Behind the Scenes: Vartan Kupelian and Mike O'Hara

Secrecy is crucial in NFL draft

T here had to be some grinding of teeth in the Lions' personnel department a week ago when offensive coordinator Mike Martz was quoted as saying a quarterback did not figure in the plans for the first-round pick.

Martz speaks his mind, the same as when he was head coach of the St. Louis Rams, but there is no value for the Lions to give away any of their draft plans.

They will have the second pick overall when the draft starts April 28. Oakland has the first pick and probably will take one of two highly rated quarterbacks -- JaMarcus Russell of Louisiana State or Brady Quinn of Notre Dame.

That would leave the Lions with the leftover quarterback.

Even if the Lions don't want a quarterback, there is no reason to make it known. Any team that wants to trade up for a quarterback could stay put, figuring the Lions will draft a player at another position.

The NFL draft is a high-stakes game of liar's poker. Until a team actually takes a player, nothing can be believed.

The Denver Broncos gave a textbook example last year of not showing their hand.

They took quarterback Jay Cutler of Vanderbilt with the 11th pick overall. He was the third quarterback taken. Vince Young went third overall to Tennessee, and Matt Leinart went to Arizona, one pick ahead of Cutler.

Broncos coach Mike Shanahan was so sold on Cutler that he didn't want anyone to know his plans. He never called Cutler or his agent before the draft, to make sure the word wouldn't get out.

The first time Cutler learned the Broncos were interested in him was when they drafted him.

Cash value

Coach Rod Marinelli wants players who produce. He made a pitch to keep wide receiver Mike Furrey , and Furrey was re-signed before he could've become a free agent March 2.

Last week, Furrey got a three-year, $9 million contract. He will make $5.5 million in 2007 in a combination of signing bonus, roster bonus and base salary.

Marinelli wants defensive lineman Cory Redding back, too. Redding has not expressed a desire to leave Detroit, but there could be some hard bargaining ahead for him.

The Lions can keep Redding by making him their transition player, but there's a rub there. He has played defensive end for most of his four-year career. Marinelli moved him inside to tackle last season, and Redding responded with eight sacks. The buzz around Super Bowl XLI headquarters is that if Redding hits the free-agent market, he'll be a hot item.

The Lions have one bargaining chip on their side. They can designate Redding as their franchise player. But there's a rub there, too. Ends make more than tackles. The figures for the 2007 free-agent season were released Thursday -- $8.64 million for defensive ends and $6.77 million for tackles.

That's a significant spread. No player would want to have his value reduced because his position was changed.

Another Shanahan summit?

Like every premier goal scorer, Brendan Shanahan 's timing is impeccable.

The former Red Wing meets his former teammates for the first time Monday at Madison Square Garden and he's already working the referees.

Shanahan found the ideal time to castigate NHL officials for ignoring infractions against Rangers teammate Jaromir Jagr .

"I don't know what the deal is," Shanahan said after the Rangers' 2-1 loss to Toronto on Wednesday at MSG. "Guys hit him late, guys hit him high, guys hook his hands. He doesn't complain. He just goes out and plays and plays and plays. The referees just seem to have a different set of rules about the way people get to play against him.

"Not since (Slava ) Fetisov came over from Russia have I ever seen a star player get ignored by the referees, and I know the reason why they were ignoring him back then."

The reason, of course, is that Fetisov was a Russian who had to earn the respect of opponents and officials alike when he came over from CSKA Moscow to play for the New Jersey Devils in 1989. Shanahan was Fetisov's teammate in New Jersey and later in Detroit.

Media rare

• The Tigers and their television partners worked to give fans what they want -- more games on the tube. In the process, they have solidified the status of their two broadcast crews -- Mario Impemba and Rod Allen on TV, Dan Dickerson and Jim Price on radio. Fans are comfortable with both.

• Metro Detroit's two sports-talk stations -- WXYT 1270 and WDFN 1130 -- had broadcast teams in Miami for short stints during Super Bowl week. Budget issues have forced WXYT to cut back on local insiders and national experts.

Behind the Scenes You can reach Vartan Kupelian at (313) 222-2285 or vartan.kupelian@detnews.com. You can reach Mike O'Hara at (313) 982-3810 or mike.ohara@detnews.com.