Weiner Dog
Footballguy
ink:
http://blog.mlive.com/lionsinsider/
# After the workout, head coach Rod Marinelli said that he hasn't talked to free agent defensive end Simeon Rice and didn't give any indication that the organization was in hot pursuit of him. Maybe the Lions aren't all that interested in Rice after all. Yes, he still might have some talent left when he gets healthy, but there are several other things to consider:
First, how long will he stay healthy? That's got to be an issue for a player of his age (33).
Second, how much is he going to want and will it cripple Detroit's salary cap? Going back to the health/age thing, the Lions don't want to give him a long-term deal and end up with more dead money down the road.
Third, and perhaps most significant, maybe Marinelli doesn't want to take an unnecessary risk. Marinelli likes what he's got going on the defensive line, especially with Cory Redding taking such a positive and active leadership role. Yes, Marinelli did wonderful things for Rice -- who speaks very fondly of him -- but look at Rice's recent track record.
While he was in Tampa, head coach Jon Gruden sent Rice home from a game in San Francisco because he missed a team meeting. At the 2004 Pro Bowl, NFC coach Andy Reid sent Rice home because of poor conduct and missing practice.
It's my contention that the Lions made a huge mistake when they brought in Dan "Big Daddy'' Wilkinson several years ago. While he still had some talent left and was popular in the locker room, I think he had a negative effect on some of the other players, most notably Shaun Rogers and James Hall.
Again, Marinelli's plan is not to simply collect as much talent as he can, but to build a team with a cohesive chemistry. If the Lions really aren't going to pursue Rice, it might be because Marinelli doesn't want to disrupt the foundation he's trying to build.
# Eddie Drummond, who didn't get a single rep at receiver in any team drills during the first five practices, got four reps today ."It's a start,'' he said.
# Even though TE Eric Beverly has retired, Casey FitzSimmons and Sean McHugh both still stayed with the running backs during the individual workouts. They'll both be used more as fullbacks and flex players than as tight ends. They can both still do that, but that doesn't appear to be their primary role at this point.
# Last year, the defensive line was broken down into groups of ends and tackles during some individual drills. That's continuing this year, but the offensive line is also getting split up. The tight ends and tackles work in one group while the guards and centerS are together in another. They're each working on some zone stuff, double-teams and combination blocks.
# The receivers did a lot of work today in learning how to beat man-to-man press coverage off the line of scrimmage. They did several drills during the individual period, going against coaches and pads, but they also worked on it later in practice against the defensive backs. They didn't run full routes, just enough to beat the defender off the ball.
# RB Tatum Bell doesn't have great hands. He's got good hands and he'll be effective out of the backfield, but he's not going to pluck everything out of the air.
# The more I see running backs Aveion Cason and Brian Calhoun, the more I believe that roster spot will come down to which player is more effective on special teams. Not just as a returner, but in all phases.
# Ernie Sims plays weakside linebacker and Boss Bailey plays on the strong side, which means he's normally over the tight end. Well, there are times when the two players will switch positions. When? Why? This is the explanation I get from the coaching staff: "We'll do that sometimes.''
No further information was forthcoming. I'm not sure if it's a matchup thing, a formation thing or whatever. I'll keep trying to figure it out (if anybody out there has an idea, I'm all ears).
http://blog.mlive.com/lionsinsider/
# After the workout, head coach Rod Marinelli said that he hasn't talked to free agent defensive end Simeon Rice and didn't give any indication that the organization was in hot pursuit of him. Maybe the Lions aren't all that interested in Rice after all. Yes, he still might have some talent left when he gets healthy, but there are several other things to consider:
First, how long will he stay healthy? That's got to be an issue for a player of his age (33).
Second, how much is he going to want and will it cripple Detroit's salary cap? Going back to the health/age thing, the Lions don't want to give him a long-term deal and end up with more dead money down the road.
Third, and perhaps most significant, maybe Marinelli doesn't want to take an unnecessary risk. Marinelli likes what he's got going on the defensive line, especially with Cory Redding taking such a positive and active leadership role. Yes, Marinelli did wonderful things for Rice -- who speaks very fondly of him -- but look at Rice's recent track record.
While he was in Tampa, head coach Jon Gruden sent Rice home from a game in San Francisco because he missed a team meeting. At the 2004 Pro Bowl, NFC coach Andy Reid sent Rice home because of poor conduct and missing practice.
It's my contention that the Lions made a huge mistake when they brought in Dan "Big Daddy'' Wilkinson several years ago. While he still had some talent left and was popular in the locker room, I think he had a negative effect on some of the other players, most notably Shaun Rogers and James Hall.
Again, Marinelli's plan is not to simply collect as much talent as he can, but to build a team with a cohesive chemistry. If the Lions really aren't going to pursue Rice, it might be because Marinelli doesn't want to disrupt the foundation he's trying to build.
# Eddie Drummond, who didn't get a single rep at receiver in any team drills during the first five practices, got four reps today ."It's a start,'' he said.
# Even though TE Eric Beverly has retired, Casey FitzSimmons and Sean McHugh both still stayed with the running backs during the individual workouts. They'll both be used more as fullbacks and flex players than as tight ends. They can both still do that, but that doesn't appear to be their primary role at this point.
# Last year, the defensive line was broken down into groups of ends and tackles during some individual drills. That's continuing this year, but the offensive line is also getting split up. The tight ends and tackles work in one group while the guards and centerS are together in another. They're each working on some zone stuff, double-teams and combination blocks.
# The receivers did a lot of work today in learning how to beat man-to-man press coverage off the line of scrimmage. They did several drills during the individual period, going against coaches and pads, but they also worked on it later in practice against the defensive backs. They didn't run full routes, just enough to beat the defender off the ball.
# RB Tatum Bell doesn't have great hands. He's got good hands and he'll be effective out of the backfield, but he's not going to pluck everything out of the air.
# The more I see running backs Aveion Cason and Brian Calhoun, the more I believe that roster spot will come down to which player is more effective on special teams. Not just as a returner, but in all phases.
# Ernie Sims plays weakside linebacker and Boss Bailey plays on the strong side, which means he's normally over the tight end. Well, there are times when the two players will switch positions. When? Why? This is the explanation I get from the coaching staff: "We'll do that sometimes.''
No further information was forthcoming. I'm not sure if it's a matchup thing, a formation thing or whatever. I'll keep trying to figure it out (if anybody out there has an idea, I'm all ears).
