Lions Eyeing Quinn But Kitna Disagrees. You Don't say

[The Gun Of Bavaria]

Millen, Marinelli eye Quinn

Kitna, Williams say if Johnson's there -- take him

March 23, 2007

BY JO-ANN BARNAS

FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER

He exuded a kind of spirited optimism that's prevalent everywhere in the NFL this time of year. But this was more than surface-level confidence. It was deep.

So when questions arose Thursday about his thoughts on the NFL draft, Jon Kitna wasn't about to duck the rush. No way. Remember, this was the quarterback who, despite being sacked a league-high 63 times last season, didn't miss a snap while finishing third in the But make no mistake, Kitna is aware of what has been circulating out there -- the cyberspace chatter and mock draft boards that have the Lions, 3-13 in 2006, possibly selecting a quarterback with their No. 2 overall pick in next month's draft.

And the player mentioned most is Notre Dame's Brady Quinn, who just happened to hold his third workout for scouts and coaches Thursday in South Bend. Among the attendees were Lions president Matt Millen and coach Rod Marinelli.

Nothing against Quinn, but here's Kitna's take: "I just don't think that's our greatest need."

Kitna elaborated, mentioning the burgeoning hype surrounding Georgia Tech wide receiver Calvin Johnson, who some believe fits Marinelli's description of a perfect player -- someone who combines the gifts of size (Johnson is 6-feet-5 and 239 pounds) and speed (he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.35 seconds at last month's combine in Indianapolis).

"Hands down, they're saying this guy is the best guy in the draft -- best receiver to come out in years," Kitna said of Johnson on Thursday, the fourth day of voluntary off-season workouts. "So if you're sitting there at two and he's available, and you're going to use that pick, why not?"

Wide receiver Roy Williams, the Lions' only Pro Bowl selection last year, agreed.

"If we score more in the red zone, we'll win 10 more ballgames," Williams said. "We get in the red zone (last season) and it was kind of like we didn't know what to do. So hopefully this year, if we take the big man at No. 2, you know, we can throw it out to him, too."

Asked if he was campaigning for a wide receiver of Johnson's stature, Williams said: "Well, I'm not the GM of this thing here. I don't think you can go wrong with a No. 2 pick. You're picking the second-best player in the draft, quote unquote. So I don't think you can go wrong if it's a running back, offensive lineman or a wide receiver."

Notice he didn't mention a quarterback.

Simply put, Williams believes the Lions don't need another quarterback, especially since Kitna and the rest of the offense have a full season invested in learning the new system put in place a year ago by offensive coordinator Mike Martz.

"Kit just wants to win," Williams said. "He knows what kind of team that we have. He's been on a winning team with the Cincinnati Bengals. He thinks that we're better than the Bengals were. It's just on offense, we just can't turn the ball over. And that's interceptions, that's no dropped balls on third down, that's fumbles. I think if guys do what they're supposed to do and don't beat ourselves, we put Kitna in the place where he needs to be, and that's on top of the world."

Though the Lions won only three games, nine of 13 losses were by eight points or fewer. The upgrades the Lions have made at key positions have Kitna believing the Lions can win 10 games.

And he wants it to be with him at quarterback -- the starting quarterback. He doesn't want to revisit what happened when he was with Cincinnati, when he was the starter in 2001-03 -- including being the named the NFL's comeback player of the year in 2003 for leading the Bengals into playoff contention -- before losing the job to Carson Palmer, the top pick in the 2003 draft, before the 2004 season.

Asked if it would be a distraction for the team if the Lions take Quinn or another QB, Kitna, 34, said: "It does cause some unsettledness amongst your team anytime you bring in a guy, No. 1 at quarterback, cause you know they have to play him at some point. It might not be the first year or even the second year, but they have to play him at some point regardless of how you played.

"Same thing happened when I was in Cincinnati. But it is what it is, and you guys all know me enough to know that I have faith, that God is ultimately in control. So if that's what God deems necessary for this team and for me, in general, in my life, then so be it and we'll go from there."

[Arsis]

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