Lions Lowdown

With free agency “officially” starting on Wednesday at 4 p.m., it could get interesting for the Detroit Lions.

Same general manager in Bob Quinn, but a mostly new coaching staff with new head guy Matt Patricia.

Already some fan angst appeared when the Lions announced Tuesday morning they’ve re-signed safety Tavon Wilson. NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported it’s two years for $7 million. Not exactly breaking the bank.

Already fans on my Twitter feed not happy. They want “some new faces” on defense not the same old, same old. They want Miles Killebrew to have a chance to develop.

Well, guess what? With free agency and the six draft picks, there will be new faces on defense.

Photo courtesy of Detroit Lions

Keep an open mind when it comes to defense under Patricia and new coordinator Paul Pasqualoni. While some pieces are in place, expect competition at others.

Wilson is a good signing. He started nine games in 2017. Late in the season Quandre Diggs was moved from nickel to safety. Patricia is familiar with him because Wilson was originally drafted by the Patriots. But that is not the reason, Patricia wants him on the roster. He wants Wilson because he thinks he can contribute to the defense.

Killebrew will most likely get a chance to prove himself after a season that started hot last year but didn’t end that way for Killebrew.

Who will start at safety this year? Maybe Wilson, maybe Diggs, maybe someone else not on the roster yet. Killebrew a long-shot. Wilson certainly capable to start but if not provides depth and the wisest NFL people will say that you can never have too many defensive backs. They get hurt.
Don’t get me started on the 4-3 or 3-4 front debate.

Hopefully Patricia quashed all of that talk, when he told reporters at the NFL Drafting Combine that defensive fronts are 90 percent sub packages. Patricia called the 3-4/4-3 issue “irrelevant.”

OK, let’s move on.

 

In a move that was expected, the Detroit Lions announced Tuesday that they have designated defensive end Ziggy Ansah as their franchise player.

Ansah finished 2017 with a dozen sacks  44 total tackles (39 solo), one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. Six of those sacks occurred in the final two games. It was an improvement from the 2016 season when he had two sacks but not quite enough to match his best year when he had 14.5 sacks in 2015.

His 44 career sacks rank fifth all-time in Lions history.

Ansah, 28, was the Lions first-round draft pick (fifth overall) in 2013. It was seen as a risky pick. Ansah’s size and athleticism fit a first-round profile, but he didn’t play football until in college at Brigham Young. He was raw but proved to be a quick learner.

He will be paid $17.5 million for 2018 once he signs his tender, according to Ian Rapoport, NFL Network Insider. Ansah’s agent and the Lions have until July 16 to work out a longer deal.

Ansah’s career totals also include 73 games (71 starts), 207 total tackles (155 solo), 10 forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.

Bob Quinn has earned a contract extension in his first two years as general manager of the Detroit Lions. The team announced the deal today without, of course, sharing many details.

The extension matches the length of the contract of new coach Matt Patricia who was signed this week. At Patricia’s introductory press conference, team president Rod Wood said Patricia’s deal was “long term” but was not specific about the number of years.

With Quinn’s extension the Lions will have organizational stability for the next several years.

Five reasons why it was a good idea to give Quinn an extension:

1. He’s earned it with two solid drafts in his first stint as general manager of an NFL team. His first-round picks — linebacker Jarrad Davis and left tackle Taylor Decker — have proven themselves worthy. Through his drafts the Lions have found starters and depth that had been missing for years. Three of the 2016 draft picks — Decker, Graham Glasgow and Joe Dahl — could be starters on the offensive line in the fall. Defensive end Anthony Zettel was a huge find as a sixth-round pick. Many of the first- and second-year players (Kenny Golladay, Teez Tabor, Jamal Agnew, among others) are just scratching the surface.

2. Quinn has added depth through free agency and nabbed a few notables such as wide receiver Marvin Jones, right guard T.J. Lang, right tackle Rick Wagner and defensive tackle Akeem Spence.

3. Continuity is key to a successful NFL franchise.  That was echoed in team president Rod Wood’s statement: “It is also important for our entire organization to ensure stability as we move forward with Matt as our new head coach working in partnership with Bob. Moreover, I greatly enjoy my relationship and partnership with Bob. We both look forward to a bright future for the Detroit Lions.”

4. Quinn has done a respectable job so far but he needs more time to see this through. Quinn said: “My goals and vision remain unchanged and I will continue to work diligently at improving this team and every facet of the football operation. Coach Patricia and I will always work in close concert on any and all football-related matters. That process is underway as our coaching and player personnel staffs are collectively preparing for the roster building phase of the off-season.”

5. Displaying hard work and passion, Quinn has earned the extension. The Lions are not where they want to be yet, but they appear to be headed in the right direction.