You have to understand that as a fan of the Lions most of my excitement historically tends to occur during the off-season, so when they came out blazing I was a bit excited. Perhaps a bit too excited, but I still remain so, though with qualification. The Lions came out blazing, signing free agents Nate Burelson and Kyle Vanden Bosch, and trading late round picks in the upcoming Draft for Corey Williams. At first I thought these moves gave us some versatility going into next month’s Draft, but given some time to consider it in mentat fashion, this potential versatility could be my damn bane incarnate…if I didn’t have faith, and believe me brother. it might be the wrong kind – old testament test style – but you can’t be a Detroit Lions fans for life and not have some. Don’t make me bust out my Jerry Ball jersey

Let’s get a couple of irrefutable positives out of the way…

• the moves make us a better football team today
• they were all positions of present need
• they all (today) are starters
• Burelson is a legit#2 WR in this league going to a system he is familiar with

Keep this in mind, none of the above puts us in the top 2/3 of the league. At the time of a  twitter exchange I had with with fellow mentat (and Nation of Jason member) Jason Wood (@wood83)  I perhaps was too optimistic, but I think it may have a lot to do with the nature of our teams of choice. When you are a Detroit Lion fan, your team has won 2 games in the last two seasons. Let that sink in. There are perhaps a half-dozen positions on the team that are currently filled with players that would be deemed understandable (if not completely acceptable) by fans of other football teams. Other teams make moves to fill holes or reload, the Lions (I hope) just found the shovel.

Why the faith?

I think last year’s draft was a good first step for the Jim Schwatz era. Admittedly I was having a fit over some later picks (passing on Gilbert and Johnson–at the time!) that I couldn’t believe we passed on, but we came away with starters. While I’m never thrilled about picking a TE that early, and though they all have injury issues, we came away with our QB in Stafford; our Safety in Delmas; and a potential live body at DT in Sammie Lee.

What we still must do…

We have to still take Suh or McCoy. The aforementioned versatility scares me now, as I hope we don’t make a mistake thinking we signed Jared Allen and not Vanden Bosch. Even worse, I hope we don’t think we can now move back and take OT or even another safety (who actually might be the best football player in this draft). I love the guy’s (Vanden Bosch) motor and I think he brings intangibles that are absolute assets to a team, but for him to get back to form on the field as a pass rushing threat he needs someone else on the line that commands attention. While I like both Sammie Hill and Corey Williams as players, I like them (and Cliff Avril) a hell of a lot more as rotational pieces on a defensive line anchored by the Suh monster.

While the argument of past failed and highly drafted Defensive linemen lingers, you can’t let the Huey Richardson, Andre Wadsworth and Jamal Reynolds (a lot of Florida represented here) affect what you do today (much less next month). The draft is a crapshoot, but you still have to take your shots with as much clarity as possible– you don’t avoid a Cortez Kennedy, or a Kevin or Mario Williams just because  you have some solid mid-rounders who may belong in the league.  Getting a dominant DT who demands two bodies on him 50% of the time makes these pieces  you do have look a hell of a lot better.

Don’t Get Me Wrong…

I like Okung and he’s a position of need, but I just don’t get that Pace, Ogden or Jones feeling about him. Not talking about his style of play, but I get more of a Chris Samuels feeling (which don’t get me wrong, in his prime would represent  a huge upgrade for the Lions) from him. He (Okung)  is nice, but he’s not coming out as this force. For a more contemporary example, if you’re asking me if I’d rather have one of this year’s DTs or last year’s 2nd pick overall pick O-lineman (Jason Smith), I’d roll the dice on either of the former.

Why I’m slightly pissed…

All that said, if this was Madden we wouldn’t even be able to start the season because we aren’t even filling our cornerback roster requirement. Then, I have to watch the Jets make a strong move for Antonio Cromartie a young player who would instantly become our #1 corner, for a draft pick.

Second, look…I get it, there are serious injury concerns. I don’t care. If you have a spot on your squad for Burelson, then you have 3 for Anquan Boldin. Burelson could turn out to be an optimal #2, but a healthy Boldin is a second #1 lining up opposite of Megatron. Like Vanden Bosch, Boldin also brings a warrior mentality to the field that has to be infectious. It’s been an odd off season thus far, an one of extremes. There is some serious dough being spent (like Rolle with the New York Football Giant), but some relative bargains too. In a vacuum I like our pick-ups, but when I see a Baltimore (an organization that has proven it knows a little something about talent evaluation) and the Jets fills positions we need with top shelf talent at bargain prices, it makes me wonder if we jumped the gun. I like being aggressive players, but I like great players more.

We are better today. Not good enough to pass on Suh or McCoy, but in a better position to embrace them into the fold. Forget the film, stats, and measurables. One of these cats has “Dam U Kong” in his name.

You draft that guy.