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Source: Drew Sharp, Detroit Free Press [ Full Article ]

Shopping the free agent market turned more challenging for the Lions when the NFL salary cap ballooned to the neighborhood of $110 million on March 1. It became more difficult to mask their front-office incompetence with outrageous signing bonuses.

Dr Bly looked the Lions' way when Mr. 24-72 danced absolutely sick numbers before his eyes in 2002.

Damien Woody did the same a year later.

It's much easier accepting the circus when it makes you one of the highest paid clowns under the big top.

Here's your squirting flower, Dewayne White. You're now officially a Lion.

The Lions gave almost $30 million over five years and $13 million in guaranteed money Sunday to somebody who has pretty much spent his NFL career as a backup defensive end. They clearly overpaid, which is standard operating procedure during free agency. But what's different now is that far more teams can make ridiculous offers with a salary cap that's more than 20% higher than just two years ago.

The higher cap forces the Lions into a new sales pitch, because they can't use Mr. 24-72's record. They can no longer simply wave astronomical dollar signs.

White looked the Lions' way because of his admiration and respect for head coach Rod Marinelli, for whom he played at Tampa Bay two years ago when Marinelli was the Bucs' defensive line coach.

There's no guarantee that White's even an upgrade over the man he's replacing -- James Hall. But his signing is a reaction to the pressure-packed environment in which Marinelli finds himself in just his second year. He's under the microscope as much as Mr. 24-72.

First-time NFL head coaches no longer receive the two-year honeymoon they once did. There's a one-year acclimation period and then tangible evidence of improvement is demanded.

That's why Marinelli's placing a premium on getting "his guys," those with whom there's familiarity and a certain degree of comfort, like new defensive coordinator Joe Barry -- who also serves the primary role (or is it secondary role?) as his son-in-law -- and White.

Coaches will also feel the heat because of the marquee names sitting on the sidelines this season. The reputations of Bill Cowher and Marty Schottenheimer -- and yeah, you still can't completely dismiss Bill Parcells' resurfacing once more -- have already cast a formidable shadow over the free agent season.

It is believed that William Clay Ford Jr. won one concession from his father in retaining Mr. 24-72 for another season -- the Lions must play a meaningful game next December.

However, in the woeful NFC you could be 6-9 heading into the season's final week and officially remain in playoff contention. Does the opportunity for 7-9 satisfy the criteria for "meaningful"?

But if there is such an ultimatum, at least it establishes consequences for another three or four-win season.

And Marinelli understands there's no guarantee that he'll survive any long-awaited clean sweep through the front office following the 2007 season.

He wants a dramatic roster turnover, but the bulk of that change must come from the draft.

Free agency is no longer the panacea for the weak it once was in its infancy. The quality of each class regresses in proportion to the increases in the salary cap.

Tying a hard salary cap to free agency was part of the NFL's path toward parity, penalizing the perennial champions by prohibiting the stockpiling of talent. There was once a choice for prime free agents, balancing getting that fat payday against joining a winning organization.

But the salary cap surge of nearly $25 million in the past two years has given free agents the best of both options.

Baltimore outside linebacker Adelius Thomas was arguably the top rated free agent of this class -- and he signed with New England because the money available was close enough that he could factor competitiveness into that equation.

And how do the Lions compete with such expectations?