Sooners land some surprises

Lions, Chiefs may have big holes to fill

Adam Schefter's "Around the League" reports and commentaries can be seen regularly on NFL Total Access.

OAHU, Hawaii (Feb. 10, 2007) -- It has gotten so maddening and frustrating in Detroit that, even in the offseason, the Lions now suffer losses.

Detroit Lions sources said they now expect to lose running back Kevin Jones for at least half the 2007 season due to the Lisfranc injury he suffered in December that required surgery on his left foot three days later.

Up until now, there had been questions surrounding when Jones might be able to return. Now the Lions are hoping Jones will be able to return six to eight weeks into the 2007 season, which means that Detroit must revise its offseason priorities.

A running back now moves near the top of the list of Detroit's needs. The Lions will explore the free-agent market and take a look at San Diego's restricted free-agent running back Michael Turner and Arizona's unrestricted free-agent running back Marcel Shipp.

The Lions, scheduled to pick second in the April NFL draft, also like Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson, and will debate picking him there. But Detroit does have concerns about Adrian Peterson's durability and injury history, which could cause them to lean towards taking Wisconsin offensive tackle Joe Thomas.

But the bottom line is this: As if the Lions didn't already have enough needs, now they have one more. They need to find a running back this offseason in the event that Jones won't be ready until midway through the '07 season, as the team now expects.

WILL TO WIN
Tiki Barber might not be the only Pro Bowl selection to wrap up his football career at Saturday night's Pro Bowl.

Kansas City Chiefs guard Will Shields, who was selected to his franchise-record 12th straight Pro Bowl, is leaning towards retiring rather than returning for his 15th NFL season, said two NFL sources close to the Kansas City lineman.

Shields debated retiring after last season, but former Chiefs offensive tackle Willie Roaf helped convince Shields to return. Then Roaf decided to retire on the eve of training camp, and Shields, who has played in 221 consecutive games, is back to where he was last season.

Those who know Shields best say that he has debated retirement for a while now, it is almost an annual ritual. Difference is, this year he sounds more serious about it than ever before. If Shields does indeed walk away from the game, pencil him in to the Pro Football Hall of Fame five years from now. Shields has been one of the game's top lineman for over a decade now.

In addition to being a quality lineman, he has been a quality person. Shields won the 2003 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, the most prestigious accolade that can be bestowed on an active player.

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