So did Bill Devaney tip his hand to us?

I sure hope so.

Just a quick followup to my last blog.  I just read a piece on the St. Louis Rams website which portends well in some ways.  You can see it here.  Some note worth points to ponder:

1. The Rams have conducted personal interviews in St. Louis with 23 specific players.  I sure would like to know who those young men are.
2. The first name mentioned would be that of my favorite guy: Eugene Monroe, Left Tackle of UVA.  Nothing against Jason Smith, but I sure hope Eugene is the guy.  I will be happy with Smith if we take him, but Eugene looks more flexible and faster to my eye.
3. The Rams top needs are enumerated as follows: offensive tackle, wide receiver, linebacker, defensive tackle.  I concur with this list, as long as we acknowledge that the last two positions are much further down the list.
4. Odd prospects like Jeremy Maclin and Mark Sanchez are listed as young men who spent 2 days visiting with the Rams.  I hope that is a form of military and strategic deception.  I hope we were punking the Denver Broncos when we borough Sanchez in.  Surely we can't be serious about burning our top pick on a Junior QB this year?  I am sure Sanchez would go along with the game as he would rather be the #2 pick by the Broncos than the #12 pick by the Broncos.  It means money.  I cannot fathom why Maclin would be in the list, unless we intend to do a deal with the Broncos.  He is not the #2 pick.  He is not really a top 10 pick.
5. On the NFL network, Devaney clearly stated that Steven Jackson is our best man, and we are going build around him.  In the article I mentioned, Pat Shurmur, our new offensive coordinator, is paraphrased as advocating a "Power Up" for muscle football.  Translation:  He wants bad-ass offensive linemen to knock 'em loose in every direction.
6. An interesting quote from Devaney in this piece goes as follows.  "There may be a point when you get down into the third round, things are kind of falling apart at that point and probably three or four picks before your turn comes up, you’ll have a group of names pulled out on the side. There may be four or five guys pulled out and we’ll talk about it one more time. We’ll say okay we haven’t taken a receiver at this point. This is the last chance to get the receiver, the next receiver we have now is not until the fifth or sixth round."

The final point is the most by far the most interesting and perhaps telling.  Devaney has a rep for being shut-mouthed, but he slips.  I hope this indicates that we are not intending to draft a receiver until the 3rd round.  I hope we can take this statement seriously, but I seriously doubt it

Let me tell you why.  If I had to project who the Rams are going to take, I would only be willing to predict 3 players right now.  This list presumes we are not doing a deal with the Broncos and we draft where we are.  These men are:

• #2 overall Jason Smith, LOT Baylor University
  
• #35 overall Brian Robiskie, WR, Ohio State University
  
• #66 Eric Wood, C/G Louisville.
  

So why do I say these three?

• Jason smith gets the nod over Eugene Monroe because Monroe has a small medical flag on his record.  He dinged up one of his knees last season.  No big deal, says the scouts, but enough separate #1 from #2.  Also, Smith is known for being mean on the battlefield.  He has a streak of nastiness according to Mike Mayock.  He finishes hard. These two factors add up to a the best "Power Up" candidate, from the Rams' point of view.
  
• Brian Robiskie was expected to slide into the second round.  He may not.  The Giants may take him in the first.  If he falls to the second round, as originally projected, we would be stupid not to take him.  He would be the perfect continuation of our great 2nd round receiver tradition.  It should be noted that both Henry Ellard and Issac Bruce were both selected in the 2nd round, and they both wore #80.  Like these fine gentlemen, Robiskie is said to be a consume professional with all the right character traits.  He is a great replacement for Issac Bruce, but not Torry Holt.
• Perhaps it is wishful thinking, but I am hoping Eric Wood falls to us in the 3rd round.  He has a grade worthy of a late first rounder.  Nobody but nobody has even suggested that a center will go in the first round.  Nobody but nobody has suggest a guard will go before the 3rd round.  One thing is for sure:  Centers and Guards are going no place but down in this draft, and I don't know why.  Perhaps it is because they play the least sexy and least coveted positions in the NFL.  In any case, I am wondering if the best guard/center in the draft may fall to us at the #66 position.  If so, it is a gift from God.  I think this kid is a future Pro Bowl player, deprecated because of his position.
  

 

So if I was Responsible for Rebuilding the Detroit Lions, What Would I do?

This morning, the NFL network was replaying portions of the NFL combine, which is now history. A very interesting question got raised during the segment I watched: If you were the GM responsible for rebuilding the Detroit Lions, what would you do? Do you take Matthew Stafford, as they are expected to do? Do you go in a different direction?

First, let's admit one thing: The roster is currently a disaster. They have exactly one piece of championship material on the roster. That is Charles Johnson. Everybody else is meat for the grinder. As the panel of experts observed, the team can draft at any and all positions and make improvements. I concur, but I wouldn't do another wide receiver right now.

Mike Mayock is probably correct when he says that Detroit will follow the Atlanta model for rebuilding. This means drafting a QB high and an offensive lineman lower. This is one of the key reasons Atlanta turned it around last year. Michael Turner also had a lot to do with it. I believe Mayock called it right. Detroit will follow this model. Whether it is right or wrong for Detroit's situation is immaterial. It is a copycat league. People emulate success and anti-emulate failure. Atlanta and Miami showed us how to get out of a jam quickly last year. Most people believe Miami got lucky scoring Chad Pennington at the last second... and let's not mention Tom Brady's knee injury. For this reason Atlanta is viewed as the better model.

What would I do? I wouldn't draft a quarterback this year. Detroit is not Atlanta. They have not been to the playoffs in a decade. Atlanta had been to playoffs several times this decade. Detroit in 2009 is far more poor in terms of roster talent than Atlanta in 2008. We are looking at 3 hard years of austerity and loss before things turn around. With that in mind, I am going to avoid the thin crop of quarterbacks in 2009 and wait for the bumper crop in 2010. I going to exploit the rich crop of offensive linemen in 2009, taking three or four of them. I am going to have a talent rich sophomore offensive line {and Charles Johnson} ready in 2010 when I draft a QB from the bumper crop. The table will be set. Tim Tebow will be comfortable when we take him.

Remember, the Lions are very likely to have a poor loosing record in 2009. We're talking about 3 to 6 wins, depending upon the breaks. Tim Tebow is probably not going to be the #1 ranked QB in 2010. Some foolish idiots question whether he will make it as QB in the NFL. They questioned Dan Marino also. Tebow will be around when the Lions draft. He is obtainable. He has the talent and the mentality that the Lions require to turn the ship around. He will be the next Bobby Layne in Detroit, if the organization is smart enough to select him.

So who should the Lion's select?
------------------------------------------
1. #1 overall Jason Smith LOT Baylor
1. #20 overall Andre Smith LOT Alabama
2. #33 overall Eric Wood C Louisville

After this, they can do as they please. Basically, with two guys named Smith and one guy named Wood, they would lay in the foundation of an all-pro offensive line.

Do you really think they can get Jason Smith and Andre Smith in the same draft? Yep, I do. The market for Andre has gone cold in the aftermath of his no show. He has many problems. A lot of offensive linemen impressed the scouts this year. It is a bumper crop. Left tack is a thick position this year. They aren't scarce this time. The no-show at the combine is going to hurt him, especially when Jason Smith and Eugene Monroe lit it up. Andre Smith may very well be hanging around at #20 when the Lions select again.

I like the notion of lining all three of them up on the same side. Slot Jason at the LOT. Slot Andre at the LOG. Slot Eric Wood at the Center. That could be the best young left side since the Raiders had Shell, Upshaw and Dalby together in the Early 1970s. That offensive line won some Super Bowls for the Raiders. Jim Plunket really apreciated having those guys around.