FanHouse JoeBarry

After releasing Cato June and Derrick Brooks to open the offseason, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have quite a need for some help at the linebacker position. Apparently, they're not only willing to scour the free-agent market, but also think outside the box -- or blindly throw darts at the wall, depending on your perspective -- when it comes to improving the position.

On Wednesday, the team signed free-agent linebacker Angelo Crowell, formerly of the Buffalo Bills, to compete for the strongside linebacker spot. The Buccaneers also plan to move safety Jermaine Phillips to weakside linebacker.

---

---

When the Detroit Lions acquired Leigh Bodden from the Cleveland Browns this past offseason, it was supposed to help strengthen a secondary that, for the most part, couldn't cover itself with a blanket. Of course, it should have been a bad omen for Lions fans when Matt Millen, the man who made the trade, predicted that Shaun Rogers, the player he gave up to acquire Bodden, would take home the NFL defensive player of the year award if he was healthy. How's that for a confidence builder?

As it turns out, Bodden, a highly-touted player in Cleveland, never really lived up to expectations and was a pretty big disappointment during the '08 season -- which probably explains why will be released by the Lions after just one season in the Motor City.

The Lions coaching staff is coming together nicely. Gone are Rod Marinelli, Joe Barry and Jim Colletto. In are Jim Schwartz, Gunther Cunningham, and Scott Linehan.

The Rams fired Linehan as their head coach last September after the team stumbled to an 0-4 start. By all accounts he was dreadful, amassing a 11-25 record in just over two seasons. Schwartz hiring him to coordinate the Lions' offense might seem like more of same in Detroit. But here's the thing: just because a guy is a complete and utter failure as a head coach doesn't mean he's not a good coordinator with a firm grasp on Xs and Os.

Detroit News columnist Rob Parker was harshly criticized last month after he badgered Lions coach Rod Marinelli over his daughter's marriage to his defensive coordinator. Now he's out of work because of it:

"He doesn't work here any more," Managing Editor Donald Nauss said. He said Parker resigned on Friday. Asked whether this followed a suspension of his column, Nauss said, "I can't talk about personnel matters."

Parker reportedly was demoted from columnist to general assignment reporter because of the incident, and he apparently resigned because of that demotion.

Marinelli's Lions became the first team in NFL history to finish a season 0-16, and the Lions' defense was the worst in the league under coordinator Joe Barry, who is married to Marinelli's daughter. At Marinelli's press conference following the Lions' Week 16 loss to the Saints, Parker asked, "Do you wish your daughter would have married a better defensive coordinator?"

Parker later apologized, but Marinelli said he did not accept the apology.

Parker also appears on ESPN, which did not take any action over his comments.

Detroit News reporter Rob Parker issued an apology of sorts in his column today, saying that he was just trying to lighten the mood when he asked Lions coach Rod Marinelli a pointed question about his son-in-law, who is also his defensive coordinator.

Last year Detroit Lions coach Rod Marinelli hired his son-in-law, Joe Barry, as his defensive coordinator, and the results have been dismal: The Lions are the worst team in the league with the worst defense in the league. But still, Detroit News columnist Rob Parker may have crossed the line in today's post-game press conference:

Parker asked Marinelli, "Do you wish your daughter would have married a better defensive coordinator?"

A reporter asked Detroit Lions coach Rod Marinelli on Monday whether the coaches or the players were to blame for the team's pathetic defensive performance on Sunday. Marinelli answered, "Why would I tell you?"

That answer, I suppose, could be used to avoid every single question at every single press conference. But as long as Marinelli is going to have press conferences, he might as well answer questions. And Rob Parker of the Detroit News writes that the real answer is that the coaches are to blame -- but Marinelli won't say so because his defensive coordinator is his son-in-law, Joe Barry.

If you could count on anything in Detroit, it's that Jon Kitna's got an opinion. And he's going to tell you what it is. Any subject. Could be the patriarchal construct of Wiccan societies. Doesn't matter. Kitna's got something to say. So you better believe you're getting an earful if he thinks you're taking liberties with his receivers.

In the last morning of scheduled full-team two-a-day practices, Lions quarterback Jon Kitna watched as linebacker Buster Davis kept crushing his receivers.

Then, in a 10-yard, goal line passing drill, Davis slammed tight end John Owens, sending Kitna over the top.

The usually restrained Kitna ran across the line and started yelling: "Keep hitting him Buster. What's wrong with you?"

Kitna, who did all of this in front of his son, was restrained by defensive coordinator Joe Barry, who pointed out to Kitna that the hitting was fine because everyone was wearing pads (not to mention the fact that it's, you know, football).

This happens all the time in NFL training camps. Tempers rise. And when you're competing for a job, as Davis is, you're more likely to err on the side of making an impression. I'm sure the situation was reconciled later, with Kitna inviting Davis to his house for a prayer meeting. So nothing to worry about; Lions fans should just be happy to see some sort of fire from their team.

Despite a belief that Takeo Spikes didn't have the ability to be a starter in the NFL anymore, both San Francisco, where he signed, and Detroit, where he didn't, had visions of him running with their first teams. And now that Spikes has chosen the 49ers over the Lions, there's a hole at strongside linebacker in Detroit. Technically the Lions do have a depth chart at that position in that they've got names written on paper, but in an ideal world there will be a better option than Darnell Bing, Alex Lewis, or Leon Joe taking backs head on this season. And so a decision has to be made.

Spikes was the best option available, unless the team wants to try to finagle Bobby Carpenter, who has been a disappointment playing out of position in a 3-4, from Dallas via trade. So a bit of creative accounting is in order, and the Lions are pretty flush at middle linebacker.

Rookie Jordan Dizon, incumbent starter Paris Lenon, and Buster Davis, a talented 2007 third-round pick let go by Arizona, all reside in the middle, and the starter will either be Dizon or Lenon. The thinking is that the loser of that battle will automatically win the strongside spot. But for now it's all moot anyway as defensive coordinator Joe Barry keeps any potential leverage with outside help in tact by insisting nobody is changing positions. Don't expect that to last.

It seems smart to just move forward with the guys you've got and pick a guy to slide over so that he can get reps at that position, but that's not happening. And thus, the Lions will probably begin their season with an underprepared linebacker on the outside.

It's hard to say the Lions' secondary was the weakest link on the team last year -- the offensive line might have something to say about that -- but it left quite a bit to be desired. But it appears that they're going to make a concerted effort to get it up to speed very early in free agency.

They've already signed safety/nickel Dwight Smith, who has connections with Rod Marinelli and Joe Barry from Tampa. Then there's the soon-to-be former Charger Drayton Florence. Though free agency doesn't start until, oh, about four hours from now as I write, I think we all know where Florence plans on going.

Florence said Thursday in a telephone interview he heard through the grapevine the Lions were interested in him. He knows the Lions need corners and thinks he could be a good fit.

Asked about Dwight Smith, Florence said: "Let him know I'm trying to come over there and help him out and lock it down in Detroit, man. I'm trying to get that Super Bowl ring.

That's pretty direct. If that weren't enough, the Lions could be getting a good corner in Domonique Foxworth from the Broncos, who are hot to trot for ecstatic Shaun Rogers.

These moves would appear to make the Lions' secondary much better, but with Lions seeing truly is believing. Still, give them an "A" for effort.