| The Lions must want speed very, very badly.
That’s the only way to explain the money they doled out for free-agent WR Az-Zahir
Hakim. Last week Detroit inked the former Ram to a five-year, $16 million contract,
which included a $5.25 million signing bonus. This for a player whose 39 catches last
season ranked 45th in the NFC. Granted, Hakim was stuck behind Isaac Bruce and
Torry Holt, but according to PFW personnel analyst Joel Buchsbaum, the salary doesn’t
fit the player.
"Many people around the league are shaking their heads over the deal Az-Zahir
Hakim got from the Lions," Buchsbaum wrote last week on this Web site. "Hakim is
a valuable player with great quickness and speed who can be a game-breaker, but no
one’s sure if he can be an every-down receiver, and the Lions are paying him like
one."
Last offseason the Titans signed WR Derrick Mason to a five-year, $19 million deal with
a $4.45 million signing bonus. The previous season, Mason had a breakout year as both a
receiver (63 receptions for 895 yards and five touchdowns) and return man (second in the
league kickoff-return average, fifth in punt-return average).
The Lions are banking on Hakim becoming another Mason, a versatile weapon with big-play
ability. But Mason showed what he could do before signing his big deal. Hakim showed signs
of what he could do two seasons ago, when he caught 40 passes for 591 yards in the
Rams’ first nine games. Knee, shoulder and rib injuries hampered him the rest of the
way.
Hakim finished last season with a whimper as well, catching more than three passes in
just one of the last seven games. At 5-foot-10, 178 pounds, Hakim isn’t the big,
strong receiver most teams covet. Instead, he’s a speedy, elusive receiver with
questions regarding his size and durability. The general consensus: He’s not starting
material.
Hence, he’s not worth the money.
That isn’t to say Hakim can’t have an impact on a Lions offense devoid of
speed. Hakim said his 40-time was fast as 4.28 seconds upon leaving San Diego State in
1998. And in Lions head coach Marty Mornhinweg’s West Coast offense, Hakim’s
run-after-the-catch ability will come in handy. He also should bolster Detroit’s
return game (if he can hang on to the ball).
But Hakim could run into trouble if he’s asked to do too much. Part of the reason
he prospered in 1999 was the presence of Bruce and Holt, along with RB Marshall Faulk. The
Lions don’t have anything close to that kind of supporting cast, nor the quarterback
to utilize Hakim to the fullest. As it stands today, Mike McMahon will be Detroit’s
starting signalcaller.
But the Lions see speed, blazing speed. They see a potential big-play weapon that could
inject life into a team that finished last season ranked 26th in points per
game (16.9) and 25th in average gain per pass play (5.33 yards).
"He’s a playmaker," Mornhinweg said. "And he has the physical
abilities to do things that just not too many people can do — catch a pass
underneath, make a move, make two moves, and he turns a six-yard gain into 16 real fast.
He also has the ability to take a pass and take it to the endzone very quickly. He’s
a fast, fast man."
He’s also a rich, rich man — though that may not be so deserving. |
