All The Time In The World

Hello My Lionettes!

Your wondering what my recent blog title means. Well my Lionettes I will answer your enquiring minds. It was the name of the last episode of the TV series Alias with Jennifer Garner. I thought it a fitting title because of the optimism for next season. It certainly has been awhile since my last post and for that I am sorry. I know many of you have been waiting for my posts much like a small child awaits their next bed time story. I promise to make this one a good one. There are lots of things to catch-up on.

Well let’s see our mighty Detroit Lions finished their season 6-10 winning their last four games with division wins against the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings. More importantly picking up two road victories against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Miami Dolphins! It was such a relief to see them snap their road losing streak and proves that this team is making the right moves and improving.

A lot of league pundits and analysts are saying what I’ve been preaching that this team will be a force to be reckoned with in the next couple of seasons. This team was competitive in every game and did not get blown out by half-time. There is much work still to be done and providing a new CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) is approved, look for the Lions to do some major damage in the NFC North next 2011 season! Who knows maybe next SuperBowl it will be all about the Lions and some poor saps from the AFC!

Some key things the Lions need to do this off-season everyone come back healthy and ready to start training camp. Need another solid draft and free agency period and resign some players like CB Chris Houston, LBs Bobby Carpenter and Landon Johnson. Key ingredient is Quarterback Matthew Stafford coming back healthy from shoulder surgery and ready to be the leader of this team! As most of you have heard Matt Stafford underwent successful shoulder surgery and God willing his problematic shoulder will be a thing of the past. I do not believe he is injury prone, according to his coach at Georgia he never had these type of injuries. I believe he is just the victim of some horrible luck.

http://www.detroitlions.com/news/article-1/Lions-QB-Matthew-Stafford-Undergoes-Successful-Shoulder-Surgery/78e53a3f-48f8-452c-86bc-9da2c40e680d

Defensive Tackle Ndamukong Suh is becoming the face of the franchise with his recent accolades. Here are a couple of links about him earning Defensive Rookie of the Year and Rookie of the Year Honors!

http://www.detroitlions.com/news/article-1/Suh-Named-Sporting-News-Rookie-of-the-Year/5fe916f9-4832-4e60-b947-859a70ce8e55

http://www.detroitlions.com/news/article-1/Suh-Voted-2010-Pepsi-NFL-Rookie-of-the-Year/dd01fe65-e050-4c28-ac01-d7e3509ede29

http://www.detroitlions.com/news/article-1/Suh-Named-2010-Pepsi-NFL-Rookie-of-the-Year/af9cfdfd-e872-4d70-88f2-b4a2ecb4dbc5

We finally have Pro-Bowlers! Wide Receiver Calvin Johnson and Defensive Tackle Ndamukong Suh were both named starters for the Pro-Bowl although Suh did not play opting to get shoulder surgery so he will be ready for training camp.

http://www.detroitlions.com/news/article-1/Lions-DT-Ndamukong-Suh-to-Undergo-Shoulder-Surgery/ff7ef04f-135c-425b-b1d5-c8e9d0f44e9e

I love this guy! He thinks of his team first and helping them get to the next level. He did attend the Pro-Bowl to support Calvin ‘Megatron’ Johnson as well as lobby a few free agents about coming to play for Detroit! Such a class act!

http://www.detroitlions.com/news/article-1/Johnsons-Pro-Bowl-Presence-Highlights-Talent-in-Detroit/e1d4d73b-a113-4821-8555-a55e0329fc61

Here is next season’s schedule. This is of course is tentative on whether we have football in 2011 but based on current scheduling formula this is the current lineup. Dates and times will be determined sometime in late Spring early Summer. I personally see some winnable games and no reason why we cannot compete for a play-off spot next year!

Home Away

Chicago Bears Chicago Bears

Green Bay Packers Green Bay Packers

Minnesota Vikings Minnesota Vikings

Atlanta Falcons New Orleans Saints

Carolina Panthers Tama Bay Buccaneers

San Francisco 49’s Dallas Cowboys

Kansas City Chiefs Denver Broncos

San Diego Chargers Oakland Raiders

You know what be super awesome for a third alternate uniform? Silver Jerseys and all Honolulu Blue Pants! Currently they use the ‘ThrowBacks’ circa 1950’s era. I will be certain to mention it to the team at the next season ticket holders meeting.

The 2011 NFL draft will be a three day event (like last year) April 28^th-30^th at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Here is a link from Wikipedia on the 2011 NFL Draft

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_NFL_Draft

There will be lots more info coming your way as we get closer to the NFL draft. As it stands right now we have 7 picks in the 2011 NFL Draft, one in each of the 7 rounds. Here is my current wish list for draft needs:

1^st Round OLB (Outside Linebacker) The Linebacker group is the most critical need, with OLB Julian Peterson not expected to return next season and OLB Zack Follett not certain to return because of his neck injury.

2^nd Round CB (Corner Back) Need a shutdown Corner and this draft has a lot of Corner Backs available and we should get a starter in the 2^nd round.

3^rd Round SS (Strong Safety) Pair a good starting Safety next to S Louis Delmas.

4^th Round WR (Wide Receiver) To cement the third WR spot behind WR Calvin Johnson and WR Nate Burleson. WR Derrick Williams could be released or traded.

5^th Round QB (Quarterback) Not sure if QB Drew Stanton will be resigned and whether they keep QB Zac Robinson on the roster.

6^th Round BPA (Best Player Available)

7^th Round BPA (Best Player Available)

Here is a very funny spoof on Quarterback Bret Favre on YouTube! There is some bad language in the video though so you are warned.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POyFvDgV2cU&feature=feedf

Here is another YouTube video spoofing the Pure Michigan Ads using the Lions as the subject, pretty funny again some bad language so that is my disclaimer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FJoRxT6B5g

Well that’s all I have for now my Lionettes enjoy your SuperBowl Day. Some of you are wondering what my stance is on it well. I do not care for either team especially the Packers since they are a division rival. I believe the Pittsburgh Steelers will win 35-27. Probably get it wrong but I don’t see this a very high scoring game especially with two of the leagues best defenses bashing heads today.

It is a new dawn for our Lions! Great things are coming! I will have more draft and scouting combine info for all of you really soon! Take care everyone! Drive safe don’t do anything I wouldn’t do which isn’t saying much and have a great time watching the SuperBowl!

GO NOBODY! AND BEAT EACH OTHER AKA Steelers and Packers

Last but not least GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO LIONSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

You Are NOT The Wind Beneath My Wings

Did you ever know that you're my hero? and everything I would like to be?I can fly higher than an eagle, 'cause you are NOT the wind beneath my wings!

A very good evening my Lionettes :-) What did you all think about my remix version of Did you ever know that you’re my hero by Bette Middler? Yeah pretty bad I know. I thought it was appropriate since the Eggles are coming to town and yes I spelled it that way on purpose. You all laughed, admit it!

This Sunday’s game will be televised avoiding a blackout, not like it matters to me since I am going to the game.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2010/09/detroit_lions_sell_out_sundays.html

The Lions run offense needs to get established because we sure cannot win any games like when we played the Bears we only garned 20 yards on 21 rushing attempts. That cannot happen again. Check out this article by Tom Kowalski.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2010/09/lions_know_they_have_to_get_ru.html

Linebacker Ernie Sims will be making his return to Ford Field this Sunday. I know some of you had misgivings about the Lions trading him but he was drafted for that Tampa 2 Defense which we no longer run and he was a Matt Millen pick. I wonder how many missed tackles he will have? University of Michigan Defensive End star Brandon Graham will also be returning to Michigan since he plays with the Eggles now.

Here is an article that has some links rounded up. It is pretty short and worth checking out.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2010/09/detroit_lions_links_1.html

Detroit will finally have some cheerleaders! They are not sanctioned by the Detroit Lions however. They are more or less volunteers trying to drum up buzz and support with the hopes that they will be made the Detroit Lions official cheerleaders. They are called the Detroit Pride and I wish them nothing but the best and hope that eventually the Lions will agree with us fans and realize we want a cheerleading squad that will help cheer this team at Ford Field.

Here is an audio interview with Coach Jim Schwartz on Quarterback Shaun Hill taking over for the injured Matthew Stafford this Sunday. Pretty good audio interview if you have the time to listen.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2010/09/jim_schwartz_on_wbbl_2.html

Last Thursday there was a Lunchtime Q&A with Tom Kowalski on MLive. Fans posted their questions and you can read them. It’s not that long and worth browsing through. I didn’t get my questions posted and the two I had submitted were if the Lions are finally going to look at drafting a LT with First Round pick next draft and if Stafford might be back sooner than later from his shoulder injury.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2010/09/lunch_with_killer_tom_kowalski.html

There is some good news on our injury list. LB DeAndre Levy and Safety Louis Delmas are both expected to start but unfortunately DE Cliff Avril is expected to miss this game.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2010/09/detroit_lions_get_good_news_on.html

Defensive Coordinator Gunther Cunningham is very high on DE KyleVanden Bosch. Check out this article. I wish we had an entire team of guys like him. If we did I GUARANTEE multiple Super Bowl vistories. I am thinking about getting his jersey the next time I order a jersey from the Roar & More :-)
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2010/09/detroit_lions_kyle_vanden_bosc.html

In order for us to have any success of winning this game against the Eggles our defense must STOP Michael Vick. We have got to contain him. If we don’t keep him in check he’ll have 150 yards rushing on us in the first-half alone and our defense will be spending the entire game on the field like a lone survivor on a desert island. Our Dline needs to get to him so I can imagine that Gunther will be dialing up A LOT of blitz packages.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2010/09/pressure_will_be_on_lions_defe.html

Well my Lionettes enjoy football this weekend. Keep the faith and believe that good things come to those who wait. God Bless you all! I’ll post after the game against the Eggles probably on Monday or Tuesday. GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO LIONSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

UnBearable!

Hello My Lionettes,

WOW where do I start? First off let me apologize for not posting sooner this week. I had to wait until emotions calmed down. There are days that are hard being a Lions fan and Sunday was one of the worst days ever. Not only were we robbed of a road win but our leader on offense Quarterback Matt Stafford is out 4-6 weeks with a shoulder injury. This past week has been one of the toughest ones I have had to go through as a fan. This was truly heartbreaking. Since our beloved Lions were robbed of our first win of the season, we’ll have to look to the home opener against the Philadelphia Eagles this Sunday for our first win of the season. By the way since Matthew Stafford is out, Quarterback Shaun Hill is going to start.

In a way I’m kind of glad I didn’t host my Welcome Back Detroit Lions Kick-Off Party this year since it would have been a really sad affair. That and the money that would have been spent on this party was used to but Lions season tickets instead. I guess I dodged a bullet on that one huh my Lionettes? Not to worry providing there is football in 2011 I am planning a Draft Party in April but that is also contingent if I am still gainfully employed with the Michigan State Senate.

I am going to be throwing A LOT of links at all of you in this post. They are all worth reading providing you have the time. I know I try to have by own substance when it comes to these posts but there was so much information these past few days I wanted to share with all of you.

Tom Kowalski from MLive gives letter grades to offense, defense, special teams and coaching from the Lions vs. Bears game.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2010/09/grading_the_lions_lack_of_runn.html

Here is a photo slide show of the game.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2010/09/photos_chicago_bears_19_detroi.html

Ironically it was the Lions defense that kept us in the game. Our revamped DLine was night and day difference than the previous ones. Our offense let us down except it was nice to see RB Jahvid Best get two touchdowns. Losing Matt Stafford at the end of the first half was devastating to say the least. He is the heart and soul of this team and I can only hope and pray that the team can rally behind Shaun Hill for the next few weeks until Matthew’s return presumably October 31st our first game after the bye-week which unfortunately I will most likely have to miss due to campaign duties.

By the way thank you to all of you who signed the Get Well card for Matthew. I mailed it this morning to the Allen Park training facility so hopefully they will get it to him.

Here is an article from Brian Van Ochten of the Grand Rapids Press with his take on the game.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2010/09/calvin_johnsons_overruled_touc.html

Here is an excerpt from the above article from Brian on LT Jeff Backus getting beaten and failing to protect Matthew Stafford causing his injury which puts Stafford out the next 4-6 weeks.

“Let's get something straight once and for all: Backus is below-average NFL left tackle. Period. If Schwartz continues to push the agenda that Backus is a Pro Bowl-caliber performer, he's going to lose a lot of the respect he has built up with the fans since his arrival. There's no disputing the cause of Stafford's shoulder injury this time. The Lions' front office is rife with Backus apologists and there are lots of lemmings in the media who'll believe anything team management tells them. The sad truth is the Lions cannot continue to put Stafford and the future of this rebuilding franchise at risk of some sort of ridiculous loyalty to a substandard left tackle. It's a business. So treat it like a business. Make drafting a franchise left tackle in the first round of the 2011 NFL draft.Speaking of draft picks, I must repeat the following: The Lions fumbled when they drafted tight end Brandon Pettigrew at No. 20 overall in the 2009 NFL draft and passed up offensive tackle Michael Oher. For all of the draft picks general manager Martin Mayhew and Schwartz have gotten right, they got that one dead wrong. Oher became a Pro Bowl-caliber tackle as a rookie and can play either the left or right side. The Lions can't afford to risk Stafford's health on the protection of people such as Backus and right tackle Gosder Cherilus.”

I wanted either a CB, LB or Safety with our First Round pick next April but now I am hoping beyond hope that our First Round pick next April is used to draft a franchise LT that can protect Matt Stafford’s blind side!

Here is an article about the NFL referee explaining the call. I do not agree with the call of the Calvin Johnson TD being ruled incomplete. In every other football organization it would have been ruled a touchdown including and I am not making this one up the Lingerie Football League!
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2010/09/referee_gene_steratore_explain.html

Here is the rule from the above article mentioning their ill-conceived rationale for the ruling.

"The ruling is that in order for the catch to be completed he has got to maintain possession of the ball throughout the entire process of the catch.''He was on his behind before he rolled over. If he stayed on his behind would it have been a touchdown?"No. We don't play with the two feet or one knee or anything of that scenario. We're talking now about the process of the catch. He's catching the football, as he goes to the ground, he must maintain possession of the ball throughout the entire process. So as he continues to fall if he fell with two feet and his elbow hit the ground and came out, it would be incomplete.''It looked like he had the ball up in one hand while on his rear end, but there was continuation?"Well, the process was not finished until he finished that roll and the entire process of the catch.''

Here is a feel-good story on Matt Stafford which is worth the read.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2010/09/matthew_staffords_lions_teamma_1.html

There were a few positives such as DT Ndamukong Suh getting his first sack as well as CB Aaron Berry getting an interception and RB Jahvid Best scoring two touchdowns. Unfortunately all of that has been overshadowed by WR Calvin Johnson having his game-wining TD pass ruled incomplete.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2010/09/who_knew_the_detroit_lions_def.html

Here is an article from Tom Kowalski about some of the rookie mistakes made in the game.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2010/09/lions_notes_rookies_contribute.html

Here is a story recapping the game from Tom Kowalski of MLive.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2010/09/lions_lose_matthew_stafford_to.html

The link below is from a Monday morning chat where you can log in and post questions. I do not think that many questions were answered it was basically fans venting after our stolen victory.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2010/09/live_chat_monday_morning_quart.html

A cool article about DE Kyle Vanden Bosch having a solid performance.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2010/09/kyle_vanden_bosch_among_bright.html

Here is a video of the post-game breakdown with Brian Van Ochten and Bill ‘The Huge Show’ Simonson.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2010/09/video_brian_vanochten_and_bill.html

This article is about Quarterback Matt Stafford’s injury.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2010/09/matthew_staffords_injury_is_no.html

Here is an article with Coach Schwartz dismissing the talk about Matt Stafford being injury prone and an article discussing how much time he could miss. He is not injury prone, he has just taken some hard hits because that poor excuse for an Offensive Line failed to protect him yet again.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2010/09/lions_jim_schwartz_dismisses_i.html
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2010/09/lions_matthew_stafford_could_m.html

Here is an audio clip with WR Calvin Johnson being on the Huge Show talking about his TD catch that was ruled incomplete.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2010/09/calvin_johnson_on_the_huge_sho.html

Here is a Week Two Preview chat with Brian Van Ochten. He answers a lot of question on some of the injuries and the status of Matt Stafford so it is worth checking out.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2010/09/live_chat_lions-eagles_week_2.html

I gave more links than I would of liked in this post but there is a lot of worthy information in them. I will post most likely either Friday or Saturday before this Sunday’s game against the Eagles.

I will end this post by calling someone out in particular. Although still saddened by our loss I am still angry. If I EVER see this freak show on the street I am taking out my frustration out on him and I will smash his head like a rotten tomato! So consider yourself warned! It case your wondering it is a boss enemy called the Executioner Majini from the Resident Evil 5 videogame who also made an appearance in the recent Resident Evil Afterlife movie. http://residentevil.wikia.com/Executioner_Majini Just kidding my Lionettes. I thought you all could use a good laugh :-)

Well that’s it for now. Take care and stay strong. We have gotten through worse, we’ll get through this. Until next time my Lionettes, GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO LIONSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

Cuidado La muerte peluda! Cuidado La muerte peluda!

Howdy my Lionettes!

No you did not read that title to my latest blog entry wrong. It is Spanish for Beware the Furry Death! I was inspired from an episode of one of my favorite shows South Park where they were poking fun at the movie Cloverfield. Instead of some big scary monster tearing apart New York City the South Park Episode had giant guinea pigs wrecking havoc. It’s pretty funny and I highly recommend checking the episode out.

Well Summer has ended and Fall is officially here with the kick off of football season. College kicked off last season and the NFL is tonight in fact with the New Orleans Saints facing the Minnesota Vikings. The Lions will open up on the road against the Chicago Bears this Sunday at Soldier Field at 1:00 p.m. It is away so it will not be blacked out.

Well anyhoo my Lionettes forward march! Let’s get to it shall we? My last blog entry had my projection of the Lions 53-man roster as well as the practice squad. Well I had a few wrong and was not anticipating the Lions trading TE Dan Gronkowski to the Denver Broncos for CB Alphonso Smith as one example.

Here is the press release from the Official Page of the Detroit Lions announcing the 53-man roster although I cut and pasted the depth chart from Wikipedia. Also they are hyper-linked so if you were to click on the individual player it’ll take you to their page on Wikipedia although I would not take Wikipedia for gospel.

http://www.detroitlions.com/news/article-1/Lions-Trim-Roster-to-Final-53-Man-Limit/04bfeefe-f4fb-4632-8186-ac9ead658059

Quarterbacks
14 Shaun Hill
9 Matthew Stafford
5 Drew Stanton

Running Backs
44 Jahvid Best
21 Aaron Brown
45 Jerome Felton FB
28 Maurice Morris
34 Kevin Smith

Wide Receivers
13 Nate Burleson
80 Bryant Johnson
81 Calvin Johnson
11 Stefan Logan
12 Derrick Williams

Tight Ends
89 Will Heller
84 Brandon Pettigrew
85 Tony Scheffler

Offensive Linemen
76 Jeff Backus T
77 Gosder Cherilus T
70 Jason Fox T
65 Dylan Gandy C
78 Corey Hilliard T
66 Stephen Peterman G
51 Dominic Raiola C
63 Manny Ramirez G
67 Rob Sims G

Defensive Linemen
92 Cliff Avril DE
96 Andre Fluellen DT
91 Sammie Hill DT
94 Lawrence Jackson DE
75 Turk McBride DE
90 Ndamukong Suh DT
93 Kyle Vanden Bosch DE
99 Corey Williams DT
79 Willie Young DE

Linebackers
50 Isaiah Ekejiuba ILB
49 Zack Follett OLB
41 Spencer Havner OLB
55 Landon Johnson OLB
54 DeAndre Levy ILB
58 Ashlee Palmer OLB
59 Julian Peterson OLB

Defensive Backs
32 Aaron Berry CB
39 C. C. Brown SS
26 Louis Delmas FS
23 Chris Houston CB
25 Randy Phillips FS
27 Alphonso Smith CB
42 Amari Spievey FS
24 Jonathan Wade CB
29 John Wendling SS

Special Teams
4 Jason Hanson K
2 Nick Harris P
48 Don Muhlbach LS

Reserve Lists
97 Korey Bosworth OLB (IR)
72 Trevor Canfield G (IR)
60 Joe Cohen DT (IR)
95 Jared DeVries DE (IR)
46 Richard Dickson TE (IR)
57 Jordon Dizon OLB (IR)
47 Jake Nordin FB (IR)
31 Jack Williams CB (PUP)

Practice Squad
61 Robert Callaway DT
53 Caleb Campbell OLB
40 J. J. Finley TE
64 Dan Gerberry C
33 Jonathan Hefney CB
17 Michael Moore WR
43 Paul Pratt CB
18 Tim Toone WR

They released some veterans like CB Dre Bly and OT Jon Jansen but the front office is looking at getting younger and finding players they can build a core nucleus around like Matt Stafford, Jahvid Best and Ndamukong Suh. Those are the kind of players that this team will be built around. The old adage is you build your team through the draft and supplement with free agency and trades. We are still two solid drafts away from being a major threat to the entire NFL. Someday fans from other teams will be saying “Oh crap we gotta play the Lions this weekend” and it’ll be fear. I can only hope to drink their tears like water when their teams are soundly beaten!

Tom Kowalski the beat writer for the Lions on MLive had a lunch time Q/A with fans and during my lunch break I posted a question and it was answered by him! I cut and pasted what I asked and his response and you can check out the link and read the other questions that were asked. Although my question is the only one of consequence LOL Just joking I am not that conceited well maybe just a little :-)

http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2010/09/lunch_with_killer_tom_kowalski_5.html

Comment From Kenny:
Hey Killer love your stuff do you think the lack of a solid Bears receiving corp might nullify our weak secondary?

TomKowalski:
not at all ... those guys might not be marquee names, but they're very dangerous ... very fast ...

Here is a Poll question by Brian Van Ochten of the Grand Rapids Press on how many wins the Lions will get this season. Click on the link to vote!
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2010/09/poll_question_how_optimistic_a.html

Here is a video podcast with Brian Van Ochten and Bill “the Huge Show” Simonson on the Lions Bears Preview. It’s only a few minutes long and well worth watching.
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2010/09/video_lions-bears_preview_with.html

Here is an interesting article from the Lions website on how our offense can counter any Bears Defensive scheme Rod Marinelli throws at us.
http://www.detroitlions.com/news/article-1/Lions-Look-to-Negate-Whichever-Defensive-Scheme-Chicago-Tries/e18d1401-4691-4656-b272-7d815076408c

I know what your all thinking your like “Yeah, yeah, yeah this is all very good information and insite but what is your prediction for the game this Sunday? I have most excellent news for you my Lionettes! I believe the Lions will go to Soldier Field this Sunday and beat the Chicago Bears by a score of 38 to 31. The Bears are favorites by 6 points but I believe we will prevail! This is not the same team that has taken the field the past two seasons and it will be shown on Sunday!

I want to mention to the Lions players that this weekend begins a new era. It does not matter what has been in the past. All you need to know is a new day has dawned and you will be a part of this turnaround. Believe it and feel it. Sisu! If you don’t know what it means it’s a phrase they say up in the UP. Sisu is a Finnish word that stands for "strength of will, determination, perseverance and acting rationally in the face of adversity."

I will post most likely on Monday or Tuesday recapping the game. All of you have a safe and blessed weekend. Until next time enjoy the game drink some beer and eat some chicken wings :-) GO LIONS!

Cuts, Cuts, Cuts and Other Stuff!

Howdy my Lionettes,

Well just like Christmas, the pre-season has come and gone. But don’t despair it’ll be back in the Summer of 2011 God will if there is a new Collective Bargaining Agreement reached by then. I am sure there are worse things to consider then no football in 2011 but none are really coming too mind.

I went to the final pre-season game against the Buffalo Bills and had a pretty good time. You know what really annoyed me about this particular trip to Ford Field? It was the fact that me and my bestest buddy Ben had to park in a really crummy parking lot because there was an uber lame Eminem/Jay-Z concert going on at Comerica Park. The real tragedy was how could so many people want to see two no talent hacks instead of the mighty Detroit Lions? That question will befuddle me for the rest of my life!

The stadium was one of the poorest attendances I had ever seen at Ford Field. I guess that goes to reason since the projected starters only played barely the first quarter. In case you missed it my Lionettes the Lions won their final pre-season game by a score of 28-23. I am encouraged by some of the play of our back-ups like Corner Back Paul Pratt intercepting a ball and running it back 106 yards to the house! Quarterback Drew Stanton has a reputation of snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. His two touchdown passes secured a win for us to go 3-1 in the pre-season.

Here is a really cool link sent to me by my bestest buddy Ben that will give you a neat perspective like what it would be like coming through the tunnel at Ford Field. Check it out it is really cool!

Want to know what it's like to walk onto Ford Field as a player... http://www.immersivemedia.com/demos/index.php?clip=Video15

Well my Lionettes here it is as promised. The projected 53-man roster, I however upstaged the rest of the NFL world by throwing in the Practice Squad and the Injured Reserve (IR) List. TOP THAT!

Depth Chart

Quarterbacks
14 Shaun Hill
9 Matthew Stafford
5 Drew Stanton

Running Backs
44 Jahvid Best
21 Aaron Brown
45 Jerome Felton FB
28 Maurice Morris
34 Kevin Smith

Wide Receivers
13 Nate Burleson
80 Bryant Johnson
81 Calvin Johnson
86 Dennis Northcutt
12 Derrick Williams

Tight Ends
89 Will Heller
84 Brandon Pettigrew
85 Tony Scheffler

Offensive Linemen
76 Jeff Backus T
77 Gosder Cherilus T
70 Jason Fox T
65 Dylan Gandy C
68 Jon Jansen T
66 Stephen Peterman G
51 Dominic Raiola C
63 Manny Ramirez G
67 Rob Sims G

Defensive Linemen
92 Cliff Avril DE
96 Andre Fluellen DT
91 Sammie Hill DT
94 Lawrence Jackson DE
75 Turk McBride DE
90 Ndamukong Suh DT
93 Kyle Vanden Bosch DE
99 Corey Williams DT

Linebackers
50 Rocky Boiman ILB
53 Caleb Campbell OLB
52 Vinny Ciurciu OLB
49 Zack Follett OLB
54 DeAndre Levy ILB
59 Julian Peterson OLB

Defensive Backs
40 Aaron Berry CB
32 Dre' Bly CB
39 C. C. Brown SS
26 Louis Delmas FS
33 Jonathan Hefney CB
23 Chris Houston CB
38 T. J. Rushing CB
42 Amari Spievey FS
24 Jonathan Wade CB
35 John Wendling SS
29 Eric King CB

Special Teams
4 Jason Hanson K
2 Nick Harris P
48 Don Muhlbach LS

Reserve Lists
94 Copeland Bryan DE (IR)
72 Trevor Canfield G (IR)
60 Joe Cohen DT (IR)
95 Jared DeVries DE (IR)
46 Richard Dickson TE (IR)
57 Jordon Dizon OLB (IR)
47 Jake Nordin FB (IR)
25 David Roach SS (IR)
31 Jack Williams CB (PUP)
33 Jahi Word-Daniels FS (IR)

Practice Squad
83 Tim Toone WR
82 Dan Gronkowski TE
78 Corey Hilliard T
79 Willie Young DE
97 Korey Bosworth OLB
3 Steve Hauschka K
43 Randy Phillips FS
41 Dante Wesley CB

Well my Lionettes it has been a full day, I am really tired and I have a long day of drinking beer ahead of me tomorrow. Planning on drinking like a fish! And Griff I am calling you out on Bean Bag Toss Buddy! So as always stay the course, keep the faith and God Bless each and every one of you! GO SPARTANS and yes unfortunately GO WOLVERINES for some of you and last but certainly not least GO LIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dog, dog, dog eat dog; Dog, dog, dog eat dog

No my Lionettes, I am not advocating eating man’s best friend. Although I am a cat person I’m not a dog abuser. I figured the title for this entry in my blog would reference a song by the Motor City Madman, Ted Nugent. I got the idea from seeing a clip of the Cleveland Brown fan base getting silly and causing all sorts of shenanigans and that song was playing in the background. There is your ten cent trivia for the day on how I come up with this particular wacky title for this entry.

Anyhoo I trust that all of my very loyal readers are doing well. By the way I do not write this thing for my own edification. I do it for all of you my Lionettes! Yes I am talking to those of you who could care less about the NFL and especially the Lions. That and I’m bucking for a guest columnist spot with the Detroit News. It can happen! But you see this where I am doing a service for the Lions organization, by spreading the glad tidings of joy that are coming our way with a winning team.

You might be saying “it’s only pre-season and we fall into this trap every season”. Well true and true. However, unlike the Matt Millen years of darkness; the team is headed in the right direction and building a strong foundation for the future. We have a legitimate Quarterback in Matt Stafford as well as an offensive arsenal that would but the USS Ronald Reagan’s to shame.

Well my Lionettes our most beloved NFL franchise team the Detroit Lions beat the Cleveland Browns by a score of 35-27. I was in attendance personally and I felt it was my cheerleading that helped bring us a win at home. Just joking! I am not that conceited! It was an enjoyable game and a lot of fun. Since this is my first year buying season tickets I hope I will be witness to our march to the Super Bowl. Hey dreams are free ya know!

There were a lot of good plays on offense and some not so good plays on defense. Although I wish I could dissect every facet of this game I will post a story from Tom Kowalski from MLive which has his recap of the game. It’s a bit lengthy but well worth the time to read.

http://bleacherreport.com/tb/b5BfR

The major concern I have after watching the game is the playmaking of the linebackers and the secondary. There were too many missed tackles, penalties, a fumble from RB Kevin Smith that cost us 6 points. Offensively they are clicking quite well. Matt Stafford is spreading the ball around and was solid on the day with 13/17, 141 yards, no touchdowns but more importantly no interceptions. He seems to be very focused and cutting down on the mistakes.

I really believe that if we can sustain offensive drives and keep our defense off the field for as long as possible then hopefully we can get through this season with a sub-par linebacking corp and secondary. If we have CBs Wade and Houston back healthy, I think they are serviceable. Maybe not the greatest CB tandem but certainly not the worst! Who knows maybe the secondary won’t be as bad as we might think. Both of them have been injured and have not had a chance to gel together as a unit.

I do have a dreadful feeling that like the OLine from last year the Secondary is going to be this season’s problem child. The obvious key is staying healthy, if we do that we will be all right but if Wade or Houston goes down at any point in the season, it could be serious trouble.

There is the possibility of getting some decent depth guys fro our linebacker and secondary units by waiting to see who gets cut from other teams. That is a most definite. Tomorrow is the first round of cuts where teams have to cut their rosters to 75 players. This does not include those players on Injure Reserve. If you are interested here is the current batch of Lions who are on IR.

Reserve Lists

94 Copeland Bryan DE (IR)
72 Trevor Canfield G (IR)
60 Joe Cohen DT (IR)
95 Jared DeVries DE (IR)
46 Richard Dickson TE (IR)
57 Jordon Dizon OLB (IR)
47 Jake Nordin FB (Waived/Injured)
25 David Roach SS (Waived/Injured)
31 Jack Williams CB (Active/PUP)
33 Jahi Word-Daniels FS (IR)

Here is an updated Linebacker and Defensive Back list.

Linebackers

-- Rocky Boiman ILB
97 Korey Bosworth OLB
53 Caleb Campbell OLB
52 Vinny Ciurciu OLB
50 Isaiah Ekejiuba ILB
49 Zack Follett OLB
55 Landon Johnson OLB
54 DeAndre Levy ILB
58 Ashlee Palmer OLB
59 Julian Peterson OLB

Defensive Backs

40 Aaron Berry CB
32 Dre' Bly CB
39 C. C. Brown SS
26 Louis Delmas FS
33 Jonathan Hefney CB
23 Chris Houston CB
29 Eric King CB
43 Randy Phillips FS
36 Paul Pratt CB
38 T. J. Rushing CB
30 Ko Simpson SS
42 Amari Spievey FS
24 Jonathan Wade CB
35 John Wendling SS
41 Dante Wesley CB

So tomorrow we’ll be down to 75 players and then on September 4th we will have the cut to 53. Most people tend to forget that there is also the 8-man practice squad to consider but the danger in that is players can be plucked by other teams. The last pre-season game will be this Thursday September 2nd at 6:30 p.m. it will be blacked out in all probability like the Cleveland game. Especially when the starters will barely play the first quarter to prevent a major injury before they open up the regular season on the road against Chicago on September 12th.

Well my Lionettes it has been a very long day I am exhausted and I think I am going to go home now. Again I never get tired of saying this. Stay positive and encouraged. Things are improving. Still a long ways to go but it will happen someday. We have been far too patient for it not too. I’ll have another post out on Friday after the Bills game with a recap of that game as well as my prediction for the 53-man roster. Take care everyone and God bless you all. Until next time my Lionettes GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO LIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We've Got High Hopes

But he's got high hopes, he's got high hopes; He's got high apple pie, in the sky hopes! No my Lionettes I am not preparing to rejoin the MSU Glee Club, well not yet at least. That song by Frank Sinatra is appropriate for the hope our beloved Lions continue to instill in us. Well my Lionettes we got our first win of the pre-season with a 25-20 win over the Denver Broncos.

Yes I know it's only pre-season and we must not fall into the same trap we seem to every season by reading too much into meaningless pre-season games. However, this time I see a real change happening! I believe Matt Stafford will lead us to the promised land someday!

By the way this photo is of Denver Broncos Quarterback Kyle Orton who loves to drink as you can tell. I got this photo from http://drunkathlete.com/ Pretty funny although it wasn't quite the one I was looking for.

I hope you all get a good laugh from it like I have.

Well let's recap the game and I am feeling particularly cocky because we got a win so we can talk a little smack.

Well let's look at the highs from this past Saturday. The First Team offense led by Matt Stafford was solid including a touchdown pass to Calvin Megatron Johnson. The lowlight of the Lions offensive drives were points left off the board and the 25-20 score made it look closer than what it really was. The Lions opted for field goals when two touchdown passes by Stafford were dropped from TEs Brandon Pettigrew and Tony Scheffler. Our Red Zone offense has got to be better than that. 3 out of 4 possessions ended in field goals when we should of gotten TDs.

By the way here is a pretty good interesting recap from the Bleacher Report that you all should enjoy.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/441198-detroit-lions-monday-morning-quarterback-preseason-week-two?utm_source=newsletter

RB Jahvid Best had a solid game averaging 6.1 yards a carry and amassing 59 yards of total offense. He would of have had 100 yards rushing had he played the entire game. I think we have a solid one-two punch in our run-game with Jahvid Best and Kevin Smith. By the way I met Jahvid Best at a Lions practice for season ticket holders and yes my Lionettes I am REALLY chugging the kool-aid this time when I bought season tickets. Anyways I got his autograph and I told him to run the ball down Green Bay's throats this year and I believe he will!

Filling in place of injured Kicker Jason Hanson, Steven Hauschka was perfect making all four of his field goals and putting all six kick-offs in the end zone. If Hanson is ever injured again I believe we have a competent kicker in him to fill in providing no other team picks him up.

The Defense did not disappoint except when it came to the play of the Secondary. The starting defensive line only allowed 20 yards although Denver was without their top two running backs. The first-team defense did get to Orton sacking him once. It's refreshing to see our DLine get pressure they have in the games against Pittsburgh and Denver.

Now the bad news. With our DLine having a suspect secondary to complement it; it has created a blueprint for opposing team offenses to look at this game and avoid the pass-rush by using a three-step back drop and using a quick release to get rid of the ball. Without Safety Louis Delmas and CB Jonathan Wade out there, Kyle Orton picked our defense apart and unfortunately without a solid secondary teams will further exploit this weakness. Again we can blame Matt Millen for leaving almost next to nothing in the tank when GM Martin Mayhew and Coach Jim Schwartz took over.

I know we were not going to fix this team with just two drafts. We'll need at least two more before we can begin to serious contend for the NFC North. Like I mentioned in my last posting, my wish list for next year's draft is at least one Linebacker, two Cornerbacks and one Safety.

Once Safety Louis Delmas gets back healthy that will be a huge help to the Secondary. We need depth and someone to pair next to him which could be rookie safety Randy Phillips who is making quite a name for himself in training camp and in these two pre-season games. In this game he had a key tackle for a loss and had a team-high four tackles. I only see us carrying eight defensive backs on the roster. Louis Delmas, Randy Phillips, Ko Simpson most likely three out of the four Safeties. Dre Bly, Jonathan Wade and Amari Spievey will most likely be three out of the four Cornerbacks. The other Corner Back and Safety positions are up for grabs which could come later via trade or roster cuts from other teams. Speaking of Dre Bly he had an awesome interception taking away an impressive drive from the Broncos. So kudos to him.

It was nice seeing LB DeAndre Levy back in the lineup and was showing why he is the Quaterback of the Defense.

I watched the replay of the game the next day on the NFL Network and on the NFL Network replays they have the home team's local coverage so it was the Broncos broadcasters. Well during that first half, they were beside themselves when it came to the Lions defensive line having its way with the Denver offense. One thing annoyed me with their coverage of the game was that they were using the old Lions logo for their animation which of course was wrong.

Some of the rookies need to play a bit better like OT Jason Fox who had a holding and facemask penalty. WR Time Toone was okay on kick-returning games but the numbers were not that impressive. We can only hope that the rookies will develop in time.

Overall I was happy with their performance with the exception of getting field goals instead of touch downs. Well my Lionettes don't forget this coming Saturday's game against the Cleveland Browns has been moved from 5:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. It is possibly going to be blacked out so those of you in the blackout zones will not be able to see the game until it is repeated I believe at 8:30 p.m. laster that day. I will be attending in person rotting our Lions onto victory.

Well my ever faithful Lionettes it has been a really long day. I'll have another post next week after the Cleveland game. Until next time stay strong, believe that good things will come and we will be rewarded for our loyalty! I KNOW IT! GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO LIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!