With a new head coach, and Martin Mayhew and Tom Lewand wanting to clean house, who should the Lions keep, and who should they get rid of. To replace the players, who should they bring in?


Who To Keep

Ikaika Alama-Francis, DE
Cliff Avril, DE
Daniel Bullocks, S
Gosder Cherilus, OT
Landon Cohen, DT
Jerome Felton, FB
Andre Fluellen, DE/DT
Jason Hanson, K
Nick Harris, P
Calvin Johnson, WR
Langston Moore, DT
Don Muhlbach, LS
Dan Orlovsky, QB
Kalvin Pearson, S
Manny Ramirez, OG
Cory Redding, DT
Ramzee Robinson, CB
Ernie Sims, LB
Corey Smith, DE
Kevin Smith, HB
John Standeford, WR
Drew Stanton, QB
Dewayne White, DE


Who To Get Rid Of

Jeff Backus, OT
Darnell Bing, LB
Leigh Bodden, CB
Anthony Cannon, LB
Aveion Cason, RB
Shaun Cody, DT
Keary Colbert, WR
Damion Cook, OL
Junius Coston, OL
Daunte Culpepper, QB
Chuck Darby, DT
Travis Fisher, CB
Casey FitzSimmons, TE
George Foster, OT
Michael Gaines, TE
Chris Hannon, WR
Drew Henson, QB
LaMarcus Hicks, CB
Adam Jennings, WR
Rudi Johnson, RB
Paris Lenon, MLB
Andy McCollum, OL
Ryan Nece, LB
Moran Norris, FB
John Owens, TE
Stephen Peterman, OG
Dominic Raiola, C
Chris Roberson, CB
Stuart Schweigert, S
Travis Taylor, WR
Dexter Winn, CB
ALL PLAYERS ON INJURED RESERVE MUST GO AS WELL


Who To Get In Free Agency

Kyle Boller, QB, Baltimore Ravens- Boller hasn't lived up to the hype, but he is much more of a servicable QB than anybody the Lions have at QB right now.

Bo Scaife, TE, Tennessee Titans- New coach Jim Schwartz could play a huge role in bringing this guy in. He is very athletic and has great hands. He could come very cheap, making him a great choice for Detroit.

Devery Henderson, WR, New Orleans Saints- The Lions need a player who can play opposite Calvin Johnson. If the Lions get a TE, that would be a start, but a player like Henderson would be great. He is a big play threat every time he touches the ball. Could really help take away coverage from Calvin Johnson downfield.

Matt Birk, C, Minnesota Vikings- Now this may seem unrealistic, but the Vikings already have a lot of money tied up in their o-line and are unlikely to spend even more when they are currently grooming somebody to replace Birk. Birk is one of the best centers in the league, and although he may be expensive, he could be worth every bit if he could help rebuild this Lions o-line. Jim Schwartz loves his centers to be big and experienced, Birk is just that.

Albert Haynesworth, DT, Tennessee Titans- This may have seemed like a long shot a few weeks ago, but now with newly acquired head coach, and former Titans DC, Jim Schwartz, it seems like a possibility. Haynesworth is out of Tennessee, and on his way elsewhere. The Lions could use him more than just about anybody else in the league. He is a more athletic versions of Shaun Rogers, meaning a FREAK! Detroit should get this guy if he is anywhere under $8 million a year.


Tank Johnson, DT, Dallas Cowboys- Johnson is a very great athlete with gifted size. He plays at a high level and he will be looking for a new place to play after seeing limited playing time in Dallas. He could come in and push anybody out of the starting spot. Detroit would welcome his talent and new personality.


Channing Crowder, LB, Miami Dolphins- Crowder is a great LB who will come at a very reasonable price. He would be perfect for Detroit at MLB or a 3-4 ILB. A great pick up here as he is only 26.


-No secondary free agents available to bring in...Too expensive or not quality enough.

If Detroit could do this, and draft well, they could see themselves becoming the next Miami Dolphins or Atlanta Falcons. I think most of this is realistic and the guys are quality football players. I could see at least 7 or 8 wins coming from this team.

So did you jump off the Dan Orvlosky band wagon?

No, I didn't jump off of the Orlovsky bandwagon, I just feel that new coach Jim Schwartz does not have much confidence in him, and will want to bring in his own QB.

I think you nailed the list of who to keep and who to cut.

I would love to see the Lions go after an experienced QB like Kerry Collins in the free agency. Schwartz and Collins were both in Tennessee and Collins said he wants to be the starter. I think the Titans will give Vince a shot going into training camp and that will make Collins think he has a better shot starting somewhere else.

Julius Peppers is also a free agent and I wouldn't mind seeing the Lions try to draw him over with a big contract, but I don't think he'll want to go to Detroit.

I think the best free agent RB that we could target would be Darren Sproles, a change of pace kind of back to go with Smith.

We can def pick up a solid OL in the free agency, Birk from Minn, Goff from SD, Gross from Carolina... we just have to have the right price and be willing to pay for it.

There are some LBs we could also go after, Suggs, Dansby, and Vilma are my top 3 (based on age, talent, and price)

For DBs, the two names I would like to see the Lions try to go after are Asumogha and Dawkins.

As for all the FAs I named, I would like to see 1. Peppers 2. Asumogha 3. Collins at the top of the Lions FA list.

Ok, to start, I'm glad that you like the list. I'm happy we both agree on that. I think that we both agree that the guys are easy enough to get rid of, and even easier to replace.
The issue I have with the free agents you would like to target is money, will to come to Detroit, and that most of these guy's teams will not be getting rid of these guys any time soon.

1.)Kerry Collins said that he is either starting for the Titans, or retiring and moving on a farm(not a joke)
2.)You said that you want to get Matt Birk, Jordan Gross, and Mike Goff. Sorry dude, but there is no way the Lions will be able to afford all of them, and even if they could, I highly doubt that they would.
3.)You also said that you want the Lions to try for 6 defensive superstars, all of which are some of the their positions. NO WAY could they get all of them, and they most likely couldn't get anymore than one as they need to replace almost their whole roster.
4.)And as for the free agents you would like to see in a Lions uniform(Peppers, Asumogha, and Collins), they couldn't even afford all of them. They need to replace nearly 25 guys on this team, and spending roughly $30 million a year on three guys is nuts. The only guy out of those three that I would spend top dollar on is Asumogha, and that is because he is THE BEST at his position, and he could immediately impact the Lions defense.

Glad to see that you like it, but unfortunately the free agents need to be in range. I think that I maninly kept them in spending range, and will to come play for the Lions. Unfortunately yours are a little unrealistic, but hey, being a Lions fan its all about dreaming.

Yeah, I realize that we don't have the money to afford all the players I named. I just meant we could get a few of the guys I mentioned. The only way to afford all the FAs on my list is if we had the payroll of 5 Yankee teams. The list I made was a list of FAs we could possibly target individually, I probably should have made myself clear.

O, ok then. It will still be hard to acquire one of those guys, although one is much easier than 5. I think the one we have the best shot of acquiring is Haynesworth, with new coach Jim Schwartz in town. Any of those guys will make a great impact on the Lions.

WOW...looks like there's a few dreamers out there in Motown!

"Schwartz likes his centers big and experienced..." - where exactly did you get that from? Last I checked, Schwartz had coached a defense and never any centers...

And to think you could get several of the top FAs...not a chance. We were VERY VERY lucky to get Michael Turner last year but persuading high-priced, top-quality players to join the worst team in history and perennial losers is going to be nigh on impossible.

Now...with some good mid-range FAs, a solid draft and some good coaching and schemes, you could at least set up a competitive team.

If you looked, I said that Detroit could get one of these free agents, or at least make a run at some of these guys. A guy like Kyle Boller would be glad to come to Detroit, a place where he would have a shot at starting, and a place where there are some pretty good weapons on offense.

Schwartz had a defense yes, but he said that he believes in size up front, and in Tennessee, they had a big, experienced center in Kevin Mawae. This leads me to believe that Schwartz will want one for himself as well.

Detroit being a losing team will not keep guys out as long as they have a solid guy like Schwartz leading the way. Being a Falcons fan you should especially know that. When a team has a solid coach and a few high picks, guys will want to come in, especially after a team has cleaned house. Just look at your team, the Falcons, and the Dolphins, they are perfect examples.