The club hockey team’s week-long trip to Fort Myers starts tomorrow, and I’m still in the process of packing….which obviously is why I felt this was the best time to write a new blog post.

Obviously the biggest news of the day was Calvin Johnson’s new contract for 8 years $132 Million with $60 Million guaranteed.  It gets his salary cap hit down for this next year and most importantly keeps Calvin Johnson in a Detroit Lions uniform.  Free Agency for the Lions has gone quite slowly otherwise, with Eric Wright signing with Tampa Bay and the Lions have only scheduled visits for potential players.  Some players coming in include, offensive tackle Eric Winston, offensive tackle Marcus McNeill, offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz, strong safety LaRon Landry, cornerback Jacob Lacey, wide receiver Ted Ginn, Jr and linebacker David Hawthorne.

The first players listed there are extremely exciting.  I would happily take at least one of the offensive lineman, it doesn’t matter to me which one, just as long as the coaches and the general manager think that he is a fit in the offense and will keep Matt Stafford healthy.  I also want LaRon Landry, badly, to pair with Louis Delmas.  Those two would be a formidable safety duo and would help the Lions secondary immensely.  In regards to David Hawthorne, it is really between signing him or re-signing Stephen Tulloch, and once again, whomever the coaches think is best is fine by me, so long as one of them is signed as soon as possible.

On the other hand, I do not want Jacob Lacey nor Ted Ginn, we have enough receivers and if Ted Ginn is going to command more than about $1 Million I think he is out of the question.  Lacey is a serviceable cornerback but I would prefer to sign Tracy Porter or Cedric Griffin, or just take a young corner in the draft.

In the end, it all depends on the salary demands of the players and how much the Lions are willing to spend.  But, adding one of the offensive lineman, Tulloch or Hawthorne and Landry is a must.  This would help them shore up severely problematic areas of their team and would get them that much closer to contending for a Super Bowl.  More importantly, tf they do that, they can target a cornerback in the first round of the draft like Stephon Gilmore (South Carolina) or Dre Kirkpatrick (Alabama), and have a new #1 cornerback for the future.

This team could continue on their rise to the top of the NFL if the right moves are made, and it is especially important to keep pace with teams within the division.

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