The Facts: GM Martin Mayhew admitted his biggest regret following this past 4-12 season was relying too much on Jahvid Best being cleared for physical contact. Don't expect him to make the same mistake twice. "We need that shifty back that can come in and be a change-of-pace guy and catch passes out of the backfield," Mayhew said. "A guy that can run routes and get one-on-one and beat a linebacker. That's what Jahvid gave us, a guy with some juice and some elusiveness."

Diehards Line:As DetroitLions.com's Tim Twentyman noted, te number of explosive running plays for the Detroit Lions during the course of the entire 2012 season can be counted on one hand. The Lions had a grand total of four runs of 20-plus yards this season – three by running back Joique Bell and one by receiver Mike Thomas. That was tied with San Diego for the fewest in the league. For comparisons sake, the Vikings led the NFL with 33. A lot of that can be attributed to big-play threat Best never being able to get activated because of a concussion. Mayhew said he'll be on the lookout for that guy this offseason, either via the draft or free agency. "We've got a couple of young backs that we like – Mikel Leshoure and Joique Bell," Mayhew said. "They have kind of a similar style. Both of them are bigger guys and more physical and more downhill guys." Mayhew wants the lightning to go along with Leshoure and Bell's thunder, and rest assured he'll get it one way or another.