Lions release two -- Sherko Haji-Rasouli and Steve Williams

[WestCoastJoe]

The coaches have decided how things stack up long before TC. It is unlikely that they would change their minds on Sherko (whom I also like very much as a player, and as a person) prior to TC. Why bring a guy back who is extremely unlikely to fit into your plans? He is a dead man walking, due to be cut anyway. IMO it is more considerate to release him early. If there are opportunities for him to continue his career, other teams can contact him.

With all respect the coaches probably thought they had a pretty good make over offensive line coming out of training camp last year and we know how the experiment turned out.

Well, I am not necessarily the right guy to defend Wally and his coaches, as I have been on the other side of many issues in the last couple of years. But for the sake of discussion, I will say ...

Last year the O Line was a schmozzle from the get go. Pretty much everyone being asked to play out of position.

The acquistion of Newman and McGrath really settled the talent and experience and game calmness quotient down. Olafioye turned out to be very well suited to left tackle. Reid made a great "comeback." Etc.

I cannot imagine that this year will start with the O Line in a schmozzle.

Would anyone on this forum say that they think Sherko, with his leg vulnerabilities and contract, should start ahead of Newman or JonHR, or McGrath, or even Dean Valli (who has all the physical talent, but needs to relax a bit)? OK, some might say that. But it seems to me his leg problems were becoming huge by last year.

And I am not saying that our O Line will steam roll D Lines from the get go this year, but I am saying I have no trouble seeing how Wally has handled this personnel decision.

And in regard to last year, the howling from the armchair coaches, myself included, was pretty loud from the start last year at what they were trying to do with the O Line.

[TheZeppo]

The only moves that have hurt were J.Johnson and MAYBE Floyd... other than that Wally lets guys go at the right time. Obviously, there will be misses the odd time... but most of the time it's the right move.

I would add Knowlton to your list. Technically, he was traded for futures, but I'm sure that is one decision that Wally regrets making.

[TheZeppo]

With all respect the coaches probably thought they had a pretty good make over offensive line coming out of training camp last year and we know how the experiment turned out.

By the end of the year, I would say that things had turned out pretty well.

It will take some time before a rebuilt offensive line is going to look like a cohesive unit. In the case
of the 2010 Lions, significant injuries to two key players made this process even more difficult than
was expected. But, IMO, the patience shown by the coaching staff, and the playing time given to young
players, should leave the Lions with an offensive line that can remain together several years into the future.

[Blitz]

Have to say that I'm very disapppointed to read about Sherko's release, in that he'd become my favorite Leos offensive player. As B.C. Fan pointed out, Sherko was our top offensive lineman in 2009. For some unknown reason, we decided to move Sherko to right offensive tackle in 2010, while playing an import at right guard for a good chunk of the season.

This move was likely made for two reasons 1) Sherko's knee problems last season and 2) salary/bonus. Sherko was a warrior for our Leos, a huge, powerful right guard who also was always there to stick up for a teammate. He was a character guy, both on and off the football field.

Football fans can be very tough on a Leo player who decides to give the NFL a shot or considers free agency or even wants a bigger contract in his next round of negotiation. What we often don't consider at the time, is how short a pro football career can be or how management can toss a player into the garbage heap quickly if he gets injured or makes a mistake or someone better comes along. That's pro football but we expect a high school type of loyalty from our Leo players while most often accepting a management philosophy that this is a business.

We also have a tendency to put players on the football field while injured. We played Sherko injured last year as we played Printers injured and others as well. While our Leos brass is always willing to put players careers and livlihood in jeapordy for the sake of the 'team' and winning we also discard a player in the blink of an eye. Loyalty in pro football is usually a one way street. We expect players to honor contracts and yet, because they are not guaranteed, managment will drop a player before having to pay his signing bonus. Its easy to forget that these decisions not only impact the player but often a wife and young family. Its the nature of the pro game and will continue in the future in that way but I have a lot of empathy for a player in Sherko's situation.

The decision to offer a contract extension to Angus Reid last season, after we had pencilled him in as a backup to start 2010 was surprising. Yes, Angus did a good job of making offensive line calls but the decisionw was made last season both due to Reid's age, salary, and the fact that he was struggling against big offensive tackles, both in terms of push and pass protection. The decision to have Valli take over as our starting center seems to have been reevaluated.

Who will take over as right guard? There are four candidates-Valli, Newman, Andrew Jones, and Sorenson. Valli has started in the past, Newman started for Calgary in his rookie season, and Jones began last season as our starting left guard.

Whatever happens in 2011, we can't do what we did in 2010. in terms of offensive line experimenting. We need consistency from the start of the season. Offensive line is the most complex position to play, after quarterback and they need to play as a unit.

[David]

We also have a tendency to put players on the football field while injured. We played Sherko injured last year as we played Printers injured and others as well.

Are you sure about this, Blitz? Are you implying they rushed Sherko onto the field before he was ready? I recall reading on a couple of occasions that Sherko was anxious to play but that Buono was reluctant to put him back in. Here is one article I found that seems to support this.

SOURCE: Vancouver Sun (Mike Beamish) 8/31/10 LINK HERE
".... While Haji-Rasouli's words are attempting to embellish his situation, Buono is a big believer in what he sees, not in what he hears. The fact that his veteran right tackle was walking like a man on hot coals is a good indication that Haji-Rasouli isn't as far along as he might suggest.

"I think the reason we're in this predicament is that three of the five guys [offensive line] we were counting on got hurt, and two of them [Haji-Rasouli and Jones] were critical," Buono says."Sherko's still vulnerable. Do I start him, he plays one snap, and he gets hurt again? I'm going to be more comfortable after I have a look at him tomorrow [Tuesday] when we're in pads. That's why I can't declare him in for Montreal yet. I hope he'll be a stabilizing influence, but I don't know.""

As a post-script to this story. Buono didn't activate Sherko for the September 3 game in Montreal.

DH

[ziggy]

Its always a fine line between playing players that are hurt and players that are injured. I would be surprised to hear any professional athlete has never played hurt, nor would many want to sit it out if that was just the case. It isn't High School, players and medical personnel make the decisions, not just a coach! Give the players some credit, for the most case these are college educated individuals who have had aspirations to become professional athletes for most of their lives. They know what they are doing, they aren't reckless teenagers who don't know any better. I hear a lot more athletes complain about being held out when they are ready than ever do about being rushed back.

[Blitz]

Mike Beamish wrote:

"Right guard Sherko Haji-Rasouli tweaked his knee in preseason, spent most of the year practising with braces on both joints, didn't make his 2010 CFL debut until Oct. 2 and lasted just a month before tweaking his knee again in the final game of the regular season.

On Friday, the Lions announced that the 30-year-old offensive lineman has been released, along with import defensive tackle Steve Williams. While the team did not offer an explanation for Haji-Rasouli's termination, his medical history undoubtedly played a factor. Due to a repeating series of 'scopes, cleanups and surgeries to repair ligaments and cartilage, Haji-Rasouli is experiencing arthritic changes in both knees."

Arthitis in his knees at the age of 30 sounds awful......

[ziggy]

Arthritis in the joints is apparently a common part of aging. I tore an ACL in my late 20's and was taken back when part of the report mentioned that the amount of Arthritis present was normal. I asked my Doctor and he said something along the lines that, everyone starts to get it in their 20's to some degree.I'd guess though that injuries might speed up the severity.