OT - Adrian Peterson. With Reggie gone, would you want him on the Lions roster?

If he was available and the Lions could get him than yes. This offense desperately needs a running back. 

If Peterson beat his wife like that, would you still want him to play for the Lions?

What about if he did it to a stranger?  Stripped them naked and then whipped their genitals until they were bleeding.  Pretty sure he'd be in prison for that.

Oh, but he did it to his kid which somehow makes it ok for a lot of people.  Well as far as I'm concerned that makes it a helluva lot worse.

Whatever bad in this world can happen to a person, I wish it on guys like him.

Probably, but wouldn't want to pay top market rate for him.

NFW

What magical powers do you have that will allow Detroit to avoid the restrictions of the salary cap?

Honestly, the choice would be AP or Suh.  I choose Suh over a 30 year-old RB, even if it is AP.

In a vacuum, as a football player, of course you take AP. Even at his age, even without playing for a year, he's better than any RB on the Lions roster.

But, you have to look at cost-benefit here. The Lions have two guys that are capable of being good RBs in their roles right now. They have issues and money they need to spend elsewhere. So even without the off-the-field issue, which has to be weighed as well, I don't see how bringing in AP would make sense given the Lions needs and their ability to fill those needs when bringing in AP.

What's wrong with Bell? I love the way he plays. The Lions will be fine with him, especially if Suh is back on defense. 

I can't imagine he'd come to the Lions, and really I'm not sure Detroit needs to pay that type of salary for a position you can piece together with cheaper guys.

I'm not a Lions fan, but I do not want him on the team that I cheer for. I'll go without the baggage and the endless news circus that will surround his return to play.

If Im not mistaken, the judge ruled in favor of him and he would be allowed to play, however; he has not been officially reinstated by the NFL. Im sure he will be, but you never know what Goodell may decide to do. 

FWIW I think Peterson would like pretty damn good in one of those sweet, completely new and different, Cleveland Browns helmets this year.

I'm not a Lions fan, but here's my take:

From a pure results perspective, you'd be stupid to not want AP on your team. He's still arguably the best RB in the NFL unless you're asking Seahawks fans. He will churn out yards, and putting him with the Lions would be a scary thought. There was no question what the focal point of the Vikings offense has been the past few years. All AP, all day. You could key in on him and he still got his yards. If he's with the Lions, you have to account for both him and Megatron. Good luck to any opposing team on that one.

That being said, the baggage and media circus that comes with him might be too much to handle. He's going to carry that stink with him for the rest of his career, no matter what he does. Still, if I was a GM with a team that either needed just one final piece to make a Super Bowl run, or my offense had absolutely zero identity and needed some kind of spark, I'd take a chance on AP.

You'd just better be willing to give up a first round pick and a lot of cash to get him.

We are ok at RB with Bell and Riddick. Here's what I'd do:
Let Suh walk for the money (crazy? Maybe but hear me out)
Sign Mosely and say Alan Branch or similar for DT.
Sign best priced and available CB, there are quite a few available.
Sign Jacoby Jones, utilize Tate more inside and out.
Add players via draft (OL, WR, RB, DT, LB)
All told probably cheaper than putting it all on tagging Suh, when we are more than a great DT away from being a great team.

We can't sign Suh, let alone AP.

DENVER PEOPLE

Hell yes

But only if we could afford it. Signing Suh is number one priority for me. I honestly think Bell can be a workhorse and is very versatile. The emergence of Riddick also means we don't need to spend a lot of cash of that position.

Yes, no question!

"All Day" I would want him on the Lions. 

Yes

I don't want him running my kids' day care, but happy to have him running the ball for the Lions.

That money can be spent re signing Suh, J. Jones. We also need to address that OL. Bell being our feature back and drafting one will suffice.

This is actually two questions.

As a spectator sport, the NFL is a form of mass entertainment like motion pictures, TV, theater, and music concerts. Why some films, shows, plays and bands/singers thrive is often due to popularity unrelated to what is on the screen, display, or stage. Performance matters more in football but all of the extraneous stuff is a factor for some teams and fan bases.

As a business with a salary cap and the current situation where the rules favor the passing game, committing a large proportion of a team's payroll to a RB no longer makes sense. Back in the 1970s and 1980s it was a good deal - a top RB taken out of college could give a team 5-7 years of solid performance (barring injury).

Of all of the positions, one quickly knew if the long term direction of the RBs. If they were a bust or injury prone, one knew within years 1 and 2. If they were going to be great - they quickly put up 1000 yard seasons, and if they were just good but not great (400-800 yards) that was also obvious. Back then the priorities for a good RB were mainly running with pass blocking and acting as receiver very distant considerations.

Today, one still needs a capable running back to create a threat of a running game and who can get you 1-3 yards to help convert short yard situations and to give options near the goal line but there are literally dozens of backs each year coming out who can serve this role. Look at the rotating group of RBs the Patriots have used over the past 10 years - retreads, late round draft choices, and people taken off of the cut wire and they have all been good enough. Never great but good enough.

The RB who is an 3 down back is actually arguably more valuable than a feature pure runner of the past. Someone who can run effectively, pass block and make a tough match up for a LB as a pass catcher is probably more valuable to a team today. All around threats like Marshall Faulk and Roger Craig were just a little ahead of their time.

If an all around RB is not available, a platoon of RBs who serve the different roles can be used - again looking at the Pats, LeGarrett Blount for pure running power, inside, off tackle and surprisingly around the corner for a big guy. Shane Vereen, Jonas Gray, and Tyler Gaffney for the other aspects. Combined none of these guys cost as much as one of the big name RBs.

Not a chance. I would think that most of like to win the right way. Signing a child abuser to help win games is not the right way to win.