FanHouse Matt Millen

Our new NFL Twitter mailbag features reaction from readers to former Lions draft bust Charles Rogers saying he used to smoke marijuana every day, and follows that up with an X's and O's look at the defenses of the Seahawks and the Cardinals.

Your questions and comments, and my responses, are below.

Charles Rogers, the former No. 2 overall NFL draft pick for the Detroit Lions whose career lasted just 15 games, says in a new interview that he smoked marijuana every day and got hooked on prescription pills when he was an NFL player.

Asked by ESPN's Jemele Hill how often he used marijuana, Rogers said, "Regularly. Regularly. ... Yeah. I blew every day. I blew every day. You know, I was doing something wrong. You can't smoke in the league, so I was wrong."

Video of the interview is after the jump.

Following a historic 0-16 season, the Detroit Lions have undergone a franchise makeover -- both on and off the field. Martin Mayhew has taken over for the maligned Matt Millen and Jim Schwartz is now the head coach. They have made myriad changes via trade, free agency and the draft.

Thus, they look toward training camp with a new motto. Detroit is "The Land of Opportunity." The meaning to the phrase is that Schwartz and Mayhew have instilled a new philosophy, which they are calling "no starters, no depth chart." The theory is that nothing is set in stone and anyone can win a job in training camp (though I'm guessing Calvin Johnson is quite safe as the starting WR1).

Detroit Lions owner William Clay Ford admits that maybe in hindsight hiring Matt Millen as general manager wasn't the best call he's ever made.

"He really didn't have much experience as far as being a general manager goes. He knows the game, obviously, and knew talent. Maybe he was a little precipitous on some of his judgments -- I'm second-guessing him -- but it didn't work out. He understood completely. There was no bitterness or rancor on his part. He said, 'No, I can see why you're doing it and I don't blame you.'

When talking about front-office futility, Matt Millen sets the pace. Mercifully for Lions fans, he's been relieved of his duties as the team's president and general manager, but his legacy lives on. His infatuation with using high-round draft picks on wide receivers might have been his biggest weakness, although that's certainly up for debate.

Charles Rogers and Mike Williams are on the list of first-round wide receiver busts, but a name that's often overlooked -- and one that we can't blame on Millen -- is Peter Warrick, who the Bengals selected with the fourth-overall pick in 2001.

We found out just a couple of days ago that Matt Millen would join the NFL Network's Thursday Night Football broadcasts in 2009. And to that news, I, like most people, am fairly indifferent. Millen's no John Madden, but he's a decent enough football analyst, so that might work out fine.

Millen isn't -- and doesn't deserve to be -- forever banned from football circles simply because of his 31-97 record as Detroit's general manager

What he does deserve, though, is his, (pun-intended) Lions' share of the blame. So what I can't get on board with is Millen playing the role of the victim as he did in an interview with SI's Don Banks.

And the Matt Millen Redemption Tour rolls on.

The former Lions general manager and team president, who had cornered the market on Detroit's hatred until Sidney Crosby sauntered along, will be the new analyst on the NFL Network's Thursday Night Football broadcasts.

Millen will replace Cris Collinsworth -- John Madden's successor on Monday Night Football -- and will team with Bob Papa in the NFL Network booth.

Since the NHL returned from the 2004-05 lockout it has had only one broadcast television partner, NBC. The league has not been paid for the broadcast rights to NHL games -- despite getting money from Versus -- and if a report from the Globe and Mail is true, these trends are going to continue.

So whether or not you like NBC's coverage get used to it because we are likely stuck with it for another two seasons. That means potentially another two years of awkward intermission exchanges between Mike Milbury and Pierre McGuire as well as, hopefully, more great Winter Classic moments.

Jon Gruden is the new Tony Kornheiser. Just about everybody not working for NFL Network is cool with that.

Mr. Tony the columnist and Pardon the Interruption co-host was nothing like Mr. Tony the third wheel in the Monday Night Football booth, and his departure -- whether on his own terms or otherwise -- is a welcome change. Before ESPN named Gruden to replace Kornheiser, NFL Network had similar plans: they wanted Chucky to move into Cris Collinsworth's seat (Cris graduated to Sunday Night Football after John Madden retired) and work alongside Bob Papa on the eight Thursday night games.

The FanHouse Podcast: Because bloggers are much sexier on the phone.

In Episode 23, FanHouse's Michael David Smith joins Will Brinson and Ryan Wilson to talk about Tony Kornheiser's departure from Monday Night Football. Jon Gruden now has the gig, but is it a one-year deal? And is there a chance that should Gruden return to coaching in 2010, Matt Millen is next in line? Good times.

The conversation also touches on Malcolm Gladwell, who thinks the Lions had nothing to lose by featuring the no-huddle during their run to 0-16 last season, as well as the latest on Brett Favre. Naturally.