When NFL free agency opened, the Detroit Lions didn't make a legitimate attempt to re-sign defensive end Cliff Avril. Money had a lot to do with that, as Lions general manager Martin Mayhew believes that it would have cost them the ability to sign two players just to retain Avril. Another factor in the Lions' decision to go in another direction may have simply been Avril's skill set. He excelled in the Lions' scheme, but that doesn't necessarily mean the Lions excelled as a team on the defensive line. Lions head coach Jim Schwartz actually thinks that new defensive end Jason Jones, who is going to replace Avril at left end, is a better fit in this regard, and he said as much earlier this week: "I think his talents sort of stand alone," Schwartz said. "And it's more about just putting the players that we have in position to be able to make plays. We couldn't do that with Cliff. That didn't fit his skill set. "We put Cliff in what we thought was the best position for him to be effective and for him to help us. It didn't necessarily put Nick Fairley or Ndamukong Suh in the best position. But that's coaching. You just try to put guys in the best position that they can do." Source: SBNation.com
