Name that pylon!

The Detroit Lions spent all offseason rebuilding the defensive front four. They brought in hyperactive and hyper disruptive defensive end Kyle VandenBosch, traded for defensive tackle Corey Williams, and drafted The Kong. That's three out of four new faces for a squad that couldn't put pressure on any opposing quarterback last year.

Without a doubt, the Lions should be much, much stouter up front. While the d-line was on the wrong side of mediocre last year, the secondary continued to be the worst in the NFL...for the second straight year.

So, who are the culprits that will be watching opposing receivers catch TD's (usually from at least ten yards away) this year?

Louis Delmas, S: Delmas was a prime rookie of the year candidate last year--playing for a secondary that gave up a 100+ quarterback efficiency rating to almost every opposing quarterback they faced. Although there are definitely holes in Delmas' game, he was by far the only player worth keeping. He may over pursue plays at times, but he is always in the action. He is a ball hawking safety who is always on or around the ball. He is the best player the Lions have had in the defensive back four since Bennie Blades--which in my book is very high praise. If Delmas continues to improve like he did last year, the Lions will have a staple in their secondary for a very long time.


Chris Houston, CB: The Atlanta Journal Constitution wrote the following of Chris Houston as news of his impending trade to Detroit broke: "Houston was a second-round pick (41st overall) for the Falcons in 2007. He has started 37 of 44 games over his career with the Falcons. Houston, who has three career interceptions, played well at times, but appeared to struggle while playing the ball in the air. He was nearly benched in 2008 for his lack of physical play."

This is not exactly high praise. The Atlanta Falcons thought so highly of their former high draft pick that they went out and got two guys to immediately replace him and traded him for a Big Mac and Fries.

It appears evident that Houston is probably not a #1 shutdown corner in the NFL, but hopefully he can be a solid #2 for the Lions. This, however, leaves the Lions in a very poor predicament--if the Lions best corner is hopefully a solid #2 then they don't have a #1 at all.

Dre Bly, CB: Other than the fact that Dre Bly is currently eligible to collect Social Security, I think his return to the team is a real upgrade over the players that were donning the Honolulu Blue last year. Dre has been to multiple probowls, both in his last stint with the Leos and his subsequent years with the Broncos. Undoubtedly he has lost a few steps, but he may very well end up being the Lions #1 CB, which is really kind of sad.

The fact that Bly left the Lions under such dubious circumstances and then was brought back several years later is a bit surprising. This is hopefully an admittance by GM Martin Mayhew that the Lions organization under Matt Millen (tell me if you've heard this one before) made a big mistake in shipping the boisterous CB out of town for talking bad about Joey Blue Skies.

Jonathon Wade, CB: Wade, who has been running with the Lions first team for most of training camp so far, is a cast off from the St. Louis Rams, who we all know has had one of the stoutest defenses in the NFL for...I'm sorry, I can't even finish that joke....The only team with a worse defense than the Rams plays at Ford Field most Sundays.

The fact that the Lions continue to hope and pray to find gold out of the castoffs of other failing franchises is a bit depressing. When they are searching for starters out of this same flotsam and jetsam is pitiful and shows how incredibly depleted the the Lions secondary has become. Thank you, Mr. Millen.

C.C. Brown, S: An interesting note, as I searched for pics of C.C. I discovered that in pretty much every picture, he is chasing somebody into the end zone...now, maybe that's just out of context, but it sure doesn't bode well for another guy who many are thinking will start in the defensive backfield.

C.C. played four years for the Houston Texans, who picked him in the sixth round of the 2005 draft, before a single year with the New York Giants. In five seasons he has managed to pick off a grand total of three passes.

Amari Spievey, CB: The Lions third round selection this year, Spievey has missed much of training camp with an oblique injury. There were several reports during mini camp that he was looking good and making great progress, but subsequent reports from camp, before the injury, were less than positive.

This is an upsetting development, because it continues to display that the Lions are really very, very bad at drafting corner backs. Hopefully, Spievey will rebound and change the current trend, but the Lions haven't been able to produce their own corner for more almost twenty years now.

Randy Phillips, S: Phillips comes to Detroit as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Miami. He has quickly risen up the Lions depth chart this camp, mostly due to Delmas starting on the PUP, but he appears to have taken full advantage of the opportunity.

Phillips was a very promising safety at the U and was regarded as a mid to high round pick, before an injury took him down in his senior season.

The development of Delmas and hopefully Phillips and Spievey could mark a change in the Lions prospects. Good teams develop their own talent, via draft choices and undrafted signings. Perhaps the Lions may start doing that too.

I can dream, can't I?

Eric King, CB: Was signed from the Tennessee Titans with the arrival of The Schwartz. He has spent most of his time on IR since his signing.

When he first arrived there was a lot of talk about using King as a nickel back and special teamer, but then camp started last year and quietly he had snuck into the starting rotation...until he blew a knee. He hasn't been seen much since. Here's hoping he can at least contribute this year.

Everybody Else, S and CB: There is not much else to get excited about in the Lions defensive backfield.

Granted, there wasn't a whole lot to get excited about in the players I've profiled so far. It appears as if the Lions do have a plan. They realize that Millen left all cupboards totally barren. The first year Mayhew and Schwartz brought in The Franchize, Delmas, Pettigrew, Sammie Hill, and Levy--in other words, a little bit of everything. This last off season they concentrated almost exclusively on the defensive line. Right now, the offense looks very promising. Next season, they will most likely concentrate on the defensive backfield and maybe the offensive line. One position at a time...