Back in Action: DanO in, Bodden Out?

I hear it was a great SuperBowl! Wouldn't know -- I was at the Great Wolf Lodge in Traverse city going up roughly four stories as quick as my girls could walk up the stairs, and coming down the indoor waterslide on an inner tube, repeat. The time sitting on the tube and floating wasn't near long enough in proportion to time spent walking up stairs, but it was a blast -- especially playing with the kids at a waterpark that felt about 85 degrees while it was snowing outside. Throw in a mere 42" height requirement, meaning all 3 pink lions could do everything, and the chance to see Mrs. DetFan1979 in a swimsuit the whole time and I had a perfect vacation! It was a blast!

Speaking of blasts, apparently after blasting the Lions' organization (rightly so according to Killer, and I agree, but he still talked himself out of $8+ million and an opportunity to help turn around the Lions) Leigh Bodden will be meeting up with Mike Furrey in the "cut due to being overpaid department store" after the season. These are the types of cuts we are not used to the Lions making (with the possible exception of Kevin Jones) but that other teams make all the time. When salary > production = cut/traded. Conversely, these are good types of players to pick up on the cheap from other teams. Just don't overpay them.

The corollary to that is having a replacement, and Keith Smith if used properly is a #2 CB right now in the NFL -- in a primarily man-coverage scheme. At least the Lions are making solid moves to get a better philosophy around their player acquisition and development. I'm thinking we could be surprised come Monday when the cuts are announced.

On the other side of the spectrum is DanO -- who apparently has broken silence and voiced a willingness, even a --dare I say it? -- desire to re-sign with Detroit. He knows his best opportunity to start -- even if only for a few seasons while they draft his replacement from a strong 2010 QB class, and develop him. He could then still stay on as at worst a backup, at best a starter who manages the game off play action running by Kevin Smith and the deep ball to CJ. Throw in the dump-off to the TE over the middle (all three of which DanO can do very well) and you have Linehan's classic offense. You don't need a star at QB -- the design makes the average QB a star ---- something witnessed by his offenses in the past. He knows it is a golden opportunity, and that if he is not greedy he can have his shot at getting and holding a starting job.

The Lions also know that he will be a stable, poised leader as he showed last year under the toughest adversity. The Lions were in every game he was QB in, and you couldn't say that about most games last season. The defense blew it, pure and simple, in at least 3 of DanO's games.

Will the Lions resign him? I don't know. No one does. As a matter of fact, no one knows anything. More information got our of the first Nixon administration than is coming out of the Allen Park right now. (Watergate and the leaks weren't until his second term)

I like this. Mayhew/Lewand/Schwartz have been open and friendly with the fans, and seem to be making sure that Fans know that management has heard their cries and are trying to fix things. But they aren't giving details until AFTER something has been done -- which is the way it should be. I've said before my 7 year old could figure out the Lions draft board last year. Not so this year.

We'll see who gets cut Monday, and then see who they re-sign with their new found cap money to keep long term. Finally, we'll see who they target/sign in FA as well as who the final pieces of the staff are.

Who do you think will stay/go among both the players and coaches??

I am going to take one un-popular stance and say that Stan Kwan should stay. Rod Marinelli did his utmost to neuter special teams. He took away all the best ST players the Lions had, refused to even come close to getting a decent returner (Cason the 12-times cut? Just by the Lions? Puh-Lease!), and wouldn't let Kwan get at all aggressive with his return schemes or coverage schemes, and was ordering him to have the kicker/punter try high-risk directional kicking when the Lions have one of the best punters, and one of the best kickers in the league!!

When given guys who could return, and guys who could tackle to play special teams, Kwan did very well -- as he was taught to do and hand picked to succeed him by the best in the biz -- Priefer. Many times on the long returns you would see the Lions get there...and whiff on the tackle. then the next guy would take a bad angle...and the next guy would be standing around going "oh, the plays not over? I thought the first guy was supposed to tackle him..."

Also considering the bottom-end churn Marinelli, especially in his last season, did to the roster you can see that Kwan was facing a host of challenges. I would be willing to give him another shot as ST coach. We'll have to wait and see what Schwartz thinks.