Detroit and Seattle agreed to a deal swapping Corey Redding (DT) of Detroit (and the first pick in the 5th round) for Seattle's Julian Peterson (OLB).

http://blogs.nfl.com/2009/03/14/seahawks-d...for-dt-redding/

Hmmm...sounds to me like the Lions might be leaning towards a 3-4 defense now and putting Grady Jackson in the middle...That would be SICK!!!!!!!!

Does this also mean that the Seahawks won't take Raji anymore? They signed Cole and now have Redding.

Maybe they have a hunch that Curry will be there at 4

At first I was shocked, since everyone in Seattle likes JP, but after I stepped back, and looked it over, I think this was a pretty good move by the Hawks.

- Peterson's cap number was climbing up to 8.8 and 9.8 million the proceeding years of his contract. His best mark was as a pass rushing D-end.

- Leroy Hill can slide back to his more natural SLB position. Where he most effective during their superbowl season... without JP.

- Redding solidifies the DT tackle rotation. Colin Cole and Red Bryant will man the 1-tech, while Mebane and Redding rotate at the 3-tech. Raji was not really a Ruskell type player.

- Although Curry may not last until the 4th pick, this years class of LBs is pretty ddeep. Laurinaitis, Clint Sintim, or Jasper Brinkley are possibilities in the 2nd round. They could also look for 3rd round talent, where they drafted Hill three years ago.

- Will Herring and David Hawthorne have shown flashes at LB. DD Lewis who just resigned is nothing special, but knows what he's doing... They might not even draft LB in the first 3 rounds.

All in all.. not a bad move.
It makes their draft more interesting IMO .

I tried to answer this post yesterday, but my browser crashed. Anyhow, this really looks like a great deal for the Seahawks. Everyone in the league knew they were getting ready to cut Peterson, who had refused to restructure his contract, which is heavily back loaded. Sure, they would have had to bid for him on the open market, but this guy is 31 years old, and has had some injury problems in the past. So, instead of getting him at a likely reduced price, and for a contract more cap friendly down the line if he does work out, the 0-16 Lions give up a 5th round draft pick and a very serviceable DT in Redding who will immediately move into Seattle's DT rotation for a 31 year old LB. I just did not understand the thinking of that move. Then, I read a post by Mike Florio who said essentially the same thing, but added this little nugget about the current state of affairs in the Lions front office, and I quote.

"Insiders still point to the franchise as a shining beacon of pro football ineptitude.

The arrival of former Jags V.P. of player personnel James Harris has done little to improve the front office’s image in league circles.

“[G.M. Martin] Mayhew is bad enough in trying to evaluate talent,” one source opined. “Instead of one guy not knowing what he’s doing now you have two guys doing the same routine.”

In fact, one league insider has been referring to Mayhew and Harris as the “Millen Twins.”

Well, Lion's fans, it appears your owner has replaced an incompetent Vice Prez/GM with two guys who both appear to have even less ability than Millen. At least Millen was honestly trying to appear to know what he was doing...he just did not have the eye for talent needed in his position. Now, it looks like you have the Keystone Cops running the show. One ray of hope you may still have, is that HC Schwartz may be lining up a power play, according to Florio, who states insider info, that if Schwartz can win at least 5-6 games with the little talent that's been put together up there, he's going to go for more control in the personnel dept.

Now comes news that Broncos owner Pat Bowlen has publicly stated there is a high likelihood Cutler will be moved. I can just picture the Lions front office now...all ready to give the Broncos their two No. 1 picks...and maybe even more for this whining loser. The smart money (that would be my money) says you should keep your picks picks and lock them into 5-6 year contracts. Let Tampa Bay, or even better yet...Minnesota, or some other team ruin their franchise, because if you make this deal there will likely be long-term repercussions and no guarantee the crybaby will resign with you in 3 years either. Plus, the man has a serious case of diabetes and even though he's under constant monitoring, his career could end tomorrow because of it. Not what I would call a risk worth trading the No. 1 and No. 20 picks in the 1st round, or perhaps even more for. WARNING: You have a good chance to make a killing in the first 100 picks...do not blow it on a player who thinks he's better than John Elway...is guilty of constantly running his mouth without thinking...and has won nothing. Wherever he goes his mouth will probably get him in trouble eventually with things he says about players on opposing teams, and there will be a big bullseye on his back when he plays them in the future...just as there likely is whenever he faces San Diego now. In truth, he better hope he goes to a team out of the AFC West, so he wouldn't have to play both the Chargers and Broncos twice a year...on second thought...Al Davis would be the perfect pigeon for a deal like this.

if i'm remembering right, he didn't say he was better than elway. he said he had a stronger arm. there is a difference.

The best deal the Lions should pull the trigger on for Cutler, if possible, is a trade for their 20th and 33rd pick, with a potential 2nd round pick next year. They then should trade down from the number one spot, acquire more picks and draft defense - Orakpo, Jenkins, Raji, or Johnson.
If Schwartz makes his power play next year, then I think Lions would be a strong candidate in the running for Mike Shanahan.
IMO though, Lions should've made a stronger push for Matt Cassel. Although.. I think Cutler is more proven option at QB.. than the QBs in this draft. But whether Cutler can win a championship or not is still up for debate.

Yeah...and I'd just love to watch him try to play behind that Oline of yours too. Keep the picks...get your own QB either in a later round, or next year...you'll be better off down the road, IMO.

No, no... I'm a Hawks fan all the way! And just hypothesizing about what the Lions could do in the draft.
I do hold an opinion though that the Lions lost more games last year due to poor defense, than poor offense.

I also heard that Redding would slimming down to 285 to play D-end on 1st and 2nd downs, and move inside on 3rd downs, kinda what the Hawks have tried doing with LoJack and Kerney. What do you think Lions fans, good idea?