Piff Perkins
Veteran
Stafford's deal got done in late June iirc. I wouldn't worry about Suh. But lord knows I wouldn't want him on my team.
No Poison No Paradise - The Official Detroit Lions 2014 Offseason Thread
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eastside313
Superstar
Had to cut their best corner to sign Ebron.TWENTYMAN: Lions terminate Chris Houston's contract
The Detroit Lions have moved on from cornerback Chris Houston.
His contract has been terminated.
CB Chris Houston (Photo: AP Images)
As a vested veteran, Houston is not subject to waivers.
“Chris Houston underwent a significant medical procedure this spring,” the Lions said in a statement. “Both parties felt that the best course of action at this time is to release Chris and allow him to rehabilitate his injury away from the Club. The Lions appreciate Chris' contributions over the years and wish him the best in his recovery.”
The seven-year veteran, who’s been a starter in the Lions’ secondary the last four seasons after the team traded for him before the 2010 season, has been out all offseason after undergoing toe surgery.
He signed a five-year, $25-million contract with the Lions last spring, but is coming off one of the worst seasons of his career. He missed four games because of toe and foot injuries, but struggled even before the injuries started to plague him.
The 29-year-old had 44 tackles and two interceptions in 12 games last season.
Earlier this offseason, head coach Jim Caldwell expressed concern that Houston might not be ready for training camp. It appears those fears were correct.
Houston had base salaries of $3.5 million in 2014, $4.5 million in 2015 and 2016 and $6.3 million in 2017, for a total of $18.8 million left on his deal.
He had $3.9 million remaining in prorated bonus money due to him, according to spotrac.com, which the Lions will still be responsible for on their cap.
The cap savings allowed the Lions tosign first-round pick Eric Ebron.
Second-year cornerback Darius Slayand 10-year veteran Rashean Mathishave held down the top-two cornerback spots all offseason and will enter training camp later this summer as starters.
The team also has cornerbacksCassius Vaughn, Bill Bentley,Nevin Lawson, Chris Greenwood,Mohammed Seisay and Jonte Greenunder contract.
Thanks suh
Yes I know Houston had a bad year last year but he was hurt
eastside313
Superstar
Then why did they sign Ebron as soon as they cut houston
Because the money was now free.
If they really wanted to keep Houston he would still be there. Come on
eastside313
Superstar
Bruh Ebron was the only draft pick not signed. Why didn't they do other shyt to sign weeks ago. They've been reporting for weeks they didn't have the money. If smaller moves could've been made then they should've did em and kept their best corner.Because the money was now free.
If they really wanted to keep Houston he would still be there. Come on
Maybe he was not the best corner. Maybe they just don't want Houston!
The lions never cut bait this fast on a player. Houston was done. On to the next one.
iceberg_is_on_fire
Wearing Lions gear when it wasn't cool
Fart Knocker
Superstar
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...wl-champs-and-lombardi-trophy-tattooed-on-leg
"Detroit Lions fan David Morian is hoping he will have the same luck as the Seattle Seahawks fan who got a "Super Bowl XLVIII Champs" tattoo before last season.
The Lions went 7-9 and finished in third place in the NFC North in 2013. Despite the team's disappointing campaign, Morian has faith that Detroit will make a big improvement next season.
On Friday, Morian got a tattoo on his leg that proclaimed the Lions "Super Bowl 2015 Champs," complete with the Lombardi Trophy:"
"Detroit Lions fan David Morian is hoping he will have the same luck as the Seattle Seahawks fan who got a "Super Bowl XLVIII Champs" tattoo before last season.
The Lions went 7-9 and finished in third place in the NFC North in 2013. Despite the team's disappointing campaign, Morian has faith that Detroit will make a big improvement next season.
On Friday, Morian got a tattoo on his leg that proclaimed the Lions "Super Bowl 2015 Champs," complete with the Lombardi Trophy:"
djthegreat88
Superstar
Sounds like houstons toe isnt healing right. Bring in flowers to replace him
I think they were being patient and judging the progress of Houston's health, and it did not look good going forward. I think smaller moves could've had been made to sigh Ebron, but it wasn't urgent. He was at OTA practicing, and learning the system, the contract wasn't preventing any of that. Houston became a convenient fix, without the need to restructure anyone.
they still have an assortment of corners, and they need to step up in year two/three of their careers.
they still have an assortment of corners, and they need to step up in year two/three of their careers.
Right. Toe injuries on a corner are fukking serious. Who knows how long it would be before this nikka is right. I get it and I ain't mad at all.
eastside313
Superstar
Preseason power rankings No. 21: Detroit Lions
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On Thanksgiving, the Lions dominated the Packers and looked like heavy favorites to win the NFC North. By Christmas, they had already been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. That’s how quickly things fell apart for the Lions last year.
Will this year be different? Maybe, with the firing of head coach Jim Schwartz and the hiring of head coach Jim Caldwell. But what will be even more different is that the Lions can’t count on the rest of the NFC North being as weak this year as it was last year. In 2013, the Packers won the division with an 8-7-1 record, which meant the 7-9 Lions weren’t far back. But in 2014, the Lions will probably have to be quite a bit better to be in NFC North contention.
The good news is that Caldwell, plus the arrival of receiver Golden Tate and first-round tight end Eric Ebron, should make the offense better. The bad news is that many of the same questions remain about quarterback Matthew Stafford, and there are questions about the defense and special teams as well.
Overall, those question marks outweigh the clear positives, and the Lions look like they’ll miss the playoffs for the 14th time in the last 15 years.
Strengths.
In theory, the passing offense should be a major strength. Calvin Johnson is the best wide receiver in the NFL. The arrival of Golden Tate gives the Lions the best No. 2 receiver they’ve ever had across the field from Johnson. Ryan Broyles, if he can ever stay healthy, has the talent to be a good No. 3 receiver. If Eric Ebron has the kind of rookie year the Lions expect him to, few teams will have a better trio of pass catching tight ends than Ebron, Brandon Pettigrew and Joseph Fauria. The Lions also have a trio of running backs who can make plays in the passing game with Reggie Bush, Joique Bell and Theo Riddikk. Caldwell and offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi have a lot of experience coaching good passing teams. There’s a lot of reason for optimism.
So why is the passing offense only a strength in theory? Because in practice, the Lions never know what they’re going to to get out of Matthew Stafford. Is he the quarterback whose brilliant 2011 campaign to the Lions to the playoffs? Or is he the quarterback who threw the season away last year? In the final six games of the season, Stafford had 11 interceptions and six fumbles, and his bad play was the biggest reason the Lions lost their lead on the division. If Stafford plays in 2014 like he did in 2011, the Lions’ offense will be in great shape. If not? Not.
The offensive line, which entered last season with some big question marks, actually looks strong now. Larry Warford was an excellent guard as a rookie last year, and LaAdrian Waddlewas a pretty good rookie right tackle. They should both be even better this year, and as left tackle Riley Reiff continues to develop, the Lions have the makings of an offensive line that could be strong for years to come.
The Lions’ defensive line looks like a strength as well. It had better be, after they invested high first-round draft picks on Ndamukong Suh, Nick Fairley and Ziggy Ansah in 2010, 2011 and 2013. Both Suh and Fairley are heading into the final seasons of their contracts, which should have them motivated for big seasons. Linebackers Stephen Tulloch and DeAndre Levy both had good years for the Lions last year and are back this year, and overall the defensive front seven appears to be in good shape.
Weaknesses.
The Lions’ biggest weakness this year will be the same as their biggest weakness last year, which was the same as the biggest weakness that got them knocked out of the first round of the playoffs the year before and has been a weakness for many, many years in Detroit: Their cornerbacks can’t stop anyone.
In fact, after cutting Chris Houston the Lions may be even worse at cornerback this year. Veteran Rashean Mathis will join with some combination of youngsters Darius Slay, Bill Bentley, Nevin Lawson and Jonte Green to make up a cornerback group that may be the worst in the NFL. If there’s any good news it’s that the Lions have a pair of pretty good veteran safeties in Glover Quin and James Ihedigbo (who came over from Baltimore along with new defensive coordinator Teryl Austin), and sometimes good safeties can hide some lousy cornerback play.
The rushing offense may also be a weakness for the Lions. Reggie Bush is capable of making spectacular plays, but he’s also capable of losing yardage by trying to do too much, and his fumbling became a serious problem for the Lions last year. Joique Bell is a tough runner in short-yardage situations but doesn’t have breakaway speed.
Special teams have been a significant weakness for the Lions in recent years and may be again this year, although there were some signs late last season that the Lions were starting to turn things around in the kicking game.
Changes.
The biggest change is the firing of Jim Schwartz (and most of his staff) and the hiring of Jim Caldwell (and a mostly new staff). The best news about Caldwell is that he has a history of working well with quarterbacks and may be the man to get Matthew Stafford on track. The bad news is that Caldwell’s reputation for working well with quarterbacks stems largely from his time with Peyton Manning, and Stafford is no Peyton.
The Lions’ secondary will look different this year with two starters, safety Louis Delmas and cornerback Chris Houston, now gone. But considering that the Lions’ secondary stunk last year, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. New defensive coordinator Teryl Austin and new defensive backs coaches Tony Oden and Alan Williams need to make the new-look secondary a lot better than last year’s secondary.
Detroit didn’t have a lot of cap space this offseason, which is why it didn’t make a lot of moves in free agency. Safety James Ihedigbo and receiver Golden Tate are two starters who arrived in free agency this year, but the Lions simply couldn’t afford to make as many changes as they would have liked.
Camp Battles.
The Lions will probably break camp with veteran Rashean Mathis joining Darius Slay, last year’s second-round draft pick, as the starting cornerbacks. But they’d love it if one of the other young cornerbacks, like 2012 third-round pick Bill Bentley and 2014 fourth-round pick Nevin Lawson, could push for a starting job in training camp.
A kicker competition isn’t the most exciting thing that can happen in training camp, but the battle between Giorgio Tavecchio and seventh-round draft pick Nate Freese will be very important for the Lions, who still haven’t found the right replacement for the long departed Jason Hanson. If Tavecchio or Freese can emerge as a good kicker this season, that would go a long way toward shoring up the special teams.
Prospects.
The Lions have enough talent on both sides of the ball that it’s not out of the question that they could make the playoffs. The best-case scenario is that an offense led by a resurgent Matthew Stafford throwing to Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate gives Detroit one of the most formidable passing attacks in the league, and that a motivated Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley lead the way on a ferocious Lions defense. If everyone plays up to his potential, the Lions could make a lot of noise in the NFC North.
But the Lions have rarely played up to their potential. If Jim Caldwell helps Stafford develop as a first-rate quarterback the Lions can make the playoffs, but more likely they’ll be somewhere around where they were last year, in the seven-win range.