Rumors and Rambling – What’s next for Detroit?

• The Lions signed nine free agents today including TE Dan Gronkowski and DT Terrence Taylor.  They also signed WR’s Michael Ray Garvin and Kole Heckendorf, DB’s Jonathan Hefney, Paul Pratt and Jahi Word-Daniels, OG Kurt Quarterman and DE Robert Henderson.

  I certainly hope the Lions can make a splash in free agency (scheduled to start 03/05/10) this year.  The Ford’s will need to open up their wallets to get some quality FA’s during that time.  There are a lot of needs, on both sides of the ball, and this could be a great opportunity for Detroit.  There are some top quality player available and hopefully many will at least visit Allen Park.

  I would like to see the Lions consider some of the following (short list) though I imagine that many if not most of these guys will resign with their current teams.  On offense WR’s Brandon Marshall, Vincent Jackson and Miles Austin (will almost definitely resign with Dallas), RB’s Darren Sproles, Jerious Norwood and LenDale White, OL Jahri Evans, Donald Penn and Marcus McNeill.  On defense DE Elvis Dumervil and Ray Edwards, DT Tony Brown (played for Schwartz) and DB’s Richard Marshall and Dunta Robinson.

  These are among the elite FA’s this winter though, Dunta had an off year and I believe will improve next season, and I would like to see the Lions try for one or more of them.  Jim Schwartz still believes that they Lions need talent over trying to fix any one position and I agree with that sentiment.

  “We said last year in the draft that we had a lot of needs and our No. 1 need was talent, and that we couldn’t pass on talented players in order to solve one need,” Schwartz said Monday at his press conference to wrap up the season. “I think we’re still in that situation in a lot of areas. There aren’t many positions on this team that we can just sort of sit back and say, ‘Hey, we’re good the way we are,’ and that’s just a fact of life.”

• Speaking of free agency, the 2010 season has the possibility of being an uncapped year.  That would made UFA need 6 years instead of 4 years for eligibility.  The NFL and Union are also discussing a rookie wage scale that would limit pay for new players and give that money to proven veterans.  This would be a tremendous help for teams that are drafting high as right now they’re forced to spend ridiculous amount of money for guys that have never played an NFL down (see Stafford’s contract last year).  I’m all for the wage scale or rookie salary cap or whatever they want to call it.  Long past it’s time.