Well, that was odd. Really odd. The Lions have
reportedly agreed to drop their grievance in exchange for the right to swap a late round pick with the Bucs. As a person this pleases me for George Johnson as he will get his full 3 year 9 million contract instead of the short end deal the Lions were trying to get with their complaint to the NFL front office. As a Lions fan, this leaves me distraught. This is yet another in a long line of miscalculations by the front office that has again cost us talent on a D line that is looking more and more like a shadow of it's former self. This does not bode well for 2015. Vote on our poll that follows!
Good luck George Johnson. I will be rooting for you as I do almost all former Lions' players.
A Bad situation the Lions created themselves.
i couldn't bring myself to vote lol
ReplyDeleteYou know how I voted. It turns out the Lions gave up a 7th to get back a 5th. On the surface that looks like a good deal but there is no chance that 5th round pick is going to return the production that GJ gave us last year. If we are being honest, it is unlikely GJ would be able to repeat his production too but he has a much higher chance than the 5th we got in exchange for him.
DeletePlus, Mayillen is still going to be the one making the pick and his record in 4th and later picks is atrocious.
I think he goes punter in the 5th to push Martin.
Deleteit seems like GJ production would be fantastic for a 5th round pick, also not sure as JC said, why more don't predict he'd get better rather than that he was just a one year wonder? I can't figure out what the Lions actually got and gave up--- do they come out of this with one more pick than they had or just that they moved up from where they were but still have the same number of picks?
when people projected losing Suh, and liked the idea , it was often said what the Lions could do with the free cap space. … isn't george one of the solid type players Lions were supposed to be able to keep sans Suh?
anyways, I guess a pick is better than no pick. and not having george on the roster is better than having a disgruntled george on the roster. and the Lions do have some young players behind GJ
We gave up our 7th and George for a 5th round pick in return so we have the same number of picks, just a slightly higher pick now. I am sure there are a ton of Lions fans that see this as a win now. They will change their minds when they see our D line in action next year. There has been a huge exodus of talent from our D line and it is going to hurt. There is no two ways about it. Between Suh, Fairley and Johnson, we have lost almost 20 sacks from last year. Who exactly is going to make that up?
DeleteNo one on the roster now, I can tell you that.
Johnson's production was nothing to sneeze at. He was statistically ranked in the top 20% of all 4-3 defensive ends in the NFL. Mayhew is betting on I guess Webster to take a huge step forward this season. Johnson took snaps from Taylor last season and Webster could not get on the field.
ReplyDeleteI guess I do not see how a late 5th round pick duplicate what George gave the Lions last season.
I am not convinced Mayillen is planning on much of anything. This entire off season like so many before it is all reactionary team building.
Deleteholy shit, POD has become one giant circle jerk. Pathetic.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, we lost both starters at the DT position that accounted for 1139 of the 1964 snaps (58 fucking percent) and we lost 491 of 1964 snaps at the DE position (25 fucking percent). Those three players accounted for 15.5 sacks of our 42 on the year (37%). For the privilege of losing all that production, we gave away a 4th round pick and gained an aging DT.
DeleteCan someone explain to me how any of that is a good thing? Yet when I visit POD today for the first time in weeks I find people praising Mayillen.
Are people really this fucking stupid?
I came up with that number (57%) too. The FO has said from day one back in '09 that the dline would be a priority. Spending money on FA's and using high 1st round draft picks.
DeleteIt does blow my mind that the Lions have spent a #2,#5 and a #13 overall and the they still have to replace 3/4s of the starting line.
Yeah the POD has become a giant circle jerk lol. I do not even bother with it.
lol…. it's funny in a way since the approval poll showed so much activity (about 1000 votes) and still 400 plus votes against Mayhew yet being critical of Mayhew still seems to draw the ire. I'm convinced there's voiceless non posters who miss having on a voice expressed in the threads.
Deleteso many seem unable to even consider it a bad move or at least wait to see…. george was a benefit of the system… that was new to him too, while taylor , who showed promise as a rookie, got stuck behind the depth chart of George because George was a UDFA but grasped the system better while not being as talented,
I like the theory that the guys drafted by the Lions (taylor and webster) could be looked at as the answer but being unproven I think it's a risk as to what they'll bring. Webster had intriguing measureables but with him and Ziggy , that's a lot of raw talent, inexperienced football talent…. I think Reid might've been in that same kind of boat too.
That is one of the things that happens when you censor people. An entire group ends up being silenced and disenfranchised. But that was Sean's dumb ass decision and now he is going to have to live with it. He and POD will be fine. There will always be sycophants that swing from the balls of the Lions no matter what.
DeleteWhen I visited there were seemingly no discussions. Nothing but horray for us, we are smarter than everyone else. Lets all slap each other on the back. Woo hoo. If that is what Sean wants, good for him.
Taylor and Webster couldn't produce enough last year to challenge George when they had Suh and Fairley in the middle drawing a ton of attention. What are they going to do different now with significantly less talent in the middle? I just can't see this D line being anywhere near as effective next year. Too much talent as left.
I am curious, why would you say that George has less talent than either of these guys? Or are you suggesting that many fans feel this way?
Or are you suggesting that many fans feel this way?
DeleteI think that is what Billy is saying. I really get a big laugh out of the whole thing. In February when Sean posted his FA in review look at George Johnson it was an overwhelming 99% fan pole to re-sign him. Now the popular comments are he is a camp body that can be easily replaced. His production was solely the product of the Lions coaching staff and Suh. My question... how will that translate to Webster and Taylor? If a washed out camp body can come in and move up the depth charts pass a couple of 4th rounders... what does that really say about the depth of this team?
I thought George showed talent, was just reflecting a general take I have seen suggested that George isn't as talented as the draft picks because… he was UDFA and cut a bunch whereas the draft picks are younger and were drafted and never cut.
Deleteit is surprising, I wish I had the patience to look, at threads that discussed George when he projected to be a Lion… I would expect most to feel he showed potential and would improve on the numbers not that he peaked.
I like the idea of Webster and Taylor progressing… maybe higher on Webster, since I thought Taylor was supposed to progress last year yet seemed to get buried but if the draft picks develop then I see it making sense that a guy like George would walk. With the cap tight, there'll always be talent you have to let go.
Now I wonder, had Suh's $9mill not be counted on the books, would the Lions find George valuable enough to keep?
Cruize, I agree with your point. It is amazing how so many can change their minds so fast and suddenly have so much faith in players that have shown just about nothing prior and will now be playing more with less talent around them.
DeleteBilly, cool, I figured that was the case but wanted some clarity. Baring some amazing draft pick one of Taylor or Webster is going to have to play more. there just aren't enough bodies to fill the snap requirements at DE. As for the Suh's 9 million in dead money situation, that is a great question and one I don't have the answer too. That dead money is only on the books this year. If they really wanted him to stay, it would have only been one year of struggle. We have yet to see the official contract George got. That might help us better understand things. If it was front loaded, seemingly highly likely, than the Suh dead money could have very easily played a roll in the decision.
JCruize, I am glad you found where that was. I've been battling the case today lol …. find it funny how the tunes change, and that's even coming from me , a "mayhem critic" who would call george a "win" by Mayhew for finding him.
DeleteI like that it looks like the Lions are trusting their found draft picks to step up but at the same time but the end of camp it would;t surprise me if the signed a "John Abraham" to hold it down
Meh for the Lions, bad deal for the Buc's, great deal for George.
ReplyDeletei'm still not convinced it is a bad deal for the Bucs. I know it took time for George to come into his own, but I thought he showed good hustle and determination, and made some plays. He'll be playing next to another dominant DT, and Lovie Smith isn't exactly an unproven head coach
Delete