Killer going Web 2.0

Tom Kowalski of Mlive.com should be commended for his latest column series: Comment Rebuttal.  Though the comment sections of his articles are often home to great volumes of less-than-civil discourse, Kowalski has always made a point of reading most of them, and occasionally responding inline.  Now, however, he's taken it to the next level: actually writing entire columns to address concerns and questions he found from the comments.  This level of fan interaction from a major columnist is excellent; one can only hope that more traditional-media types would branch out this far.

Discuss it here, in The Den!

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The NFL's Meanest Player

Harvey Dahl, or so says Pete Prisco. Prisco likens Dahl to Conrad Dobler which is certainly high ... er .. praise. Or something.

Notably to this page though is not who makes the list but who doesn't, in other words and not too surprisingly, no Lions. Prisco's definition of 'mean' isn't dirty, but rather which players take every snap personally, which players make every matchup into a war. Three Steeler's make his top ten, along with former Steeler Joey Porter. The Titans and Cardinals are also well-represented. Some quotes from the player descriptions:

"He is a violent player who never backs down ... He's a big hitter who always seems to take the big shot ... He has no regard for his body and none for those he plays against."

I'm pretty sure those are also the ways you describe champions, and also why the better teams in the league are well-represented on Prisco's list. Can the Lions find a couple of those guys? Who knows, but if they do they will be making a huge step from a team patching holes to a team that contends.

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Lions sign S Marquand Manuel

What do you expect from a team that was 0-16 last year? The Lions continue to take advantage of their tippy top waiver wire priority, bringing in everybody and their brother for a look-see and an attempt at improving their roster. Today's contestant is S Marquand Manuel, ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert reports. Manuel was with the Broncos last year. He joins a crowded safety position that includes hotshot draftee Louis Delmas, incumbents Gerald Alexander, Kalvin Pearson, Daniel Bullocks and Stuart Schweigart. As Seifert notes:

A quick scan of the Lions' offseason transactions reveals they have either signed, claimed or traded for more than two dozen veteran free agents as part of their short-term roster overhaul. Manuel is the latest, but probably not the last.

Talk about it in The Den!

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Mayhew adds player evaluators to his staff

The Detroit Lions, on their website today, announced the hiring of Miller McCalmon as Assistant Director of Pro Personnel and Cary Conklin as Regional Scout. Terms of their contracts were not disclosed. From the release:

McCalmon has 30 years of experience in the NFL as a scout, coach and administrator. From May 2000-May 2007, McCalmon was the Houston Texans’ associate director of pro scouting. McCalmon previously was a college scout with the Washington Redskins for 10 years, and during the 1999 season he worked with General Manager Martin Mayhew who was an intern in the Redskins scouting department. From 1988-89, McCalmon served as a scout for BLESTO, the national scouting combine that represents 12 NFL teams.

McCalmon got his start as a scout way back with George Allen's Redskins in the 1970s. Conklin was a scout with the St. Louis Rams the past three years, and will serve as a West Coast scout for the Lions. Mayhew played with Conklin on the Redskins. Talk about it in The Den!

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Gosselin: The Champions Of St. Ambrose

Rick Gosselin, highly regarded NFL columnist for the Dallas Morning News just published Goodfellows: The Champions of St. Ambrose.

While not a Lions book, it does relate to Gosselin's local ties to his alma matre, St. Ambrose in Detroit. This small school won 4 state titles from 1959 - 66 and 5 city championships behind George Perles and others. St. Ambrose closed its high school for good in 1972, probably around the time of Gosselin's graduation. As it's written by Gosselin, I expect a good read but either way I am grateful for his return to his roots for this book.

Here's a link to the St. Ambrose 'about' page.

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Jim Schwartz's State of the Team letter

Sean Yuille over at the Pride of Detroit blog has obtained a "State of the Team" letter written by Jim Schwartz, and sent from the Lions to, it's presumed, employees and season ticket holders.  Nothing Earth-shattering is revealed in the letter; Schwartz essentially praises his staff and the front office for the changes they've made to the personnel, praises fans for their passion, and exhorts the Lions faithful to show up to Ford Field in droves and make lots of noise.

The letter is a transparent attempt to reach out to fans and inspire them to return; that's fine by me.  For an organization that often treated its fans as burdens to bear, obstacles to overcome, or scenery to be ignored, these kinds of things are critical.  Any time the Lions proactively reach out to the fans that continue to ensure they exist, it's a step in the right direction.

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Scratch Brian Johnston off the Lions' list

Nick Cotsonika at Freep.com, in a short note at the end of an article on how QB Matthew Stafford continues to make a positive impression, notes that Coach Jim Schwartz said DE Brian Johnston did not pass his physical. The Lions had picked up the 6-4, 271 former Chief on waivers late last month. Brian Johnston and Bryant Johnson would have been confusing, anyway. Discuss it in The Den!

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NFL, NFLPA to begin CBA talk

Despite talk of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) being quite a prominent topic with most NFL TV & Radio Analysts; the topic has been somewhat of an afterthought by both the NFL & NFLPA until just recently. Considering how important agreeing to a new CBA is, most would have figured the two parties would put this issue at the top of the agenda. It wasn't until Mid-May when Yahoo! Sports reported that the two sides had announced that they'd get things underway within a month (that was on May 17th). Well, keeping true to their word, both sides have agreed to meet this Wednesday (June 3) to begin labor talks. While this initial session is expect to focus solely on procedural question and not negotiations, this, nonetheless, is progress. Should a new CBA not be struck prior to the opening of the 2010 free agent market, 2010 will be an uncapped season. Should an agreement not be met before the start of the 2011 season there could a labor-related work stoppage a.k.a. an NFL-lockout. As mentioned last month, considering the national popularity, and revenue each game generates, most would assume that this process would be an easy process; for both sides. Unfortunately, assumptions are only made by unprepared people. The NFLPA has requested unrestricted access to "the books" from each franchise (they'd like to see exact numbers), a request that NFL franchise owners don't necessarily want to fulfill (despite the owners stating that exact numbers have already been disclosed to the Player Association). There are other topics that the two sides don't see "eye-to-eye" on as well, which may make this process take longer than expected. The Blue Blog will keep you posted as the two sides make progress, hopefully avoiding a possible work-stoppage.

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Kevin Smith: Happy with Stafford

Matthew Stafford is making friends. At least that's the sentiment that can be drawn from running back Kevin Smith, who praised the rookie QB's OTA performance via his blog.

"One thing that really has surprised me so far in OTAs is how good Matthew Stafford has looked. This is my first experience playing with a guy who was the first overall pick in the draft. It’s not like I was doubting him at first. But when you have the top draft pick, it’s a big deal because everyone makes such a big deal about it all the time. So far, so good for Matt. He’s very poised for a young quarterback and very smart from what I can see. He reads coverage and can deliver the ball. I didn’t get a chance to watch him at Georgia, and in the highlights it looked like he could just do what all quarterbacks can do. So he’s really impressed me now that I’ve had a chance to see him up close."

Previously, Smith had tossed around Daunte Culpepper's name like a little league dad promoting his child. Some even questioned whether or not Stafford could make an impact in a locker room that has grown largely attached to the idea of the veteran Culpepper at the helm, making the show of bipartisanship somewhat helpful to getting Stafford some traction amongst his peers.

Discuss it in The Den!

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Schwartz Taking Advantage of Being "First In Line"

The Detroit Lions have been busy this off-season. After posting the worst record in the league a year ago, the only reward -- other than the No. 1 overall pick -- is the ability to claim any players first that cross the waiver wire.

The nabbing of Washington RT Jon Jansen makes for seven.

Jim Schwartz's thoughts?

"Taking advantage of being first in line," explained Schwartz during Monday's press briefing following an OTA workout. "You know, particularly at this point of the offseason, we're evaluating a lot of different guys. When we have a chance to bring somebody in, particularly somebody that we've had some feel for in the past - our college scouts, our pro scouts - we're going to bring them in. Even if it means an extended tryout, which some of those waiver claims have turned out to be; let's bring them in, let's look at them, let's give them every opportunity. If it doesn't fit, then we move on. There's a lot of ways to find players. Whether you're drafting, whether you're picking up street free agents, whether you're trading, it gives us a good tool to use this time of year."

Talk about it in The Den Message Board

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Lions Get Some National Love

After listing Detroit as the worst organization in the NFL last week, our friends at FOXSports.com gave the team a bit of a break today. Senior NFL writer Alex Marvez, in his annual "NFL Offseason Winners and Losers" awards ranked Detroit's draft class the best across the league:

"Because he was the top overall pick, the success of quarterback Matthew Stafford is how Detroit's 2009 draft will ultimately be judged. But some other selections should also play a key role in getting this franchise back on its feet. Second-round pick Louis Delmas could become an immediate starter at safety. DeAndre Levy (third round) will likely be groomed at middle linebacker behind free-agent pickup Larry Foote. And Brandon Pettigrew, Detroit's other first-round choice, is the team's best tight end prospect since Hall of Fame selection Charlie Sanders in the 1970s. "

Talk about it in The Den Message Board

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Dave Birkett off the Lions beat

Some bittersweet news for Lions fans: Dave Birkett is leaving the Oakland Press and his Birk's Eye View blog, and moving on to cover U-M football for the new AnnArbor.com.  Dave had been doing some excellent Lions journalism; Lions fans will surely miss his information and analysis.

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Peter King: Stafford favorite to win "arms race"

Peter King of SI.com, in his weekly "Monday Morning Quarterback" article, is reporting that the coaches are swooning over Stafford's OTA performances.  Moreover, given the amount of money the Lions have already invested in Stafford, and the suddenly empty seats in Ford Field, starting Stafford is not an "if" but a "when"--and it's looking like "when" will be sooner rather than later.

King questions the wisdom of putting Stafford in early against the Lions' brutal early schedule; of course the debate about when to start a rookie quarterback is always intense and divisive.  Stafford, however, has all the hallmarks of a start-him-early quarterback: elite arm, three-year starter at a power program, unflappably confident--yet not cocky.  If he is not right now a better quarterback than Duante Culpepper, then he'll likely never be worth the contract he's signed.  It makes littler sense to revamp the entire franchise from the top (President, GM, Head Coach) to the bottom (logo, uniforms)--and then have the face of the franchise be the washed-up stopgap from 0-16.

Discuss it here, in The Den!

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Lions cut OT George Foster

The other cleat has dropped with the Jon Jansen signing. Nicholas Cotsonika at Freep.com reports that the Lions have cut OT George Foster. Foster, who seemed to have a penchant for false start penalties, was a frequent target of ire for frustrated Lions fans during recent seasons. Talk about it in The Den.

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Killer on Grady

Tom Kowalski at Mlive.com continues his series of scouting reports heading into the 2009 season, focusing on newly acquired DT Grady Jackson.

He's overweight (350-plus pounds) and he's past his prime (entering his 15th NFL season), but Grady Jackson might be exactly what the Detroit Lions need for their run defense ... The Lions have been the league's worst run defense in each of the last two years and Jackson gives them an immediate infusion of bulk and attitude. The Lions aren't likely to get more than 18 to 20 plays per game out of Jackson, but the success of bringing him in as a free agent will be based on what he does with those appearances.

Jackson's size, leverage and immovability could leave the Lions' defense with fewer third-and-short situations this year, Killer speculates. But questions remain, including whether Grady has a year or two left in him and when his season will start -- he faces a 4-game suspension for using a banned substance, but Jackson is part of a lawsuit contending a mislabled, over-the-counter weight-loss supplement is the culprit. Will Jackson be a difference-maker or a "well, we tried?" Debate it in The Den!

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