Lions Off-Season Thread

[RipCity32]

ALLEN PARK - There is a report that the Oakland Raiders have put running back Darren McFadden on the trading block and, if that's accurate, the Detroit Lions would likely be very interested in chatting about it.
The price, of course, would be the sticking point. The Lions aren't likely to give up a second-round pick for McFadden, but they might consider their third-rounder (66th overall). McFadden is a former first-round pick who has big-play ability but has been mired in the mess in Oakland. Also, he's just 22 years old and would seem an ideal fit for what the Lions are looking for.
Lions general manager Martin Mayhew has said the Lions were in trade discussions with several teams prior to the draft about acquiring a running back. It might be that the Lions are going to wait on serious trade talks until after their second-round pick to see if they've got a shot at California running back Jahvid Best.
During interviews on Wednesday, Best said that he's had virtually no contact with the Lions, but that doesn't mean much. I know for a fact that, at least early on in this process, the Lions were very interested in Best. Some teams like to play possum (sorry, Sean Baligian) and not show their cards - like one club has apparently been doing with Clemson running back C.J. Spiller.

Would not oppose to that at all. I'd love to see Run DMC as a Lion. Was a fan of him when he was at Arkansas.

 

[Pugz]

i read that he might be on the table and i wanted him right when i read that. id love for us to trade for him.

 

[mafiamike]

i read that he might be on the table and i wanted him right when i read that. id love for us to trade for him.

Hell Yeah RAIDER NATION!!!

 

[Blake]

SMH, he's overrated as hell.

 

[mafiamike]

The player rep for Darren McFadden confirmed that he's spoken with the Raiders three times on Thursday, and the team has assured him the running back is not on the trade block.
We can close the door on this one. The McFadden rumors appear to be nothing more ESPN's Chris Mortensen idly speculating on ESPN's Mike & Mike in the Morning. It's certainly not unprecedented for ESPN to create news for the sole purpose of having ESPN "personalities" rehashing the news.
Source: Michael Smith on Twitter

A Raiders spokesman denied Thursday that the team is shopping Darren McFadden.
The denial is in response to a Thursday morning radio spot with ESPN's Chris Mortensen suggesting McFadden could be one of veterans available on draft weekend. The Raiders insist McFadden is not going anywhere, likely because they realize they couldn't get fair value for the No. 4 overall pick in 2008.

http://www.rotoworld.com/content/clubhouse_news.aspx?sport=NFL&majteam=OAK

 

[Blake]

God I hope this happens and they send the second pick to Oakland. Davis will spend it on something stupid like JPP, Spiller, or Bryant.

 

[Pugz]

NFL.com - Adam "Pacman" Jones is still looking for a way back into the NFL and believes that the Lions would be a "great fit" for him.

The cornerback told the Tennessean on Wednesday he would be willing to accept a minimum salary, incentive-laden deal.

"I would just love to play football, period," Jones said in a telephone interview. "But I think Detroit would be a great fit."

 

[.infamous]

I think the only team willing to give jones another chance is us. I think if he stays out of trouble he could be an above average corner and a great kick returner for us. And he knows that he will on get the minunmum salary so he knows its probably his last chance.

 

[RipCity32]

They need to make it happen, I really want Pacman.

 

[mafiamike]

They need to make it happen, I really want Pacman.

http://www.macombdaily.com/articles/2010/03/25/sports/srv0000007894410.txt

Desperate is an interesting word in that it should have only one meaning, but really doesn't.

Consider the case of the Detroit Lions. They haven't won a championship since television was little more than grainy black-and-white images, and the NFL consisted of only 12 teams.

The Lions have won just one playoff game since, had the best player in franchise history fax in his retirement on the eve of training camp one summer, and brought the world the horrific concept of Matt Millen running an NFL franchise.

If there is any team that should be desperate, it's the Lions. And it should be a good thing.

But if the Lions sign troubled cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones, they will be crossing the line to the wrong side of desperate, the part that often leads to a deeper spot in the abyss.

It's one thing to be urgent. Another to be foolish.

Pacman Jones isn't just another NFL player with a rap sheet. He is the leader in the clubhouse. He faced felony charges for his involvement in an incident at a Las Vegas nightclub that left a man paralyzed in a shooting.

The Associated Press described Jones' run-ins with the law, "as being arrested six times and being involved in 12 incidents requiring police intervention."

He was a highly regarded player under current Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez at West Virginia in college, and performed well early in his NFL career with the Tennessee Titans — when Lions' head coach Jim Schwartz was the defensive coordinator there.

If anyone should know Pacman, the theory goes, it should be Schwartz, who claims the Lions are "very interested" in Jones.

Maybe that's the problem. Familiarity. It seems to be running as rampant with this coaching staff, as it did when Rod Marinelli brought in all those ex-Tampa Bay players based on "familiarity."

Jones is only 26, but he did play for Dallas — and poorly — in 2008. People saying there is nothing to lose are missing why every team in the league has passed on Jones for an extended period of time (he did not play last season).

You drop that element into a locker room, and good attitudes tend to vaporize. In Dallas, for example, Jones didn't perform well, but he did have a run-in with a team security guard. He did get tons of attention for being Pacman Jones, the alleged thug.

And say Jones returns to form. Say he starts performing well, and it plays a significant role in the Lions winning games. There is the big lead on, but the inevitable letdown is sure to follow.

We saw it in this town in 2007, when immensely talented nose tackle Shaun Rogers, a decidedly sour seed, played out of his mind. The Lions were 6-2. Rogers was brilliant, as they destroyed Denver in a home game at Ford Field.

The next week, you could just see Rogers' effort start lagging. You could just sense him reverting back to his sour nature.

The Lions have won three of 40 games since. Rogers? He is long gone.

Look, it's understood the NFL is a rough game — the toughest in team sports in my mind.

Being nasty is a good thing on the field. It's not necessarily bad to have football players on your side, who struggle with anger-management issues. Pro football is a nasty and violent game. But it's controlled anger and violence.

The NFL also garners enormous public attention. If Pacman Jones comes to Detroit and missteps off the field, it becomes The Issue. A glaring distraction.

The Lions had a very good draft last year. They are in prime position to do the same again next month.

Their free-agent signings and trades to this point have been well-planned. Even though some of the players they are bringing in do have ties to their coaching staff in the past, it hasn't been just about that.

Unlike during the Millen era, the Lions have been calculated with their moves.

Jones would be more like throwing something against the wall and hoping it sticks.

And that right there is the risk.

 

[.infamous]

Report: Lions not expected to sign 'Pacman' despite need for CBs

NFL.com

Adam "Pacman" Jones believes the Detroit Lions could use him. Too bad the team reportedly doesn't see it that way.

Citing sources close to the situation, MLive.com reported Friday that the Lions don't plan to sign the cornerback anytime soon.

Jones, who didn't play last season after a series of off-the-field problems, said Wednesday that he would accept a minimum-salary, incentive-laden deal to return to the NFL. He also said "Detroit would be a great fit," and he has been linked to the Lions because their coach, Jim Schwartz, was the Tennessee Titans' defensive coordinator when Jones played for that team in 2005 and 2006.

"I texted him (Schwartz) and just told him that I'm still available, I like what they did in the draft," Jones told the Tennessean. "It was just a simple text message. And he was like, 'Thanks. Keep your head up and keep the faith.' We left it at that."

The Lions are looking for cornerback help after their 2009 pass defense ranked last in the NFL with 265.6 yards allowed per game. They signed Dante Wesley and Jonathan Wade in free agency and used a third-round draft pick on Iowa's Amari Spievey.

Jones, a first-round pick (No. 6 overall) by the Titans in 2005, has four career interceptions -- all in the 2006 season. However, he has played in just nine games after that season.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell suspended Jones for the 2007 season because of his misconduct. The Titans traded Jones to the Dallas Cowboys in 2008, but he was released after the season.

Looks like the Lions wont be getting Pacman

 

[RipCity32]

Not sure why, but I guess whatever :/

 

[WHO-DEY-BENGALS_18]

http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d817ebb23&template=with-video-with-comments&confirm=true

 

[RipCity32]

http://www.freep.com/article/20100522/COL08/5220321/1355/SPORTS/Lions-Calvin-Johnson-finally-feeling-upbeat

Good to hear, if we want to keep arguably the best receiver in the game, we are going to need to make him happy. That's what I've been worried about, he wouldn't want to come back here because he knows he is the best player on a terrible team. But now he's happy and might even play better, which is scary.