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Toby Stumbo -> RE: NFL News (1/24/2008 9:04:53 AM)
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Shaun Rogers is a goner
The Lions have decided to part with the star defensive tackle this off-season via trade or release, the Free Press has learned.
The Lions won’t confirm the information. They generally do not comment on such reports, and they wouldn’t want to weaken their negotiating position in trade talks.
But Lions coach Rod Marinelli has decided not to bring back Rogers, according to a person familiar with the Lions’ thinking. The story was first reported today by the St. Petersburg Times' Rick Stroud on ESPN2’s “First Take.”
Rogers’ trade value is unclear. He already has served a four-game suspension for taking a banned dietary supplement. If he tests positive again, and he will face an eight-game suspension. He also has three years left on his contract.
Rogers is immensely talented and can dominate a game. He has been to two Pro Bowls. But he doesn’t always get the most out of talent, and Marinelli, a former defensive line coach, hasn’t been able to reach him the way he reached Warren Sapp in Tampa Bay.
The first eight games this season, Rogers was excellent. The highlight of the season was his 66-yard interception return for a touchdown Nov. 4 in the 44-7 rout of Denver that made the Lions 6-2.
Rogers also had 2 ½ sacks in that game – and celebrated one with a somersault – not to mention four quarterback hurries, three tackles and a pass defense. He was named NFC defensive player of the week.
But in the six-game losing streak that eliminated the Lions from the playoffs, Rogers disappeared.
Marinelli gave Rogers a long leash last off-season because he was coming off knee and shoulder surgeries. The hope was that Rogers would be in the best physical shape possible so he could perform on Sundays. But Rogers, listed at 340 pounds, weighed at least 360 and didn’t sustain his level of play.
Rogers made an impact Dec. 23 against Kansas City, but that was after the Lions were already out of the race.
After a news conference Jan. 17, Marinelli said he expected every player under contract to report for the Lions’ off-season conditioning program, including Rogers. He acknowledged Rogers’ weight would be an issue.
“He was a good player for us for nine games,” Marinelli said then. “But it’s the endurance all the way through the season, that’s what I’m looking for.”
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