Chugging The Kool-Aid

Howdy to all of my fellow Lions fans! Well I am sorry I have not posted sooner but life can down pour at times and my arms are tired from bailing the water. Well I am back and that’s what’s important.

There has not been much news as of late because there hasn’t been much to report and most of the sports media coverage is dedicated to the Red Wings and Tigers. Hopefully more news becomes available within in the next couple of weeks. I thought there would be some news what with OTA’s (Organized Team Activities) happening down in Allen Park. Soon it will be that time right before the season starts when the fans get really excited with Super Bowl dreams for their team. I would hope that the Lions win at least 6-7 games and at least be competitive in the losses and not get totally blown out.

I know I am the eternal optimist but here is a story from MLive by Rick Gosselin. Seems I am not the only one drinking or should I say guzzling down the kool-aid.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/04/rick_gosselin_with_right_moves.html

You know that one special player that fans get really fired up and excited to see play? Well the Lions drafted Louis Delmas the Safety from Western Michigan University could very well be the next Bob Sanders and for those of you who don’t know Bob Sanders is a super great Safety for the Indianapolis Colts. I feel he will truly be a motivating force not only in the locker room but for the fans to get behind. I love this kid’s work ethic and yes maybe the kool-aid is spiked a bit but I really feel this team is putting some great pieces in place.

Here is a link from the “Mike In The Morning Show” on 97.1 The WRIF with Coach Jim Schwartz as a guest in studio. A long radio segment but well worth listening too! I love our coach not only is he intelligent but he is a rocker! And how cool is that when you can say your head coach is rocker? I really don’t see Bill Belichick head-banging to Metallica
http://my.wrif.com/mim/?p=2101

Here is a link from Tom Kowalski talking about DT Sammie Hill our 4th round pick, We have been notoriously bad in drafting in the 4th round so hopefully Hill will be a reliable run-stopper.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/04/sammie_lee_hill_another_fourth.html

I am not sure if anyone knew of former Kansas City Chiefs Coach Frank Gansz but he died a couple of weeks ago. He used to be a Special Team coach with the Lions.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/04/former_lions_special_teams_coa.html

Here is a video with Tom Kowalski on NFL Network post-draft.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/04/tom_kowalski_on_nfl_network.html

The roster cuts have begun and the notables are QB Drew Henson, TE Michael Gaines and CB Travis Fisher. So here are those stories if you are interested.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/04/lions_release_qb_drew_henson.html
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/04/to_make_room_for_brandon_petti.html
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/04/purge_continues_lions_release.html

The biggest off-season edition to the Lions is signing ex-Steelers Middle Linebacker Larry Foote. I am so hyped about this edition and not only does he plug a major hole in defense but a veteran presence to help guide the rookies and other veterans to play better. Here are some interesting stories from Tom Kowalski about him.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/04/was_larry_foote_in_the_lions_p.html
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/05/if_lions_are_interested_larry.html
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/05/larry_foote_says_he_has_agreed.html
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/05/source_larry_foote_turned_down.html
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/05/its_official_larry_foote_joins.html
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/05/lions_larry_foote_doesnt_belie.html
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/05/larry_foote_happy_to_back_home.html

Here are some interviews from the Huge Show with Bill Simonson, most of which are his typical Lions bashing. Also some stuff from Brian Van Ochten of the Grand Rapids Press. I will present differing opinions even the Lions bashers have a few intelligent things to say not that I really agree with their view points.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/04/bill_cubit_on_the_huge_show_wm.html
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/04/brian_vanochten_on_the_huge_sh_3.html
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/04/jim_miller_on_the_huge_show_co.html
http://blog.mlive.com/twominutedrill/2009/05/twominute_drill_podcast_lions_1.html

Here are some stories from Tom Kowalski on the first mini-camp for the rookies. They are not that long so don’t feel overwhelmed like there is a lot of reading required because there is not and you guys have the freedom to choose which links you want to check out or not.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/04/draft_picks_look_to_impress_at.html
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/05/louis_delmas_is_the_most_impre.html
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/05/lions_coach_jim_schwartz_matth.html
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/05/stafford_draws_praise_from_oth.html
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/05/walled_lakes_justin_goltz_does.html
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/05/rookie_brandon_pettigrew_to_be.html
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/05/lions_deandre_levy_makes_move.html
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/05/lions_louis_delmas_finally_cas.html
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/05/louis_delmas_among_standouts_a.html

This one has a photo-gallery from Mini-Camp.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/05/photo_gallery_detroit_lions_ro.html

This link has a photo-gallery from the OTA.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/05/photo_gallery_detroit_lions_ot.html

Here is an audio interview with Tom Kowalski talking about the second-day draft picks and like I have been saying is give this team the benefit of the doubt. We won’t know if these guys are busts for at least two years.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/05/tom_kowalski_on_wghn.html

Now an interesting decision is when Matthew Stafford takes over the QB spot. I believe the Lions are trying to avoid the pitfall of the Joey Harrington situation where he started right away and it was a total disaster.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/05/lions_will_fight_temptation_to.html

Here are a couple of stories about QB Drew Stanton and his speculative future with the Lions.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/05/lions_stanton_shrugs_off_no_3.html
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/05/lions_qb_situation_daunte_culp.html
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/05/lions_qb_drew_stanton_faces_to.html

As some of you may have heard former Detroit Lions President and General Manager Matt Millen has been hired by ESPN as an analyst. Just saying his name makes we want to throw-up my dinner which wasn’t very good by the way. I was browsing through some of the comments on this story and one stuck out in particular. sweeney71 commented “for some reason i feel like a spousal abuse victim who their X lover with someone new.” Obviously not an English major but I have to agree. Bill ‘Huge’ Simonson said watching Matt Millen doing football commentary is like watching Osama Bin Laden on the Fox News Channel talking about the War On Terror. Anyways good riddance and by our pain and suffering other teams can learn from our mistakes. I wouldn’t wish this disaster of a GM or someone like him even on my most-hated foes like the Bears, Viking or Packers.
http://blog.mlive.com/twominutedrill/2009/05/espn_hires_matt_millen_one_of.html

I am glad we picked up TE Brandon Pettigrew who is going to be a great blocking Tight End and should be a major weapon for Matthew Stafford. Here is a quick tid-bit on him.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/05/scott_linehan_brandon_pettigre.html

Here is an audio interview with Brian Van Ochten with the changes to our defense.
http://blog.mlive.com/twominutedrill/2009/05/twominute_drill_podcast_kudos.html

Well my fellow Lions fans that's about it for now. I will get another post out soon hopefully not as long as a wait int between like this one was. Until then GO LIONS!

The Glass Is Half-Full & Half-Empty!

A very good day to the finest fans in all of football, the Detroit Lions fans. Well the draft has come and gone. I know some of you are unhappy with the direction they took and the mantra of building from the inside out, took sort of a back-burner. It wasn’t the direction I probably would have taken. I support the decision to take QB Matthew Stafford with the number one overall pick though. When QB Jon Kitna was traded to Dallas and Jim Schwartz was named Head Coach it was a given we were taking a QB in this draft.

Here are a couple of articles from Brian VanOchten of the Grand Rapids Press about his view of the Lions draft strategies. He does not give a very good assessment. To each his own but I do see his viewpoints and if I had been calling the shots I would have made a few of his suggestions.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/04/lions_ignoring_of_defense_on_d.html
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/04/secondday_reaches_cap_strange.html

Here is a rather disturbing scenario for the first day of the draft what if WR Jeremy Maclin was sitting there at pick 20 and the Eagles who selected him passed on him instead? I can guarantee the Lions would have drafted him with their 20th pick. The second part of a jaw-dropping day one draft would have been if the Cardinals hadn’t selected RB Chris Beanie Wells with their pick the Lions would have taken him at the top of the second round with the first pick. Now that would have been a really tough pill to swallow. You ignore DL and OL positions completely and take THREE offensive weapons. I could make the rationalization that with so much offense the Lions could sustain offensive drives keeping our defense off the field and truly stick it down other team’s defensive throats. So we were lucky in this draft that we got a QB, TE and a Safety because it very well could have been QB, WR and RB.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/04/lions_mightve_taken_beanie_wel.html

Well here we go with some links on some thoughts from Tom Killer Kowalski. http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/04/matthew_staffords_contract_wit.html
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/04/matthew_stafford_must_win_over.html

This one has Tom Kowalski’s analysis on the first three picks.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/04/player_bios_more_on_the_lions.html
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/04/lions_focus_on_offense_with_fi.html

Here are two chat blogs one with Tom Kowalski and the other with Philip Zaroo, really long reads with people asking questions and worth it if you have time to scan through. I actually had one of my comments posted in the chat blog for day 2 with Philip Zaroo which was made shortly after the Sammie Lee Hill pick.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/04/live_blog_nfl_draft_day_1.html
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/04/live_blog_nfl_draft_day_2.html

Here are some tidbits, highlights, positives and audio interviews on each of the ten players the Lions selected in the draft.

1. QB Matthew Stafford Georgia Jr
http://stats.mlive.com/nfldraft/players.asp?id=136155
http://www.nfl.com/draft/2009/profiles/matthew-stafford?id=79860
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/04/lions_matthew_stafford_agree_t.html
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/04/lions_qb_matthew_stafford_i_wa.html
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/04/matthew_stafford_i_really_didn.html

2. TE Brandon Pettigrew Oklahoma State Sr
http://stats.mlive.com/nfldraft/players.asp?id=114052
http://www.nfl.com/draft/2009/profiles/brandon-pettigrew?id=71431
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/04/brandon_pettigrew_detroit_lion.html
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/04/detroit_lions_take_oklahoma_st.html

3. S Louis Delmas Western Michigan University Sr
http://stats.mlive.com/nfldraft/players.asp?id=126286
http://www.nfl.com/draft/2009/profiles/louis-delmas?id=71279
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/04/western_michigan_safety_louis.html
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/04/louis_delmas_theres_no_such_th.html
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/04/lions_say_size_isnt_an_issue_w.html
http://www.mlive.com/broncos/index.ssf/2009/04/louis_delmas_to_lions_im_ready.html
http://www.mlive.com/broncos/index.ssf/2009/04/the_best_of_louis_delmas.html

4. LB DeAndre Levy Wisconsin Sr
http://stats.mlive.com/nfldraft/players.asp?id=132285
http://www.nfl.com/draft/2009/profiles/deandre-levy?id=71365
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/04/detroit_lions_grab_wisconsin_l.html
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/04/deandre_levy_said_lions_talked.html
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/04/lions_will_try_deandre_levy_at.html

5. WR Derrick Williams Penn State Sr
http://stats.mlive.com/nfldraft/players.asp?id=124921
http://www.nfl.com/draft/2009/profiles/derrick-williams?id=71517
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/04/lions_draft_wide_receiver_derr.html

6. DT Sammie Lee Hill Stillman College Sr
http://stats.mlive.com/nfldraft/players.asp?id=123732
http://www.nfl.com/draft/2009/profiles/sammie%20lee-hill?id=79571
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/04/lions_use_fourthround_selectio.html

7. RB Aaron Brown Texas Christian University Sr
http://stats.mlive.com/nfldraft/players.asp?id=133343
http://www.nfl.com/draft/2009/profiles/aaron-brown?id=89690
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/04/lions_take_running_back_aaron.html

8. T Lydon Murtha Nebraska Sr
http://stats.mlive.com/nfldraft/players.asp?id=118291
http://www.nfl.com/draft/2009/profiles/lydon-murtha?id=81853
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/04/lions_use_first_of_three_seven.html

9. LB Zack Follett California Sr
http://stats.mlive.com/nfldraft/players.asp?id=135558
http://www.nfl.com/draft/2009/profiles/zack-follett?id=80640
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/04/lions_take_second_linebacker_o.html

10. TE Dan Gronkowski Maryland Sr
http://stats.mlive.com/nfldraft/players.asp?id=101512
http://www.nfl.com/draft/2009/profiles/dan-gronkowski?id=81829
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/04/one_pick_before_mr_irrelevant.html

Here are some more player bios for the second day picks.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/04/player_bios_lions_secondday_dr.html

Now I really like our picks and as fans we need to unite behind them, support them 100% and hope they are successful and make huge contributions on the team. Some of the later round guys probably won’t be starters but developmental players, add for depth and can step in at times and make plays. I give them a solid B for a letter grade in this draft. The reason I give them a B is they grabbed four of the top picks in each of those positions QB, TE, S and Kick Returner and the reason I don’t give them an A is because of their choices and prioritizing in the third round.

We needed a QB desperately. Kitna was traded, Orlovsky was a free-agent, Culpepper is a short-term solution and Stanton and Henson are not starters. I am glad we grabbed a TE in the draft but thought it would have gotten a back-burner priority with more desperate needs in front such as Middle Linebacker. Drafting Pettigrew who is a really strong run blocker gives Stafford a huge weapon on offense and rookie QBs best friend is what kiddos? You guessed it a Tight End.

Here is a funny clip called the Matthew Stafford Song which is pretty good.
http://blog.mlive.com/highlightreel/2009/05/the_matthew_stafford_song.html

I like the Tight End Dan Gronkowski pick. With him and Pettigrew that gives our Tight End situation some serious teeth. I remember watching the NFL Combine and was really impressed with both of them. I love the Safety Louis Delmas from Western Michigan University and a fitting nickname for him is the heat-seeker. He will really strengthen the secondary and hopefully be our version of the Steelers Troy Polamalu.

I LOVE the DT Sammie Lee Hill pick. That kid is going to be a monster! He once saved a man from a burning home by going in and pulling him out. Not that this means a lot but he has a couple of tattoos and one of them is a lion on his chest wearing a crown. Maybe it’s fate much like the fact that Matthew Stafford is from the same high school as Bobby Layne.

Here are some interesting audio interviews with Tom Kowalski about taking Matthew Stafford and other thoughts on the draft.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/04/tom_kowalski_on_wrif.html

Here is an audio interview with Coach Schwartz discussing whether to start Culpepper or Stafford.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/04/jim_schwartz_on_matthew_staffo.html

The Lions have already started building on the 2010 draft by acquiring the Denver Broncos #5 pick.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/04/lions_trade_sixthround_pick_to.html

I apologize for not getting this out there sooner but this week has been a really busy one. I try to share links with stories that are relative that have a lot of good information and the draft weekend had TONS. I left out quite a few links but wonder if I didn’t cut enough. I appreciate you all taking the time to read my blog or at least browsing through it. Tom Killer Kowalski who has been the Lions beat writer for the better part of two decades brings a lot to the table so I reference his and the other writers at MLive's work. They are the only really good sources outside Pat Caputo of the Oakland Press and Brian VanOchten from the Grand Rapids Press.

There are a lot of sports writers that just bash the Lions and DO NOT help anything with their barrage of negative attacks and venomous criticism. I criticize also but I give suggestions on how this team can be better. Well anyways it’s later than I wanted to get this blog entry done so I am going to post now. I will have another one sometime mid-week about some of the Unrestricted Free Agents as well as the drafted rookies from this weekend’s rookie camp. Until then keep the faith and GO LIONS!