For the Detroit Lions, Progress Starts With a Purr

Maybe the Detroit Lions have finally figured it out. 

So far this off season, the Lions have made some strikingly sane moves.

First, they dealt defensive lineman Cory Redding for linebacker Julian Peterson.  Obviously, this is not a transformational move in itself, but it improved a weakness in the defense (the linebacker corps), and moved a perpetual underachiever in Redding.

Secondly, they kept their word on the draft. 

Okay, there were some questionable draft picks chosen by the kitties, but that happens every year.  What was striking was that coach Jim Schwartz and general manager Martin Mayhew actually showed a plan and stuck to it.  They promised to draft the best available players, regardless of positional need, and that is exactly what they did.

It also showed that Schwartz has at least some power over the moves that are being made.  The evidence of this is the Lions second-round pick, safety Louis Delmas.

Why does this represent a Schwartz pick?  Because Schwartz is a veteran of the AFC South, a division that features the Indianapolis Colts. 

Why is this significant?  Because the player that essentially makes the Colts' defense is safety Bob Sanders, a player to whom Delmas is often compared. 

Additionally, Schwartz' former team, the Tennessee Titans, spent big money bringing in their own impact safety, Chris Hope, from the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Schwartz realizes that a big-hitting safety can not only help the run defense, but can help intimidate typically timid wide receivers in the defensive passing game. 

Thirdly, the Lions signed free agent linebacker Larry Foote.

Outside of Detroit, this signing has been received as a mild curiosity at best.  When you lose 16 games in a season, most of your moves will be quietly ignored—and with good reason. 

However, this signing is a big one in Detroit.  It shows how versatile Schwartz can be by bringing in a player that does not necessarily fit in his system. Foote has been a 3-4 linebacker all of his career. In Detroit he will be asked to be a "Mike" linebacker in a 4-3 system. 

Furthermore, it is a signing that shows a new direction for this team.  During the Matt Millen years, Detroit typically brought in players that were either over the hill (Bill Schroeder), overrated (Az Hakim), or no longer hungry (Damien Woody), at least in a football sense.

Foote is still young (28) and fairly underrated, given the fact that he played in the shadow of NFL Defensive Player of the Year James Harrison in Pittsburgh.  Additionally, he is still hungry—and unlike Woody, his hunger is for playing time, not cheeseburgers.

Foote is eager to prove that he is a three-down linebacker, capable of stepping back into coverage and making plays. As a result, he took a relatively small contract with only one year guaranteed. He wants to play his heart out and earn a bigger deal. 

This is excellent news for the Lions given that even if he only plays one year, he will bring a winning attitude into a losing culture.  He has, of course, won two Super Bowl rings with the Steelers.

Oh, and by the way, he wants to play for Detroit. Foote is a Detroit native, and even before he was released from his contract. he began courting the Lions. 

To Lions fans, this signing made too much sense, and opened a lot of eyes.  In the week leading up to this signing, Lions forums were cluttered with fans pleading with the Lions to sign Foote, and many of these fans assumed that it was too perfect, and therefore would not happen.  The fact that they made this move signaled a changing of the guard in Detroit.

Obviously, the Lions are a long way away from becoming contenders.

While the Lions have the makings of a very deep and very talented group of linebackers, their defensive line is a mess. 

They also improved their defensive secondary, but if their line does not put pressure on the quarterback, it won't matter if Deion Sanders and Ronnie Lott in their primes are in that unit—they will get torched.

On the offensive side of the ball, Daunte Culpepper looks like he is primed to have a big year. He is reunited with his former offensive coordinator, Scott Linehan, and the last time they were together, Culpepper put up career numbers. 

However, the offensive line is thin at best.  Many people (this writer included) thought that the Lions should have drafted an offensive lineman with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. 

And while the argument for taking quarterback Matthew Stafford is a strong one, he will not help this year.  A top notch offensive tackle like Jason Smith would have made an immediate impact. 

Furthermore, the offensive weapons, besides wide receiver Calvin Johnson, are unproven. 

Running back Kevin Smith had his moments last year, and free agent addition Maurice Morris will definitely help this unit. 

However, the stable of wide receivers leave plenty to be desired.  Free agent addition Bryant Johnson has been an under achiever thus far, and rookie wideout Derrick Williams is undersized and not particularly fast. 

Add to this tight end Brandon Pettigrew, the one truly questionable draft pick chosen by the new regime. Sure, Pettigrew was the best tight end in the draft, but tight end is a luxury position that could have been addressed much later in the draft. 

And for those that believe Pettigrew will help with run blocking, that point is conceded.  However, wouldn't Michael Oher have helped a little bit more?

Regardless, the Lions have shown in just a few months that the new boss is not the same as the old boss. 

And that strange sound you hear in Detroit is that of the fans collectively holding their breaths and trying their best to temper their optimism for a team that has broken their hearts more times than not. 

What's strangest of all in this era of Cowboys, Steelers, and Patriots is that there still are so many of them willing to hop on this proverbial roller coaster ride one more time, and put on those Honolulu Blues and wish for a winner.

Here's hoping that this time, the ride doesn't make them sick.