While the Detroit Lions will never completely live down the infamy of a 0-16 season the team must put the just-completed season behind them if they are going to begin turning five decades of putridity around.

Promoting Tom Lewand to president and Martin Meyhew to general manager aren’t the moves I would have made to start the process, but it’s the players, not the front office types that are going to be most key in any turnaround.

I’m no general manager and I didn’t stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night. But I do have some thoughts on what the team needs to do to start what will be a multi-year process.

Hire a young, exciting coach

With Lewand and Meyhew apparently running the show the Lions need to bring in someone who can stimulate some newness and excitement both for the team and the fans. In 1989 Dallas brought Jimmy Johnson from the University of Miami and he immediately began building the next NFL dynasty.

College coaches of late haven’t been the answer (see Lane Kiffin, Nick Saban, Bobby Petrino, Butch Davis, et al). But while it’s a completely different situation, look at what Pittsburgh did when they brought in Mike Tomlin to replace Bill Cowher or what a guy like Ken Whisenhunt has done for Arizona.

I’d rather see a young, up-and-comer than a recycled Wade Phillips, Marty Schottenheimer type, primarily because of the energy. Names like Ron Rivera, Steve Spagnuolo and Leslie Frazier jump to mind. All three are tough-minded defensive coaches that would bring the right mentality to the organization.

Accumulate draft choices where possible

Not to harp on the 1989 Dallas Cowboys, but while the team went 1-15 during Johnson’s first season, they built the foundation for their three Super Bowls that year. They did so by drafting Troy Aikman and by trading Herschel Walker to Minnesota for oodles of draft choices.

Herschel Walker-type deals probably won’t happen anymore. But the Lions made a nice start by dealing Roy Williams to Dallas at the trade deadline for a few nice picks. Keep that up. Guys like Jeff Backus and Corey Redding probably aren’t going to be playing at the same level if/when this team gets turned around. They aren’t necessarily going to bring back top-round picks. But the Cowboys built that dynasty through the draft, not only with fantastic early round picks but by utilizing their many picks to move up and down and grab solid contributors throughout.

While this may sound blasphemous, depending on the salary cap ramifications, I’d even float Calvin Johnson on the trade market. I love the guy – he’s a fantastic player. But turning the Lions around is going to take a complete rebuild and you might be able to add not only several draft picks for this stud wideout – but possibly a couple players as well. I wouldn’t trade him just to trade him. But I’d definitely see what I could get in return.

Start in the trenches

One of the things about the Matt Millen era that surprised me the most was how he tried building the team around skill players. It surprised me that Millen, a hard-nosed linebacker during his playing days, spent three first round picks on wide receivers – guys who touch the ball six times a game on a good day.

Watching the Lions play Tennessee on Thanksgiving, it was – or at least should have been – embarrassing how easily the Tennessee Titans cut through the defense like butter. Good teams are able to control the lines of scrimmage. My first four or five draft picks would be focused on building the offensive and defensive lines. These positions aren’t sexy but they are the meat and potatoes of a good team.

Some are talking quarterbacks Sam Bradford from Okalahoma or Matthew Stafford from Georgia.You can acquire the next “face of the franchise” later. Start with some good, high-character, high-motor road graders and then work your way out.

You’ve got two first-rounders this year. Consider trading back in both cases, if you can get three or four picks in return. If not, SEC offensive tackles Michael Oher (Mississippi) and Andre Smith (Alabama) are both huge, franchise-type tackles that have been mentioned as possible first overall picks.

This year’s crop of defensive ends looks stronger than the defensive tackles, but I’d like to focus on guys that can stop the run first. So I’d lay off the ends early on. Guys like Sen’Derrick Marks (Auburn) and Fili Moala (USC) are a bit smaller at the defensive tackle position than I’d prefer to start building around, but depending on where they are available I’d consider grabbing one.

Then I’d look for a guy like Duke Robinson, a guard that has started for Oklahoma since he was a freshman.

And if the defensive line prospects don’t drop to you in the way you’d hoped, then go for a mauler of an inside linebacker – anything to give this team some level of competence in stopping the run.

Stanton stays … for now

With the top pick the Lions will be tempted to take someone like Stafford or Bradford. As mentioned, I don’t think that’s the direction this team should go. I am a believer in a franchise quarterback but I’m not a believer in throwing one to the wolves sans a decent – or at least improving – offensive line. The Daunte Culpepper move mid-season for a team going nowhere befuddled me until I saw just how bad the Lions were.

He can be one piece of the rebuilding puzzle as the guy who gets thrown into the mix to take a beating on a bad team until it improves. But Stanton deserves a shot. The 2009 draft will include a quarterback but not until the middle rounds. Stanton will compete with Culpepper or another veteran free agent for the starting job while the new offensive line gets some experience.

The 2010 draft, depending on positioning, will be the year for attempting to hit a homerun at the quarterback spot. For some reason Rod Marinelli’s regime was hesitant to throw Stanton to the wolves. It’s time to find out whether the Michigan State alum truly has a chance to be that guy.

Fill in with free agents and minor trades

My vision with this draft strategy is to start building a team in the model of the New York Giants that can utilize a power run game to control the clock. On defense, the hope is that eventually you can field a run-stopping defense (important in the NFC North with the likes of Adrian Peterson and Matt Forte in the division) that will turn offenses one-dimensional.

It’s going to take a couple more years to get all the personnel needed to accomplish these goals. But with the aforementioned draftees on the offensive line coupled with first-year tackle Gosder Cherilus, you’ve got the potential makings of a solid, young start upfront. At the moment Kevin Smith is the starting running back. I like him. But I’m not sure he completely fits the model. At a minimum I’d go find another big back in free agency that can provide a “running back by committee” approach.

I’m not crazy about the attitude, but someone Lendale White-ish is the idea – a bruiser who can work the clock. Brandon Jacobs isn’t going to come available suddenly. But someone like Michael Bush, now recovered from the broken leg he suffered as a senior in college, might be. The Raiders have Darren McFadden and Justin Fargas and they need help in nearly as many positions as Detroit – they might be willing to swing a deal.

I’d also look for third- and fourth-year free agent filler-type guys with untapped potential to take up some of the slack in the back seven on defense and to add depth to the offensive line. No high-buck, break-the-bank deals. They rarely provide good return and they’re not what this building team needs right out of the gate anyway. This team starts the rebuilding mode as a blue collar, hard-nosed, bunch. As previously mentioned, we’ll look for the face of the franchise down the line.

Get a tight end

When is the last time the Lions had a tight end threat? David Sloan? Figure out how Dallas does it. They have Jason Witten but they’ve added Martellus Bennett this year after trading Anthony Fasano, now a weapon in Miami, before the season. Hell, again, not to harp on the 1989Cowboys, but their offense improved dramtically when they drafted Jay Novacek.

Sure, the latter two guys on the current-day Cowboys aren’t superstars, but they’re good contributors and there’s no better best friend for a quarterback than a tight end he can rely on. Ideally, you’d look for a guy that can both catch and block. But on the type of ball control, clock consuming type team we’re promoting building here, a guy that can consistently get open and move the chains is nearly vital. Get that power run game moving and then start mixing in the play-action pass game. It’s not brain surgery but it is a recipe for keeping the other team’s offense off the field.

Preach patience

Nobody in Detroit is going to want to hear that it’s going to take a few years to turn this team around but the fact of the matter is it’s going to take a few years to turn this team around. As the Minnesota Twins started building with young players they created an ad campaign called “Get to Know ‘Em.” I’d suggest the front office in Detroit do something along those lines, identifying several of their young, up-and-coming players and focusing their seasonal promotions around them.

Re-engage the community and the season ticket buyers by making them feel a part of the rebuilding program. This team is a long way from competing for anything meaningful but if the fans can sense progress is being made the team stands a chance of getting them back on board.