LIONS 101

Over the weekend, the Cliff Avril free agency saga took yet another turn, as a report surfaced that the Detroit Lions might slap the young defensive end with the franchise tag to avoid having him reach the open market.

Soon after, Avril fired back, stating that if he was franchised, he may be a hold out from training camp and other team activities because he's seeking a long term commitment sooner rather than later.

The bottom line is, no matter how good as Avril has become, he is hardly an indispensable player and certainly not worth contract stress. While it's true the young defensive end has improved every season in Detroit and developed into one of the game's top young pass rushers, it's simply not feasible for the Lions to affix him with a big money, long term deal.

Already, the Lions have built arguably the best defensive line in football based on system alone. They've build it up the middle, predicated on space eating terrors at the defensive tackle position like Ndamukong Suh, Corey Williams, Sammy Lee Hill and Nick Fairley. The pressure each one of these players can generate alone often causes double teams and headaches, allowing edge rushers to win their one on one battles. The past two seasons, the stunning emergence of Avril has been shaped in large part by this phenomenon.

It's the same exact reason Willie Young started to look like a terror in training last year off the edge, while Lawrence Jackson showed flashes before succumbing to injuries. With the beef the Lions' line possesses up the middle, the team can afford not to spend big on the defensive end position, and instead develop talent in their own way, just like they have with Avril and look to be doing with Young. Maybe it continues to be through the draft or unloved free agents. One thing's for certain: it's not a position where the Lions should feel obligated to hand out top dollar contracts.

With the amount of big money deals the Lions will have to weigh in the months and years ahead across the board, some difficult choices are going to have to be made. For a team that's become adept at developing defensive line talent, the first tough decision should begin with Avril. The Lions would be wise to walk away from the table before getting tied down or making him an unhappy camper.

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