Should Detroit Lions Pay Up for Cliff Avril?

DE, Cliff Avril wants to be paid like and elite player at his position. The Lions would like to resign him, but should they pay him what he wants?

First let us face some simple facts. If the Lions do not sign Avril, it is very unlikely the player who takes his place will give us 11 sacks. As a pass rusher he is very good and it is not all because of the attention Ndamukong Suh and the other defensive linemen draw. For that reason, the Lions are a better team with Cliff Avril manning the defensive end position than any of the others or even a rookie.

Yet you cannot completely discount the fact that Suh does draw double teams either. This does make Avril's job easier and though another player in his position would likely not get 11 sacks, if they are even decent, they should still get 7 or 8 sacks. If the Lions let Avril move on and replaced him with a player who gets 7 sacks and uses the money saved to add another player who improves another unit, that very well may be the better route.

So it is not simply a question about whether the Lions should sign him for what he wants or let him go. The question is more about, at what point is the money they would save and added to bringing another player in, more valuable than the 4 sacks more that Avril would bring to the table?

The Lions should definitely sign Cliff Avril.... if the price is right. If they cannot get him at a fair value and instead can add the money saved to what they would already offer a top-10 cornerback... well, then I say let Avril walk. The Lions would be better off with Avril than Lawrence Jackson if they cant improve the defensive back positions. Then again, they would be better off with Jackson and a top CB than Avril and what we already have in the defensive backfield.

I like Cliff Avril. I like the Detroit Lions more. The right thing for the Lions to do is to do what actually makes them a better team.

The simple fact is they will not always be able to keep everyone. The better they become, the more players they will be forced to watch walk away because those players want to make more money. Mayhew's job is not to try and keep everyone, but to make the best of every situation. To look over what players they potentially might lose and players they potentially may get and decide which players they can most afford to let walk. The Lions can afford to let Avril walk if he will not settle for less than elite status. They have a lot of depth on the D-line and Avril walking would not be a huge blow. The money can be used to improve other positions. So right now, Avril is the one free agent the Lions have the most freedom to play hardball with. And that is what they should do.

Cliff Avril Looks to Have a Breakout Year

In 2008, the Detroit Lions defensive end, Cliff Avril, was a rookie. He ended the season with five sacks, tops for most among rookie defensive ends in the NFL last year. Avril says last season was more about learning for him while this year will be more on polishing things up. This is one reason to believe he will improve in his second year as a pro.

With the Marinelli regime moved on and Jim Schwartz in, Schwartz also brought in Gunther Cunningham to be the Defensive Coordinator. Both of these men are aggressive coaches and have been quoted saying they plan on blitzing about 40% of the time with a variety of blitz schemes. With the opponents offensive line having to worry more about the blitz, it will open things up more often for defensive ends to get free. Another reason to believe Avril will improve in his sophomore year.

If Avril produces well in 2009, he will force offenses to pay more attention to him, which in turn will allow others to break free more often. Sometimes a defensive line can look like it has no talent because it never quite gets to the quarterback. Sometimes all it takes is for one player to step up his game, allowing others to get free and suddenly the whole defensive line looks better. Sometimes a better scheme can make all the difference in the world. Sometimes the fans need a reason to have hope and after the 2008 season, I will take anything that gives me hope. This season I find a lot to give me hope and improvement from Cliff Avril is one amongst many.