Detroit Lions Weblog

Lions Win Convincingly Sunday

The Lions had their best offensive outing of the season on Sunday. Facing a dinged-up Cardinals defense, the Lions were able to give the impression that they may be the proud possesor’s of a real, live, and breathing NFL caliber offense. Obviously their performance was an encouraging development, after the prolonged struggles on offense that they have encountered throughout the seasonthus far.

Roy Williams, who was finally healthy, looked like he may be the player that we all actuallty expected him to be capable of being. Which was refreshing after the continued bouts of sulking and complaining that he has been stricken with this year. Hopefully, he will continue to perform at this level. Williams’s improved performance would allow for the Lions offense to function much more effectively.

Joey Harrington even showed signs that he may still have a slight chance to thrive and perform respectably if given the opportunity. Mysteriously, Steve Mariucci is being stubbornly vague as to who will hold the reins as the Lions go to Dallas next Sunday to face the Cowboys. As far as I am concerned, it would be foolish to disturb the momentum this offense could be potentially developing, especially to supplant a possible future performer with a player whose (Garcia) career is definitely reaching it’s nadir. My faith in Mariucci is minimal at this point, so I hope that the front office makes a strong stand in regards to this decision.

Injuries Update, C-Rog has a Good Practice (Whoopee!)

Injuries: OUT ARZ DE Bert Berry, CB Antrel Rolle, WR Anquan Boldin Det CB Dre Bly LB Teddy Lehman
Doubt ARZ OG Elton Brown DET FB Paul Smith
QUES ARZ Reggie Swinton DET DE Kalimba Edwards QB Jeff Garcia CB Andre Goodman DT Shaun Rogers WR Mike Williams
Prob ARZ RB J. J. Arrington LB Karlos Dansby DE Chike Okeafor DET OT Jeff Backus WR Scottie Vines WR Roy Williams

Much maligned wide receiver, NFL Drug Policy Offender, and a player who has missed nearly 30 games in his brief three year career, Charles Rogers, was big news in the Detroit papers Thursday after having one good practice on Wednesday. The fact that he exhibited effort in practice, unexpectedly, at this stage of his career (and is still considered newsworthy) is as much of an indictment of his performance as any I can draw. If I were a veteran on this roster, I would be pretty peeved that in lieu of his recent performances, Rogers still receives the amount of coverage equivalent to that of a star on a team may typically receive. Until Rogers proves he warrants the attention, the local media should talk about other players on the Lion’s befitting the expanded coverage.

There has also been reams of local media coverage stating that Joey Harrington hass looked very good in practice of late. That is all fine and good but production on the field of play, on Sundays, is what truly matters. There have been few bright spots this season, but at this point who wants to be fed tripe about these guy’s practice performance.

By the way, it appears that Joey Harrington will start Sunday, since Jeff Garcia is still hobbled and has been unable to take many snaps in practice this week. Hopefully, Joey can match past performances against the Cards and the Lions may eke out a victory. The amount of faith I have is waning, but there are minute speckles of hope that remain.

Here are 5 early prospective head coaches for the Lions should this season end like it appears it will:
1) Iowa Head Coach Kirk Ferentz
2) Jets Defensive Coordinator Donnie Henderson
3) Skins Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams
4) Broncos Offensive Coordinator Gary Kubiak
5) Giants Defensive Coordinator Tim Lewis

You hate to look ahead but…….

Weak 10; Eminent Disaster Awaits: Lions vs. Cardinals

All of the cosmic forces are lining up against the Lions. They are at home, facing a team who is equally pathetic, and with their backs against the wall, the Lions should have all the necessary motivation to eke out a narrow victory. With that accounted for, the C. Rog inactivation last week, Roy vs. Mooch He Said/She Said debacle over whether Roy was ready to play last week or not, and the continually disintegrating status of this team all lead me to strongly believe that the Lions are going to lose this Sunday in a game that is an absolute must win for them.

The Lions defense was a major disappointment last week. They have been routinely called upon to carry the day for the Lions just to keep the team competitive. The Lions defense came up very short in their efforts against the Vikings last Sunday. I firmly believe that even with a healthy return of “Big Baby” Shaun Rogers, the Cards will find a way to spring RB’s Marcel Shipp, J. J. Arrington or James Jackson for big yards judging by the way the Lions reinvigorated the dormant Vikings ground attack last Sunday. If the Cards are able to run successfully, this game could be an ugly blowout. Without the services of Dre Bly, the Lions secondary is getting too overexposed. I fully expect the immobile Cards QB Kurt Warner to have all the time necessary to pick apart the Lions secondary. The Cards have allowed their share of sacks, but the Lions were unable to pressure the “Living Statue” Brad Johnson, so it only remains obvious they will be unable to disrupt the “Immobile Evangelist”, Warner. I think that even if CB McQuarters does a respectable job limiting the Cards WR Fitzgerald (highly unlikely), the Cards will be able to attack CB Andre Goodman with WR Bryant Johnson. The Lions have lost 4 games to backup QB’s this year (QB Chris Weinke, QB Brad Johnson, QB Kyle Orton (twice)) and be it McCown or Warner, the Lions will lose to 5 disreputable QB’s and counting after this game.

The Lions Offense has been so unproductive that whether Joey or Jeff starts, Kevin Jones is healthy, and whether the “Ones” can play or not are all inconsequential factors in this game’s outcome. The Cards will walk up their safeties, blitz effectively with their backs in close proximity to the line of scrimmage, shut out the Lions “ground” attack, and dare either QB to throw for more than 3-4 yards (which they’ll steadfastly refuse to do), and in response the Lions will continue to play right into their opponents hands. End of story. The personnel matchups are of no consequence here, sadly. W.C. Ford fired former Lions Head Coach Darryl (No Relation) Rogers for his offense being “Boring and Awful” nearly 20 years ago, bringing the “Big Buck”, Wayne Fontes to the fore as the team’s Head Coach. In a move that would be sadly reminiscent, I hope Dick Jauron has the nerve to replace his good friend and Packers/Niners protege, Mariucci. A sputtering offensive performance against the lowly Cards could easily set the wheels in motion for the removal of Mariucci. It has to be nearing that stage, dreadfully.

The Lions use to be able to count upon Jason Hanson like the Cards have been able to count on their journeymen Kicker, Neil Rackers. Rackers is the Cards best offensive weapon when they reach the Red Zone, much like Hanson has been in years past. Especially, with the likelihood that this will be a close game, this game could eventaully become a kicker’s duel. That oughta keep the Ford Field faithful riveted to their seats, eh.

Quite obviously, this has been the most damning preview to a Lions game I have given since this Blog has been established. But last week’s loss has completely removed any faith or certainty I have held for the future of this team. At this point, It will be a mortal struggle for this team to win two more games in their last eight. How can you believe otherwise? Will the Orlowsky era be upon us after this game?

Fat Denny Green 15 Steve “Fox Football Tv Analyst” Mariucci 12

Weak 10:Detroit Lions Vs. Arizona Cards Statistical Matchup

28 Detroit Offense vs./ 17 Arizona Defense

Yardage
Yards 2,085/ 2,579
YPG 260.6(28)/ 322.4(19)

Scoring
PTS 131/ 211
PPG 16.4(24)/26.4(27)

Passing
YPG 171.5(25)/ 200.6(15)
TD 5(30)/ 8(8)
SACK 20(19)/ 19(16)
INT 11(25)/ 6(21)

Rushing
YPG 89.1(26)/ 121.8(22)
TD 8(10)/ 13(31)

17 Arizona Offense vs. 10 Detroit Defense

Yardage
Yards 2,658/2,401
YPG 332.3(15)/ 300.1(10)

Scoring
PTS 146/ 152
PPG 18.3(20)/ 19.0(15)

Passing
YPG 261.1(4)/ 186.1(10)
TD 8(22)/ 11(18)
SACK 26(28)/ 21(12)
INT 13(29)/ 13(2)

Rushing
YPG 71.1(31)/ 114.0(16)
TD 0(32)/ 3(5)

—————–Turnovers———–
—-TakeAways——–GiveAways————-
—INT—FUM–TTL—INT—FUM—TTL—+/-
DET-13—7—-20—-11—-6——-17—–+3
ARZ-6—-7—-13—-13—-7——-20—/ -7

Time Of Possession
Arz 31:23 Opp 28:37
DET 30:51 Opp 29:09

1st Downs
Arz 140 Opp 141
DET 132 Opp 132

3rd Downs
ARZ 48/128(37.5) Opp 34/95(35.8)
DET 44/118(37.3) Opp 35/106(33.0)

4th Downs
Arz 4/10(40.0) Opp 0/4(0.0)
DET 3/10 (30.0) Opp 3/7 (42.9)

Penalties
Det 54/387 Arz 68/493

Injuries:
OUT: ARZ Wr Boldin, CB Rolle DET Bly, Lehman
Doubt: Arz OG Brown, WR/KR Swinton DET FB Smith
Ques: ARZ TE T Johnson, LB L Mitchell, DE Okeafor, OT O Ross DET DT Bell, DE Devries, Garcia, FS Holt, DT S. Rogers, WR R. Williams, WR M Williams, LB Rainer, WR T Edwards
Prob ARZ LB Dansby, CB E Green, FB H Morrow, QB McCown DET OT Backus

Let the Demolition begin!

This vintage of the Detroit Lions appears to be suffering from the same fate as the many dilapidated buildings that inhabit the greater metro Detroit area-a false facade has been applied to attempt to give a bright, fresh impression for the well-heeled attendees of the 2006 Super Bowl to see rather than their actual, real-life downtrodden exteriors. This team is on the verge of it’s perennial collapse and this time, rather than glossy facades, the walls need to come tumbling down!

Yesterday, I strongly felt the urge to go on a stark raving rant about how disappointed I am with this organization. You can only scream yourself blue so many times, though. Also, I was given the privilege of being able to view how a well-assembled, healthy, happy NFL organization is supposed to operate on Monday Night Football. As much as I dislike Peyton Manning and the hype machine that drives his superstar status, the 2005 Indianapolis Colts may just be the finest team in the history of the NFL. I hate to saddle any team with such lofty pronouncements, but in a year full of Whizzinators, Sex-Boats, T. O., and Evil Kellnievel (Kellen Winslow) the Colts just may be the best thing to ever happen to the NFL. I do believe they will make a serious run at 16-0 and it was somewhat curative for me to see the majesty of the Colts offense in action when the Lions provide such a dysfunctionally abysmal contrast. Even greater, is the way in which this team has managed to grow into it’s new status after overcoming so many disappointments. This team is built upon solid ground and has the comportment of a champion.

The same can’t be said for the Lions. Anything short of the dismissal of Team President Matt Millen and Head Coach Steve Mariucci upon the season’s finale will be a travesty. They are frauds, and the Fords can no longer afford to suffer fools with any sort of charity. The team, that seemed to have so much promise prior to the season, is coming apart at the seams and the primary culprits for this failure are it’s supposed leaders. Games like Sunday’s in Minnesota were supposed to be eliminated when this regime was hired. I have no doubts after Sunday, that if the Lions had stayed the course with the likes of Gary Moeller, Charlie Batch, et al, the team would not be the worse for it. Every sense that I once had that this organization has gained ground is completely lost. The only hope for it is to begin the re-organization process pre-emptively as opposed to letting things continue there downward trajectory.

If there is one bright spot on this current roster, Scottie Vines would be it. Vines has the hunger and work ethic to make it in the NFL unlike many of his more heralded counterparts. Until the Lions people it’s roster with more players like Vines and less players like, oh, I don’t know, Charles Rogers for example, this team will continue to suck and suck royally.

Joey Starts Again!

Joey Harrington will be the starter Sunday against the Vikings. This could be a one week promotion or he could make the best of his opportunity and take the job back from Jeff Garcia. It will be interesting to see how the Lions offense responds to his reinstatement. WR Roy Williams is still questionable. It is important that he plays Sunday for the Lions to have much of a chance.

Is it just me or does it seem like Roy Williams has been out an awfully long time for an injured quadriceps? The “Ones”, Rogers, Williams, and Williams, are Matt Millen’s three biggest mistakes as team president. Rather than pressure each other to perform at a higher level, they have chronically underachieved, nursed injuries, and behaved immaturely. If their is any question that Steve Mariucci doesn’t run a disciplined enough team, the performance of these three makes it abundantly clear that he needs to get tougher. As far as I am concerned, the Lions are better off without Charlie “Pot” Rogers and Mike Williams on the field until they can prove that they deserve to be on it.

Fast forward a week. If the Lions lose this Sunday, what chance do you give for Steve Mariucci to remain with the team as head coach next season? Even close to fifty percent? I hate to pose that question, but the writing is clearly on the wall. If Jeff Garcia is not the team’s savior, then who can Mooch count on? Mariucci is running out of excuses for this horrific offense. He and his coaching staff need to look at the next 9 weeks as an opportunity to save their hides. All I know is, that if the Lions lose Sunday their fan base will turn into a howling pack of savages.

Week 9: Lions at Vikings

This is the type of game that the Lions should win. They are facing a team who has performed worse, had more intense internal strife, and suffered far more serious injuries (the loss of Culpepper) than them. That being said, the Lions have been horrible in recent years against the Vikings and also have a terrible record on the road in recent years. They also have the fact that Daunte Culpepper remains unbeaten against them hanging over their heads. If the Lions have any hope of salvaging their miniscule playoff aspirations they absolutely MUST win this game.

The matchups are favorable. Even with their increasingly injury depleted defense, the Lions have to be looking forward to facing the lead-footed Brad Johnson. Johnson, a capable vet, will not have the benefit of a strong rushing attack to help offset the Lions pass rushing attack. The Lions must contain RB’s Mewelde Moore and Michael Bennett in an attempt to create a lot of 3rd and Longs for Johnson. Johnson does have a slew of receivers that he can go to, which has to be a concern for the Lions with the injuries they have suffered in the secondary. In most cases, CB R. W. McQuarters will be covering either WR Marcus Robinson or Nate Burleson. FS Terrence Holt is very important in this game. The Vikings traditionally have been able to stretch the field against the Lions and the Lions can ill afford to allow any quick scores to Marcus Robinson, Troy Williamson or Travis Taylor. I expect that the Vikings will use multi-receiver sets to attempt to take advantage of CB’s Andre Goodman and Keith Smith. The Lions will also be without their Nickel Linebackers (Alex Lewis & Teddy Lehman) which means that H-Back Jermaine Wiggins could be a major factor on third downs for Brad Johnson. The Lions signed veteran LB Nate Wayne this week to help with their depth at Linebacker. The thing I can’t stress enough is that the Lions absolutely need to be relentless in their pressuring of Johnson. The Minnesota offense will be severely hindered if he doesn’t have the time to pick apart the Lions secondary.

On Offense, the Lions have to establish Kevin Jones this week. With the inside presence of NT Pat Williams and LB Sam Cowart, the Lions will have to look to go off-tackle with their rushing attack. The Vikings have recently converted to a 3-4, which the Lions were mildly successful against two weeks ago in Cleveland. The Lions also need to be more aggressive in the passing game with the return of WR Roy Williams. I think that Williams gives them the opportunity to stretch an opposing defense that has been lacking in recent weeks. WR Mike Williams needs to hang onto the ball if he wants to remain a presence in this offense. I am very excited about the continued development of Scottie Vines. He has developed into a reliable receiver in a short time. If the Lions coaching staff has any sense, they will not diminish his role with the return of Charles Rogers. The Lions punchless offense pre-determines that they need to preserve the ball (no turnovers), control the time clock and win the field position battle. If the Lions have to turn to Joey Harrington this Sunday, it is imperative that he not turn the ball over. I feel this is an excellent opportunity for Harrington, if he plays, he has a strong history against the Vikings. The Vikings will walk up their strong safety, Corey Chavous, into the box and again dare the Lions to beat them over the top. It is easier for opponents to blitz when they are closer to the line of scrimmage, so if Harrington is the QB he will have to do his best to remain poised.

I like the matchup of teams, I just wish that the Lions were going to be at Ford Field. The Lions, if they are ever going to improve, have to defeat a team who is struggling like the Vikings, even on the road. The Lions struggling offense makes their margin for error very slim. In turn, the Lions special teams and defense have an increased of pressure to perform well. The Lions offense should have one of it’s best games of the season. If it doesn’t, the Lions are in for a long afternoon. Edinger dashes the Lions meek playoff hopes yet again.

Paul Edinger 24 Jason Hanson 21

Week 9:Statistical Matchup

29. Detroit Offense vs./ 24 Minnesota Defense

Yardage
Yards 1,796/2,531
YPG 256.5(29)/ 361.6(27)

Scoring
PTS 117/ 193
PPG 16.7(24)/ 27.6(28)

Passing
YPG 163.0(27)/ 224.0(23)
TD 4(31)/ 14(27)
Sack 16(15)/9(32)
INT 9(24)/ 6(17)

Rushing
YPG 93.6(22)/137.6(29)
TD 7(11)/ 9(25)

24 Minnesota Offense vs./ 9. Detroit Defense

Yardage
Yards 2,132/ 2,116
YPG 304.6(24)/302.3(10)

Scoring
PTS 103/ 125
PPG 14.7(28)/ 17.9(9)

Passing
YPG 220.4(15)/ 195.4(14)
TD 7(21)/ 9(13)
Sack 33(31)/18(13)
INT 12(30)/ 13(2)

Rushing
YPG 84.1(27)/106.9(13)
TD 2(27)/ 2(2)

—————Team Efficiency———–
———Off Eff.————————————Def Eff.————
OPlays—RushAvg—-PassAVG—OAvg—–DPlays—RushAVG—PASSAvg–DAvg
DET-434-3.28———4.88——–4.14——-424——-4.11———5.65——-4.99
MIN-425-4.01———5.55——–5.02——-448——-4.32———6.97——-5.65

—————-Red Zone——————
————-OFF————————————-DEF———————–
—–POS—TD—FG—SCOR%—TD%——–POS—TD—FG—Scor%–TD%
DET-17—–9—–5—–.824——-.529——–17—–7—–3—–.558—-.412
MIN-27—–16—-5—–.778——-.593——–27—–16—5—–.778—–.593

——————Turnovers—————-
———-TakeAways——————–GiveAways———–/ +/-
——-INT—-FUM—-TTL—————INT—-FUM——TTL
DET–13——6——-19—————–9——5———-14/ +5
MIN–6——–4——10—————–12—–6———-18/ -8

1st Downs—————
Det 112 Opp 113
MIN 128 Opp 137

3rd Downs————–
Det 35/101(34.7) Opp 32/94(34.0)
Min 30/86 (34.9) Opp 43/96(44.8)

4th Downs————–
Det 3/9(33.3) Opp 3/7(42.1)
Min 4/9(44.4) Opp 1/4(25.0)

Time of Possession——-
Det 30:55 Opp 29:05
MIN 28:59 Opp 31:01

Penalties
Det 48/356
MIN 63/432

Injuries
OUT: Det Lehman, Bly
Doubtful: Det Paul Smith Min OL T. Fonoti RB M. Williams
Ques: Det DeVries, Bell, Garcia, Holt, S. Rogers, M. Williams, R. Williams MIN WR Marcus Robinson
Prob Det Backus MIN LB Harris, CB Smoot

They Were Close Weren’t They?

Several times on Sunday I had to pinch myself. The Lions were playing in a close, meaningful game at the midpoint of the season. As much as I am deeply disappointed with the performance of this team so far, they are just a few plays (review versus Tampa, TD instead of FG against Carolina in 4th Qu., Missed Hanson FG Sunday) from being 6-1. That being said, the Lions have never had a problem with remaining competitive, their difficulties have been in mustering wins in winnable, close games.

The team does suffer from rampant execution problems from it’s players, especially in close games where there is no margin for error. Still, I think this season’s offensive performance reveals that there are systemic problems with their offense. The Lions have yet to score in their first drive of any game, or with 2 minutes to go at the end of a half or end of the game. It is well documented that the first team to score in a game has dramatically increased odds of winning a game. The Lions routinely struggle to throw for 200 yards passing and have difficulties in grinding out 100 yards rushing. Even with poor execution and underperforming personnel, these results are clearly a reflection upon Head Coach/Puppet Master Steve Mariucci and Offensive Coordinator/Puppet Ted Tollner and there painfully, ultra-conservative version of the West Coast offense. Not only is this offense unproductive, it is brutally tedious to watch.

There are potential positives in the future. Word is, that Joey Harrington has looked really good in practice since his benching. Also, the returns of Charles Rogers and Roy Williams can not come a moment too soon. At this point, each player has a great deal left to prove. If they do not have a renewed sense of motivation and purpose from watching games on the sidelines, than they are both destined for future failure as players in this league. Now that the Lions playoff chances have went from possible to largely implausible, maybe the offensive coaching staff will be willing to take a few more chances in attempts to gain victory.

The Lions are 3-4, a game behind the Bears, with the Bears possessing the tiebreaker by virtue of their season sweep of the Lions The Lions will have to win 2 more games than the Bears in the last nine. By viewing the Lions schedule down the stretch, this is highly unlikely. My best case scenario estimate leaves the Lions finishing 4-5 (wins against the Vikings(twice), Saints, and Arizona) which will not be good enough to get the job done in most cases. That being said, the Lions have to begin to find a way to harness the abilities of young players like Kalimba Edwards, Shaun Cody, Roy Williams and Kevin Jones if there is any hope for upcoming seasons. If this coaching staff is not up to the task, so be it. Their is a greater chance of improving through changes on the coaching staff than there is in roster turnover. The immediate challenge is clearer than ever for Steve Mariucci, win or become a TV color commentator.