Zack Follett Is No Longer a Detroit Lion

I’ll always have a soft spot for Zack Follett. He’s a piece of TLiW history; Follett was the second-ever subject of Meet the Cubs:

In researching this 6'-1", 238-pound spark plug, it quickly became obvious: Zack Follett is going to be the next inductee into the Lions Fan Hall of Fame. Players like David Kircus, Scotty Anderson, Casey Fitzsimmons, David "Blue" Adams, Greg Blue, and Buster Davis have been drafted late (or signed as a UFA) by the Lions, made a big play or two in training camp or preseason, and become cult heroes--often, with fans insisting that these practice squadders and/or bench riders would be immediate upgrades over the current starters, if only they were given the opportunity. Zack Follett perfectly fits this profile; I have no doubt we'll be seeing Follett jerseys in the stands sooner rather than later.

Oh man. I had no idea how true that would be, did I? Unfortunately, there was something else in that breakdown that proved to be prescient:

As a junior, he was second-team All-Pac 10, again with 12.5 TFL and 5.5 sacks, plus 64 total tackles. This, despite missing part of one game and all of two more with a neck stinger--thanks to an aggravation of a bulging neck disc discovered in high school . . .

. . . In most of my research, the first thing that comes up is amazement that this kid was available in the seventh round. Apparently the neck stinger that limited him in 2007 scared enough LB-hungry teams to engender a big fall—still, that is the kind of risk you want to take with a seventh-round pick.

Like Lydon Murtha, Willie Young, and Johnny Culbreath after him, the Lions consistently use late-round picks on players with NFL talent with question marks, and Zack Follett is no exception. In some cases, “medical flags” are overblown: Adrian Peterson’s injury history scared a lot of teams, and despite a punishing running style, health hasn’t been an issue. In Follett’s case, though, there’s something about his body, or the way he plays the game, or the combination thereof, that literally breaks his neck. It’s why he wasn’t drafted in the third or fourth round, and it’s why he’s not a Lion anymore.

Or is it? Lions President Tom Lewand confirmed Follett’s release in a statement, but claimed he was “waived healthy,” and that the signings of Stephen Tulloch, Justin Durant, and Bobby Carpenter made Follett expendable. This directly contradicts Follett’s Tweet that “Schwartz Mayhew Lewand didn’t want to risk a life threatening injury after seeing my pain.”

Perhaps the Lions wanted to break it to Follett gently; let him feel as though injury, and not performance, was the reason they decided he couldn’t hack it. But, if that were the case, why would Schwartz say Follett had an “outstanding practice” on Monday? Maybe the Lions were just trying to save a few bucks; being placed on the “waived/injured” list means the player is due an injury settlement. Since Ndamukong Suh makes more in a single game check than Follett would have all year, that doesn’t sound right either.

I think it’s a matter of semantics. Follett said he “couldn’t compete” in tackling drills due to the pain in his neck. Perhaps that’s the tipping point: the Lions would rather have Bobby Carpenter as he currently is, than Zack Follett as he currently is. Follett’s not injured—he’s been medically cleared to play—but his current physical condition prevents him from playing at a high level. For right now, Zack Follett can’t play for the Lions, and it remains to be seen if he’ll ever play anywhere else.

Zack Follett’s just one of hundreds of stories like his we’ll hear this year. Camp rosters have swollen to twice the size of gameday rosters. Nearly a thousand players who can call themselves “a member of [NFL team]” right now won’t even land on a practice squad. Yet, this one has a special sadness; Follett played the game with love, heart, and abandon—and few players have been as open a book to fans. I hope more players choose to live as full-throttle a life as Zack Follett, and I hope their NFL careers have a happier ending.

However, Zack Follett’s life is anything but over; it’s just beginning! He was so beloved partially because of his-off field creativity, energy, and passion—I’m certainly not going to stop following him on Twitter, or watching his videos, or keeping tabs on what he’s up to just because he isn’t wearing a Lions uniform on autumn Sundays. He’s no longer a Detroit Lion, but he’s the same man today that he was yesterday. For once, as fans, let’s remember that.

Technorati Tags: nfl,detroit lions,zack follett

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The NFL Changes Kickoff Rules, but Not Enough

No sooner did I blog about the league changing the rules to the detriment of the game, than the NFL changed some rules. Competition Committee chairman Rich McKay, on moving the kickoff position to the 35-yard-line:

This proposal is not one that if you were asking the committee to vote on it from a tactical standpoint and for the betterment of the game. I believe the committee would be 0-7 against.

So, when considering the betterment of the game, this change is an overwhelming failure; it makes the game demonstrably worse. What on Earth could they be thinking?

From a safety issue, 7-0 in favor, because I think this gives us an opportunity to shorten the field and to lessen the impacts, if you will, that are happening on a play that is a popular play, historical play, been a part of our game forever and a play that we want to keep in the game. And so, this was our attempt at that.

This I understand very well. Even back in Tecmo Super Bowl, injuries occurred at a higher rate on kickoff returns than on plays from scrimmage. I remember the manual explicitly pointed this out! Of course, a more recent example would be our own Zack Follett, who suffered a very scary season- (possibly career-) ending neck injury on a kickoff return. What did Follett have to say about rule change?

Change to the kickoff rules! HOW BORING! This is coming from the one who got hurt!

So, everyone thinks the rule change will be bad. Everyone thinks kickoff returns will be steeply reduced by this rule change. The Competition Committee, though, hopes it will reduce injuries—and of course, I support that. The cynic in me chirps that the league is doing this to “prove” their commitment to player safety during negotiations—but any real step towards reducing head and neck trauma has to be lauded. So, I’ll laud it.

But what will the effect on the game be? Let’s look at all of the originally proposed changes:

• Move kickoffs from the 30-yard line back to the 35, where it was prior to 1994.
• Keep the coverage team within five yards of the ball (no more 15-yard running starts).
• Change touchbacks to place the ball on the 25-yard line.
• Eliminate the two-man wedge, just one year after eliminating three-man wedges.

It’s undeniable that the move back to the 35 will result in more touchbacks. Per Pro Football Focus, only one kicker averaged kickoffs past the goal line, but 19 would have under the new rules. However, touchbacks shouldn’t return to pre-1994 levels. For starters, the ‘94 changes also lowered the kicking tees to one inch—meaning kickers could no longer get underneath a three-inch tee and pop the ball up for five-second-plus hang times. Further, the NFL has since introduced the “K” ball, which prevents kickers from doing any of the extensive modifications they used to do for balls reserved for kicks.

I’m not a special teams coach, so I can’t tell you how much different it will be for coverage teams, with just a five-yard runup. It certainly seems like they’ll be hitting the 35-yard-line after just a couple steps instead of at full stride, but how much of a reprieve will that grant the returner?  Will it be enough to return a kick out of the end zone? To me, though, the most intriguing possibilities are the ones created by the rules they didn’t adopt.

With touchbacks on the 20, coaches have every incentive to try and boot it into the endzone. If you have a Billy Cundiff, you can eliminate the other team’s return game. Functionally, you’ll be placing the ball on the 20, every single time. But moving the touchbacks up to the 25 would have given more coaches pause. A well-executed sideline kickoff is likely to prevent a return beyond the 25, so coaches would be disincentivized to order their kicker to boot it as far as possible. Meanwhile, anytime a gifted returner touches the ball, big things can happen . . .

Last season, there was a lot—well, not a lot, but a little—of hue and cry over the elimination of the three- and four-man wedge; the kick return technique with origins in the leather-helmet days. So, what happened? Special Teams coordinators innovated. They stacked two-man wedges, and they drew up return plays that drew blockers from one side of the field to the other. What was the result? Long kick returns actually went up. Again, Rich McKay:

The story I would tell you, and I’m not speaking out of school because I’m not going to tell you who it was, but I did have a special teams coach that I know pretty well call me when the elimination of the three-man wedge came in and he called me to tell me that he did not think there would be another kickoff return for a touchdown in the league. Ever. I think this year there were 23, I think it’s the second most ever. So one thing I know about those guys, they’re bright guys, they’ll find ways to return, they’ll continue to innovate as they have and I think the play will still remain an exciting and integral part of our game. It’s just simply in our opinion a play that we need to try to find a way make safer. That’s the intent.”

Honestly, I’m not mourning the death of the kick return—I’m mourning the return game that would have been if the NFL had adopted the full proposal. Kickers with a short field, but trying not to get a touchback, and the return team can’t make a wedge the coverage team can’t get a running start. It would have been like the cat-and-mouse game offensive and defensive coordinators play. Instead of everyone returning behind a wedge, and everyone trying to bust the wedge, you’d have coordinators drawing up whole new 10-man return formations, whole new plays designed to create seams, to create paths, to misdirect.

Further, it would all play out a little more slowly—instead of maniacs all flying around as fast as possible, there’d be a craft and technique involved. The difference in value between a linebacker who’s forced to play special teams, and a special teamer would be much greater. From what I can tell, if all four proposals had been adopted, it would have reemphasized the return game, and special teams in general, as the “third phase of the game.” Kick returns would have been both safer, and more fun to watch. Instead, we’re just going to get more touchbacks.

Technorati Tags: nfl,rules changes,kickoffs,special teams,kickers

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Old Mother Hubbard: The Outside Linebackers

If you're joining our roster review already in progress, here are the Old Mother Hubbard breakdowns for:

• the Defensive Tackles
• the Defensive Ends
• the Inside Linebackers

Before we delve into the next three positions, let me take a little time to address an email I received about the DE breakdown. Scott D. wrote:

You mentioned while you were watching the Jets game live, that you, in essence, personally discounted the PFF rankings for how KVB played in that particular game because of what ends up being, in your own terms, the "eyeball factor". Yet in every other aspect of the OMH series thus far, you're putting a great deal of credit in the PFF rankings.

It’s important to understand what the PFF data is, and what it isn’t. The PFF player grades are what I’ve been showing on the radar charts. They’re the PFF staff’s opinion on how well a player carries out his assignment. Each player is graded on every snap they play, and the final grades consist of those per-play grades aggregated and normalized. Every-down consistency scores much better than occasional excellence, and penalties weigh heavily on the final grade. On the whole, they present a good benchmark for overall performance, relative to an average NFL starter.

PFF also takes the time to go back and tally sacks, tackles, QB pressures, QB hits, missed tackles, and other stats. These aren’t subjective performance grades, they’re straight tallies of actual results—and they’re far more accurate than “offical” tackle and sack numbers, which are done on the fly, in real time, by team scorers with varying personal standards.

The KVB “eyeball test” you’re talking about?  Here’s what I said:

I had really good seats to the Jets game, and seeing KVB in action live was something else. He never missed an opportunity—before, during, or after the snap—to remind the Jets that he was there. That he was fighting. That they needed to keep their head on a swivel. That they needed to watch their ass. Vanden Bosch and the Lions out-Jetted the Jets on that day, mostly thanks to KVB and his leadership. PFF graded him at a –2.1 on the day, but I know he had a positive impact.

I was insinuating that KVB was playing . . . well, not dirty, but . . . okay, kinda dirty. He played to, and through, and also a little bit after the whistle. Not trying to injure—just not letting up, getting in a little extra on every play. He was very physical, very intense, and set the tone for a Lions defense that came to kick the butt-kickers’ butts. That doesn’t mean KVB was unblockable off the edge, or impossible to run on, or anything like that. In the PFF grader’s opinion, KVB executed his play assignments at a below-average level. But, I know his leadership made the whole defense better on that day.

Again: the news is not good. The dark gray line is Kamerion Wimbley, the top-graded 4-3 OLB. The thick black line is the NFL average. The goldish line is Scott Shanle, the backmarker. This means the Saints had both the worst ILB and the worst OLB . . .

Unfortunately, things aren’t so hot for the Lions, either. Julian Peterson was the only Lions OLB to meet PFF’s 25% snap-count threshold; he was also the Lions’ worst-graded OLB. He, like all the Lions OLBs, was right at the NFL average for pass rush, but strongly negative in coverage (-6.6). All that is moot, however, because Peterson was released.

Bobby Carpenter was a deft mid-October signing by the Lions. Apparently the Lions had been high on him for a while; Tom Kowalski reported that Martin Mayhew asked for Carpenter in the Roy Williams trade, Mayhew’s first roster move as Lions GM. The Cowboys ultimately swapped their disappointing first-rounder for the Rams’, OT Alex Barron. The 6’-2”, 245-pound Carpenter was cut by the Rams during training camp, picked up by Miami, and then cut midseason after he screwed up badly on special teams.

In Killer's article on Carpenter's signing, he points out that Carpenter is solid against the run, and in dropping back to cover; the PFF grades partially back that up. Carpenter was right at NFL averages for pass rush, but a bit above average in coverage. In fact, Carpenter’s coverage grade was the best single grade of any returning Lions OLB. Unfortunately, Carpenter was about as far below average against the run as he was above average in coverage, so his final grade is just a smidge below average. Keep in mind, though, that’s for 4-3 OLB who played in at least 25% of their teams’ snaps (which Carpenter did not).

Bottom Line: In limited reps, Carpenter showed he can be a creditable player for the Lions. He’ll never be the pass rusher the Lions want from the OLB spot—but with a full offseason in the system he should be able to pull his weight out there.

Ashlee Palmer was the Typhoid Mary of “One Man’s Trash Syndrome,” a good young player let go because another team was switching schemes. Palmer, 6’-1”, 236 pounds, was a UDFA rookie for the Bills in 2009. He made an impact as a special teams standout, and looked great in backup duty. But, out with the old—Dick Jauron’s 4-3—and in with the new—Jim Haslett’s 3-4—and the Lions got a great value pickup.

Palmer got 240 snaps at outside linebacker, roughly split between the right and left. He also had about a hundred snaps in the middle, so he never had a chance to get comfortable anywhere.  He graded out more or less across-the-board average for the first five weeks, then had a really rough streak in weeks 6, 8, 9, and 11. That’s alarming, since he got many of his snaps in that stretch. He finished with another long streak of averageness in lighter action, though, and put an exclamation point on the season with a +3.1 day against Miami where he played 50% of snaps.

On the whole, Palmer was an average rusher, slightly above average in coverage, and below average against the run. He was slightly less effective in coverage than Carpenter, and a full tick worse in run support.

Bottom Line: Palmer is a young, tough, versatile player forced to play all three LB positions as a 2nd-year UDFA, and produced at a slightly-below-average level. He’ll be a valuable rotation player, and possibly an okay starter with a full offseason at OLB. Still, he doesn’t have impact tools or impact upside.

What a wild ride it’s been for the Pain Train. Zack Follett, member of the Lions Fan Favorite Hall of Fame Class of 2009, entered the season as a starting outside linebacker. After making headlines over the offseason with his Tweeting and vlogging, Follett saw in about 150 snaps at the left linebacker spot, before a scary helmet-to-helmet hit put him out for the season.

Follett was sort of the yang to Ashlee Palmer’s yin. Standing at a nearly identical 6’-2”, 236, Follett was graded slightly below Palmer in pass rush (!), significantly below Palmer in coverage, but significantly above in run support. Follett, to my eyes, is more naturally athletic and has a higher upside, but appeared to be “swimming” out there; thinking instead of reacting. Follett was often a half-step behind, a half-instant too slow in making plays, because he didn’t recognize the need to act quickly enough. However, the recognition did come and the ability is there.

It’s worth pointing out that Follett got heavy reps against the Lions’ stiffest competition, in the front half of the season. Further, defenses were picking on Follett’s coverage more: opponents threw at Follett every 16.45 snaps, as opposed to 21.8 for Palmer.

As a sidebar, they threw at Landon Johnson every 11.4 snaps, which would have been the third-most-frequent in the NFL if Johnson had played more snaps at OLB.

Bottom Line: Zack Follett is still a very young player who showed a lot more pass rush ability at Cal than he’s shown so far in the NFL. With another full offseason to get the defense down pat, he should be able to do less thinking and more reacting. If he’s medically okay to play, he deserves to be in the mix with Palmer and Carpenter, especially being stronger against the run than either.

Right now, the Lions have three very good rotational players who have an interesting mix of youth, experience, and upside. They each bring a slightly different approach to the game, and each have a slightly different skill set. However, my understanding of the Lions defense was that they wanted two (in-his-prime) Julian Petersons at OLB; two big, fast pass rushers who are athletic enough to not be a liability in coverage. Unless Follett puts it together, they don’t have anyone who can rush the passer from the OLB spot.

An interesting observation: note that the best overall 4-3 OLB, Kam Wimbley, was only graded at +23.7, and he had a sizable lead over Nos. 2 & 3: +17.7, and +14.1, respectively. Since the top DT and DE each graded at about +45 , and the top ILB was about +35, this suggests that 4-3 OLBs just don’t play a big of a role in the success of the defense. As long as they aren’t total liabilities against the pass, and don’t miss a slew of tackles, you can get away with a pedestrian OLB . . . or two. Perhaps a major investment at OLB is unwise. Indeed, Mayhew said he’s perfectly comfortable with Palmer and Carpenter as starters in 2011.

SHOPPING LIST: The Lions, undeniably, lack impact players at OLB. The 2010 performances of Carpenter, Palmer, and Follett suggest the Lions could “get away with” drafting a developmental OLB, letting all four compete for snaps at LB, and featuring all four in special teams units. However, if the Lions are looking for impact pass rushers in these spots going forward, they’ll need to draft one and acquire another.

Technorati Tags: nfl,detroit lions,team needs,2011 offseason,2011 free agency,2011 nfl draft,julian peterson,zack follett,ashlee palmer,bobby carpenter

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Tinderbox: Follett Story on Press Coverage, Meta

My reaction to the Zack Follett incident is up on Press Coverage; I suggest you go check it out there.  Amazingly, the story is still developing, as Killer and Sean reacted to Zack’s reaction to the media reaction on WDFN this afternoon. It’s incredible to see how meta this is getting . . .

Speaking of going meta, I’ll again pray forgiveness for the lack of content yesterday. My “tweaking” of the site has scope-creeped all the way up into a full-on platform change and redesign; what I have in the works ought to knock your socks off (but it’s killing all my writing time)! Tomorrow will feature a nice fat offseason post I hope you’ll all enjoy.  In the meantime, check out Press Coverage.

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Three Cups Deep: Preseason Week 1

Last year at this time, I started a regular Monday post I called “Three Cups Deep,” and the rationale went a little something like this:

On Mondays, it takes little bit more of the good stuff to get me going. The first desperately-needed cup is often not until nine o'clock or so, often because I’m such a complete zombie that I forget to go get coffee. I’m lucky to make it back to my desk with that first cup before I’m trekking back to the office Bunn—desperately hoping I won’t be the sucker who kills the joe, and therefore beholden to make some mo’.

The second cup I down steadily, solidly, workmanlike. By the end of that second helping, I’m starting to get the tingle; my eyes aren’t drooping quite so much. I realize I’m slouching so badly in my chair that the backrest is supporting my head instead, and move to an upright position. But the third cup . . . ahh, the third cup. The initial sip of the third cup is like Zeus’s lighting; a bolt from the heavens igniting my nervous system! I lean forward in my chair, attacking the problems of the day with emphatic keyboard strikes, pummeling my dreary to-do list into submission. It is now, at the beginning of that third cup, that I write this.

For the first time this season, there was Lions football over the weekend—so Three Cups Deep makes its triumphant return.  I spoke at length about my impressions on last night’s Fireside Chat podcast, but a good night’s sleep—or in my case, a bad night’s sleep and three cups of coffee—always provides valuable perspective.

In my guest Gameday post over at The Steelers N'At, the first sentence I wrote was, “On offense, I want to see a lot of completed passes.”  I got what I wanted on an impressive scale: Lions quarterbacks combined to complete 23 of 32 passes.  Stafford was 8-of-11; two of those were attempted TD strikes to Calvin, and one was the ill-fated swing pass to Jahvid Best.  Other than that, Stafford was nearly perfect.  The Lions spread it around a lot, too: those 23 passes went to 15 different Lions, with no receiver catching more than two balls each.

It was bizarre to watch the offense simply work.  Dropback, pass, complete.  Dropback, pass, complete.  Handoff, run forward, gain yards.  Dropback, pass, complete.  It was practically boring.  I thought to myself, “This is . . . easy.  Just, you know, complete the passes.  Why didn’t they just do this before?”  After all the wailing and lamentations, after decades of quarterback purgatory, duh, just throw and catch!  It didn’t hurt that this was the preseason, where the reaction from the Steelers crowd was a combination of silent puzzlement and total indifference.  The whole thing felt surreal.

What was even more surreal was every single end-zone replay showing a perfect pocket for Stafford to throw from.  I don’t know if the Steelers were just laying off, or what—but there was no heat on Stafford whatsoever, and he was getting rid of it quickly anyway.  Kudos to the line for keeping him clean, regardless of the pressure.

Save for the unfortunate swing pass (assigning blame is irrelevant), Jahvid Best was very impressive, and absolutely looked like an NFL every-down back.  Speed, moves, vision, yes—but strong between the tackles, and fast to the hole.  I’ve said for quite some time that the questions about his size and toughness were unfounded, but anyone who watched Best run this weekend came away knowing he’ll be just fine.

Defensively, Cliff Avril made his presence known immediately, and the starting defensive line looked every bit as impressive as advertised.  The linebackers weren’t quite as impressive; Zack Follett looked like he was a step slow to react on a lot of things, but at least looked credible out there.  Of course, the loss of Jordon Dizon is unfortunate—but at this point in his career, I can’t tell you how much better he is than Vinny Ciurciu, which says a lot about both him and Ciurciu.

In the secondary, I was impressed by the ball skills of Chris Houston and Eric King, and undrafted free agent safety Randy Phillips.  We’ll see how long that lasts once things get a little more “for real”, but the starting secondary held their own out there, which is a fantastic first sign.  I still anticipate some real struggles in the back seven over the course of the season, but I’ll take any reason for optimism I can get.

And now, for the fourth cup . . .

Technorati Tags: nfl,detroit lions,pittsburgh steelers,preseason,matthew stafford,jahvid best,cliff avril

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Have Punt, Will Travel

UPDATED with fixed link to must-read GQ article. Thanks, David!

Often lost in the hullabaloo of professional football is the first half of the equation: professional.  Much is made about the thousands, even millions of dollars thrown around to athletes, coaches, and executives that make the game we follow--but then we naively ascribe all sorts of amateurish motives and ideals to these men: honor, loyalty, the love of the game.  We take all we know of them—their on-field personas and their public statements—and we build them up in accordance with this paradigm.
Marvin Harrison was a receiver of electrifying ability.  On the field, he did nothing but his job; off the field, he didn’t exist.  He didn’t make commercials, didn’t blog, didn’t Tweet, didn’t even speak unless he absolutely had to.   The football viewing public decided he must be classy, humble, and workmanlike.  He was held up as the anti-TO—a wide receiver whose grace, maturity, and selflessness elevated him beyond his look-at-me contemporaries.
Faced with the GQ article that will surely go down as one of the most powerful pieces of sportswriting this year, we must face the reality: we know absolutely nothing about Marvin Harrison.  All we saw was what he did on the field—and on the field, he did nothing but his job.  He was a professional football player: he showed up, punched the clock, busted his ass, got results, punched the clock, and went home to do whatever he does in private.
Stan Kwan had a job in the NFL, too.  But he wasn't getting results—and his firing had been called for, vociferously, by just about everyone in the Lions blogosphere, myself not excepted:

As for Kwan . . . well, there is absolutely no excuse for what Stan Kwan’s coverage and return teams did to the Lions’ chances for victory on Sunday. According to the official game book, the Lions’ average starting field position was their own 18-yard-line. The Bears’ average starting field position was the Lions’ 48. As pointed out by Killer, the defense allowed the Bears only 276 yards of total offense—but 277 yards of punt and kick returns.

It’s undeniable; the Lions’ special teams were absolutely wretched this season.  According to Football Outsiders’ special teams analysis, the Lions put together the second-worst special teams unit in the NFL this year.  His performance was manifestly wretched; his firing, inevitable.
Yet, it must be pointed out that Kwan had practically nothing to work with.  Nigh-on a decade’s worth of fruitless drafts had left, ahem, the cupboard bare, and Kwan was making do with the rejects of the rejects.  The promising and developing young players that competitive teams allocate to special teams were instead forced into starting roles, evaluated, and often released.
Reader TimT’s incredible analysis of the Lions’ roster churn proves the point: Kwan was often saying “hello” and “goodbye” to his players before a game had elapsed in between!  Think of it this way: we’re all marveling at the quick development of DeAndre Levy as a three-position reserve linebacker, and possible 2010 starter—but on a “real” team Levy would have spent all of this season, and likely the next, destroying people on special teams.  In his place, we had street free agents like Vinny Ciurciu.
Kwan did the best he could under the circumstances, but he readily admitted to the Detroit News’ John Niyo that it wasn’t anywhere near enough:

"Bottom line is results, and I don't have any regrets, other than that I didn't fulfill that for him and the Ford family and really the fans. It's disheartening, because a lot of people, especially with the economy we're in, everybody's working hard and that one Sunday out of the week, they want to see a winner. And I didn't fulfill those duties."

Wow.  It’s rare that someone who just got fired speaks with such candor about his failures.  He didn’t blame the roster, he didn’t blame the Rogue’s Gallery of coaches and executives he’s worked for here, and he didn’t even dissemble about “going in a different direction”, a “difference in philosophy”, or even a “mutual parting of ways”.  No, his performance didn’t measure up—he knew it, he accepted it, and he admitted it.  You think that’s classy?  Wait until you read this:

"I hope the people of Detroit realize that they have got the right guy (in Schwartz)," Kwan said. "We became good friends, and for him to have to let me go because the special teams wasn't where it needs to be, I mean, that speaks volumes about what he's trying to get accomplished.

I mean, I just . . . wow.  While I’ve never been fired for poor results, I have been laid off—and my first reaction was not to call the local paper and tell them the guy who just took my badge and laptop is doing a hell of a job.  Kwan must be a hell of a friend, and a hell of a class act.
Unfortunately, he’s unemployed.
He'll be traveling to Mobile, Alabama for the Senior Bowl: the annual college all-star game which doubles as a job fair for football coaches with steep mortgage payments but no income.  On the sidelines for the North squad will be Jim Schwartz, Gunther Cunningham, Scott Linehan, and the rest of the Lions’ staff—including Danny Crossman, the Lions’ new special teams coordinator. 
Sean Yuille over at Pride of Detroit already has a great little background piece on Crossman’s background and recent performance.  It also includes a link to the Panthers’ SB Nation blog, wherein Crossman’s firing garnered eerily familiar proclamations of joy—and eerily similar defenses of his 2009 performance.  Quoth Panthers cornerback Dante Wesley:

“You’ve got to look at what he had to work with. It seemed like we were bringing new guys in each and every week. Then with the injuries we had, the backups are playing bigger roles on offense and defense, and we never had the same group. With that, I mean, Danny was teaching things over and over and over, because he never knew who he was going to have. It can be frustrating, because so many guys are coming through. You want to try to do it by yourself, but you can’t. That’s not how it works.”

And how did Schwartz settle on Crossman?

"He brings a wealth of both college and NFL coaching experience that undoubtedly will have a positive impact on our special teams play. I've known Danny for a long time, and I've always had tremendous respect for his special teams units."

It’s hard not to conclude that the Lions have made a lateral move here.  Yet, it was a move that had to be made.  There are plenty of good people out in the “real world” who can’t hold on to jobs because their performance doesn’t warrant it—or, more accurately, they’re not so amazing at their jobs as to be indispensable.
I hope Danny Crossman’s fresh face, fresh voice, and approach will catalyze great improvement here.  I hope a full offseason of roster-building will result in a little quality depth trickling down into the coverage and return units.  I hope Crossman, a former all-Big East cornerback, Pitt team captain, inaugural World Bowl MVP (!), and, briefly, Lions DB (!!), can connect with Lions special teams aces like Ciurciu and Zack Follett. 
Meanwhile, I hope Stan Kwan finds a good job in Mobile.  I hope he finds a head coach who values the quasi-Olympic ideals we foist upon our professional sportsmen: honor, loyalty, diligence, and work ethic.  I hope he finds a team with young talent, a winning culture, a supportive fan base, and—why not?—better weather.
Hey, I hear Carolina’s looking.

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larry foote, finally home

As Dave Birkett reported--and I subsequently Tweeted--last night, Larry Foote is officially a Detroit Lion.

The subsequent celebration throughout the Lions blogosphere has been predictable.  From speculation that Mayhew and The Grandmaster had this move in mind throughout the draft, to joyous shouts of "Aaron Curry who?" on forums (yes, really), the verdict from Lions fans is in: the signing of Larry Foote is an unqualified home run.

It's not that I disagree.  Foote is a veteran inside linebacker, a proven run-stopper, and has been one of the leaders of the best defense in football--a defense which boasts two Super Bowl titles in the past three years.  In those same three years, the Lions' roster has been completely turned over; only a handful of players were even here for the Mariucci days.  At this point, the Lions' defense is a clean slate--player-wise, extremely young, and scheme-wise, they're starting from scratch.  A "thumper" DeAndre Levy might be, but he has no idea what day-to-day life in the NFL is like.  He's never had to take on a NFL fullback, get an NFL guard's hands off him, or square up and wrap up an NFL tailback.  Foote, however, has been to the mountaintop--twice.  His understanding of how to play, how to practice, how to expect victory, and how to execute under pressure, all of that will be absolutely invaluable to the young Lions linebackers.  In the locker room, in the film room, on the practice field, on the gridiron, and in the huddle, Larry Foote will not only be a leader of and example for the talented greenhorns this defense is being built around, he'll also provide legitimacy to the other veterans who've just been added.  Grady Jackson, Julian Peterson, Anthony Henry, and Philip Buchanon are not going to prick up their ears when DeAndre Levy speaks.  However, when Larry Foote flashes his rings, you can bet he'll have their undivided attention.

That all having been said, let's be realistic.  Foote is a very good player, but he has limitations.  He'll be strictly a two-down linebacker here; he's notoriously weak in pass coverage.  At 29, he's hardly over the hill, but the Steelers drafted Lawrence Timmons to replace him--and that's exactly what Timmons is doing.  Moreover, Foote is on a one-year deal, reportedly at his request.  This is a 'prove-it' deal, where Foote is going to try to make a big impact, and then get paid.  Will the Lions be the ones who give Larry Foote a lavish deal which he'll retire on--in what might possibly be an uncapped year?  Not if they stick to their plan of building through the draft and financial prudence, they won't.  No, this will almost certainly be DeAndre Levy's job in 2010.  Foote will enjoy being at home for a year, and with luck we'll get everything he has left while he pads out his free agent resume.  He has all the incentive in the world to have a career year . . . let's enjoy that fact, hope Levy and Sims and Dizon and Follett all learn everything they can from him, and move on.

Like Jackson, Henry, Buchanon, et. al., Foote is a stopgap; an older player who fits a need.  He's a smart, cheap, temporary acquistion.  The kind of player that he is, is the kind of player the Lions are trying to draft.  He was available, the price was right, he filled a need, and Mayhew pulled the trigger.  Today, we are not celebrating the cornerstone of the new Lions' defense being set--we're celebrating the raising of a really sharp-looking "Coming Soon" sign.

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meet the cubs: the first minicamp

The rookie class of 2009 had their first reps in Lion uniforms (sans the logo on the helmet, which, ever since Parcells made rookies "earn the star" in Dallas, has become the de rigeur move for the entire NFL) over the weekend.  Following Tom Kowalski, Dave Birkett, and Nick Cotsonika's updates over the weekend left us with a few notable impressions:

* Matt Stafford came out throwing--overthrowing, in fact.  Appearing anxious to please, his first few passes were a little wild.  This echoes the scouting reports of his Pro Day performance: he was rocketing balls as hard as he could on that day, too; overthrowing to try to impress.  However, he quickly settled down on Friday, and ultimately earned the praise of his fellow rookies.   As Killer noted, Stafford was (correctly) throwing before the recievers broke, so that when they made their break and turned around to look for the ball, it was already there--and moving fast.  A lot of Stafford's passes bounced off of hands that were either rusty, unused to such velocity, or both.  Former Georgia WR Sean Bailey, at rookie minicamp on a tryout, took a Stafford pass off the facemask on the first day.  Said Penn State WR Derrick Williams: "My impressions were, please don't take my head off today.  I tried to make sure that I had my head around. He's really good. He's going to be a great quarterback.”

* Brandon Pettigrew had arguably the easiest time catching Stafford's fastballs on Friday.  He was then held out of Saturday practices with a tight hamstring.  Honestly, the pass catching is nice--but we knew he had soft hands.  What I'm most anxious to see is his blocking, and that won't happen until the pads go on.

* Louis Delmas appears to be the real deal, flying all over the field, breaking up (and intercepting) passes, laying some hits, talking lots of trash, and (apparently) forming an early rapport with Matt Stafford.  Every reporter there  When the Grandmaster was asked if Delmas stood out, he said,"Yeah, he stood out. I think that's obvious to you, me and the American people."

* According to Killer, Zack Follett and DeAndre Levy appeared to be largely similar to Jordon Dizon, in terms of "size and appearance".  The difference, I would like to point out, is that Dizon neither led his conference in tackles for loss, as Follett did, nor boasted legit 4.5 speed, as Levy does.  Follett was a jaw-dropping playmaker all over the field for Cal, and--according to Schwartz himself--Levy's the "thumper" Schwartz was looking for in the middle.  Until the pads go on, we won't know if Levy'll be able to man the middle, but Levy's already put on a few pounds of muscle, and says he's looking to get up to a lean 240.  If he does that, he'll be the same size as Larry Foote, and much faster than Foote's ever been.  As sure of a tackler?  No.  A veteran leader?  No.  But just as big, and much faster--and, thereby, possibly a better fit for Guntherball?  Yes.

* Derrick Williams dropped a few passes on Friday, and struggled to field punts cleanly on Saturday.  Most reports from minicamps around the NFL noted that their rookies looked quite rusty, so I'm going to give Williams the benefit of the doubt there--though, it should be noted that Williams was drafted not for his hands, but for what he does once the ball is in them.

* Sammie Hill looked as advertised: raw but big.  His weight has now creeped up to "330" in the latest Killer article about him.  By training camp, one wonders if he'll be a "lean 400".  All reports were that Hill looked legit amongst his peers out there, but that he wasn't that well-conditioned; he was the first to be sucking wind on Friday.  None of this should come as a huge surprise, seeing as he was used to effortlessly mauling DII competition.

* I didn't hear much about TCU RB Aaron Brown's performances, though Mayhew did say that he can "help us on returns and help us on third downs" over the weekend.

* I've helped stoke the Lydon Murtha flames a bit, but he was held out of practices with a tweaked hammy.  This is not good news for a player whose biggest knock is his inability to stay on the field.  Here's hoping that NFL trainers and conditioning can keep him loose and limber for training camp and the preseason.

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meet the cubs: zack follett

Zack Follett, California LB: In researching this 6'-1", 238-pound spark plug, it quickly became obvious: Zach Follett is going to be the next inductee into the Lions Fan Hall of Fame.  Players like David Kircus, Scotty Anderson, Casey Fitzsimmons, David "Blue" Adams, Greg Blue, and Buster Davis have been drafted late (or signed as a UFA) by the Lions, made a big play or two in training camp or preseason, and become cult heroes--often, with fans insisting that these practice squadders and/or bench riders would be immediate upgrades over the current starters, if only they were given the opportunity.  Zack Follett perfectly fits this profile; I have no doubt we'll be seeing Follett jerseys in the stands sooner rather than later.

Follett's official bio tells the story: Follett's a wrecking ball of a linebacker.  Coming in as a four-star recruit, Follett was ranked by Rivals as the eleventh-best inside linebacker in the nation (Maualuga was #1, Laurenitis was #28).  As an interesting side note, during four years at Cal, Follett apparently shrunk an inch and lost a step.  You gotta love the recruiting racket . . . Anyway, unlike Dan Gronkowski, Follett was not a self-made player.  Gronkowski was recruited by nobody--at least, not as a quarterback--then switched positions, and through sheer brains and strength, played his way into some playing time.  Follett, however, was a highly touted recruit, and Cal didn't bother redshirting him--Follett was expected to contribute immediately, and did.  

As a true freshman, Follett garnered 32 tackles and two sacks.  He saw action in every game, came up hugein Cal's bowl game, and was named to Rivals' Freshman All-America first team.  His sophomore year, he only started one game--yet lead the team in tackles for loss (12.5), tied for the team lead in sacks (5.5), led the Pac-10 in forced fumbles (4),  had 62 total tackles, and was honorable mention All-Pac 10.  Again, this is all coming off the bench.  In his only start, he had 10 of those tackles, three for loss, a sack, and a forced fumble (returned by another Bear for a TD).  As a junior, he was second-team All-Pac 10, again with 12.5 TFL and 5.5 sacks, plus 64 total tackles.  This, despite missing part of one game and all of two more with a neck stinger--thanks to an aggravation of a bulging neck disc discovered in high school.  Finally, came his senior year, where the Bears switched to a 3-4, partly to maximize Follett's abilities.  Here's a great interview with Follett immediately prior to his senior year:

"The 3-4 defense is really going to increase my role," Follett said. "Last year, I was eating up blocks when I played outside. We tried different schemes to give me the chance to pressure the quarterback, but now with the 3-4, it's inevitable that I'll have my chances to go after the passer and go off the edge for sacks. I had 5.5 sacks the last two years, but that should be two games now with this defense. Anything less than double digits this season will be a disappointment."

Follett was anything but a disappointment in 2008, finishing fourth in the Pac-10 with 10.5 sacks.  He also led the Pac-10 in tackles for loss (23) and forced fumbles (5).  He was named first-team All Pac-10 (a conference that includes USC and their three-headed-monster LB corps!).  He was also MVP of the Emerald Bowl after racking up 9 tackles (8 solo), four of them for losses (-33 yards).  That also includes two sacks, one of which forced a fumble.

Follett has just enough size and more than enough speed to play 4-3 middle linebacker--but his downhill, attacking style is best suited for a blitzing 4-3 OLB, or basically any of the four 3-4 linebacker spots.  He's at his best when he can tee off on runners and quarterbacks--get in a lane, come flying up it, and absolutely level fools.  What do I mean by "level fools"?  I mean this:

Enough said.  Now, what did we see in that montage?  We saw a defender get into the backfield--over, and over, and over again.  We saw him pursue, catch, hit, and bring down quarterbacks and running backs alike.  We saw suddenness, burst, good tackling technique, and good strength.  Now, is this guy a complete linebacker?  No.  Can he line up over an NFL tight end and smother him with impeccable coverage?  Probably not.  Does he have the ideal size for an NFL run-stuffer?  Definitely not.  For those hoping for an immediate starting middle linebacker, you will have to look elsewhere.  Thanks to the Lions' great trade for Julian Peterson, Follett won't push for starting time on the outside, either.  But, does he have a place on the roster?  Sure.  Spake the Grandmaster:

“We drafted a good football player that was productive and, at that point, (he) was on the board too long. He’s extremely productive. I guess the best words you’d describe him are ‘good football player.’ (He’s) versatile, he’s played inside, he’s played outside, even lines up as a pass rusher with his hand in the dirt.”

And how does the young man himself see his role?

"His master plan for making the Lions' roster is to 'go out on kickoff and blow some guys up'-- let the pads do the talking, the same way he got himself noticed a few years ago as the new kid in the Cal program. 

'You've just got to be on the field to make a play,' he says. 'I'm gonna find a way to get on the field whether I'm starting or I'm on special teams. I'm gonna keep flying around trying to make a name for myself.'"

I have no doubt he'll be able to do exactly that. In most of my research, the first thing that comes up is amazement that this kid was available in the seventh round.  Apparently the neck stinger that limited him in 2007 scared enough LB-hungry teams to engender a big fall--still, that is the kind of risk you want to take with a seventh-round pick.  If it pans out, you have an immediate special teams monster, a situational contributor by the end of the season, and a significant piece of the defense from there forward.  You talk about finding value in the late rounds of the draft; you're talking about a Zack Follett.

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