Strategy And Personnel

The Lions have restructured the way they will coach the secondary next season.

They have hired former All-Pro safety Marcus Robertson and expanded the duties of secondary coach Tim Walton.

Robertson, who spent 19 seasons as a player and coach with the Houston Oilers-Tennessee Titans organization, will be a defensive assistant and coach the secondary. Robertson played for and coached with Lions head coach Jim Schwartz in Tennessee when Schwartz was the defensive coordinator there.

Walton, who begins his fourth season with the Lions, will continue to coach the secondary and he has been promoted to third-down package coach - a designation that did not exist last season.

It would appear that Walton will oversee the cornerbacks while Robertson will handle the safeties, though the duties will overlap.

MEDICAL WATCH

--RBs Jahvid Best (concussion) and Mikel Leshoure (Achilles) are expected to participate in the team's offseason workouts in April but club president Tom Lewand said the team will still be looking for help at running back. "We can't put all of our eggs in the basket of guys coming off injury," he said.

--LT Jeff Backus' recovery from biceps surgery is going "incredibly well," Lewand said. "We feel like he is a guy that can be healthy in time for training camp and he is certainly a guy we want back."

--FS Louis Delmas (knee) has begun his offseason conditioning work in Miami.

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