Boyzmamacita
CowBabe Up!!!
- Messages
- 29,047
- Reaction score
- 64,100
Would Lions run from a QB for Peterson?
April 25, 2007
BY NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA
FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER
It was a good afternoon for daydreaming. The sun was out. The weather was warm. Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson stood outside Lions headquarters and pictured himself in Honolulu blue.
He recalled 1980, when the Lions drafted Oklahoma running back Billy Sims first overall, and 1989, when they drafted Oklahoma State running back Barry Sanders third overall.
"They've done pretty good picking the Oklahoma guys," Peterson said last Friday as he wrapped up his visit to Allen Park. "Hopefully they'll look at that and realize they've got something special coming."
Nice thought. The Lions hold the second overall pick in the NFL draft Saturday. But will the Lions end up with Peterson or one of the top two quarterbacks -- JaMarcus Russell and Brady Quinn?
The Lions finished last in the league in rushing last season. All three of their top running backs -- Kevin Jones, Shawn Bryson and Brian Calhoun -- landed on injured reserve.
Peterson has been compared to Eric Dickerson, and he has the football character coach Rod Marinelli wants. Marinelli often grills prospects on how much they love football. But Marinelli told Peterson he didn't have to ask him. He could see it on film when Peterson sprinted 40 yards to make a tackle after an interception.
"That's just the type of player I am," Peterson said. "I play with that attitude."
But Jones hopes to be back from his foot injury in time for training camp, and the Lions already have acquired insurance. They got Tatum Bell in a trade with Denver and signed T.J. Duckett as a free agent.
And Peterson has an injury history himself. He suffered a broken collarbone last season. He said it was not an issue now. But the last time the Lions held the second overall pick, they took wide receiver Charles Rogers, whose career was derailed by a twice-broken collarbone. Do the Lions really want to risk a repeat of the Rogers situation?
You could argue that this is the perfect time for the Lions to take a quarterback. The Lions have a starter in Jon Kitna, who will be 35 on Sept. 21. The youngster could come in, sit behind Kitna for a while and take over when he's ready.
Cincinnati drafted Carson Palmer first overall in 2003. Kitna took every snap for the Bengals that season as they went from 2-14 to 8-8. Palmer took over the next season and is now one of the league's leading passers.
The last time the Lions took a quarterback near the top of the draft, they took Joey Harrington third overall in 2002. They played Harrington in their first two games. They made him their starter by their third game. Harrington, who went 18-37 as a starter before the Lions traded him last year, said that was a reason he failed in Detroit.
If Oakland takes wide receiver Calvin Johnson first overall, the Lions will have their pick of Russell and Quinn. If the Raiders take Russell, as most analysts expect, at least Quinn will be available.
Russell is raw but impressive physically. He is 6-feet-5, 265 pounds, and he can throw a football more than 80 yards.
"I'd say that I'm a lot bigger than most quarterbacks, and at times I can get out of most trouble that smaller guys can't," Russell told reporters at the scouting combine in February. "It's a lot of fun when you've got big guys trying to tackle you, and you're really not falling. You're still able to make plays."
Quinn doesn't have those physical gifts. But he makes the most out of what he has -- look at his ripped physique -- and is more polished. He worked under Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis, who tutored Tom Brady as New England's offensive coordinator.
"There's not one other player that's had the kind of coaching that I've had the past couple of years," Quinn told reporters at the combine in Indianapolis. "There's not one other player that's done what I've done the past couple of years. You've seen the progress, the numbers and everything we've done at Notre Dame, and I feel that I am the best leader for a team that needs someone to step in and fulfill that job."
But remember, quarterbacks Matt Leinart and Jay Cutler were available last year, and the Lions passed on them to take linebacker Ernie Sims.
If the Lions want a quarterback this year, they might be able to get someone like Michigan State's Drew Stanton or Stanford's Trent Edwards later. With their first pick, they might want someone who can make an immediate impact, like Johnson, defensive end Gaines Adams or offensive tackle Joe Thomas.
April 25, 2007
BY NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA
FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER
It was a good afternoon for daydreaming. The sun was out. The weather was warm. Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson stood outside Lions headquarters and pictured himself in Honolulu blue.
He recalled 1980, when the Lions drafted Oklahoma running back Billy Sims first overall, and 1989, when they drafted Oklahoma State running back Barry Sanders third overall.
"They've done pretty good picking the Oklahoma guys," Peterson said last Friday as he wrapped up his visit to Allen Park. "Hopefully they'll look at that and realize they've got something special coming."
Nice thought. The Lions hold the second overall pick in the NFL draft Saturday. But will the Lions end up with Peterson or one of the top two quarterbacks -- JaMarcus Russell and Brady Quinn?
The Lions finished last in the league in rushing last season. All three of their top running backs -- Kevin Jones, Shawn Bryson and Brian Calhoun -- landed on injured reserve.
Peterson has been compared to Eric Dickerson, and he has the football character coach Rod Marinelli wants. Marinelli often grills prospects on how much they love football. But Marinelli told Peterson he didn't have to ask him. He could see it on film when Peterson sprinted 40 yards to make a tackle after an interception.
"That's just the type of player I am," Peterson said. "I play with that attitude."
But Jones hopes to be back from his foot injury in time for training camp, and the Lions already have acquired insurance. They got Tatum Bell in a trade with Denver and signed T.J. Duckett as a free agent.
And Peterson has an injury history himself. He suffered a broken collarbone last season. He said it was not an issue now. But the last time the Lions held the second overall pick, they took wide receiver Charles Rogers, whose career was derailed by a twice-broken collarbone. Do the Lions really want to risk a repeat of the Rogers situation?
You could argue that this is the perfect time for the Lions to take a quarterback. The Lions have a starter in Jon Kitna, who will be 35 on Sept. 21. The youngster could come in, sit behind Kitna for a while and take over when he's ready.
Cincinnati drafted Carson Palmer first overall in 2003. Kitna took every snap for the Bengals that season as they went from 2-14 to 8-8. Palmer took over the next season and is now one of the league's leading passers.
The last time the Lions took a quarterback near the top of the draft, they took Joey Harrington third overall in 2002. They played Harrington in their first two games. They made him their starter by their third game. Harrington, who went 18-37 as a starter before the Lions traded him last year, said that was a reason he failed in Detroit.
If Oakland takes wide receiver Calvin Johnson first overall, the Lions will have their pick of Russell and Quinn. If the Raiders take Russell, as most analysts expect, at least Quinn will be available.
Russell is raw but impressive physically. He is 6-feet-5, 265 pounds, and he can throw a football more than 80 yards.
"I'd say that I'm a lot bigger than most quarterbacks, and at times I can get out of most trouble that smaller guys can't," Russell told reporters at the scouting combine in February. "It's a lot of fun when you've got big guys trying to tackle you, and you're really not falling. You're still able to make plays."
Quinn doesn't have those physical gifts. But he makes the most out of what he has -- look at his ripped physique -- and is more polished. He worked under Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis, who tutored Tom Brady as New England's offensive coordinator.
"There's not one other player that's had the kind of coaching that I've had the past couple of years," Quinn told reporters at the combine in Indianapolis. "There's not one other player that's done what I've done the past couple of years. You've seen the progress, the numbers and everything we've done at Notre Dame, and I feel that I am the best leader for a team that needs someone to step in and fulfill that job."
But remember, quarterbacks Matt Leinart and Jay Cutler were available last year, and the Lions passed on them to take linebacker Ernie Sims.
If the Lions want a quarterback this year, they might be able to get someone like Michigan State's Drew Stanton or Stanford's Trent Edwards later. With their first pick, they might want someone who can make an immediate impact, like Johnson, defensive end Gaines Adams or offensive tackle Joe Thomas.
uke: 
