Look Forward 2016

[mhughes0021]

Draft: Pick 15ish

Free Agents:
Haloti Ngata DT 31 DET TBD $8,500,000 UFA
Jason Jones DE 29 DET TBD $3,983,333 UFA
Manuel Ramirez G 32 DET TBD $3,000,000 UFA
James Ihedigbo SS 32 DET TBD $2,000,000 UFA
Tyrunn Walker DT 25 DET TBD $1,750,000 UFA
Isa Abdul-Quddus FS 27 DET TBD $1,500,000 UFA
Tahir Whitehead OLB 25 DET TBD $713,000 UFA
Travis Lewis ILB 27 DET TBD $674,793 UFA
Darryl Tapp DE 31 DET TBD $665,000 UFA
Lance Moore WR 32 DET TBD $665,000 UFA
Don Muhlbach LS 34 DET TBD $665,000 UFA
Dan Orlovsky QB 32 DET TBD $665,000 UFA


QB- Stafford is our guy. This season proved his early troubles were due to how much of a moron our OC was. The elite talk needs to stop. No elite qb has ever had this many excuses for never living up to expectations. Fact is you can win with a middle tier qb. Stafford has a strong arm and can play brilliantly in streaks. Hes only put an entire year of brilliance together once in 7 years. New GM already might have to make the decision to let mega star calvin go...no way he lets calvin and Stafford go. Hes our guy...continue to build around him.

RB- I love the rotation...not sure how much the 3 headed attack loves the rotation....but I do lol. Riddick is one of the best weapons out of the backfield in the NFL. I mocked him to us years ago in the late rounds...and he made me right lol Bell is fine as a guy that can pound it if we have to. Abdullah showed how quick he can be as a homerun hitter and return man....dude just needs to figure out how to hold into the ball. Don't change a thing.

WR- What do we do with Calvin?...this question will be #1 on the list of the new GM. Ideal situation is he pulls a Tom Brady to stay with Stafford. We cant have him take up 23 mil in cap space...can we? A lot of depth at WR in the draft. Treadwell is a potential fit in rd 1. If not probably wait until rds 3-4.

OL - Firing of Washburn proved to be a successful move. OL seemed to gel the 2nd half of the year but one thing remained constant....that huge hole at RT. Needs to be addressed in FA or early in the draft.

DL - My biggest question going into 2015 was could Ansah develop into a star without Sih next to him....question answered. Monster year. Taylor made a case in the 2nd half of the year once he took more reps away from Jones. If im the new GM I retain Ngata who has now stated he wants to stay with us. I work on an improvement at starter opposite Ansah and cycle in Taylor. Need a starter at DT in draft or FA. Possibly 2 if we don't keep Ngata. Walker is a FA. Reid played like a borderline starter...would be best as a rotational guy.

LB - Levy comes back and were all good with bodies...just where are they going to play? Tulloch needs to go. Does Van Noy start? Who plays in the middle?

CB - Mathis needs to retire. Need a starter opposite Slay. Diggs/Laswon at dime/nickel. Done. Hopefully Carter can progress.

S - Quin is getting that age....could be an up or down year next year. Quddus was a nice surprise this year but heads into next year as a FA. Ihedigbo is done.

2016 Mock Draft - Top Prospects (projected around our pick)

Rd 1
Robert Nkemdiche DT
LaQuan Treadwell WR
Jack Conklin OT
Tre'Davious White CB

Rd 2
Shaq Lawson DE
Shillique Calhoun DE
Desmond King CB
Adolphus Washington DT

 

[sggatecl]

I'm really excited to see what Devin Taylor can do with more reps if they give him the chance to start the season.

 

[Mitchrapp]

If Whitehead is so good why are they just letting him walk? At 25?

 

[inkfreq]

If Whitehead is so good why are they just letting him walk? At 25?

What gives you the idea they intend to let him walk? We don't even have a GM to begin negotiating yet.

Maybe you've heard something i haven't, but I'd say it's still very early in the process.

 

[kdp1980]

Didn't Robert Nkemdiche get in trouble?

 

[Mitchrapp]

What gives you the idea they intend to let him walk? We don't even have a GM to begin negotiating yet.

Maybe you've heard something i haven't, but I'd say it's still very early in the process.

I tend to think UFA's walk. If he's good, he'll get other offers. I'll go with the usual "why here?"

 

[mhughes0021]

If they do let whitehead walk is probably because they like how van noy is progressing and don't see whitehead as a fit for mlb.

 

[sggatecl]

If they do let whitehead walk is probably because they like how van noy is progressing and don't see whitehead as a fit for mlb.

I hope they judge Van Noy's off season progression better than they did with Waddle.

 

[motown1958]

Van noy has been a huge disappointment so far. I like whitehead and he's proven to be reliable as a mlb in a 4-3, although i think he lacks in run stopping. Levy back will help no matter what.

Bringing back ngata should be on the list of things to do but only at the right price. He showed he's still a top 10 dt but also showed he gets hurt more often and played less this year.

Not sure we need Jones back with Taylor playing so well especially towards the end of the season. But i also have zero interest in seeing Tapp suit up for us for another season.

I'd like to see Calvin help the team Cap wise but it's an awful lot to ask. It's not just transferring it to signing bonus it'd be scrapping the current deal and making to money work. Maybe a new 3 or 5 year deal.

Draft needs are solidly isolated to o line and dline. If those spots played better earlier in the year we'd be a playoff team.

Nkemdiche was my favorite going in and he will actually more than likely be there when we pick since he jumped off a roof. Depending on the Calvin situation Treadwell absolutely is an option but probably gone in the first 10 after the combine works itself out.

I actually think cb is not a need this year. Mathis can maybe stay on as a secondary coaching assistant. I liked most of what i saw from lawson and Diggs. Slay is absolutely a number 1 corner in this league. The quinn and quddus were a pretty decent pairing this year. Lb and dline especially early were killers. If there's a 3 down mlb in here that is available when we draft i wouldn't be surprised. Although the platoon between whitehead and bynes was effective.



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[boogerlovejoy]

I cannot get my head around Hughes WANTING a guy that in Nkemdiche that is a fucking drugie and throws himself out of windows.

After the COUTLESS "great job Mayhew" posts about Titus, Best and LeShore......now you WANT a guy with drug issues that does insane things and has a known injury history??

Makes perfect sense.

 

[boogerlovejoy]

I hope they judge Van Noy's off season progression better than they did with Waddle.

Van Noy has been a MASSIVE disappointment so far. I thought he would be in the running for DROY last year......thought he would have a big impact THIS year.

Neither happened.

He needs to step up. Even if we bring Whitehead back, it will likely be as a MLB........KVN will be given every chance to win that 3rd LB spot.

If he loses out AGAIN to Lewis or Bynes.....well......that's not a good sign for his NFL future.

 

[brewer229]

*•Based on the fact he survived the initial cut, I fully expect Caldwell to be the coach in 2016. A lot can be questioned about the guy, but he did have his team ready to play every game even when there was nothing to play for, the players didn't lose for lack of effort. With Caldwell back I would imagine Cooter is here to stay, and unless he gets a head coaching job, Austin will be back as well.

*•Reiff will be a decision in 2016. 8+ million cap hit (All savings if cut). If they keep him at Left tackle it's a middle of the road salary, however if they flip him to Right, he will be one of, if not the highest paid RT in the league. I don't see much changing, I expect the Lions to keep him and he will be the starter at LT.

*•Stafford played well down the stretch, yes it was against easy defenses and there was little pressure since we were playing for nothing. But for the first time in 6.5 years I couldn't pick out at least 4 easy throws a game that he just flat out missed. He seemed to be on point with the easy throws and even made a few difficult ones.

That said I would still be ok using a high draft pick on a QB if they identify a NFL quality QB. Having a good cheap backup QB is not a negative, it is a positive. Although stafford showed great improvement down the stretch, I can't imagine anyone can be 100% confident in Stafford being the QB. If he has another up and down season, or just another flat out stinker you don't want to be in a position in 2017 where you have no choice but to keep him. Having a choice is always better. And for the love of god, do not extend Stafford this offseason.

*•Tulloch is gone, the money saved is just too much.

*•Joique I would get rid of. His 3.5 million salary in 2016 is a top 15 RB salary. His production does not match. I would rather have the extra 2.5 in cap room by cutting him. I would give Zenner the chance to replace him. Or draft a guy in the later rounds. With a few exceptions RBs are disposable and should be treated as such.

*•Calvin I would keep. He perhaps has lost a step, but he still makes a difference. On the TD to Wright, Lions lined up with 4 receivers on one side and Calvin alone on the other. The bears shaded the Safety to Calvin's side. Also the TD catch was nice. Also great throw. Obviously if Calvin will take a pay cut, it would be huge. But the 12 million in cap savings realized by cutting or trading him will not be made up with that money.

*•DT is an interesting position. Both Walker and Ngata as free Agents. Didn't see enough of Walker, but he should be cheap, might be worth keeping around if Austin stays since he should know the system. Ngata at the right price would be a good signing. Not at 8+ million. He will be one of the bigger DT names if not the biggest in FA, a lot of teams have tons of money to spend, so he could get a bigger contract elseware, I would be semi surprised if he remains a Lions in 2016.

*•Quddus is a guy that I think is our most important free agent. I have no idea what the market will be like for his services. However I would do what it takes to sign him.

*•DE - With Taylor and Ziggy under contract it will come down to a money game with some of our FA DEs. I won't be heart broken if they move on.


I think DT or CB will be the priority position for our 1st round pick. I would lean towards DT before CB
Oh and resign Don Muhlbach.

 

[jdeb]

My money is on Caldwell, Cooter, Stafford, Whitehead, and CJ coming back.

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[Mitchrapp]

Van Noy has been a MASSIVE disappointment so far. I thought he would be in the running for DROY last year......thought he would have a big impact THIS year.

Neither happened.

He needs to step up. Even if we bring Whitehead back, it will likely be as a MLB........KVN will be given every chance to win that 3rd LB spot.

If he loses out AGAIN to Lewis or Bynes.....well......that's not a good sign for his NFL future.

How can you step up if you don't get a chance to play much? The last few weeks would have been a perfect time to see if he actually has talent.

 

[tbone413]

*?Based on the fact he survived the initial cut, I fully expect Caldwell to be the coach in 2016. A lot can be questioned about the guy, but he did have his team ready to play every game even when there was nothing to play for, the players didn't lose for lack of effort. With Caldwell back I would imagine Cooter is here to stay, and unless he gets a head coaching job, Austin will be back as well.

*?Reiff will be a decision in 2016. 8+ million cap hit (All savings if cut). If they keep him at Left tackle it's a middle of the road salary, however if they flip him to Right, he will be one of, if not the highest paid RT in the league. I don't see much changing, I expect the Lions to keep him and he will be the starter at LT.

*?Stafford played well down the stretch, yes it was against easy defenses and there was little pressure since we were playing for nothing. But for the first time in 6.5 years I couldn't pick out at least 4 easy throws a game that he just flat out missed. He seemed to be on point with the easy throws and even made a few difficult ones.

That said I would still be ok using a high draft pick on a QB if they identify a NFL quality QB. Having a good cheap backup QB is not a negative, it is a positive. Although stafford showed great improvement down the stretch, I can't imagine anyone can be 100% confident in Stafford being the QB. If he has another up and down season, or just another flat out stinker you don't want to be in a position in 2017 where you have no choice but to keep him. Having a choice is always better. And for the love of god, do not extend Stafford this offseason.

*?Tulloch is gone, the money saved is just too much.

*?Joique I would get rid of. His 3.5 million salary in 2016 is a top 15 RB salary. His production does not match. I would rather have the extra 2.5 in cap room by cutting him. I would give Zenner the chance to replace him. Or draft a guy in the later rounds. With a few exceptions RBs are disposable and should be treated as such.

*?Calvin I would keep. He perhaps has lost a step, but he still makes a difference. On the TD to Wright, Lions lined up with 4 receivers on one side and Calvin alone on the other. The bears shaded the Safety to Calvin's side. Also the TD catch was nice. Also great throw. Obviously if Calvin will take a pay cut, it would be huge. But the 12 million in cap savings realized by cutting or trading him will not be made up with that money.

*?DT is an interesting position. Both Walker and Ngata as free Agents. Didn't see enough of Walker, but he should be cheap, might be worth keeping around if Austin stays since he should know the system. Ngata at the right price would be a good signing. Not at 8+ million. He will be one of the bigger DT names if not the biggest in FA, a lot of teams have tons of money to spend, so he could get a bigger contract elseware, I would be semi surprised if he remains a Lions in 2016.

*?Quddus is a guy that I think is our most important free agent. I have no idea what the market will be like for his services. However I would do what it takes to sign him.

*?DE - With Taylor and Ziggy under contract it will come down to a money game with some of our FA DEs. I won't be heart broken if they move on.


I think DT or CB will be the priority position for our 1st round pick. I would lean towards DT before CB
Oh and resign Don Muhlbach.

Nice post - I agree with the vast majority of this.

My personal opinion of Caldwell aside, all indications point towards Caldwell returning. Sure 'technically' a GM has a right to cut ties and bring in a new guy, but it sounds like the Players, and more importantly, the Owner, like Caldwell, and while they may not Force the GM's hand, I think the GM would be wise to 'listen' to his players and boss, and keep Caldwell around for one more year, on a 'Prove It' type deal.

Reiff I also think will be back, at LT. I am not sure what to make of Reiff (well, the entire O-Line for that matter..) they are almost all high draft picks, and all have shown flashes of being good to very good at their positions, but they also collectively had one of the worst starts to the season Ive ever seen out of a position group...was it ALL on coaching? I find that hard to believe, but who knows. Before the OC change, I was convinced they had to address the Left Tackle position with their first pick, but Im not so sure anymore...

Stafford aint goin anywhere...I dont think he was in any real danger of being Cut or traded even before his hot streak, but now hes def. sticking around for the end of his contract at the least. I agree with you though, dont extend his ass this offseason...make him show some consistency year to year before giving him what would be a top 5 salary...

Draft a QB in RD 4 or 5 this year. Id even be OK drafting one in RD 3 with one of the compensatory picks they have.

Cutting Tulloch and Joique are no brainers IMO...both have lost a step, and both (in theory) have cheap replacements ready to take their place. I have more faith in Zenner being able to produce equivalent value to Bell, than I do in KVN being able to replace Tullochs value...KVN is just such an unknown to me. But, regardless, money saved is too enticing, and drop off is not much.

Im in the "Keep Megatron at all costs" camp...I know its illogical, but my heart cant take seeing him produce on another team. I hope they are able to reduce his cap hit to some degree, but even if he plays at 24 mil. the fucker deserves every penny for not only sticking around this dumpster fire of a franchise, but for producing at a HOF level, and being a class act throughout...he is a once in a generation talent, and I wont bitch and moan if he 'hurts' the franchise for a year or so with his high salary....just cant do it.

DT - Resign Ngata for around $5-7 mil and 3 years (only keep him 2 years.) Hes above average DT at this point, and we need bodies... Like you mentioned, his services will be sought after this offseason, and I think he will end up elsewhere. Walker showed me very little...granted I didnt pay close attention to him, but If we cant sign Ngata, I guess try to sign him for around the same salary hes making now...as we need bodies.

Agree 100% of Abdul-Quddus, I lost count on how many times this year I saw this dude flying around making plays on the ball/big hits. He really impressed me this year. I dont think they should break the bank signing him, but I agree he needs to be a priority...hes very underrated IMO.

Jason Jones is more than likely gone - I like him, but his $4m could be spent elsewhere.

The rest of the Free Agents, Im 'Meh' on. I think they will keep either Whitehead or Lewis, but not both. I personally think Whitehead is better, but he will also probably cost more, and hes been in the 'dog house' with this staff for some reason...my money is on Lewis being retained.

Dan O - all I gotta say is, GO ON GIT! (laughable he is still in the league, yet alone that he was resigned to DET)

For the Draft, I think they need to go D-Line early..I wouldnt be mad if they started off RD 1/2 with a DT/DE or DE/DT...we have 1 Stud DE, 1 above average DE, and then a bunch of ??? Our secondary is actually relatively set...I think they could sign a #2 or #3 CB in FA, as Mathis is donezo.

Id like them to wait until RD 3 to address WR, unless some STUD falls to RD 2. (RD 2 has been such a cluster fuck with this franchise for so long, that I'm nervous about ANYONE they take there...)

Comp picks/ RD 4 - QB and/or best OT available. (still not sold on either Tackle position)

oh, and this should be obvious, but NO FUCKING TIGHT ENDS!! I cant even begin to describe the anger ill feel if they draft another one of those fuckers...seriously. Not needed

 

[Mitchrapp]

This is the problem I have. They stunk, changed OC and got better. So how does that look good for Caldwell? Also, he should be fired just based on his Hail Mary defense.

 

[tbone413]

This is the problem I have. They stunk, changed OC and got better. So how does that look good for Caldwell? Also, he should be fired just based on his Hail Mary defense.

I personally think Caldwell should be fired. I dont think he 'adds' a damn thing to this team. He is getting some credit for 'keeping the team together' after the brutal start, but people forget that the second half of this season was ridiculously easy...many of us predicted they would end the year 6-2, 7-1, or even 8-0. The fact that they managed to turn the season around is more of an indication on the players (especially Offense) playing to their potential, and Jim Bob doing a great job, than anything Caldwell did..IMO.

The first 8 games of the season were a joke, and he had several chances to 'do something about it', but didnt do shit. Im convinced that Lombardi would still be here if it wasn't for Martha 'growing a pair' and telling him to get that Fucker out of town.

But most importantly, he failed, badly, when the games actually mattered...the first 8 games of the year dont need any breakdown, they just were not prepared at all, and made ZERO adjustments. They change OC's (again not his call), and win a few games. The GB game was the first game they had which 'almost mattered' and could have saved their season, but he fucks up the last play of the game so bad Rodgers almost jizzes himself afterwards..

Caldwell isnt a BAD coach, but hes not a GOOD coach either. Hes not a difference maker, and isnt someone I think will bring this franchise to the promise land. (although, to be fair, I dont know if that person exists..)

That being said, I think he will be back next year. lol

 

[mhughes0021]

I cannot get my head around Hughes WANTING a guy that in Nkemdiche that is a fucking drugie and throws himself out of windows.

After the COUTLESS "great job Mayhew" posts about Titus, Best and LeShore......now you WANT a guy with drug issues that does insane things and has a known injury history??

Makes perfect sense.

Titus pick I hated cause of who else he could have chosen and how titus turned out....its an easy point and laugh.

Best and Leshoure I hated for numerous reasons....least of all because they were crazy:

1st they were running backs
2nd we traded up for both of them...who the fuck trades up for a rb in the high rounds? Our dumb asses did it twice lol
3rd best was coming off multiple concusions
4th leshoure was a 1 year wonder in a down big10
5th our oline sucked ass and could have made walter payton look like shit.

...the drug arrests were just an added "I told you so." Mayhew sucked at his job and he got fired for it.....I don't think I need to continue to say I told you so over and over again.

Nkemdiche could be nuts...I have no idea. Sounds a little nuts. He smokes drugs.....so does 60% of the league. Hes also a top 5 pick projected to fall to the 15-25 range in a position of major need considering our top 2 DTs are FAs.

 

[mhughes0021]

I personally think Caldwell should be fired. I dont think he 'adds' a damn thing to this team. He is getting some credit for 'keeping the team together' after the brutal start, but people forget that the second half of this season was ridiculously easy...many of us predicted they would end the year 6-2, 7-1, or even 8-0. The fact that they managed to turn the season around is more of an indication on the players (especially Offense) playing to their potential, and Jim Bob doing a great job, than anything Caldwell did..IMO.

The first 8 games of the season were a joke, and he had several chances to 'do something about it', but didnt do shit. Im convinced that Lombardi would still be here if it wasn't for Martha 'growing a pair' and telling him to get that Fucker out of town.

But most importantly, he failed, badly, when the games actually mattered...the first 8 games of the year dont need any breakdown, they just were not prepared at all, and made ZERO adjustments. They change OC's (again not his call), and win a few games. The GB game was the first game they had which 'almost mattered' and could have saved their season, but he fucks up the last play of the game so bad Rodgers almost jizzes himself afterwards..

Caldwell isnt a BAD coach, but hes not a GOOD coach either. Hes not a difference maker, and isnt someone I think will bring this franchise to the promise land. (although, to be fair, I dont know if that person exists..)

That being said, I think he will be back next year. lol

The only bright side to Caldwell is the chance at keeping our coordinators. I don't even really know why im excited about cooter other than a small sample size against shitty competition....but when youre a lions fan you look for even the smallest things to get excited about.

 

[Mitchrapp]

If I was the new GM I would bring this up and say "WTF, you're fired." It always amazes me when I see the WR, down to the 20 in this pic, and yet we have 2 players who haven't budged near mid-field.