So today the Lions dealt QB Jon Kitna to the Dallas Cowboys for starting corner Anthony Henry. In my mind, it's a good move. The Lions needed a good cornerback for, oh, the last millennium or so. They also needed to get rid of Kitna. He wasn't winning them any games.
The moving of Kitna also signals to me that they are actually going to go ahead and draft Matt Stafford...and you know what?? I'm okay with that. Stafford seems like a competent QB. He seems smart and has good sense on the field. Sure, he'll be thrown to the wolves when he's starting after the 6th week, but it worked for Atlanta and Matt Ryan. Sure, Ryan was by most accounts a better QB when he got drafted than Stafford is now, but he's an NFL style QB that in my opinion is ready to play in the big leagues. The fact that the Lions signed washed up Daunte Culpepper to a contract extension is a good indicator that WHEN they draft Stafford, they will be looking to use Culpepper to get Stafford ready...maybe Stafford plays limited snaps this first year and then next year takes over...who knows, but either way I'm okay with the pick...
...however, this is all going to be a moot point if they in fact address the QB issue in another way before the draft. All kinds of news leaked around the league today that the Lions made a push to try and get Jay Cutler out of Denver. Rumors have it that Denver "wasn't shopping" Cutler, but that they didn't say "No" when asked if a trade was out of the question...this, of course, has made Cutler angry, so who knows...maybe a trade will be asked for in the coming weeks before the draft.
If the Lions end up getting a player like Cutler to helm the offense, I think the defense could use some help...and here's how I'd do it. That #1 pick?? Brian Orakpo out of Texas. The kid is a beast...a dominant player...and a guy that could easily make opposing offensive lines think twice. Yah, yah, yah...Aaron Curry is the talk of the town on the defensive side of the ball right now, but the Lions already have a good linebacker in Ernie Sims...they do NOT have a good defensive lineman. Besides, I address the linebacker issue in a moment. After that #1 pick, they spend that pick that they got from Dallas for bust WR Roy Williams on Rey Maualuga, linebacker out of USC. The kid is quiet, strong, fast, and darn good. He's the kind of guy that would work well with Ernie Sims...not to mention he's the kind of linebacker that you can drop into coverage.
Either way, so far I'm impressed with how the Lions are addressing this off season. They are making some intelligent moves on players, some intelligent moves with coaches, and are keeping their hand close to the vest when it comes to this draft.
I still feel that they should take Matt Stafford...or at the very least Mark Sanchez. But I just don't like the name "Sanchez." That doesn't have a "Face of the Team" ring to it like Brady, or Manning, or Montana, or Young, or Elway...that, and I don't think we should judge how great of a QB Mr. Sanchez is based solely on his Rose Bowl slapping around of an over rated Penn State team...
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