sixteen hundred pounds of beef

Sixteen years ago, right around this time of year, the Detroit Lions squad that had been a game away from the Super Bowl just two season before was scouring free agency for offensive line help.  After the freak on-field paralysis of Mike Utley, and the grotesquely untimely death of 25-year old All-Pro guard Eric Andolsek, the Lions were floundering to rebuild the interior of their line.  I remember the headline in the Detroit Free Press: "Lions Add Nine Hundred Pounds of Beef".  With the addition of free agent guards David Lutz, Bill Fralic, and Dave Richards, the Lions hoped that merely filling the holes with huge veteran dudes (this was '93, a three-hundred-pound offensive guard was still rare) would do the trick.

With the announcement of the signing of veteran OT--and former U of M standout--Jon Jansen, I couldn't help but be reminded of that time in 1993.  The Lions, whose much-maligned offensive line is "anchored" by small-and-slow but tough-and-smart Jeff Backus at LT, and small-and-fast-and-smart-and-tough but small-and-weak Dominic Raiola, have in the past 13 months:

* drafted 6'-7", 319-pound RT Gosder Cherilus
* re-signed 6'-5", 338-pound RT George Foster
* signed 6'-6", 320-pound T/G Daniel Loper
* signed 6'-7", 310-pound T Ephraim Salaam
* signed 6'-6", 306-pound RT Jon Jansen

Of course, the first thing that jumps out at you about that list is how completely enormous these five men are; Jansen's weight is down from his usual playing weight because he was trying to fit into Redskins HC Jim Zorn's West Coast Offense.  All five of them are naturally huge men with big frames.  The second thing that jumps out at you is my listing of Gosder Cherilus, George Foster, and Jon Jansen all as right tackles.  The fact is that all three were primarily (or exclusively) right tackles in college, all three were drafted to play right tackle, and all three are strong, tough, mean run blockers who are somewhere between "raw" and "horrible" in pass protection.  All three of these men are natural right tackles--all in different stages of development, and all with different upsides and downside, but all right tackles.  Complicating matters is the addition of Ephraim Salaam, who has played both right and left tackle extensively in his 12-year career.  However, he most recently was replaced (by a rookie) as the starting LT on a subpar offensive line in Houston.  Salaam, in his prime, had the agility to play left tackle, but at this point he is almost certainly more useful as an RT, or perhaps as a swing backup.  Then there's Daniel Loper, who has the big frame to play either tackle spot, but the strength and agility to play guard as well.  Loper was signed as the presumed new starter at LG, but at 6'-6" he's got a natural tackle's frame.  Finally, there's Gosder the Gozerian--the biggest of them all.  The Lions' 2008 first-rounder, Gosder started off slowly last season, but really started to show flashes of serious talent towards the end of his rookie season.

None of these men represent an upgrade over Jeff Backus at left tackle, and--a bizarre minicamp experiment by the Redskins notwithstanding--none have ever played center.  Moreover, veteran RG Stephen Peterman was just re-signed to a long-term deal, so the five giants are really fighting for two starting spots: RT and LG.  From my perspective, it seems like lunacy to bench a 1-year veteran whose floor is no lower than any of the veterans, and whose upside is arguably much higher.  The only advantage I could see in a Salaam or Jansen at RT is having a cool veteran head out there in situations where an untimely penalty could cost the game.  Also, of course, there's the possibility of these veterans being able to provide leadership, both verbal and by example, to the young Gozerian.  I believe that Loper still has the inside track on the starting left guard position, if for no other reason than he's a young veteran with extensive guard experience.  Foster, is the least likely to land a starting job--he will have to make his first career switch inside to guard, and then beat out either Peterman or Loper to land a starting gig.  In fact, since he's no less mental-mistake prone than Gosder, and unable to play LT like Salaam can, I'm inclined to believe that Foster's only hope of making the roster at all is to switch to guard.

It remains to be seen how effective these men, these giants who probably can't ride the elevators at Ford Field all at the same time, can be for the Lions in 2009 and beyond.  It's my hope that even if the holes aren't "filled" for good, and the problem isn't "solved", these veterans will still be able to bridge the gap between the line's present and its future.  To bring out the best in talented projects like Cherilus, Lydon Murtha, and Manny Ramirez.  To lift, run, practice, and perform like true NFL veterans.  To set the table for the next huge portions of beef.

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old mother hubbard: the tackles

Thanks for your patience folks!  I'm getting these cranked out so they'll be done before free agency . . .

Jeff Backus:  Backus is the man of the hour; the discussion of whether or not the 6'-5" 305 pound veteran could physically play guard--after 128 straight games at left tackle--dominates the Lions blogosphere dialogue (blogologue?).  Backus, as we all know, was an all-world beast at U of M, the capstone of a nigh-legendary college offensive line.  Coming into the draft, there was great debate as to whether Backus was better suited to play guard or tackle.  He had sufficient height and frame, grit and strength to play left tackle, but didn't have either elite size or elite athleticism.  When he was drafted, I hoped he'd be moved inside to guard, but Matt Millen made sure he was installed at LT.  Thus began eight long years of Lions fans not forgiving Jeff Backus for not being Jonathan Ogden or Orlando Pace.

Backus is a warrior, a smart player who (mostly) makes up for his lack of extraordinary gifts with relentless effort, good strength, and great technique.  Backus is a good drive blocker, and there were some running lanes opened up on the left side between him and Ed Mulitalo over the past couple of years.  However, his lack of lateral agility has caused him to consistently struggle against pure speed rushers.  As Matt Millen's first draft pick, Backus has been here much much much longer than the vast majority of the roster.  The 'standout OT' was signed to a six-year extension in 2006, so the Lions are committed to him financially for at least 2009 and quite possibly 2010 as well.  I think a lot of the tide turned on Backus in 2007, when he injured his rib cartilage in Week 3 against Philadelphia, then tried to play through it.  Ask anyone who's had this happen to them, or known someone who has: rib cartilage injuries are extremely painful.  Backus' limitations with the injury were apparent; he immediately let through a crucial sack and was removed from the game.  He didn't practice all week afterwards, but then started the following game to keep his streak intact.  Streak or no, he was pretty much awful that game, and for the rest of the season.  I have to believe that if the Lions had had a legitimate option to start ahead of him, Backus would have been benched right then, as the Lions were in the thick of the playoff race.  That's when he turned the corner from "okay but overpaid and I'd love an Ogden or Pace instead" to "completely blows" in most fans' minds.  It's difficult to really get a grade on him, because throughout his career, the Lions have so often been in down by two or three TDs, in desperate passing situations.  Opposing teams, throughout Backus' career, have been able to pin their ears back and really attack Backus' biggest weakness, the speed rush.  I do believe he's a servicable left tackle, better than most give him credit for, and one of the vanishingly few veteran leaders on this team.  Bottom line: Backus is a net asset to the Lions with his grit, effort, and leadership.  His play is mediocre, but good enough for 2009.  If the Lions drafted a franchise LT for the future with the 1.1, and plugged that player in at guard, or moved Backus to guard, I wouldn't mind that at all.

Gosder Cherilus:  Gosder the Gozerian, as I call him, was part of the Great Tackle Run of 2008, an unexpected passle of offensive tackles selected in the middle of the first round of the 2008 draft.  Standing 6'-7" tall, and relatively light for that height at 318 pounds, Gosder possesses great size, strength, and an absolutely vicious mean streak that has gotten him in trouble a time or two.  Assigned to work with Lions legend Lomas Brown, Gosder came in pretty raw, and pretty stiff.  Still, in a competition with veteran RT George Foster, Cherilus got some near-immediate PT, getting in against the Packers home opener when Foster was benched.  He got his first start the week after, at San Fransisco, and acquitted himself fairly well--however, Cherilus had trouble mastering the snap count, and therefore racked up many false starts.  He also looked fairly stiff in pass protection, and tended to use his size and strength to maul rather than 'block' people--infuriatingly, these were the twin sins of Foster, the incumbent veteran.  Marinelli would bench one, then the other, then the other, trying to get one to step up and play well.  Ultimately, the light started to come on for Gosder towards the end of the season.  Even if he didn't completely eliminate the mental mistakes (in Week 16, he was flagged for lining up too deeply on what would have been a game-tying 43-yard bomb to Megatron), his hips started to drop, his lateral moves started to look good, and we saw a glimpse of a young right tackle with Pro Bowl tools instead of a big mean dude in football gear.  Many were hoping that Gosder would blossom into the elite franchise LT that Backus is not and never will be--after all, he played LT in college, didn't he?  But the truth of the matter is that Cherilus will be an oustanding right tackle for years to come . . . let him be what he is instead of what he is not.  Bottom line: a prototypical RT body, posessed by a nasty mean streak.  If he can get his head in the game and get his footwork down, he will be among the league's best right tackles.

George Foster: a 6'-5", 338 pound walking false start.  I would be surprised to see him here next year.

SUMMARY:  The tackle position has two solid starters but no depth whatsoever.  Speculation is rampant that the Lions will use the first overall pick to select a left tackle; if that happens either Backus or the pick will probably slide over to guard.  If the first pick isn't a tackle, look to see at least one drafted in the middle rounds, as there is no backup except Foster, and he may be gone.

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