Detroit Lions: Stat Guru Says OT Jeff Backus Had a ‘Very Good Year’ in 2010

March 20, 2010   ·   Michael Schottey   ·   Jump to comments

Detroit Lions fans hate offensive tackle Jeff Backus.
It is a deep-seeded hatred forged over years of inept line play and losing seasons—many of that falling squarely on the shoulders of one of Michigan's one-time favorite sons.
In 2001, Jeff Backus and teammate Steve Hutchinson were part of an extremely deep offensive line class that produced Pro Bowlers like Hutchinson, Leonard Davis, and Matt Light along with other talented offensive linemen like Ryan Diem, Mike Gandy, and Floyd Womack.
Rumor has it that Matt Millen, in his first draft as Detroit's general manager, was salivating at the prospect of drafting Hutchinson, a four-time All-Big Ten performer. When the Seattle Seahawks drafted Hutch, Matt Millen reached for Backus with the next pick.
At the time, the pick was received with lukewarm enthusiasm. In hindsight? The next 20 picks produced 10 Pro Bowl-caliber players like Drew Brees, Reggie Wayne, Chad Johnson, and Kyle Vanden Bosch.
Jeff Backus ha...

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