Lions host Milloy; Can't Agree To Terms

The Detroit Lions hosted Lawyer Milloy on Monday, but the two sides couldn't agree on terms. The Lions have been rumored to be interested in upgrading the safety position, and although the 35-year old, former New England Patriot standout would at least make things interest in Detroit, it isn't likely to happen.

The article also mentioned DE Kevin Carter, whose apathetic approach to signing ... well, anywhere ... evidently continues. Carter is reportedly leaning towards retirement, which means he prefers his couch to Detroit, Michigan.

COMMENT ON THIS TOPIC ~ The Den Message Board ~

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Former Browns DL Shaun Smith Visits Detroit; DeVries hurt

Looking to shore up a questionable defensive line, the Detroit Lions invited recently cut Browns' defensive lineman Shaun Smith for a physical on Monday.

Smith, who also played nose tackle for the Browns, clashed with the new coaching staff in Cleveland over his attitude and work ethic. He also reportedly punched quarterback Brady Quinn during a weight-room altercation last December.

NFL.com lists Smith at 6-2, 275 pounds. An undrafted free-agent, he's been a bit of an NFL journeyman since joining the league in 2003, spending time in five different NFL cities including New Orleans, Cincinnati, and recently Cleveland. He accrued 48 tackles and two sacks in 2007, his most successful year in the league. The Lions still have an interest in veteran defensive end Kevin Carter, who was recently spurned by the New England Patriots for the Raiders' Derrick Burgess. Need across the defensive line becomes even more prevalent after Jared DeVries was reportedly carted off the field during Monday's practice session.

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Lion Youth Movement? Not So Much.

Last year the Lions suffered a double-whammy of not only being the worst team in the league but also one of the five oldest overall. While Detroit did shed a number of the older veterans that were on the opening day '08 roster, they were in large part replaced by equally old veterans. Daunte Culpepper, Grady Jackson, Bryant Johnson, Larry Foote, Julian Peterson, Anthony Henry, and Philip Buchanon are all newcomers expected to start and as a group average 31 years old.

On opening day 2008 Detroit's starters averaged 27.9 years, the 8th oldest starting corps in the league, with eight starters at 30 years or older. Projecting out the 2009 opening day starters is a little tricky, but reasonable guesses can be made.

B Johnson      28
Pettigrew      24
Backus         32
Cook           30
Raiola         31
Peterman       27
Cherilus       25
C Johnson      24
Culpepper      32
Felton         23
K Smith        22


Avril          23
Darby          33
Jackson        36
White          29
Sims           24
Foote          29
Peterson       31
Buchanon       29
Bullocks       26
Delmas         22
Henry          32

The ages are as of 9/30/09. I'm sure some of The Den faithful might argue with Darby or possibly Cook, but it is equally likely a veteran player like Devries starts in place of Avril or that Kevin Carter supplants Darby so overall the average wouldn't be affected much either way.

The average age of the projected offensive starters right now is 27.1 years. Defensive starters 28.5 years for a composite 27.8 overall average, an overall decline in average age of 0.1 years. With this lineup Detroit would go from eight starters aged 30+ to seven.

It also isn't clear that the bench will be much younger than last year. Younger players such as Dan Orlovsky, Gerald Alexander, Shaun Cody, and Anthony Cannon were allowed to leave while older backups such as Eric Hicks (33), Terrelle Smith (31), Cody Spencer (28), Marquand Manuel (30), Ephraim Salaam (33), Jon Jansen (33), Ronald Curry (30), and Dennis Northcutt (31) acquired to replace them. While it is unlikely that all of these veterans make the team, it seems clear that Mayhew and Schwartz intend to rely heavily on greying veterans to bridge the gap to their rebuilding plan. It is very possible that this year's version of the Lions is even older than the '08 flavor that rapidly broke down and lost effectiveness.

Ongoing discussion Here in The Den

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Kevin Carter taking it easy

As the Lions continue to constantly evaluate the roster and make changes where appropriate, one of the most appealing free agent options is former Titans and Bucs DE Kevin Carter.  Having worked with Schwartz and Cunningham in Tennessee, the 36-year-old defensive lineman could help hold the edges on running downs with his 6'-6", 305-pound frame, and then slide inside on passing downs and use his speed to disrupt.  Like Grady Jackson, Carter needs to preserve what little tread is left on his tires--so, as Nick Cotsonika reports, he and the Lions are taking a mutual wait-and-see attitude.

According to our own Nate Caminata, Carter met with the Lions for a tire-kicking session back in April.  Both sides expressed mutual interest, but neither saw the point in making Carter slog through six months of OTA and training camp.  At this point, expect the Lions to get serious about signing Carter closer to preseason--or possibly earlier if, heaven forbid, the injury bug bites the Lions' defensive line during training camp.  Of course, the injury bug might bite another team and they could offer Carter a better deal . . .

Discuss it here, in The Den!

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