Scouting Report: Manny Ramirez

by Tom Kowalski
Sunday June 15, 2008, 12:05 AM



Ramirez might be the poster boy for what's been wrong with the Lions for the past several years - and none of it has anything to do with Ramirez himself.

Ramirez, at 6-3 and 325 pounds, is a brawling type of offensive lineman who brings plenty of muscle and was the kind of player the Lions were looking for when they were building their offense last year. That's why Ramirez was selected in the fourth round - the highest round in which Detroit drafted an offensive lineman since 2001.

This year, though, the Lions have altered their zone-blocking scheme and are putting a lot more emphasis on quickness, agility and getting to the second level to clean up linebackers. That's not the strength of Ramirez's game. If Ramirez had been eligible for the draft his year, not only would the Lions have passed on him in the fourth round but, because he doesn't fit their scheme, he probably wouldn't have been drafted by Detroit at all.

With the constant change in head coaches and offensive and defensive coordinators over the years - at least one of them has been changed in every season of president Matt Millen's regime - the Lions have failed to build any continuity and that's been reflected in the constant turnover of their roster.

The Lions are working on trying to get Ramirez to the point where he can be effective in their style, but perhaps they shouldn't go too far in changing him. After all, by next season, the Lions might change again and be looking for that brawling type of offensive lineman.



MY THOUGHTS
Well hard to argue with Tom. I was excited when I saw we drafted this guy but now that we are changing our schemes he now is just another wasted pick. Hmm, where have I heard that before? I hope he can change a little and use his strength but also work on his weakness. I would hope to keep Ramirez and even more that he excel in our new system but it doesnt look good for him right now.