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Here is what Tom Kowalski just said on the radio....to simplify, he doesn't think KJ will be 100% AND in top football shape by week 1, and the Lions want to play it safe and give him more time. He thinks KJ will be fully recovered by the time he can come off PUP. And he now has 10 weeks...and they believe that he will be 100% by then. Six weeks extra is a lot of time, and mainly allows him time to recover, and then to get in top football shape. Below is a summary of what he just said on local radio: He said Kevin Jones is way ahead of schedule, especially compared to others who have had this injury, but that the Lions want to play it safe. They don't think he can recover 100% AND get in top football shape by week 1, but Kowalski and the Lions believe he will be 100% by week 6, and both him and the Lions think Jones is a better all around RB than Bell. Kowalski says the only thing Bell has that is better than Jones is his speed, but that the Lions think KJ is a special player. He says KJ starts if healthy, but that he will have to earn the job, it will not be handed to him.
I agree but that's my whole point. Give him a chance. Don't just dismiss him and shelve somone who they consider "a special player" for 40% of the season. Let him practice and if he's able he'll play. If he's still recovering isn't right by say opening day I don't think an extra 6 weeks will make the difference.so I disagree with the writer there. I know this is the Lions were talking about you're supposed to try to win games and you do so by putting the best players on the field. If he's unable to do so that's one thing but if he can practice and they still won't let him play then that's a big mistake.What they're saying doesn't make sense either. Duce Staley and Warrick Dunn have both had that injury and played well the following season and were relatively healthy. Kevin Jones is supposedly way ahead of schedule like those guys and they want to put him on the Physically Unable to Perform list? It doesn't add up.Anthony Borbely said:
To me it comes down to whether Kevin Jones is on the PUP list or not. If he isn't then obviously it's a moot point and Tatum Bell fades into fantasy oblivion (for now anyways). But if Kevin Jones is on the list and can't play the first 6 games I can't expect to be well for the next ten. In that case even with the uncertainty I think Tatum Bell would be the main guy most if not all of the season and could potentially be a steal. At the right price of course.
KJ will have better value in drafts. The Lions and Kowalski expect him to be fully recovered by the time he comes off PUP. Bell will go too high now for my liking. I don't see him being a steal because he will be going a lot higher than he should, in my opinion. My personal feeling is the Lions will pass a lot more if Bell plays compared to if KJ plays.
I'm not sure about it being 6 weeks or 6 games.
He is only going to get 10 carries a game at 3.8 ypc yeah take those 4 points
I think the extra 6 weeks makes a HUGE difference. He needs to not only recover, but needs 2-3 MORE weeks beyond the recovery to get into top football condition...and that is the main reason they are putting him on PUP.
Finally, the voice of reason.
This sums up my thinking as well. The Lions have the RB depth now to error on the side of caution. Last year would have been a different story.
I honestly think they have leaned to this all along, but wanted to wait just in case. They are still not expected to make it offficial for 2 more weeks.
It's 6 games.
Tell that to Mike Martz. He's been raving over Bell.
Thanks. Glad to know that.
I concur.I feel the same way about the Lions throwing for so much Thursday night. It doesnt change my rankings, its what I had already expected.
Martz has liked what he has seen from Bell, namely his speed, but I don't think there is any doubt that he likes Kevin Jones more, because he is more of a complete back.
If the Lions truly have playoff aspirations for 2007, they're dumber than I thought, and that boggles the mind.
This is the NFL and the NFC version. It would be even dumber to not have lofty goals like the playoffs set for your team. To have a mind-set of "no playoffs this year" would be among the worst thjing they could do.What you propose boggles the mind even more.
Which is exactly what I'd do if I was Martz...you need to give your new FA acquisition some confidence.BTW, the coaching staff has also stated Kevin Jones is the starting RB when healthy.
Agree with all of this. My rankings always had Jones missing at least 6 games and Bell opening as the starter. Now what needs to be taken into account in my opinion are the following:1. Can Bell keep Jones at bay even after Jones returns? I don't believe he can but it's not like Bell is a bum. He can play and he's proven that he can be very effective as a short-term starter. The problem is he can't stay healthy. But if he's only going to start 6-8 games that may be just enough to make him viable.
Jones had 15 carries or more in seven of the 12 games he played last season, including two games over 20 and four of at least 19. In the five games where he had fewer than 15 carries, he had 4 receptions or more in four of them, including three games with 6 or more. As I said before, there's value in this backfield if there's one clear starter.anguskahn said:
I think it will depend on whole team.Last year KJ shined until he stayed on the field, but Detroit was always behind and Martz kept throwing and throwing.Any team wants a balanced attack, even if Martz is in control....I have to admit I'm a little surprised by you not mentioning Duckett, who could emerge as the 1st and 2nd down rusher until KJ is back.Bell has not the size to rock the defences, but could find some room to run on the outside, while TJ could be the real value.I'm waiting for next decision...to make KJ spend all his season on the bench
The notion that the Lions are trying to sell us that KJ is some special player is crazy. He's not a rookie....he's not someone we haven't seen. We saw him last year..........he's a solid back. I mean, I guess everyone in the NFL is special, it's ridiculously hard to get there.......but I mean the word "special" to me doesn't apply to every starting running back in the NFL.LaDanian Tomlinson is special. Barry Sanders is special. I do not consider Kevin Jones a special running back and don't believe he ever will be.Tatum Bell is NOT special......but he's healthy. The Lions are blowing smoke and Kowalski, who's a hell of a reporter is just reporting what he's hearing from the Lions. Nobody knows how Jones is going to feel in 6 weeks or 10 weeks and how he's going to do. What I do know by common sense is that Kevin Jones ISN"T going to be better than he was BEFORE he was injured, he's gonna have rust, he's gonna take time to adjust.I expect Tatum Bell to start and look pretty good at times and lousy others. I also at some point expect him to get dinged up himself, maybe allowing Jones back in. I honostly think at some point this season, you will see both Bell and K Jones out a week or couple weeks leaving someone else with the load.Anthony Borbely said:
You still have him ranked #31 RB for a redraft ?Way too high imo considering he will miss nearly half the season,along with the unknown factor if and when he returns.Anthony Borbely said:
I agree with this. This could open the door for Duckett, who was mentioned above. I'm not all that big on Duckett, though, so I think if Bell and Jones are both out Mad Martz just throws it 50 times a game and says to hell with trying to run the ball. The biggest problem with both Bell and Jones is that both have durability issues and Jones has a major issue given how he's coming off a serious injury and may not play for nearly half the season. I will continue to say that there is value in this backfield for the one clear starter but it could end up being a case of trying to figure out from week to week (once Jones returns) who that starter is going to be. I say that not because I don't believe Jones is a more talented RB than Bell (I do believe that) but because I'm not sure Jones is just going to be able to walk right from PUP to the starting lineup and immediately excel.
I just dont buy this.Martz has proven he wants to throw more then run.
If Martz is calling the plays it will be more of the same.
I'm not big on Duckett either. He may get a few TD's inside the 5 as he's already shown he can knock guys over and get into the endzone in a Lions uniform but I could see the Lions really airing it out this season too. I expect big numbers from Kitna and Roy Williams.
Bell is nothing special and ,remember, he ran with Denver(man can notice my grandma run with succes in Denver...).KJ will be rusty...TJ is the answer, for GL situations at minimum, even if Bell did accomplish that job well last year spelling with other BellI'm not so high on TJ(I'm not for any Martz-Lions RB), but I think that is quite clear they will use both Bell and TJ,who will have the better value, considering he will be drafted 2 rounds later
I could definitely see that happening as well if Jones struggles after returning. That's why I think trading Bell to the Jones owner after the first month or so could pay dividends. If he performs well - and I think he could - his value will be up and the Jones owner will likely want to make sure he has that backfield covered.
No doubt about it, infact I saw some Lions games in which they passed leading by 17(once in a whI still believe balanced attack will be the goal also in Martz opinion
Interesting stuff.I've always liked Duckett's potential, it just seemed it wasn't the right fitin his prior situations in ATL and especially Washington.
Smoo, just a question for you. Is is correct usage for you to conclude the series of "or + verb" with a noun? I understand the intent of what you were trying to say but it seems the usage is poor. I think I CAN'T SPELL, UTILIZE CORRECT GRAMMAR, OR PUNCTUATE!!!! would work better.
Thought the same. "Or punctuation" was actually a last minute throw in as I noticed "see you next year KJ/", but I was too lazy to go back and reword. Damn you, laziness!!!!!
No worries, just wanted to see what the shark move is.
