(Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Much has been said about the 0-16 record the Lions put together last season, the horrible track record of ousted GM Matt Millen, and the over 50 years of futility of the franchise, but things appear to be changing in Detroit.
The Beginning
The Lions, under new GM Martin Mayhew, ended last season with some good personnel moves that included getting value (draft picks and players) for Roy Williams and Jon Kitna, two players who were either on their way out this year or next. They also signed Daunte Culpepper to compete for the starting QB job.
They made some key coaching moves, replacing the inexperienced and unsuccessful staff from last season with one of the hottest defensive assistants available in Jim Schwartz for Head Coach, and two guys with very nice track records as coordinators, Scott Linehan and Gunther Cunningham, to run the offensive and defensive units.
Mayhew also went out and brought in a proven personnel guy in James "Shack" Harris to assist him with evaluating talent, which I believe was a brilliant move and says a lot about Mayhew realizing that he doesn't have a ton of experience and could use some assistance.
Free Agency
Mayhew began the free agency period by picking up some good veterans to replace underachievers and malcontents. Some of these moves included acquiring or signing Grady Jackson (DT), Phillip Buchanon (CB), Bryant Johnson (WR), Daniel Loper (OL), Anthony Henry (CB/S), Eric King (CB), Maurice Morris (RB), Ronald Curry (WR), Terrelle Smith (FB), and Julian Peterson (OLB).
The Draft
They went into the draft with a multitude of draft picks, including two in rounds one and three and the No. 1 overall selection.
The No. 1 pick turned out to be the quarterback of the future, Matthew Stafford. I was originally against the selection, but, in hindsight, now believe they made the right pick given what they did during the rest of the draft and post draft.
They also selected the best overall tight end (Brandon Pettigrew) and safety (Louis Delmas) with their next two selections that addressed immediate needs.
Later in the draft, they got great value and possible contributors in Sammie Lee Hill (DT), Derrick Williams (WR), DeAndre Levy (LB), Lydon Murtha (OT), and Zack Follett (LB). Their other selections were Aaron Brown (RB) and Dan Gronkowski (TE).
Most people agreed that the Lions had a great draft, although some were surprised that the Lions passed on James Lauranitis and Rey Maululaga, who were the best two MLBs available; some thought that this was the Lions' most problematic position.
The Fine Tuning
Mayhew seemed to know something that others didn't as hometown product and two-time Super Bowl champion MLB Larry Foote was released by the Steelers and subsequently signed with the Lions. The addition of Foote, along with incumbent Ernie Sims and the acquisition of Julian Peterson, turned a presumed weakness as a unit into a strength and, arguably, one of the NFL's best LB units.
They also made moves to solidify the Offensive Line, which was another perceived problem area that wasn't addressed until late in the draft. These moves were the signing of Toniu Fonoti (OG) and Ephraim Salaam (OT), followed by another hometown product, Jon Jansen (OT).
In addition to those already mentioned, the Lions claimed three players off of waivers from other teams and signed another veteran in Marquand Manuel (S). They also signed undrafted free agent RB Antone Smith to a contract.
Smith is a bit of an enigma because he is viewed as undersized and didn't perform up to expectations in college at FSU, but was formerly the No. 1 overall running back coming out of high school and impressed the Lions in their mini-camp with his speed.
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