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If you're coming off an 0-16 season, having any NFL starter want to join your team is a reason to celebrate. But what are the Lions getting in new middle linebacker Larry Foote?Foote is a quality run-stuffer, which is why he's been a starter for the Steelers for five years, even this past year when the Steelers had 2007 first-round pick Lawrence Timmons ready to step in and play. He doesn't take a lot of false steps, likes contact and is a quality guy in the locker room and the community.
That's the good news.
The bad news is that Foote will have to adjust to playing a 4-3 scheme after spending his entire NFL career as an inside linebacker in the Steelers' 3-4. He'll no longer have Casey Hampton and Aaron Smith absorbing double teams that helped Foote get clear paths to the ball carrier. Grady Jackson is not a bad substitute as a plugger, but Foote is going to have to do a lot more shedding of blockers than he had to do in Pittsburgh -- at 6-foot-1, 240 pounds, Foote is best when he's protected.
And he'll also have to show he can handle more pass-coverage responsibilities. In Pittsburgh, Foote was a two-down player, with James Farrior (and Timmons in 2008) playing pass defense in the Steelers' nickel and dime packages. Foote has shown he's not helpless in the passing game when he's gotten the chance to drop into coverage -- he's just been on a team with linebackers who excel at it.
In other words, he's a nice upgrade for the Lions at a spot that was one of the team's many weaknesses last year. Foote won't be one of the Lions best defensive players, but he also won't be one of the worst, and for a team that went 0-16 last year, that's something Lions fans can be happy about.
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