like We are clueless on what the Lions are going to do. Heck Millen has shown he will take the best player on the board regardless of need (05 M Willams)
Looks like the Lions could move up or down or stay put taking a fall guy.

Who do you think they will end up with????????

Personally, I believe OG remains their most pressing need. However, since there are no G's worthy of the #9 selection, that need will have to wait until the 2nd round. If they wait any further than that, I can't see them getting one of the top tier G's who can step right in and start.

There are several other situations that could have an impact on the 1st round selection (not the least of which is who will be available at #9). Backus has not even signed the tender offer for the franchise designation and is reportedly upset that Detroit is only offering a 1 or 2 year deal. He's also still recovering from offseason surgery on his ankle. If Detroit snatches up Justice from USC, I think it is more likely he will take over the LT spot from Backus than bump Butler from the RT position.

Wilkinson has not given the Lions a decision about playing in 2006. If he opts to retire, that would be a big blow to the best unit on this team. Detroit might consider Ngata or Bunkley with the #9. Personally, I think they would lean toward Ngata, which would give them two massive DT's up front and afford some protection for an undersized LB in the middle.

Another issue that looms is the absence of Boss Bailey at the recent minicamp. Is Bailey on board with the new coaching staff or does he want out? Lehman is still not ready to go, they've lost Rainer to FA and Holmes hasn't been resigned. Not a good situation. I expect Detroit to take a hard look at the LB's available in the draft next week. The #9 position is probably out of the question, unless by some freak chance Hawk drops to them. It's possible they could go LB with their 2nd rounder if they decide to pass on a guard. D'Qwell Jackson or DeMeco Ryans might be considered a good value pick in the 2nd and fill a spot in the middle.

I also think Detroit likes Huff in the first. However, depending on who is available to them at #9, I don't think Huff represents their greatest need. The Lions have all their starters back from 2005 and could very well get by with this cast in order to address another area of need. Depth in the secondary is certainly a priority and I expect at least 2 picks in the draft next week to address this. At what point those picks are made remains to be seen.

Looking realistically at who may be available for Detroit at #9, these are the players I expect the Lions are targeting: Huff, Justice, Ngata, Bunkley. In the event that any of the following players fall for some reason, I think they would all rate higher in Detroit's draft board than the aforemention group: Davis, M. Williams, Ferguson, Hawk. If any of the QB's are on the board, I think if would be more likely that the Lions will entertain trade offers than make that selection themselves.

VERY SAD day in Lion land..... at #9 we draft concussion Sims...2nd round we take a SS with poor cover skills to be a FS in cover 2 scheme..LOL then to add insult we draft a vastly overrated RB too sit behind the 4 RB we already have...Millen must have let the ball boys draft for him...Maybe he feel asleep and other teams played a prank on him... This has got to be one of the most depressing drafts that I can remember in my 25 years as being a Lions fan.... Im so glad I got too see the only Detroit team that didint insult us by wasting the day watching them. GO TIGERS......

Pitiful. Once again, the Lions wait until day two before they draft for the positions with the greatest need. Not at all impressed with their first three picks. This is why the OL is porous and the Lions continue to linger at the bottom of the pack yaer in and year out.

I disagree with your assessment on their pick of Ernie Sims. I think that he fit well into the cover 2 scheme and is a tenacious hitter who is as likely to give other players concussions as well getting it from hitting hard. He brings an attitude that the defense is sorely lacking.

I like the Bullock pick because he filled out a need and is a good playmaking safety who can push for starting spot.

At first, I didn't like Brian Calhoun pick but from hearing reports that Pinner and Drummond is on the way out, it makes sense to pick him as a 3rd down back and slot reciever. He's a very underrated RB who just had a bad combine.

I loved Jonathan Scott pick because he's a great value at this pick and will push for starting spot at either LT or RT. If Marinelli ever figure out on how to motivate him, he'll be a fixture at OT for years to come.

Dee McCann, I have never heard of him so I can't comment on that pick.

Fred Mauta is a solid 7th round pick because not only he fill out a need at OG but can push for starting spot.

Anthony Cannon, like McCann, I have never heard of him so I can't comment.

Overall it may not be a sexy draft like for the past few years but all of the players that Matt Millen picked are Rod Marinelli's guy and I would expect a better results from this year draft than the last 3-4 draft. I give it a solid B for Matt Millen and the new head coach, Marinelli.

just curious...what are you basing this off of?