woodbuck27
07-10-2006, 01:35 PM
PFT PRESEASON POWER RANKINGS: NO. 24 - the Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions.
We're torn regarding the potential impact of new head coach Rod Marinelli. On one hand, we believe that if the militaristic Marinelli were destined to be such a great head coach someone would have at least interviewed the long-time Tampa defensive line coach for a top job before 2006. Indeed, the Lions had two prior opportunities during the Matt Millen regime to hire Marinelli, but never even gave him a sniff.
On the other hand, everyone who has played for the guy loves his ability to get players properly motivated and prepared.
But with only so much of the roster than can be turned over in any given year, Marinelli's results will be less like Lombardi and more like Les Steckel in year one. There are too many guys on the team who have grown too accustomed to Steve Mariucci's "player-friendly" approach, which often is code for "the inmates are running the asylum, and I'm staying out of the way so they won't try to make me their bitch." And only so many of the guys who don't want to work hard can be booted out the door in only one offseason without screwing up the salary cap.
The real question is whether Marinelli will get a fair chance to rectify the problems of seasons past, which in turn will depend on whether the Ford family can continue to resist mounting calls to "Fire Millen!" -- which won't go away if the Lions don't contend for the division title in 2006. The key, in our view, to Marinelli getting a full chance to make his message take will be for the guy who's running the show in the front office to keep his job, since if there's a change at the top the new G.M. will want to hire his own coach, sooner before later.
And the more we hear about Millen, the less we think he's totally responsible for the mess in Motown. Word is that the Fords forced on him both of the two prior head coaches that were hired on his watch, and that the Fords insisted on drafting major quarterback bust Joey Harrington. With that said, Millen's performance has been poor, and we would have gotten rid of him after 2005, if not earlier. But now that he's still there, he needs a couple of years in order to ensure that the new coach will get a couple of years, too.
Still, this much is clear to us. If the Lions aren't back in the playoffs or damn close to it by the end of the 2007 season, especially when they play in one of the weakest divisions in the league, it'll be time for the Fords to clean house completely and start over from scratch.
Helping Marinelli turn the thing around will be a former head coach and a former short-list head coaching candidate -- Mike Martz and Donnie Henderson. The Lions' on-again, off-again courtship of Martz had the same indicia of goofiness that his time in St. Louis demonstrated, and we have a feeling that Martz could be a problem if he doesn't have free and complete reign over the offense. But based on his performance in that same position with the Rams, it makes sense to get out of his way and let him do his thing.
The hard-nosed Henderson could be a nice complement to Marinelli, but as we explained after Marinelli got the job it'll be important for someone to play good cop if/when Marinelli goes meshugena on the practice field or in the locker room.
Yeah, this thing could be messier than Michael Strahan's divorce proceedings -- but if these three coaches can start to manufacture wins it could finally turn the Lions into a legitimate force.
And if that ever happens, the success will likely be short-lived, since both Martz and Henderson would ride the team's success into head coaching jobs elsewhere.
Leading the way on offense this season will be a new quarterback, presumably former Bengals starter Jon Kitna, a solid but unspectacular performer during his NFL career. Kitna's arrival resulted in the departure of Harrington, who was the third overall pick in the 2002 draft.
At running back, Kevin Jones was supposed to be a breakout performer in 2005. If the Lions are lucky, he'll be merely overdue in lieu of overrated.
At receiver, the Lions currently have 12 players under contract -- including three former first-round draft picks, two of whom (Charles Rogers and Mike Williams) might be in danger of getting the boot, if for no reason other than to make it easier for Marinelli and Martz to get everyone else's attention.
Free agent additions on offense include tight end Dan Campbell, receiver Corey Bradford, receiver Mike Furrey, quarterback Josh McCown, tackle Barry Stokes, tackle Courtney Van Buren, and guard Ross Verba.
On defense, the team bid farewell to defensive tackle Dan Wilkinson and signed various free agents, including defensive tackle Tyoka Jackson, safety Idrees Bashir, and cornerback Jamar Fletcher.
The draft brought linebacker Ernie Sims in round one, safety Daniel Bullocks in round two, and running back Brian Calhoun in round three.
Transition will be the key word in Motown this year, with Marinelli, Martz, and Henderson trying to figure out who'll be the best candidates to fit the offensive and defensive systems and -- more importantly -- the type of hard-nosed, high-motor mindset that Marinelli surely will try to impress upon them all.
We don't rule out a surprising improvement given the low level of competition in the NFC North, but the team will have a better chance of making some noise in 2007 -- if they don't do so well in 2006 that Martz and/or Henderson win tickets out of town.
Now, for the fantasy grades:
Quarterback: Kitna was solid in his last stint as a starter. But with a couple of years on the bench and a 34th birthday coming in September, can he put up big numbers? In Mike Martz's Silver Ball offense, he can. We'll go out on a limb and give Kitna a B+.
Running back: Kevin Jones went from rookie stud to second-year dud, but he'll get plenty of chances to redeem himself in 2006. Especially if he continues to develop into a pass-catcher out of the backfield. We're not ready to label him the next Marshall Faulk or Priest Holmes, but those guys didn't really become Marshall Faulk or Priest Holmes until they got hooked up with the Vermeil-Martz attack. Jones gets a B-.
Wide receiver: Roy Williams' production slipped a bit in 2005, and he's been slowed by nagging injuries. But someone has to catch the passes in the Martz offense, and Williams likely will be the first option. He gets a B. Beyond the No. 1 wideout, however, it's hard at this point to figure out who'll get the reps, and the catches. Martz apparently loves Eddie Drummond, who could be No. 3 or higher when the season starts. Mike Williams and Charles Rogers have the pedigree but not the production, and former Martz pupil Mike Furrey could be a factor, too. For now, the best bet for any fantasy owner is to monitor the news coming out of Lions' camp carefully in order to figure out who the main guy across from Roy Williams will be.
Tight end: Marcus Pollard was one of the few guys on offense last year who refused to tolerate the team's ineptitude. But his numbers, even in Martz's offense, don't put him back among the league's elite tight ends. Go with another receiver.
Defense: The Lions were the 20th overall defense statistically in 2005, and Marinelli and Henderson could push those numbers higher. Though not an elite unit yet, we'd keep an eye on them if the Bucs, Steelers, Bears, Eagles, and Pats are gone when it comes time to pick one. We'll give them a B-.
Kicker: Jason Hanson has been kicking for the Lions since 1992. Last year, he put up only 84 points. If the Martz offense takes root in 2006, he'll possibly score a lot more. He gets a B-.
The Detroit Lions.
We're torn regarding the potential impact of new head coach Rod Marinelli. On one hand, we believe that if the militaristic Marinelli were destined to be such a great head coach someone would have at least interviewed the long-time Tampa defensive line coach for a top job before 2006. Indeed, the Lions had two prior opportunities during the Matt Millen regime to hire Marinelli, but never even gave him a sniff.
On the other hand, everyone who has played for the guy loves his ability to get players properly motivated and prepared.
But with only so much of the roster than can be turned over in any given year, Marinelli's results will be less like Lombardi and more like Les Steckel in year one. There are too many guys on the team who have grown too accustomed to Steve Mariucci's "player-friendly" approach, which often is code for "the inmates are running the asylum, and I'm staying out of the way so they won't try to make me their bitch." And only so many of the guys who don't want to work hard can be booted out the door in only one offseason without screwing up the salary cap.
The real question is whether Marinelli will get a fair chance to rectify the problems of seasons past, which in turn will depend on whether the Ford family can continue to resist mounting calls to "Fire Millen!" -- which won't go away if the Lions don't contend for the division title in 2006. The key, in our view, to Marinelli getting a full chance to make his message take will be for the guy who's running the show in the front office to keep his job, since if there's a change at the top the new G.M. will want to hire his own coach, sooner before later.
And the more we hear about Millen, the less we think he's totally responsible for the mess in Motown. Word is that the Fords forced on him both of the two prior head coaches that were hired on his watch, and that the Fords insisted on drafting major quarterback bust Joey Harrington. With that said, Millen's performance has been poor, and we would have gotten rid of him after 2005, if not earlier. But now that he's still there, he needs a couple of years in order to ensure that the new coach will get a couple of years, too.
Still, this much is clear to us. If the Lions aren't back in the playoffs or damn close to it by the end of the 2007 season, especially when they play in one of the weakest divisions in the league, it'll be time for the Fords to clean house completely and start over from scratch.
Helping Marinelli turn the thing around will be a former head coach and a former short-list head coaching candidate -- Mike Martz and Donnie Henderson. The Lions' on-again, off-again courtship of Martz had the same indicia of goofiness that his time in St. Louis demonstrated, and we have a feeling that Martz could be a problem if he doesn't have free and complete reign over the offense. But based on his performance in that same position with the Rams, it makes sense to get out of his way and let him do his thing.
The hard-nosed Henderson could be a nice complement to Marinelli, but as we explained after Marinelli got the job it'll be important for someone to play good cop if/when Marinelli goes meshugena on the practice field or in the locker room.
Yeah, this thing could be messier than Michael Strahan's divorce proceedings -- but if these three coaches can start to manufacture wins it could finally turn the Lions into a legitimate force.
And if that ever happens, the success will likely be short-lived, since both Martz and Henderson would ride the team's success into head coaching jobs elsewhere.
Leading the way on offense this season will be a new quarterback, presumably former Bengals starter Jon Kitna, a solid but unspectacular performer during his NFL career. Kitna's arrival resulted in the departure of Harrington, who was the third overall pick in the 2002 draft.
At running back, Kevin Jones was supposed to be a breakout performer in 2005. If the Lions are lucky, he'll be merely overdue in lieu of overrated.
At receiver, the Lions currently have 12 players under contract -- including three former first-round draft picks, two of whom (Charles Rogers and Mike Williams) might be in danger of getting the boot, if for no reason other than to make it easier for Marinelli and Martz to get everyone else's attention.
Free agent additions on offense include tight end Dan Campbell, receiver Corey Bradford, receiver Mike Furrey, quarterback Josh McCown, tackle Barry Stokes, tackle Courtney Van Buren, and guard Ross Verba.
On defense, the team bid farewell to defensive tackle Dan Wilkinson and signed various free agents, including defensive tackle Tyoka Jackson, safety Idrees Bashir, and cornerback Jamar Fletcher.
The draft brought linebacker Ernie Sims in round one, safety Daniel Bullocks in round two, and running back Brian Calhoun in round three.
Transition will be the key word in Motown this year, with Marinelli, Martz, and Henderson trying to figure out who'll be the best candidates to fit the offensive and defensive systems and -- more importantly -- the type of hard-nosed, high-motor mindset that Marinelli surely will try to impress upon them all.
We don't rule out a surprising improvement given the low level of competition in the NFC North, but the team will have a better chance of making some noise in 2007 -- if they don't do so well in 2006 that Martz and/or Henderson win tickets out of town.
Now, for the fantasy grades:
Quarterback: Kitna was solid in his last stint as a starter. But with a couple of years on the bench and a 34th birthday coming in September, can he put up big numbers? In Mike Martz's Silver Ball offense, he can. We'll go out on a limb and give Kitna a B+.
Running back: Kevin Jones went from rookie stud to second-year dud, but he'll get plenty of chances to redeem himself in 2006. Especially if he continues to develop into a pass-catcher out of the backfield. We're not ready to label him the next Marshall Faulk or Priest Holmes, but those guys didn't really become Marshall Faulk or Priest Holmes until they got hooked up with the Vermeil-Martz attack. Jones gets a B-.
Wide receiver: Roy Williams' production slipped a bit in 2005, and he's been slowed by nagging injuries. But someone has to catch the passes in the Martz offense, and Williams likely will be the first option. He gets a B. Beyond the No. 1 wideout, however, it's hard at this point to figure out who'll get the reps, and the catches. Martz apparently loves Eddie Drummond, who could be No. 3 or higher when the season starts. Mike Williams and Charles Rogers have the pedigree but not the production, and former Martz pupil Mike Furrey could be a factor, too. For now, the best bet for any fantasy owner is to monitor the news coming out of Lions' camp carefully in order to figure out who the main guy across from Roy Williams will be.
Tight end: Marcus Pollard was one of the few guys on offense last year who refused to tolerate the team's ineptitude. But his numbers, even in Martz's offense, don't put him back among the league's elite tight ends. Go with another receiver.
Defense: The Lions were the 20th overall defense statistically in 2005, and Marinelli and Henderson could push those numbers higher. Though not an elite unit yet, we'd keep an eye on them if the Bucs, Steelers, Bears, Eagles, and Pats are gone when it comes time to pick one. We'll give them a B-.
Kicker: Jason Hanson has been kicking for the Lions since 1992. Last year, he put up only 84 points. If the Martz offense takes root in 2006, he'll possibly score a lot more. He gets a B-.