Bleacher Report - Articles by Brent

Detroit Lions First And Second Round Mock Draft 1.0

Brent — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 19:19:10 -0400

Well, it's that time of year again where I sit and wonder who the Lions will pick in this years NFL draft. Detroit has more needs than they can fill in one draft, but I think that defense must be top priority, since Detroit has had one of the worst defenses over the past few years.

First Overall—Aaron Curry, LB Wake Forrest

He Has all the physical and mental tools to be a dominating linebacker right now in the NFL. Sitting at 6'3" and 247 pounds, he is what Coach Jim Schwartz can use to build up Detroit's undersized defense.

Adding Curry makes the Lions' linebacker core a force to be reckoned with, since he would be playing between Ernie Sims and Julian Peterson. Not one mock draft that I have seen has Curry going to the Lions, but many experts say he is the best athlete in the draft. So I think the Lions take the best athlete available and worry about the "need" at quarterback later in this draft.

20th Overall—Peria Jerry, DT Mississippi

He is a big, solid defensive tackle. At 6'2" and about 300 pounds, he can put on a little more weight and still keep his speed, and I think the Lions' new workout programs will help him advance quickly.

Because both the starting DTs currently on the roster are over 33 years of age, Detroit needs to get younger on the line. I also haven't forgotten about the DT's taken last year, Fluellen and Cohen. Having three young guys learning the tricks of the trade from two productive veterans could help out a lot over the next few years as they develop.

33rd Overall - Josh Freeman, QB Kansas State

After all of the Stafford/Sanchez talk, everyone has left out this big man from Kansas State. 6'6" and 250 pounds, he is a Daunte Culpepper replica. I think watching Culpepper handle himself in games would help him out substantially.

He doesn't have the greatest of stats coming out of college, but he has a great arm, mobility, and durability. Also, taking a QB later in the draft makes it plausible that the Lions would keep him on the bench for the first couple years.

Picking Stafford first overall means that he must be a starter (by Lions' fans perspective), and as soon as the team loses three games fans will be protesting his starting status, even if it means turning him into the next Joey Harrington. By taking Freeman in the second round, I think it will take some of the pressure off him to be thrown in right away, and give him time to work with Scott Linehan and Culpepper.

By picking these three guys up on day one, the Lions show that they are committed to making the defense better, while also remembering that we do need someone at QB, eventually. For now, Culpepper is coming along just fine, and the two defensive picks help bring youth and talent to a desperate defense.

Jason Hanson Robbed: Pro Bowl Is Popularity Contest

Brent — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 08:28:59 -0500

Title says it all.

NFC-elected Pro Bowl Kicker: John Carney

SEASON STATS

Field Goals (FG) Made: 29

FG Attempted: 31

FG from 50+: 0-0!!!

Now for Hanson's season stats...

FG Made: 21

FG Attempted: 22

FG Blocked: 1 (his only miss this year)

FG from 50+: 8-8...best kicker from 50+ this season—no one is even close.

Sorry, but Hanson got shafted. He worked too hard to not be rewarded this year.

NFC North Season Predictions

Brent — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 20:41:13 -0400

Here are my predictions for the NFC North. Please feel free to debate with me in the comment section.

Detroit Lions

Yes, I have the Lions as No. 1 in this division. Please let me explain.

Their offense during the preseason looked like a machine running on all cylinders. Yes, there will be problems with the offensive line, but from what I saw, Kitna won't be dropping back for 30 seconds every play waiting for routes to develop.

The run game will get better over the course of each game, since the zone blocking scheme gets better as the game plays out. The passing game will be improved (TD to INT ratio) now that Martz is gone, and they should finally be able to manage the clock and give the defense some rest.

The defense has an almost completely new secondary, which is where the team faltered last season. They have made all the right corrections to the problems of last season and can only go up from last year.

Overall, I think the Lions made the best offseason moves out of any team in this division, really going after players that fulfilled their team needs and bringing in players that have experience in the Tampa-2.

Some areas of concern are the linebacker corps (other than Sims), and the pass rush.

Record: 10-6, Playoff Berth

Green Bay Packers

The Packers could win this division, as long as Aaron Rodgers doesn't suck or get hurt. The rest of the team is poised to make a Super Bowl run, but deep inside I think that Rodgers won't get the job done this year, due to injury and inexperience.

Ryan Grant came out of nowhere last year and started running all over teams. This year I expect teams to be ready for him, and slow him down a little bit.

The defense for the Pack will be how it has been for the past few years: great press coverage from Harris and Woodson, pressure from Kampman, and excellent tackling from Hawk. I love how the Pack's defense looks, but age could be starting to take a toll on the cornerbacks.

I expect them to start off great, but then falter off as the season progresses.

Record: 9-7, Wildcard Berth

Minnesota Vikings

I don't know why everyone thinks that the Vikings are going to be amazing this year. This offseason they did absolutely nothing except add to a defensive line that really didn't need help.

Where they need help is in the defensive secondary and at wide receiver. Adrian Peterson's second half of the season was mediocre once teams realized that they should maybe try to account for the run on defense.

Tarvaris Jackson is going to be an above average quarterback one day, but he needs more weapons first. The Vikings should have saved that first round pick for Devin Thomas or Limas Sweed.

Record: 8-8

Chicago Bears

The Bears have gone downhill this offseason. The combination of no above-average WRs, no run game, no quarterback, and an aging defense spells disaster.

I can't believe people have them rated as high as second in the NFC North. This team has been in decline since their last Super Bowl appearance, and with the loss of Berrian and Muhammed, I really don't see what their offense has to offer.

Orton is not the solution, and neither is Kevin "Glass Ankles" Jones. Truthfully, I think they should have picked up Culpepper and Alexander to have some starting experience, as well as some winning experience on this offense.

Sorry Chicago.

Record: 5-11

Well there you have it folks, the NFC North. Not exactly the best division in football, but definitely the division with the most passionate fan bases. Thanks for reading, and don't forget to leave your two cents as a comment!

Detroit Lions 2008 Draft: Day One

Brent — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 19:46:32 -0400

The 2008 NFL Draft first day is finally over, and the Detroit Lions (according to the ESPN forums) picked up two absolute failures. I have a different opinion.

First, let's look at the big man at No. 18, RT Gosder Cherilus (6-foot-6, 319 pounds).

This guy is an exact prototype of a Rod Marinelli football player. He is strong, intelligent, and has a great deal of passion for the game.

After listening to his interview after he had been drafted, reading countless forum posts on ESPN.com, and reading detroitlions.com postings, I am positive that this was the best pick to help our team, but many Lions "fans" disagree.

Many called Cherilus a "reach." This guy was on many mock drafts as being a first round pick, and the senior analyst for NFL.com, Pat Kirwan, had this to say about Gosder (predicting he would go to Pittsburgh at 23):

"Cherilus plays the game the way the Steelers like to play football. He isn't perfect, but he plays physical and to the whistle. He wins the right tackle spot in camp and never looks back for the next 10 years."

According to this expert, Cherilus is a definite starter at right tackle for the next 10 years, and I think we Lions fans will come to love him in the years to come.

But of course, everyone who claims to be "life-long Lions fans" on draft forums are in an uproar because either:

1. We didn't trade down and get another pick as well as Cherilus, or

2. We didn't take another big-name highly-rated player by Mel Kiper like Reshard Mendenhall.

Look, I thought for sure we were going for Mendenhall with our pick, but instead we have taken a step forward in building this team: the offensive line.

This guy is a warrior with all the characteristics Marinelli is looking for. He will prove his worth in the years to come.

For those of you who wanted Mendenhall, don't you think it's a little strange how he fell while other running backs like Felix Jones and Jonathan Stewart were picked?

Their must be something the NFL coaches and owners saw that the great Mel Kiper doesn't see about this kid. Remember, Mel Kiper had Mike Williams rated No. 1 overall when we took him.

Mendenhall obviously wasn't the best pick on the board at No. 18, and must not have been what Rod wanted in a running back.

Also, in a side note for Todd McShay (ESPN) and Jeremy Green (Scouts Inc.) announcing that Cherilus is a huge reach; why don't you go back and look over all your mock drafts and wonder how you both still have the greatest jobs on the planet.

Watch the video link below, where Green states, "He's a right tackle, not a left tackle, etc."

http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?videoId=3368934&categoryId=3369222&n8pe6c=3

Of course he isn't a left tackle; he was originally a right tackle. That's why we drafted him: because he was an amazing run blocker in his previous years as a right tackle.

He was moved in his senior year to left tackle to fill a position, where his stock dropped as he struggled with his new assignment.

This guy is a beast, and was not a reach at right tackle.

Now for the second man of the day, LB Jordon Dizon (6-foot, 229 pounds).

Unfortunately, I had never even heard of this guy before his named was announced. I thought that Dan Connor from Penn State would be the best fix at linebacker, but I was wrong.

Dizon has a way better resume for our Tampa-2 defense. I'm not sure how this guy slipped through my radar, but he is definitely worthy of a second-round pick; but again, not according to most Lions fans.

They all say that Dizon is too small, weak, and slow even to play on special teams. I'm pretty sure that's what most people said about Pro Bowl linebackers Ray Lewis and Derrick Brooks.

If anything, size isn't much of a factor with Dizon. Again, he is a solid Marinelli-type player, praised for his on-the-field motor and passion for football.

On the field, Dizon recorded an astounding 463 tackles in his career, which is the eighth best total in NCAA history. At the combine, he put up a decent 40 time, (I believe it was in the 4.5 range). So much for being "slow." Also at the combine, he put up 21 reps (at his Pro Day he put up only 12, but he said he wasn't really trying to put up huge numbers and cause injury). So much for being "weak."

Dizon has also been in a Tampa-2 style defense for the past four years, and has been running the defense at the middle linebacker position for the past three.

He is a perfect fit in our needs as a team, and he will surprise many scouting "experts" when he performs with as much intensity in the NFL as he did at Colorado.

Overall, these first two rounds have been better than previous drafts, picking up two starters with Marinelli's football character.

Although the Lions' "faithful" think that this draft is yet another Millen flop, I believe that these two guys will prove many people wrong this season. I'm just sick and tired of the constant bickering over who we should have picked.

Everyone (including myself) reads all these mock drafts, and thinks that whenever a team takes someone who isn't a huge name they are making a reach.

A reach only exists when people such as McShay and Kiper post their opinions about which college players are the best.

Remember, every team has scouts and coaches that all have different opinions on what each individual team needs, and they know a lot more about their team needs and draft picks than some ESPN analyst.

Have fun watching Day Two, and my guess is that we will take a running back and a defensive tackle with our two third-round picks.

Greg Blue: The Hidden Gem of the Detroit Lions' Secondary

Brent — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 16:14:59 -0400

Sunday, Dec. 9, 2007.

The meeting between the Dallas Cowboys and the Detroit Lions at Ford Field.

The day that the Lions could have defeated one of the best teams in the NFC, but ended in a disappointing 28-27 loss.

But, even through this loss, I noticed a diamond in the rough.

How many players in the NFL have stopped Marion Barber, in full stride, dead in his tracks on the three yard line? Not many that I've witnessed.

Barber is known as one of the most powerful running backs in all the NFL, and rarely do you watch him take a hand-off and not gain at least two or three yards.

Well on this day in Detroit, Barber was punished at the goal line by a young safety out of Georgia by the name of Greg Blue (No. 24). In this game, Blue recorded six tackles (four solo) and had forced a fumble that could have won the game for the Lions.

What struck me as amazing was that he was the only player on the Lions' defense that day who absolutely crushed Barber multiple times, stopping him on contact and forcing a fumble off one of the premier RBs in the NFL.

Regrettably, Blue didn't see too much more action after this game, recording only seven tackles for the season (not including special teams), one fumble forced, and one pass deflection.

The question I ask is, why wasn't he given more of a chance?

This year, our secondary was one of the worst tackling groups of professional athletes I've seen. Consistently bouncing off the opposing offense and needing two or more men to bring down one guy on a regular basis.

I saw Blue as being an answer to that problem. If he could stop Barber in the open field by himself, he could stop anyone. But I guess the Lions' coaching staff thought otherwise, keeping Kennedy as the starter for the rest of the season and limiting Blue's time on the field.

But even the home crowd loved him, chanting "Bluuuuuuuue.....Bluuuuuuuue" whenever he came out onto the field.

I really believe that if Blue was just given the chance to start alongside Gerald Alexander, or whoever will be in the other safety position in '08, we definitely could have a pair of feared safeties on our hands.

So Mr. Marinelli, if you happen to read this, check back over the film from the Dallas game, and look to see how one of your players is actually going out and giving 110 percent on every play, just like you say they should.

Greg Blue's Résumé

6-foot-2, 216 pounds
Known as one of the hardest-hitting safeties during his time at Georgia (check highlights from YouTube.com)
Played in 49 games with 28 starts during his four years at Georgia
Started the final 25 games of his career at Georgia
Semi-finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award (given to the nation's top DB) as a senior
First team All-America choice by Walter Camp, the Associated Press, AFCA and The Sporting News as a senior
First team All-SEC as a senior
Invited to play in the Senior Bowl
Selected in the fifth round (149th overall) by the Vikings in 2006
Only rookie to start in the Vikings' season opener (9/11/06)
Finished his 2006 rookie season with eight tackles (seven solo)