Hope We Truly Can Believe In!

Good morning/afternoon/evening to all of my Lionettes depending on where you are in your respective time zones. Anyways let's dive right in shall we? Since my last post we played our first pre-season game against the Pittsburgh Steelers and lost 23-7. There are a lot of positives we can take from that game. Our first team offense and defense played extremely well. Our pass rush led by DE's Cliff Avril and Kyle Vanden Bosch was right on target. For once it was nice to see the other team's QB scramble for their lives like we have had to see time and time again of ours. Matt Stafford was awesome and connected with Calvin Johnson AKA Megatron for a nice end-zone touchdown pass. Like I mentioned in the last post I have learned not to take much stock in pre-season games. Hell I'd be okay with going 0-4 in the pre-season if that meant we go 16-0 in the regular season.

By the way if some of you are wondering about the title of this blog entry I figured it made sense since we are in election season. Unlike Obama's false hope, campaign promises this Detroit Lions team really does give us hope. That is what I saw in the Pittsburgh game, legitimate hope! Although I am concerned with the defensive play of the secondary and our depth for other positions is also a concern. Like Coach Schwartz says we don't want to say when were healthy were a good football team, we want to say when we get injured were a good football team.

That is why depth is important! Although it is not as bad as it was a couple of years ago depth is still a concern with the Linebacker Corp and Secondary. How do other players respond and step up their game if heaven forbid Delmas or Levy are out for the season. They have been very active in bringing in players to fill secondary positions. As of this post here is the current DB (Defensive Back) roster.

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 S
36 Paul Pratt CB
25 David Roach FS
38 T. J. Rushing CB
30 Ko Simpson FS
42 Amari Spievey CB
24 Jonathan Wade CB
41 Dante Wesley FS

31 Jack Williams CB (Active/PUP)

As we get closer to the regular season I will give you all my prediction of projected starters and back-ups. I do apologize that my posts are as of late few and far between. As the seaon is upon us I should post more frequently although sometimes it may be tough because of the election season. I am also planning on doing a Mortal Kombat Bracket, NFL Mascot Edition pretty soon! Should be quite funny.

Tomorrow night we are set to play our second pre-season game against Saint Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos although it is doubtful that Tebow sees the field due to sore ribs. It'll be a fun game to watch I am certain of. Not sure what the line is not that also matters but I'm hopeful to see more of our defense in action. Speaking of defense. DT Ndamukong Suh's debut was pretty solid. Although he did not have any tackles or sacks he was occupying two blockers. The Pittsburgh offensive line was obligating two Offensive Linemen to block him and that only frees up other DLine men to attack their QB. That is why we should feel encouraged with our revamped DLine we can finally get to the Quaterback and make them have a seat on the turf.

Next week I'll recap the Lions Broncos game and look at our Linebacker Corp. That is the only other area of major concern that we'll need to look at before the regular season begins. Well my Lionettes it has been a really long day and I am very tired. Enjoy the game tomorrow night remember kick-off is at 9:00 p.m. and should be carried on your local Fox Affiliate. Until next time keep the faith believe that there is hope on the horizon and last but certainly not least GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO LIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Only In The Leap From The Lion’s Head Will He Prove His Worth!

Howdy to all of my bestest friends in the whole wide world! Yes I am talking directly to you my Lionettes! Your all probably wondering how I came up with the title of my latest and greatest entry to my Detroit Lions blog. Well I will answer your enquiring minds right now! There is a scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade where our hero Indiana Jones must retrieve the Holy Grail to save his father who was shot by the Nazis. He has to face three challenges in order to reach the Holy Grail and the third and most difficult of the challenges requires blind faith. You see Indiana Jones is staring over a chasm with no way across to the other side. He must cross but there is no way he can possibly jump that far. But then remembers that he must have faith and leap from the Lion statue at the edge. He closes his eyes and falls off the ledge and instead of falling to his death he lands on a ledge that was painted to perfection to make it look invisible.

So that is where we are with this new Detroit Lions team. We have to take that leap from the Lions head to prove our worth. I know we are long-suffering and the past few years have been particularly discouraging and disappointing. But I believe in my heart that our faith will be rewarded. Maybe sooner than we think? It has taken awhile to undo the Matt Millen damage and we still have a ways to go especially with the Secondary and Linebacker Corp as well as the Offensive Line. Speaking of which is it too early to think about next year’s draft wish list?

Here are my wants for the 2011 NFL Draft. Linebacker, Two Cornerbacks, Safety, Offensive Guard or Offensive Tackle, Quarterback (Depending on what happens with Quarterback Drew Stanton since this is his last contract year) and a Defensive End. Of course team needs and BPA (Best Player Available) will be taken into account and where we will be drafting. God willing we draft out of the Top Ten next time.

Some of you may have seen a YouTube video that is becoming a sensation with us Lions fans. It is a clip of the Detroit Lions winning the Super Bowl by beating the Indianapolis Colts in the latest edition of the Madden Football game for Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii. When I first saw it I am not afraid to admit I got misty eyed thinking of what will be someday. Here is the link check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjUh5GbqMxI

Tomorrow we kick-off the pre-season against the Pittsburgh Steelers. I am indifferent to tomorrow’s game although I do hope for a victory; I have learned never to read anything into pre-season performances. Had the 2008 regular season been like their performance in the pre-season they would be erecting statues of Matt Millen and Rod Marinelli in front of Ford Field. In case some of you need a refresher we went 4-0 in the pre-season and 0-16 in the regular season. I will be looking at our new and improved 4-3 defense as well as how the Secondary performs.

All of our draft picks have been signed with the last being DT Ndamukong Suh who held out for four days. It was shorter than WR Calvin Johnson holding out for 8 days before he got his contract signed. I know he said he was going to be in on camp at time and wasn’t but I am willing to let bygones be bygones. I am looking forward to Suh smacking the heck out of opposing team’s QB’s which hopefully becomes a habit.

Here is the current Detroit Lions roster from Wikipedia as of today. I know you can take what Wikipedia says with a grain of salt but in this instance they are very accurate. I am not certain who maintains this particular page but whoever they are, they do a very good job of keeping it updated with the latest information.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Detroit_Lions_roster

Lastly I mean for this last part in this entry to be to the team itself. Tomorrow (Saturday) you’ll be taking the field to do something very few people get the chance to do. No matter what happens to you after the pre-season always remember you carry the hopes and dreams of an entire city and state with you. Us fans believe in you guys and know you’ll do great things. Remember what the coaches have told you, do not over think the plays, relax and just execute. Do that and you’ll be just fine. God bless you all and I will be eagerly awaiting kick-off at 7:30 p.m. but whose counting :-)

Well until next time my Lionettes stay strong, be safe and GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO LIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Revenge of the Roar!

Hello My Lionettes!

Wow where do I begin? Should I profusely apologize to all of my local readers just our sorry I am for not posting in forever? Well maybe not forever but like four months but why argue semantics. Well I am here now and that’s what’s important. People often wonder and ask me how can I be such a huge Lions fan when we are 2-30 over the past two seasons and most analysts have us penciled in between 4-7 wins at best for the upcoming season? I personally believe that if you care about something so much especially when that thing is at its lowest it is the truest test of our humanity. If you come across someone who is hurt in the street you would reach down and help them up wouldn’t you? That is how I see it. This team has fallen down and the true fans will reach down and help them up. For far too long this team has been down but I see this team getting up on its feet and being a team that the entire NFL fears! Well there is my cheerleading pitch for now!

Well this weekend is it! Training camp has finally arrived and as of this blog post the Lions have signed 5 of their 6 draft picks with the exception of DT Ndamukong Suh which should be imminent now that the St. Louis Rams have come to terms with their top pick QB Sam Bradford. So I believe that most likely all Lions players will arrive on time Saturday morning in Allen Park to begin training camp.

How this all works is when the top pick in the NFL draft works out their deal with their team then it is a sort of template on how to base the salaries for the remaining rookies. Sort of a scale but when a new Collective Bargaining Agreement is reached I am certain a rookie minimum salary will become part of it so that an untested rookie does not get 50 million guaranteed money before he takes his first snap in the NFL.

Here is the Lions upcoming season schedule by the way.

http://www.detroitlions.com/schedule-and-events/season-schedule.html

Speaking of which in case you didn’t know the Lions draft picks here they are in order with an analysis from the NFL.com website

DT Ndamukong Suh
http://www.nfl.com/draft/2010/profiles/ndamukong-suh?id=496861

Pick Analysis: The Lions pick Ndamukong Suh to become the pillar of their defense at the tackle spot. Suh gives coach Jim Schwartz a disruptive interior player in the mold of Albert Haynesworth to build around. Given the fact that the Lions ranked 32nd in total defense last season, Suh's dominant presence should restore some of the roar in Detroit.


RB Jahvid Best
http://www.nfl.com/draft/2010/profiles/jahvid-best?id=497147

Pick Analysis: The Lions pick up the ultra-explosive Jahvid Best to alleviate some of the pressure on Matthew Stafford. Best is the most instinctive runner in the draft, and his skills may flourish as the feature back in Detroit. Although his back-to-back concussions last season justifiably raise concerns, the Lions may have landed the player with the most potential to become the next CJ2K.


CB Amari Spievey
http://www.nfl.com/draft/2010/profiles/amari-spievey?id=496743

Pick Analysis: The Lions pick up a tough, hard-nosed corner with the selection of Amari Spievey. He excels at zone coverage, and possesses the instincts to emerge as a ball hawk in the pros. With the Lions in desperate need of playmakers in the secondary, the addition of Spievey gives them more depth and talent at the corner spot.


OT Jason Fox
http://www.nfl.com/draft/2010/profiles/jason-fox?id=497008

Pick Analysis: The Lions address their offensive tackle situation with the selection of Jason Fox. Though Fox lacks the skills to compete for a starting position immediately, he has the skills to develop into a starting caliber player in time.


DE Willie Young
http://www.nfl.com/draft/2010/profiles/willie-young?id=496891

Pick Analysis: The Lions draft another edge rusher in Willie Young of North Carolina State. He's high-hipped, but highly inconsistent. However, he's a natural bender, who can accelerate of the edge and get to the quarterback.


WR Tim Toone
http://www.nfl.com/draft/2010/profiles/tim-toone?id=1037920

Pick Analysis: The 2010 Mr. Irrelevant is an all-purpose threat that can return kicks, run routes and make plays in space. He will fight for a spot on specials teams in his rookie year.


Well sorry this is so short but I will post again really soon most likely after this weekend after Lions practice this Sunday morning! I can hardly wait! Until next time my Lionettes BELIEVE that great things are coming! Until next time GO LIONS!

With the 2nd Pick in the 2010 NFL Draft the Detroit Lions Select………

Hello My Lionettes!

Well it is that favorite time of the year to be a Lions fan! The Draft! I hope everyone is as geeked as I am about the coming NFL Draft! Well I do set the bar pretty high so I think I am alone at the top on this one. As of this posting we are only three, count em three days away from Thursday’s NFL Draft. Here is a link from the Detroit Lions website about the draft party at Ford Field. I am going and if anyone wants to tag along please let me know. I only have space for four people though.

http://www.detroitlions.com/news/article-1/Lions-to-Hold-Draft-Night-Event-at-Ford-Field/376b792f-d7a3-4296-940b-d1813c9c9282

Here is my Mock Draft. This mock draft is based on our 7 picks and does not take into account pickups or losses from the result of trading down or up to acquire certain players. IF we can trade out of the #2 spot and move back I am ok with that and picking up additional draft picks that is ok. In the event of that happening we will most likely draft LT Russell Okung from Oklahoma State. The only problem I see with that is he would most likely play RT the coming season and then move over to LT in 2011 after Jeff Backus is most likely placed in a back-up capacity, traded or released. Taking Okung was a strong possibility until we acquired LG Rob Sims from Seattle to play Left Guard.

DT Gerald McCoy from Oklahoma, OG Mike Iupati from Idaho or CB Joe Haden from Florida are candidates for our 1st round pick if we do move back. If they do trade back they can pick up a 2nd round and a 3rd round plus a 6th or 7th round pick. Because this draft is so deep in Oline and DLine it is possible for the Lions to keep moving back to the middle of the first round with their first pick being in the high teens or low 20s and they can amass several picks. It could mean us having so many picks that we can finally have solid starters in multiple positions; have true battles in training camp for starting spots; developmental and depth guys like the Patriots, Giants and Steelers.

1st Round Pick 2 (2) DT Ndamukong Suh from Nebraska
(Projecting Suh will be available based on the high probability the St. Louis Rams will select QB Sam Bradford with their pick)

Here is a link from Sports Science on DT Ndamukong Suh.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDMWKvqG6Fs&playnext_from=TL&videos=sJmA82PySN8

Here is a link from the Bakita and Grey Morning Show with a parody song of Runaround Sue about the Lions drafting Ndamukong Suh.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxXAxuw4uJc

2nd Round Pick 2 (34) CB Patrick Robinson from Florida State

3rd Round Pick 2 (66) RB Toby Gerhart from Stanford
(I think the Lions snag Gerhart if he is still around in the 3rd)
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2010/04/stanfords_toby_gerhart_could_f.html

4th Round Pick 2 (100) DE Antonio Coleman from Auburn

7th Round Pick 6 (213) S Terrell Skinner from Maryland

7th Round Pick 7 (214) OG Reggie Stephens from Iowa State

7th Round Pick 48 (255) OT Mike Tepper from California

Pretty much my 7th Round picks are ALL guesses. I doubt any of those three are picked. I think your odds of winning the lottery are better than accurately determining late round draft choices. Every team’s draft boards will immediately change after the #1 pick in the First Round is announced. Why do we even have a mock draft for rounds 5-7? By then most of those players are either depth guys or developmental players. The Lions will most likely move back in either the 2nd or 3rd rounds and if they do that they’ll pick up at least a pick or two in the 5th and 6th rounds.

Here is a Mock Draft from Sportingnews.com and they say we are taking mostly defense I agree with their assessment on players taken in specific positions like DT, CB/RB, RB/CB but I am not so certain on the players they are suggesting. Like I said before it depends on where players fall and when they are chosen because it’ll alter every team’s boards.
http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/draft/mock_draft?season=2010&round=1

Now the position groups I think they do not draft in at least in the first four rounds are QB, WR, TE, LB and ST (Punter & Kicker). I think if they draft anyone in those positions it’ll be extremely late and I don’t see them taking a QB at all in this draft. A Line Backer could come in the 4th or if they pick up a 5th or 6th round pick.

I am really encouraged about the directions this team is taking. It is taking some time to undo all the damage that Matt Millen caused in his eight years of bad drafts. Especially the first round busts like WR Mike Williams and WR Charles Rogers. I sincerely believe we are going to make a strong run after this season. Speaking of which on Tuesday the NFL will announce the 2010 schedule. Well my Lionettes WATCH THE DRAFT either at Ford Field with the rest of us die-hards or it’ll be on NFL Network and ESPN. I’ll have another post after the draft take care everyone and GOOOOOOOOOOO LIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mock Draft (Movie Edition)

Hello my Lionettes,





Again I am sorry for not posting in awhile. This one will be a bit short because I am just getting over a bad cold. Sleep has been scarce this past week. I will post more often as we get closer to the draft. I thought I would be a bit clever with a mock draft. This one is my picks for the Lions based on characters from football movies. This is a sort of wish list not dissing any of the players on the current roster but I am treating this as a sort of expansion experiment. I would draft franchise players in major areas of need. A Quarterback, a Linebacker, Running Back, Safety, Defensive Tackle, Wide Receiver and Offensive Tackle. The unfortunate circumstance is that if these were real players thay would all most likely be 1st rounders. I have listed them by round, position, character name from movie, the actor playing them and the film.

1st Round QB Shane Falco (Keanu Reeves The Replacements)
2nd Round LB Bobby Boucher (Adam Sandler The Waterboy)
3rd Round RB Earl Megget (Nelly The Longest Yard)
4th Round Safety Torres (Lobo Sebastian The Longest Yard)
5th Round DT Switowski (Bob Sapp The Longest Yard)
6th Round WR Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding Jr. Jerry Maguire)
7th Round OT Jumbo Fumiko (Ace Yonamine The Replacements)

Hope you all get a good laugh out of this mock draft. Take care everyone and until next time GO LIONS!

Ready For Round 2?

Hello all of my fellow Lionettes,

Let me start off saying how sorry I am for not posting the past decade well last few months but why argue semantics. Let me say I have been insanely busy at the office. Coupled with another bad season for our Lions my appetite for writing this blog got thrown out like some bad food left in the fridge.

Well the Lions season has come and gone. Thankfully! You know at the beginning of the season I really thought we would be 7-9. Boy was I wrong! 2-14 is not much better than last year’s 0-16 but when the house is burned down clearing the rubble is the first sign of progress. I am not going to say that the Lions are in a re-building phase but a BUILDING phase. That joke of a GM, Matt Millen left us with ABSOLUTELY NOTHING in the tank! Well maybe I am being too harsh. We have a few players that are worth something. Like Wide Receiver Calvin Johnson whom after a disappointing season the Lions front office need to kiss up to and keep him happy here in Detroit.

A quick tid bit my thoughts and prayers are with the people of Haiti after this week’s devastating tragedy. I know a few of the Lions players Louis Delmas, Gosder Cherilus and Cliff Avril are personally affected and I can only hope and pray to the Lord that your family members are safe.

Special Teams Coach Stan Kwan has been dismissed by the Lions and as of this posting I am not sure whom the Lions will pick to replace him. I was hoping on Bobby April from the Buffalo Bills since they fired their entire staff and also as of today signed with the Philadelphia Eagles so he is out. I liked Stan Kwan and I know a lot of fans disliked him but he could only work with what he had. I do believe the Head Coach should have final say on the coaching staff and if Coach Schwartz did not feel he was the one to lead the Special Teams unit forward then I have to support that decision.

Another tidbit. The Lions coaching staff will coach the Under Armour Senior Bowl at the end of the month down in Mobile, Alabama January 30th. WOO-HOO! That is huge because the coaching staff will get a good look at some potential draftees. So that is a big plus. Detroit will coach the North Squad and the Miami Dolphins coaching staff will coach the South Squad.

The Lions 2010 opponents have been confirmed and are as follows. The schedule will be released in a couple of months which as soon as it comes out I will let you all know.

Home:

Chicago Bears

Green Bay Packers

Minnesota Vikings

Philadelphia Eagles

Washington Redskins

New England Patriots

New York Jets

St. Louis Rams

Away:

Chicago Bears

Green Bay Packers

Minnestoa Vikings

Dallas Cowboys

New York Giants

Buffalo Bills

Miami Dolphins

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

This is the end of the current scheduling formula and it is TBD when the new one will be made. As you can see we are playing the NFC East, our own division, the AFC East and the bottom feeders of the NFC West and NFC South which is the Rams and Buccaneers respectively. Our Thanksgiving game which is still ours for now will either be the Patriots or the Jets since we are due to play an AFC team on our Turkey Day. I am going to bet on the Patriots and we will see Tom Brady make his return to the state of Michigan.

Speaking of which you all want a good cry? When Tom Brady was drafted in 2000 by the New England Patriots in the 6th round you all want to know who we took when Tom Brady was available? Quinton Reese from Auburn was our 6th round pick in the 2000 draft! Who the hell is Quinton Reese you might ask? I HAVE NO CLUE! I could not even find which position he played. Maybe it was the team towel boy for all I know. This is just one instance of REALLY, REALLY bad drafting although this draft was prior to the Dark Ages of the Millen regime.

Here is the current roster of the Detroit Lions:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Detroit_Lions_roster

Click the link because I could not cut and paste it like I wanted to into this blog. And yes there will be another roster turn-over maybe not as bad as last year’s but still another turn over. A lot of Free Agents that were brought in do not fit into the team’s long-term plans. They were brought in to fill holes and it is very apparent that those holes need to be addressed in the draft.

Next item of business the draft in April! I CAN HARDLY WAIT! Some of you will see that I have a countdown on my GroupWise Messenger status bar in the Senate. The draft is of course being held over the course of three days in prime-time. Thursday night April 22nd will be the first round. Friday night April 23rd will be rounds two and three. Saturday April 24th will be rounds four through seven. I am going to take a contingent of fans Thursday night to Ford Field for the Lions Draft Party if anyone is interested. I will get more information to all of you as we get closer. I went last year and it was fun other than the fans booing Matt Stafford, Brandon Pettigrew and Louis Delmas when they were announced. However, I clapped and cheered because I love this team. Once the pick is announced they are Lions and need to be supported 100%.

Quick note about the coming play-offs hopefully the Lions will get there within the next two years. I figure we are two more drafts away from being a contender within the division. I am pulling for the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC and pretty much any team other than the Ravens in the AFC. Your probably wondering why? Well my Lionettes I am going to answer your enquiring minds. No team should go to the Superbowl that used the Lions as a stepping stone to get there. The Ravens embarrassed the Lions this year so I am indifferent to the Colts, Jets or Chargers making it to the Superbowl. In the NFC the Cardinals, Vikings and Saints all beat the Lions and Minnesota who I despise did it twice. So that is my rationale. I am not asking you to agree with it and some of you might say that is dumb. But I do not want my Lions being a footnote on their stupid DVD highlighting all of their accolades.

Next thing I want to talk about is the Lions draft picks or should I say potentials. Everyone in Lions nation myself included want Nebraska Defensive Tackle Ndamukong Suh but since we have the #2 pick he may not be there when the St. Louis Rams have the #1 overall and may snag him. We need the Rams to fall head over heels in love with either QB Jimmy Clausen from Notre Dame or QB Sam Bradford from Oklahoma. Your all wondering why the Rams would take a QB with their pick? Well they need a QB and most of the QBs will be off the board by the time they pick again at the top of the 2nd round. Unless QB Colt McCoy from Texas falls to the top of the 2nd round then they are covered. But they or any team for that matter cannot count on that. So we might take Tennessee Safety Eric Berry or Defensive Tackle Gerald McCoy from Oklahoma. I am pretty certain that our first pick will be a defensive player.

In the coming draft we pick second in Rounds 1-5.
We have the Denver Broncos 5th round pick because of a trade from the 2009 draft.
We have one pick in the 6th round.
We don’t have a pick in the 7th round because we owe the Buffalo Bills for the S Ko Simpson trade.
We get a 7th round pick from the New York Jets for the QB Kevin O’Connell trade but I am not sure if it is for the 2010 or 2011 draft. Compensatory picks from the league will be determined later once free agents losses have been assessed.

My wish-list of picks are a Defensive Tackle, Defensive End, Two Cornerbacks or a Corner Back and Safety, a Left Guard and then Best Player Available. We can hope that we have another good draft class and judging by contributors from the 2009 class I feel there is real room for optimism since this draft is stocked with DLine.

Well I hope to post again soon. Hopefully the wait won’t be as long next time. Well everyone take great care do not give up hang tough and GO LIONS!

A Lion Man’s Burden

A most excellent morning/afternoon/evening/night to my fellow Lions enthusiasts. Let me start off with saying just how sorry I am for being away for so long. I feel today is just as good as any to post on my blog about Detroit’s less well-received team, the Lions. Well the Lions have snapped their 19-game losing streak with a 19-14 win over the Washington Redskins! Thanks to a fella named Brendan Ringlever I was able to attend and see the win since it was blacked out.

So far we are 1-4 and in the losses thus far to New Orleans, Minnesota, Chicago and Pittsburgh there were huge signs of improvement. They didn’t start the games being down 21-0 before starting to battle back. Although we got doubled up by Chicago we were in that game with a 21-21 tie at the half. What they have to focus on is learning to finish and not let up keep the foot down on their throats. Quarterback Matt Stafford is showing good signs of improvement and I believe we have our quarterback for the future. I wish he could have played against Pittsburgh because that is how a QB gets better is by playing the tough, hard teams.

I love this team so that is why I called this blog entry “A Lion Man’s Burden” it is a burden to be a Lions fan and have the NFL world look at you like you are a joke. But the thing is the Lions are NOT the worst team this season well at least not for now. The Tennessee Titans, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and St Louis Rams are all 0-5 and The Rams and Buccaneers are both former Super Bowl champions. Last seasons’ division winners could very well be this years’ division bottom feeders. Things change! New players are either drafted, new free agents are signed and or players change rolls. New offensive/defensive scheme changes, coaches and personnel change all the time. I think we are going to keep last seasons’ record like luggage unless the Rams follow in our awful footsteps. I would never want to see another team go through the hell the Lions did last season except for the Vikings and Packers whom I despise with a nuclear capability.

Not sure how many draft picks we will have in next year’s draft but if we have 8 picks, these are the positions I think we should draft. Defensive Tackle or Offensive Tackle (with 1st round pick), Defensive End, Cornerback, Safety, Offensive Guard, Linebacker, Quarterback (Developmental player for Stafford’s back-up), Wide Receiver (not a 1st round pick FYI) and a Running Back. I agree with drafting the best player available but you have to address team needs. If the best player available in the 3rd round is a Wide Receiver but you have a glaring need at Cornerback draft the best Cornerback available.

Here are a couple of links on the top college prospects for next year’s draft as well as a VERY tentative, speculative draft scenario based on teams’ standings thus far into the 2009 season.
http://walterfootball.com/draft2010.php
http://cfn.scout.com/2/856941.html

Here is the current roster of the Lions in case anyone would like to check out the current roster.
Detroit Lions roster

Quarterbacks
11 Daunte Culpepper
9 Matthew Stafford
5 Drew Stanton

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

Wide Receivers
80 Bryant Johnson
81 Calvin Johnson
86 Dennis Northcutt PR
12 Derrick Williams KR

Tight Ends
82 Casey FitzSimmons
89 Will Heller
84 Brandon Pettigrew

Offensive Linemen
76 Jeff Backus T
77 Gosder Cherilus T
65 Dylan Gandy C
68 Jon Jansen T
70 Daniel Loper G
66 Stephen Peterman G
51 Dominic Raiola C
63 Manny Ramirez G
74 Ephraim Salaam T

Defensive Linemen
92 Cliff Avril DE
94 Copeland Bryan DE
98 Landon Cohen DT
91 Chuck Darby DT
96 Andre Fluellen DT
79 Sammie Hill DT
97 Jason Hunter DE
90 Grady Jackson DT
75 Turk McBride DT/DE
99 Dewayne White DE

Linebackers
57 Jordon Dizon OLB
49 Zack Follett OLB
55 Larry Foote ILB
54 DeAndre Levy ILB
59 Julian Peterson OLB
50 Ernie Sims OLB

Defensive Backs
31 Phillip Buchanon CB
26 Louis Delmas FS
32 Anthony Henry CB
23 Kevin Hobbs CB
41 William James CB
40 Marquand Manuel FS
24 Kalvin Pearson SS
30 Ko Simpson FS
25 Marvin White SS

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

Reserve Lists
27 Daniel Bullocks SS (IR)
-- Damion Cook G/T (IR)
95 Jared DeVries DE (IR)
-- Kenneth Harris WR (IR)
17 Adam Jennings WR (IR)
29 Eric King CB (IR)
53 Cody Spencer ILB (IR)
1 Swayze Waters K (IR)

Practice Squad
61 Matthias Askew DT (Injured)
43 Tristan Davis RB
64 Dan Gerberry C
86 Dan Gronkowski TE
-- Kole Heckendorf WR
-- Jervonte Jackson DT
87 Taurus Johnson WR
78 Lydon Murtha OT
35 DeAndre Wright CB

Well that’s all I got for now my Lionettes. Just hang in there, this team is getting better but still has a long way to go. We need two more solid drafts before this roster is purged of some bad and mediocre players. A lot of players that were brought in are not long term solutions. As Coach Jim Schwartz likes to say “Let’s get a little bit better each time” and they are doing that! Good night and GO LIONS!