FanHouse TJDuckett

As the Lions continue to rid the organization of players drafted by general manager Matt Millen (and yes, it's ironic that Millen is still employed; at this point, he'd have to murder somebody to even get the Ford's to consider firing him), Kevin Jones -- the latest victim -- reflects on his time in Detroit before moving on.

"I can't say that I knew the Lions were going to make this move and release me, but I always felt in my heart that I wouldn't be a Detroit Lion for my whole career, I don't know where it came from, but it was just a feeling I always had."

Yeah, a lot of players have that feeling. And while Jones said he was "sad to be leaving Detroit not on his terms," he shouldn't be out of work for long. According to the Philadelphia Daily News, two hours after he was released, 12 teams showed interest in the former first-round pick. One of those teams, the Philadelphia Eagles, could be a potential destination.

Here is a very interesting move: former Cowboys RB Julius Jones is heading to Seattle. Jones has agreed to a four-year deal in the $12 million range. This comes on the heels of T.J. Duckett signing already. So, the big question is what happens to Shaun Alexander?

With Jones and Duckett on Seattle's roster entering the season, the question is whether or not Shaun Alexander will be around. The Seahawks decided to keep Alexander until they found replacements and now they have two potential replacements.

Jones is expected to compete for the starting job. Duckett was signed to be a short-yardage back as well as a backup fullback and power back. Jones is considered a more elusive back than Duckett.

So, now that the replacements are in, is Alexander set to be released? Signs point to yes. Seattle's run game was horrible last season and Alexander's contract and effectiveness hasn't produced an equal value. Alexander is due to make $4 million next year and is signed through 2013. He played in just 13 games this year, rushing for 716 yards and only four TDs. He also has a career low 3.5 yards-per-rush attempt.

Maurice Morris, who is entering the final year of his deal, could also be cut.

This'll certainly test Shaun Alexander's faith: mlive.com's Tom Kowalski mentions that former Lions running back T.J. Duckett is expected to sign with Seattle at some point soon. No one in Seattle seems to know anything about it, but that doesn't mean it won't happen, particularly since it would be a pretty good fit.

The Seahawks running game was so bad last season that head coach Mike Holmgren just decided to quit doing it. If there was ever an offense built for Mike Martz the 2007 Seahawks was it. Assuming Duckett does end up in Seattle, you'd have to imagine one of two things will happen to Alexander: 1) he'll be asked to take a sizable pay cut, or 2) he'll be released.

Based on his "performance" last year, and his absurdly huge contract given his age and position, put me down for 2). I know, I know, he played much of the year with a sore wrist. Fine, but that still doesn't explain why a 5-11, 228-pound NFL running back would go down in the face of a stiff breeze.

Seattle could also stand to patch up the offensive line, but if a successful running game is largely contingent on a competent front five, why did the team re-sign Alexander to an eight-year, $62 million contract, the richest ever for a running back?

Duckett, a former first-round pick, has one start since 2003 and 2,642 rushing yards in his six-year career. Or roughly 1,300 more than Adrian Peterson had as a rookie last season. If nothing else, Duckett is well rested. He's not a game-changer, but he does run hard and should come relatively cheap. Cheaper than Alexander, anyway.

Free agency has gotten off to its typical fast start, with teams throwing money around like Pacman Jones at a strip club on payday. The primary difference being that teams fully understand that once you "make it rain," you don't get your money back.

Still, two of the biggest names are looking for new teams: Randy Moss and Michael Turner. Moss venturing off the compound is somewhat surprising, but Turner has long been considered the top free-agent running back. The problem, however, is that supply might dampen the demand for his services. The draft is deep with quality running backs, and if a team can land any of the top six or seven players, it could be much more cost effective than throwing a lot of money after Turner.

This might explain why he hasn't been furiously sifting through offers as of midnight, Feb. 29. Or it could mean nothing; the Falcons and Lions, two teams desperately searching for a running game, are interested in Turner.

Maybe the Lions should name wide receiver Mike Furrey the team's new offensive coordinator. He may not have Mike Martz's I.Q. -- or Mensa membership card -- but he seems to understand why the Lions offense fell flat on its face this season. When talking about offensive line coach Jim Colletto getting promoted to OC, Furrey offered this:

"I just hope we are all on the same page because that's what we need. I'm sure we're going to run the ball because that is what everyone is talking about – we didn't run the ball enough."

Of course, that was obvious to everybody but Martz, which raises another question: is Matt Millen the only NFL general manager who could unearth an offensive coordinator featuring a pass-only game plan for 17 straight weeks?

I suppose you could make the case that the 16-0 New England Patriots made out okay by primarily throwing the ball, but it's worth remembering two things: first, the Patriots have Tom Brady. Jon Kitna's a nice, God-fearing quarterback, but he's not Tom Brady.

To get you ready for week 17, FanHouse is previewing all 16 NFL games. Here is the Detroit Lions/Green Bay Packers preview.

2007 Records:

Detroit Lions 7-8 (3rd in NFC North)
Green Bay Packers 12-3 (1st in NFC North)

Last Game:

Lions 25, Chiefs 20
Bears 35, Packers 7

When the Lions have the ball: They'll surprise you by running the ball more than you'd expect. Mike Martz has already told T.J. Duckett to have an oxygen mask handy for the week since he'll be getting the ball plenty. In the cold conditions at Green Bay, passing the ball a ton won't be much of an option for the Lions who only attempted 16 passes last week. Perhaps it's a luxury to have a bruiser like Duckett available to carry the load.

When the Packers have the ball: Who knows? They've already locked up the second spot in the NFC playoffs, so they're likely to rest many of their starters. Brett Favre will start to keep his streak alive, but he probably won't play most of the game. The same can likely be said for Ryan Grant, Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, and many of the regulars on offense. What they do remains a mystery to me, though I'll guess they run the ball for the most part.

This off-season, the Lions traded for Tatum Bell and signed T.J. Duckett, presumably as insurance against Kevin Jones ever returning to the field. Jones, who suffered a Lisfanc injury last year, made his way back to the lineup during Week 3, and through two games, he's carried the ball 13 times for 43 yards, including two touchdowns.

Bell leads all Lions rushers with 13 carries for 167 yards and one touchdown, while Duckett is assuming the role he made famous during his one-year stint in Washington: standing on the sidelines and watching his career pass him by (to be fair, Duckett is injured, but that kinda takes away from the point I wanted to make).

With Jones back in action, though, Bell could be in trouble. And that doesn't just mean he could see a reduced workload. He might also need to fill out those change-of-address cards.

I don't see the Lions making a trade for a corner because there just aren't any good ones available. If the Lions do make a deal (the trading deadline is in about 10 days), I think it might involve Tatum Bell. With Kevin Jones and T.J. Duckett returning healthy and the Lions knowing Bell won't be back next year (he's on the final year of his contract), I think he's expendable. And there are some teams out there who are in the market for a running back, either because of injury or because of a looming suspension (could Bell go back to Denver?)

That was MLive.com's Lions beat reporter Tom Kowalski. With Travis Henry's future in doubt, I wouldn't be surprised to see Bell back in Denver. More surprising, though, is how Lions GM Matt Millen has suddenly gone from dimwit to above average. I guess after eight years, he's finally getting the hang of this football management thing.

I think it says something about the state of the running game when Kevin Jones is assured of the starting job once he returns from Lisfranc surgery. And in case there's any confusion, that's not like stubbing a toe, or tweaking a hammy. Careers have ended because of Lisfranc injuries.

In the meantime, Tatum Bell and T.J. Duckett will battle for carries. The thinking heading into training camp was that Bell would get most of the work, but his inability to move the pile in short-yardage situations necessitates Duckett getting more snaps

Ultimately, it may not much matter who's in the backfield; offensive coordinator Mike Martz could go with the running-back-by-committee game plan, which seems way too conventional for his play-calling tastes. Mlive.com's Tom Kowalksi unearthed this Martz interview from 1999 that makes hims sound less like the Dr. Emmett Brown and more like, well, a level-headed, risk-averse football coach:

There was a time when TJ Duckett looked like the next great power running back ... feels like about 20 years ago. Duckett signed today with the Detroit Lions, a team with an already crowded, if not particularly talented, depth chart at running back.

Kevin Jones is the presumed starter, depending on his health. The Lions traded for Tatum Bell earlier this offseason, talented youngster Brian Calhoun is there, and now they add Duckett to the mix. Unless the Lions are going to become a wishbone team next year, again, I don't know how there are going to be enough carries to go around.

Of course, that should be something Duckett's used to. He carried 38 times last year for the Redskins, who, it should be pointed out, acquired Duckett via trade.

I don't know what happened to him. I kind of assumed that he'd be a featured back somewhere by now, or at least a part of a potent 1-2 punch. Obviously, this is not the case. I don't know if he's got attitude or work ethic problems, or he just hasn't found the right fit, or we all had him overrated to begin with. But the career path of TJ Duckett has not been what I thought it was going to be.

Despite solving their running back problem yesterday when they acquired Thomas Jones from the Chicago Bears, the Jets have scheduled a visit with T.J. Duckett. Duckett, who is currently visiting Detroit, will come to New York tomorrow and then head out Seattle; unless he is signed first.

It seems unlikely that the Jets will sign Duckett now that they've acquired Thomas and still have Leon Washington, but he could be an insurance policy. Duckett seems to thrive in the back-up, third-down back role and might fit in with the Jets that way. That probably won't happen but it's some food for thought.

The Jets have also scheduled a visit with former Miami Dolphins fullback Darian Barnes. He is supposed to arrive in New York today for their sit-down and could possibly be signed as early as this evening if things go well. Barnes, 27, has played in the NFL for five seasons and has had stints with the Buccaneers, Cowboys and most recently the Dolphins.