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Does anyone know how Solomon Elamimian is doing with the Vikings? He's a great player, but I thought a little small for an NFL linebacker. Any chance we might get him back around Labour Day?

South Pender wrote:Does anyone know how Solomon Elamimian is doing with the Vikings? He's a great player, but I thought a little small for an NFL linebacker. Any chance we might get him back around Labour Day?

It is generally thought that Elimimian will stick on as a ST player. Lions D is going well, but would be better with him alright.

It was reported on a different thread on this forum that Elimimian has 2 tackles and an interception in pre season.

In his 1st game against SF, he had 2 tackles and 1 INT...on a poor team that is the equivalent to All Pro play...I highly doubt we will see Sol back here...

I'm happy for the guy, but really wish he would have stuck with the BC organization. In the CFL he was a superstar, in the NFL he'll get lost in the shuffle. Not because the CFL is lacking talent, but because in the NFL there is just SO MUCH talent.

BCfanInDIXIE wrote:I'm happy for the guy, but really wish he would have stuck with the BC organization. In the CFL he was a superstar, in the NFL he'll get lost in the shuffle. Not because the CFL is lacking talent, but because in the NFL there is just SO MUCH talent.

Maybe or perhaps he could be the next Shelton Quarles or Cam Wake. You never know. Hopefully he'll get a fair shake.

I heard mention on the 1410 pregame show today that Eli was a healthy scratch in Minny's preseason win over Buffalo on Friday, for what that's worth.

sj-roc wrote:I heard mention on the 1410 pregame show today that Eli was a healthy scratch in Minny's preseason win over Buffalo on Friday, for what that's worth.

A very surprising development imo. The speculation/interpretation on 1410 was that his means:
A. Vikings have already got a take on Eli and he will make the team.
B. He won't make the team, not even on Special Teams as he would have dressed in order to get a few more ST reps.

They seemed to think A. was unlikely and then speculated about the impact of Eli's return to the Lions. They suggested a 3-4 defence in order to get Eli and Bighill out there at the same time, with Bighill being a stand up inside guy.

I had Eki penciled in as too small to start (in the minds of most NFL coaches), but a purrfect Special Teams guy. But you never know the exact needs of any one team especially NFL ST.

DanoT wrote:

sj-roc wrote:I heard mention on the 1410 pregame show today that Eli was a healthy scratch in Minny's preseason win over Buffalo on Friday, for what that's worth.

A very surprising development imo. The speculation/interpretation on 1410 was that his means:
A. Vikings have already got a take on Eli and he will make the team.
B. He won't make the team, not even on Special Teams as he would have dressed in order to get a few more ST reps.

They seemed to think A. was unlikely and then speculated about the impact of Eli's return to the Lions. They suggested a 3-4 defence in order to get Eli and Bighill out there at the same time, with Bighill being a stand up inside guy.

I had Eki penciled in as too small to start (in the minds of most NFL coaches), but a purrfect Special Teams guy. But you never know the exact needs of any one team especially NFL ST.

Thanks for filling in the blanks; I was thinking in terms of that A/B dichotomy but I was boarding a bus to get down to the game today just as they began to delve into this matter and radio reception is almost always completely lousy on or near public transit.

Would the Lions be able to afford re-signing him and staying under the cap?

I liked Solo just fine when he was here.

But I like Adam Bighill just fine too. And I think Bighill is better in pass coverage. Maybe not quite as fast to the sideline as Solo (not sure about that, because Bighill ain't no slouch in the speed department either). Bighill finds the runner (reads the play), sheds blocks, has great tackling technique.

In fact, because of Bighill I don't miss Elimimian at all. If he comes back, he ain't about to automatically replace Bighill IMO. Would there be room for both of them? Dunno about that.

Sign me "not looking for a change at Middle Linebacker." Or sign me "not missing Solo."

Bighill has been great, and he is the kind of player you win championships with...he is a high character guy to go along with all his talent, so you lock up Adam for the long term...but Eliminian is the same "high character" guy as well, and has talents that other players simply marvel at...so we should NEVER turn our back on Sol if he ever wanted to come back to the CFL...and for as good as Anton McKenzie has been, you make that change and play Sol and Biggie next to one another...

And remember this...as good as Bighill has been, he still has not proved to anyone that he can shut down a north/south running game concentrated at attacking him...twice this season teams did this and they ran all over us, north and south...the improvement was the Toronto game, where they possessed a true N/S runner and they rushed for negative yards...but the improvement, or change there has been primarily structural by Stubler...he has asked his tackles to "clog" the interior 3 OLinemen so that they can't come free and get a big body on Biggie...in this new system, Bighill is free to read plays and make tackles...and as Joe said, he is a tackling machine...but so was Eliminian and Sol not only tackled, he hit you into oblivion...and remember this also, it was Sol's arrival here 2 years ago that changed how offences approached us...before Sol, teams treated the Lions D as some kind of a joke because we didn't hit or punish players, but with Sol's arrival all that changed, and our rep is now fully that you will get your heads knocked off when you play the Lions...and Biggie is definitely a big part of that, but Sol was the originator...

I want Bighill to begin and end his career with the Leos, but I would do backflips at the chance to get Eliminian back once again...he is a once in a decade type player...and like Biggie, only going to get better!

MexicoLionFan wrote:Bighill has been great, and he is the kind of player you win championships with...he is a high character guy to go along with all his talent, so you lock up Adam for the long term...but Eliminian is the same "high character" guy as well, and has talents that other players simply marvel at...so we should NEVER turn our back on Sol if he ever wanted to come back to the CFL...and for as good as Anton McKenzie has been, you make that change and play Sol and Biggie next to one another...

And remember this...as good as Bighill has been, he still has not proved to anyone that he can shut down a north/south running game concentrated at attacking him...twice this season teams did this and they ran all over us, north and south...the improvement was the Toronto game, where they possessed a true N/S runner and they rushed for negative yards...but the improvement, or change there has been primarily structural by Stubler...he has asked his tackles to "clog" the interior 3 OLinemen so that they can't come free and get a big body on Biggie...in this new system, Bighill is free to read plays and make tackles...and as Joe said, he is a tackling machine...but so was Eliminian and Sol not only tackled, he hit you into oblivion...and remember this also, it was Sol's arrival here 2 years ago that changed how offences approached us...before Sol, teams treated the Lions D as some kind of a joke because we didn't hit or punish players, but with Sol's arrival all that changed, and our rep is now fully that you will get your heads knocked off when you play the Lions...and Biggie is definitely a big part of that, but Sol was the originator...

I want Bighill to begin and end his career with the Leos, but I would do backflips at the chance to get Eliminian back once again...he is a once in a decade type player...and like Biggie, only going to get better!

MLF, as I said I liked Solo just fine when he was here. But we ain't missing him one bit because of the way Adam Bighill has stepped in.

As to Solo replacing McKenzie, not IMO. I have become a big McKenzie fan in the last couple of years. Plus he does a great job calling out the signals and getting the guys ready for the snap of the ball.

If Solo came back, it would be one of those problems of too many good players ... I don't see him taking anyone's starting spot. Just IMO ... and just for discussion. He may not come back at all. At least this year.

He won't be coming back Joe, he is just too good of a football player not to stick in the NFL...it would be nice if he did though...

MexicoLionFan wrote:He won't be coming back Joe, he is just too good of a football player not to stick in the NFL...it would be nice if he did though...

Actually, I think that SolE not returning to the CFL may be best for the Lions, as he is an UFA. Chances are his price ticket would get too high for the Lions and then he would be helping out some of our competition. In other words Jovan Johnson part II, with the chance of landing in the West.