OT- Lions sign CB Drew Coleman to 1 year deal
Sorta necessary after Berry fucked himself in the off-season
Coleman was cut by the Jaguars in May after one disappointing season in Jacksonville. He was previously a slot corner for the Jets from 2006 to 2010, playing in 67 games and starting nine.
YES!!!! I couldn't sleep last night because I thought this might be a possibility. Dream come true!
Gonna be pretty ugly in the secondary again unless Bentley is a lot better than expected. The Lions have scoffed at drafting cornerbacks in the first two rounds the last couple years so I think they may be of the philosophy that quality at corner is less relevant now that the league barely allows them to actually play the position under new interpretation of rules.
The Lions aren't philosophically dismissive of corners. Their draft philosophy is to always take the best available player; Schwarz or Mayhew had some quote after the draft saying something along the lines of "if you're drafting for a specific position, you're always going to be a step behind." (I think the idea is that you'll end up with 2nd tier talent at your position of need rather than getting top tier talent at another position.)
Personally, I think that strategy made sense for a few years, when the Lions were rebuilding from the ground up. But at this point they have clear needs and positions of strength, and I think they need to start doing more work to address specific holes.
They may just say that because it sounds good. "Best player available" is as much a draft cliche as "upside." Did they draft Broyles because he was the "best player available" (as odd as that sounds since he was a 4th rounder in most mocks) or because they think this league is headed toward irreversible pass-crazy attitudes and your #3 or even #4 receiver will eventually be seen as more important than your #2 corner given how difficult refs have made it to play tough defense?
I think people forget how crazy good Broyles was before his injury. He was a beast two seasons ago, but then he got hurt. So they could have easily looked at Broyles' potential once he recovers (by all accounts, he's being groomed to take over Burleson's role, so he doesn't need to play right away), looked at what was left after the run on CBs early in the draft, and decided that Broyles will contribute more in the long run than any of the CBs left on the board.
Plus, I think it'd be absolutely crazy for any team to look at the pass-happy direction the NFL is going (I mean, the Lions' own QB threw for over 5,000 yards) and decide "eh, DBs aren't that important." Between taking Broyles this draft and Fairley last draft, I'm inclined to believe they're just taking the best guy left on their board. Now, that doesn't mean it's a good way to continue to build the team at this point, but I tend to believe them when they discuss their draft strategy.
I think Broyles will end up a nice player but I think the Packers stole Casey Hayward the corner from Vanderbilt. He was dominant in the SEC the past two years. I was praying he would end up a Lion and now I have to root against him twice a year.
I think you are right to an extent, but what we also saw was that a dominant defensive line can definitely protect a mediocre defensive backfield, and that seems to be the direction the Lions are taking.
As for DBs, it does feel that the talent drop between a very good DB to an average DB is more pronounced than, say, at WR or on the line. So I kind of get a sense that if an elite DB was available the Lions would take a chance, but recently they've been drafting after the elite guys and yet not in a position where reaching for a second-rounder makes sense.
who?
MIKE JONES
Never gets old
It looks like the Lions are going to throw as many bodies opposite Chris Houston and see if one sticks. Berry was pegged to be the starter, but he still was a bit of a project, not necessarily a guarantee to work out.
Regardless, they should be OK in the secondary if their front four can get decent pressure. Injuries and a lack of scheme on the D-Line killed the defense last year. Hopefully, KVB and Avril go apeshit and Suh and Fairley can do serious damage. If their D-Line plays circa late 2010, they will be in good shape for 2012.
I've heard a lot of positive things on Bentley, too, but starting a third-round draft choice from a no-name college as a rookie is quite underwhelming.
There are / were so many great NFL players from much smaller schools than ULL that were late rd picks or undrafted.
/ Not even funny
are guaranteed to be a good player. /s
My take exactly. We're fine with merely serviceable DB's if the DL is dominant. It all begins with the front four and their ability to induce QB panic. If Suh and company have a big year, this defense will be fine (or at least improved from last year).