The Detroit Free Press is taking a leap of logic with this story, but let's roll with the assumption that Stephen Nicholas might like to play for the Lions.
On paper—and hey, that's where it is!—Nicholas makes a lot of sense for the Lions, who are building a stronger secondary and line but lack impact players in the linebacking corps. The paper reached out to interview Nicholas and got him to say some nice things about Detroit:
One free agent in Dallas for Super Bowl XLV -- at a major position of need for Detroit -- agreed that the Lions were "definitely on the right track" and said some defenders would jump at the chance to play with Ndamukong Suh.
"Oh, definitely," said Falcons outside linebacker Stephen Nicholas. "Suh had an awesome year this year. Moved people around, threw a couple people around. I seen one of his plays he was trying to kick a field goal. A lot of good things out of that guy was happening. I think they're definitely starting to turn things around."
The leap of logic comes from assuming Nicholas will want out of Atlanta, where he's been an integral part of the linebacking corps over the last few years. The paper stops short of doing that, but Rotoworld has no such qualms.
I'm realistic. If the Lions are willing to throw enough money at him and promise him a starting job, he'll probably leave. The Falcons would have to promise him a shot at more than a rotation with Mike Peterson to make him stick around, more than likely, and there's always the chance they decide to roll with Spencer Adkins and Robert James, or seek additional help in the draft. A guy like the Redskins' Rocky McIntosh, mentioned earlier this off-season, is also a possibility. Nicholas put up 78 tackles, a pick and two pass deflections in 11 starts in 2010.
But based on the last quote, at least Nickels isn't chomping at the bit to get out of here:
"This free-agent thing is crazy, but Atlanta, they always do the right things," he said. "Great organization, and we'll just see what happens. We got a lot of stuff going on with the collective bargaining agreement, and ... we have a little time to see what happens."