Detroit Lions Weblog

Sound the Kircus Death Knell….

David Kircus was a record-breaking, hometown-favorite wide receiver when the Lions selected him in the draft two seasons ago. Not only was his career recently teetering on the brink of oblivion with the offseason additions of Mike Williams and Kevin Johnson and the expected healthy return of Charles “Don’t Call Me Fragile” Rogers, it may have already been postmortem.

Kircus recently proceeded to take matters into his own hands by marking the spot on his abdomen for which the Lions front office can place the dagger.

The worst time of the year for NFL front offices is the hinterland of free time given to players from the end of the Super Bowl until training camp officially begins. This period is when most players have the free time to undertake worthwhile pursuits such as smuggling “Whizzinators” (Onterrio Smith), popping “endos” on crotch rockets(Kellen Winslow II), committing assault with a deadly weapon (Sean Taylor), resisting arrest(Kalimba Edwards), getting arrested for drag-racing (Quentin Williams) and getting a DUI (Kircus). The Lions, until recently, have had relatively few offseason embarassments.

One has to feel sorry for Kircus, he may never again receive an opportunity like the one he has had in Detroit. One strong impact he made on me occurred on the day of the 2005 NFL Draft event at Ford Field. Kircus was sitting at a table with his teammates patiently signing autographs and chatting with an interminably long line of fans. Meanwhile, the Lions front office was in the process of pushing him even lower on the depth chart as they selected WR Mike Williams. I couldn’t help but respect the guy, for giving of himself under such obviously trying circumstances. Hopefully for Kircus, this unfortunate incident was a rare mistake and not a sign of days to come.

Fantasy Football Experience

I have recently written another article for the Fantasy Football Experience website. The site is a very valuable resource for all things football and fantasy football-related.

It seems that with the each successive passing year, the fantasy football leviathan engulfs more and more people. Several sports networks are going to feature regular fantasy football shows and fantasy football preview shows. What this all means I am not entirely sure of, yet, I have certainly derived a lot of enjoyment from this form of competing with my friends.

The Fantasy Football Experience site is offering free site memberships until 08/31/05. My understanding is that that membership will allow you the opportunity to participate in their free fantasy football leagues, too. If you would like to join, click here .

The 2005 football season is fast approaching, I promise!

Pro Sports Weekly june 15-21st “Stories to Ponder during the offseason” column

In a recent Pro Sports Weekly column, Chris Colston mentions several stories worth pondering as observed in offseason workouts/minicamps. One of interest to Lion fans:

“Looking for the latest NFL trend? How about the three-receiver set, which more teams will be using in 2005. Add Detroit to the list of teams employing the package, with Roy Williams at split end, oft-injured Charles Rogers at flanker, and rookie Mike Williams (or Kevin Johnson?, not mentioned in column) in the slot.”

We all know that NFL coaches are quick to appropriate concepts, sets, players, coaches, etc. that have lead to success for other teams. The success of Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts offense is probably the root of this 3 receiver trend. Also, when considering the investment made by the Lions for the aforementioned players and also factoring their respective athletic abilities, it is no surprise that the Lions would attempt to find ways to utilize their talents all at once.

This is a very good sign. It appears that some of the philosophical rigidity we witnessed in Steve Mariucci’s West Coast offense (did you say Milque Toast?) may be loosening. I value the high percentage plays that make up the West Coast offense, but I will queue up with the rest of Lion fans who were decrying it’s lack of aggressiveness downfield last season. I also think in utilizing more three wide receiver sets, the team will be able to exploit the relatively weak NFL secondaries who have been further disadvantaged by recent NFL rule changes like the “5 yard” contact rule and “horse collar” tackling. They will be able to spread the field and in many cases one of their receivers will be matched up with a nickleback, which is a desirable scenario. They may even see the more enticing situation where a strong safety or linebacker is forced to cover the slot receiver, which if I were the Lions, would make my mouth water. In red zone offensive packages, this set should really make matters difficult for opposing defenses.

Lions Continue to Add Depth, Sign Versatile DB McQuarters

Earlier this week the Lions signed veteran defensive back R.W. McQuarters. McQuarters will most likely be a nickel corner but he could conceivably push either CB Fernando Bryant or FS Terrence Holt from their starting roles. McQuarters also provides a capable punt returner who could slide into that role if the Lions continue to have difficulties in resigning RS Eddie Drummond. Without a doubt, McQuarter has found himself with strange bedfellows. Mariucci was the head coach of the 49ers when McQuarters was released midseason. It will be interesting to see if their past affects their relationship.

The offseason is starting to perculate. Fantasy Drafts are soon to be held. Grease Paint is being applied…The season is rapidly approaching!

Lions sign veteran Free Agent Center Guiterrez, Rogers practices without “red jersey”

The Lions have added additional depth to their offensive line by signing NFL veteran Brock Gutierrez. Gutierrez, is from Charlotte, Michigan and attended Central Michigan University. Whether or not he makes the roster his acquisition is completely exciting to me. You see, Charlotte (pronounced Shar-Lot) is a nearby community here in mid-Michigan very close to my former home in Lake Odessa. I played against Gutierrez and his Orioles in both my junior and senior football seasons. As pathetic as it seems, this distantly tangible connection to a real life NFL player (whom I don’t even know) makes youthful dreams seem less fleeting.

The off-season scrutiny of Charles Rogers can now cease, or will amplify exponentially as we get closer to the start of the season. There has been rampant speculation over Rogers’ ability to overcome the two straight seasons of missing games to due to flukey injuries. The minicamps, training camp and pre-season are Rogers’ opportunity to put these doubters to rest and begin to realize the lofty expectations we have all held for him since we was drafted three years ago. Will there be tense moments of self-doubt? Will the fans ever warm up to him? Will he go down in history like other oft-injured players who never attained their promising potential? It remains to be seen how he will perform, but I will stay optimistic that Rogers will return to his spectacular form.

Is Shaun Cody really going to have an “Apprentice”-styled reality show where burgeoning agents will vie for the right to represent his career interests? Come on, Shaun, please rise above the flotsam. I realize that the exposure may benefit Cody and the organization equally. Hopefully, this doesn’t provide any sort of distraction to his becoming a bonafied NFL Defensive Linemen.

Billy Sim’s audacious debut!

Doug Warren’s recent article, about Billy Sim’s 1st game as a Lion brought back a flood of memories for me. I can still remember watching that game against the Rams with my Dad to this day. I recall playing Nerf football in a friend’s backyard where everyone argued at length who should be the fortunate player who could pretend to be Tony Dorsett or Billy Sims. I will always remember Billy’s famous celebratory high-step as he emerged from the tunnel onto the field. Or the way he would dip his shoulder like the wing of an airplane and circle the end zone after scoring. Even Billy’s fit of anger that lead to him kicking over a table full of cups of Gatorade remains vivid in my mind. As great as Barry Sanders was, his somewhat cardboard demeanor makes him less memorable than those great days watching Billy.

Nostalgia plays a large part of my perception of those days I’m sure. Yet, it is hard to say that any figure in the history of the Lions, short of Bobby Layne, has had a similar impact. Especially when considering just how bad the Lions were when they drafted Sims. Barry Sanders, James Stewart, and many other backs may have made equal or larger contributions to the success of the Lion’s franchise but few will ever generate the same electricity that Sim’s was able to. If you’d like to buy some stuff from Billy check out the Billy Sims BBQ Store . Thanks for the memories, Billy!

June 1st Salary Cap cuts have been somewhat ant-climatic this season. There remains two players for the Lions to consider signing at this point: Ty Law and R.W. McQuarters. They will be fortunate to sign either one and each would contribute in different ways. Either way, if they add either there depth, experience, and quality of play in their secondary should improve significantly.

Lions to meet with R.W. McQuarters

The Pro Football Talk.com “Rumor Mill” section mentions that the Lions will be meeting with recently released former Bear and 49er’s defensive back and punt returner, R.W. McQuarters today. It is not surprising that the Lions would hold some interest in McQuarters. He could lighten the load for Eddie Drummond on special teams, potentially allowing Drummond to focus solely on returning kickoffs. The Lions would also benefit from McQuarters presence at Free Safety, where there is no guarantee that Terrence Holt is ready to assume the starting role. McQuarter’s versatility potentially would allow him to help as a nickel back and occasional help at corner if needed. The situation bears watching, McQuarters a former 1st round pick, has had an up-and-down career.

Fred Graves, Lions new receivers coach, apparently is making quite an impact upon the Lion receivers. They are referring to him as “Coach Carter”, for his demeanor. One drill that Graves has brought to the team apparently has placed an emphasis on one of the team’s past foibles, dropped passes. Graves is throwing the receivers bricks to make them focus on catching properly. I am on board with this new strategy, as long as the receivers are able to transfer this additional focus to Sunday’s. Still, one has to wonder the intelligence of throwing a brick at Charles Rogers? I can’t be the only one who envisions him missing another complete season after suffering from a broken foot after dropping a brick, can I?