The Lions Congregation

Rev Spielman over at The Church of Schwartz continues his Q&A with several of the internet’s top Lions bloggers. It is, as usual, a good read. Go check it out. Here’s the questions for this week and my responses.

1. With the season nearing its conclusion, evaluate each Lions draft pick from 2009 and their future with the team.

1/1 Matthew Stafford (QB)

Motown Madmen: Stafford is just what everyone thought he was. Smart, tough, has an arm like a rocket launcher and has turned into a real leader, both on and off the field. has been inconsistent at time but some of that could be related to injury. needs to work extremely hard in the off-season to avoid the sophomore slump next year. Could use a few more weapons, especially a #2 guy across from CJ He has some more developing to do but overall I’ve been extremely pleased with his performance. He’s definitely turned into the face of the franchise and I am looking forward to many years of seeing Stafford at the helm. If the team can get better as a whole, Stafford has the ability to be a pro-bowl type player.

1/20 Brandon Pettigrew (TE)

Motown Madmen: Brandon started out slow but was turning into a top notch tight end before his injury. I believe he will be a valuable part of the Lions in the future and could turn into pro-bowl material.

2/33 Louis Delmas (S)

Motown Madmen: Tough, hard hitting and doesn’t take plays off. He’s one of the brighter spots in this draft and the only good piece of Detroit’s secondary. He’s coming along nicely and will be a very good, if not great, NFL safety.

3/76 DeAndre Levy (LB)
Motown Madmen: Levy got the starting nod when Sims went down with injury and deserves to stay there. He’s played very well and is developing into a very talented LB. He’s fast, has good vision, hits hard and is quick to the ball carrier. Very physical. I like levy and hope he can keep the starting gig. Will be a great player for the Lions.

3/82 Derrick Williams (WR)

Motown Madmen: Didn’t like the pick at the time and not impressed with him now. Not a very good returner. Can’t hold on to the ball and has poor judgment. I would give him another shot next year and possibly relegate him to the practice squad if he doesn’t improve. might be able to get something out of him in trade.

4/115 Sammie Lee Hill (DE)

Motown Madmen: The jury is still out on Hill but he played well at times and could prove to be a good player for Detroit. He has good size but needs to be a bit quicker.

6/192 Aaron Brown (RB)

Motown Madmen: I had hoped brown would turn out to be one of the sleepers of this draft. he’s shown flashes of brilliance at times but makes too many mistakes. Give him another go next year but make him work his butt off in the off-season to show he deserves to be on the team. impressed with his speed but that’s about it.

7/229 Lydon Murtha (OT)

Motown Madmen: Now plays for the Miami Dolphins.

7/236 Zach Follett (LB)

Motown Madmen: Good special teams player. Hits hard, hits often and then hits again. Love his attitude. Hope he gets a good chance to prove himself with the Lions. not enough playing time for a good evaluation of his talent.

7/255 Dan Gronkowski (TE)
Motown Madmen: Not enough information to make an informed analysis. Would like to see him play these last three games. (Dan was cut from the Lions after I submitted this)