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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When Dan Gronkowski was selected by the Detroit Lions with the 255th pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, I just shook my head.
Still reeling at the questionable moves made to that point (passing on Rey Maualuga twice, not drafting an offensive lineman until the seventh round, not addressing the middle linebacker position at all, drafting two offensive players in the first round), I could only chuckle as the next-to-last player selected became Detroit's second tight end selection of the draft.
Since Draft Day, some of those concerns have been answered. Rey Maualuga looks to have potentially been a problem child, and the Lions acquired Larry Foote to fill the middle while a younger player is groomed for it.
But two tight ends? When Brandon Pettigrew is supposed to be the all-purpose, [...]
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