March Millen Madness!

Okay, who is this guy, and what has he done with Matt Millen?

The rumors of Dre' Bly being traded to the Denver Broncos had been picking up a lot of heat over the past few days. And now, it looks like those rumors finally caught fire. Bly has now officially been traded to Denver for running back Tatum Bell, offensive tackle George Foster, and (yes, that's right - and) a fifth-round draft pick.

At first glance, that looks like a hell of a deal for the Lions. They get two players that fill immediate needs (or at least provide impressive depth), nab an extra draft pick (you can never have enough of those), and shed a veteran who had become an increasingly sour (if not disruptive) influence in the locker room.

Weren't we all thinking that Millen might only be able to score a draft pick for Bly? Of course, a starting defensive back is a much larger commodity than a disappointing quarterback who might benefit from a change of scenery. I suppose we should've expected more in return this time.

Meanwhile, Denver suddenly has one of the most impressive cornerback tandems in recent memory. Can you think of a better combination off the top of your head than Champ Bailey and Dre' Bly? (Maybe Champ and Fred Smoot, back in their Redskins days?) Most teams would love to have one top-drawer cornerback. The Broncos now have two.

Is this one of those rare instances in which both teams look good on each end of a deal? How often does that happen nowadays? One team just bolstered its playoff chances, while the other picked up two potential building blocks.

So what's the next move for the Lions, and how does this affect their upcoming draft strategy? MLive's Tom Kowalski thinks this means Detroit will almost certainly trade down. But that's always easier said than done. Our Denver correspondent, Kevin Antcliff, just sent me an instant message, asking if this now means the Lions could draft Calvin Johnson. Hey, they just got a running back and offensive tackle. So maybe those needs aren't quite as urgent as they appeared to be yesterday.

Not a bad way to officially start the off-season.

▪▪ For what it's worth, ProFootballTalk.com says the Lions might ship Bell or Foster elsewhere for more draft picks. (But the Highlight Reel doesn't quite buy it.)

▪▪ If you're like me, and thought of the baseball player when you read the name George Foster, the Highlight Reel also has some background on the football player with the same name.