An Analysis Of Detroit's Crowded Secondary

It's hard to say this, and I'm still a little leery of actually doing so, but do the Detroit Lions actually have talent in its secondary? I'm not talking elite talent, but above average talent is there I think.

The "Maywand" team has brought in three new corner-backs and one new safety, all of who will likely see playing time, add this to the little talent that was on the roster at those positions last season, and you have a very crowded defensive backfield. So who will we likely see starting for the Lions this season?

I would say it's fairly obvious to most people that recently signed Phillip Buchanon, previously of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is the best corner this team has. I fully expect to see him on every teams best wide receiver week in and week out. After Buchannon, the talent level drops off and is fairly similar for the next three players.

First there is former Schwartz player and Tennessee Titan, Eric King. King seems to be nothing more than a solid nickel option. He's smaller and has good quickness, which is perfect for a nickel guy. I see King firmly supplanted at the nickel spot.

So with corners one and three in place, who is going to be Detroit's number two?

The Lions acquired Anthony Henry from Dallas for, your favorite aging quarterback and mine, Jon Kitna. Henry, who started 15 games last year for the Cowboys, is 32 years old and by all accounts in the twilight of his career. His speed has diminished enough that "America's Team" was planning on moving him to safety this year had it not been for the offering of Kitna. Henry is a veteran and good in run support, with fifty tackles in 2008, and zone coverage, but in man to man coverage may not be up to the task any longer. He had only one interception last year, which although ties the entire seconary's total from last year, is not good.

Then there is Keith Smith. Though he's been in Detroit since 2004, many fans don't know much about him. By most analysts' accounts Smith is a very talented guy who hasn't got much of a chance, and whose talents were DEFINITELY not suited for the Tampa-two system that Rod Marinelli brought. He is described as a corner with very good man to man cover skills that has a tendency to take risks and get beat deep. I think Lions fans have gotten tired of seeing that, but there is no doubt he has talent.

I think what we will see is Henry as a starter for one year, and if no other moves are made,  then Smith will take over when Henry becomes a free agent next year.

But other moves may be in motion. There have been numerous reports that Rod Hood, the corner from Arizona, visited the Lions this week. Although statistically Hood didn't have his best year last year, he played a valuable role in the Cardinals run to the Superbowl and in 2007 he had five interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns. If Hood signs, all bets are off.

As for the teams safeties, there are three different players we could see starting or getting solid playing time.

Louis Delmas our second round pick out of Western Michigan seems destined to start this year. He is being compared to Bob Sanders of the Colts in that he is on the small side, but has a penchant for making tackles in the run game and being around the ball in the passing game. Let's hope he isn't as injury prone as Sanders too.

Daniel Bullocks has been one of the "better" players on defense for a while. Bullocks is decent in run support, though he misses tackles. Some of the angles he takes in the passing game aren't very good either, but he's starting material at strong safety.

Finally there is Gerald Alexander. Alexander is now fully recovered from his neck injury that kept him off the field most of the 2008 season. He has shown glimpses of being a good player, but because of the injury hasn't had the chance to develop fully.

It seems likely that Delmas and Bullocks will be the two starters, but Schwartz likes players that are capable of playing both Free Safety and Strong Safety, something that Delmas and Alexander are both capable of, while Bullocks is probably not.

It's safe to say almost nobody's starting spot is safe this year. These will definitely be position battles to watch in training camp this year.