OT: Titus Young

Submitted by orobs on
May not have been the expected pick, but I love this kids attitude: "It turns out Young has family ties to Detroit, where his maternal grandfather lived. He hasn't visited since his grandfather passed away in 1998, but he says he's coming home. "My roots are actually in Detroit," Young said, when asked to explain the tears. "It's just the emotion of I'm actually gonna be back in a family town. That's my home now. I'm gonna take care of Detroit, and I know they'll take care of me. And all this emotion is really just all the hard work and all this waiting and all this patience and having faith in the Lord and …" "But the whole thing is just about winning," he added. "I feel like we're all gonna be winners in Detroit. Not just me — the community, the kids in Detroit, they're gonna know that the Lions are here to stay. We ain't just no anybody; we're coming to play." The article also points out that the lions #3 and #4 receivers combined for 21 receptions last year.... http://www.detnews.com/article/20110430/OPINION03/104300343/1031/opinio…

Gone_Fishin

April 30th, 2011 at 2:17 AM ^

It's a nice story and all, and I welcome him to the team.  However, what are the stats on the #1 and #2 cornerbacks last year?  You cannot tell me it is less than or equal to the weakness of the 21 combined receptions for the #3 and #4 receiver.

Maize and Blue…

April 30th, 2011 at 10:32 AM ^

He followed his D coordinator who become the coach.  KVB was not a top notch free agent.  He was coming off of a two season run in which he had 7.5 sacks combined.  Throw in his age and I would have gladly accepted a 4 year 26 million dollar contract too.  What did he produce last year- 4 sacks despite getting to play next to Suh who demands a double team. 

Signing 30+ year olds is OK if they are the missing piece to a championship run not if you are one of the worst teams in the league the season before.  If you think a top notch DB wants to move to Detroit you are somewhat delusional.  There is a reason people are rapidly moving out of the city and state.

Va Azul

April 30th, 2011 at 10:46 AM ^

That has nothing to do with the NFL or the Lions.  It's called jobs.  People are moving out of the state because of jobs.  Something that really isn't an issue for someone who, you know, is coming as a result of an employment opportunity.    I do agree that the Lions aren't an especially attractive destination for a top notch DB, I just don't really agree its has anything to do with the reasons your everyman is leaving. 

DoctorBlue17

April 30th, 2011 at 10:39 AM ^

Yea, because our round 1 and 2 cornerbacks have really worked out, right? I sure loved Terry Fair getting burned every play. Or how about Bryant Westbrook leading the league in pass interference calls against? I'm not huge on the pick, but if we had him ranked as the best player, I'll give Mayhew credit for not reaching on a CB who he had lower on his list.

DoctorBlue17

April 30th, 2011 at 11:09 AM ^

Well, for starters, I clearly state that I wasn't huge on the pick, so I have no idea where you are getting "happy" from. As to your point, I'm not suggesting we use that standard, just refuting the post's assertion that wealways do poorly in free agency. While Matt Millen was GM, he didn't do anything well, which includes both the draft and free agency. The original post suggested that because of said free agency problems (under Millen), we shouldn't/can't succeed doing that now (with Mayhew). I think that is completely incorrect.

Gone_Fishin

May 3rd, 2011 at 12:00 PM ^

I realize this response is three days late, but how you could infer from the post that because of free agency problems under Millen the team would have the same problems under Mayhew is beyond me when I mentioned neither Millen nor free agency (nor Mayhew for that matter). 

Instead, I meant to highlight that going in, there was an obvious weakness of the team - the secondary - and they could have addressed it in the second round.  The appeal of addressing this through the draft is that it is almost guaranteed the player will be on your team next season.  IMO drafting the best available is a strategy that works great for the first round or when your team does not have a huge weakness.

It is quite possible that the team can address the issue in free agency.  However, the team's top DB targets in free agency may get offered more money elsewhere or may not want to play for the Lions.  Free agency is a riskier option to address team needs, and when one is as big a need as the Lions have, I would have preferred the guarantee of the draft.

chunkums

April 30th, 2011 at 8:29 AM ^

The three abortions is pretty messed up, but I'm not going to get into that.  The marijuana arrests?  Lets stop pretending an extremely high percentage ofcollege kids and athletes don't smoke pot, which is completely harmless.  Fairley almost crippled Georgia's quarterback by intentially spearing his spine very very late, and slashed his neck with his facemask while he was on the ground. 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xljcMJxJZg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QfSRUk0fuA&NR=1

In reply to by M-Wolverine

Hlprn302

April 30th, 2011 at 7:45 PM ^

hard is convincing your girlfriend to have her third straight abortion!'   -David Cross

 

...and all the blah blah blah political crap below this needs to stop

beangoblue

April 30th, 2011 at 2:31 AM ^

I liked it before I heard what he said and I like it even more now. Good for Titus, the Lions and Detroit. I hope he gets the chance to keep his word.

bryemye

April 30th, 2011 at 2:50 AM ^

I think there just wasn't a lot of value at corner when we picked. We could have gone with the Prince but man, Fairley at that spot is hard to pass up. That should be an elite unit by all rights now. Frankly it has to be with the investment we have there.

I guarantee the secondary is the number one concern in free agency right now.

Hopefully our offense improves a lot next year. God knows we've invested pretty heavily in it. Just having Stafford healthy would help.

You know, assuming there's football and all.

PitchAndCatch

April 30th, 2011 at 2:57 AM ^

Mayhew: "The draft is not the finish line for our personnel department."

They take the best player they feel is available, and I've been liking how it's shaking out.

jaster

April 30th, 2011 at 4:24 AM ^

I found this part kind of funny....

--- Titus Young, on being called a "poor man's DeSean Jackson'':

"I've never been poor. I've never been another man's nothing. I've always been Titus Young from day one. My mother named me Titus Demetrius Young, she didn't name me anything else. I know people will compare me to other people but God made me to be me. He made me to be Titus Demetrius Young. My initials are T.D. Young. Touchdown Young.''

http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2011/04/detroit_lions_titus_young_balk.html

MGoDrew

April 30th, 2011 at 6:33 AM ^

Forcing yourself to draft for "need" over taking the best available player on your board is how you end up with Christian Ponder as the 12th pick.  They can now focus on LB and DB via free agency.

readyourguard

April 30th, 2011 at 7:21 AM ^

I love the enthusiasm and exuberance of a young man whose lifelong dream has just become a reality.

Too bad the harsh realities of the NFL, agents, general managers, and the union zaps all that away in a flash.

Maize and Blue…

April 30th, 2011 at 7:33 AM ^

The owners.  Last I knew the NFL TV deal gave each team $81 million covering a vast majority of players salary.  We, the taxpayers, have paid for the stadiums to be built and don't get any free tickets.  So the owners have most of their two major expenses covered without doing anything.  Then when the league last negotiated their TV contract they gave up money to be guaranteed getting a check this year even if there was no football.  It's business attitude like this, screw the workers, which is why unions were started.  If every business just treated their employees fairly there would be no need for unions.

I wish the players would start their own league.

Creedence Tapes

April 30th, 2011 at 1:39 PM ^

Well, seeing how the gap between productivity and wages is at its biggest point historically right now, the people not getting their fair share are the employees, not the employers. 

 

That said, if unions would reward job performance over tenure, there would be a lot less problems with unions. 

blacknblue

April 30th, 2011 at 9:28 AM ^

I do not care, judges should never step in the way the judge did to try to end this lockout.  If both sides can't come to an agreement both sides are hurt equally.  This is why the NFL players have a union.  The owners will do whats best for the owners and the players will do what's best for the plyers.  No judge has a right to take away the owner's ability to use every resource they have to come to an agreement, just like no court should have the right to stop a union striking, unless of course it in someway impacts the public good, which in this case it most certainly does not.

M-Wolverine

April 30th, 2011 at 11:15 AM ^

And that may be your least offensive comment in the thread. But...
<br>
<br>" So the owners have most of their two major expenses covered without doing anything"
<br>
<br>Except, you know, pay for the team. What's the going rate now, around a billion dollars?
<br>
<br>And considering how large a percentage of players can't even manage their own finances, a player run league might be amusing. But keep fighting the man!

MaizeAndBlueWahoo

April 30th, 2011 at 11:53 AM ^

What can I say?  We are huge suckers.  This town craves a winning football team like no other town.  I forked over for season tickets when I read about the MNF game.  Bet I wasn't the only one.  Even without picking a cornerback it's hard not to get really excited over the possibility of terrorizing the shit out of other teams' quarterbacks, and this team is on the upswing so things are about to get fun.

You'll never see a more deliriously happy fanbase of any team anywhere in the world if the Lions were to one day win the Super Bowl.

JimLahey

April 30th, 2011 at 11:22 AM ^

Drafting strictly for need is the worst mistake you can make. That's why I can't stand listening to most fans on the draft. They think we need an LB and CB and get pissed when we don't get one. Well, do you want them to draft a player they don't think will be good just because of position? It won't really fill a need if the player you draft ends up sucking, right?

The lions draft for talent. They are one of the few teams that actually sticks to their own philosophy and backs up their talk. Long-term - you take the player you think will be the best pro. You can fill holes via free agency and by developing players in later rounds.

MaizeAndBlueWahoo

April 30th, 2011 at 12:01 PM ^

Well, do you want them to draft a player they don't think will be good just because of position?

Well, that's just a false choice.  I doubt they looked at Amukamara and Jimmy Smith and decided they wouldn't be good players.  I'm not criticizing the Fairley pick because when a guy is dropping like that, it makes sense to grab him if he's gonna be awesome.

But don't you think Mayhew often swings a little too far in the direction of BPA?  Case in point: they traded up to take Brandon Pettigrew a couple years ago even though they had tight ends on the team.  OK, fine, you like Pettigrew and you don't think you can let him slide.  Then later on, in the 7th round, they take yet another tight end, Gronkowski.  Even though it's "only" a 7th-rounder, it was puzzling.  Definitely a BPA pick, they liked Gronkowski, fine - but wouldn't it make more sense to balance "best player available" with "chances of making the team"?  If you have a bunch of tight ends but you're short on linebackers, you ought to be taking a linebacker there even if he's not as good as the TE, because he's more likely to make the team.  Mayhew's very insistent on taking the best players available and drafting talent, but I think it's fair to wonder about that sometimes.

JimLahey

April 30th, 2011 at 12:10 PM ^

Maybe they liked Prince and Smith, maybe they didn't. They feel you take talent and the rest can work itself out. Case in point, Gronkowski, a 7th round pick. They later traded him for Alphonso Smith, an 09 second rounder who became a starter and had 5 interceptions. Smith isn't all-world, but his play vastly exceeded the expected return on a 7th round pick and he could be good for a while.

M-Wolverine

April 30th, 2011 at 4:46 PM ^

Is it assumes you're stuck taking at the pick you're at. If you can trade up to take RBs, you can trade up to get the DB or LB you like too.
<br>
<br>Now maybe they didn't like any of those guys as much as they liked the guys they got anyway. But the either/or isn't the case.