Pro Football Talk.com recently reported that a member of the Lions front office indicated that the Lions may be leaning towards selecting OT Joe Thomas with their 2007 draft pick. Thomas, a towering Left Offensive Tackle, has suffered a knee injury in his past, which could effect his future draft standing. The Lions are in Mobile, Alabama this week scouting their draft prospects in the Senior Bowl, which is considered the premier showcase for draft eligible college seniors.
Thomas would be a desirable candidate in my eyes, since Lions incumbent Left Offensive Tackle Jeff Backus is both capable and reliable, but is far from the franchise cornerstone that Thomas may eventually be. In regards to Backus, the Lions could release him or shift him to Right Offensive Tackle. With the recent news that Mike Martz will likely remain the Lions Offensive Coordinator, selecting Thomas would be a shrewd move because the Martz-designed offense relies heavily on an Orlando Pace-type Left Tackle. In Martz's offense, the running backs are often involved in pass patterns and rarely utilized in max-protection schemes, which increases the responsibilities that are expected from the offensive line.
Lions QB Jon Kitna was sacked an astounding 63 times during the 2006 season. Although Kitna may not be the most fleet of foot, 63 sacks is an abomination that if repeated would likely see Kitna eventually suffering from a major injury. Their are five key organizational cornerstones that are generally accepted as being associated with success in the NFL (QB, LT, CB, edge-rushing DE, and 1-2 RB's). By selecting Thomas, the Lions may be filling one of those key positions that is currently filled, but could use an upgrade in my opinion.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-24-2007 @ 6:25PM
AJ said...
I think the Lions need to take the best player that will fill the most needed position. If that means taking a lineman then thats what they will have to do. My personal choice would be to take possibly Brady Quinn or Jamarcus Russell if Oaklnad doesnt select him. Aside from them or even possibly Adrian Peterson (Because Kevin Jones cant stay healthy) Joe Thomas may be the best choice. They are not depleted at wideout although some may like to differ. Possibly pick up a defensive end somewhere in the first three rounds would also help. They surely need to make sure they get their scouting right this time because most of the last few 1st round picks have been busts as everyone already knows. Aside from all the sacks they are not half bad on offense. If their defense was a little better they would be able to win some games too.
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1-24-2007 @ 8:24PM
George Houchens said...
The reason Kitna was sacked so many times is because he was not defended adequately on his blind side. He got hit from the backside so many times that I began to worry about his health. Blind side hits were the reason he fumbled on a number of occasions. On a number of occasions he barely got turned around before being creamed. Give the man credit for continuing to play hard in spite of the punishment he received.
This is the same thing that happened to Harrington early in his time with the Lions; before he developed a nervous twitch from being creamed so many times. Garcia tried to compensate for inadequate protection by rolling out of the pocket, but he needed some receivers to get free and catch the ball. The only receivers the Lions had left from injuries when Garcia played were backups.
Lions pass protection sucks! Kitna did a superb job last year with what little protection he received.
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1-25-2007 @ 1:12AM
bluewolf said...
you may be right with JT ! look guys i know youre trying ! BUT YEAR AFTER YEAR AFTER YEAR YOU fix one part of youre game and then its something else thats wrong ! I have been a fan (true fan) die hard infact- but ive always held my head up ! and took all the jokes and smiles the best i could !i think you have a good team now ! you can be as good as any other,you all are the best of the best ! you made it to the NFL now play as a team and kick some butt !! you guys help me make it ! realy ! im stuck in a mill 12 hrs a day month after month lucky if i make 30,000 a year with alot of overtime !! I drive an old 84 chevy cap- pay my rent and take care of my kids ! but thats ok ! ive got the lions and the wolverines to help me through :) I was born in Detroit but ive spent now most of my life in n.ga and chattanooga tn im telling all this just so you know i have to be one of youre biggest fans lol, anyway ill shut up ! and good luck to all you guys! Oh yea one more thing ! Thanks for beating the Cowboys ! it made my month !!
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2-14-2007 @ 11:39PM
phillip hofffman said...
If the lions take Brady Quinn in this years draft I will not watch a single game. Although Jemarcus Russell is intriguing I believe Oakland will take him. Quinn is a choker his record against top 25 schools is like 2 and 23. The bottom line is the majority of highly touted college QB's flop. The Lions have flopped TWICE in recent memory with Harrington and Ware (did he even play. Please I beg of you Matt Millen if you have any football sense what so ever address a real need on your team, like the offensive line, a durable RB, an impact linebacker (Ernie Simms was a great pick by the way), or for goodness sake anybody in the secondary (sorry Dre), basically any pick other than QB or WR would work for me.
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2-21-2007 @ 1:13AM
a-ron said...
i think the lions should take someone who will elevate the current position- joe thomas would be the most logical pick, however kevin jones being out and never really living up to expectations- adrian peterson would be able step in a possibly be the rookie of the year. martzs system relies on big plays down the field but needs a decent running game to support it, the lions to many times became on deminsional, however were still able to come up with big plays- a quarterback would be actually very logical given that martz will be able to groom him. every quarterback martz has been with has flourished as a solid starting quarter back- trent green-mark bulger-kurt warner- really when it comes down to it who would make the biggest impact come sunday- i say running back- adrian peterson should be their pick, however we understand why if they dont pick him, the lions have alot of team needs.
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