Detroit Lions, position by position: Who should stay, who should go during optimistic offseason

Tom Kowalski By Tom Kowalski
on January 09, 2011 at 7:00 AM
ALLEN PARK -- In early December, as the Detroit Lions were embarking on their four-game winning streak, veteran center Dominic Raiola was reveling in how winning football games resulted in few negative questions from reporters.

"If we lose that game, we're talking about where it went wrong and why it went wrong,'' Raiola said after Detroit's 7-3 win against Green Bay at Ford Field on Dec. 12. "It's crazy how, in a win, you don't talk about the interception early in the end zone or any of that. When you win, it cures a lot of things. Imagine the teams that win all the time, they don't talk about their mistakes.''

The Lions finished the season 6-10 and, while their four-game win streak to cap the season has helped put a positive spin on everything, now that the offseason is upon us, it's time to take a cold, hard look at the team's roster.

The Lions are strong at several positions, but there are other areas that must be addressed in the offseason if the Lions hope to continue their winning ways in 2011.

Here's a look at the Lions position by position, including which players should be back and which should be replaced:

drew-stanton-12.jpgKeeping Drew Stanton as the No. 3 quarterback is an option worth considering.
This is one of the team's strongest positions, but there could be a slight change at the bottom of the depth chart. Matthew Stafford is solid as the starter and Shaun Hill is locked in as the backup.

The question is whether Drew Stanton will return as the No. 3 quarterback.

Stanton showed the ability that made him a second-round pick four years ago, but he might opt to move on if he gets a good opportunity (and becomes an unrestricted free agent). The Lions should consider keeping him, though, because he has shown vast improvement the past two seasons with this coaching staff.

Hill only has one more year left on his contract and if a starting job beckons in 2012, the Lions might already have their backup on the roster. It's something to consider.

The Lions are solid at this position as well because their top four running backs all are expected to return. Jahvid Best is the unquestioned starter and he should bounce back after playing 15 1/2 games with painful turf toe injuries.

The backup position will be a duel between Kevin Smith (who will be returning from thumb and shoulder injuries) and Maurice Morris, who has one year left on his contract. Morris has been more productive, but the Lions coaching staff still believes Smith can be a factor out of the backfield.

Aaron Brown, who was inactive for most of the season, doesn't appear to be in the mix while Jerome Felton has the edge to return as the team's lone fullback.

While the Lions could upgrade at that position, they're not likely to spend a lot of resources to do so. Both Smith and Felton are restricted free agents who are expected to return to the Lions next year.

Calvin JohnsonCalvin Johnson could be even more explosive if Detroit had a more capable No. 3 receiver.
Calvin Johnson put up big numbers and had a huge impact on the defense every time he stepped on the field, but the Lions believe he's just scratching the surface. Johnson made a significant effort to be more of an across-the-field receiver as opposed to just catching fades and post patterns.

The emergence of tight end Brandon Pettigrew is going to have an impact on how defenses have to adjust because he is establishing himself as a downfield threat.

And here's where that No. 3 receiver is critical the offense. While Nate Burleson did a decent job at No. 2 -- he, too, is capable of much more -- the Lions need that burner at No. 3 who can occupy one of the deep safeties. That means the other safety has the option of taking Johnson or Pettigrew and Stafford is going to make him pay either way.

But if you don't have that legitimate threat on the other side, the defense can roll toward Johnson (and Pettigrew).

Bryant Johnson would have been ideal for that role this year because he didn't have the pressure of being a No. 2 and could go back to what he did so well with Arizona. Never happened. Derrick Williams, the former third-round pick, got a couple of shots to take over that role, but he spit the bit, too.

The Lions need to go out and find that burner who can extend the defense and, for the first time in years, they don't have to look for a dual-role player. With Stefan Logan on the roster, the Lions don't need that receiver to also have return ability, they just need that guy to do one job.

At tight end, the Lions are still trying to figure out how to use Tony Scheffler, who is not a good blocker, but is a big target in key situations.

Scheffler might not get a ton of catches, but he's going to play an important role, especially when it comes to converting third downs. Will Heller is the No. 3 tight end and he made his presence felt in the running game in the final half of the season.

The Lions have everybody under contract, so that's not going to be an issue. The only job here -- and it's a big one -- is finding that No. 3 receiver. Acquiring an upgrade at No. 4 wouldn't be a bad idea, either.

Rob SimsRob Sims had a very consistent season at left guard.
This is the unit everybody loves to hate. Left tackle Jeff Backus takes the brunt of the criticism, but he had a very good year. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel selects an all-NFC North team every season (polling personnel inside the division) and Backus was voted the best left tackle in the division.

By the way, the Lions had eight guys voted No. 1 out of the 22 starters. In the previous five years, Detroit had six combined for that entire stretch.

Left guard Rob Sims also had a strong season with good physical plays and very few mental lapses. Raiola continues to be a lightning rod because he gets overpowered on occasion from bigger tackles in the league.

That's not unusual because of the size of the linemen and more teams going to 3-4 defenses, which creates more headaches for centers. Still, Raiola had a good year -- not great, but good.

There were issues on the right side, especially at guard, when Stephen Peterman fought a foot injury for most of the season. It really showed about mid-season when he had trouble anchoring and he would give ground that he normally wouldn't.

As he got better, his production picked up (and his penalties went down). Peterman isn't a dominating player, but he's very physical and plays with the attitude needed in the running game.

The most pleasant surprise came at right tackle, where Gosder Cherilus finally shed the problems of inconsistency that plagued him his first two years. Injuries got to him, but he did a good job overall and that position isn't the need that it was a few months ago.

Depth continues to be a concern. Corey Hilliard started several games for Cherilus and did OK, but he's only effective in short spurts.

Rookie Jason Fox got some playing time in the season finale but the Lions will have a better idea of where he's at next year. Fox needed a great deal of weight training to catch up to the NFL level and we'll see if he play effectively with the change.

Don't look for the Lions to spend a lot of resources on the line. They'll continue to try to upgrade where they can. And, no, Backus isn't going to play forever, but he's entering his prime for an offensive tackle.

dave-rayner-20.jpgDave Rayner likely will have a chance to supplant Jason Hanson in training camp.
When Jason Hanson went down with a knee against the New York Jets, and Dave Rayner replaced him, there was little doubt that the ever-dependable Hanson would be back next season. Now there's some doubt.

While Rayner got off to a shaky start, he finished the season strong. He nailed two short, but pressure-packed, kicks against the Bucs and nailed a big 55-yarder against the Vikings.

The Lions are expected to bring both kickers back to camp and then make a decision, one that will be difficult either way. Hanson, who will be 41 next season, has had three knee injuries in the past two years and the Lions have to decide if he has reached the point where his body is beginning to break down.

It's not going to be an easy call -- Rayner looked good for half a season while Hanson has gotten it done for 19 years.

The Lions are solid at the other spots with punter Nick Harris, long snapper Don Muhlbach and returner Logan.

ndamukong-suh-kyle-vandenbosch-17.jpgDetroit's Ndamukong Suh, let, and Kyle VandenBosch met at the quarterback a few times this past season.
As solid as this unit was for the duration of the season, don't be surprised if the Lions look for upgrades at some backup spots. The Lions might not make any changes, but they want to bring in some fresh talent to keep the competition strong and hungry.

If Kyle Vanden Bosch comes back healthy after neck surgery, and the expectation is that he will, the starters are set. Cliff Avril, Ndamukong Suh and Corey Williams all had excellent seasons and there's no reason to believe they won't be even better next year.

The Lions also got strong support from their backups, particularly tackle Sammie Hill and end Lawrence Jackson. Turk McBride was a little inconsistent but he's a strong pass rusher while Andre Fluellen has the versatility to play both inside and outside and he continues to get better.

The Lions don't want to get stale at this very important position, so they'll continue to look for improvement.

It won't be a shock if they make a run at Albert Haynesworth because his days with the Redskins are numbered. Schwartz and coordinator Gunther Cunningham love Haynesworth and believe he could be an ideal fit.

The contract situation is more plausible and the Lions aren't looking for him to come in and rescue the defense -- he'll just be another piece to the puzzle. If the Lions can get 17 to 20 high-octane snaps out of him a game, that line truly would be impressive.

The Lions have found their middle linebacker in DeAndre Levy, who showed flashes of brilliance -- not to mention two game-winning interceptions -- despite being hurt for most of the year. Levy is smart and savvy and he's going to take huge leaps forward in his third year.

The issue is at outside linebacker, where the Lions don't have any starters. Zack Follett's career is in jeopardy because of a neck injury and he was going to drop to a backup role, anyway. Julian Peterson won't be back.

The Lions feel they need one great linebacker and can then fill the other spot with a solid player, not necessarily a high draft pick or high-priced free agent.

The key is finding a complete backer, a physical run-stopper who can also drop into pass coverage. Those players are rare and it's why the Lions are going to have spend some resources to get him (and why they probably can't get two in one offseason).

The Lions feel much better about their depth than they did going into last season. While Jordon Dizon's injury problems will hurt his chances of making the club, the Lions were happy with guys like Landon Johnson and Ashlee Palmer.

Johnson played at a steady level all season and has some versatility while Palmer, who made his share of mistakes, kept getting better and had some real toughness.

The Lions want to fill out the depth with players such as Isaiah Ekejiuba and Vinny Ciurciu, who are exceptional special team performers.

louis-delmas-12.jpgLouis Delmas will be back in Detroit's secondary, but who will join him?
The Lions might be looking at the same band as last year -- Louis and the Question Marks. Delmas is going to start at safety and, after that, there's a lot of speculation. While the Lions have much more to work with, there are some holes.

If cornerback Chris Houston returns, he'll likely have one starting position, but he's a four-year veteran and, depending on the labor situation, he could be an unrestricted free agent and leave. Houston isn't flashy and he's not much of a ballhawk, but he's dependable and will support the run.

The Lions would like to get a top-flight cornerback for the other starting position, a game-breaking type of player. Again, they will have to commit some resources to that endeavor.

The depth should be good with Alphonso Smith, Aaron Berry, Brandon McDonald and Nathan Vasher. One of those guys, probably Smith,  would emerge as a starter if the Lions can't get the blue-chipper they're looking for.

At safety, the Lions are hoping second-year player Amari Spievey will continue to show improvement. His problem isn't physical -- he's got the speed, agility and toughness to handle all of the requirements -- but he's new to the position and he's still learning.

His biggest issue was paralysis-by-analysis because he was thinking instead of reacting. If he's going to make a significant leap forward, it should be evident fairly early in training camp. One player to keep an eye on is Randy Phillips, who also has excellent skills but needs to get his focus on the game.﻿