Most of these stories could have been linked from any of three different sites. Everyone is writing the same stories these days, because there really just is not that much to write about right now. Morning Intel is going out every day, right here six days a week. As far as we’re concerned, there are no stories on Saturdays in the offseason.
Eric Ebron was interviewed by Rolling out Magazine. my favorite quote was, “In the NFL, you just have to win. Individual stats don’t matter, people could care less, fans come to the game for excitement and for wins. So, to succeed and be successful there, you just have to win.” The players he looks up to on the team have been Stephen Tulloch and Calvin Johnson. He comes off in this interview as a man who understands who he is, and what an amazing opportunity to win at life he is being given. I did not love the pick when it was made, but if Ebron improves as much in his second offseason as he did in his first the league is in trouble. He went from 25 receptions, 248 yards and 1 TD as a rookie to 49 receptions, 537 yards, and five touchdowns in his second season. If he had 69 catches, 890 yards and 11 touchdowns in his third season, would there still be members of the fan-base saying this was a bad pick? It was often said that Ebron would have to be a top five tight end in the league to justify his draft position, and those stats would put him there. While this interview doesn’t fit the usual M.O. of Morning Intel, I found it an interesting read, and thought you might as well.
Taylor Decker is fine with right or left tackle, as he should be. He played both in college, and should be able to handle the transition back to the right side from the left if that is where he ends up. There really is not that much of a difference any more between left and right tackle, as most teams deploy situational pass rushers. Some might say that makes the job of the right tackle more difficult than that of the left tackle. The right tackle has to deal with bigger, stronger defensive ends on running plays; and smaller, faster defensive ends on passing downs. Since the shotgun became the normal method of snapping the ball, the concept of the blind side has been all but eliminated from the NFL, as the quarterback has a better view of the entire field from his spot further from the line of scrimmage.
A’Shawn Robinson has a lot of work to do to ready himself for his first season as a professional in the Lions scheme, and if his initial interviews are to be believed, he knows it, and he’s doing it. The Lions second round draft pick has all the athletic ability required to do the job asked of a defensive tackle in the Lions scheme, but it couldn’t be less like what he was asked to do at Alabama.
Speaking of A’Shawn Robinson, he signed his contract, making this the quickest I recall the Lions ever having signed all of their draft picks. I have never understood the waiting, particularly since the last CBA all but removed any meaningful negotiations from the process.
And that is the Morning Intel that you need to get you through the day. @A5hcrack on twitter and on /r/detroitlions. Check back tomorrow for the best Lions coverage the internet can provide. Now for some highlights from Lions’ second round pick, A’Shawn Robinson:
