Once Again, Lions Late To The Party When It Comes To Spikes

The Lions have made a killing in the free agent market -- the has-been market, that is. They have a thing for signing players just a tad past their prime -- a tad enough to be considered over-priced busts. It doesn't take much of a tad to veer into that area in the NFL, when the calendar decides to catch up with you instantaneously almost, and with little warning.

The latest addition to that bourgeoning category just might be LB Takeo Spikes, who fits the Lions' history perfectly: 31 years old. Recently injured. Best years behind him. A winner, somewhere else, in a galaxy far, far away.

Spikes has been hovering around Allen Park -- if not physically then certainly spiritually -- circling, debating whether to land and join the Lions. The team says they are close to signing him and having him ready for the start of training camp tomorrow. Spikes's people says he has other options to consider.

The Lions seem to do this more often with defensive players than anything. Once-great DBs like LeRoy Irvin, Todd Lyght, Eric Davis, and Tim McKyer were all Lions too late in their careers to be much more than off-the-field mentors. LBs like Mike Johnson, Pat Swilling. DL guys like John Mendenhall, Curley Culp, Joe Ehrmann. All flourished with other teams before coming to Detroit. In most instances, the Lions were their last employers. Even the younger fans should be able to remember Lyght, who went to high school in Flint, gamely but unsuccessfully trying to cover receivers when he played for the Lions in 2001 and 2002.

Now the Lions are hoping that Spikes, who coach Rod Marinelli says has "plenty of rubber still left on the tires", can come in and make an impact. It's the hope of losers -- those who weren't smart enough or cunning enough to have such players on their roster when their best years were ahead of them instead of in the rearview mirror. There's a reason that Spikes is still unsigned as training camp begins. The Lions will probably uncover that reason once they sign him and he begins playing.

This isn't to say that Spikes is done completely. It's just that it pains me to see the Lions constantly adding these types of players after the fact of their prime. The phrase "a day late and a dollar short" comes to mind, only with the Lions it's more like "a day late and a dollar more." You see, the Lions are pretty good at out-bidding teams for the thirty-somethings of the league. Remember tight end? That was a position the Lions annually reserved for The Flavor of Last Month: Rodney Holman; Ron Hall; Jimmie Giles; Pete Metzelaars.

The Lions' all-time roster is dotted with some of the finest players the NFL has had to offer -- if the clock was set back 3 or 4 years. In radio, a seven-second delay is employed to give the censor a chance to bleep out any naughty words before they hit the air. The Lions, for decades, have been operating on a three-year delay: the average amount of years a player is past his prime by the time the Lions get a hold of him.

I do hope I'm wrong about Takeo Spikes. Once, he was an impact player, a linebacker who could wreak havoc. I hope Marinelli is right about the rubber on the tires. History tells me otherwise, however.