Time for Mayhew to show a little Dombrowski

Apparently, even ending the season on a 4-game winning streak didn't make a difference. That is, "Lions suck" jokes are evidently still fair game. Following the NFL lockout TBS's Conan O'Brien jeered that Lions fans responded to the news with "Yeah, we were afraid this might happen."

Of course, progress has been gradually made. With the draft pick of Nick Fairley, the Lions now have a strength in their defensive line; made up of Fairley, Kyle Vanden Bosch, Cliff Avril, and, of course, Ndamukong Suh.

And, wait a minute, the Lions potentially have another (gasp) strength in their passing attack, which was further affirmed by the drafting of a strong wide receiver. Not to mention that their special teams have added a superstar kick and punt returner in Stefan Logan, and still have one of the most reliable kickers in the NFL in Jason Hansen.

ESPN's Mark Schlereth claimed that with a healthy Matthew Stafford, the Lions had the potential to be the "best team in the NFL". Nope, no typos there. The best. Perhaps (more like probably) that is a bit of a stretch of the imagination, but then again, the Lions do have most pieces in place.

And that's when the smart aleck lets out a fake cough that sounds an awful lot like, "Cornerback!"

Actually, I think a lot of people are unaware that, though mediocre, the Lions secondary is not quite as bad as it seems. Louis Delmas has been by all means a solid safety for them, and Cici Brown has done a nice job as well. Corner Alphonso Smith even emerged as a breakout player last year, nabbing five interceptions in a span of six games, before being lost to injury.

Of course, the situation could still REALLY use some improvement, and that brings me to my main point.

Irregardless of complications, risk, and being labeled as reckless or desperate, Martin Mayhew needs to throw everything and the kitchen sink at signing free agent Nnamdi Asomugha.

Don't preach to me about the virtues of saving cap room, avoiding overspending, and putting too many eggs in one basket. The Lions have a chance to elevate their status from potential playoff contenders and longshot Super Bowl contenders to LIKELY playoff contenders and potential Super Bowl contenders.

Mayhew needs to take a leaf out of Detroit Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski's book and start playing aggressive. For years, Dombrowski has gone after players in a fearless, almost reckless fashion. And for years it has mostly paid off.

Sure, there was the failed Renteria trade, and the bonehead idea to give out so much cash to pitchers Nate Robertson, Jeremy Bonderman, and Dontrelle Willis. But Dombrowski has more than compensated for that, by locking up Miguel Cabrera for what proved to be mostly useless prospects. By signing Ivan Rodriguez and Carlos Guillen to begin a turnaround. By shipping away that soon-to-be convict Urbina for Placido Polanco. By trading away Curtis Granderson for four players that have now all become key pieces on our team. By plucking Johnny Damon, and this year Victor Martinez from free agency. And by trading for Johnny Peralta.

Not bad, huh? Professional sports is a crazy world. You rarely win by constantly sitting around, only making the "safe" moves. The reality is that the right dose of recklessness is usually what it takes to turn your franchise into a winner.

By adding Asomugha, the Lions would manage to add yet another star on defense, but more importantly, the secondary could possibly become another strength. And if it doesn't, well at least it won't be a liability anymore. Add that to the monster line, strong special teams, and above-average offense and we have ourselves true contenders. And just think, maybe Conan won't even make fun of us anymore.

Isn't that worth the possibility of committing the oh-so-horrible "mortal sin" of overspending?