Lions release Rogers

[2112]

LIONS RELEASE ROGERS

The Detroit Lions have parted ways with receiver Charles Rogers, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2003 draft.

Rogers missed most of his first two seasons due to broken collar bones, and was ineffective in 2004, during which he was suspended four games for violation of the league's substance abuse policy. After the suspension, the team filed a grievance against Rogers for recovery of bonus money. The grievance is still pending.

Prior to the 2003 draft, there were reports that Rogers had generated a positive drug test due to a diluted urine sample. The news didn't deter the Lions and team president Matt Millen.

Other cuts include veteran running back Artose Pinner, linebacker James Davis, and rookie sixth-round CB Dee McCann.

[patteeu]

Originally Posted by Brock

According to what's been said on TV tonight, pretty much.

I haven't seen TV tonight, but I'll be surprised if that turns out to be the case.

[Brock]

Originally Posted by patteeu

I haven't seen TV tonight, but I'll be surprised if that turns out to be the case.

Koren Robinson is receiving more interest, if that tells you anything.

[jspchief]

Originally Posted by patteeu

If Charles Rogers were signed by the Chiefs, it should be with the goal of making him the #3 receiver (once he sufficiently learns the system, if he can). We need someone to either free Dante of his offensive duties or to replace him as our return specialist, IMO.

They can make it their goal to be the #1 for all I care. Doesn't mean it's going to happen.

Every time we bring in new receivers, we hear the same thing from Green... he has to reach a comfort level where he can trust they'll be in the spot that he throws the ball to. Lions coaches were saying early in the year that Rogers was just plain too dumb to pick up the offense. So not only do we need him to learn an offense that he already struggled with, we also need him to do it getting at best a share of the #3 snaps, and build a rapport with Green at the same time. All the while being short one man on STs.

Yea I'd like Hall to see less plays at receiver. Yea I'd like to improve the WR corps in general. But IMO it's a little late to be bringing in a guy to do that this season. We could have had a solid possession guy like Joe Jurevicious for a relatively cheap price, but we chose to go with what we have. We're stuck with that now. JMO.

[Wilson8]

Good story on Rogers -
By Mitch Albom
Detroit Free Press
(MCT)
DETROIT - In the end, Charles Rogers was a number. Nothing more. He wasn't a star. He certainly wasn't a role model. Heck, he was barely a memory, seeing how little he played.
Rogers was a number. His draft number. The No. 2 selection in the 2003 draft. Had he been a fourth-round pick, no one would have expected anything after three sub-par seasons. Had he been a fourth-round pick, no one would have argued to keep him after he violated the NFL's substance-abuse rules. Had he been a fourth-round pick, no one would have blinked when the Lions sent him packing this past weekend.
But because he was a number, that big No. 2, I can't tell you how many times on Sunday folks stopped to ask me, "What do you think about Rogers being cut?"
Why? Any other player who can't break his way into an exhibition game, fans write off. And by the end of August, that's all he was. A guy who couldn't crack the Lions.
Maybe that big No. 2 which hung so heavy around his neck reflected more on the people who chose him than on Rogers himself.
Not the first No. 2 to disappoint
Who says he deserved that lofty status? Maybe someone smarter would have predicted his lousy practice habits. Maybe someone smarter would have predicted Rogers' sense of entitlement over effort and concluded, "Don't risk that high a pick on this unpredictable a guy."
But it's not like teams haven't blown such tea leaves before. The Green Bay Packers made a No. 2 pick out of Tony Mandarich. The San Diego Chargers made a No. 2 out of Ryan Leaf. The New York Jets made a No. 2 out of Blair Thomas. All these guys exited the stage in a whisper.
Now, Rogers is gone from the Lions. And? It's not like they cut an incredible NFL talent. In the handful of games he played here - 15 in three years - rarely did Rogers demonstrate the skill that everyone whispered about. Yes, he was quick. Lots of NFL players are quick. But he wasn't disciplined. He wasn't durable. He wasn't dominant.
And he wasn't Rod Marinelli's choice. That makes a difference. Steve Mariucci was coach when Rogers was chosen, so Mariucci had a vested interest in making himself look smart. Marinelli doesn't care. Rogers was someone else's mistake. All Marinelli wants is guys who will play hard for him.
And apparently, Rogers wasn't among the top six receivers to meet that criterion.
Besides, there was another number involved with Rogers - $10.1 million, which is what the Lions are trying to get back from him for, they claim, defaulting on his contract with his substance-abuse suspension.
Call me crazy, but when you are shaking down a guy for 10 million bucks, do you really expect him to give you maximum effort on the field?
Marinelli makes a statement
All of which made Rogers an attractive sacrificial lamb. Remember, Marinelli has never head-coached an NFL regular-season contest. The players are watching him. If a guy with the wrong attitude and the wrong practice habits is still given a spot on the team, the other guys aren't stupid. They see how the game is played.
Marinelli was able to make a statement - I don't care who you are, I'll cut you if you don't do it my way - while ridding the Lions of an albatross. You almost wonder how the Lions could have resisted.
Of course, it makes Matt Millen look bad. But Millen has taken that hit before. Joey Harrington is gone, Marty Mornhinweg is gone, Mariucci is gone. If you can survive faulty choices at head coach and franchise quarterback, what's a wide receiver on the pile?
Which is where Rogers is at press time. On the discard pile. He is a cautionary tale about drafting a guy in his own backyard, because some claim he had too many hometown voices telling him how good he was. Maybe some new team will take him, attracted by that shiny No. 2 around his neck. And maybe that team will make something more out of Charles Rogers.
If not, he will be nothing more than he was here. A number bigger than he was.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercu...s/15438769.htm

[patteeu]

Originally Posted by jspchief

They can make it their goal to be the #1 for all I care. Doesn't mean it's going to happen.

Every time we bring in new receivers, we hear the same thing from Green... he has to reach a comfort level where he can trust they'll be in the spot that he throws the ball to. Lions coaches were saying early in the year that Rogers was just plain too dumb to pick up the offense. So not only do we need him to learn an offense that he already struggled with, we also need him to do it getting at best a share of the #3 snaps, and build a rapport with Green at the same time. All the while being short one man on STs.

Yea I'd like Hall to see less plays at receiver. Yea I'd like to improve the WR corps in general. But IMO it's a little late to be bringing in a guy to do that this season. We could have had a solid possession guy like Joe Jurevicious for a relatively cheap price, but we chose to go with what we have. We're stuck with that now. JMO.

That makes sense to me. If the guy really isn't able to pick up the offense then there's certainly no point in picking him up.

I don't know enough about his intelligence, his attitude, or his contract demands to know whether he'd be worth picking up. I trust Carl Peterson to evaluate those things. The two things I am pretty confident about are (1) that Dante as our 3rd WR and a couple of completely untested and largely unheralded guys as our 4th and 5th WRs suggest that the bar isn't set all that high to bring a guy in to have a look, and (2) the successful Eddie Kennison experiment helps to make the idea of taking a chance on a top draft pick with a poor track record a little more attractive. I'd love to find out that Carl thinks the guy is redeemable, but chances are that you will end up being right.

[Joe Seahawk]

Oops!

[RealSNR]

BAHAHAHAHAA

The original "Bring him in for a look" thread, ladies and gentlemen