--Since his arrival three years ago, Boss Bailey has been the Lions' strong-side linebacker, but that could change under the system coach Rod Marinelli and defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson have in mind.
Henderson, the defensive coordinator for the New York Jets the past two seasons, likes linebackers who can run and widen the field against opposing running backs, and that means the Lions' linebackers could face a complete reshuffling for 2006.
"I'm not going to go into the entire scheme because it's complex," Millen said, "but Boss could play the middle. He could also be on the weak side or stay on the strong side. All of our linebackers could play any of the three positions. We'll have to settle on where we want them."
Last year's alignment found Bailey at the strong side (until he was injured and went to injured reserve), with James Davis at the weak side and Earl Holmes in the middle. Teddy Lehman and Alex Lewis, two more fast, athletic linebackers, missed virtually the entire season with injuries.