A very good morning/afternoon/evening to you that are the ever faithful Lions fans!
Let me first start off to apologize to all of you that are my very loyal readers for not posting in a little while. I am not going to make excuses; I will be upfront and say that I didn’t get it done. But I am here now to bring you my thoughts and feelings on the soon to be greatest football team ever, thee Detroit Lions.
We are now exactly thirty days away from the April 25th draft. We will know within the next couple of weeks who the Lions will draft with that number one overall since it looks like we will have to eat the cost of it. There is a four-way race between LB Aaron Curry, QB Matthew Stafford, OT Jason Smith and OT Eugene Monroe.
I have warmed up to QB Matthew Stafford so if we draft him number one overall, I am okay with it. We have a critical need at QB and I have really warmed up to him. It could be fate since he is from the same high school as Bobby Layne. I sincerely believe he is not another Joey Harrington but more of a Jay Cutler type of QB. I don’t mean to sound like I am giving him an endorsement but I will say if we do draft him it wouldn’t be the end of our team. I believe he has good leadership skills, a strong arm and he will be a quality QB. I do wish he had returned to Georgia for his senior year but he has had three very productive years at Georgia.
The other three NFL hopefuls, Curry, Smith and Monroe are all very highly qualified, worthy candidates for the number one. We can only take one of them because the other three will not be there for our 20th pick in the first round. So that is the Lions front-office dilemma. We need an impact player now with that first pick so that is why I don’t think the Lions are going to draft Stafford but take the safe route with Curry, Smith or Monroe.
Most of you have seen me wear my Detroit Lions necktie and everyone feels some sort of sympathy for me. Well I am going to give you all a little insight into my psyche why I am such a hard core fan. I feel something for this team. The sort of feeling when a stone mason sees a boulder and can make a statue out of it; when a carpenter takes a tree trunk and makes a grand piece of furniture out of it; or an artist that can take a brush to a canvas and paint a beautiful portrait. It will become something really great when it is done right. I feel for this team because they have taken such a beating from fans, the media and the rest of the football world. I suppose it is like a parents love for their child.
A love that is always constant whether they are good or bad, that is the kind of love I have for this team. No I am not a fair-weather fan. Much like I root for the Spartans, Pistons, Red Wings and Tigers I believe in loyalty because it is the loyal fans that give these teams life. Without the fans no one would even bother with team names. I believe in this team because I know great things are coming.
The NFL owners recently held their annual owners meeting in Dana Point, California. They have awarded compensatory picks and the Lions received a whopping one pick! WOO-HOO! Yes I was being very sarcastic. Here is the article from NFL.com with the allocations.
http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d80f699b6&template=without-video-with-comments&confirm=true
Here is the article from M-Live on the compensatory pick
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/03/nfl_rewards_detroit_lions_with.html
You know what I find sickening under this current system? Teams like the Titans got four comp picks and the Patriots got three! This is like issuing a bridge card to Bill Gates. These teams do not need them especially the Patriots. This system is set up on free agency acquisitions and departures. I thought it was based on team performance. Now since I like to give solutions and not constant bash like that no talent hack Drew Sharp, I am suggesting a better system. I believe a fair, equitable system would be for the top half of the league getting an extra pick and the bottom half getting two. The reason for that is because with these compensatory picks the New England Patriots have 12 picks in this coming draft! That is just nuts because with that many they can and will control the boards by throwing those picks around to other teams and stacking their roster with a cadre of good players.
Here is an article from M-Live on Coach Jim Schwartz’s take on the first overall pick.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/03/jim_schwartz_lions_might_not_g.html
It has been announced that the Lions will play the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving Day. Here is the official press release from the DetroitLions.com web site.
http://www.detroitlions.com/document_display.cfm?document_id=482974
The remaining schedule will be announced within the next few weeks. Hopefully with a new roster, coaches and football philosophy we can win this Thanksgiving Day game and stop the embarrassment of letting the country see how bad this team was. I am excited for this Thanksgiving game because of the tradition, the history and my outright hatred for the Packers. If I was only allowed to pick one team I truly despised and wish icky sticky horrible things to happen to it would be the Packers.
Another topic I want to touch basis on is the leaked new Detroit Lions logo on the nflshop.com web site.
Here is the story from M-Live about the jumping the gun on it by the nflshop.com web people.
http://blog.mlive.com/highlightreel/2009/03/and_the_winner_of_the_new_detr.html
I like the new look of “Bubbles” the leaping lion. I like the new font type of the word Lions and it still keeps the tradition of the logo but gives it a much needed update. I like how they gave it a sort of lifeless eyes like it has no soul, no heart and it symbolizes cold death. That is what the team needs, an image that strikes fear into the hearts of our opponents. I think this change is good and sometime a fresh coat of paint is exactly what a team needs.
Well there is not much more to say no free-agent signings these past couple of weeks. There is still a long way to go until the draft with a lot of private work outs and pro-days to evaluate players and determine the best direction for the team. Until next time God bless and GO LIONS!
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
If You Smell What The Lions Are Cooking!
Howdy to all of you, who are the Lions faithful,
Do you know what the NFL needs? You might say a lot but something I feel this league needs is a minor equivalent like what Major League Baseball has. No, not something completely lame like the XFL or Arena League Football but a minor farm team system. The same number of players with practice squads, have the teams play in areas that want or could support a smaller team like Grand Rapids. Stadiums would complement about 30,000 people or so and play the game with the same intensity as the NFL. What I would like to see is teams building through the draft and their farm team, putting an end to high price free agency. You know how each team has seven picks in the draft one for each of the seven rounds? My system would still have the draft but in addition each team can bring up a handful of players from their farm team.
Wishful thinking I know but with the UFL forming who knows maybe a good sign of things to come.
Our draft count is now down to seven picks in the April draft after trading our 5th rounder to Seattle along with DT Cory Redding for five-time Pro Bowler LB Julian Peterson. We have our two picks from the first round, one pick from the second round, two picks from the third round and two picks from the sixth round. Now the Lions have been very active during this free-agency period but the thing that gets me is that the Lions front office said they would build through the draft and not through free-agency. They have signed quite a few, plugging critical holes but in my opinion trading draft picks should have been hands off with the only exceptions of trying to trade the first overall and our possible second to another team for a franchise QB like Jay Cutler.
We don’t have our 4th, 5th, or 7th round picks now although we did get the better of the deal with the Roy Williams trade with Dallas. There is still the possibility of getting a compensatory pick and getting an extra pick if we trade down for another team to snag the guy they want.
My amended wish list of draft picks are a Defensive Tackle, Defensive End, Line Backer, Tight End, Offensive Tackle, Kick Returner Wide Receiver, and a Free Safety. Those are positions I envision the Lions targeting but this is dependent on what happens with a possible Jay Cutler trade. If we trade our second first round pick or the second round pick to Denver we will have six picks which isn’t the best draft class especially when you are trying to clean house. But hey it could be worse we could be like the Redskins with only four draft picks coming in the draft.
For some of you who are unfamiliar with the Jay Cutler story let me give you the gist of it. About two weeks ago the Lions were talking to the Broncos and the Patriots to work out a three team deal. Now the Lions were trying to get Matt Cassel from the Patriots and trade him to the Broncos for Jay Cutler. When Jay Cutler learned of this he was fuming mad not with the Lions but with the Broncos Head Coach Josh McDaniels. So now Jay Cutler stated he wants to be traded and he has put his Denver area home on the market so I believe it is just a matter of time before he is gone from Denver and God willing into a Lions uniform.
Speaking of which there has been nothing said about the new Lions logo or colors being changed. I believe the jersey color will be unveiled with the number one draft pick. I think there will be a press conference soon for the new logo because they want people like me for example to buy Lions logo merchandise and the longer they wait the less money they make, so it should be coming soon.
We have signed Tight End Will Heller. Here is the article from MLive
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/03/lions_sign_free_agent_te_will.html
Here is a summary of things so far from Wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Detroit_Lions_season
Our schedule won’t be out until later in the spring but based on the NFL Scheduling rotation here is the teams we will be playing.
We play our own NFC North Division naturally, home and away.
The NFC West Division playing the Cardinals and Rams at home and the Seahawks and 49s away.
The AFC North Division playing the Browns and Steelers at home and the Ravens and Bengals away.
And we play the Redskins at home and the Saints away.
Well my Lionettes I am letting you all off easy this time but don’t think you will be so lucky next time. I am just kidding. It has been sort of slow the past few days. If this Jay Cutler trade does come through I will have a lot to say about it in my next post. Until next time, keep the faith and GO LIONS!
Do you know what the NFL needs? You might say a lot but something I feel this league needs is a minor equivalent like what Major League Baseball has. No, not something completely lame like the XFL or Arena League Football but a minor farm team system. The same number of players with practice squads, have the teams play in areas that want or could support a smaller team like Grand Rapids. Stadiums would complement about 30,000 people or so and play the game with the same intensity as the NFL. What I would like to see is teams building through the draft and their farm team, putting an end to high price free agency. You know how each team has seven picks in the draft one for each of the seven rounds? My system would still have the draft but in addition each team can bring up a handful of players from their farm team.
Wishful thinking I know but with the UFL forming who knows maybe a good sign of things to come.
Our draft count is now down to seven picks in the April draft after trading our 5th rounder to Seattle along with DT Cory Redding for five-time Pro Bowler LB Julian Peterson. We have our two picks from the first round, one pick from the second round, two picks from the third round and two picks from the sixth round. Now the Lions have been very active during this free-agency period but the thing that gets me is that the Lions front office said they would build through the draft and not through free-agency. They have signed quite a few, plugging critical holes but in my opinion trading draft picks should have been hands off with the only exceptions of trying to trade the first overall and our possible second to another team for a franchise QB like Jay Cutler.
We don’t have our 4th, 5th, or 7th round picks now although we did get the better of the deal with the Roy Williams trade with Dallas. There is still the possibility of getting a compensatory pick and getting an extra pick if we trade down for another team to snag the guy they want.
My amended wish list of draft picks are a Defensive Tackle, Defensive End, Line Backer, Tight End, Offensive Tackle, Kick Returner Wide Receiver, and a Free Safety. Those are positions I envision the Lions targeting but this is dependent on what happens with a possible Jay Cutler trade. If we trade our second first round pick or the second round pick to Denver we will have six picks which isn’t the best draft class especially when you are trying to clean house. But hey it could be worse we could be like the Redskins with only four draft picks coming in the draft.
For some of you who are unfamiliar with the Jay Cutler story let me give you the gist of it. About two weeks ago the Lions were talking to the Broncos and the Patriots to work out a three team deal. Now the Lions were trying to get Matt Cassel from the Patriots and trade him to the Broncos for Jay Cutler. When Jay Cutler learned of this he was fuming mad not with the Lions but with the Broncos Head Coach Josh McDaniels. So now Jay Cutler stated he wants to be traded and he has put his Denver area home on the market so I believe it is just a matter of time before he is gone from Denver and God willing into a Lions uniform.
Speaking of which there has been nothing said about the new Lions logo or colors being changed. I believe the jersey color will be unveiled with the number one draft pick. I think there will be a press conference soon for the new logo because they want people like me for example to buy Lions logo merchandise and the longer they wait the less money they make, so it should be coming soon.
We have signed Tight End Will Heller. Here is the article from MLive
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/03/lions_sign_free_agent_te_will.html
Here is a summary of things so far from Wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Detroit_Lions_season
Our schedule won’t be out until later in the spring but based on the NFL Scheduling rotation here is the teams we will be playing.
We play our own NFC North Division naturally, home and away.
The NFC West Division playing the Cardinals and Rams at home and the Seahawks and 49s away.
The AFC North Division playing the Browns and Steelers at home and the Ravens and Bengals away.
And we play the Redskins at home and the Saints away.
Well my Lionettes I am letting you all off easy this time but don’t think you will be so lucky next time. I am just kidding. It has been sort of slow the past few days. If this Jay Cutler trade does come through I will have a lot to say about it in my next post. Until next time, keep the faith and GO LIONS!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Now You Know And Knowing Is Half The Battle
A very good awesome day to the best fans in the world! That is you the Lions fans.
Almost everyone has seen a PSA and most are pretty bad. Remember the one from the 80s with the guy saying ‘This is your brain (holding up an egg) and he would crack it into a frying pan and say ‘this is your brain on drugs’ ‘Any questions?’ People often here me say ‘and knowing is half the battle’. That particular catch phrase was from G.I. Joe the most awesomest show during the 80s. There was a safety PSA after the end of each episode and usually it was some kid about to do something really, really dumb and the Joe member would give them this safety lecture and the kids would say ‘and now we know’ and the Joe would say ‘and knowing is half the battle’.
So what does this trip down memory lane have to do with the Lions? Well my ever faithful Lionettes why have the Lions been sort of low key during this free-agency period? Why haven’t we made a bigger splash during free-agency and sign some big names? Most teams will put a franchise tag on their best UFAs so that thins the heard and the other UFAs want to sign with a team that is a player or two away from winning their division or making the playoffs. So the front office philosophy has been to build this team through the draft and sign affordable mid-level players to meet critical needs. So now you know and knowing is half the battle!
Our free agents that we have signed to date are CB Eric King, RB Maurice Morris, CB Anthony Henry through a trade for QB Jon Kitna, DT Grady Jackson, CB Phillip Buchanon, T Daniel Loper and we re-signed two of our UFAs RB Aveion Cason and LB Cody Spencer. I would venture a guess that we are good to go with our CBs and our secondary will not be a sitcom joke and God willing we won’t burn a draft pick on a CB and instead spend it on an extra LB or DE.
I really like the Cody Spencer pick up he had played under Schwartz in Tennessee and played the last three years with the Jets and is a big fella. One thing that must change is our linemen both DL and OL have to be bigger and meaner. Make other teams fear us. When other teams come to play us they must feel that they just ate their last meal, the Governor denied their last appeal and they are about to be executed.
Some of you might have heard that the Lions logo is going to change and or possibly team colors. Nothing official has come down as of today from the Lions front office but on the Lions home website for their online fan merchandise there is a fire sale going on and everything must go! Everything is marked 80% off. So you can connect the dots on that one. If they were to change colors I wouldn’t mind seeing a brown in there for one of the colors since a Lion is brown in color. For a logo something a bit more animated like what the NHL Nashville Predators have on their helmets. Here is a short article from MLive about the speculation.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/03/new_lions_uniforms_and_logo_co.html
OT Jason Smith who I would love to see in a Lions uniform and QB Matthew Stafford who I am starting to think will not be the end of us if we draft him have visited Allen Park recently since they are both leading candidates for the number one selection. and I expect other players will be coming for visits as well such as LB Aaron Curry and OT Andre Smith. Here are the links for those two stories also.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/03/jason_smith_visits_lions_facil.html
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/03/matt_stafford_drops_by_for_a_v.html
Last blog I mentioned the Jon Kitna trade and the impact on the Lions. I do wish him luck but I do need to share this little story about him with all of you. Oh by the way here is an interview he gave to Bill Simonson on the Huge Show.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/03/jon_kitna_on_the_huge_show_no.html
Anyways the Lions started this fan appreciation kick-off luncheon that benefits Detroit area charities through the luncheon ticket sales. Anyways one of the bestest, awesomest fans, Darin gave me an extra ticket to go and it was for the 2007 season kick-off luncheon. So as the luncheon was wrapping up the players and coaches were getting ready to leave for their last pre-season game and I wanted to snag a picture with Jon Kitna. So I ran up to him and no I was not tackled and asked him if I could get a quick picture which I did get. But here’s the thing he was VERY rude about it, he did not say thank you for being a fan and coming out to support the team, no I hope to see you coming out to support us at the games. He seemed very annoyed and like he was too good to be bothered. Well Jon you are no Tom Brady or Peyton Manning. So I am glad he is gone and the only reason I thought he might be back was to play that final year of his contract and then let him go as an UFA. He was not friendly or appreciative much like Matt Millen. That front office is guilty of murdering its fan base.
Moving on, RB Rudi Johnson was talking smack about the Lions being years away. He is just being a pris because he was not re-signed and he was demoted from the starting RB position because Kevin Smith is a far superior RB.
Here is that article
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/03/rudi_johnson_lions_are_years_a.html
Tom Killer Kowalski posted a rather dismal story on the Lions draft classes.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/03/good_news_bad_news_lions_are_c.html
When I think about all of our recent draft classes, it demoralizes me more than a kid who has dropped his ice cream cone or seen his favorite toy broken. Wow how can one person Matt Millen be such an incompetent in picking and evaluating players. Our draft classes have been tragically bad with a few exceptions. Hopefully that will change as the Lewand and Mayhew era grows from its infancy stage.
Last thing I want to mention is a prayer to go out to DE Corey Smith’s family for this tragic loss of such a hard-working player who loved this game more than anything. The Lions have been accustomed to loss and from this tragedy we need to sew the seeds of rage and revenge. We need to stand up as a team and fight these other teams hard because we are better than them and we just need to get it done! Here is that story and yes as you can gather MLive’s Lions section is one of my favorite places.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/03/add_loss_of_corey_smith_to_lis.html
Well my fellow Lions fans it is late, I am tired and I think I have rambled on enough! Until next time God bless and GO LIONS!
Almost everyone has seen a PSA and most are pretty bad. Remember the one from the 80s with the guy saying ‘This is your brain (holding up an egg) and he would crack it into a frying pan and say ‘this is your brain on drugs’ ‘Any questions?’ People often here me say ‘and knowing is half the battle’. That particular catch phrase was from G.I. Joe the most awesomest show during the 80s. There was a safety PSA after the end of each episode and usually it was some kid about to do something really, really dumb and the Joe member would give them this safety lecture and the kids would say ‘and now we know’ and the Joe would say ‘and knowing is half the battle’.
So what does this trip down memory lane have to do with the Lions? Well my ever faithful Lionettes why have the Lions been sort of low key during this free-agency period? Why haven’t we made a bigger splash during free-agency and sign some big names? Most teams will put a franchise tag on their best UFAs so that thins the heard and the other UFAs want to sign with a team that is a player or two away from winning their division or making the playoffs. So the front office philosophy has been to build this team through the draft and sign affordable mid-level players to meet critical needs. So now you know and knowing is half the battle!
Our free agents that we have signed to date are CB Eric King, RB Maurice Morris, CB Anthony Henry through a trade for QB Jon Kitna, DT Grady Jackson, CB Phillip Buchanon, T Daniel Loper and we re-signed two of our UFAs RB Aveion Cason and LB Cody Spencer. I would venture a guess that we are good to go with our CBs and our secondary will not be a sitcom joke and God willing we won’t burn a draft pick on a CB and instead spend it on an extra LB or DE.
I really like the Cody Spencer pick up he had played under Schwartz in Tennessee and played the last three years with the Jets and is a big fella. One thing that must change is our linemen both DL and OL have to be bigger and meaner. Make other teams fear us. When other teams come to play us they must feel that they just ate their last meal, the Governor denied their last appeal and they are about to be executed.
Some of you might have heard that the Lions logo is going to change and or possibly team colors. Nothing official has come down as of today from the Lions front office but on the Lions home website for their online fan merchandise there is a fire sale going on and everything must go! Everything is marked 80% off. So you can connect the dots on that one. If they were to change colors I wouldn’t mind seeing a brown in there for one of the colors since a Lion is brown in color. For a logo something a bit more animated like what the NHL Nashville Predators have on their helmets. Here is a short article from MLive about the speculation.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/03/new_lions_uniforms_and_logo_co.html
OT Jason Smith who I would love to see in a Lions uniform and QB Matthew Stafford who I am starting to think will not be the end of us if we draft him have visited Allen Park recently since they are both leading candidates for the number one selection. and I expect other players will be coming for visits as well such as LB Aaron Curry and OT Andre Smith. Here are the links for those two stories also.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/03/jason_smith_visits_lions_facil.html
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/03/matt_stafford_drops_by_for_a_v.html
Last blog I mentioned the Jon Kitna trade and the impact on the Lions. I do wish him luck but I do need to share this little story about him with all of you. Oh by the way here is an interview he gave to Bill Simonson on the Huge Show.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/03/jon_kitna_on_the_huge_show_no.html
Anyways the Lions started this fan appreciation kick-off luncheon that benefits Detroit area charities through the luncheon ticket sales. Anyways one of the bestest, awesomest fans, Darin gave me an extra ticket to go and it was for the 2007 season kick-off luncheon. So as the luncheon was wrapping up the players and coaches were getting ready to leave for their last pre-season game and I wanted to snag a picture with Jon Kitna. So I ran up to him and no I was not tackled and asked him if I could get a quick picture which I did get. But here’s the thing he was VERY rude about it, he did not say thank you for being a fan and coming out to support the team, no I hope to see you coming out to support us at the games. He seemed very annoyed and like he was too good to be bothered. Well Jon you are no Tom Brady or Peyton Manning. So I am glad he is gone and the only reason I thought he might be back was to play that final year of his contract and then let him go as an UFA. He was not friendly or appreciative much like Matt Millen. That front office is guilty of murdering its fan base.
Moving on, RB Rudi Johnson was talking smack about the Lions being years away. He is just being a pris because he was not re-signed and he was demoted from the starting RB position because Kevin Smith is a far superior RB.
Here is that article
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/03/rudi_johnson_lions_are_years_a.html
Tom Killer Kowalski posted a rather dismal story on the Lions draft classes.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/03/good_news_bad_news_lions_are_c.html
When I think about all of our recent draft classes, it demoralizes me more than a kid who has dropped his ice cream cone or seen his favorite toy broken. Wow how can one person Matt Millen be such an incompetent in picking and evaluating players. Our draft classes have been tragically bad with a few exceptions. Hopefully that will change as the Lewand and Mayhew era grows from its infancy stage.
Last thing I want to mention is a prayer to go out to DE Corey Smith’s family for this tragic loss of such a hard-working player who loved this game more than anything. The Lions have been accustomed to loss and from this tragedy we need to sew the seeds of rage and revenge. We need to stand up as a team and fight these other teams hard because we are better than them and we just need to get it done! Here is that story and yes as you can gather MLive’s Lions section is one of my favorite places.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/03/add_loss_of_corey_smith_to_lis.html
Well my fellow Lions fans it is late, I am tired and I think I have rambled on enough! Until next time God bless and GO LIONS!
Monday, March 2, 2009
It's This And That With The #1 Lions Fan In The World
Howdy to the outstanding fine human beings that you all are AKA, The Lionettes.
Well let’s see where do I begin? Lots of stuff happening with the soon to be super duper awesome Detroit Lions. QB Jon Kitna and QB Dan Orlovsky are no longer Lions but a Cowboy and Texan, respectively. Dan Orlovsky was an Unrestricted Free Agent who wanted to sign with another team after he learned that he would not be the starter in Detroit so he gets to be a backup with the Texans go figure. Jon Kitna still had a year left on his contract but was due a roster bonus this month and there was possible dissention brewing in the locker room with him.
We received CB Anthony Henry in exchange for Jon Kitna with the Cowboys but the report I heard said that we got a late round draft pick, which could possibly be our 7th rounder back that we traded to the Cowboys in the Roy Williams trade. We may not know that specific detail until draft weekend as well as the possible compensatory pick. I wish them both luck with their new teams and hope that they will get the chance to put on a Super Bowl ring.
I suppose the writing was on the wall and it was just a matter of time before they would leave the Lions for greener pastures. So that leaves us with Daunte Culpepper, Drew Stanton and Drew Henson for QBs. I do not have much faith in any of those three so this could mean a couple of things. We could pick up a free agent QB like JP Losman, Rex Grossman or Byron Leftwich. The alternative is drafting Matthew Stafford with that number one pick becoming the number two guy and if Culpepper is not getting the job done then Stafford becomes the starter. I wish I could tell you all how many more free agents we can shop for based on how much cap money is left but your guess is as good as mine. I do know the signings that we have made is minimal in money spent and could make a deal for one of the noteworthy players left in free agency.
I know a lot of critics are being hard on Martin Mayhew over his working the free agency period, but in his defense some of the quality players DID NOT want to come to Detroit, most of the good players were franchised tagged and others demanded a truckload of money like DT Albert Haynesworth. The Lions were not going to make a major risk and have it totally blow up in their faces. You have to take some risks but now is not the time to do it. I totally agree with their conservative dealing during this free agency period.
A couple of free agent signing that we have made are CB Eric King from the Titans, RB Maurice Morris from the Seahawks, WR Bryant Johnson from the 49s and have claimed WR Sean Conover off of waivers from the Jets. The experts may not think these signings are stellar but they are the smart ones. The Lions need to plug critical holes so that when the draft comes they can draft the ones they really want for the long term.
Drew Sharp from the Detroit Free Press wrote an article about a week ago about how the Lions need their own Ivan ‘Pudge’ Rodriguez. A player that comes in and gives credibility to a team that will attract other quality talent and galvanize a team to becoming a contender. He is somewhat correct that you need players to change the culture but his example is the cliché of comparing apples to oranges or in this case an aircraft carrier to a rowboat. The problem I have with his rationale is that Pudge is a baseball player where it is more individualized and not a team sport like football. A catcher works primarily with the pitcher and the basemen. Four other players vs. an entire defensive or offensive line is a lot more complicated. A catcher is not taking hits from 300 lb. lineman on a constant basis. So the Tigers could sign Pudge on that deal but the Lions COULD NOT sign Haynesworth. A totally different circumstance that would make the Lions roll the dice and pray for double sevens. Simply too many variables most of which are against the Lions.
Now I have always hated constant criticism with NO suggestions on how to fix a situation which is why I hate most of the NFL analysts and experts because they are always Lion bashing with very few suggestions on fixing the situation. So yes we need our own Albert Haynesworth and we will get them through the draft. Find those players that meet three criteria one they are phenomenal players, second they are of solid character and third they are players the fans will get excited about. Let’s go out there and find our own Troy Polamalu or Bob Sanders. We can do this if they just look right.
On a serious note most of you have heard that DE Corey Smith is missing off the Florida coast. Him and three of his friends one of them Oakland Raiders LB Marquis Cooper went out fishing Saturday and did not return as expected. As of mid-afternoon on Monday they found the boat with one survivor neither Smith nor Cooper. I know Corey Smith was on the worst defense this past season but he really tried and never gave up when things were at their worst. We can only hope and pray that they are found very soon so that they can be returned safely to their families.
Today the Redskins released DE Jason Taylor and I think the Lions should make a bid for him. He is an impact player who can immediately upgrade the defense. I think it would be prudent for the Lions to contact his agent and have him visit with the coaches and see the facilities. There are still lots of free agents available and hopefully there will be some more signings in the next few days. Well that’s it for now I will try to have another post by the end of the week if not then the weekend for sure.
Until next time GO LIONS!
Well let’s see where do I begin? Lots of stuff happening with the soon to be super duper awesome Detroit Lions. QB Jon Kitna and QB Dan Orlovsky are no longer Lions but a Cowboy and Texan, respectively. Dan Orlovsky was an Unrestricted Free Agent who wanted to sign with another team after he learned that he would not be the starter in Detroit so he gets to be a backup with the Texans go figure. Jon Kitna still had a year left on his contract but was due a roster bonus this month and there was possible dissention brewing in the locker room with him.
We received CB Anthony Henry in exchange for Jon Kitna with the Cowboys but the report I heard said that we got a late round draft pick, which could possibly be our 7th rounder back that we traded to the Cowboys in the Roy Williams trade. We may not know that specific detail until draft weekend as well as the possible compensatory pick. I wish them both luck with their new teams and hope that they will get the chance to put on a Super Bowl ring.
I suppose the writing was on the wall and it was just a matter of time before they would leave the Lions for greener pastures. So that leaves us with Daunte Culpepper, Drew Stanton and Drew Henson for QBs. I do not have much faith in any of those three so this could mean a couple of things. We could pick up a free agent QB like JP Losman, Rex Grossman or Byron Leftwich. The alternative is drafting Matthew Stafford with that number one pick becoming the number two guy and if Culpepper is not getting the job done then Stafford becomes the starter. I wish I could tell you all how many more free agents we can shop for based on how much cap money is left but your guess is as good as mine. I do know the signings that we have made is minimal in money spent and could make a deal for one of the noteworthy players left in free agency.
I know a lot of critics are being hard on Martin Mayhew over his working the free agency period, but in his defense some of the quality players DID NOT want to come to Detroit, most of the good players were franchised tagged and others demanded a truckload of money like DT Albert Haynesworth. The Lions were not going to make a major risk and have it totally blow up in their faces. You have to take some risks but now is not the time to do it. I totally agree with their conservative dealing during this free agency period.
A couple of free agent signing that we have made are CB Eric King from the Titans, RB Maurice Morris from the Seahawks, WR Bryant Johnson from the 49s and have claimed WR Sean Conover off of waivers from the Jets. The experts may not think these signings are stellar but they are the smart ones. The Lions need to plug critical holes so that when the draft comes they can draft the ones they really want for the long term.
Drew Sharp from the Detroit Free Press wrote an article about a week ago about how the Lions need their own Ivan ‘Pudge’ Rodriguez. A player that comes in and gives credibility to a team that will attract other quality talent and galvanize a team to becoming a contender. He is somewhat correct that you need players to change the culture but his example is the cliché of comparing apples to oranges or in this case an aircraft carrier to a rowboat. The problem I have with his rationale is that Pudge is a baseball player where it is more individualized and not a team sport like football. A catcher works primarily with the pitcher and the basemen. Four other players vs. an entire defensive or offensive line is a lot more complicated. A catcher is not taking hits from 300 lb. lineman on a constant basis. So the Tigers could sign Pudge on that deal but the Lions COULD NOT sign Haynesworth. A totally different circumstance that would make the Lions roll the dice and pray for double sevens. Simply too many variables most of which are against the Lions.
Now I have always hated constant criticism with NO suggestions on how to fix a situation which is why I hate most of the NFL analysts and experts because they are always Lion bashing with very few suggestions on fixing the situation. So yes we need our own Albert Haynesworth and we will get them through the draft. Find those players that meet three criteria one they are phenomenal players, second they are of solid character and third they are players the fans will get excited about. Let’s go out there and find our own Troy Polamalu or Bob Sanders. We can do this if they just look right.
On a serious note most of you have heard that DE Corey Smith is missing off the Florida coast. Him and three of his friends one of them Oakland Raiders LB Marquis Cooper went out fishing Saturday and did not return as expected. As of mid-afternoon on Monday they found the boat with one survivor neither Smith nor Cooper. I know Corey Smith was on the worst defense this past season but he really tried and never gave up when things were at their worst. We can only hope and pray that they are found very soon so that they can be returned safely to their families.
Today the Redskins released DE Jason Taylor and I think the Lions should make a bid for him. He is an impact player who can immediately upgrade the defense. I think it would be prudent for the Lions to contact his agent and have him visit with the coaches and see the facilities. There are still lots of free agents available and hopefully there will be some more signings in the next few days. Well that’s it for now I will try to have another post by the end of the week if not then the weekend for sure.
Until next time GO LIONS!
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