On Detroit’s offseason moves: The defense

By Os Davis  |   Monday, June 09, 2008  |  Comments( 1 )

Detroit Lions
Got something to say?

Log In above and share your thoughts on this topic with other fans!

Another off-season, another wad of roster shuffling by Matt Millen and his Detroit Lions. Because the Lions are (presumably) mostly finished wheeling and dealing, RealFootball365.com takes a look at the moves made in early 2008. Today, the major deals on defense come under scrutiny.

After finishing near the bottom in every major statistical category (dead last in points, yardage, and first downs allowed; 31st in passing yardage, passing TDs, and rushing TDs allowed) last season, it doesn’t take a Pioli to reckon that some major changes needed to be made. So how did Millen & Co. fare?

The secondary.
In: Leigh Bodden, Travis Fisher, Brian Kelly, Dwight Smith, Keith Smith, Stanley Wilson.
Out: Fernando Bryant, Kenoy Kennedy.

Puzzled? Well, some of the maneuvering here doesn’t seem to make, in Maddenese, a heckuva lotta sense. After turning in an 88-tackle, two-interception season in his third with the Lions, Kennedy was given his release on the same day Kelly was signed. While the argument that Kennedy is not getting any younger (2007 represented his ninth in the league) may be made, bringing in an 11-year man to occupy the vacated spot is a head-scratcher.

Surely more than one Detroit fan was disappointed in the apathy directed toward Fernando Bryant as well, particularly because he was immediately snapped up by the CB-seeking New England Patriots.

On the good news/bad news side are Fisher and Keith Smith’s decisions to re-up with Detroit. After turning in an inconsistent season with the Lions on a one-year contract, Fisher got another one-year deal and figures to start in 2008. Gee, maybe he can improve on those two interceptions as well.

Linebackers.
In: Gilbert Gardner.
Out: Boss Bailey, Teddy Lehman.

More questions: Is this a salary-cap thing? Why are the Lions shedding further name players? Is Gilbert Gardner really the answer? How long before Jordan Dizon starts? (The answer to that one’s easy at least: About 0.000001 seconds into regular camps.)

On the surface (and in the headlines), these swaps don’t look great, but Detroit may actually have made up for shortcomings in this area via the draft – now there’s an expression you don’t get to write often. Dizon is a definite plus and versatile Cliff Avril will probably be linebacking for the first season with the Lions. Both were shortlisted by the team going into the draft and both are in the slightly undersized, but ultra-quick mode that head coach Rod Marinelli just loves for his Tampa 2 schemes.

Overall, it’s surely a good thing that Lions management is allowing the head coach to build the squad in his image, but with the lack of experience on the field and another losing season at least likely, one wonders how much longer Marinelli might survive. By the time this ‘D’ actually jells, a new boss could be running the show. What of a roster full of Cover 2 guys then in a new system?

The line.
In: Andre Fluellen, Chuck Darby, Corey Smith.
Out: Kalimba Edwards, Shaun Rogers.

Don’t get me started on the whole Shaun Rogers thing. “Character issues” aside – way aside, actually, for despite the insistence out of Detroit that character counts, no more evidence exists for this principle in Detroit than in any of the other 31 markets; how else to account for Kennedy staying aboard in 2007 despite a DWI charge or the re-signing of pouting Tatum Bell or ... you get the idea – one just doesn’t trade one’s only bona-fide Pro Bowler on the ‘D’ for 16 ounces of Gatorade and a bag of peanuts.

All right, in actuality, the Lions made some additions in the wake of Rogers’ departure, getting Leigh Bodden (who showed character in resisting arrest, September 2007) and Fluellen. Time will tell as to whether the Big Baby trade panned out for the Motor City, but in the short-term future, this trade was all playoff-contending Cleveland Browns. On the other hand, 2008 could be Shaun Cody’s year.

Next: Moves on the offense.

Moving, moving, moving throughout the year at RealFootball365.com
Got something to say?

Log In above and share your thoughts on this topic with other fans! (1)

About Os Davis

Os Davis has taken a twisted route to get to RealFootball365.com in his nearly 17 years in professional writing, working in any number of capacities in the sportswriting, news reporting and film criticism worlds. In print media, Os has served as editor at a few publications, including Albuquerque's ...
read more
Article Tools Share!   |  RSS  |  Bleacher Report About Bleacher Report