No Win Situation

TLoGL is very fond of the NFL Draft. It is our favorite time of the NFL season. As not very huge fans of the NFL game itself, we find ourselves watching the combine with great enthusiasm and fervor, while preparing to see what our favorite team, the Detroit Lions, will do with their opportunities on what is known around here as "Super Bowl Saturday." This year, Martin Mayhew and Tom Lewand have orchestrated a couple tremendous moves in absolutely fleecing Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys. First is the trade of locker room cancer and over-rated wide-out Roy Williams. Then came the dump of over-the-hill-and-was-never-really-any-good-anyway QB Jon Kitna, who the Lions were going to release as a cap casualty anyway two days after the deal. Instead, they get a starting CB for a guy who by all accounts didn't want to be in Detroit anyway. Good show. Our confidence in the Lions front office is growing. That may not be saying much, but it's the little victories that keep us going right now.

But the Lions, by virtue of going 0-16 last season, have the first pick overall. Nothing good can come from this. The #1 pick demands big money, and the problem is not that the Lions don't have the cap room to accomodate, it's that there is nobody out there worthy of that money this year. There is no Tom Brady (what round did he go in again?) in this year's draft, so the Lions are in a no-win situation. No matter what they do, it will be wrong. The position most worth #1 money is the QB position. But the top two contenders are a guy with an arm but no decision making ability, and a guy with decision making ability and accuracy, but no arm. What about offensive line? Yeah, maybe, and this would be the smart thing to do, but Mayhew and Lewand will get torched in Detroit for not bringing in a guy to sell tickets right away.

What about trading down? Who wants it? Everybody else knows the value of this pick, and that it is nil, so nobody wants it. The only possibility we have heard is maybe giving it to Denver so they can take Stafford or Sanchez and get Cutler in return. This would be a tremendous move by the Lions, and a terrible move by Denver, which is why we don't see it happening. It is just too far-fetched.

What we will see on April 25 around 4:15pm, is who is running the show in Allen Park. If it is the Fords, we will see Matt Stafford. If it is Mayhew and Lewand, and they are smart about the pick and not afraid of being torched by the less than stellar fanbase, they will go another route.

Jim Schwartz, Welcome to Detroit

Jim Schwartz was introduced as the Detroit Lions head coach today. I like this for a couple reasons:

1. He was not a defensive line coach, a secondary coach, a wide receiver coach, or a quarterback coach. While he did not oversee an entire team, he did oversee an entire side of the ball as defensive coordinator. The only caveat to this is that he better be able to relinquish control of the defense to whomever he hires as his defensive coordinator.

2. He has a scouting background. He worked with Bill Belichick back in his Cleveland days on scouting college players, so he has a background on what he has looked at before, what has worked, what didn't, and what he can do about it.

3. He comes from a solid program, and his (defensive) teams have generally ranked well. Many say that this comes more from the players than his schemes. Even better. He is coming here to be a head coach, not a coordinator. He doesn't need to have a better defensive scheme than the other guy, he needs to be able to manage a game, and more importantly whom to bring into Detroit.

4. He is a stat guy. I am a stat guy. Nerds everywhere rejoice!

Spagnuolo is a better defensive coordinator, but only time will tell who will be the better head coach. But how can he go wrong? 1-15 is an improvement.

It's official

As if there was any doubt, the Lions went up to Lambeau and completed the first 0-16 season in NFL history.

But you know what the difference between 8-8 9-7 11-5 and 0-16 is?

Better draft picks.

That's it.

And lots of them this year thanks to the trade of Roy Williams to Dallas. The most important off-season in Detroit Lions history, has begun.

I would like to give some credit where credit is due. The refs today in the 4 games I watched were very good. They got the calls right on the field for the most part, and if not, the replays were called correctly. The Lions lost today because they were by far not the better team. Which was the same for the other games I watched. I have a tendency to ream on these guys constantly, so I like to point out when they do things right, as well. Good job guys.

HISTORY!

One year ago, the New England Patriots were gearing up for what was to be a Super Bowl preview at Giants Stadium. The Patriots were hoping for a nice chunk of history, and pulled out a come-from-behind victory to seal up the first ever 16-0 season in NFL history.

When the NFL went to the salary-cap, the league in my mind started going downhill. I didn't hate the teams I once hated, I didn't really love the teams I once loved with the same passion, because every team was basically the same team, with few exceptions. It made every game basically a coin flip, and whichever team got the bounces and/or the calls, would win. When the Vikings went 15-1 in 1998, I remember thinking that this was as high a win total as anybody can get in the salary cap era. That team was not just one of the many average teams, but was a great team loaded with talent, and if they couldn't get to 16-0, nobody ever would. I even ran some statistical analysis on the records of every team in the league in 2004, I think. I found that there was no difference between putting 32 teams of exactly equal value on the field and where the records would end up, and the actual final records of the 32 teams (it was actually a lot more in depth than this, I am over-simplifying for the sake of time). People seem to think that if that was true, they would all be 8-8. Well, not really. There is luck, and that would skew the records of some higher than others, with 13-3 being the best realistic record of any team.

Then there was the 2007 New England Patriots. They weren't just beating teams, they were beating them soundly. It wasn't luck that was pushing them toward history, but a collection of talent and coaching that would put them far and away the best team in the league. I started re-thinking my opinion of the league as just a collection of 32 average teams, and started believing that the league was actually a group of great, good, bad, and terrible teams again. I still hate the salary cap and I still think it's communist in nature. If teams can't afford to compete with the higher echelon in the league, maybe they don't deserve to have a team.

Now, any thoughts of a 32 average team league has been absolutely shattered. Just one year later, we have our beloved Lions, the first 0-15 team in NFL history. For 51 years, this team has been mired in mediocrity, and those were the good years. Since their last NFL Championship in 1957, they have had exactly 17 winning seasons, and one playoff victory. Only one. There was little doubt, that as professional football teams go, at least in my lifetime, this one has been the worst run. But this year, they join the 2003 Detroit Tigers as record setting losers.
Will they go 0-16? Of course. They haven't won a game in Wisconsin since my sophomore year of high school. That was a while back. They have no quarterback, no offensive line, no defensive line, no linebackers, no DB's, a terrible coach, and their best player is a damn kicker. They have zero chance to win next Sunday, even with a short week for the Packers.

Marinelli has shown the same talent for being a head coach as Marty Morninwheg. Good coordinators who know their positions, but when it comes to being a head coach, they have no grasp of how to run a football team. When was the last time the Lions went into a 2-minute warning with three timeouts? How many yards have been called back because of illegal procedure calls? I can think of one touchdown from yesterday.

This off-season has the chance to be the best in Detroit Lions history. With the trade to Dallas of extremely talented but perpetually confused Roy Williams, the Lions have a host of high draft picks. The gut reaction will be to go out and get a QB. They can't until they shore up the O-Line. Not even Tom Brady could lead this offense to anything as it stands. They need O-line help first. Then, they need need D-line help, for the exact same reason. They can't get pressure on any other QB without blitzing, and this is the worst running D-line I have ever seen. They get blown off the ball at the start, in the middle, and at the end of every single game. My advice, for whatever it's worth, is to parlay those high picks into more picks in the 2nd-4th rounds. Make your hay now on the role players, get a solid base, and then go get your superstars. The Lions already have the receiver who is quickly becoming one of the best in the league, leave him there. Then, take the damn roof off the building. Make this a place where when opposing teams see @Detroit, they think "oh shit, not there," instead of thinking of it as a week off. Whoever gets installed as team president, go out and mingle with the fans before games. Talk to them, associate with them. Get them excited to be a Detroit Lions fan, and stoke that enthusiasm. This is the best fan base in all of sports. If it wasn't, Ford Field would be empty each and every week.

When the Red Wings win Stanley Cups, they get a million people downtown. When the Lions finally break through, there will be 20 million people downtown.

One more thing- Who is this guy?


Photos from detnews.com.

Lions Stay On Pace for 0-16

Drew Stanton awaits his next chance to get in the game

17-0 lead in first quarter, 21-17 deficit by the end of the first half. The absolutely pathetic referees in this game didn't cost the Lions, but they sure as hell didn't help. Maybe it would have been different with a roughing the passer call as Garcia got off another shitty pass while getting hit. Maybe it would have been different if the Tampa DB's weren't allowed to manhandle CJohnson as often as and wherever they wanted. Maybe it would have been different if Tampa was actually forced to get a play off before the play clock went out.

But then again, maybe not.

Who cares any more. This league is a fucking joke. Congratulations Roger Goodell, you took the golden egg, broke it, and it is almost ready for breakfast.

Lions Stay On Pace for 0-16

This team is terrible. Only six to go. With the first overall pick that won't be tainted by some expansion team swooping in and taking it like last time (FU, Houston), and with Roy Williams doing his best Herschel Walker impression, the Lions are set to make a decade long run starting in 2010. Which just happens to be when we graduate from law school. That year is gonna be our year!

Then Pittsburgh becomes the first team ever to win 11-10. DP can have his 16-0 season, the Steelers won a game with a wierd score! WOO HOO!

!!!BREAKING NEWS!!!

The Lions are not good.


That is all.

It's Over! Part II

Jay Glazer at Fox Sports is reporting that Millen is out as GM of the Detroit Lions.

Why is this not big news? Because it's about 115 games too late (31-84 record under Millen's tenure).

Now if we could only get the Ford's to sell the team...

OMG!! 4-0!!!!eleven!!!!!11!!1111!!!!

The defense forces a fumble. OMG! I'm drafting the Lions defense!!! They are the best!

OMG! Safety!!! Detroit is going 16-0!!! Our second defense is better than your second offense!!!!!eleven!!!!11!!!!!!

Gratuitous Gosdra..Gosdor...Godsek...uh, Chuck photo.

Thats just great O-Line work back there.

So, it's a 14-6 win, a successful pre-season, but it's just that. Pre-season. It doesn't count toward the playoffs, it doesn't count toward MM's stellar W-L record, it doesn't count at all. As a matter of fact, by 2013, the NFL will have no record whatsoever that this ever happened. With the Patriots going 0-4, I'm pretty sure we can agree still that 8 wins would be a successful season.

Lions go to 3-0 in pre-season

I know, it's preseason. But the Lions are fun to watch right now. Or, they would be if the NFL didn't black out the game 180 miles away from Ford Field in an area that a local station was NOT carrying the game. I got to watch some highlights on NFL.com, but it would have been nice to know that the local Fox station was actually carrying it after that wonderful ChiSux - Rays game. Whoo! I love watching baseball between two teams I couldn't care less about rather than a football game involving a team I do actually care about.

All right, I'm over that. The Lions have some holes that need to be addressed. First of all, the offensive line is still bad. Not average, not below average, but bad. Maybe they will get better as the season progresses, but right now they need help. The other thing that still needs help is their run defense. The defensive line is getting good pressure on the QB, but isn't great at picking up and getting to RB's.

But that run by Smith, with the block by Orlovsky. He took out three defenders with one block! Get your February Tampa hotel rooms booked NOW!!!

The Godfather Has Spoken

From the Detroit Free Press...

Lions vice chairman Bill Ford Jr. addressed the team briefly after practice this morning and received a round of applause from the players.

It isn’t unusual for Ford Jr. to attend practice. But I can’t remember seeing him speak to the team in recent years. His father, William Clay Ford, has done that occasionally.

According to a couple of veterans, Ford Jr. said it’s time to see results after the team has taken steps to improve – building Ford Field, building a state-of-the-art practice facility, hiring coach Rod Marinelli, bringing in Marinelli’s type of guys.

“They don’t want to win,” left tackle Jeff Backus said. “They expect to win.”

That sounds similar to what Ford Jr. told reporters Monday.

Twice in the past few months – at the NFL owners’ meetings in April, then again Monday – Ford Jr. has expressed publicly his frustration with the Lions’ seven straight losing seasons and his faith in Marinelli.

Ford Jr. knows fans are upset and wants to see progress on the field.

“This is not the time for a lot of hype,” Ford said Monday. “It’s a time to actually go out and prove it.”

What does he mean by prove it?

“We’ve got to win,” Ford said. “That’s the name of the game. I think that the expectations for this team are that they will win.

“Otherwise you might as well … You have to go into each season believing that you’re going to win, and winning the championship is the goal. And it has to be the goal. And Rod absolutely believes that and believes that we’ll contend for it."

Get your airplane and Super Bowl tix and hotel reservations in Tampa today!!!

No headline necessary

From MLive.

This is YOUR Detroit Lions.

Imagine that...Lions don't care about season ticket holders

From the Oakland Press

Furlong owned season tickets for three years. He had two in the club level the first year. The second year, he received two more in the lower level stands after being on a waiting list — so he had four. The third season, they reduced the size of the club level, including a portion where his seats were located, which were on the aisle.

He said he wanted to keep those two seats, add two club-level seats and asked that two seats he had in the stands be combined with his seats from the club level that were moved to the stands. The Lions agreed. It gave him six season tickets.

But when he went to sit in his old seats, somebody else was sitting in them. He asked them to leave, but when he looked at his tickets, he noticed his seats had been moved.

"It was an embarrassing and awkward moment," Furlong said. "I was stunned."

When he contacted the Lions, he was told nothing could be done about it during the 2007 season, but he was promised aisle seats for 2008.

Yet, when Furlong received his season ticket invoice for 2008, it was for the same seats he had in 2007.

It was then that Furlong canceled his season tickets in an e-mail to Schul. Powser then e-mailed Furlong with an offer for more desirable seats, but Furlong said it was a matter of principle — and he wouldn't accept the offer.

Then Furlong received the inadvertent e-mail from Schul.

The entire e-mail reads, "Lance...he is not talking about you here. Mark was asked to speak to these people and he said no. F... 'em until next year."

"Mark" is Lions ticket director Mark Graham.

Once he heard of the e-mail, Lewand called Furlong and invited him to a game.

"I did so before I heard from any media on this," he said.

Lewand offered no excuses for the incident, but absolved Graham from blame, although the e-mail in question indicates Graham refused to discuss the issue with season ticketholders such as Furlong, who had their seats unexpectedly moved for the 2007 season.

"It was an inaccurate characterization of a conversation held in 2007, not this year,'' Lewand said of Schul's e-mail.

Lewand said he was, "deeply disappointed with the e-mail and light it portrayed, and I have addressed it."

"There are a number of different levels this could have been avoided and we realize that," Lewand said. "One, with the invoice we sent out for this year. If it had been correct, none of this would have happened. We never condone our fans being discussed in that manner, whether it be in an e-mail or any type of discussion among members of our organization."

The Lions really dont have any PR capital to spend here to make this OK. They suck, everybody knows they suck, everybody knows the management is horrible, and this just adds to it. If the Fords had any hair whatsoever, they would fire everybody involved. But they'll probably just give everybody raises and extensions.

Idiots.