Could Culpepper Be The Guy In Detroit?

A question for the Detroit Lions: Where do you plan to go after an 0-16 season?

You've got a new head coach in Jim Schwartz, a new offensive coordinator in Scott Linehan, and a new defensive coordinator in Gunther Cunningham.

Well, what's with this new group? Is it enough to match the turnaround of the Miami Dolphins or Atlanta Falcons from this past season?

They have a couple of weapons on offense in Calvin Johnson and Kevin Smith, both of whom look to be promising players. All they need to do is follow the trend of taking a quarterback with their number one overall pick right?

Detroit been through this before though; Does the name "Joey Harrington" ring a bell?

OK, that was a while back, but it can happen again, folks. The best thing for the Lions right now is to shore up both the offensive and defensive lines. It all starts in the trenches; that's where the game is won.

Detroit has two picks in the first round, so it would be wise to address offensive tackle and add some beef to the defensive line.

If you can't stop the run, you can't win games most of the time. Good teams stop the run, and win by having an advantage in time of possession. If you go into the playoffs with a poor run defense, it's time to step up or give up, because that's where it pays off.

But it's time to speak of the man whose name appears in my headline: Daunte Culpepper.

He was once one of the best quarterbacks in the league. An argument could be made that he should have been MVP over Peyton Manning in 2004, but that's all in the past.

Let's talk future, people—let's talk Culpepper starting for the Detroit Lions in 2009.

Now, before anyone starts yelling for Jon Kitna, you shouldn't need me to tell you that he has forced way too many passes and his time is up—especially with this new staff in place.

There is a perception in league circles that Culpepper is done; that he isn't as mobile and isn't as accurate.

But it's hard to make that assumption when he's played for three bad teams since he got booted out of Minnesota. If you happened to catch him in his Oakland days, he showed that he can still move when needs to, though he may never be the scrambler he used to be.

When Jim Schwartz brought proven offensive coordinator (and former Rams head coach) Scott Linehan aboard, it became apparent that Culpepper could revive his career . I mean, could the appointment not have anything to do with Daunte and Scott's time together in Minnesota?

Still, there are a couple things the Lions need to fix before they let anyone take a snap from the center in 2009. No quarterback can be successful when he's got less than a second to throw.

Culpepper has the skill set, is smart, and a proven winner. Scott Linehan didn't just take the offensive coordinator job because it's closer to home.

A smell of past success and a lot of hard work by Linehan could sway Schwartz to maybe address the quarterback situation in the second or third round, but let a veteran lead the team.

This isn't Miami, Atlanta, or Baltimore, where a decent offensive line was already in place. This is Detroit, where the offensive line has been giving up sacks like candy on Halloween.

The Detroit Lions saw what happened when they drafted a quarterback first overall with no offensive line in place. I say draft a quarterback in a later round and develop him—and in the meantime, let Culpepper get a shot.

He will command the best out of his teammates and will play much better than a rookie or Mr. Turnover himself, Jon Kitna.