Lions looking WR

[mhughes0021]

welp weve been saying since pre draft that we don't have a #2.....mayhew finally seems to be on board. Brandon Lloyd is still a FA....hes not a prototypical #2 in our offense....but I think hed be productive. Not sure who they are expecting from cap cuts.


Lions WR position still seems in flux


On Friday, the Detroit Lions released Chaz Schilens, the veteran they signed just before training camp to hedge against the injury rehabilitation and depth issues among their receiver group. With Nate Burleson and Ryan Broyles apparently healthy, and Patrick Edwards generating significant training camp buzz, questions about the position seemed to be allayed.

The Lions seemed so confident, in fact, that they had already released veteran Mike Thomas despite a $1 million guarantee in his 2013 contract.

Did those moves reflect confidence? Or did they suggest the Lions simply weren't satisfied with the makeup of the position? I'm beginning to wonder if it is the latter, a belief fortified by Jason La Canfora's report that that the Lions are making league-wide calls to check availability of starting-caliber receivers.

What exactly is going on here?

The first and arguably most important fact to remember is that Burleson and Broyles are both assigned primarily to the slot position, a new role for Burleson as he enters his 11th NFL season. (Thomas is also a natural slot receiver, but the personnel logjam there had him working mostly on the outside.)

With Burleson and Broyles working the slot, the Lions have been hoping that Edwards could lock down the outside spot opposite Calvin Johnson. Yet for all the glowing reports of his work in practice, Edwards hasn't done much in the first three preseason games. He has caught four passes for 16 yards, working mostly against first-team defenders, and in an instructive moment, he lost a battle for a ball in the end zone against New York Jets rookie cornerback Dee Milliner in the preseason opener.

If anything, Edwards has been matched by six-year veteran Matt Willis, a journeyman trying to make his third NFL team.

Johnson hasn't played much this preseason, accentuating these question marks. And we all know the Lions have a number of proven receiving threats at other positions -- from tailback Reggie Bush to tight ends Brandon Pettigrew and Tony Scheffler.

But despite it all, it is beginning to looks like they don't have a No. 2 receiver -- a hole that jumped out from their roster all offseason. With NFL roster cuts looming, the Lions might have a chance to do something about it this week.

Note: According to Tim Twentyman of the Lions' web site, the team released four more players Sunday morning and have five left to go to meet the NFL's requirement of 75 by Tuesday. Those released were: defensive end Ronnell Lewis, receiver Cody Wilson, cornerback Myron Lewis and safety Chris Hope. Lewis was a fourth-round draft pick last season but got only one snap on defense. Hope's release suggests the Lions are comfortable with the health of starters Louis Delmas (knee) and Glover Quin (hip).

 

[Mitchrapp]

"On Friday, the Detroit Lions released Chaz Schilens"

FK.

 

[cheeno]

Admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery. I'll say this about Mayhew, at least now he can see his deficiencies mistakes. Last year he was blind as hell.

 

[tigermud]

2013 season looks to already be a train wreck before its even started, revolving doors at wr and cb positions this close to week 1 really isn't a good sign folks..

Maybe next decade

 

[tonyballs]

2013 season looks to already be a train wreck before its even started, revolving doors at wr and cb positions this close to week 1 really isn't a good sign folks..

Maybe next decade

They have all kinds of CBs. WR is the problem....

 

[Mitchrapp]

I agree they have all kinds of CB's. But I'm sure we'll disagree on the talent level..

 

[LKP]

Admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery. I'll say this about Mayhew, at least now he can see his deficiencies mistakes. Last year he was blind as hell.

Mayhew wasn't blind, he had limited cap room and alot of starters to resign which he did with Avril, Tulloch, Backus, Shaun Hill and restricted free agents of Levy, Sammie Lee Hill.

The draft we needed a future LT and a WR (given Burlesons age). Way too early to give up on Broyles as a WR solution. And he did take a CB early too.

Delmas/Best he got screwed on. We don't know all the doctor reports specifically so we don't really know if he made the right decision. I see people jumping all over him if he takes a speed RB early in the draft too in 2012. Remember at that time, Best had participated in OTAs.

 

[cheeno]

Mayhew wasn't blind, he had limited cap room and alot of starters to resign which he did with Avril, Tulloch, Backus, Shaun Hill and restricted free agents of Levy, Sammie Lee Hill.

The draft we needed a future LT and a WR (given Burlesons age). Way too early to give up on Broyles as a WR solution. And he did take a CB early too.

Delmas/Best he got screwed on. We don't know all the doctor reports specifically so we don't really know if he made the right decision. I see people jumping all over him if he takes a speed RB early in the draft too in 2012. Remember at that time, Best had participated in OTAs.

If he wasn't blind then he was stupid. He thought he was winning the Superbowl with a .500 team that over achieved due to a hot start and 3 twenty point comebacks. He stood pat in the draft and FA, then went nuts (and is still going nuts to find a wr after drafting a wr in the second two out of three years and paying one 5 mil this year and dropping a fifth and a mil on another) this year to save his job, drafting and FA new starters. Best he admits himself was his biggest mistake, even fantasy football gms knew he wasn't coming back. And if a speed back is the key to this offense he certainly didn't roster one with LeSuss and Bell. At cb a handful of garbage is a handful of garbage. Everyone of these things could have been foreseen by a good gm. Anyways my original point is he's doing the opposite of last year this year, which is good.

 

[johnny2x2x]

The Draft! The Draft! The Draft!

The fact that the Lions are looking for a WR after our draft history is one of the most remarkable things I have ever witnessed in sports. Ryan Broyles, Titus Young and Derrick Williams were all drafted to be #2 WRs. Charles Rogers, Mike Williams, and Roy Williams were all drafted to be #1 WRs. We've gone 1 for 7 in drafting WRs high in the draft, 1-7!!! I know it spans two GMs, but holy hell, that's unreal. WR might be a 1st round need in the 2014 draft...

 

[LKP]

If he wasn't blind then he was stupid. He thought he was winning the Superbowl with a .500 team that over achieved due to a hot start and 3 twenty point comebacks. He stood pat in the draft and FA, then went nuts (and is still going nuts to find a wr after drafting a wr in the second two out of three years and paying one 5 mil this year and dropping a fifth and a mil on another) this year to save his job, drafting and FA new starters. Best he admits himself was his biggest mistake, even fantasy football gms knew he wasn't coming back. And if a speed back is the key to this offense he certainly didn't roster one with LeSuss and Bell. At cb a handful of garbage is a handful of garbage. Everyone of these things could have been foreseen by a good gm. Anyways my original point is he's doing the opposite of last year this year, which is good.

Reiff and Broyles were good picks and the right moves. FA he was limited with the cap and he had to sign a bunch of starters from a 10-6 team back. Important ones like Avril coming off a monster season, Tulloch and Backus. Short of drafting Lamichael James over Broyles, which you all would have hated anyway, there was very little he could do to deal with the Best/Delmas injuries. Plus LeShoure was a complete unknown coming into last year. The right mindset is that LeShoure is great insurance for Best. And don't give me the Alfred Morris garbage. Without good run blocking and RG3, nobody knows what he would do as a Lion with their run blocking in their game situations.

Lions earned 10-6. That is their potential when relatively healthy (they weren't the last 6 but the first 10 they were). Their potential with the proper speed back is 5-0.

 

[tomdalton22]

Most of it comes back to the Best pick which was too much of a risk for a team like the Lions. He was great for a few games but everyone knew that a few more hits to the head and he would be done.

 

[tonyballs]

Most of it comes back to the Best pick which was too much of a risk for a team like the Lions. He was great for a few games but everyone knew that a few more hits to the head and he would be done.

Horse shit. Yes, it was a high risk but kids come into the NFL and dont get concussions after getting one or multiple in college. Best was super talented and defenses always had to account for him when he was on the field. He made the Lions better....

See Ernie Sims if you want proof on your concussion theory.

 

[johnny2x2x]

Horse shit. Yes, it was a high risk but kids come into the NFL and dont get concussions after getting one or multiple in college. Best was super talented and defenses always had to account for him when he was on the field. He made the Lions better....

See Ernie Sims if you want proof on your concussion theory.

Best didn't have just a regular concussion, he had a Grade 3b concussion, one that could have killed him. It was one of the worst consussions people had seen, there was a reason a talent like him fell to that spot in the draft. It was a huge risk, much bigger than any other player in that draft. There were GMs that said they wouldn't have drafted Best in any round.

Broyles was also a big risk, he had not just a regular knee blowout, but a catastrophic one, not sure if it made him more apt to injure the other knee, but there's also a reason why he fell in the draft.

We gambled and lost with these 2 players. I hope that Broyles can heal and be a #2 receiver in the NFL, but with their latest attempts to get a #2 guy the Lion's Brass don;t seem to confident in that.

Titus Young...that was a complete failiure to do our homework, he was a major headcase and we should have known all about him before we picked him.

You're going to blow some picks now and then, but the Lions blow picks more often that any NFL team in history and it's not even close.

 

[tomdalton22]

Best didn't have just a regular concussion, he had a Grade 3b concussion, one that could have killed him. It was one of the worst consussions people had seen, there was a reason a talent like him fell to that spot in the draft. It was a huge risk, much bigger than any other player in that draft. There were GMs that said they wouldn't have drafted Best in any round.
Broyles was also a big risk, he had not just a regular knee blowout, but a catastrophic one, not sure if it made him more apt to injure the other knee, but there's also a reason why he fell in the draft.

We gambled and lost with these 2 players. I hope that Broyles can heal and be a #2 receiver in the NFL, but with their latest attempts to get a #2 guy the Lion's Brass don;t seem to confident in that.

Titus Young...that was a complete failiure to do our homework, he was a major headcase and we should have known all about him before we picked him.

You're going to blow some picks now and then, but the Lions blow picks more often that any NFL team in history and it's not even close.

this

 

[boogerlovejoy]

Best didn't have just a regular concussion, he had a Grade 3b concussion, one that could have killed him. It was one of the worst consussions people had seen, there was a reason a talent like him fell to that spot in the draft. It was a huge risk, much bigger than any other player in that draft. There were GMs that said they wouldn't have drafted Best in any round.

Broyles was also a big risk, he had not just a regular knee blowout, but a catastrophic one, not sure if it made him more apt to injure the other knee, but there's also a reason why he fell in the draft.

We gambled and lost with these 2 players. I hope that Broyles can heal and be a #2 receiver in the NFL, but with their latest attempts to get a #2 guy the Lion's Brass don;t seem to confident in that.

Titus Young...that was a complete failiure to do our homework, he was a major headcase and we should have known all about him before we picked him.

You're going to blow some picks now and then, but the Lions blow picks more often that any NFL team in history and it's not even close.

There are ZERO sure things when it comes to drafting players. That's why there are always busts. Adrian Peterson had a pretty long injury history when he came out of OU....Kevin Smith had ABSOLUTELY NO injury history coming out of Central Fla. You just can't tell.

You can't fault the pick. It was a GREAT pick actually. Just didn't work out.

Broyles is a slot receiver. Probably will never play outside.

There wasn't a team on the planet that WOULD NOT have drafted Titus. If learning that a college football player is immature were a reason not to draft a guy......about 15 players a YEAR would be picked.......not 240 ish. Titus didn't show that level of crazy until last year.....and we cut his ass pretty quickly when it got out of hand.

Yes, the Lions miss. Probably more than most. Every team does. I think Best was worth the risk......Broyles will be a good pick......and we swung and missed on Titus.

 

[tomdalton22]

There are ZERO sure things when it comes to drafting players. That's why there are always busts. Adrian Peterson had a pretty long injury history when he came out of OU....Kevin Smith had ABSOLUTELY NO injury history coming out of Central Fla. You just can't tell.

You can't fault the pick. It was a GREAT pick actually. Just didn't work out.

Broyles is a slot receiver. Probably will never play outside.

There wasn't a team on the planet that WOULD NOT have drafted Titus. If learning that a college football player is immature were a reason not to draft a guy......about 15 players a YEAR would be picked.......not 240 ish. Titus didn't show that level of crazy until last year.....and we cut his ass pretty quickly when it got out of hand.

Yes, the Lions miss. Probably more than most. Every team does. I think Best was worth the risk......Broyles will be a good pick......and we swung and missed on Titus.

Broyles was probably a worth while risk.
Best was not a worth while risk.
Unless the Lions were totally inept in the interview process they should have been able to figure out that Titus was a nut.

 

[LKP]

You don't realize how badly the Lions needed playmakers in 2010. Best was worth the risk AT THE TIME. And he was a very good talent and the Lions got some very good things out of him in 20 + games. We don't make the playoffs in 2011 without Best. Big play against the Vikings in the come back and huge game against the Bears. Lose to the Bears that game, we don't make the playoffs in 2011. That in of itself is worth the pick.

We endured 1.5 season relying on the depth and still did well in 2011 and the first half of 2012 (4-4 and not 6-2 due to special teams really). Now we have Bush so it doesn't matter anymore for wasting the future on Jahvid Best.

 

[zoombabyzoom]

Some people regard the Patriots as one of the best drafting teams out there. Go look at their history they miss a TON. Every team does, your lucky to hit on about 2 of your picks every year. You'll hit more, with the more picks you have which makes it seem like the Patriots know what they are doing. But in all reality they hit on the same rate as almost all teams, they just have more picks so it seems like they always draft well.

When people talk about if someone was worth or wasn't worth the risk while having the ability of hindsight the only truly way to analyze is if you ask yourself what if Best turned out to be Jamaal Charles. Was it worth it then? Well you would say yes. Team's take risks and just because they didn't work out that time doesn't mean you stop taking risks. Teams that don't take risks will never win ANYTHING. Patriots signed a ton of trouble players hoping their culture would steer them right. Corey Dillon did great for them, Big ALbert not so much. Saints rolled the dice on a QB with an injured throwing shoulder that hadn't proved much at all in the league, welcome in Drew Brees. Packers got get of fricken Brett Favre for an unproven QB they drafted. Even the Cowboys took a flyer on a no name called Romo, and sure he isn't the best but is damn well better than Quincy Carter.

You get mad that your team took risks and it didn't work out? Then stop being a fan, because every team HAS to take risks on players. More so in todays age than in the last decade.

Get a grip, the NFLs elite can change on a flip of the coin. It's all about what risks work out beneficial for the team taking them. And not just on a player standpoint, but a play call, coaching change, etc.

 

[tomdalton22]

You don't realize how badly the Lions needed playmakers in 2010. Best was worth the risk AT THE TIME. And he was a very good talent and the Lions got some very good things out of him in 20 + games. We don't make the playoffs in 2011 without Best. Big play against the Vikings in the come back and huge game against the Bears. Lose to the Bears that game, we don't make the playoffs in 2011. That in of itself is worth the pick.

We endured 1.5 season relying on the depth and still did well in 2011 and the first half of 2012 (4-4 and not 6-2 due to special teams really). Now we have Bush so it doesn't matter anymore for wasting the future on Jahvid Best.

I look at it differently. Making the playoffs in 2011 doesn't matter now since they were a one and done and went 4-12 the following year. iirc they traded up to get Best so they used another asset to acquire a player that in 22 career games over 3 seasons did the following:

255 carries, 945 yards, 3.7 yards per carry and 6 TDs
85 rec, 774 yards, 9.1 YPC and 3 TDs

 

[mhughes0021]

i still dont see how a 4th string wr comming off major knee surgery that plays the slot is worth a 2nd round pick....esp when he was stashed on the bench most of the year. My opinion on him has been the same since hes been drafted....we had too many holes on this roster to select a luxory pick you werent even going to play. Kenny Stills has made more plays than he has and Kenny isnt even out of his first preseason yet. Sure broyles has the talent to produce in this offense and become worth the 2nd round pick. But i think a solid day 1 starter that would have plugged one of our numerous holes would have been better.

Hated the titus pick....never thought hed be able to stretch the field like a #2 should in the NFL and he rarely did. Nevermind the fact that he is a lunatic....he just never really panned out to be worth such a high pick talentwise. Rolling with Burleson as our #2 this year is probably the worst move Mayhew made this offseason in an otherwise decent offseason. I know i sure didnt think hed fill as many holes as he did via draft and FA. LB and WR corps are still weak...but manageable, and the pieced together new look oline will either make or break us this year.