FanHouse Anthony Henry

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).

What possess a man to leave one team that finished third in its division for another that didn't win a game the previous year?

Well, we asked cornerback Phillip Buchanon the other day why he left the Bucs, who finished third in the NFC South, for the Lions, and his answer was simple.

"I did want to stay in Florida," Buchanon said. "Tampa was going in a different direction and I truly feel like I'm still a starter, and Detroit was one of the teams that was actually there. There were a few other teams, but Tampa was taking their time and I didn't want to wait. You either want me or you don't."

Baby steps, kids, baby steps. Detroit finished 0-16 last season, so it's not like new head coach Jim Schwartz can wave a magic wand and fix what ails the franchise. As Ryan Wilson pointed out, it's not like the Lions have done anything sensational this offseason -- but they are quietly improving.

How much? Well, enough that I can say this and not feel like a complete idiot: Detroit's secondary might be decent in 2009. Detroit already added Anthony Henry and nickel-guy Eric King this offseason, and now the Tampa Tribune reports that former Buccaneer Phillip Buchanon has agreed to terms with the Lions.

Training camps are underway, the NFL season is a month off, and to get you ready for 2008, FanHouse previews all 32 teams, "heat index" style. We'll rate each club in 10 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

Quarterback: We know that Tony Romo isn't a fluke. He stepped in last year and had another fantastic season, setting team records in the process. There are questions remaining about distractions (Romessica) and winning a playoff game (none in his two years) which Romo must answer if he wants to take a place among the NFL's elite. Dallas is putting all their eggs in that basket as the only fallback if Romo gets hurt is 39-yr old Brad Johnson who isn't quite the risk taker. Heat Index: 9

Running backs: It's rare when a team loses their starting running back and everyone is fine with the position. Julius Jones is gone, but rookie Felix Jones is in. Jones (Felix) will get a ton of carries this season to keep Marion Barber fresh. Barber, who only started the Cowboys' playoff game, is the NFL's version of Mariano Rivera -- he dominates late in games and finishes drives off. Jones and Barber will combined for that classic "lightning and thunder" combo and should be quite successful doing it in what supposed to be a more run-friendly offense. Heat Index: 7

Cowboys Pro-Bowl cornerback Terrence Newman will sit out the next three weeks due to a groin tear:

"I'm not worried at all, it's not that severe of an injury," Newman told Tyler, Texas, radio station KTBB-AM 660 on Tuesday. "... Being so early, you don't want to rush to get back and then have to deal with something else down the line. A lot of times, one injury can lead to another injury if you do rush back because you're compensating one way or another, so we're just taking our time, letting it heal and trying to get ready towards the end of camp."

Now, the Cowboys do have depth at that position. Anthony Henry had a fine season last year, Dallas drafted Mike Jenkins in the first round in April's draft and the team added Pacman Jones in a trade.

According to head coach Wade Phillips, Jenkins will be the starter opposite Henry for now. Jones is being used as Henry's backup on the right side.

Newman was injured last preseason (foot) and missed the first two games of the regular season. Everyone is hopeful that Newman won't miss any of the season, but groin pulls are known to stick around for a while.

Training camp is finally here and FanHouse breaks down the most important position battles heading into the season, team by team

The Dallas Cowboys have quite a battle ahead of them in the secondary: who starts at cornerback opposite Terrence Newman? There are not two, but three candidates for the job: Anthony Henry, Mike Jenkins and PacMan Adam Pole Position DigDug Jones.

Henry had a very productive season in '07 as the starter. He picked of six passes and was very solid in coverage. However, Dallas can't be too sold on the oft-injured Henry or else they wouldn't have signed Jones and drafted Jenkins.

Jenkins (who, like Henry, went to South Florida) was taken with the 25th pick in the first round of April's draft. He was one of the top CBs in the draft and the Cowboys expect him to be a difference maker sooner than later. In the ultimate team move, Henry has said he is willing to move to safety if the coaches feel Jenkins can start right away.

And then there is DigDug. No one questions his abilities on the field ... but there is a huge question mark about his character. Usually, Dallas doesn't mind having a few bad boys on the team but they are so close to being a Super Bowl squad. Jones hasn't played a down since 2006 and it doesn't seem likely that the team will put all their faith in him starting right now.

Hear that? It's the pitter-patter of fantasy football season approaching. Fantasy FanHouse is here to get you ready by previewing every team from a fantasy perspective.

Meet The ...
Team everyone is sick of hearing about. If not, give it some time. You already have the circus around The Artist Formerly Known as Pac-Man and constant updates on Tony Romo's social life ... mix in the storylines involving my personal least favorite player in the NFL (he wears #81), speculation about the head coaching situation, and anything involving Jerry Jones; and it's a cornucopia of maddening media attention.

The Breakout
Actually, most of the guys on this team are properly rated, but since I have to pick one I'm going with Patrick Crayton. He has been steadily improving since his rookie season in Dallas each year, and exploded once last year (7-184-2 in week 4). With Terry Glenn back in the fold some fantasy owners may downgrade Crayton's value. The thing is, he's still gonna be their second outside option. I like him to be a top-40 wideout for '08. He quietly set career highs in everything last year (50 catches, 697 yards, seven TDs) and will far exceed those.

While most everybody associated with the Cowboys are ecstatic about, ahem, Adam Jones joining the team, Anthony Henry is not. You see, Mr. Henry will be out of a job when NFL commissioner Roger Goodell reinstates Mr. Jones later this summer.

There has been talk of Henry eventually moving to safety, but there's no guarantee it happens, and even if it does, it won't be in 2008. Which is why he's not all that psyched about how things have gone down this spring.

Henry ... wasn't too happy about No. 21 getting first-team reps during last week's minicamp. Henry sees it as a sign of things to come.

"I knew what time it was when the transaction happened at the draft," Henry told the Cowboys' Web site. "I already knew what time it was. It's just a matter of when. And maybe when is now."

Silver lining: defenses, more than ever, are featuring nickel and dime packages, and that means Henry will still see plenty of action on game days. Still, I get what he's saying, and at some point soon, rookie first-round pick cornerback Mike Jenkins will be pushing for playing time, too.

The Dallas Morning News' Tim MacMahon goes through the trouble of making arguments for and against Jones getting the starting gig, but obviously, this is all Roy Williams' fault. Whatever happens, the Cowboys will have one of the best secondaries in the NFC, to go along with a pretty good group in front of them.

Who knows, maybe this is the year they finally win a playoff game.

I would love to meet these "Dolphins officials" to ask if they were drunk or high when they made these comments. Via the Miami Herald's Barry Jackson, anonymous source maestro:

Some Dolphins officials believe their safeties are better than Dallas'. Among the best battles in camp: Jason Allen (first-team snaps in May/June), Renaldo Hill (expects to be 100 percent after surgery to an anterior cruciate ligament) and former Falcons starter Chris Crocker vying to start opposite Yeremiah Bell. ''Jason has a lot of speed and I like what I see, as much as you can like in shorts and a T-shirt,'' secondary coach Todd Bowles said.

Also worth finding out: are these "officials" part of the coaching staff/scouting department, or do they work in the ticket office/accounting/anywhere but coaching staff or scouting department? I'm going with the latter.

In any event, assuming somebody actually believes this to be true, I suspect it all comes down to the Cowboys' Roy Williams. The guy has been crucified this offseason for, well, not being very good. Still, Ken Hamlin had an impressive season (so much so that Dallas wants to keep him around for a while), Pat Watkins continues to develop, and Anthony Henry could eventually move to safety, which would only upgrade the unit.

I somehow missed this story last week (too busy trying to find out who's been persecuting Roy Williams, I guess), but the Dallas Morning News' Todd Archer writes that the Cowboys Pro Bowl safety won't be on the field in the dime package next season.

Common sense suggests it has everything to do with the fact that he can only cover tackle-eligibles at this point in the proceedings.

But the change can also be attributed to cornerback Anthony Henry's improved play. Henry was signed away from the Browns in 2005, and there has been talk of eventually moving him to safety. In the meantime, he's still a cornerback, but will move inside in obvious passing situations.

With NFC East rivals New York (Jeremy Shockey), Washington (Chris Cooley) and Philadelphia (L.J. Smith) having productive tight ends, the Cowboys want to bolster their coverage.

"They said what they want me to do is when we play like Washington or the Giants to go against their Pro Bowl tight ends," Henry said "I can do a better job covering those guys. It's like a package."

Which means Williams will be kicking it next to Wade Phillips when the dime package is on the field. Not totally surprising, but it makes you wonder if the Cowboys' future doesn't include their former first-round pick after 2008. With Henry possibly moving to safety, and Ken Hamlin holding down the other safety spot, there may not be room for Williams. Not unless he's willing to play special teams, anyway.