Buchanon's titles: CB, Delmas Mentor

Good article on the revamped Lions secondary from Chrissie Wywrot at DetroitLions.com.

Wywrot points out that Coach Jim Schwartz has said the two units that need the most cameraderie and teamwork are offensive line and the secondary. Daniel Bullocks said the acquisition of players like CBs Phillip Buchanon and Anthony Henry have given the Lions a more veteran secondary. But the communication and chemistry between the older guys and the youngsters has been good.

Rookie safety Louis Delmas and veteran cornerback Phillip Buchanon are both new to the Detroit Lions this year. Buchanon was one of the team’s first free agent signings while Delmas was the club’s first defensive pick in the draft.

Buchanon has taken priority to guiding Delmas as he breaks into the NFL, schooling him on what it takes to become a professional in the league. The pair will work out together for the remainder of the offseason at the University of Miami.

“We’ll talk about some personal stuff, we’ll talk about some stuff that I think he should do, some mistakes that I made so he can actually not make those mistakes,” said Buchanon. “Then we’ll get into some football; talking and communication and stuff like that. We’re going to get our quality work in and we’re going to come back and be ready to play.”

Henry added that Delmas has been doing great, but people shouldn't forget it's a big jump from the Mid-American Conference to the pro game:

“He’s been doing a great job as far as communicating and stuff like that,” said Henry. “The certain thing that he’ll get used to as his career goes is the speed of the game. In certain situations in the red zone, the coaches are telling him to look outside and then get back to the tight end.

“Well, it’s happening so fast ... he’s doing what they’re telling him to do, but he’s not used to the reaction time. I think as it goes along, he’ll be a lot better at that.”

And one secondary who's got his colleagues raving is perhaps a surprise: Kalvin Pearson.

“Kalvin is a big-time guy,” said Buchanon. “He’s physical, he does whatever it takes and he’s somebody that you can depend on. He’s definitely a leader in my eyes; he understands the game pretty much on the same level that I do because we played together. Since we were coached by some of the same people we kind of see things the same way. I actually love playing with him. He’s a guy I can actually go to battle with.”

My take? On a historically bad team last year, the secondary was perhaps the worst unit of all. The Lions made a lot of changes that can't help but be positive. But as Schwartz has said, it's all about cohesion with the secondary. How quickly these guys can mesh together will be critical to how well the turnaround for the team goes.

Talk about it in The Den!

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Good rundown of new Lions coaching staff

Chrissie Wywrot at DetroitLions.com provides a good primer on Jim Schwartz, his coordinators, their philosophies and the rest of the coaching staff.

From the article ...
Head Coach Jim Schwartz on his defensive coordinator, Gunther Cunningham:

“We worked together three years in Tennessee, two of which were playoff years,” said Schwartz. “We’re like-minded when it comes to not just defense but how you want to build a team.”

Gunther on his philosophy:

“One of the things I’ve always believed in is high blitz,” said Cunningham. “Up to 40-percent in a game, which is off the charts for most people – but that’s what I believe in. I think you have to keep the quarterback nervous all the time.”

Gunther again, on a versatile LB like Julian Peterson allowing him flexibility to run different plays, such as the quarters formation, which includes three down linemen, three linebackers and five defensive backs:

“(With that formation) we can start moving around and get a feel for it and confuse the offensive line,” said Peterson. “We can make them think there’s more people coming than there actually are.”

There's more comments regarding the offense and special teams. Nothing especially earth-shattering here, but a decent summer read.

Discuss in The Den!

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Mayhew pleased with progress, says more to do, admits to "learning curve"

Decently substantive interview with Lions GM Martin Mayhew by Chrissie Wywrot at Detroit Lions.com.

Mayhew says the Lions have improved their roster, but still are not where they need to be. To that end, he's continuing to work the phones on potential trades and scanning the waiver wire every day.

Mayhew says the big difference in his current position than when he was a Millen underling is "making the decision instead of making a recommendation."

The biggest off-season move in Mayhew's mind is (obviously) the hiring of Jim Schwartz. "I think he’s done an outstanding job with the team and an outstanding job putting the staff together," Mayhew said of Schwartz.

“I like our offensive and defensive systems; I think both the systems and the coaches relate well to the players. I’ve been really pleased with the coaching staff and where we are right now as a football team.”

Mayhew also admits there's been a learning curve with the new executive staff.

“Looking back, there are things that I would do different in terms of the draft, (in terms of the) first part of free agency but, overall, we had enough experienced people working with me that both of those things turned out positive for us. Shack, Sheldon, Scott McEwen, Jim and the rest of our coaching staff have all been a big part of making this offseason a good one so far.”

(Memo to Ms. Wywrot: I know you work for the Lions, but a follow-up question would have been great here. What would Mayhew do differently about the draft and the first part of free agency? I'm certainly curious.)

There's more from Mayhew, so read the linked article and discuss in The Den!

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