FanHouse KalimbaEdwards

On Friday, the Oakland Raiders released safety Gibril Wilson, defensive end Kalimba Edwards and wide receiver Ronald Curry, saving the team about $6 million against the 2009 salary cap.

Think back to last offseason when owner Al Davis, in an effort to return his once proud franchise to glory, was signing blank checks with a stamp and passing them out to second-tier free agents like it was the fashionable thing to do. A year later, it's becoming obvious as to how much of a total failure the offseason was.

Adam Schefter of NFL Network is reporting (via PFT) that the Oakland Raiders have signed free agent defensive end Kalimba Edwards, formerly of the Detroit Lions.

Edwards has played in the NFL for six seasons, all with the Lions, and he's been maddeningly inconsistent. At his best he looks like one of the quickest edge pass rushers in football, and he's capable of occasionally making plays in which the opposing offensive lineman just looks silly. But he's not at his best all that often, which is why the Lions let him go.

Of course, the Lions, being the Lions, misjudged Edwards after his rookie contract expired and signed him to a four-year, $20 million contract extension two years ago. Last season Edwards opened the season as a starter, and coach Rod Marinelli said he thought Edwards had the talent to lead the league in sacks. But he was benched midway through the season and by the end of the year wasn't even active on game days. He finished the season with three sacks.

With the Raiders, Edwards has signed a two-year, $5 million deal. He should compete for a starting job in Oakland.

Lions G Ross Verba, while still with Cleveland, made a calculated gamble by holding out for one complete season in an attempt to get paid a salary on par with OT's Walter Jones and Orlando Pace. The Lions signed him this past off-season, which was also a roll of the dice, in hopes that Verba could upgrade the Lions offensive front. Apparently, Verba's luck has crapped out. He was arrested Tuesday night for speeding in Wisconsin. As a consequence of writing bad checks for a line of credit he was extended in a Las Vegas casino, he was also forced to repay the casino $50,000.

Verba never panned out for the Lions. He was injured for almost the entire season. The Lions offensive line was mostly pathetic and the only brief promise it exhibited was when young players like Frank Davis, Clint Stickdorn, and Jonathan Scott had replaced injured veterans like Ross Verba and Rex Tucker. During past seasons, the Lions seemed to be able to hang their hats on the fact that they were not hampered by the off-season issues that most other NFL teams were. The 2006 season not only represented disappointment on the field, but also off the field for the Lions organization.

It is unreasonable to expect NFL players to be model citizens off the field. That being said, Matt Millen's personnel failings are highlighted even more by this season's off-season troubles. Let's recap: 1 arrests for drunk driving (Kenoy Kennedy), 1 coach arrested for lewd conduct (Defensive Line Coach Joe Cullen's "Naked Drive-Thru" escapade), 1 player arrested for resisting arrest (Kalimba Edwards), 2 players failing league administered drug tests (Shaun and Charles Rogers), 1 player arrested for harassment and stalking (G Damien Woody), and now Verba for writing bad checks. The Lions probably don't have anymore off the field issues than any other franchise, but considering their circumstances, the Lions should probably hold their players to a higher standard of conduct.

Entering the 2007 season, the Lions have to place a stronger emphasis on players who have the character necessary to turn around this franchise. The Lions continued personnel struggles can ill-afford to weather the continued embarrassment and missed playing time that comes as result of these types of poor judgment.

In a recent article (12/13) in the Detroit News by Terry Foster, Lions Defensive End Kalimba Edwards admits to Foster that his performance this season has been so poor that he has been "stealing money" from the Lions. Actually, I think that Edwards' statements have been one of the few moments of clarity within the Lions organization for quite some time.

Edwards was drafted by the Lions from North Carolina State because of his raw, natural athletic ability and his incredible physique. I think that the Lions were hoping for a "poor man's Julius Peppers" when they chose Edwards four years ago. Instead, they have received an inconsistent performer who I have affectionately dubbed "Kalimba the Ghost", due to his inexplicable ability to completely disappear as a factor in most games. Edwards has flashed incredible potential at times, but has never been completely able to sustain that potential.

Edwards is the quintessential example of a common debate found in baseball, "Tools" versus Performance. Edwards has all of the necessary athletic ability to be a Pro Bowl defensive end and the disruptive pass rushing force the Lions so desperately need. Edwards' performance, as far as I can recall, has never really bore out the lofty expectations that have surrounded him since his arrival. His lone quarterback sack this season (in 13 games) also is strong evidence that Edwards may never develop as a consistent performer.

As much as the scouting and development people within the Lions organization will hate to admit it, the "emperor is wearing no clothes" in regards to Edwards' latent abilities. They have made a colossal mistake by giving Edwards a four year $20 million contract extension this past off season. The Cleveland Browns expressed some interest in signing Edwards, but I believe that it is just as likely that the Lions were bidding against themselves for Edwards' services.

In Week 1, the Lions were able to sack Seahawk's QB Matt Hasselbeck 5 times, and by doing so, the front four of the Lion's defense was able to thoroughly dominate one of the finer O-Line's units in the NFL. Since that game, the Lion's Defensive Line pressure has been nearly non-existent. They have tallied zero sacks and nearly unbelievably (Hey, it's the Lion's) registered zero quarterback pressures against the Packer's Brett Favre on Sunday.

Entering the season, the Lion's defensive front was perceived to be a team strength. Shaun Rogers, as dominating a physical presence as their is in the entire league, is wildly inconsistent and has been struggling with facing multiple blockers. The fact that Rogers is getting double- and triple-teamed should be creating opportunities for the other members of the Lion's front four to generate sacks.

Without an effective pass rush, opposing QB's have been able to find spaces in the Lions Cover-2 zone coverage to exploit, especially the vulnerable area in the middle of the field between the linebackers and safeties. With the team's nonexistent pass rush, the Lions have had to resort to blitzing, which opens up opportunities for big plays by putting receivers in man-to-man coverage against the Lion's defensive backs. The lack of a pass rush has also allowed both Chicago and Green Bay to be very successful on third downs-each was at 50%. The extended drives and expanded ability to move the ball only serves to wear down the Lion's defense and render them more ineffective as the game presses on.

In order for the Lions to have any chance in upcoming games (especially against teams who pass a lot), they will have to regain their ability to pressure the QB. Especially in their new defensive scheme which to be successful is predicated on the ability of the front four to pressure the QB. James Hall, the team's most reliable edge rusher, and Kalimba Edwards, physically gifted, but enigmatically inconsistent, are the two players most likely to pick up the slack. Otherwise, the defense will consistently get picked apart by opposing QB's as opponents score thirty or more points and the Lion's continue to wallow in futility.