| 20 August 2009
If it's nearing the end of another week, then it must be time for another Lions Congregation roundtable! Here's the latest set of questions from The Church of Schwartz's Reverend Spielman, and my answers.
1. Who was the player that surprised you the most with their play against Atlanta?
Without a doubt, it was the 6th round pick, RB Aaron Brown.
It's been well over a decade since the Lions have struck starter gold with late round picks (Namely 6th round selection FB Cory Schlesinger and 5th round pick MLB Stephen Boyd, both in those halcyon days of 1995). Since then, it's been nothing but training camp tackling dummies, practice squad roster filler, and the very occasional special teams guy. But drafting an actual player in the later rounds? Hasn't happened.
So it was refreshing to see Brown make plays in his limited time on the field. Even though it was against mostly Falcons never-gonna-be's, Brown showed signs of being the change of pace running back the Lions thought Brian Calhoun was going to be (at which he failed miserably). In 8 touches from scrimmage and 2 kick returns, Brown had 149 total yards, including a 32 yard TD run, and turned a short pass into a 45 yard TD reception. (We'll ignore his gaffes on a screen pass and punt coverage, along with the 15 yard celebration penalty, for the time being)
Yes, it's far too early to project Brown as the 3rd down RB. But for at least one night, it appeared as if the Lions had found a diamond in the rough. It remains to be seen if Brown is a true gem, or just a cubic zirconia.
2. Will Chuck Darby still be on the roster come the start of the season?
Yes, as who do the Lions have that is any better, even with Darby's lack of size and advancing age? I'm not saying Darby is all that good, which he hasn't been. But there is an absolute dearth of NFL quality (or NAIA quality, even MHSAA quality) on the defensive line.
I'm sure the Lions will jump all over any remotely adequate defensive linemen as training camp cuts begin, as they will have the pick of the cut littler thanks to their 0-16 record. But there are worse players on the roster than Darby, players who should be given their walking papers by the Turk ASAP.
3. Which Defensive Ends will be on the team at the start of the season and what roles will they play?
Can I just punt on this question? No? Hell...
Dewayne White is the only no-brainer. Cliff Averil makes it pretty much on potential alone. After that, all I can say is...Damn, the Jared DeVries injury is killing the Lions.
I'll go out on a very short limb and say at least a couple of ends on the Lions' final roster are currently on other teams. Now if the Lions are able to convince Kevin Carter to sign, then all bets are off...
As for Alma-Francis (How long are the Lions going to wait on this stiff?), Conover, Hunter and Rees, the moment defensive ends start showing up on the waiver wire, they best start cleaning out their lockers. Though one of them may end up sneaking through to opening day, as the Lions will be forced to have more than just a pair of ends on the roster.
For the thoughts of other Lions bloggers and media members, head over to The Church of Schwartz for the scoop.
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