It's March, and everybody who has ever written two words about the NFL is doing a mock draft.
I'm part of that "everybody," but rather than take on the whole league, I'm going to focus on the good old NFC North.
What follows is a team-by-team breakdown of each team's projected 2010 needs, and how they will choose to fill them in rounds one and two (sorry, Bears fans).
Minnesota Vikings
It's no secret that the old Black and Blue Division has been looking [...]
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With all the talk about the NFL Draft and the Detroit Lions' No. 2 pick, it seems Lions fans forgot about free agency.
That's to be expected, considering the Lions' biggest move in free agency last year was signing Larry Foote to a one-year deal. Nobody much expected the Lions to make much noise, as they never do.
Except the first day of free agency 2010.
Before twelve hours of this year's free agency period had passed, Nate Burleson and Kyle Vanden Bosch became Detroit Lions.
Vanden Bosch is on for four years at $24 million, and Burleson for five years/$25 million.
Both deals are overpayments, for sure. Vanden Bosch is 31 years old and Burleson is a fringe No. 2 receiver at best. And yet, both deals make sense.
This is where the famed "uncapped year" comes into [...]
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Donte Stallworth has accepted an invitation to workout from the Detroit Lions.
The last time we heard Stallworth's name, it was in connection with DWI and vehicular manslaughter charges.
For this, he was given 30 days in jail (of which he served 24), an extended probation period, and a permanent revocation of his driver's license. More notably to football fans, he was suspended for the entirety of the 2009-10 season.
Now with the season now behind us, the Browns have released Stallworth, leaving the well-traveled receiver once again looking for a new team.
Stallworth is an oft-shunned receiver looking for a team, and the Lions are a rebuilding team in need of receivers. The marriage makes sense, if it goes through.
But fans and Lions management alike should be careful of [...]
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It's that time again, my fellow Detroit Lions fans.
The official end of the season is upon us, and you're going to watch. You're a Lions fan, but you're also a football fan, and this promises to be an explosive, well-matched, potentially high-scoring Super Bowl.
But what's in it for you?
Once again, the Lions were out of playoff contention by midseason, and the only talk about the Lions since Week 17 has pertained to the draft in April.
So aside from picking a surrogate team to root for during the playoffs (as we have all learned to do as a self-defense mechanism—don't lie, you know you do it, too), how can we Lions fans enjoy the game as, well, Lions fans?
I have a few ideas, sorted out for the many different types of Lions fans.
For the "Blind [...]
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Okay, Lions fans, here's the problem.
Eric Berry is going to be a phenomenal player. There is very little doubt of this among fans, coaches, and draft experts alike.
Any team that picks him will be happy they did, and enjoy an instant upgrade in their secondary. His scouting report reads like that of Ed Reed.
But the Detroit Lions can't pick him. There's no way.
It's not because he won't be available. The St. Louis Rams need help all over, but they're not likely to start at safety.
It's also not because the Lions don't need help in the secondary, because very few units in professional football got burned worse last season than the Lions' secondary.
It's simply because of the Lions' draft position. It's tough to take a safety at No. 2 overall.
It's tougher when budding [...]
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Wait! Hold onto that cyanide, Detroit Lions fans, don't drop it into your morning coffee just yet.
Look, I know. Really, I KNOW. Another disappointing season rife with disappointing losses.
Another year the Lions spend as the greatest innovators of losing, seemingly inventing new methods each week.
When does it end? When do we get a break?
I don't have those answers, and I won't tell you it's going to be next season. Maybe even with our luck, we'll be ready to turn it around the season the NFL gets locked out.
But I digress. What I bring you are lessons from this season, and just maybe, some things to look forward to.
Because even though a 2-14 season is a poor season by any standards, the Lions still had an infinity percent increase in winning percentage over last [...]
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After a beating like the one suffered at Baltimore, Detroit Lions fans are likely asking themselves two questions: What is Daunte Culpepper doing still playing professional football, and why are we still watching Lions games?
I'm here to answer one of those questions. I don't know what to tell anyone about Culpepper anymore.
But the Lions are still worth watching, if only to learn the answers to questions about 2010. After all, what did you expect this year? You all knew they weren't going to the playoffs this year when August rolled around.
So there's no reason to give up on them now. They're doing exactly what they were expected to do. If you were going to give up on them, you would have been gone after last season.
This season is now and has always been a preseason for [...]
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Next year, any players drafted by the Detroit Lions might do well to take out a hefty insurance policy.
The 14 players on the Lions' injured reserve probably wish they had.
First-round pick Brandon Pettigrew is the latest to hit IR, and he represents only the latest in a sordid history of unfortunate injuries for the Lions.
Though the relationship between the two is arguable, an annual laundry list of injuries is as much a part of the Lions' identity today as losing is, and this season has proven no different.
The injury list started early when veteran defensive end Jared DeVries went down with a rutured Achilles tendon in training camp. From there, they started to compile injuries, particularly on the defensive side of the ball.
Daniel Bullocks was an early scratch, and he [...]
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Matthew Stafford has arrived, and his legend has begun.
As of Monday, Nov. 23, that legend depicted Stafford as a child of the football gods, a immortal savior delivered unto the wretch of the Detroit Lions.
After setting an NFL rookie record with five touchdown passes, including a game-winner after a play in which he separated his non-throwing shoulder, the consensus was to declare him a wildly successful draft choice, destined for the Hall of Fame.
Then Thanksgiving came along, and the legend began a new chapter, as Stafford started the game injured after not practicing during the short week.
At the conclusion of that chapter, the legend reads quite differently.
Matthew Stafford is human.
More than that, he's a rookie, and any attempts to anoint him after one good game [...]
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