April 20 2011; Englewood, CO, USA; Denver Broncos general manager Brian Xanders speaks to the media during a pre draft press conference at Broncos headquarters. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

The front office was throughly embarrassed by the performance on the field last year. In the beginning, the team lacked talent; in the end, it’s lack of character reared it’s ugly head for the whole league to see. They knew they had to pretty much start from scratch, and the first thing they did was hire the X-man, Brian Xanders, as Senior Personnel Executive. I applaud the Fords for hiring him for two reasons: first, I like the fact that they weren’t afraid to rattle Mayhew’s cage a little in hiring his possible replacement. The second is that Xanders will bring the Lions into the new age of scouting.

The first thing Xanders will do is develop an internal system to organize the Lions pro and college scouting data. The latest trend sweeping the NFL is in-house scouting. According to Mayhew, the Lions have outsourced these scouting systems, through various companies, the entire 12 years he’s been with the Lions. Xanders did a good job in Denver and was only ousted when his boss, Denver icon John Elway, decided that he had learned enough from Xanders and was ready to call the shots himself. Xanders has excellent qualifications, and another set of eyes to do the evaluations can only be a good thing.

Maybe Xanders is already having an effect on the way the Lions do business. With unusual swiftness, they got rid of nut-job Titus Young Sr. Publicly stating that you’re better than Megatron is the surest way to prove that you’re mentally unfit to play in this league. They cut dead weight Stephen Peterman and Kyle Vanden Bosch the second day they were able to move on. Judging from the comments last week, it’s just a matter of time before Dominic Raiola gets his walking papers. This is music to my ears, because I’ve felt that Peterman and Raiola were the main reasons the Lions couldn’t run the ball recently.

I also like the fact that instead of running to Cliff Avril with a contract matching last year’s three-year, 30 million dollar offer (that he turned down), they’re going to let him find out for himself that he may only get $7-8 million a year at best. That’s a figure that the Lions can live with, because they will need to sign him in the worst way. Mayhew will have to play his hand shrewdly because they can’t let him go and then get stuck needing two defensive ends. They would have to draft one with the fifth overall pick in April if that happens. If they keep Avril, then they have the flexibility to look at other positions in this year’s first round and get a DE in the later rounds or free agency.

It’s complicated like a chess game, but that’s what makes the NFL’s offseason so interesting.

Sept 12, 2011; Englewood, CO, USA; Denver Broncos general manager Brian Xanders on the sidelines before the start of the game against the Oakland Raiders at Sports Authority Field. The Raiders defeated the Broncos 23-20. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

From Tim Twentyman’s write-up on DetroitLions.com:

“One big thing he’s going to be working on right now is building a new scouting system,” Mayhew said. “We’ve contracted that out in the past and bought product from other people and we’re actually going to build our own system internally designed strictly for us that we can design and set up.”

Xanders has experience building such a system in Atlanta in the 90s, which was one of the first systems built internally like that.

No one will mistake the Detroit Lions organization for revolutionaries and this is just another example. The hiring of Brian Xanders and the willingness to take control over the scouting process should be viewed as very good news by Lions fans but breaking it down to a basic level, the Lions aren’t doing anything more than getting in on what other organizations have been doing for over a decade. Still, better late than never and it looks like they got the right guy to lead the effort. Nothing can change the past but this hire brings a chance at changing the future.

More from Twentyman:

Xanders will help to improve the position-specific structure already in place in the personnel office and adds another set of eyes to help determine how players will best fit a role with the Detroit Lions.

This may be even more important than the in-house scouting system. A lot has been made about the Wide-9 and whether or not the Lions should or shouldn’t keep the defensive scheme heading into next year. Scheme might give one team an advantage over another in the short-term but over the long haul, it doesn’t matter what you do so much as how you do it. It is clear what the Lions want to do, adding Xanders into the personnel department will help ensure that the results of what they do starts looking a lot more like what they envision.

The goal isn’t just to acquire talent, it is to acquire talent that fits a role as part of the Lions’ bigger plan. Xanders was able to do that as general manager in Denver, can he do it in Detroit?

August 27, 2011; Englewood, CO, USA; Denver Broncos general manager Brian Xanders before the start of a preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks at Sports Authority Field. The Broncos defeated the Seahawks 23-20. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Rather than taking another step forward, or even stepping sideways, the Detroit Lions took a major step back in finishing a disappointing 4-12. The Lions don’t appear to be on a path to repeating their mistakes from a year ago, instead choosing to invest in the areas that need investment.

That has happened on the coaching staff with some solid hires, including veteran defensive line coach Jim Washburn. Changes are also coming to the front office with today’s announcement that the Lions have hired former Broncos general manager Brian Xanders.

The Denver Broncos and Xanders had a mutual parting of ways a year ago when John Elway officially assumed the duties of the general manager. Elway credits Xanders with aiding in his assimilation back into the NFL and with the success the Broncos have enjoyed lately, Xanders certainly deserves some credit for laying the foundation on which Elway has built.

Xanders’ task will be to change the way the Lions scout and grade players. His official title will be senior personnel executive, a title he will share with Shack Harris who will remain in the Lions’ front office. Both men will report to Martin Mayhew.

Mayhew has admitted to possibly overrating the players and one of Xanders’ primary roles will be changing the way the Lions scout and grade players. His ability to identify talent is exactly why he is joining the Lions:

Mayhew on Xanders: “A guy who has a background as a GM and did a good job acquiring talent in Denver and I know he’s a great evaluator.”

— Tim Twentyman (@ttwentyman) January 28, 2013