INDIANAPOLIS — With 30 losses in the previous two seasons, the Lions are willing to consider any option available to get things turned around. Those options include trading the No. 2 pick in the draft and making a run at LaDainian Tomlinson.
“We’re open to just about everything,” Detroit coach Jim Schwartz said Thursday at the NFL scouting combine. “Whether you keep the second pick or whether you trade down, it doesn’t change what you have to do — that’s make good decisions in the draft. There are blue-chip players available a lot of different spots in the draft.”
The Lions, who were just 2-14 last year after going 0-16 in 2008, need to upgrade their running game. Detroit ranked 24th in the league with 101 yards per game. So Schwartz didn’t rule out picking up Tomlinson, the longtime Chargers back who was released Monday after a nine- year run in which he became one of the greatest running backs in NFL history.
“We’ll look at every way we can to improve the team,” Schwartz said. “I don’t think we make any decisions and just blanket say, ‘No, we’re not interested.’ Every player has something they can bring and if they can help us win, we’ll look at just about everything. I have a tremendous amount of respect for him.”
• For the first time, all 329 invited players at this week’s combine will be given a baseline brain activity exam — called the ImPACT test — and will likely face more grilling than previous classes did about their concussion histories.
Whisenhunt, Graves agree to contracts
PHOENIX — Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt received a new four-year contract that runs through the 2013 season, with a team option for 2014.
Cardinals general manager Rod Graves also got a new deal that runs through 2013.
Whisenhunt, who is 31-23 with the Cardinals, had a year left plus a team option for 2011 on the four-year contract he signed in January 2007.
Footnotes.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith spent nearly two hours working on a new collective bargaining agreement, and agreed afterward to set up another meeting.
• The Steelers agreed to a deal with nose tackle Casey Hampton and placed the franchise tag on kicker Jeff Reed.
