Back in those halcyon days of 2008, the moron running the Lions at the time actually did something worthwhile. In the 7th round of the '08 draft, Matt Millen drafted Army safety Caleb Campbell. At the time of the draft, due to his football talent, Army policy allowed Campbell go to reserve status. Thus letting the kid go through the draft process, and prepare for training camp.

After the Army allowed the Lions and media to trot Campbell out as an example of what sort of person they produce, and getting tons of free, positive publicity in the process, they pulled the rug out from under Campbell.

Army "policy" had been changed (likely due to the other service academies pitching a fit), and Campbell was told to report for active duty. The timing couldn't have been worse. It was the day before he was to report to Lions training camp.

His NFL dreams were put on hold indefinitely.

That dream is no longer on hold.

Per Nick Cotsonika at the Freep:

The Lions invited Campbell for a private workout last week. Campbell arrived Monday night, then went through a physical and workout Tuesday. He worked with coach Jim Schwartz, linebackers coach Matt Burke and special teams coach Danny Crossman. He told goblackknights.com that he weighed 237 pounds and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.49 seconds.

Campbell returned to Ft. Sill in Oklahoma on Tuesday night. He got good news tonight.

“My agent called and said that he was thinking that we are going to get a contract, he wasn't certain, but that he thought one would be coming,” Campbell told goblackknights.com today. “He called me this morning and told me that he had a contract sitting on his desk for me from the Lions. I just found this morning, it's been a heck of a day.”

Couldn't happen to a better guy, and good for the Lions! This will be one of the most interesting stories of training camp.

I really hope this works out for all parties involved. The Lions could get themselves a ballplayer, Campbell finally gets his shot to live out his football dreams, and the Army gets positive publicity.

It was a win-win-win scenario in '08, and remains so today.

The latest set of congregation questions from DetFan79 (of Roar of the Lions fame) are all about the Lions' furious activity once free agency opened. Martin Mayhew and Jim Schwartz wheeled, dealed and spent their way to a partially rebuilt defensive line, a compainion for Calvin Johnson and a new cornerback.

We discuss the results of the wheeling and dealing in this week's Q & A.

For my take, read on...

1.  Who was your favorite free agent acquisition thus far via trade or signing?

It has to be Kyle Vanden Bosch, if only for the aggressive way the Lions went after him. He was their number one free agent target from the get go, and were not going to be denied. The fact Vanden Bosch plays a position of need and already knows Jim Schwartz's defensive system like the back of his hand are pluses.

Vanden Bosh may not be the player he was 3-4 seasons ago, but he still has something left. 

2.  Which move will have the most impact?

If (and it's a big time if) it works out, the signing of Nate Burleson will have the most impact, for one reason only. If Burleson becomes a legitimate number 2 receiver, he will make the Lions' Big 2 on offense, Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson, better...and just as importantly, keep them happy. The Lions have tens of millions tied up in Stafford and Johnson, and they desperately need players surrounding them to step up. Scott Linehan is gambling Burleson will do so.

Burleson can kill two birds with one stone if can deliver an 70-80 catch, 900-1000 yard season (or just be better than Bryant Johnson and Dennis Northcutt, who had less than 800 receiving yards combined). Burleson will (hopefully, if Linehan is right) give Stafford a badly needed 2nd downfield weapon, and cause defenses to drop the double and triple blanket coverage on Megatron, something he's had to deal with on a weekly basis for most of his career.

I hate to say it, but as Burleson goes, so may Stafford, and especially, Johnson.

3.  After this first week of free agency, is the team better, worse or the same?  How much so?

Definitely better, but I think it's too early to state in black and white just how much. The draft and free agency are intertwined.

What the Lions do in free agency greatly affects what they may or may not do in the draft, and it's in the draft where true improvement is made. You'd also like to factor in the continued improvement of soon-to-be 2nd year players like Stafford, Brandon Pettigrew, Louis Delmas, Deandre Levy and Sammie Lee Hill.

But if you are going to twist my arm? I'll say they are greatly improved. But when you're 2-30 over the last couple of seasons, calling them greatly improved is relative. The Lions might win 6 games this season, if they get a few breaks. A 4 win improvement is an impressive accomplishment, but it only means the Lions would have progressed from God awful to merely bad.

But I'm not etching 6 victories in stone. A few more solid personnel moves before the draft, then another draft as good as '09...I may get swept up with the rest of the Lions Kool-Aid drinkers.

4.  The Lions went from picks 2 and 15 in round 5, and pick 2 in round 6 to just pick 18 in round 5 (while adding a mid 7th).  Was this worth it for what the Lions got in return (Corey Williams and Chris Houston)?

In return for those lower picks, the Lions received 2 players who are experienced, relatively young, of starting quality, and will be, worst case, part-time starters. Best case, Houston should step into the starting lineup immediately, while Williams either becomes a very important part of the defensive tackle rotation (if either Ndamukong Suh or Gerald McCoy are the Lions' 1st pick), or starts next to Hill (if the Lions go for Russell Okung or Eric Berry instead).

The Lions would be lucky to get a pair of starters out of what was three 3rd day selections. Even if they did stumble onto gold late in the draft, the odds are good such low selections wouldn't develop into starters right away. Anytime you can deal a 3rd day pick for a player of starting ability, you make that trade...every single time.

For the rest of the Lions blogosphere's answers to these latest head scratchers, head over to Roar of the Lions!

By the way, the Lions Congregation is going to become a much larger fixutre on the web, and will actually have its own home. I'll be sure to let you all know when our plans are set.

I thought it was worth noting Kevin Jones, a Lions 1st round draft pick in 2004, was released by the Chicago Bears Wednesday night. Not that the move was unexpected, as the Bears signed Chester Taylor during their free agent spending orgy last week. But it's a shame to see what was once a promising career not pan out due to injuries.

Lots and lots of injuries.

Jones missed last season after tearing ligaments in his left ankle in the preseason finale against Cleveland. He appeared in 11 games and ran for 109 yards with Chicago in 2008 while trying to come back from foot and knee injuries that plagued him the previous two years in Detroit.

He missed the final three games of the 2006 season and the first two of 2007 because of a foot injury. Then he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee late that season.

Jones was the Lions leading rusher for 4 consecutive seasons, from 2004-07. Though he never could replicate the effectiveness of his excellent rookie season (1133 rushing yards, 4.7 YPC), when Jones looked for all the world to be a fixture for the next several years in the Lions backfield.

Sad to say, this is how Jones is best remembered in Detroit

But Jones becoming the Lions feature back just wasn't meant to be.

Injuries, ineffectiveness and the Lions' all-around awfulness led to Jones being allowed to walk after the '07 season. The Bears picked hm up, the injuries continued to take their toll, and the rest is, as they say, history.

The Kevin Jones story shows just how quickly an NFL career can turn for the worse. A player once thought to be one of the Lions building blocks is now just another name in agate type on the waiver wire.

Word leaked on Sunday night, but the Chris Houston trade is officially official, a done deal. The trade went down as originally reported. Per Killer Kowalski at Mlive:

The Lions sent a sixth-round draft choice to the Falcons and the teams will also swap fifth-round picks -- the Falcons move to No. 2 in the round while the Lions will now pick in the No. 18 slot.

You get a chance to obtain a starting corner for a 6th round pick, no matter how good he may, or may not, be, you make the deal every single solitary time...especially when the current corner depth chart says, "Left cornerback 1st string: TBD. Right cornerback 1st string: TBD."

At SI, Peter King brings up the Lions, something he rarely does. In this case, he praises Jim Schwartz and the Lions for their rebuilding of the defensive line (Pre-waiving of Dewayne White). He believes the drafting of Ndamukong Suh or Gerald McCoy would be the icing on the cake. For what it's worth, King has the text The Schwartz sent to Kyle Vanden Bosch on the eve of free agency:

I could be anywhere in the country tonite, but I am here in Nashville to see you. Can I get a half hour tonight or tomorrow morning?

Schwartz

Awww. It sounds like something out of a romcom. All that's missing is "Hugs and kisses!"

At the News, Tim Twentyman tells the unwashed masses the Lions will likely bolster the running back position in the draft. In other news, the sun rises in the east and Russ Thomas is still dead. Anyway, here's what Twentyman has to say:

With this year's draft also deep in defensive and offensive lineman, one of the top three backs in the class could fall to the Lions with their first pick of the second round (No. 34 overall). Most analysts agree that the top three running backs in the draft are Spiller, Best and Ryan Matthews of Fresno State.

All signs point to the Lions taking a running back early in day 2 of the draft. As Twentyman says, the likely candidate will be the home run hitting type, as "The Lions had just five rushing plays of more than 20 yards in 2009, and two of those came from the quarterback position." Damn, I miss Barry Sanders...

Also at the News, John Niyo throws a name out on the wall, just to see if it sticks. In this case, the name is...Derek Anderson:

Depending on what kind of offers are out there for Anderson -- Arizona's one team that might offer a better opportunity, though I still think they're a sleeper to deal for Michael Vick -- he could draw interest from the Lions as they search for a veteran backup to starter Matthew Stafford this spring.

Two words: Uh...no.

Real Fake Sports "quotes" Nate Burleson on his getting gainful employment on the Lions in a down economy.

"I'm just happy to be working again," said Burleson. "Especially as a wide receiver. I applied at a few other places, mostly sales and a couple manual laborer jobs, but I just couldn't turn down $11 million guaranteed to play football."

Considering the state of the local economy, this is almost believable!

Ty at The Lions in Winter has his usual well thought out post, saying the Lions are now making the right moves at the right time:

If the Lions had made these same signings this past offseason, it wouldn’t have done them nearly as much good.  Replace Bryant Johnson with Nate Burleson, Dewayne White with Kyle Vanden Bosch, and Landon Cohen with Corey Williams . . . how many more wins do the Lions get?  Not many.

Not any, actually. I do agree the Lions are going to be a better team. The draft will go a long way in telling us how much better.

Steve at the Detroit Lions Weblog has put his foot down, and wants to stop all the pre-draft silliness.

I am going to go against the objective, stats and performance-based approach, which is supposed to a be a more sustainable and less sentimental model for success, and go on record that given the film I have seen (I know, I am not a pro scout!) that the Lions would be foolish to pass on either Suh or McCoy, or whomever is available to them at pick#2 (Funny thing is, Suh’s stats are better, too).

Works for me. I'm all for a dominant player on the defensive line as it's been decades since the last one...which would have been a young Bubba Baker, back when Monte Clark was walking the Lions' sideline in the late 70's - early 80's. Yes, it's been that damn long.

If it's Monday, then it's a busy damn day at TWFE HQ. Between it being pretty much the only day the GF and I get to run errands, my deadline for Mlive's It's Just Sports and doing The Knee Jerks at 7PM, it doesn't leave much time to keep track of the latest Lions news. I didn't find out about today's roster moves till 6:30 tonight, and only because I was belatedly putting together an outline for the podcast.

A Hell of a lot of good it did me, as my Comcast internet took a dump...again...15 minutes into the podcast, only go come back for about 5 minutes late in the hour, then taking a dump for another couple of hours. Good thing Greg Eno is such a pro, as he pulled off the remainder of the podcast without too much of a hitch. Speaking of which...

Tonight's show ended up being truncated by an hour thanks to Comcast. But it was an interesting hour, as Eno and I (for a few minutes, anyway) interviewed John J. Buro, the author of "Open Court: a Season with the New York Knicks". The Detroit connection being the time Buro spent covering the Knicks were the train wreck years Pistons legend Isiah Thomas ran the team into the ground.

To listen to the show, you have several options: You can click on the player in the right sidebar, subscribe via RSS, go to the show page for an on demand stream, download the MP3 version, or you can subscribe/download the show through the Zune Marketplace or iTunes, by searching for "The Knee Jerks" in the respective client!

At Mlive, this week's piece at It's Just Sports is something I like to do now and again, imagining how hard it is for a Lions GM, in this case, Martin Mayhew, to get through to a drunk and senile old man. The old man being William Clay Ford.  You might get a giggle or two out of it!

The question is: Who is going to play one cornerback position for the Detroit Lions in 2010?

Let's look back for a sec, OK? Bear with me...

The Lions got off to a blockbuster start in free agency. But what's happened since all the excitement?

Once the weekend started...Nothing.

Actually, next to nothing. The Lions are going to meet with a free agent on Monday.

Tim Twentyman of the Detroit News has the details:

Free-agent cornerback Jonathan Wade will visit Detroit on Monday.

Wade, a former third-round pick in 2007 for the St. Louis Rams, was not offered a free-agent tender by the team. He started six games in three years for the Rams, starting the first four games last season before losing his starting job. He's played in all but one game for the Rams the past three seasons.

Good to know the Lions haven't closed up shop. Good to know the Lions also realize they HAVE NO CORNERBACKS! Thinking about it, and it didn't take long, the Lions have only one legitimate NFL defensive back.

Louis Delmas. The rest are just wanna-bes.

(Then the news of the Houston trade broke)

I was going in one direction with this post, expecting the Lions to use the draft to shore up the defensive backfield. They still may do so, but the Lions made a decisive move towards fixing their broken backfield tonight. When I said the Lions had done next to nothing, I didn't know they had another trade up their sleeve.

Nick Cotsonicka of the Freep via Adam Schefter of ESPN:

The Lions have begun addressing their need at cornerback by trading for Atlanta’s Chris Houston, ESPN reports. The Lions sent the Falcons a sixth-round pick, and the teams also flip-flopped fifth-rounders.

Houston, 25, was a second-round pick (No. 41 overall) for the Falcons in 2007. He has started 37 games in three seasons, including all 16 games in 2008. He has three career interceptions.

Is Houston a great player? No. Why else would the Falcons have signed Dunta Robinson, making Houston available for draft chump change? But Houston is better than anyone the Lions currently have on their roster, and becomes, by default, their best corner. It's nothing to be excited about, but it is progress.

The Lions have a long way to go in fixing their old and busted defensive backfield. With the trade for Houston, at the very least, they've taken the first steps towards that fix.

With all the excitement over the free agent signings of Kyle Vanden Bosch and Nate Burleson, and the trade for Corey Williams, you may have overlooked the Lions making a few other personnel moves today.

DT Grady Jackson: Waived

The 37 year old run plugging defensive lineman became expendable with the signing of Williams. We knew when Jackson was signed last off season he was going to be a stopgap in a not very good defensive line. Jackson helped somewhat, but how much can a 1 or 2 down player who can no longer practice regularly actually help? So it was only a matter of how long he would stay. Jackson’s stay in Detroit ended today. It's quite probable his long NFL career ended as well.

TE Will Heller: Signed, terms not announced

Originally signed as a blocking specialist at tight end, Heller played well in spot duty as injuries took their toll on the position. He’ll continue to back up Brandon Pettigrew. I have no issues with the Lions bringing back Heller.

LB Vinny Ciurciu: Signed a one year deal

Ciurciu was signed mid-season for depth and to play special teams, and apparently showed enough for the Lions to bring him back. If not asked to do much more than that, Ciurciu will do fine. If he is asked to do more, the Lions are in trouble. Ciurciu is special teams roster filler.

T/G Jon Jansen: Signed a one year deal worth $860K

The former starting tackle for both the Wolverines and Redskins is now a utility man. Jansen adds experience and depth to an offensive line that needs both. As Jansen showed last season, he can play pretty much anywhere on the offensive line, and knows that versatility will keep him in the NFL as his career winds down. As long as you aren't expecting the Jansen of 5-6 years ago, this is a solid depth signing.

As for the status of the Lions’ own free agents, LB Larry Foote is visiting Washington and Arizona. It looks more and more as if the Lions plan on Deandre Levy taking over for Foote at MLB.

I wouldn’t mind TE Casey Fitzsimmons returning, as he's a solid pass catching backup at TE, and a nice compliment to the other backup, Heller. But there’s no word one way or the other as to Fitzsimmon's status for 2010.

As for the rest…does it really make any difference?

The terms of the Corey Williams trade have been released.

Mlive's Killer Kowalski has the gist:

Detroit Lions general manager Martin Mayhew said that Detroit sent a fifth-round draft pick to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for defensive tackle Corey Williams and a seventh-round draft pick.

The fifth-round choice is Detroit's second of that round -- the one they received in a trade with Denver last season -- in this year's draft.

Getting the 7th round pick is a slight bonus, when factoring in Martin Mayhew's abilities in evaluating talent. His 2009 7th round picks, Zack Follett, Dan Gronkowski and Lydon Murtha, all stuck in the NFL. It's no longer a throwaway selection.

But when it comes down to it, the deal is all about Williams.

Trading a mid-5th round pick for a defensive tackle who will be a large part of the Lions' line rotation? Large ass contract or not, I make that deal every time.

The Schwartz camping out at Vanden Bosch's front door (ala Rex Ryan romancing Bart Scott during '09 free agency) paid off, as the Pro Bowl defensive end agreed to a contract with the Lions today.

Any man whose eyes glow with evil...I want on my team!

Per Killer Kowalski at Mlive:

Vanden Bosch, who played under the Detroit Lions head coach when Schwartz was Tennessee's defensive coordinator, reportedly agreed to a four-year, $26 million deal with the Lions.

Yes, it's silly money for a defensive lineman on the bad side of 30. But these aren't Matt Millen's Lions. Martin Mayhew has apparently learned what NOT to do in free agency by watching the mustachioed moron.

ESPN has the contract details, and it turns out Vanden Bosch's contract is big time front loaded:

The deal is worth $26 million, a league source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter. Vanden Bosch, 31, will be due $10 million in the first year of the contract, The Tennessean of Nashville reported.

With 2010 being an uncapped season, front loading large free agent deals is good salary cap management. $10 million is a large chunk of change fpor old man Ford to swallow, but it does greatly lessen the cap hit in coming seasons (as we all realize there will be a salary cap whenever a new CBA is signed).

Even if Vanden Bosch isn't quite the player he was a few years ago, he is still a very effective one and a monster upgrade to the Lions' rapidly improving defensive line.

With the addition of Vanden Bosch, Corey Williams and either Ndamukong Suh or Gerald McCoy (I still think the Lions are taking one of the big tackles in the draft, regardless of what happens in free agency), the Detroit Lions defense will be greatly improved.

I like the Vanden Bosch signing better than the Burleson deal, but both players are better than anyone the Lions currently have at their respective positions. In Bosch's case, significantly better.

Addendum 3:15 AM: Just as I was going to bed, there was more Detroit Lions news. According to those always dodgy "sources", Yahoo's Jason Cole reports along with signing Burleson, the Lions are also supposedly close to a deal with Titans DE Kyle Vanden Bosch (who had Jim Schwartz camped out at his door, waiting for 12:01 AM on the clock, in order to sell Vanden Bosch on signing with the Lions). If the Burleson contract is any indication, I'm expecting Vanden Bosch to get not just silly money, but Scooge McDuck money. More to come...at a more human hour.

We're just a few hours into NFL free agency, and the Lions have picked up their first sucker victim player.

Per, as usual, PFT:

Burleson agreed to terms with the Lions just two hours into free agency.

Sure, the Lions are hard up for wide receiver help, Burleson is an OK wide out (when healthy and motivated, which hasn't been often as of late), and he did have an excellent season under Lions offensive coordinator Scott Linehan when both were with the Vikings.

But...

ESPN has the terms. I suggest you hold on to your hat...and anything else attached to your body.

Nate Burleson agreed to a five-year, $25 million deal from the Detroit Lions, according to a source.

In going to Detroit, Burleson will reunite with offensive coordinator Scott Linehan. Under Linehan, Burleson had his best season in 2004 when he caught 68 passes for 1,006 yards.

According to the source, Burleson will receive $11 million in guarantees.

Nate Burleson now has 11 million reasons to be this happy...

Uh...WHAT?

A 5 year deal, with $11 million guaranteed? To a soon to be 29 year old wide receiver who has one solitary 1000 yard season, and was considered a major free agent bust in Seattle? Let's hope this deal is MASSIVELY front loaded, this being an uncapped season.

I need a drink.

I'm going to try and sleep this news off, in hope Burleson's contract terms are just a dream nightmare.

More later, as I'm really looking forward to seeing the reaction to Burleson's signing in the MSM and Lions blogosphere.