Deal in place with curry, hinges on stafford.

[nesper]

http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/04/source_lions_have_aaron_curry.html

According to a league source, the Detroit Lions have completed contract terms with Wake Forest linebacker Aaron Curry and the team is now waiting to see if it can reach an agreement with their No. 1 target, Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford. The source said the Lions will not allow a decision to go beyond Friday and if a deal isn't done with Stafford by then, the team will sign Curry and take him with the first overall draft pick.

The source said he believes that Stafford's agent, Tom Condon, will eventually agree to a deal with the Lions but probably won't do it until it gets closer to the Friday deadline. The price of the contract can only go up in the final hours so Condon will likely push the issue as far as he feels he has something to gain.

The Lions, according to the source, aren't budging and are just waiting to see if Stafford accepts their deal before they move to Curry. The Lions have been adamant that they want to get their draft pick signed before the draft starts at 4 p.m. on Saturday.

They got a player many people want locked in to an agreement and using it for leverage with stafford. sounds smart to me.

[JeremyHight]

I don't see why they didn't set up a deal with Smith, but oh well, its not like games are won in the trenches... fucking Lions.

[Tailback U]

They are most likely talking to Smith as well.

Curry has gone on record saying that he would take less money than Jake Long did last season as the number 1 pick if the Lions take him.

Lions are smart for dealing with Curry. They should take Curry if they can't get a deal with Stafford done by draft day.

And several teams have revitalized themselves by drafting or acquiring a big time MLB. How quickly people forget the value that guys like Urlacher, Ray Lewis, LT, Derrick Thomas, Dick Butkus, Jack Lambert, etc. had on their respected teams.

You draft a stud MLB with HOF potential and he can be the heart and soul of your defense for 10 years.

[Prodigal Son]

They are most likely talking to Smith as well.

Curry has gone on record saying that he would take less money than Jake Long did last season as the number 1 pick if the Lions take him.

Lions are smart for dealing with Curry. They should take Curry if they can't get a deal with Stafford done by draft day.

And several teams have revitalized themselves by drafting or acquiring a big time MLB. How quickly people forget the value that guys like Urlacher, Ray Lewis, LT, Derrick Thomas, Dick Butkus, Jack Lambert, etc. had on their respected teams.

You draft a stud MLB with HOF potential and he can be the heart and soul of your defense for 10 years.

It has more to do with Curry being smart. He knows he would never see the money if he was drafted later. He'll still get an assload of money. More then he would have seen had he gone elsewhere.

[Tailback U]

It has more to do with Curry being smart. He knows he would never see the money if he was drafted later. He'll still get an assload of money. More then he would have seen had he gone elsewhere.

Well I think the Lions are moreso using Curry for leverage. I think Stafford is their number 1 choice and they are using Curry to get Stafford to asap.

[Leftwich]

I love draft drama. You don't try to revitalize a franchise by drafting a LB though...You just HAVE to go for a QB. Even though, I don't think they really need one that badly, but.

Curry will be the better choice in the long run IMO. He can be a leader of the defense better than Stafford will be the leader of a porous offense. We'll see what happens.

[Ralnakor]

I may be looking at it through my usual hopeful Lions glasses, but my reason for saying no to Stafford (at least of late) is Culpepper being in what he claims to be the best shape of his career and weighs less than he did early in his career. I wasn't huge on him last year, but so long as Culpepper is serviceable, why not give him the shot and just take Curry to finally sure up our linebacking corps?

[Prodigal Son]

and then end up replacing Culpepper in 1 to 2 years?

[JeremyHight]

I'd rather shore up the offensive line and defensive fronts now than put someone out there to get murdered at QB and pressure him to try and keep up with the scoring being allowed on the other side of the ball.

[Ralnakor]

and then end up replacing Culpepper in 1 to 2 years?

In the hope that there's a better option than Stafford, sure. I don't mind taking a later round QB, but Stafford's just not worth spending the #1 on to me.

[Prodigal Son]

The Lions have two first rounders. Draft a QB, and then draft a Tackle.

[DSpydr84]

http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf...ron_curry.html



They got a player many people want locked in to an agreement and using it for leverage with stafford. sounds smart to me.

This is such a genius move.

Either Stafford signs for the money they want (they gave him a Friday deadline), or Curry is the number one pick (he already has his contract set in stone - the money Detroit wants).

So not only are we paying what we want to pay, but we're getting our first pick signed before draft day. This Mayhew guy has been on the ball.

[DSpydr84]

I may be looking at it through my usual hopeful Lions glasses, but my reason for saying no to Stafford (at least of late) is Culpepper being in what he claims to be the best shape of his career and weighs less than he did early in his career. I wasn't huge on him last year, but so long as Culpepper is serviceable, why not give him the shot and just take Curry to finally sure up our linebacking corps?

We would never start Stafford in his first year. He's a junior coming out so it only makes sense he sits his first year. Remember, Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco were fifth year seniors when they came out of college.

Culpepper won't be around forever, let's get our QB right now, let him sit a year and learn the NFL game under Pepp, and give him the reigns next season. We have a QB that understands and has performed well in this system, and I personally think we have a roster that (although isn't stellar in some areas) can win games as of RIGHT NOW, no matter who we draft. Let's build for now and for later... we have two first round picks, we could easily get the best MLB available at 20 or even 33, or we could easily get a solid OT at 20 or 33, or whoever else you'd want at 1, we could absolutely get a servicable player of that same position at 20 or 33. The same cannot be said for quarterback.

[Len B]

Maybe it's just me, but I'd take Curry over Stafford anyway. I feel like this will be another David Carr situation. Rookie QB on a team with little talent outside of a stud WR, and new QB gets his ass kicked for a few years.

[ralaw]

Maybe it's just me, but I'd take Curry over Stafford anyway. I feel like this will be another David Carr situation. Rookie QB on a team with little talent outside of a stud WR, and new QB gets his ass kicked for a few years.

I agree. Stafford doesn't come across to me like a stud QB and his stock is more so the product of a weak draft class. IMO unless there an elite prospect there is too much risk with taking a QB high in the draft, because if they dont'y work out it'll set the franchise back a few years.