2011年8月2日星期二

Lions glad to have linebacker Stephen Tulloch aboard

Matt Burke walked out to Lions practice Monday and was greeted by the usual chorus of good-mornings and how-do-you-dos.

"Much better," the linebackers coach said. "Thank you."

Burke and the rest of the Lions were all smiles Monday as they welcomed new middle linebacker Stephen Tulloch.

The Lions pursued Tulloch aggressively at the start of free agency last Tuesday, with coach Jim Schwartz calling at 10 a.m. when the market opened, and defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch and safety Louis Delmas phoning their friend as well.

Tulloch said he never doubted he'd be a Lion, though the deal took longer than expected to get done. He agreed to a one-year contract early Sunday morning.

"Schwartz is the main reason why I chose the Lions," said Tulloch, who played three seasons for Schwartz in Tennessee. "Schwartz believed in me back in 2006 when I first came out of (North Carolina) State. I heard the story about how they drafted me. They were going to draft another guy that went to Green Bay, and Schwartz went upstairs and told (head coach Jeff Fisher), 'This is the guy that we want.'

"He believed in me -- gave me an opportunity. Like I always told Schwartz, I'm indebted to you for giving me the chance to play in this league and show my ability."
 
LB takes short deal, long view

Tulloch waited two years to cash in on free agency, and when he finally hit the open market last week he found it "flooded" beyond belief.

The NFL's second-leading tackler a year ago, Tulloch officially signed a one-year, $3.25-million deal with the Lions on Monday.

If that seems like a bit of a bargain for one of the game's most productive middle linebackers, it is. And it's part of the trickle-down effect from the owners' decision to opt out of the NFL's last collective bargaining agreement in 2008.

That decision changed free-agent rules for the 2010 season, requiring players to have six years of service instead of the normal four before becoming unrestricted.

Free agency returned to four seasons after the lockout, and with more players to choose from and less money to spend (thanks to the return of a salary cap) teams such as the Lions were able to pick and choose in a buyer's market.

"You're looking at a market that generally is 250 players and the market this year is pretty much double that," Tulloch said. "I guess you can say that (there wasn't as much interest in some veterans) and the fact that the free-agent market was shortened and everything was a rush."

The Lions added two more defensive starters on short-term free-agent deals: cornerback Eric Wright and linebacker Justin Durant. Wright signed a one-year contract, and Durant got two years.

Cornerback Chris Houston also re-signed for two seasons.

"I had opportunities to go for a multiyear deal, and I just wanted to come here and show what I'm all about, show what I can do and earn it," Tulloch said. "I want to earn it. I want to show the coaches that I can come out here and be productive and help this team. So I felt like a one-year deal is the best opportunity for me to do that."

The Lions, meanwhile, retained some roster flexibility by not spending superfluously this off-season.

Defensive end Cliff Avril, a restricted free agent, will need a long-term deal before next March to keep him off the market; new contracts for 25-and-under core players Calvin Johnson, Matthew Stafford and Ndamukong Suh aren't too far off in the horizon; and Tulloch and Wright will have to be re-signed, or their replacements procured if they go elsewhere.

Schwartz said this year's free-agent strategy was right for a team that had specific holes to fill in its back seven and is committed to building long term. Tulloch, Durant and Wright are all 26 or younger.

"I think the thing to remember is every one of the players we've signed we have a very specific role in mind for them," Schwartz said. "They fit that job description and that's what we were worried about. We weren't worried about, 'Well, we've got a help-wanted sign at a certain position. That guy doesn't fit but let's take him anyway.' We take the position of saying, 'Hey, let's get good football players, let's put them on the field, let's worry about the other stuff later.' "

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