From: mw@col.hp.com (Mike Waughn)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.football.pro
Subject: Re: Lions News
Date: 2 Sep 92 17:16:03 GMT
Article-I.D.: col.1992Sep2.171603.16383
Organization: HP Colorado Springs Division

smorris@venus.lerc.nasa.gov (Ron Morris ) writes:
> The backup running back will be Don Overton, who was the back up
> last year.  Ed Tillison was cut but resigned and placed on the
> developmental squad.
> 

It's good to have Don back, I thought that he did a reasonable job last
season as a backup.  Now the only problem that the Lions have is that they
don't have a Fullback.  I was hoping Tillison would be that player, maybe
he still will be.

> Holdouts - Backup NT Lawrence Pete and backup DB Sheldon White have
> signed, leaving only D. J. "I can only hit my weight even in AAA"
> Dozier holding out.  I don't expect him until after the baseball
> season is over.  The Lions will get a two week roster exemption for
> Pete and White, but I'm not sure what they'll do with them after
> that.  The Lions already have six DL better than Pete, and I don't
> see a team playing a 3-4 carrying more than six DL.  There's got to
> be a trade or an "injury".  As for White, I'd like to see a trade 
> also.  If not, there will be an "injury" or maybe they'll cut free
> agent Junior Robinson and put him on the devel squad.
> 

I can only name five DLs (Owens, Spindler, Ball, Prichett, and Porcher)
who is the sixth?  But I do think that L. Pete is expendable.  The Lions
only have 4 DBs with any experience to speak of (Blades, W. White, Crockett,
and Jenkins).  Colon is a Plan B pickup, Scott was a rookie last year,
Clay and Robinson are rookies this year.  The Lions need Sheldon White for
his experience, if nothing else.

> Andre Ware has asked to be traded.  He's not being a jerk about it
> but wants to go somewhere else where he thinks he can get more of a
> chance.  He has asked permission to have his agent talk to other 
> teams.  Fontes has said in response that he doesn't want to trade
> Ware, still thinks he can be a good player, and would not trade him
> unless he got a starter plus another player and/or draft pick.
> Sounds like Andre ain't goin nowhere.
> 

I don't think that Andre is ever going to be much of a quarterback.  I
think that he may be better off at WR or RB.  He has a great deal of 
athletic ability, but he can't pass with any sort of accuracy.  Wayne
obviously thinks much more highly of Andre than I do.  If the Lions are
asking for a starter and/or a draft pick, then Andre is not going anywhere.
(Maybe we can start the rumor of Andre Ware for Sean Jones of Houston)

> The Lions did not pick up anyone off waivers.  As Fontes said, "
> by the time we got to pick, everyone worth anything was gone"
> 
> Five players who were cut were resigned and put on the developmental
> squad:  Tillison, LB John Derby, RB Eric Lynch, OL Jack Linn, and
> NT Bernard Wilson.  Resigned and placed on the roster were TE mike
> Hinnant and OL Dennis McKnight.  To make room for them, QB Chuck
> Long and TE Thomas McLemore (3rd round) were put on IR, both with
> shoulder injuries.  They are out at least four weeks.  That leaves
> OL Len Burton and Crawford Ker, LB Earnest Fields and Andre Jones,
> TE Derek Tennell, and DB Jerry Woods as cuts who were not resigned.
> 
> Injuries - Everyone is expected to be ready for Chicago except maybe
> LB Mike Cofer, who else.  His injury was not supposed to be serious
> and it was not supposed to be the knee he injured last year, but there
> is some concern about him.  I remember last year his knee injury was
> only supposed to keep him out a few weeks but it wound up being all
> season.  Injury reports for Sunday's game should come out today, so
> maybe we'll soon know more.
> 
> I STILL look for a trade before the deadline in October.  The Lions
> still need a Guard and have excess depth at QB, WR (they did keep
> eight), DL and DB.

I think that they should trade for a guard also.  This team will only go
as far as their offensive line will take them.

Here is a rough shot of a depth chart for the Lions:
(* denotes starter)

Offense
QB
Rodeny Peete*
Erik Kramer
Andre Ware
Chuck Long (on IR)

RB
Barry Sanders*
Don Overton
Ed Tillison (on Practice Squad)
Eric Lynch (on Practice Squad)

WR
Willie Green*
Brett Perriman*
Mike Farr*
Herman Moore*
Reggie Barrett
Jeff Campbell
Aubrey Mathews
(I think I may be missing one here)

TE
Jimmie Johnson
Mike Hinnant
Thomas McLemore (on IR)

OL
Lomas Brown*
Shawn Bouwens*
Kevin Glover*
Ken Dallifor*
Scott Conover*
Eric Sanders
Dennis McKnight
Jack Linn (on Practice Squad)
(I think I may be missing one here)

Kicker
Jason Hansen*

Defense

DL
Dan Owens*
Jerry Ball*
Marc Spindler*
Kelvin Pritchett
Robert Porcher
Jeff Hunter ( I forgot him earlier)
Lawerence Pete
Bernard Wilson (on Practice Squad)

LB
George Jamison*
Dennis Gibson*
Chris Spielman*
Mike Cofer*
Tracy Hayworth
Tracy Scroggins
Victor Jones
John Derby (on Practice Squad)
(I may have forgot one here, did Darryl Ford make the team?)

DB
Melvin Jenkins*
Bennie Blades*
William White*
Ray Crockett*
Kevin Scott
Harry Colon
Junior Robinson
Willie Clay
Sheldon White

Punter
Jim Arnold*

> 
> Ron

Thanks for the news Ron.  Feel free to correct any errors in the above.
Let's keep the Lion news coming.

Mike Waughn
Lion's fan trapped in Bronco Land.
Newsgroups: rec.sport.football.pro