Nick Fairley? Sorry, I'm not on board.

First of all, any writer that makes a stupid fairly/Fairley pun should be shot in the face.  Secondly, I am glad the Lions didn't make a huge mistake and take Da'Quan Bowers.  He was available and the Lions could have tricked over themselves and taken him.  So that was a plus.

At pick #13 the Lions were staring CB Prince Amukamara right in the face.  OT Anthony Castanzo was staring them right in the face. OT and CB were the Lions two biggest needs.

Now, here is where I'm going to give Martin Mayhew some props, but it hurts to do.  I'm thinking that what happened last night is that the Lions had absolutely no clue that Nick Fairley might be available.  They probably had Patrick Peterson, Marcell Dareus, Von Miller, and Nick Fairley--in that order--at the top of their board.  So they stayed true to their scouting and followed their draft board.  This is a solid strategy.  A strategy that successful teams follow.  It's nice to think that the Lions are doing what the good teams in the NFL do.  It's weird and unsettling and makes me feel kind of funny.

Picking Fairley does not improve the entire squad as much as a pick of Amukamara would have, but it very likely gives the Lions a defensive front that can be argued to be amongst the best in the entire NFL.

Now this does help the back seven of the defense.  If you only have to cover for a second or two, you have a lot better chance of covering, even if you can't cover.  But early last season, we learned that you can game plan for a great defensive front by screening and using short drops. Nothing has changed there.

I'll hold my tongue until I see what they do for the rest of the weekend.  They are still in GREAT need of drafting at least one CB and two OLBs, plus they have need for a third wide receiver, offensive linemen and a second running back.

Players I'll be happy if the Lions find a way to get.

CB Aaron Williams, Texas
CB Ras I Dowling, Virginia
CB Brandon Harris, Miami
CB Shareece Wright, USC

DE/OLB Jabaal Sheard, Pittsburgh

LB Bruce Carter, North Carolina
LB Akeem Ayers, UCLA
LB Quan Sturdivant, North Carolian
LB Dontae Moch, Nevada
LB Mason Foster, Washington

WR Greg Little, North Carolina
WR Randall Cobb, Kentucky
WR Titus Young, Boise State
WR Edmund Gates, Abilene Christian

RB Mikel Leshoure, Illinois

OT Ben Ijalana, Villanova

Possible Trade Partners?

So this is the current draft order leading up to the Leos pick this Thursday.

1. Carolina
2. Denver
3. Buffalo
4. Cincinnati
5. Arizona
6. Cleveland
7. San Francisco
8. Tennessee
9. Dallas
10. Washington
11. Houston
12. Minnesota
13. Detroit

Now the going theory is always to trade down if possible.  Why?  Because the draft is a complete crap shoot and the more bullets you have the better chance you've got of hitting on some real players. I am almost always on the "trade down" bandwagon.

At least I was until this year.  This year, the Lions have a definite defined need.  Heck, they have two no arguing about it needs--CB and OLB.  Last year was the first year in the last four that the Lions did not finish dead last in pass defense, but the two corners that played the most down the stretch, Alphonso Smith and Chris Houston, cannot necessarily be counted on for next year.  Houston is a free agent and Smith flaked out the last few games.  The Lions need at least one new corner. 

As for OLB, last year the Lions started the season with Zach Follett and Julian Petersen.  Petersen is not coming back and Follett may never play again due to a brutal spinal injury.  Now, unless they get some kind of sweet heart deal to move back (which is not going to happen) they are currently in no man's land in regards to addressing their current needs.  There simply isn't an OLB in this draft worthy of the the 13th overall pick.  There are two CB's worthy, but who'll most likely be gone.  Patrick Petersen, CB, LSU and Prince Amukamara, CB, Nebraska are the two gold standard corners in this draft and both will likely be gone by the time the Lions are on the clock.

Now, I've seen a lot of mocks with the Lions getting lucky enough to have Amukamara fall to them, but I've seen just as many that have Houston, Dallas, or Minnesota snagging them up--and Minnesota is famous for stealing players the Lions desperately need. 

So they cannot count on getting lucky.  They could sit and wait and hope that the Prince is there...but it's very risky and if he's not the Lions will be stuck with taking an OT (which might be a pretty good consolation prize) or reaching for CB Jimmy Smith, Colorado, who has all the talent in the world but a rap sheet not unlike your average gang-banger.

There are other corners and linebackers that can be had in the second through fourth rounds, but the if you need starters, and the Lions do, you'd have to pick multiple CBs and LBs just to make sure you hit on one.  Might not be a bad idea to do that anyway, but the Lions only have six picks.

So here's what I think is going to happen.  The Lions have a history of making deals with Dallas, who is in need of offensive line help and hold the #9 pick.  Jim Schwartz has a very good relationship with the Tennessee Titans who hold the #8 pick.  I foresee Patrick Petersen getting picked up either by Arizona or San Francisco.  If 'Zona picks Petersen, most likely Frisco will pick the Prince...but if Petersen gets by the Cardinals that'll leave Prince on the board.  The Lions will need to jump ahead of Minnesota and Houston to get their hands on Amukamara, which is why I see the Lions giving the #13, a third rounder this year, and a second next year to move up from #13 to #8 and fill arguably the most pressing need on the team.

Da'Quan Bowers? A guy with a career ending injury pre-NFL Draft--That's Lions Logic for ya...

Da'Quan Bowers celebrating his expected millions.

The latest fad in NFL Mock drafting is to hand Clemson DE Da'Quan Bowers to the Lions at the #13 pick.  I am not surprised at this development, nor would I be surprised if Commisioner Goodell made that announcement on  Thursday night.

Why?  Because it would be a great pick for the Leo's?  Of course not.  I think that this is simply very forward thinking on the part of the Lions.  Why not draft a player who has already endured a career ending knee injury instead of developing a player who will sustain one some time down the road?

Bowers missing a tackle.

Apparently Bowers has already undergone major knee surgery and it has been deemed very likely that he will suffer from arthritis in said bending joint for the rest of his life.  History has shown that this kind of chronic pain dramatically shortens the careers of athletes--all athletes.

Other reports state that Bowers will need to undergo more surgeries in order to be able to play at any time in the future.  One of these surgeries is known as "Microfracture" surgery, which is not exactly "experimental" but it's pretty close.  Microfracture surgery has been hit and miss for NFL players so far.  The Lions own Gosder Cherilus underwent the same procedure before last season and didn't he just play lights out last year?

Bowers coming up short again.

Now maybe, just maybe, the Lions believe that because they have a history with said procedures, they think they know how to work with them and would feel comfortable having Bowers take up one of the team tubs for the next ten years...I don't know, but it is a MAJOR red flag.

But it's not even the only red flag surrounding the former Clemson Tiger.

Bowers is the definition of a "one year wonder." This is not a term of endearment.  It simply means that in his first two years of playing college ball you were surprised to find out that he was actually on the field at all--because he didn't exactly do much to make you take notice of him.

But when the bright lights came on and he knew he became draft eligible...he lit it up.

Bowers showing how to execute a proper facemask.

Now there are a lot of reasons a guy can be considered a one year wonder...Barry Sanders was one because he played behind Thurman Thomas at Oklahoma State.  Bowers played behind...let me get back to you on that one.

Is it necessarily a bad thing that when it really counted, Bowers came shining through?  No, not necessarily, but it does make me wonder about how he'll play once he's signed his name to a multi-million dollar contract...does he go right back to being a complacent nobody?  It's very possible.

 Now, this is kind of likely, because the Lions do have a history of going out on a limb and drafting players with prior injuries.

Shaun Rogers came in with a bad knee...but he ended up playing quite a bit his first season.  And he dominated.

Bowers missing a tackle, again.  I'm noticing a trend.

But Rogers was a Millen pick...and Millen liked to put gold stars next to anybody's name that might never play again.  He loved those guys.

Hopefully Mayhew is smarter than that.  His picks of Stafford and Suh are very encouraging.  But he did pick Jahvid Best last year, "King of the Youtube Concussion."  So who knows which way he'll go.

Furthermore, probably the most important point in not taking Bowers is...DE is not a dire need right now.  Chris Houston will most likely be a free agent when the lockout ends--and he was just kind of good.  But he was the best corner back we had on our roster.

The Lions NEED a cornerback or two.  The Lions do not have a starting caliber outside linebacker on the roster at all right now.

And, oh yeah, there's a reason that Matthew Stafford has ended each of his two seasons on the IR...the offensive line hasn't been able to sufficiently protect him.  Maybe the Lions would like Bowers to eventually replace Kyle VandenBosch in two years...but, guys, you have to play this year too.

Week 11: The Devil beats down the Lions again

Brett Favre was back, again. He's beaten the Lions 27 times in his career--going on a million. The Lions are like the Washington Generals to his Harlem Globetrotters.

The Lions lost 27-10 to the 8-1, playoff bound, Vikings. There are a ton of questions after this game.

1. Why, when all week the stories were about how Kevin Smith doesn't have top end speed and can't break the long run, do the Lions sit Aaron Brown, the fastest RB, if not player, on the team? Where, as many people believe that the Lions shouldn't sign a Larry Johnson, because the team needs to see if Kevin Smith can be the guy, I think the Lions need to sit Kevin Smith in order to see if Aaron Brown can be the guy. He's a guy with 4.2 speed in the mold of a Brian Westbrook. The only question is if he can take the beating of an every down back.

2. Who on their team did the Lions think was better than Cliff Avril? Schwartz sat one of the team sack leaders to play exactly who?

3. Why do the Lions continue to punt in opposing territory when they're losing? I've said this a hundred times, the Lions are so bad, they have to play with the throttle down until at least 25 minutes after the final whistle. 4th and 1 on the Minnesota 48 down 17-10 with 4:54 left in the third. Punt. Way to challenge your team to win the game, Schwartz. How much of a boost would it have given the Lions if they'd handed off to Kevin Smith and picked up that yard? Perhaps they could have finished the drive, tying the game up 17-17 going into the fourth? Even if they didn't get it, they'd have only given up 25 yards of field position, which the Vikings got back anyway, getting to the 38 yard line before having to punt...which put Detroit back at it's own 19 yard line to start the next drive. Quit wimping out! Go for it on 4th down in opposing territory, what do you have to lose? You're 1-8 because you don't do anything like that!

4. Why do the Lions come out of half time every week looking for a way to blow the game? This week, they fumbled the opening kickoff of the second half. Instead of only being down 10-3, with the ball and ready to prove something...instead, they're down 17-3 less than a minute into the third. Typical Lions.

5. How bad was Delmas' toothache that he couldn't play the game? He dressed for it. He ran up and down the sidelines cheering...hasn't anybody in the Lions training staff ever heard of Novocaine?

6. Who's going to play in the secondary against Cleveland? I counted four injuries to players in the Lions secondary. Hopefully, Delmas will have his root canal before the game and be able to play this week.

7. Where did this Philip Buchanon come from? The guy made plays all day, whereas the rest of the season, he could have been replaced with a cardboard stand-up and nobody would have ever known the difference.

8. Who was supposed to be covering Sydney Rice? And how did he manage to catch for 201 yards and not score?

9. Will this be the last time the Lions have to play the Devil who wears #4? One can only hope, but if he manages to win the Super Bowl this year with the Vikes, he'll probably be around for another 5 years.

10. So what are the Vikes DL going to be called now? The Fox broadcast team put out a call for nick names for the Vikings front line, reminiscent of the "Purple People Eaters." An overly blatant show of partiality to say the least. But my favorite one I saw, "The Four Norseman."

I wish the Lions had cheerleaders.

I put up this picture, not because I'm a pedophile, but it is interesting that Packers are quietly delving into the possibility of cheerleaders. Currently only six of the NFL's 32 franchises have chosen to go without the all important cheer brigades--Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Green Bay, Detroit, Chicago, and the New York Giants. And now the Packers may be dabbling. The Lions used to do this with high school cheerleaders, I don't recall seeing them doing it for a long time.

Personally, I think it's a pretty cheapskate way of trying to appease your fans, without appeasing them at the same time.

3rd and 3 or less

As much of a reason as any that the Leo's tanked another game, the team only managed a single 3rd and 3 or less. Another empty victory, they managed to convert on a short pass to Calvin Johnson.

Year totals, the Leo's are 8 of 10 rushing, and 6 of 13 passing. That's an 80% success rate rushing, versus only 46% passing.

The competition for #1

Now that there is no chance for any team to take away the title as "worst franchise in NFL history" by adding their name to the list of "only team in NFL history to go winless," and now that the Lions, once again, hold the longest losing streak in the league, the race is on to see who will be anchored with the 2010 NFL #1 pick in the draft. And Detroit is, once again, in the thick of the race.

The other competitors in this race?

The Tampa Bay Buccanneers (1-8) managed to eek out another loss against the Miami Dolphins, 25-23. Let me take a second out here to say one thing, the Dolphins get the Wildcat and awesomely hot cheerleaders too? How is that fair?

The St. Louis Rams (1-8) gave the undefeated Saints all that they could handle before losing, 28-23. The Rams have played very well since having ESPN Page 2 suggest that they are the "New Lions."

The Cleveland Browns (1-7) play the Baltimore Ravens tonight, another very likely loss, but the Browns really have something going for them in their attempts to avoid the anchor contract of the #1 pick--they play the Lions next week.

Next week: Can we make either one of the Brown's disastrous QB's look like a Hall of Fame'r? I'm sure they'll try.