Local Lions

Bob Lantzy, Mike Giannone, Mike Carr and Rick Bye can fix the Detroit Lions.

That may be a tall order for the football coaches at the Macomb Area Conference Red Division's four premiere programs, but after speaking with Buffalo Bills linebacker John DiGiorgio April 18 at St. Mary’s School in Mount Clemens, maybe these four can help the much-maligned Leos.

Accounting for 13 trips to state title games in the past 10 years, these four coaches know what makes a good football player great, and they know how to get the most out of marginal players.

Getting marginal players to play above their talent level is key to the success of high school program, and from the Lions' recent run, that could be an invaluable skill for them as well.

Not to say DiGiorgio was a marginal talent under Lantzy at Utica Eisenhower, but for him to climb his way to start 13 games and record 137 tackles in 2007-08, he had to overcome several roadblocks — starting with a broken leg in the final game of his high school career, the 1999 Class A state title game.

With resilience like that, you would think DiGiorgio grew up watching players like Chris Spielman and Stephen Boyd play linebacker.

That’s the other way local prep and college products can help the Lions.

We have heard all too often how Lions coach Rod Marinelli wants to build an atmosphere of pride, so why not start with players who already have pride in playing for the Lions.

DiGiorgio said he would have loved to play in front of a Detroit crowd while speaking to the student body at St. Mary’s, and given the Lions woes at the linebacker position, I’m sure they would’ve loved it too.

So let’s look at how the 2008 draft’s metro Detroit talent can help the Lions.

Granted with the No. 15 pick in the first round, the Lions won’t have a shot at top prospects like Jake Long of Lapeer and Vernon Gholston of Detroit, but that’s not to say there aren’t prospects to be had.

With the departure of former second-round pick Kalimba Edwards, the Lions again have a hole at defensive end — there lies Eastern Michigan University’s Jason Jones of Southfield.

The Former Southfield-Lathrup Charger posted 174 tackles in his three years on the Eastern Michigan defensive line. He recorded 70 tackles and 3.5 sacks playing at defensive tackle as a 6-5, 237-pound senior despite giving up plenty of weight to larger interior offensive linemen.

Jones could provide versatility across the Lions defensive front at tackle, end or even linebacker. That’s versatility that gurus like Marinelli and defensive coordinator Joe Barry should covet.

Next on the Lions "need" list is linebacker, where they’ve parted with former second-round picks Boss Bailey and Teddy Lehman, who combined for roughly half as many tackles as DiGiorgio last year.

The current field of middle linebackers is thin, so a first-round pick of someone like Tennessee’s Jerod Mayo would be understandable, but why not take a late flyer on Central Michigan University’s Red Keith.

Keith may be from Georgia, but he has excelled on the Ford Field surface. In two Motor City Bowls, two Mid-American Conference championship games and one regular-season contest, Keith recorded 48 of his 455 career tackles.

NFLDraftCountdown.com’s scouting report says Keith doesn’t have the ideal size or speed for the next level, but he excels in intangibles as a team leader.

He also sported a 3.24 GPA with a major in Math, but who wants a middle linebacker with leadership, smarts and a nose for the ball in big games.

Also a constant on the Lions’ need list is offensive-line depth — a position that could be helped late in the draft with the acquisition of Western Michigan University offensive tackle James Blair.

At 6 feet 5 inches, Blair played tackle for three years with the Broncos, but he could move to guard, both positions of need for the Lions since Blair was in grade school before starring at Detroit Pershing.