Detroit Lions Weblog

Lions Vs. Vikings

Have the wheels come off yet? It appears that Joey Harrington will be on a very short leash against Minnesota this week. To say that this game has a high potential for disaster is an understatement. The Lions, who have been ineffective at best, on both sides of the ball are facing a Vikings team who has an excellent offense and shaky defense. The fact the Vikings are returning home (insert DO-do-DOOO Viking horn sound) coming off three consecutive losses makes this a critical game for them. Mike Tice is under fire due to the fact that this is the third straight year where the the Vikes have had a mid-season collapse after a pretty strong start to the season. Tice also unwisely let Randy Moss play a few snaps on an injured hamstring so that Moss could keep a consecutive games started streak alive. Since then Moss has missed the last couple of games and will not play against the Lions.

The Lions offense has been ineffective at best. Joey Harrington must play well this week against a below average Vikings defense in spite of the lack of a running game to be depended upon and nagging injuries to three of his receivers. This is a major opportunity to re-assert his position within the organization and with the fans. I don’t believe his career in Detroit will weather another benching. The Lions gained 81 yards rushing from Kevin Jones last week(he carried the ball exclusively). Expect the Lions to keep feeding Jones/Pinner/Bryson the ball in hopes of keeping the Vikings offense off the field. I think the Lions best chance in this game is to run their version of the Dean Smith “Four Corners” offense by using a lot of time clock and controlling the ball. They will mix in short passes and runs and hopefully chalk up first down after first down. The fact that they have been unable to maintain control of the ball effectively this far into the season doesn’t make it likely they will be able to do so against Minnesota. The Vikings are porous on defense but expect them to copy what other teams have done to render the Lions ineffective by moving the safeties up and putting 9-10 players around the line of scrimmage.

The Lions defensive backs have to be excited that they will at least not be reading back of Randy Moss’s jersey as he streaks up and down the field for TD’s, like they usually do when playing in Minnesota (insert Viking Horn sound).
I’m afraid that the Lions secondary will have plenty of opportunities to read the backs of Marcus Robinson’s and Nate Burleson’s jerseys throughout the game, unfortunately. Also the Lions will probably have some difficulty stopping the Vikings stable of backs who are equally as capable of running the ball as breaking for big yards receiving out of the back field. Daunte Culpepper is making a strong run for consideration as league MVP, so the Lions must do what they can to keep him contained in the pocket and under pressure. They must also hope that he coughs up the ball a couple of times or throws a couple of interceptions, for that is the only the chance in Hades that they have for being close in this game.

If recent performances stand as an indicator, this game is blow-out city. I will not expect any different until the Lions prove otherwise Big Dave Tinglehoff’s Vikes 35 Yukon Dan’s Cousin 14

Lions Trends

3rd Down Conversions
Season
Lions-32 for 114/28%
Opps.-58 for 135/43%

3rd Down Conversions-Last 5 weeks
vs. GB 1 for 11(9%)/Packers-8 for 14(57%)
vs. NY 6 for 10(60%)/Giants-4 for 12(33%)
vs.Dal 3 for 9(33%)/Cowboys-9 for 15(60%)
vs.Was 5 for 18(28%)/Skins- 3 for 14(21%)
Vs.Jax 2 for 14(14%)/ Jags-12 for 22(55%)

Lions in the “RED ZONE” last 5 wks
vs. GB 0-0-0%/Packers 3-3-100%
vs. NY 4-4-100%/Giants 0-3-0%
Vs. Dal 1-1-100%/Cowboys 2-4-50%
vs.Was 0-0-0%/Skins 0-0-0%
Vs.Jax 0-2-0%/Jags 2-3-66%

3 of the 5 weeks no “red zone” opportunities

Time of Posession
Lions are last in NFL-avg T.O.P.:26:42 or an deficit of 6:52
Their opponents are averaging: 33:34

Det T.O.P/opp T.O.P/+/-T.O.P
vs.GB 20:19/39:41/-19:22
Vs NY 27:44/32:16/-4:32
vs.Dal 21:17/38:43/-17:26
vs.Was 29:29/30:31/-1:02
vs.Jax 21:45/38:15/-16:30

over the 5 gms a deficit of 58:52

Yds RushDet/Yds/Rush/Yds RushOpp./ Yds./Rush Opp./+/-
vs. GB 33/ 2.1/ 157/ 4.0/ -1.9
vs. NY 115/4.0/ 75/ 2.9/ +1.1
vs. Dal 39/2.8/ 127/ 3.1/ -0.3
vs. Was 64/2.7/ 156/ 3.9/ -1.2
vs.Jax 81/ 4.3/ 239/4.8/-1.5

Harrington
currently:
Rate:81.2,PCT:56.4%,TD/INT:13/6

ATT/ CMP/ PCT/ YDS/ RATE/TD/INT
vs.GB 23 / 12/ 52%/101/60.2/1/1
vs.NY 22/ 18/ 82%/230/ 140.5/2/0
vs.Dal 32/ 19/ 59%/255/ 92.6/2/1
vs.Was 52/ 26/ 50%/ 269/63.7/1/1
vs.Jax 33/ 11/ 33%/ 121/ 32.5/ 0/1

LionsFan.com:Season on the Sink:Mariucci the Primary Problem

Doug Warren from Lionsfan.com is probably the best writer on the state of the Detroit Lions anywhere, here is an excellent MUST read article:

(http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=citadel-2_320487_93&prov=citadel&type=lgns)
or check out http://lions.scout.com/index.html for the Lion’s fan site.

Lions vs. Vikings Tales of the Tape

31. Lions Offense vs./ 30. Minnesota Defense

Yardage
Yards 2,257/ 3,296
YPG 250.8(31st)/366.2(30th)
Scoring
PTS 164/227
PPG 18.2(24TH)/25.2(27TH)
Passing
YPG 175.1(25th)/244.9(29th)
TD 13(9th)/15(24th)
Sack 21(17th)/20(16th)
INT 6(8th)/ 4(26th)
Rushing
YPG 75.7(32nd)/121.3(22nd)
TDS 3(28)/12(29th)

25.Lions defense vs./ 2.Minnesota Offense
Yardage
Yards 3,169/3,728
YPG 352.1(25th)/414.2(2nd)
Scoring
PTS 194/242
PPG 21.6(19th)/26.9(4TH)
Passing
YPG 224.7(22nd)/295.2(2nd)
TD 14(23rd)/25(2nd)
Sack 26(5th)/24(22nd)
INT 8(20th)/5(6TH)
Rushing
YPG 127.4(26th)/119.0(13th)
TD 7(14th)/4(26th)

Passing
Player ATT/ CMP/ PCT/ YDS/G/ TD/INT/ Rate/
2.Culpepper 321/ 226/ 70.4/ 301.3/ 25/5/ 115.4/
19.Harrington 275/ 155/ 56.4/ 187.1/ 13/6/ 81.2/

Team Takeaways Giveaways
INT/ FUM/ TTL/ INT/ FUM/ TTL/ DIFF/
DET 8/ 9/ 17/ 6/ 1/ 7/ +10
MINN 4/ 6/ 10/ 5/ 6/ 11/ -1

Greg Landry on WQTX 92.7/92.1 FM

Greg Landry was interviewed on 11/17/04 by Fred Heuman. They talked to Landry about his career and also asked for his opinions on Joey Harrington and the firestorm that is brewing locally about his future within the Lions organization.

Landry compare Harrington to Bernie Kosar, whom he coached with the Cleveland Browns as QB’s coach. He said that both quarterbacks were heavily questioned by their local fans and media. He said that they were similar in the fact that they were both classic dropback passers with fairly good arms and both could put a nice touch on the ball. Landry stated he felt the Lions may have “put the cart before the horse” in their selection of Harrington because they didn’t have the cadre of skill players to surround him with that might better ensure his success. Heuman asked Landry if he thought Joey Harrrington had “it”, or the essential quality as a quarterback that leads teams to victory? Heuman stated he felt it appeared that Ben Roethlisberger for example, may have “it” . Landry said that he thought that sometime when it appears a player doesn’t have “it”, it may suddenly appear under different circumstances. He feels that strongly that a QB has to be surrounded with talent to fully exhibit their “it”-ness. As examples he mentioned Archie Manning as a capable, highly-touted QB who was pretty good but had a moderately succesful NFL career because the Saints never could surround him with the quality players for him to fully be able to show that he had “it”. He also mentioned that when a team suffers from a rash of injuries like the Lions have, that the game-planning and play-calling are effected, hampering the QB’s ability to thrive.

Heuman mentioned that throughout the Lions history, that the team often has had two quarterbacks competing against each other for the starting role (i.e. Munson/Landry, Hipple/Danielson, etc) could that be the problem? Heuman thought that Harrington has been handed the job without much threat of losing it, could that be the motivation that is missing? Landry stated that an experienced QB who could vie for playing time might help. He said that in his own particular case, Joe Schmidt didn’t want to play a young QB, so having Bill Munson to play helped Landry have the time to develop.

Landry also stated that in each decade the Lions seem to have teams good enough to reach the playoffs. He said that he felt management never made the necessary moves to improve the team to push them to the next level in each of those cases. He and Heuman agreed that losing Jeff Hartings and Mike Compton a few years ago really has set the team back a couple of seasons in their development. It is worth noting that the Lions are very public in the fact that they are giving Mike McMahon more reps with the 1st team offense in lieu of another poor performance by Harrington. This is not a good sign for the relative success of the Lions rebuilding program.

It is also of note to mention that yesterday was the 23 yr anniversary of the game where Mike Utley was paralyzed. Utley remains an inspiration to us all.

Monday Night Spectacle

I hope I was not the only person who was thoroughly disgusted by the way that Monday Night Football provided so much attention to the spectacle that was the behavior of Terrell Owens and Donovan McNabb. I realize that this attention may help boost ailing ratings, and the game was quickly becoming a drudge due to the performance of the overmatched Cowboys. The amount of face time given to Owens TD celebration dances was unecessary. Furthermore, McNabb and Owens thumbing their noses at the media for the attention that was given to their sideline spat in the Eagle’s previous weeks loss was childish. They are quite aware that thier antics will get play, but why should the media indulge them?

The NFL is the greatest show of sports and media glitz on earth. They have earned their reign through the quality of the performances on the field and the quality of it’s product. I like my ritualized violence as much as the next person but the halftime musical performances, stupid reality-show interludes, and over the top multi-media productions at the beginning of games are all endemic to the hubris that seems to be consuming the sport. The game is forgetting it’s roots and what has made it strong. This spectacle works as long as fans are buying the product. Yet increasing ticket prices, a poor economy, and parity-induced poor on-field product may eventually change the fan’s attitudes towards all of this. The people like their bread and circuses, but they must be willfully engaged in the event for it to be effective.

Thanksgiving Sunday, the Lions will be featuring a performance from John Cougar Mellencamp at halftime. Why is this necessary, while I am gorging on deep-fried turkey? I would much rather see marching bands, a short game from a couple of Pop Warner teams or some other form of All-American entertainment that doesn’t magnify the ever-increasing stupidity and crassness of our withering society. C’mon NFL do the right thing!

I initially had written this entry without seeing the beginning of Monday Night’s game. The ensuing firestorm has further supported my point. We live in a society that is looking for cheap “pops”, we are totally bereft of substance. I am not offended seeing an unlothed white woman jump into the arms of a black man, it does offend my sensibilities that it was done in such an obvioulsy contrived and calculated manner.

It’s Official, the Lions Suck!

It is now time to begin to reconsider the Lions “rebuilding” project, in terms of it’s success or failure as a process. On paper, the Lions have done the right things. They have drafted a franchise quarterback known for his poise and passing accuracy. They have hired a coach with a winning pedigree, a strong reputation for developing young quarterbacks, and who is noted for installing offenses for teams that are efficient and innovative. They have had the luxury of selecting draft picks early in recent drafts and have wisely chosen players with exceptional athletic ability, decent character and have a proven track record of success and for excelling on the field of play. Yet, the culture within the organization seems to yield underwhelming performance, the inability to execute succesful big plays in the clutch, and seems to be trapped within a continuous paradigm of flat, uninspired play.

The Fords have spent a lot of money in their efforts to own and manage a first-class professional sports franchise. Yet, time and time again their efforts seem to blow up in their faces. The time has come within this organization and it’s personnel where they shouldn’t have any excuses left. They have burned up all of their free passes. I am so tired of hearing about the travails of young players and the resultant roller coaster ride performance-wise that occurs due to their lack of experience. I am sick of hearing reference made to the effects of injuries and the team’s inability to overcome them. I am tired of hearing the minutae about the difficulties installing, and the patience required in the implemention of an offensive system that is as complex as the vaunted “West Coast Offense”. In theory, this offense is an investment that produces dividends when all of the component elements are in place and operating symbiotically and is nearly unstoppable when executing at high performance levels. Where is that offensive efficiency? Where is the ability to control games by placing players in situations where they are more able to produce effectively?

I believe that Lion fans have every right to be very upset and frustrated about what is currently occurring with their professional football team. They have been witness to several weeks of flat and uninspired performances from a team that had been surprisingly on the periphery of the divisional lead and in possible contention for a playoff bid. In a few short weeks, the Lions have essentially wasted that opportunity and in the meantime generated more questions about their “rebuilding” process than they have probably answered. They have seen an offense that has continually withered under pressure and has provided this output(I have also included the Jaguars stats as a point of comparison):

Jacksonville Total Offense 415 Yds.
a)22 First downs
b)Time Of Poss:41:44
c)Yards Per Offensive Play:4.7

Detroit Total Offense 190 Yds.
a)10 First Downs (4 rushing, 3 Passing, and 3 by penalty)
b)23:44
c)Yards per offensive Play:3.5
d)2 for 14 on 3rd Downs or 14% conversion of Third Downs
e)the team’s “franchise” quarterback, Joey Harrington (aka “Champagne Joey”) had another dismal outing. He was 11 for 33 for 121 Yds with 1 interception and 32.5 Passer rating.
f)the Lions offense has scored 2 TDS in the last 10 quarters they’ve played.
Eddie Drummond 257 total yds in returns vs. Jacksonville

This Offense has a total combined deficit in time of posession for the season of 64 minutes and 44 seconds. That is more than the time to complete one game. To say that this offense has been “pluperfect awful” is an understatement. In the game against Jacksonville, a kick return specialist, single-handedly kept the team in a game which they had no business being in. In a game, where they were playing for their playoff livelihood and where a victory could have inconceivably resulted in a three-way deadlock for first place in the division, they turned in their worst outing of the season. While Eddie Drummond attempted to save the day, the rest of the team’s performance resulted in dropped balls, inaccurate passes, missed field goals and a whole of excuses. Yes, the wind was blowing quite hard in Jacksonville. The wind made it quite difficult for the team to catch the ball and for the quarterback to deliver the ball accurately. Yet, Jacksonville performed well enough to win under the same conditions. Teams who win consistently, find ways to make plays no matter how untenable the circumstances may appear.

Many QB’s have similar games performance-wise to the one Joey Harrington had on Sunday. But excellent quarterbacks find a way to make the 11 passes he completed count toward victory. I recently have come to the realization that Joey Harrington doesn’t have the skills, talent and leadership ability necessary to put a team upon his shoulders and carry them to victory through sheer force of will. Even with that in mind, it seemed that it was quite possible that he could execute and manage games well enough that he wouldn’t be responsible for many losses. Yet his recent performances have affected my perceptions of him in such a way that I have been reduced to wondering if he will be another member in a long list of Detroit Lion Quarterbacking failures.

Steve Mariucci, has served as an enabler in this whole process. He is very adept at stating empty observations and platitudes bathed in the language of Coaches Non-Speak (or talking without really saying anything). Mooch is eloquent and very positive. He is constantly politically correct in his observations and very careful to always view the glass as half-full. In all of this, the players have no measure of accountability and no concept of what most franchises consider unacceptable yields in their performance. Here is Mooch:
“My primary concern is the passing game.” He mentioned that there might need to be changes. “The change is to be better, that’s what we have to do. We’ve got to be better all the way around and figure out what we can do, from a scheme standpoint, what are the routes that we’re good at throwing and running? And do those things.’
in regards to Harrington:
“Joey is one part of the passing game, obviously. He’s got the ball in his hands. There is more to it than that, as you know. There’s protection and route-running and catching and taking advantage of some opportunities.”

I am not saying that Mariucci should make a public spectacle of blasting the performance of his team. But he does very little to inspire my confidence in his ability to demand that his players adhere to the standards of performance that will make this team a successful, winning franchise.

Detroit Lions Alumni Thanksgiving Day Preview Luncheon

The Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association is hosting a Turkey luncheon while commemorating several Lions alumnus at Harry’s Restaraunt (Located on 2842 Clifford St., Detroit). Tickets are $17 and can be purchased at Harry’s, or by contacting (586) 558-9103 or DSBA1@yahoo.com. Featured Lion’s Alumni include Eddie Murray (who will probably not be discussing FG’s missed in the playoffs which the kept the Lions from playing in the Super Bowl), Larry Lee, Rich Strenger, and Bob and Scott Kowalkowski.

Dexter Bussey-Local Sports Talk Interview 92.1/92.7 WQTX

Dexter Bussey was a recent guest on Fred Heuman’s 10:00 A.M.-Noon local sports talk show. It was fun to hear Dexter discuss his career and pursuits since he ended his gridiron career. He currently owns an “I.T.” company in the Detroit area and also is an employee of the NFL. He is in charge of making sure that all players meet official uniform codes and that no unauthorized logos or equipment are visible or being used. He says the players refer to him as the “Fashion Police” and quite often go out of their way to avoid him on game days. He also recounted an anecdote about his rookie season with the Lions in a game where the Lions defeated the Minnesota Vikings, referring to it as his most memorable game in football. The game was Dec. 14, 1975, and finished with a score of 17-10 at the Silverdome. Bussey said that as a rookie, he was nervous entering the last drive of the game, in which the Lions were going to attempt to run out the clock through handing the ball off. He said that Offensive Linemen Rockne Freitas and Bob Kowalkowski took him aside and explained to him where he should run and how he should execute those runs. Their instruction calmed him down and they were able to win the game. After the game, the team carried Head Coach Rick Forzano off the field on their shoulders in celebration.

He also discussed why he was willing to give up his attempts rushing the ball to Billy Sims after the Lions selected Sims in the draft. Bussey said that he had done the same thing, to Altie Taylor, so it just seemed like a natural progression of things. Bussey was a Lion from 1975-1984 and had 1,203 career rushing attempts that gained 5, 105 yards. He scored 18 TDS and rushed for an average of 4.2 yards per carry.

QB Shuffle-USA TODAY factoid

A recent factoid in USA Today correlated the number of playoff seasons different teams had with the number of Quarterbacks who have started for the team since 1995. (The year Brett Favre, assumed the QB job in Green Bay, a benchmark for the league) The list didn’t include the Lions, but I will reproduce USA Today’s lists with the Lions added as a point of comparison. Another point of interest is the fact that a lot of the same names appear for different teams and many have done time with the Lions.

Most # QB Starters/ Team (1995-Present)/ Playoff Seasons/
14/ Chicago Bears/ 1
Starters:Henry Burris, Chris “Crystal Chandelier” Chandler, Rex Grossman, Erik Kramer, Craig Krenzel, Dave Krieg, Shane Matthews, Cade McNown (I often heard adjectives!), Jim Miller, Rick Mirer, Moses Moreno, Jonathan Quinn, Steve Stenstrom, Kordell Stewart

13/ Baltimore Ravens/ 3
Starters:Tony Banks, Jeff Blake, Kyle Boller, Stoney Case, Randall Cunningham, Trent Dilfer, Elvis Grbac, Jim Harbaugh, Scott Mitchell, Chris Redman, Vinny Testaverde, Anthony Wright, Eric Zeier

12/ Washington Redskins/ 1
Starters: Tony Banks, Mark Brunell, Gus Frerotte, Jeff George, Trent Green, Tim Hasslebeck, Jeff Hostetler, Brad Johnson, Shane Matthews, Patrick Ramsey, Heath Shuler, Danny Wuerffel

11/ San Diego Chargers/ 1
Starters: Drew Brees, Jim Everett, Doug Flutie, Gale Gilbert, Jim Harbaugh, Stan Humphries, Erik Kramer, Ryan Leaf, Moses Moreno, Sean Salisbury, Craig Whelihan

Compared to:

9/ Detroit Lions/ 3
Starters: Scott Mitchell, Don Majikowski, Frank Reich, Charlie Batch, Gus Frerotte, Stoney Case, Ty Detmer, Mike McMahon, Joey Harrington

Fewest:

1/ Green Bay Packers/ 6
Brett Favre
3/ New England Patriots/ 5
Starters:Drew Bledsoe, Tom Brady, Scott Zolak
5/ Indy Colts/ 6
starters:Craig Erickson, Jim Harbaugh, Kelly Holcomb, Paul Justin, Peyton Manning
5/ KC Chiefs/ 3
starters: Steve Bono, Rich Gannon, Elvis Grbac, Trent Green, Warren Moon
5/ Tenn Titans/ 4
starters: Chris Chandler, Will Furrer, Steve McNair, Neil O’Donnell, Billy Volek