Posts tagged JonKitna at FanHouse

Maybe some spirit out there in the ether just does not want Drew Stanton to be a starting NFL quarterback. Saddled with bad luck in his rookie year, luck which came in pairs -- a knee injury that drove him to the IR and the unfortunate situation of being stuck with Mike Martz as a coach -- Stanton came into this offseason pretty much as a rookie.

And he looked good, too, so good that it was assumed he'd win the job of backing up Jon Kitna, putting him one sack (of the 70 that will surely come) or one interception (of the 20 that will surely come) away from stepping on to the field. But his progress is taking another hit as he'll be sidelined for a month after spraining his right thumb on a teammate's shoulder.

With recovery and re-acclimation, it's tough to imagine Stanton taking over as primary clipboard holder until early October, meaning it looks like he'll have to wait until 2009 -- unless something drastic happens -- to be The Man. There's a good chance that would've been the case anyway, but Stanton is missing a vital point of the season for a player in his position, leaving us still to wonder what could've been.

Yes, the title can be a little misleading, considering Calvin Johnson is hardly a sleeper. In fact, he's plastered all over most people's fantasy boards, more so than Chris Henry is plastered at under rage hotel parties. However, if we've learned anything over the course of last season; it's hard to gage Calvin Johnson's value. This has happened for a couple reasons.

1) He was injured last season.

2) He plays for the Detroit Lions. Read that sentence again and let it soak in for second.

Moving on, the purpose behind this here piece is certainly not to uncover "sleepers" to help you out on draft day. Rather, this is a little running piece where I'm going to be looking at what I like to call "bargain values." Yes, we all like a bargain, whether it's a discount, a free meal or of course free drinks. Well, as in life, a bargain in Fantasy Football can be equally as gratifying. And so, first up I'll take a look at the dude they call "Megatron"...Calvin Johnson and just why he's a bargain value.

Follow me...

The Lions are supposed to dedicate this season to the halfbacks, the residuals of Mike Martz's pass-wacky offense. The goal is that people will hear the word "runs" so much during Lions game broadcasts that they'd think they were watching a Pepto Bismol commercial.

That improvement has yet to fully manifest itself, although the team did hand it off 29 times (Drew Stanton added two carries). But one thing is indisputable -- meaningless or not, the Lions' passing offense has looked good.

Through two games Jon Kitna has a perfect quarterback rating. You might be able to peg that on the vanilla scheming of exhibition season, but Calvin Johnson's first-quarter catch last night is remarkable by any standards. He appears to build on last season and realize his promise. Even Stanton looked good in mop-up action, and Dan Orlovsky didn't screw anything up. High five.

About that running game, though. Kevin Smith started and looked impressive, but the other two tailbacks slated to get carries this season, Tatum Bell and Brian Calhoun, combined for 21 yards on 12 carries.

The team will figure out the running game -- the zone blocking scheme is one predicated on backs and linemen coordinating their timing to a tee, something that will come with. Until then, at least they know they can rely on the teachings of an old friend to score points.

If you could count on anything in Detroit, it's that Jon Kitna's got an opinion. And he's going to tell you what it is. Any subject. Could be the patriarchal construct of Wiccan societies. Doesn't matter. Kitna's got something to say. So you better believe you're getting an earful if he thinks you're taking liberties with his receivers.

In the last morning of scheduled full-team two-a-day practices, Lions quarterback Jon Kitna watched as linebacker Buster Davis kept crushing his receivers.

Then, in a 10-yard, goal line passing drill, Davis slammed tight end John Owens, sending Kitna over the top.

The usually restrained Kitna ran across the line and started yelling: "Keep hitting him Buster. What's wrong with you?"

Kitna, who did all of this in front of his son, was restrained by defensive coordinator Joe Barry, who pointed out to Kitna that the hitting was fine because everyone was wearing pads (not to mention the fact that it's, you know, football).

This happens all the time in NFL training camps. Tempers rise. And when you're competing for a job, as Davis is, you're more likely to err on the side of making an impression. I'm sure the situation was reconciled later, with Kitna inviting Davis to his house for a prayer meeting. So nothing to worry about; Lions fans should just be happy to see some sort of fire from their team.

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: Jon Kitna -- man of God, man of many passing yards, man of many lapses in judgement. With Kitna, Mike Martz found a quarterback who could air it out appropriately in his offense. Appropriately, in this instance, means bombing away with little regard to risk, and the interception and sack totals with Kitna under center reflect that. Martz is gone and the Lions are shifting to a more conservative offense. Kitna isn't the right man to helm it, and, turning 36 early this season, should be on his last tour in Detroit. The problem is that the Lions aren't sure if they have anyone behind him to take over, with Dan Orlovsky and Drew Stanton possessing exactly zero starts and only 17 passing attempts between them, all Orlovsky's. Heat Index: 5

Running back: That conservative offense will put more work at the feet of the team's tailbacks. The Lions' running game in 2007 was 31st in the league and lost their best runner in Kevin Jones. Still, they're going about improving in the right way. They kept Tatum Bell and Brian Calhoun from last year and tailored their attack to a one-cut zone blocking system that suits their skills. Bell had almost 2,000 yards and 10 touchdowns running in that system in 2005 and 2006. Assuming he stays healthy, he should bring a big-play punch. But the biggest impact will be made by the biggest unknown -- rookie Kevin Smith. He also excels in a zone system, and the wildly productive college back is one of the players I think is going to absolutely turn heads this year. Heat Index: 7

The Lions' 2008 season is off to a great start -- last night they defeated the defending Super Bowl champs in a completely meaningless game, but I suppose it's better than getting blown out of the building. More impressive the the W, though, is that Detroit may have taken a step toward finding their quarterback of the future. At least according to the Free Press' Drew Sharp:

[2007 second-round pick Drew] Stanton resembled his highly ranked quarterbacking predecessors in Detroit. The Ford Field crowd greeted his introduction in the third quarter against the Giants with the standard combination of anticipation and apprehension.

Stanton followed incumbent Jon Kitna (6 of 7, 106 yards, 1 TD), and Dan Orlosvsky (8/11 81 yards) and completed 5 of 6 throws for 27 yards. Hardly eye-popping numbers, but it's a good start for a guy who, in his own words, hasn't taken a "live snap ... since November 2006."

And if he's able to maintain any sort of consistency, Stanton could win the full-time gig.

The Lions think they're a playoff team. Common sense suggests otherwise, and should the Lions once again live down to the general public's low expectations, Marinelli might replace Jon Kitna with Stanton as the starting quarterback.

The thing is, if this group of guys were assembled in any other NFL city, most people would agree that, yeah, they're a playoff team. But we're talking about the Matt Millen Lions, where underachievement knows no (lower) bounds.

That said, starting Stanton -- playoff hopes or not -- seems like a perfectly swell idea. Kitna won't play forever, and it's not like he's the key to Detroit's postseason success.

It's the most talked about story of the NFL offseason. The fateful future of a certain NFC North quarterback. I'm talking, of course, about Dan Orlovsky. The Lions' backup is entering a contract year, and while he's never going to break the bank, he realizes that 2008 might very well set the course for the rest of his career.

"I'm not dumb," Orlovsky said Tuesday. "I know this league. I know it's my contract year. I know they're probably wondering what I can do, if I can be the guy.

"But it comes down to, I can't make them think I'm the guy unless I think I'm the guy. The 10 other guys on the field aren't going to think I'm the guy unless I think I'm the guy."

Orlovsky's in a precarious spot. He's barely gotten any practice reps in the last three years, and was the team's third-string quarterback in '07. But the man who sat in front of him, J.T. O'Sullivan, is in San Francisco. And last year's vaunted rookie, Drew Stanton, is basically a rookie all over again after missing last year.

Jon Kitna will not be the Lions quarterback for much longer, perhaps not past this season. Indeed, the team is looking at its future at the position; they've expressed interest in Chris Simms. With no other viable options in- our out-of-house, Orlovsky has a chance to take advantage of the vacuum and prove to the Lions, or anyone else, that he has a future.

But will he get the opportunity? There's only so much you can show in the preseason; Orlovsky will most likely need Kitna to get injured to really get his chance. Of course, with that offensive line, it's not so improbable.

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

I wasn't so sure the Lions were going about their offseason the right way by committing to a stronger rushing attack this year and then cutting their best runner, Kevin Jones. Especially considering the fact that, at the time, the team was putting all of its eggs in Tatum Bell's basket. The problem with putting your eggs in Bell's basket is that he's going to fumble them. And probably tear his groin in the process.

But a month later the Lions did something unusual -- let's call it "good drafting." They bypassed a back in the first round and moved up in the third round for underrated superbeast Kevin Smith, who ran for something like 2,567 yards and 29 touchdowns for the University of Central Florida. Forget that it was against lesser competition, that's the type of thinking that will have you underrating a good player.

Both backs excel in the Lions' new zone blocking scheme. Both will get touches, but you can be sure that the team wants one guy to ride primarily.

It seems all but obvious that Smith is going to win this, but Bell did run for almost 2,000 yards and 10 touchdowns between 2005 and 2006 in this same scheme. Besides, there's got to be a reason the Lions re-signed him this offseason after Bell demanded a trade out of Detroit in the midst of being inactive for the season's final 11 games.

Really, the question with these Lions (as always) is: how does Jon Kitna feel about the matter?

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 ...
Adam Sandler movie of the NFL: always entertaining, yet never really winning anything notable. Whether it's drafting a WR in three consecutive first rounds (slapstick/unrealistic comedy like Billy Madison or Happy Gilmore), putting together a highly productive offense in terms of fantasy football (funny, yet quasi-legit Big Daddy or Wedding Singer? Maybe?), or guaranteeing ten wins ("I'm gonna go legit with Spanglish!"); you'll always be entertained and they'll always avoid the playoffs. This year is no different. The former laughingstock of a division is now somewhat of a powerhouse, and the Lions are still a step behind even the obviously third-best Bears. If you want entertainment, though, they won't disappoint.

The Breakout
Calvin Johnson is ready to take the next step after becoming acclimated to the NFL in his rookie season. I love it when people proclaim a rookie to have freaky mad skills and then if he doesn't perform to expectations he's an afterthought one year later. That's a year of experience, man. Never a bad thing. He's ready to make the leap into fantasy stud-dom. You'll see.

The offseason has become an opportunity for players to bellyache about their contracts, threaten holdouts, and generally make life miserable for their employers. Lions wide receiver Roy Williams, target of trade rumors this spring and in the last year of his rookie deal, doesn't want to be included in that conversation.

"Don't put me in that mix," Williams said. "I'm sitting fine. ... I've always cooperated with the Lions -- done my part trying to help this team win. I'll continue to do that."

Well, that's refreshing even if it's not completely accurate. I believe Williams when he says he's done his part in helping the Lions win, but I also think he'd love to be a little closer to his Texas home, or at the very least, play for an organization that values winning

Whatever Williams' secret desires, he's been a regular at offseason workouts, except for that three-day session that got Michael Rosenburg so worked up.

Early speculation had the Redskins and Cowboys interested in working a trade for Williams but nothing came of it. No idea how interested the Lions are in keeping one of their most consistent players in Detroit for the foreseeable future, but if Williams hits free agency next March, he'll be in line for a handsome payday.

In the meantime, though, he'll be focused on helping Jon Kitna lead this team to at least three wins. It's good to have attainable goals.