Detroit Lions are on the clock

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INDIANAPOLIS -- Decisions, decisions. The Detroit Lions have a lot of them in the wake of the first 0-16 season in NFL history. Should they use the No. 1 pick on a quarterback -- with the leading candidates being Georgia’s Matt Stafford and USC’s Mark Sanchez -- or maybe take a left tackle the way Miami did last year, or grab someone who can bolster a defense that was the league’s worst the past two seasons?

As it stands, the Lions are clearly open to all sorts of options.

Odds are, they’ll get rid of quarterback Jon Kitna, who is due a roster bonus March 1. They have restructured Daunte Culpepper’s deal, but that could cut either way; it makes it easier for the Lions to keep him, but also easier to release him.

‘Part of the whole dynamic of the team is players need to prove themselves,’ new coach Jim Schwartz said. ‘There are no loyalties from the past.’

In this video, Schwartz responds to my question about how important is it to see Sanchez throw.

Schwartz has repeatedly said he wants to see how free agency pans out before Detroit makes any firm decisions about which way it will head in the draft. Some quarterbacks who could be a fit are Cleveland’s Derek Anderson and Pittsburgh’s Byron Leftwich.

Asked about the club’s free-agency shopping list, Schwartz said: ‘You never know. You go into whatever department store and you might not be in the market for a winter jacket, but it’s 75% off? You might decide ... ‘

-- Sam Farmer