Two weeks ago Bob Quinn got in front of the media at the scouting combine and put out the message of what this team would be looking for.
After hearing what he had to say, it prompted me to write a piece titled Bob Quinn Keeps It Real. Now here we are on Friday, three days into the free agency period and as far as I can tell, Quinn has continued to keep it real ever since. Almost everything that Bob mentioned in that 15 minute press conference has come to fruition. Today we’ll talk a little bit about that.
First I want to quickly keep it real myself. On Tuesday I had back surgery for what turned out to be a ruptured disc that was driving into my sciatica. This was the first surgery I had ever had in my life and it’s safe to say that I was quite worried about it and very nervous. My friends and family were very supportive throughout the whole process. But what really shocked me was the support I got from Lions fans on Twitter and Facebook during this time. I cannot tell you how appreciative I am of all this support. This all helped me get through surgery, and will help me get through the recovery period. So once again I say thank you. Ok now let’s jump back into football.
Depth is of Large Importance
Quinn went on and on about depth in that press conference. It was almost as if it were every other word out of his mouth. After so many years of hearing guys like Martin Mayhew preach about depth and then stand idly by during free agency and the draft when he had his chance to grab some depth, it was really nice to see Quinn come in and keep his word about that. Although as of last night, the Lions have officially hit the “he’s not playing around” portion of depth gathering.
So far the Lions have signed one of the NFL’s better special team’s players in Johnson Bademosi. They grabbed a safety and up and coming special team’s player from Quinn’s old stomping grounds in Tavon Wilson. Former Saints safety Rafael Bush is coming to town today as well. I highly doubt that Quinn and the Lions stop there.
Quinn has made the right moves
Aside from bringing in more depth, the Lions also needed to keep the positive side of their defense intact. During that press conference, Quinn made mention that he felt the defensive line was a strength. To me that meant he planned on bringing Walker and Ngata back as priorities. Sure enough he did just that and also grabbed Stefan Charles from Buffalo as a depth move. I’m sure the Lions will still look into taking another defensive lineman in the draft as well.
Quinn also brought up the need for a three down linebacker. Most felt the Lions already had that in Tahir Whitehead. Of course everyone felt that there was no way the Lions would get Whitehead back. Especially after the reported interest from the Eagles and his scheduled visit in Tampa. Sure enough though, Whitehead wound up returning on a two-year deal.
Perhaps the nicest thing that’s happened thus far is the signing of wide receiver Marvin Jones. This was also perhaps the one occasion where Quinn didn’t necessarily keep it real. After saying there would be no time-table on Calvin Johnson’s decision, there wound up being a time-table on Calvin’s decision. Be that as it may, it was already a forgone conclusion that Calvin was in fact going to retire. So instead of waiting for a receiver to fall out of the sky, Quinn went out and grabbed the best one on the market. Obviously we know Jones will never live up to Calvin. Even Marvin knows that. But the Lions are definitely moving in the right direction when building this new offense. If Russell Okung signs today, things could be getting even better.
What do you think Lions fans? Are you happy with he job that Bob Quinn has done thus far? Be sure to leave your comments below.