Your current grade for the Lions 2015 off season is...

[Old Lion]

I think our only chance to sign Suh was before he switched agents last year. Once we got into the second half of the season there was no way. We offered to make him the highest paid DT right before FA. 17 mil 58 guaranteed. If he really wanted to be here he could. He chose a few more bucks instead. Its a business to most everyone, that's the way it goes.

 

[lionstop1]

That may be true but I'm sure Suh realized a long time ago that there was going to be teams that could possibly offer more than the Lions could and he wanted to wait and see. That would be dumb for him and his agent to agree to a new deal unless Suh was completely committed to the Lions and wanted to stay. I dont think Mayhew and Lewan had much of a fighting chance in the situation they were in because they were going to have to come up with tons of money. Im sure they were counting on Suh being loyal though and thats why they thought they could get the deal done.

Lions didnt pick up Fairley's option and released Bush just to have extra space to sign Suh and it back fired.

 

[tpaulus_2]

I know the Rams went 1-15 a year or two after the Lions had their 0-16 season because the Lions were the only team they beat. The Patriots and Cowboys both had a one win season which helped when their fans were ragging on me for being a Lions fan. I know there's a few more but it's not something I wanna look up.

That's my whole point right there- people have to look up the 1-15 teams, everyone knows the only 0-16 team, though...

 

[Dr. Evil-er]

He wanted to be a Lion but your adopted dad fucked it up.

All evidence to the contrary based on his actions.

You also believed all that was said by Mayhew and Lewand regarding resigning him to be truthful. So simple trust in him NOW saying that he wanted to be here, words I might add that he absolutely never even ONCE offered up until after he signed elsewhere.

Unless of course you are referring to the statements he supposedly made and were provided to us as hearsay from the two proven liars that make up our front office. Maybe that's where you have formed your belief that he wanted to be here.

 

[Rollingthndr]

Found a new toy for Mini-Millen to draft this year

Brandt: Georgia Tech's Darren Waller could be 2015 draft steal - NFL.com

 

[TrustMeIamRight]

He wanted to be a Lion but your adopted dad fucked it up.

Suh is saying anything to protect his 'brand'. He also said it wasn't about money and how he wanted to go to a successful franchise.

Now let's see -- He was offered a contract by the Lions to make him the highest paid defensive player in NFL history. Shockingly enough -- he accepted the contract from the team that made the highest bid.

He wanted to go to a successful franchise and a team moving in the right direction. Let's see -- Miami hasn't been to the playoffs in 7 or 8 years and they are going to be in cap hell starting in 2016 and had to cut multiple players just to fit Suh's contract into their cap.

Suh is always going to be one of my favorite players, but anyone who believes the bullshit coming out of his mouth about 'expecting to be back in Detroit' and 'wanting to be here' is foolish. Suh is only worried about himself and his family. I don't blame him one bit either. He owes the fans nothing. This is his job and he had every right to go to the highest bidder.

So PLEASE stop with the whoa is me, Suh wanted to be here and the front office screwed it up. If you want to bitch about the front office and how they handled his contract and screwed the Lions out of an extra year with Suh by tagging him -- I'm on board. In the end though -- Suh was going to the highest bidder and I applaud the front office for not handing him an absolutely absurd contract.

 

[TrustMeIamRight]

Found a new toy for Mini-Millen to draft this year

We could draft him and move him to TE and he can run vertical routes for us.

 

[Old Lion]

In round 6 sure. Mason in round 7 maybe.

 

[TBBishop]

If Donald was a can't miss is not whats important. It's the fact they knew they could not keep both Suh and Fairley and still did not address the hole. If Donald was a bust at least Mayhew could have said he attempted to address the problem with the best DT in the draft.

The Lions loose both Suh and Fairley as well as Mosley and the best Mayhew did was a late round developmental guy?

If they felt that Donald wasn't the best player on the board it made complete and total sense that they didn't go after Donald, especially if they felt they would be able to retain Suh.

 

[TBBishop]

I never said that's where you start for fucks sake, but you don't begin with low ball offers given an established market. With McCoy's deal in place you have the floor for where you start right there because you would have to be an idiot of epic proportion to try and start lower than that. And it was reported that the Lions were offering a $15m avg early on. That's an insulting offer that can do nothing but hurt when you are already in a very weak position to negotiate from. From the reports that have come out the Lions only got to the final numbers reported as being offered at the very last minute. That's horrific negotiating

Isn't McCoy's deal for an average of $14 mil a year? So they started by offering him more than McCoy per year if they offered him $15 mil, correct? So you start negotiations from a million more than the highest paid at the position and that's wrong? And most teams give their best offer in the 11th hour. That's nothing new or different and it's certainly not stupid. I mean you guys can hate Mayhew, you can hate Lewand, but the things they are doing isn't anything that other contract negotiators aren't doing.

 

[jdwills126]

If they felt that Donald wasn't the best player on the board it made complete and total sense that they didn't go after Donald, especially if they felt they would be able to retain Suh.

But their is the overall problem they thought!

In reality if they sign Suh they can't afford Fairley and Mosley so they would still ned a starting DT. I didn't want them to resign Suh at 18 million and above.

You can throw out Donald and substitute Jernigan in the second. The point is they didn't have a reliable guy to fill either Suh's loss or the fallout loss of Mosley and Fairley.

 

[TBBishop]

Suh is saying anything to protect his 'brand'. He also said it wasn't about money and how he wanted to go to a successful franchise.

Now let's see -- He was offered a contract by the Lions to make him the highest paid defensive player in NFL history. Shockingly enough -- he accepted the contract from the team that made the highest bid.

He wanted to go to a successful franchise and a team moving in the right direction. Let's see -- Miami hasn't been to the playoffs in 7 or 8 years and they are going to be in cap hell starting in 2016 and had to cut multiple players just to fit Suh's contract into their cap.

Suh is always going to be one of my favorite players, but anyone who believes the bullshit coming out of his mouth about 'expecting to be back in Detroit' and 'wanting to be here' is foolish. Suh is only worried about himself and his family. I don't blame him one bit either. He owes the fans nothing. This is his job and he had every right to go to the highest bidder.

So PLEASE stop with the whoa is me, Suh wanted to be here and the front office screwed it up. If you want to bitch about the front office and how they handled his contract and screwed the Lions out of an extra year with Suh by tagging him -- I'm on board. In the end though -- Suh was going to the highest bidder and I applaud the front office for not handing him an absolutely absurd contract.

100% correct IMO. The worst part about this whole debate is so many people on this board sat here before the start of the season and said because he wouldn't sign last offseason, because he switched agents when negotiations were supposed to start, because his sister said what she said and on and on and on that he didn't want to be here and he wasn't going to sign with the Lions. Now he's actually gone, he clearly chased the money and the majority of the people here are bitching that he wanted to be here and the front office screwed it up. I really can't even understand it.

 

[TBBishop]

But their is the overall problem they thought!

In reality if they sign Suh they can't afford Fairley and Mosley so they would still ned a starting DT. I didn't want them to resign Suh at 18 million and above.

You can throw out Donald and substitute Jernigan in the second. The point is they didn't have a reliable guy to fill either Suh's loss or the fallout loss of Mosley and Fairley.

Well, unlike others I'm willing to see what happenes over the rest of the offseason with free agency, the draft. I'm willing to see what Walker gives us because I read a couple places that smart GMs were after him. Hell, I read today that he got a 2 year offer from New England but liked how we use our DTs better. And I'm willing to see if Reid develops into a good rotational player. I mean there is that slim possibility that (gasp!) Mayhew did something right.

 

[Microwahevo]

100% correct IMO. The worst part about this whole debate is so many people on this board sat here before the start of the season and said because he wouldn't sign last offseason, because he switched agents when negotiations were supposed to start, because his sister said what she said and on and on and on that he didn't want to be here and he wasn't going to sign with the Lions. Now he's actually gone, he clearly chased the money and the majority of the people here are bitching that he wanted to be here and the front office screwed it up. I really can't even understand it.

I don't see it as the "majority" are bitching that he wanted to be here. It's quite the minority in fact. Seems to me the majority know what his real intentions were, and are moving on.

 

[Microwahevo]

Well, unlike others I'm willing to see what happenes over the rest of the offseason with free agency, the draft. I'm willing to see what Walker gives us because I read a couple places that smart GMs were after him. Hell, I read today that he got a 2 year offer from New England but liked how we use our DTs better. And I'm willing to see if Reid develops into a good rotational player. I mean there is that slim possibility that (gasp!) Mayhew did something right.

3-yr deal. And NE seems to be the top run franchise in this board's collective eyes(maybe GB is tied with them), so to see him to turn down a deal with them to sign with us, and most importantly Austin, well that says a whole helluva lot about our D unit as a whole and the man that leads it. Cupboard ain't bare yall.

 

[Coach_Ed_LPW]

They are pretty much cap strapped. They really can't do a whole lot. Damn sure couldnt pay Spiller that much. They could always sell high on Megatron, free up 20 million...get several draft picks. Since we seem to be getting worse...that might be the best option for the future.

 

[Coach_Ed_LPW]

Oh I forgot to grade...a solid D+

 

[LionsWhyMe]

Hell, I read today that he got a 2 year offer from New England but liked how we use our DTs better.

I read the Patriots offered a 3yr deal from Tim Twentyman. Also noted in the link is the defense wont be going to a 3-4 scheme.

Lions' defensive scheme a perfect fit for Tyrunn Walker

 

[Coach_Ed_LPW]

If they can add a solid starter...C-

 

[Dr. Evil-er]

Isn't McCoy's deal for an average of $14 mil a year?

No its $15,866,667

So they started by offering him more than McCoy per year if they offered him $15 mil, correct?

No, $15.87m is more than $15m, correct?

So you start negotiations from a million more than the highest paid at the position and that's wrong? And most teams give their best offer in the 11th hour. That's nothing new or different and it's certainly not stupid.

You start negotiations at $15.9m and when getting a deal done is your self admitted #1 priority you don't wait until the 11th hour to offer the deal he clearly wasn't budging off of since the first time you were told what he wanted. There was no question he was going to get more than Watt, everybody knew that.

I mean you guys can hate Mayhew, you can hate Lewand, but the things they are doing isn't anything that other contract negotiators aren't doing.

What other team is butchering contract mgmt? Maybe we can go get their very best players.