Congratulations to Matt Millen (1 Viewer)

[Anthony Borbely]

Calvin was pretty much the consensus best player in the draft by the scouting people and analysts, and arguably the safest pick too. It was a good pick. Left tackle is not the biggest issue here. Defense is. But there were no defensive players worthy of that pick. I loved the Calvin pick then and I love it now. The guy is going to be a beast.

I remember when Cedric Benson was the safest pick in the draft. But seriously, taking the best player doesn't mean it is the best move for a team. WR is just one of those positions where you need talent around you to be good. Without that Talent, a stud WR can be a marginal NFL player. Example Randy Moss.

While I do think Calvin will be a beast, I think it will take another two years. Where will Detroit be at that point? Kitna will be 38. Roy Williams & Kevin Jones move on? (I don't doubt the rumors one bit) While Stanton might be a good QB in the NFL, I won't assume anything until I see him on the field.

Benson wasn't a talent along the lines of Calvin, who arguably was the most purely talented WR ever to come out of college with regards to his skills and insane athletic gifts.

 

[Max Power]

Calvin was pretty much the consensus best player in the draft by the scouting people and analysts, and arguably the safest pick too. It was a good pick. Left tackle is not the biggest issue here. Defense is. But there were no defensive players worthy of that pick. I loved the Calvin pick then and I love it now. The guy is going to be a beast.

I remember when Cedric Benson was the safest pick in the draft. But seriously, taking the best player doesn't mean it is the best move for a team. WR is just one of those positions where you need talent around you to be good. Without that Talent, a stud WR can be a marginal NFL player. Example Randy Moss.

While I do think Calvin will be a beast, I think it will take another two years. Where will Detroit be at that point? Kitna will be 38. Roy Williams & Kevin Jones move on? (I don't doubt the rumors one bit) While Stanton might be a good QB in the NFL, I won't assume anything until I see him on the field.

Benson wasn't a talent along the lines of Calvin, who arguably was the most purely talented WR ever to come out of college with regards to his skills and insane athletic gifts.

I know, that was just the Bears fan in me venting a bit. But seriously, do you think Calvin was the right pick? It is hard for me to see this team going anywhere in the playoffs for the next few years. The O-line and the secondary is a mess. By the time those areas are addressed, Detroit will likely be facing QB/RB issues. This isn't ment to be a shot at Calvin. That kid is going to be great. Millen just doesn't understand how to put a team together. Detroit will go nowhere while he is running the show.

 

[Anthony Borbely]

Calvin was pretty much the consensus best player in the draft by the scouting people and analysts, and arguably the safest pick too. It was a good pick. Left tackle is not the biggest issue here. Defense is. But there were no defensive players worthy of that pick. I loved the Calvin pick then and I love it now. The guy is going to be a beast.

I remember when Cedric Benson was the safest pick in the draft. But seriously, taking the best player doesn't mean it is the best move for a team. WR is just one of those positions where you need talent around you to be good. Without that Talent, a stud WR can be a marginal NFL player. Example Randy Moss.

While I do think Calvin will be a beast, I think it will take another two years. Where will Detroit be at that point? Kitna will be 38. Roy Williams & Kevin Jones move on? (I don't doubt the rumors one bit) While Stanton might be a good QB in the NFL, I won't assume anything until I see him on the field.

Benson wasn't a talent along the lines of Calvin, who arguably was the most purely talented WR ever to come out of college with regards to his skills and insane athletic gifts.

I know, that was just the Bears fan in me venting a bit. But seriously, do you think Calvin was the right pick? It is hard for me to see this team going anywhere in the playoffs for the next few years. The O-line and the secondary is a mess. By the time those areas are addressed, Detroit will likely be facing QB/RB issues. This isn't ment to be a shot at Calvin. That kid is going to be great. Millen just doesn't understand how to put a team together. Detroit will go nowhere while he is running the show.

I thought it was the best pick then, and I still feel that way. While Backus is not great, he is still pretty solid and durable, and left tackle wasn't a glaring weakness. There was not a defensive player at the time that was worthy of that high of a pick. Calvin was the best player in the draft.And for those who don't think elite WRs are important enough to take this high, see Moss and Owens and the impact they have on the game and on forcing the hands of the defensive coordinators to make stopping them such a high priority that it opens up the field for everyone else. I don't have any doubt that Calvin will be that kind of player.

 

[SSOG]

I know, that was just the Bears fan in me venting a bit. But seriously, do you think Calvin was the right pick? It is hard for me to see this team going anywhere in the playoffs for the next few years. The O-line and the secondary is a mess. By the time those areas are addressed, Detroit will likely be facing QB/RB issues. This isn't ment to be a shot at Calvin. That kid is going to be great. Millen just doesn't understand how to put a team together. Detroit will go nowhere while he is running the show.

Well, if we think that it's going to be a long time before Detroit is any good, then Calvin was definitely the right pick. WRs have a long shelf life. Nobody that was picked there was going to make the Lions a worthwhile franchise, so you might as well get the biggest stud with a decent shelf life and hope that 5 years from now when he's really hitting his stride you finally have some pieces in place around him.

 

[thayman]

Calvin was pretty much the consensus best player in the draft by the scouting people and analysts, and arguably the safest pick too. It was a good pick. Left tackle is not the biggest issue here. Defense is. But there were no defensive players worthy of that pick. I loved the Calvin pick then and I love it now. The guy is going to be a beast.

I remember when Cedric Benson was the safest pick in the draft. But seriously, taking the best player doesn't mean it is the best move for a team. WR is just one of those positions where you need talent around you to be good. Without that Talent, a stud WR can be a marginal NFL player. Example Randy Moss. While I do think Calvin will be a beast, I think it will take another two years. Where will Detroit be at that point? Kitna will be 38. Roy Williams & Kevin Jones move on? (I don't doubt the rumors one bit) While Stanton might be a good QB in the NFL, I won't assume anything until I see him on the field.

Obviously we won't know for a nother few years, but if Calvin becomes the player everyone thinks he can be, he will be a Roy Williams and Calvin Johnson are two nice options for a young QB to pass to.Detroit has so many issues that no matter who they took this year it would not have made too much of a difference.

 

[Max Power]

Calvin was pretty much the consensus best player in the draft by the scouting people and analysts, and arguably the safest pick too. It was a good pick. Left tackle is not the biggest issue here. Defense is. But there were no defensive players worthy of that pick. I loved the Calvin pick then and I love it now. The guy is going to be a beast.

I remember when Cedric Benson was the safest pick in the draft. But seriously, taking the best player doesn't mean it is the best move for a team. WR is just one of those positions where you need talent around you to be good. Without that Talent, a stud WR can be a marginal NFL player. Example Randy Moss. While I do think Calvin will be a beast, I think it will take another two years. Where will Detroit be at that point? Kitna will be 38. Roy Williams & Kevin Jones move on? (I don't doubt the rumors one bit) While Stanton might be a good QB in the NFL, I won't assume anything until I see him on the field.

Obviously we won't know for a nother few years, but if Calvin becomes the player everyone thinks he can be, he will be a Roy Williams and Calvin Johnson are two nice options for a young QB to pass to.Detroit has so many issues that no matter who they took this year it would not have made too much of a difference.

Roy Williams will be gone in two years. Only way he stays is if Detroit offers him a huge contract that goes well beyond Market value. Roy will end up in DAL/HOU/NO.

 

[SSOG]

Calvin was pretty much the consensus best player in the draft by the scouting people and analysts, and arguably the safest pick too. It was a good pick. Left tackle is not the biggest issue here. Defense is. But there were no defensive players worthy of that pick. I loved the Calvin pick then and I love it now. The guy is going to be a beast.

I remember when Cedric Benson was the safest pick in the draft. But seriously, taking the best player doesn't mean it is the best move for a team. WR is just one of those positions where you need talent around you to be good. Without that Talent, a stud WR can be a marginal NFL player. Example Randy Moss. While I do think Calvin will be a beast, I think it will take another two years. Where will Detroit be at that point? Kitna will be 38. Roy Williams & Kevin Jones move on? (I don't doubt the rumors one bit) While Stanton might be a good QB in the NFL, I won't assume anything until I see him on the field.

Obviously we won't know for a nother few years, but if Calvin becomes the player everyone thinks he can be, he will be a Roy Williams and Calvin Johnson are two nice options for a young QB to pass to.Detroit has so many issues that no matter who they took this year it would not have made too much of a difference.

Roy Williams will be gone in two years. Only way he stays is if Detroit offers him a huge contract that goes well beyond Market value. Roy will end up in DAL/HOU/NO.

All the more important to grab Calvin when they had the chance, then. Nothing Detroit did last year was going to make them a good team this year, so best to just build for the future.

 

[Anthony Borbely]

Roy will not be allowed to walk. If he leaves, it will be via trade. It's either that, or else he signs long term, or gets franchised.

My gut says he will be here for a while. The Lions aren't going to let one of their few playmakers walk without getting some significant value in return.

 

[bcr8f]

The Lions

Rebuilding since 1957.

 

[beto]

Millen just doesn't understand how to put a team together. Detroit will go nowhere while he is running the show.

Exactly how I feel. Millen is a clown.

 

[Al Czervik]

The LionsRebuilding since 1957.

That's been my sig all year. Needed to recognize the 50th anniversary.

 

[Bob Henry]

Sure he will probably be pretty good, but they already had a pretty good wr corps, with a stud #1 in Roy. When you have a team that has needs all over, except wr, its pretty stupid to take another wr. One of the last positions Im worrying about if Im building a team, or trying to make one over.

Detroit already had a pretty good WR corps? They had a lot of former first rounders at WR, but does that mean they're a pretty good WR corps? I mean, only Jacksonville and Atlanta have spent anywhere near as many first rounders on WRs in recent seasons. I suppose Jax and Atl both have great WR corps, too.Roy Williams is a very good, but not great WR. After Roy Williams, their WR corps was a bunch of busts and decent third options.

Roy is one of the most physically gifted wrs in the league, probably top 5. There is a reason you are unable to see him play to his potential, and it has everything to do with a garbage line and a bad qb. Furrey didnt do enough last year to prove he can be a legit starting wr in this league? McDonald didnt prove it this year?

Matt Jones is one of the most physically gifted WRs in the league, too. Almost certainly top 5, possibly #1. The guy is 6'6", 242 pounds, and runs a sub-4.4 forty. Freak of nature.

I think he's a free agent, too. Maybe the Lions will sign him!

 

[Max Power]

Calvin was pretty much the consensus best player in the draft by the scouting people and analysts, and arguably the safest pick too. It was a good pick. Left tackle is not the biggest issue here. Defense is. But there were no defensive players worthy of that pick. I loved the Calvin pick then and I love it now. The guy is going to be a beast.

I remember when Cedric Benson was the safest pick in the draft. But seriously, taking the best player doesn't mean it is the best move for a team. WR is just one of those positions where you need talent around you to be good. Without that Talent, a stud WR can be a marginal NFL player. Example Randy Moss. While I do think Calvin will be a beast, I think it will take another two years. Where will Detroit be at that point? Kitna will be 38. Roy Williams & Kevin Jones move on? (I don't doubt the rumors one bit) While Stanton might be a good QB in the NFL, I won't assume anything until I see him on the field.

Obviously we won't know for a nother few years, but if Calvin becomes the player everyone thinks he can be, he will be a Roy Williams and Calvin Johnson are two nice options for a young QB to pass to.Detroit has so many issues that no matter who they took this year it would not have made too much of a difference.

Roy Williams will be gone in two years. Only way he stays is if Detroit offers him a huge contract that goes well beyond Market value. Roy will end up in DAL/HOU/NO.

All the more important to grab Calvin when they had the chance, then. Nothing Detroit did last year was going to make them a good team this year, so best to just build for the future.

Disagree, Millen's mistake was that he didnt want to take a "value loss" on a trade for the #2 pick. trade down and take a player like Laron Landry, Patrick willis, or Leon Hall, depending on how far you move down. Get 1-2 additonal first day picks and keep rebuilding. Taking Stanton in the second was another odd pick IMO. It might be the Spartan fan in me that really likes this pick, but again, was this the right pick? Drafting a QB in rd 2 that likely wont see any PT for at least 3 years? People here are blinded by the Calvin hype. He was not the right pick for this franchise.

 

[SSOG]

Disagree, Millen's mistake was that he didnt want to take a "value loss" on a trade for the #2 pick. trade down and take a player like Laron Landry, Patrick willis, or Leon Hall, depending on how far you move down. Get 1-2 additonal first day picks and keep rebuilding. Taking Stanton in the second was another odd pick IMO. It might be the Spartan fan in me that really likes this pick, but again, was this the right pick? Drafting a QB in rd 2 that likely wont see any PT for at least 3 years? People here are blinded by the Calvin hype. He was not the right pick for this franchise.

I don't care what your roster composition is, or what your needs are... any team is dramatically improved by the addition of Jerry Rice. Any team is dramatically improved by the addition of Randy Moss (assuming he's willing to play). You don't turn down a guy who you think is incredibly special at one position for a player who is noticeably less special at a position that you need more. Do you think San Francisco was dumb to grab Steve Young when they already had Joe Montana? How'd that work out for them? Denver drafted Clinton Portis at a time where they already had THREE different 1,000 yard rushers competing for the starting job. That move worked out pretty well, too.

 

[Max Power]

Disagree, Millen's mistake was that he didnt want to take a "value loss" on a trade for the #2 pick. trade down and take a player like Laron Landry, Patrick willis, or Leon Hall, depending on how far you move down. Get 1-2 additonal first day picks and keep rebuilding. Taking Stanton in the second was another odd pick IMO. It might be the Spartan fan in me that really likes this pick, but again, was this the right pick? Drafting a QB in rd 2 that likely wont see any PT for at least 3 years? People here are blinded by the Calvin hype. He was not the right pick for this franchise.

I don't care what your roster composition is, or what your needs are... any team is dramatically improved by the addition of Jerry Rice. Any team is dramatically improved by the addition of Randy Moss (assuming he's willing to play). You don't turn down a guy who you think is incredibly special at one position for a player who is noticeably less special at a position that you need more. Do you think San Francisco was dumb to grab Steve Young when they already had Joe Montana? How'd that work out for them? Denver drafted Clinton Portis at a time where they already had THREE different 1,000 yard rushers competing for the starting job. That move worked out pretty well, too.

Did you really just compare Calvin Johnson to Jerry Rice? That is just insane in itself. SF got Young at a rock bottom price. They invested in QB for the future while they still had a top notch team. It is not even fair to compare the mid-late 80s 49er team to this Detroit team.Your Clinton Portis claim is also misleading. Portis was drafted in 2002. 2001 Denver Broncos did not have one 1,000 yard rusher on that team. 2001 was also the year that the Broncos knew Terrell Davis was done. Gary had a big year 99 followed by two subpar seasons, Mike anderson had a great year in 2000, and a decent season in 01, but he was 28 going on 29 at that point. Taking Portis was the Smart move in that draft.

 

[SSOG]

Disagree, Millen's mistake was that he didnt want to take a "value loss" on a trade for the #2 pick. trade down and take a player like Laron Landry, Patrick willis, or Leon Hall, depending on how far you move down. Get 1-2 additonal first day picks and keep rebuilding. Taking Stanton in the second was another odd pick IMO. It might be the Spartan fan in me that really likes this pick, but again, was this the right pick? Drafting a QB in rd 2 that likely wont see any PT for at least 3 years? People here are blinded by the Calvin hype. He was not the right pick for this franchise.

I don't care what your roster composition is, or what your needs are... any team is dramatically improved by the addition of Jerry Rice. Any team is dramatically improved by the addition of Randy Moss (assuming he's willing to play). You don't turn down a guy who you think is incredibly special at one position for a player who is noticeably less special at a position that you need more. Do you think San Francisco was dumb to grab Steve Young when they already had Joe Montana? How'd that work out for them? Denver drafted Clinton Portis at a time where they already had THREE different 1,000 yard rushers competing for the starting job. That move worked out pretty well, too.

Did you really just compare Calvin Johnson to Jerry Rice? That is just insane in itself. SF got Young at a rock bottom price. They invested in QB for the future while they still had a top notch team. It is not even fair to compare the mid-late 80s 49er team to this Detroit team.Your Clinton Portis claim is also misleading. Portis was drafted in 2002. 2001 Denver Broncos did not have one 1,000 yard rusher on that team. 2001 was also the year that the Broncos knew Terrell Davis was done. Gary had a big year 99 followed by two subpar seasons, Mike anderson had a great year in 2000, and a decent season in 01, but he was 28 going on 29 at that point. Taking Portis was the Smart move in that draft.

I didn't compare Calvin to Jerry Rice, I was making the point that special players make teams better regardless of what position they play. If a team really thought that Calvin Johnson was a special player, a Jerry Rice, a Randy Moss, a Clinton Portis, a Steve Young, a whatever... then drafting him was the right move, regardless of roster composition. No team has ever suffered for having too many HoFers on its roster.Not saying Calvin Johnson is a HoFer, but if Detroit thought that he was the most likely guy to make it, then he was the right pick.

 

[Max Power]

Disagree, Millen's mistake was that he didnt want to take a "value loss" on a trade for the #2 pick. trade down and take a player like Laron Landry, Patrick willis, or Leon Hall, depending on how far you move down. Get 1-2 additonal first day picks and keep rebuilding. Taking Stanton in the second was another odd pick IMO. It might be the Spartan fan in me that really likes this pick, but again, was this the right pick? Drafting a QB in rd 2 that likely wont see any PT for at least 3 years? People here are blinded by the Calvin hype. He was not the right pick for this franchise.

I don't care what your roster composition is, or what your needs are... any team is dramatically improved by the addition of Jerry Rice. Any team is dramatically improved by the addition of Randy Moss (assuming he's willing to play). You don't turn down a guy who you think is incredibly special at one position for a player who is noticeably less special at a position that you need more. Do you think San Francisco was dumb to grab Steve Young when they already had Joe Montana? How'd that work out for them? Denver drafted Clinton Portis at a time where they already had THREE different 1,000 yard rushers competing for the starting job. That move worked out pretty well, too.

Did you really just compare Calvin Johnson to Jerry Rice? That is just insane in itself. SF got Young at a rock bottom price. They invested in QB for the future while they still had a top notch team. It is not even fair to compare the mid-late 80s 49er team to this Detroit team.Your Clinton Portis claim is also misleading. Portis was drafted in 2002. 2001 Denver Broncos did not have one 1,000 yard rusher on that team. 2001 was also the year that the Broncos knew Terrell Davis was done. Gary had a big year 99 followed by two subpar seasons, Mike anderson had a great year in 2000, and a decent season in 01, but he was 28 going on 29 at that point. Taking Portis was the Smart move in that draft.

I didn't compare Calvin to Jerry Rice, I was making the point that special players make teams better regardless of what position they play. If a team really thought that Calvin Johnson was a special player, a Jerry Rice, a Randy Moss, a Clinton Portis, a Steve Young, a whatever... then drafting him was the right move, regardless of roster composition. No team has ever suffered for having too many HoFers on its roster.Not saying Calvin Johnson is a HoFer, but if Detroit thought that he was the most likely guy to make it, then he was the right pick.

And My argument is still that no matter how good a WR is, if he doesn't have a solid team around him, that team will not amount to much. Taking the BAP doesn't mean that it is the right pick. Detroit seems to do it every year and they go no where every season. Other teams know better and it generally shows in their results.

 

[cartel]

really, how does this joke of a GM still have a job? where is the outrage in Detroit?

as bad as he may be at GM, I would still rather him be in Detroit, then having to listen to his stupid ### on TV.