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Hello everybody. This year, Chadman is going to start early with a thread in an effort to get something close to an 'in-depth' analysis of each team so that we might, as a board, get a good idea of who the Steelers might be able to look at in this year's draft. Chadman will go through each team, in draft order (as they appear right now- this might change with trades etc), and will look at needs, FA's, previous drafts, current roster strengths & weaknesses & then will try to come up with an idea of who they might draft this April. This will, obviously, take quite a while. Chadman will try to be as interesting as possible!! And Chadman will try to give each team a fairly unbiased opinion. ANY comments are welcome as Chadman does not, in any way, claim to have great knowledge of all teams. So if you see something you think should be added- just make a point of which team you are discussing & post away!
Hopefully, this will work out..
Ok, starting with team number 1- the DETROIT LIONS.
Wow, what an abysmal season! A quick look at the team stats shows they were 27th in points scored, 30th in yards a game, 24th in passing yards, 30th in rushing yards, 32nd in points allowed, 32nd in yards allowed, 27th in passing yards allowed, 32nd in rushing yards allowed... it's safe to say they need help everywhere.
Looking at some individual stats for the Lions-
At QB the highest rated QB is Dan Orlovsky with a passer rating of 72.6. He had 8 TD's & 8 INTS & was completing at 56.1%. That's not 'terrible', but it's more back-up worthy. The other QB of note was Daunte Culpepper, who threw 4 TD's & 6 INTS after joining mid season. He was completing at 52.2% and all this proved was that, without Randy Moss, Daunte isn't all that great.
At RB, rookie Kevin Smith ran for 976 at 4.1 YPC & rushed for 8 TD's. Not bad stats for a rookie at all, and it's one promising aspect of the Lions roster. The problem is, the second best runner was Rudi Johnson who had 237 yards at 3.1 YPC- this is simply not very good. There is little to no depth at RB for the Lions. The FB is another rookie- Jerome Felton, who wasn't asked to run much. But, if both rookies are able to develop together, there might be some hope for the Lions running game. Depth is definately needed here though.
At WR, Calvin Johnson had a good season catching 78 passes for 1,331 yards at 17.1 YPC & 12 TD's. That's some nice stats right there & shows Johnson to be living up to his 1st round status. The problem again though, is depth. Rookie RB Kevin Smith came in 2nd on receptions with 39 catches for 286 yards. #2 WR Shaun McDonald had 35 catches for 332 yards 1 TD. 35 catches! TE Michael Gaines had 23 catches for 260 yards & 1 TD. It's pretty safe to say that whoever the QB is for the Lions next season would like at least a decent #2 option to throw to- either a WR or TE.
OL- Well, for a team that was so poor in it's offensive statistics, it only gets worse when you know that the OL gave up 52 sacks, had a team rushing average of 3.8 yards per carry & was a full 2,200 yards behind it's opponants on yards gained for the year. It's not good. Oddly though, the players are not bad, individually. Jeff Backus is the LT. There is talk he might move inside to OG. Gosder Cherilus was drafted in Round 1 last season and would look odds-on to start at RT next season. Edwin Mulitalo is getting up in age & Stephen Peterman is nothing special at RG. Dominic Raiola is the center & isn't a bad player. A quality LT & a new OG might get this OL back to respectability. Possibly better QB might just help too....
DL- Well....it just doesn't get any better. This is a team that was last in the NFL for Points, Yards & Rushing Yards allowed. It only had 30 sacks for the season. The opposition completed 50% of it's 3rd down plays.The starting DT's, Cory Redding & Chartric Darby combined for 5 saxcks between them- and these two are known for their pass rushing skills. Teams ran at 5.1 YPC against the Lions. Obviously, the DT's were not playing up to standard. DE's Dwayne White & Jared DeVries combined for 8 sacks (White got 6). Upgrades at all DL positions, perhaps excluding White, are possible. They CERTAINLY need an interior DL that can stop the run.
LB- Paris Lenon had 121 tackles, 2 sacks & 2 fumbles this season, not bad. Ernie Sims had 113 tackles & 1 sack. Ryan Nece had 68 tackles & 2 sacks. Ok...they are not TERRIBLE. But they are still part of the defence that couldn't stop the run. It could be argued, however, that better play on the DL would assist the LB's. Ernie Sims is a quality player & needs a team built around him. Jordan Dizon, last season's 2nd round pick, could step in at starting MLB next season.
DB's- Ok, first things first- the DB's actually had the highest rated Defensive team stat for the Lions, finishing 27th against the pass...and that's the good news. Now, to bring them back to 'reality'...they had, wait for it....4 INT's all season. 4. As in less than 5. And the best part? 3 of those INT's were by LB's & DL's. That means that 1, yes 1, DB for the Lions got an INT this season. And that honour goes to starting CB Leigh Bodden who took his one opportunity to the bank. Only the bank was 2 yards away. And wasn't in the End Zone. To say that the Lions could use a difference maker in the DB's is an understatement. Of course, it could also be argued that better pass rush from the DL might help them. But really, 1 INT between all of them for a year?? In saying that, Kalvin Pearson, Daniel Bullocks & Leigh Bodden did combine for 9 fumbles...so it's not ALL bad. And remember- they did finish 27th against the pass...
ST- Don't dispair Lions fans. There is some light at the end of the tunnel. Jason Hanson. He can kick. 21 of 22 attempts. And no missed XP either! MVP!! And Nick Harris, the punter, averaged 43.9 yards a punt! Go ST! As for KR & PR...well...Aveion Cason wasn't terrible in KR...so it's safe to say that ST's was the Lions shining light in 2008/09.
Let's look at the FA's of the Lions this off season-
Great news! Top rated QB Dan Orlovsky is an UFA! Yay! Include MVP Jason Hansen to that list too, along with starting WR Shaun McDonald, back-up RB Rudi Johnson, starting RT George Foster & starting MLB Paris Lenon, and a couple of back-ups in Shaun Cody & Moran Norris too. It's quite possible that, after such a terrible season, that these players will not be sought after by other teams & could be brought back to the Lions with a minumum of fuss. But you have to ask- do the Lions WANT them? It could be a case of addition by subtraction & they are better off letting them go.
Recent Draft Picks of note-
Last season saw the Lions add Gosder Cherilous in Round 1. He'll likely move into the starting line-up at RT this season. Jordan Dizon in round 2 was Paris Lenon's back-up at MLB. With Lenon a FA, it could be Dizon's time. RB Kevin Smith looks like he's the starting RB for the foreseeable future. Add Jerome Felton to the list of rookies from last year at FB & also Cliff Avril was decent in limited time at DE this season. Calvin Johnson & Ernie Sims, two other recent 1st round picks are solid to very good. Outside of that, the Lions havn't had too many hits in the last few years in the draft.
So, what's the biggest needs?
Well, good question. Definately everything starts with a QB. And when you have the #1 pick of the draft, well, maybe it's time to grab a new QB? Don't forget though, the Lions also have Dallas' 1st round pick (#20) which COULD allow them to look elsewhere with pick #1. A LT, DT, CB, SS, FS, WR, TE or OG are also 'needs' for this team. Add in a possible need for DE too. Really, the Lions are a few seasons, or REALLY good drafting & FA signing away from being competitive. If Chadman had to put the needs in order, he'd say QB-1, LT-2, DT-3, CB-4, TE-5, DE-6, WR-7, SS-8, FS-9, OG-10...but they could use 2 DT's in reality. And probably 2 CB's too.
That's the Lions profile, for now. With any FA signings, this will change, and also a new HC will give a better idea what direction they might look.
Hope this wasn't too boring!
Next up will be....the St Louis Rams...
Hopefully, this will work out..
Ok, starting with team number 1- the DETROIT LIONS.
Wow, what an abysmal season! A quick look at the team stats shows they were 27th in points scored, 30th in yards a game, 24th in passing yards, 30th in rushing yards, 32nd in points allowed, 32nd in yards allowed, 27th in passing yards allowed, 32nd in rushing yards allowed... it's safe to say they need help everywhere.
Looking at some individual stats for the Lions-
At QB the highest rated QB is Dan Orlovsky with a passer rating of 72.6. He had 8 TD's & 8 INTS & was completing at 56.1%. That's not 'terrible', but it's more back-up worthy. The other QB of note was Daunte Culpepper, who threw 4 TD's & 6 INTS after joining mid season. He was completing at 52.2% and all this proved was that, without Randy Moss, Daunte isn't all that great.
At RB, rookie Kevin Smith ran for 976 at 4.1 YPC & rushed for 8 TD's. Not bad stats for a rookie at all, and it's one promising aspect of the Lions roster. The problem is, the second best runner was Rudi Johnson who had 237 yards at 3.1 YPC- this is simply not very good. There is little to no depth at RB for the Lions. The FB is another rookie- Jerome Felton, who wasn't asked to run much. But, if both rookies are able to develop together, there might be some hope for the Lions running game. Depth is definately needed here though.
At WR, Calvin Johnson had a good season catching 78 passes for 1,331 yards at 17.1 YPC & 12 TD's. That's some nice stats right there & shows Johnson to be living up to his 1st round status. The problem again though, is depth. Rookie RB Kevin Smith came in 2nd on receptions with 39 catches for 286 yards. #2 WR Shaun McDonald had 35 catches for 332 yards 1 TD. 35 catches! TE Michael Gaines had 23 catches for 260 yards & 1 TD. It's pretty safe to say that whoever the QB is for the Lions next season would like at least a decent #2 option to throw to- either a WR or TE.
OL- Well, for a team that was so poor in it's offensive statistics, it only gets worse when you know that the OL gave up 52 sacks, had a team rushing average of 3.8 yards per carry & was a full 2,200 yards behind it's opponants on yards gained for the year. It's not good. Oddly though, the players are not bad, individually. Jeff Backus is the LT. There is talk he might move inside to OG. Gosder Cherilus was drafted in Round 1 last season and would look odds-on to start at RT next season. Edwin Mulitalo is getting up in age & Stephen Peterman is nothing special at RG. Dominic Raiola is the center & isn't a bad player. A quality LT & a new OG might get this OL back to respectability. Possibly better QB might just help too....
DL- Well....it just doesn't get any better. This is a team that was last in the NFL for Points, Yards & Rushing Yards allowed. It only had 30 sacks for the season. The opposition completed 50% of it's 3rd down plays.The starting DT's, Cory Redding & Chartric Darby combined for 5 saxcks between them- and these two are known for their pass rushing skills. Teams ran at 5.1 YPC against the Lions. Obviously, the DT's were not playing up to standard. DE's Dwayne White & Jared DeVries combined for 8 sacks (White got 6). Upgrades at all DL positions, perhaps excluding White, are possible. They CERTAINLY need an interior DL that can stop the run.
LB- Paris Lenon had 121 tackles, 2 sacks & 2 fumbles this season, not bad. Ernie Sims had 113 tackles & 1 sack. Ryan Nece had 68 tackles & 2 sacks. Ok...they are not TERRIBLE. But they are still part of the defence that couldn't stop the run. It could be argued, however, that better play on the DL would assist the LB's. Ernie Sims is a quality player & needs a team built around him. Jordan Dizon, last season's 2nd round pick, could step in at starting MLB next season.
DB's- Ok, first things first- the DB's actually had the highest rated Defensive team stat for the Lions, finishing 27th against the pass...and that's the good news. Now, to bring them back to 'reality'...they had, wait for it....4 INT's all season. 4. As in less than 5. And the best part? 3 of those INT's were by LB's & DL's. That means that 1, yes 1, DB for the Lions got an INT this season. And that honour goes to starting CB Leigh Bodden who took his one opportunity to the bank. Only the bank was 2 yards away. And wasn't in the End Zone. To say that the Lions could use a difference maker in the DB's is an understatement. Of course, it could also be argued that better pass rush from the DL might help them. But really, 1 INT between all of them for a year?? In saying that, Kalvin Pearson, Daniel Bullocks & Leigh Bodden did combine for 9 fumbles...so it's not ALL bad. And remember- they did finish 27th against the pass...
ST- Don't dispair Lions fans. There is some light at the end of the tunnel. Jason Hanson. He can kick. 21 of 22 attempts. And no missed XP either! MVP!! And Nick Harris, the punter, averaged 43.9 yards a punt! Go ST! As for KR & PR...well...Aveion Cason wasn't terrible in KR...so it's safe to say that ST's was the Lions shining light in 2008/09.
Let's look at the FA's of the Lions this off season-
Great news! Top rated QB Dan Orlovsky is an UFA! Yay! Include MVP Jason Hansen to that list too, along with starting WR Shaun McDonald, back-up RB Rudi Johnson, starting RT George Foster & starting MLB Paris Lenon, and a couple of back-ups in Shaun Cody & Moran Norris too. It's quite possible that, after such a terrible season, that these players will not be sought after by other teams & could be brought back to the Lions with a minumum of fuss. But you have to ask- do the Lions WANT them? It could be a case of addition by subtraction & they are better off letting them go.
Recent Draft Picks of note-
Last season saw the Lions add Gosder Cherilous in Round 1. He'll likely move into the starting line-up at RT this season. Jordan Dizon in round 2 was Paris Lenon's back-up at MLB. With Lenon a FA, it could be Dizon's time. RB Kevin Smith looks like he's the starting RB for the foreseeable future. Add Jerome Felton to the list of rookies from last year at FB & also Cliff Avril was decent in limited time at DE this season. Calvin Johnson & Ernie Sims, two other recent 1st round picks are solid to very good. Outside of that, the Lions havn't had too many hits in the last few years in the draft.
So, what's the biggest needs?
Well, good question. Definately everything starts with a QB. And when you have the #1 pick of the draft, well, maybe it's time to grab a new QB? Don't forget though, the Lions also have Dallas' 1st round pick (#20) which COULD allow them to look elsewhere with pick #1. A LT, DT, CB, SS, FS, WR, TE or OG are also 'needs' for this team. Add in a possible need for DE too. Really, the Lions are a few seasons, or REALLY good drafting & FA signing away from being competitive. If Chadman had to put the needs in order, he'd say QB-1, LT-2, DT-3, CB-4, TE-5, DE-6, WR-7, SS-8, FS-9, OG-10...but they could use 2 DT's in reality. And probably 2 CB's too.
That's the Lions profile, for now. With any FA signings, this will change, and also a new HC will give a better idea what direction they might look.
Hope this wasn't too boring!
Next up will be....the St Louis Rams...
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