Red Wings vs. Ducks 2nd Round Preview

It only took 4 games for the Wings to advance to the second round. The Columbus Blue Jackets were in the playoffs for the first time in franchise history and it showed against an experienced Red Wings team in round one. The second round promises to be a tougher one as the Anaheim Ducks come to town.

The Ducks got here by beating the No. 1 seeded San Jose Sharks in six games. It was a shock to myself and many experts across the country who all felt like the Sharks would raise Lord Stanley come June. That will not happen now and one of the biggest reasons why is Ducks goaltender Jonas Hiller. Hiller outplayed opposing goalie Evgeni Nabokov of the Sharks in their first round series. This is just yet another instance where a goaltender can win you a series come playoff time. A critical matchup in this series will be Hiller vs. Chris Osgood. Whoever wins the battle of the net minders will certainly give their teams a leg up in the outcome of the series.

Another big battle will be between Detroit's top scoring line and Anaheim's big physical defenseman. The line of Marian Hossa, Tomas Holmstrom, and Pavel Datsyuk have been terrific this year and have given opposing teams nightmares in the scouting reports. As for the Ducks they have longtime veteran Chris Pronger and Francois Beauchemin as their last line of defense. Pronger has seen the Wings numerous times in the playoffs from his time with the St. Louis Blues, Edmonton Oilers, and Ducks teams over the years. At 6'6 220 pounds, Pronger is still one of the top defenseman in the league even at the age of 34. If the Ducks can stop this top line from scoring they could very well make this series go the distance which is seven games.

The Wings have enough firepower to still score goals even if their top line isn't scoring. Their second line of Henrik Zetterberg, Johan Franzen, and Mikael Samuelsson must step up if the first line doesn't produce offensively. Third and fourth line guys like Darren Helm, Valtteri Filppula, and Jiri Hudler could also chip in with some scoring. Those players will need to step up with the absence of Kris Draper for at least the first two games.

Defensively for the Wings they looked incredible in the first round against the Blue Jackets. Nick Lidstrom seemingly never ages and is a Norris Trophy candidate year in and year out. Brad Stuart and Nicklas Kronwall must play continue to play well in this series. Youngsters like Jonathan Ericksson and Bret Lebda just need to play solid limiting turnovers or silly penalties. It will be interesting to see if Brian Rafalski will play for the Wings in this series, he is out for the first game with an upper-body injury. Will Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock call on Derek Meech or the grisly 47-year old veteran Chris Chelios. If it's Chelios expect him to pick up less than ten minutes of ice time per game.

As for the Ducks their tam is quite different from the one that raised the Stanley Cup a few years back. Yes they still have top centerman Ryan Getzlaf who is arguably their best player at the ripe old age of 23. Also the Neidermeyer brothers still run rampant in the Ducks powerplay along with Teemu Selanne. But for the most part the Ducks are made up of some emerging stars like Corey Perry, Bobby Ryan, Ryan Cater and Ryan Whitney. They have veterans sprinkled in with youngsters. They may just be a few years from contending for another Stanley Cup championship as they young players continue to develop in the NHL playoffs.

In the end this series will be highly competitive and very physical. The Wings just have too much firepower offensively for the Ducks to keep up with. The Ducks will try to outplay the Wings and try to frustrate the top line for the Wings by being physical. But the wings have seen that before and it's going to take a little more than that to end the Detroit Red Wings request for another Stanley Cup championship.

Overall the Wings have the most talent and experience left in the playoffs. Sure the Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Washington Capitals all have star power. They just don't have the same experience and our not coached by one of the best coaches in the NHL in Mike Babcock. So the Wings should handle the Anaheim Ducks in six games.

Lions 2009 Draft Review

So everyone knows who the Lions drafted No. 1 overall. How about the guys behind Stafford.

This is the following list of all the Lions 2009 NFL Draft picks

Round 1 (1st pick overall) QB Matthew Stafford (Georgia)

Round 1 (20th pick overall) TE Brandon Pettigrew (Oklahoma St.)

Round 2 (33rd pick overall) S Louis Delmas (Western Michigan)

Round 3 (76h pick overall) LB DeAndre Levy (Wisconsin)

Round 3 (82nd pick overall) WR Derrick Williams (Penn St.)

Round 4 (115th pick overall) DT Sammie Lee Hill (Stillman)

Round 6 (192nd pick overall) RB Aaron Brown (TCU)

Round 7 (228nd pick overall) OT Lydon Murtha (Nebraska)

Round 7 (235th pick overall) LB Zach Follett (California)

Round 7 (255th pick overall) TE Dan Gronkowski (Maryland)

Let's go over each pick (with the exception of Stafford) and play GM for a bit as I go over what I would have done if I was the Lions in the war room. After analysing their selections I gave the Lions a draft grade of a C+. I'll tell you why.

First off every year you see some players fall in the NFL Draft to spots where you didn't think you could get them. Offensive tackle (OT) Michael Oher (Ole Miss) was one of those guys in the first round this year. Most draft experts expected him to get drafted somewhere between 10-14 but he slid for whatever reason. As a result he was available to the Detroit Lions at No. 20 overall. The Lions needed a lot of help on the offensive line especially at the left tackle position. That position is currently held by Jeff Backus but there had been talks leading up to the draft that they would slide Backus over to left guard if they selected a tackle in the first round. In any event they chose to go a different route and passed on Oher.

They chose tight end (TE) Brandon Pettigrew (Oklahoma St.) who was the consensus No. 1 TE in the draft. Pettigrew is an exceptional run blocker who can also be a reliable possession receiver by throwing his 263 pound frame around the middle of the field. I like what Pettigrew brings to the team but by choosing him you say that Michael Gaines a free agent you signed last off season was a bust. Thank you Rod Marinelli and Matt Millen yet again as we have a backup TE who is extremely overpaid to sit the bench.

I just felt like you had to go with Oher at No. 20 because the left tackle position was more of a need than TE. Although GM Martin Mayhew must have felt otherwise. One thing the Lions could have also done if they were in awe of Pettigrew, they could have pieced together the No. 33 pick along with a fifth or sixth round choice to move up to the middle 20's to select Pettigrew. They missed on that option and that was just one of the reasons they didn't have the best draft in the NFL.

Then came the No.33 pick in which the Lions chose safety Louis Delmas (Western Michigan). Detroit chose to go with Delmas over the likes of linebackers Ray Maualuga (USC) and James Laurinaitis (Ohio St.) as well as defensive end Everette Brown (Florida St.) That would have never happened with me as GM. Safety was a position where I felt you had the most depth at on the defense with Gerald Alexander, Kalvin Pearson, and Daniel Bullocks. I felt Bullocks was the second best player on the defense last year behind Ernie Sims. Pearson also asserted himself very nicely toward the end of the season. He showed he can make contributions in the secondary by making open field tackles.

Delmas by all reports should be able to come in and start right away. Some experts have compared him to Troy Polomalu while others didn't really have them on their radar. The jury is out on him and we shall see what kind of impact he can have on the Lions as the summer wears on. He will be in action as soon as this weekend in Allen Park at the Lion's team facility for rookie minicamp.

Now let's go to the third round selections where the Lions chose linebacker DeAndre Levy (Wisconsin) and wide receiver Derrick Williams (Penn St.). I really liked both of these picks because both players could be big contributors two or three years down the road for the team. I especially liked the Williams selection because he not only had a great college career but he projects well as a No.2 receiver in the NFL and would be great to see lined up next to Calvin Johnson for years to come. Williams also can help in the return game while Levy gives you more depth in the linebacking core and helps sure up the special teams unit for Detroit.

Then in the fourth round Detroit drafted defensive tackle Sammie Lee Hill (Stillman) who is from a division II school but he brings a lot of size. That is a much needed selection, somebody who can stop the run and be a stop gap in the middle of the Lions defense. It could take a few years to see Hill full potential come out though. So Lion's fans must be patient with him. Then in the sixth round the Lions drafted running back Aaron Brown (TCU). Brown has exceptional speed out of the backfield and can play in the slot if needed. Brown also can help out in the return game along with Williams. This was something the Lions lacked a lot last season-- a return game.

The last three selections will not see much time on the field and will probably not even make the 53 man roster come September. They will most likely get cut or get thrown on the practice squad. In any event the three players they selected in the 7th round are offensive tackle Lydon Murtha (Nebraska), linebacker Zach Follett (California), and tight end Dan Gronkowski (Maryland). I am very surprised it took the Lions seven rounds before they drafted an offensive lineman. They must be seeing something I'm not with their current offensive line.

With all of these selections the team did improve one must think. How much of an improvement is the question? An 0-16 team needs a lot of improvement to come back to respectability. It's going to take more than one season before that happens. I was just disappointed with the Lions and GM Martin Mayhew for passing on guys like Oher, Maualuga, Laurinaitis, and Brown. Most of all I felt like the Lions could have taken a quarterback in next year's draft instead of drafting one this year because they would have been more of a complete team 365 days from now.

Lions Hand Keys to Youngster

The Detroit Lions have been on the clock since mid-November when it seemed the Lions only outcome during the 2008 season was setting an unprecedented 0-16 losing record.

From there the Lions decided to create a new logo and throw together some new jerseys along with a whole new coaching staff. I really liked the coaching moves by bringing in Jim Schwartz as the new head coach. Along with Scot Linehan as the new offensive coordinator and Gunther Cunningham as the defensive coordinator. Things looked bright in the Motor City for once up until draft day that is.

The Lions don't draft like many teams, they consistently have selections in the top 10 due to their lack of productivity out on the football field. The Lions have had bust after bust and it gets harder to watch each and every time. This year they decided to hand the keys to a 21-year-old QB in Matthew Stafford from Georgia by selecting him with the No.1 overall draft pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. A risk that could bring great rewards but in turn could also become a massive train wreck.

New GM Martin Mayhew has some courage that is for sure. He made the sexy pick, one that could potential put fans in the stands to start out the year during these tough economic times. The key is they could have went with a much safer (sure fire) pick with OT Jason Smith from Baylor or LB Aaron Curry from Wake Forest. If Mayhew fails like most feel he will, the media will look back at this pick as the key ingredient.

I like Matthew Stafford as a QB and feel he can be successful in the NFL under the right circumstances. The 2009 Detroit Lions are not the right circumstance for a QB who is so young he can't even grow facial hair. Now many ESPN analysts like Trent Dilfer, Cris Carter, and Tom Jackson have all said this will only work if the Lions bring Stafford along slowly. Dilfer said if the Lions place Matt Stafford as the savior or messiah of the franchise this will turn into an utter failure. Does this bring back memories --Joey Harrington?

Stafford is a QB, he was the No.1 overall pick, he signed a 6-year contract which entails $41.7 million guaranteed on a team that went winless the year prior. With all that said, I don't see how they can't point to him as the savior of the franchise. Fans will be looking at him that way and that is why I feel this situation will destroy him mentally on and off the field. Fans in Detroit want to win badly, they care about the Lions more than any other professional franchise in the city.

A few more things to keep in mind about Stafford. Majority of the ESPN NFL experts felt QB Mark Sanchez from USC would be the better QB in the long run because he has the "It" factor in which you just can't teach. If that is so, how do take a guy like Stafford ahead of him? It's a risk, something they could have put off until next season when a trio of QB's come in the 2010 NFL Draft with Colt McCoy (Texas), Tim Tebo (Florida), and Sam Bradford (Oklahoma). By that time the Lions would be improved and showing signs of progression one must think. I mean come on do you really feel the Lions won't be drafting in the top 10 next year? Most likely they will be in the top 5 and would have had the option to pull the trigger on one of those great QB's a class that is much better than the one we just saw go by the wayside yesterday.

The Lions took a risk, they have been one of the worst franchises in professional sports in recent past. If this pick doesn't work out you can cement them in that spot for another five years. This was a pick that didn't have to be made at this point in time in the rebuilding process. The Lions did it though and now we must wait and see how they handle Stafford. Let's hope it doesn't end up with him on his back 5+ times against the New Orleans Saints in Week 1 of the 2009 season.