FanHouse JamesHall

For all intents and purposes, the Rams were going to use their second overall pick on Glenn Dorsey last weekend. All of the pre-draft hype indicated an interest and, though all of the zany behavior every April has me doubting everything everyone says, it was apparently genuine. All of the teams' scouts and coaches wanted Dorsey.

But team president John Shaw wanted Chris Long. So when he arrived at headquarters the Thursday before the draft, he decreed it so -- Long would be the pick. Even if Shaw was stepping down from his ivory tower to get involved in football matters that are better left to, you know, football people, I agree with him.

The best teams find a way to merge the two divergent draft philosophies -- need vs. best player available. Even if Dorsey was the Rams' top-rated player, they already have a good, young pair of tackles in Adam Carriker and Clifton Ryan. On the outside? The ancient, brittle Leonard Little and the ancient, um, average (to be kind) James Hall. I know a push up the middle helps your ends, but the only thing that would help these ends at this point is the Career Kevorkian.

So it makes sense to draft Long. If the team wants to win now (ie, if Scott Linehan wants to provide his family hot food every night), they need to spread talent across as many positions as possible. What good is clogging the middle if teams can just attack the outside? Right?

NFL Offseason Roadmap is a series focused on the needs of NFL teams as they begin the offseason.

1. Offensive Tackle. The Rams have been lucky to have an incredible franchise left tackle for the last 11 seasons, and his play did as much for The Greatest Show on Turf as anyone else. But Orlando Pace has been ludicrously brittle the last two years and, at 32, can't really be depended on anymore. The drop-off in production without Pace has been glaring. On the other side, Alex Barron has been disappointing as a first-round pick; there's so much yellow cloth at Barron's feet on gameday that you'd think he stuffed his jersey with Terrible Towels. In the last four years, Barron ranks behind just Robert Gallery in penalties. On top of the starters, after all of the injuries the Rams endured on the line last year, depth should be considered critical. The easy and obvious answer is Jake Long, who should be available when the Rams pick second. Long can play both sides, which certainly helps, and he can immediately take over for Pace should something happen. If the team needs further depth, Kwame Harris or Damien Woody could be affordable options, and Woody triples as a possible guard and center.

The Rams have a lot of needs -- receiver, linebacker, safety, and corner, but the team's two most glaring needs come in the trenches. With the second selection and three various lineman expected to go within the first five, they'll get someone to immediately help on either line. Assuming they don't trade down.

Let's guess that Glenn Dorsey is the top selection, though a lot can certainly change. That leaves the Rams to choose between defensive end Chris Long and offensive tackle Jake Long. And though Rams fans are pining for Chris, it's the "boring" pick in Jake that the Rams need to make.

Yeah, the team's defensive ends are hurting. The team finished 21st in sacks with 31, and starting ends Leonard Little and James Hall combined for just three. With their ages next year, 33 and 31, iends are a genuine need. However, you can find quality at that position later or in free agency and in a pinch they could move Adam Carriker out.

Now consider Orlando Pace. At 32 and having played just one in the last 24, Pace's long-term availability is in question, and his absence has been way more than noticeable. The Rams will soon lose a franchise tackle; it's not like those guys grow on trees practice squads. Jake isn't quite the prospect Joe Thomas was a year ago, but he's not far behind either. He can step in immediately for Pace should something happen and anchor the line for years.

And if Pace stays healthy, Long can battle it out with right tackle Alex Barron for that job. If nothing else, they'll have much better depth on the line, the lack of which pretty much ended their season before it began. As an offensive team after this year's mess of injuries, the Rams would be crazy not to pick the tackle.

To get you ready for the season, FanHouse is previewing all 32 NFL teams. Here's St. Louis' outlook.

2006 Record: 8-8

2006 Offense: When Scott Linehan took over the Rams last year, he realized something that must have slipped past Mike Martz -- they've got a pretty good running back in Steven Jackson. So Linehan did what Martz never attempted -- depended on his back -- and Jackson rewarded the Rams with over 2,300 yards and 16 touchdowns. Marc Bulger had a typical Bulger season -- great but largely unnoticed -- and what new is there to say about Torry Holt?

2006 Defense: The Rams offense did well in putting up 360.4 yards and 22.9 points per game, but the defense gave up 335.1 yards and 23.8 points per contest. The defense was plagued by penalties and finished 31st in run defense. Though they finished eighth in pass defense, it was only because teams simply chose to run at will. In short, it was a typical Jim Haslett defense.

2006 Special Teams: The Rams couldn't return the ball (26th in kickoffs, 24th in punts), they couldn't really kickoff (21st), and their kick coverage appeared to be playing a man short (28th). But hey, field position can't be that important. Right? Right?

To get you ready for the season, FanHouse is previewing all 32 NFL teams. Here's Detroit's outlook.

2006 record: 3-13

2006 Offense: People tend to hold the misconception that Detroit's offense last year was good despite their poor record, based on the presence of Mike Martz and Jon Kitna's 4,208-yard, 21-touchdown year. What those people are overlooking are Kitna's 22 interceptions and the Lions' dead-last run game, which averaged only 70.6 yards per contest. For some perspective, 21 individual backs averaged more. Including Edgerrin James. Who ran for the Arizona Cardinals. Embarassing? You bet.

2006 Defense: This is a unit that ranked near the bottom five in just about every major defensive category last year. Linebacker Ernie Sims and safety Daniel Bullocks both showed promise, but the star of the defense, Shaun Rogers, was underwhelming. The Lions have some new blood that, on paper, should improve the unit, but that's not exactly a task, either.

2006 Special Teams: Eddie Drummond (no, you're not getting the Bermanism) had a solid, unspectacular season as the Lions' main returner, and kicker Jason Hanson is a keeper (the Lions relied on a lot of field goals, and Hanson had the third-most in the league). Still, the Lions special teams was middle of the road, at best. Noticing a theme? I should have just heeded that old "If you can't say anything nice ... " saying and saved myself the last 20 minutes.

Apparently, Lions DT Shaun Rogers' recovery from knee surgery is going to take longer than originally expected. Rogers, who had surgery while serving a 4 game suspension, has been unable to regain adequate playing condition since he returned to the team two weeks ago. It is becoming increasingly likely that Rogers will not return this season and will be placed on injured reserve.

Rogers, a former Pro Bowler, has been among the Lions biggest disappointments, during one of the most disappointing seasons in the team's history. I think it becomes highly questionable whether or not Rogers will ever play another down for the team. The Lions have attempted to trade him in the past and could be strongly compelled to pursue that possibility again if they are able to receive an equitable offer for Rogers' services. Rogers seems to have never truly bought into the new defensive scheme that was implemented this off season and was reported to have butted heads with more than one of the member of the current coaching staff. I believe that Rogers may still have considerable value to a contender and a change of scenery may help him.

The Lions have been continually dogged by injury all season. They have lost three important members of their defensive line to injury (DE's Bill Swancutt, James Hall and DT Shaun Cody) and if you add Rogers, they will have lost three of their original four starters. The offensive line has also lost two of it's starters in G Damien Woody and T Rex Tucker. Tucker was obtained as free agent during the off season in an attempt to upgrade the weak Lions offensive line. Tucker was a risky acquisition, he has had an extensive injury history. Damien Woody has never lived up to his former Pro Bowl billing. The combination of weight and personal issues may put an end to his future in Detroit. These personnel losses alone have made it patently obvious that the Lions primary objective has to be to upgrade their offensive and defensive lines during the upcoming offseason.

The Lions recently placed second year DT Shaun Cody on injured reserve due to a nagging toe injury which limited him to six games this season. Cody, a former second round pick from USC, was the heir apparent to veteran DT Dan Wilkinson, who was released prior to the season. Cody was not a major contributor this year when he was active, and unfortunately didn't live up to the team's performance expectations. I would go as far as to say that if you were looking for a place to lay blame upon the Lions poor season, the loss of DE James Hall and DT Cody, along with the unexpected suspension of DT Shaun Rogers would reside near the top of that list of contributors to the team's demise.

The team's defensive front was perceived to be one it's strengths prior to the season. At this point, it is one of the most obvious areas that demand to be upgraded this off season. The lack of a consistent pass rush has allowed opponents to complete nearly 70% of their passes. The loss of Cody, Hall and Rogers also has exposed a giant void in the Lions defense which opposing offenses have been able to run the ball through at will. The Lions inability to stop the run, or pass, has severely impaired their chances for winning games.

RB Kevin Jones is set to return from his ankle sprain to play against New England this Sunday. The Lions have struggled offensively in Jones two game absence. Jones' replacements, Arlen Harris and Aveion Cason, have a combined 24 carries for 81 yards (3.3 yards/carry) and are nowhere near the play makers that Jones is. Jones will provide Lions QB Jon Kitna with a quality receiving outlet to counter the Patriots pressure. Jones also presents the Patriots with the possibility that the Lions may actually run the ball, which may slow down the pressure that they apply upon Kitna. Jones is emerging as one of the few bright spots during this disappointing season, so it is good to see that he will be able to provide Lions fans with some small measure of pride, in spite of the team's continued struggles.

The Lions placed veteran DE James Hall and 2006 3rd round draft pick RB Brian Calhoun on the injured reserve list yesterday. The loss of Hall, who has been the team's most consistent pass rusher, is particularly damaging.

The Lions thin defensive line rotation, once considered the team's strongest personnel group, is becoming extremely patchwork in orientation. Earlier in the season, the Lions needed to place second year DE Bill Swancutt, whom the team had high hopes for due to his consistent, high level of effort, on injured reserve. DT Shaun Cody has recently missed several games since injuring his toe against Minnesota. With the additional loss of Hall, the Lions have to be increasingly disappointed in All-Pro DT Shaun Rogers for failing a league administered drug test.

The injuries to the Lions defensive front does provide opportunity to several players like DE's Kalimba Edwards and Jared DeVries and DT Cleveland Pinkney to establish their future worth to the organization. The Lions also added former San Francisco DE Corey Smith (after placing Hall on IR), who will now be given the opportunity to gain some playing time.

The Lions also added veteran return specialist and 3rd down back Aveion Cason, who has previously played with both the Rams (while coached by Mike Martz) and the Lions. Cason's versatility is valuable, but heaven forbid RB Kevin Jones sustain any significant injury. I hate to imagine a Lions backfield that would feature a combo of Aveion Cason and Arlen Harris. In regards to Calhoun, he never contributed much for the Lions this year. Considering his high draft selection, and the Lions need for quality depth throughout their roster, Calhoun's selection in the third round becomes increasingly dubious as the season marches on.

This was a banner weekend for fans of Detroit sports. The Tigers won the American League pennant in a dramatic and memorable fashion, which sent shock waves throughout the sports world. On the heels of this excitement, after a thoroughly inauspicious start to his Detroit Lions coaching tenure, Rod Marinelli was able to lead the Lions to their first victory of 2006. In the process of winning, the rough outlines of what may lead the Lions to overcome their perennial rebuilding program have become much clearer.

The Lions featured a strong ground attack (Kevin Jones had 23 carries for 127 yards), a stifling defensive front that had been dormant since the first game of the year (5 sacks, 3 1/2 by DE James Hall), a patchwork offensive line which dominated the Bills at the line of scrimmage all day, and a burgeoning All-Pro wideout in Roy Williams whose talents appear boundless (10 catches for 161 yards). In the midst of all of these eye-popping statistics, the Lions were able to overcome their fourth quarter struggles that have cost them several games this season.

This was no easy victory. The Lions were never able to put the Bills completely out of the picture until their very last drive. It would appear that any victory that the Lions attain this year will be no small feat. That being said, this team exhibited the beginning elements of what Head Coach Rod Marinelli has stated characterizes a winning football team. There also remains significant help on the way. In upcoming weeks the Lions will see the much needed return of veterans Rex Tucker, Ross Verba, Teddy Lehman, and Scottie Vines to the lineup. It remains to be seen just how the rest of the season will play out, but if Sunday was any indication, Lions opponents will have to continue to work hard to gain victories over this team.