DETROIT – The Detroit Lions continue avoiding giving too many details on trying to sign the Dawgs’ Matt Stafford prior to the draft tomorrow. The bottom line-the Lions’ need to follow Bill Parcell’s system of signing whoever is their #1 selection prior to draft day and also consider building from the line out.

Parcells, one of the smartest men in football, signed Jake Long as the Miami Dolphins overall pick prior to last year’s draft. He then made his free agent moves andthe rest is history-Miami made a historic turn-around from 1-15 to making the playoffs with a rookie head coach and Long represented the Dolphins in the Pro Bowl.

In a recent poll by the Detroit Free Press, Detroit Lions fans want very little to do with spending a #1 overall selection on a high-risk pick like Stafford. The results were 55% for Aaron Curry, 26% for Stafford, 8% for anyone but Stafford, 7% for Jason Smith, 3% for a trade and 0% for Mark Sanchez.

Stafford is way too high a risk for a team like the Lions who have more holes than a sieve.

The guaranteed $40 million to Stafford could instead cover OL Jason Smith, who like Long is Pro Bowl material, or Wake Forest LB Aaron Currey then leave some leftover cash for adding a solid free agent defensive player; giving the team two guaranteed starters.

Curry has already stated he would be happy to sign for a contract similar to the $30 million guaranteed deal given to Long last year. That additional $10 million left over by not signing Stafford would be used for obtaining a solid starting defensive back or lineman. In additon, the Lions still would have another first round selection and the top pick in the 2ndround, making them the front-runner winner in the 2009 NFL Draft and give them a better nucleus for their road to recovery.

While Lions’ fans have flooded press conferences filling the air with “Don’t draft Stafford” chants, ex-NFL QB and analysts Ron Jaworski has added to the confusion with his most recent comment; “I think Detroit would be absolutely out of their minds to not take Stafford #1. I’ve seen him throw a hundred times and he is ready for the NFL.”

In a recent interview, Stafford who knows the fans are not on his side said, “I’ll do what it takes, no matter what it is.” That is sincere from a young man ready to take the big leap into the NFL but it takes a lot more than confidence to turn a team like the Lions around. Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco both did it as rookies last season but look at those rosters before making an assumption it can be done in Detroit.

Lots of hype; just how Roger Goodell likes it. It keeps the attention off the steady flow of NFL mugshots that have been saturating the Internet.

Related Articles: Aaron Curry should be Lions’ #1 pick – March 12, 2009

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