Saturday, March 17, 2007

Millen Wants to Trade Down and Down and Down....

Lions looking at a complete rebuild...

MLive.com's Tom Kowalski reports: Lions are looking to trade right now -- and then again later

The Lions are being flooded with trade offers and there's been some speculation out there that president Matt Millen is going to be patient because the price can only go up. But that's not true.

According to my sources, the Lions already know what they want out of that No. 2 pick and, if a team steps up to the plate right now, the Lions will pull the trigger.What's interesting is that there are believed to be several different targets for that No. 2 pick, from Calvin Johnson to JaMarcus Russell to Adrian Peterson to Joe Thomas. The Lions don't have a pressing need for any of those positions so they're willing to drop down.

And here's the kicker: the Lions, depending on how far they fall, will be willing to trade down again.The Lions would like to land Clemson DE Gaines Adams but if they can continue to stockpile picks, they'd be just as happy to fall a little lower and fill some desperate needs like middle linebacker and the secondary.The point is this: Millen plans on wheeling and dealing for the next six weeks and the ultimate goal is to fill as many needs with as many "Marinelli types'' as possible.

A few weeks ago, I said the Lions roster could see a 40 percent turnover going into next season. I now believe -- especially if Millen pulls the trigger on a trade or two -- that that number could exceed 50 percent.

Mare Wants the Boot

Unhappy Dolphins kicker asks to be released or traded - Cleveland in the running.

From the Miami Herald - The problem for Miami is that it plans a mini-camp before the draft in April and doesn't want Mare there along with Jay Feely, who was signed to take Mare's place. The Dolphins also don't want to risk having Mare injure himself during the camp.

That could lead the team to ask Mare not to attend the camp, which might cause the NFL Player's Association to become involved on Mare's behalf. So the Dolphins almost certainly will either trade or release Mare by the time that camp begins.
The team last week paid Mare a $250,000 roster bonus so it could have more time to trade him.


Coach Cam Cameron has met with outgoing kicker Olindo Mare to explain why the Dolphins are trying to trade him.

But despite the efforts to appease Mare, a 10-year pro, Mare is said to be unhappy that he has not been either traded or released. The longer the Dolphins hold on to Mare, the less likely he is of landing with a team that will redo his contract.