Detroit Lions Weblog

Welcome to Detroit, Coach Marinelli

Yesterday was new Lion’s Head Coach Rod Marinelli’s true, inauspicious introduction to what it means to be a Lion’s coach. Penalties, turnovers, and a general inclination towards disaster were the order of the day for the Lions at every turn in Soldier Field on Sunday.

As if it weren’t bad enough, the Lions were physically manhandled in every facet of the game, coming off of a week where the team had inspired a certain amount of undeserved hope that it would consistently play with enough physicality and intensity that games like the one that occurred yesterday were no longer part of the Lion’s vernacular. The Lion’s were so thoroughly beaten on Sunday, that now one has to consider the possible reality that last Sunday’s game was the true aberration and not that of the team’s performance on Sunday.

Where do you begin to discuss how bad the Lions were yesterday? On offense, the Offensive Line was horrific. When it wasn’t being penalized, it was serving as a turnstile for the Bear’s front four of the defense to find a clear and direct path to Jon Kitna. The Lions added new personnel in the off-season to one of it’s weakest roster groups, and at least up to this point, there has been no improvement upon the quality of it’s play, whatsoever.

The Lion’s offensive skill players are frauds. If I ever see Roy Williams point down the field (signaling a first down) after achieving a first down in 24-0 game again, after I finish vomiting profusely, I will renouce my future Lion’s fan status. Roy Williams does not appear to have the consistency, make-up, or ability necessary to be a team’s go-to receiver, especially after making a ridiculous pre-game guarantee of victory and touting an offense that has scored 1 touchdown in 2 games now. Kevin Jones has now fumbled 3 times in 2 games. So much for Steve Mariucci’s 5 points of pressure, eh, Kevin?

Most disconcerting (for me), was the play involving Jones just prior to Jon Kitna’s plunge for a TD. If you remember, Kevin Jones was running a sweep heading towards the pylon and what appeared to be a clear TD. From the periphery, you could see Brian Urlacher entering the picture as Jones approached the end zone. Rather than stick his nose towards the goal line and fight for a TD, it was clear to me that Jones wanted to avoid contact with Urlacher and attempt to meekly lay out over the pylon and score his 6 points. This in a nutshell, is the type of play that Rod Marinelli has been clearly attempting to eradicate. This type of play, compounded with a rash of mind-numbing errors is why the Lions are without a doubt, the laughingstock of the entire NFL.

The Lions defense took a major regressive step backwards on Sunday, too. After the Seattle game, most of us were ready to enshrine Shaun “Big Baby” Rogers in Canton, assuming that the Seattle game was a sign of better things to come. Instead, the Lions defensive line never provided any sort of consistent pressure on Rex Grossman, allowing him to drop back and pick apart the vaunted Tampa-Cover-2 zone defense that the Lions have purportedly implemented. If the front four doesn’t provide any consistent pressure, the new defense is rendered obselete because the Lions have to use blitzes and man-to-man coverage as a catalyst to try and generate big defensive plays.

In regards to pressuring the QB, Kalimba “The Ghost” Edwards must be enjoying collecting his off-season pay raise, he has been an absolute non-entity in this defense, thus far. At this point, I am not sure which was the biggest off-season mistake, re-signing Jeff Backus or Kalimba Edwards.

In typical Lion’s fashion, they also used a major error to compound their misery at the absolute worst time (again) on Sunday. The Lions were down 24-7 and Boss Bailey intercepted a Grossman pass and subsequently returned it for a TD. Not so fast, CB Jamar Fletcher, a 6th year veteran committed a hands to the face penalty which nullified the score. In a game where the Lion’s were absolutely out-played and didn’t really deserve any sort of opportunity to remain competitive(24-14, instead of the eventual 31-7), their last hope was snuffed out by a mindless error by someone who should have known better.

At this point, many coaches would tell there team that they need to move on from a performance like Sunday and not let any bad feelings linger from their colossally disappointing performance. In my eyes, what Rod Marinelli needs to focus upon is the complete lack of pride this team exhibited. With 3 and 1/2 minutes remaining, the Bears pinned their ears back and came after Kitna, knowing that the Lions were going to throw on nearly every play. Rather than attempting to draw from some reserve from within themselves and tenaciously fight the Bears, the Lions O-Line continued to let Jon Kitna get brutalized. If I were Kitna, I would have thrown an interception just to get myself out of such a dangerous and yet, meaningless situation.

I don’t know what to say at this point. The Lion’s did a score a TD against a talented Bear’s defense. Jon Kitna played far better and more focused than his teammates deserved in the face of terrible adversity. Is there anything more positive to add in summation to the Lion’s performance Sunday? How do you like your fresh-squeezed lemonade, Rod?

Lions vs. Bears PreView

After a mixed showing in the opening game loss to Seattle, the Lions face a difficult challenge going to Soldier’s Field and playing against their divisional nemesis, the Chicago Bears. The Bears mauled the Green Bay Packers last weekend and have to be licking their chops contemplating facing the Lions at home, especially after Roy Williams insistence upon guaranteeing a Lion’s victory this Sunday.

The Lions struggled offensively to gain yardage and score points against Seattle and couldn’t establish any sort of continuity or rhythm. If there was an upside, they limited their turnovers to one fumble. In order for the Lions to have much of a chance against the Bears, they will have to establish some ball control and find a way to help Kevin Jones gain some yards rushing. It is very difficult to beat the Bears running the ball and they have been vulnerable in the past to their opponent’s passing games, that being said, I think the Lions desperately need to establish their ground attack to open up other facets of their passing game. If the Lions are incapable of establishing the ground game, Jon Kitna will be under duress nearly the entire game as the Bears front seven of their defense pins their ears back and comes after him.

The Bears secondary has been considered a weakness in recent years yet they have a very capable secondary that has expanded it’s depth in the offseason. The Lions ideally would like to see Charles “Peanut” Tillman matched with Roy Williams and hope that Williams can attack Tillman’s deficiencies. The Bears will likely roll coverage towards Williams (unles they are in their cover-2) and force Kitna to throw to players like Mike Furrey, Corey Bradford, and Eddie Drummond. This would be an ideal game for the Lions to attempt to attack the middle of the zone defense with passes to Marcus Pollard. Pollard should be able to find holes in the coverage which could help keep the Lions possessions alive.

On Defense, the Lions will need to replicate their performance from last Sunday against Seattle. If they are able to do so, they could keep the low-scoring Bears offense in check enough for the low-scoring Lions offense to have a puncher’s chance. The Bears are starting QB Rex Grossman who looked quite good against a weak Packers defense. I believe that if the Lions generate the same quality of pass rush ( Are you listening, Big Baby?) that they did against Seattle, not only could they pressure Grossman into mistakes, but they may conceivably knock the often-injured QB out of the game. Heck, if the Lions front seven plays like they did against Seattle for any consistent basis, it will be difficult for any team to establish any sort of passing game. With that in mind, Lions realize that week-to-week it is hard to expect any sort of consistency out of this team, until they do it. The Lions have experienced some difficulties in attempting to cover receivers Bernard Berrian and Mark Bradley in recent seasons, so it is imperative that they do not allow these slot receivers to hurt them.

I am quite hopeful that the Lions will neutralize RB’s Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson if they hold true to last week’s form. It would be ideal, in my eyes, if the Lions could placed the Bears winning or losing upon the still inexperienced shoulders of Grossman. Grossman is talented, but I think the Lions chances are better forcing the game into Grossman’s hands than letting the Bears play their favored grind-it-out, low-scoring, ball-control type of game.

This is a difficult early test for the Lions and they will look inspired. Still, even though inveterate gamblers may leave happy unfortunately the Lions will not.

Halas 13 Portsmouth Spartans 9

Week 2: Lions vs. Bears Statistical Matchup

25th Ranked Lions Offense vs./12th Ranked Bears Defense
Yardage
Yards 251/ 267
YPG 251.0(25)/ 267.0(12)

Scoring
PTS 6/ 0
PPG 6.0(28)/0(1)

Passing
YPG 213.0(13)/ 164.0(12)
TD 0(20)/0(1)
SACK 3(17)/ 3(8)
INT 0(1)/2(5)

Rushing
YPG 38.0(30)/ 103.0(17)
TD 0(18)/ 0(1)

7th Ranked Chicago Offense vs./ 10th Ranked Lions Defense

Yardage
Yards 361/264
YPG 361.0(7)/ 264.0(10)

Scoring
Points 26/9
PPG 26.0(6)/ 9.0(6)

Passing
YPG 252.0(6)/173.0(15)
TD 1(8)/0(1)
SACK 1(5)/5(3)
INT 1(17)/ 0(17)

Rushing
YPG 109.0(12)/ 91.0(14)
TD 0(18)/ 0(14)

Turnovers
——TakeAways———GiveAways——+/-
——-INT–FUM–TTL—INT–FUM–TTl—-
DET—0—–1—–1—–0—–1—–1——-0
CHI—2—–1—–3—–1—–0—–1——-+2

Injuries:
DET IR: G Tyrone Hopson, DE Bill Swancutt, S Idrees Bashir
PUP: WR Scottie Vines, LB Teddy Lehman Out: TE Casey FitzSimmons, WR Shaun Bodiford, Ques: G Ross Verba
CHI Ques: WR Justin Gage, S Chris Harris, DT Tommie Harris, LB Hunter Hillenmeyer, DT Israel Idonije, TE Gabe Reid, RB J.D. Runnels

Vegas: Detroit +9 at Chicago Over/Under 32 Points

Return to Az?

WR Az-Zahir Hakim was signed by the Lions on Tuesday. He takes WRDeVale Ellis’s roster spot. Hakim, one of Matt Millen’s first free agent signings (along with Bill Schroeder), has experience both as a Lion and as a player in a Mike Martz-designed St. Louis Rams offense, which obviously increased his desirability to the team. Hakim could provide some quality depth for the team and is capable of making some fantastic plays if he has recovered to full health and speed. Hakim had been given a tryout by the Lions in the off-season and was not signed at that time because the Lions thought he may still have some knee trouble. Hakim has been both turnover and injury-prone so it is not likely he will be a starter or major contributor soon. That being said, you can never be sure just what Hakim’s role may become if the team continues it’s offensive struggles for long.

Roy Williams has continued to expand his role as the team’s self-designated media spokesperson. Yesterday, he was quoted as saying that the Lions should start beleaguered WR Mike Williams on Sunday against the Bears. I believe that Roy’s encouragement of Mike Williams could become a positive, especially by standing behind “Big” Mike publicly. That being said, Williams still has to earn his playing time just like everybody else and if the Lions had believed that he could have contributed to a victory for the team on Sunday, he would have been activated.

Mike Williams is likely the most enigmatic Lion of all-time. As if suffering through the near continuous stream of Lion first round draft pick failures has not been enough, Williams doesn’t give a strong impressiion that he is concerned about his future. After seeing players like Charles Rogers and Joey Harrington jettisoned in the off-season, when will the message that his NFL career may be in jeopardy seep into his consciousness? It bothers me that he can’t get focused enough so that at the very least, the Lions can exploit the matchup difficulties he can create inside of the red zone. If the first game is any indication, Lion’s touchdowns may come at a premium, especially early in the season.

Roy Williams Calls His Shot, WR Ellis Released

Yesterday WR Roy Williams asserted that he believed that the Lions should win their next game against the Lion’s divisional foe, the Chicago Bears. Williams is confident that the team’s poor offensive performance this past Sunday will not be replicated this weekend. He thinks that the only defense that can stop the Lion’s offensive unit is themselves. Personally, I believe that if the team could develop a consistent and effective ground attack that other elements of their of the offensive game plan would start to open up, too. I am glad that Williams is confident, but am concerned that providing bulletin board material for the Bears may prove costly.

The Lions released WR Devale Ellis. I think that he may return to the practice squad. What the Lions decide to do with this remaining roster spot will be interesting? Will they re-sign RB Arlen Harris? Will WR Peter Warrick return for more workouts? Will they possibly bring another player from the practice squad to the regular roster? I am assuming will we know in the next couple of days.

Lions Defense Encouraging in Opening Loss

The Lions defense was nearly spectacular in the Lion’s opening game loss to Seattle. They were agressive, hard-hitting and if they are able to play at this level consistently, will be a winning defense. Unfortunately, with the team’s offensive struggles Sunday, the defense was unable to make the crucial stops on the Seahawks final offensive drive to send the game into overtime.

There appears to be no room for moral victories under new head coach Rod Marinelli. He said that the team lost the game and that was not what they had set out to accomplish, so he was disappointed. In my eyes, and likely most Lions fans, this game gives us something to feel good about (No matter how fleeting that feeling may be). This is the type of performance that this team can build upon, that’s for sure.

The non-existence of any sort of efficient and productive offense is a cause for major concern. However, it is no surprise that the Lions would be struggling to adapt to a new offensive system at this early stage of the season. The lack of any sort of effective ground attack is the most frustrating. The offensive line has a lot of work to do in order for that to turn around. Kevin Jones, a tough runner, still doesn’t look to have the breakaway ability necessary for the ground game get rolling.

Ford Field was a loud and exciting environemt yesterday. Hopefully, the team will continue to build upon what it accomplished yesterday and remain competitive throughout the year.

WR Warrick Works Out, Sunday Pre-View

The Lions worked out former Florida State Heisman Wide Receiver and number one overall draft pick Peter Warrick on Thursday. Warrick, who has become a journeymen of sorts after stints with the Bengals and Seahawks, would be a relatively fine addition since he is versatile enough to contribute on offense and is able to return kicks. Warrick essentially is Charles Rogers with a better track record as a NFL performer, though he has never lived up to the expectations he had as a college star, especially since suffering a season-ending injury a couple of years ago. I believe that Warrick would be more of a slot receiver for the Lions and could potentially replace Shaun Bodiford if Bodiford is placed on injured reserve or released and sent to the practice squad. RB Arlen Harris was released this week and WR DeVale Ellis was promoted from the practice squad so there is no immediate need for the team to sign a wide receiver.

Sunday the Lions will embark upon their first game of the year. The team is relatively injury free (TE Casey FitzSimmons, LB Teddy Lehman, WR Scottie Vines, and WR Shaun Bodiford are definitely out of the game) and desperately needs to get the season started off with a quality performance. On offense, the Lions have to be concerned about their offensive line because it played so briefly as a unit during the pre-season. The Seahawks have an excellent pass rush and with the addition of a healthy Julian Peterson at Linebacker, Jon Kitna may be forced to make hurried throws and could be spending a lot of time on his backside. I believe that the Lions need to establish their running attack early and try to control the tempo of the game so as to keep the Seahawks offense off the field. Kitna may be able to find a measure of success against the Seahawks cormers. They are young (Kelly Jennings) and inconsistent (Marcus Trufant, Kelly Herndon) so if Roy Williams and Corey Bradford find themselves in single coverage they may be able to exploit the Seahawks corners. The Seahawks have an energetic, big-play defensive unit so the Lions need to maintain a steady, error-free consistency so that the Seahawks can’t build momentum.

On Defense, the Lions will return DT’s Shaun “Big Baby” Rogers and Shaun Cody. Both will have major tasks attempting to clog up the middle of the defense so the Lions linebackers can get good pursuit on RB Shaun Alexander. I expect that Alexander will get his usual 115 yds and a TD, anything more than that and the Lions will be in danger of getting blown out. The Lions non-existent pass rush must emerge. The last thing the Lions need is for QB Matt Hasselbeck to be able to continually extend drives on third down with his passing efficiency. The Lions secondary is still a work in progress, luckily the ‘Hawks are likely to be short a man without WR Darrell Jackson. Honestly, if the secondary avoids giving up costly big plays this can be a close game.

At this point, I feel that the Lions are a work in progress. A loss under 10 points would be very acceptable. Since it is a home game: Hawks 24 Turkeys 17

The Lions-Living Comic Theatre?

The events of the last couple of days in Allen Park for the Lions have caused me to wonder if the Lions are enacting a staged living theatrical interpretation of a great lost Mel Brooks football story? How else can you sort out the sordid, dare I say lurid (?), chain of events that have occurred over the last couple of days.

The team’s owners are among the most prestigious and rich citizens of the United States. They own one of the more recognizable and at one time successful brand name auto company’s in the entire world. Their company was largely responsible for inventing the American middle class. The son of the team owner, perceived to be the savior and innovator for the family business, for all intents and purposes gets demoted from his rightful throne as head of the company and will now rejoin his father in maintaining their very expensive and unsuccessful folly, the Lions. The son, who is responsible for recommending that his father hire a blustery and inept team president, will likely interject himself into the day-to-day operations of the team and potentially, according to speculation, will support the possibility of the team’s chief financial figure, Tom Lewand, assuming greater responsibility within the organization likely igniting a viscious internal power struggle within an already beleaguered front office of the team.

Meanwhile, amongst all of this dysfunctional turmoil, the Lions who have a new coach who acts if he believes he is a reincarnation of George Patton, has to face preparing a team who doesn’t look close to being ready to face last year’s Super Bowl runner-up. Amidst that pressure, one of Sgt. Rock’s lieutenants decides to get a little drunk after hours and is arrested–WHILE DRIVING NUDE! Admittedly, this joyride may sound somewhat gratifying and deliciously adventurous, but how in god’s name did he get into his car in the nude and where was he leaving from? Can all of this be really happening?

The Lions are 21-59 during Matt Millen’s tenure as team president. These events give little cause for wonder why the team has been so unsuccessful. Who really is in charge here? Recently departed ex-Lion R.W. McQuarters had some very enlightening things to say about his time in Detroit to a Sports Illustrated writer. McQuarters plaintively states what has been apparent to Lion fans for many years now. The team is missing the consistent organizational leadership to ever emerge from it’s continual quagmire. As I mentally prepare myself for the upcoming season, you really have to wonder when this farce is going to end.

T-Minus 96 Hours Until Lion’s Season Begins

I have the great fortune of being able to attend Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks. This game inaugurates the new coaching philosophy, schemes and personnel the Lions will feature for the 2006 season. The Seahawks, who lost the Super Bowl in Ford Field, will be looking to shake free from the letdown that often occurs for the team who is the Super Bowl runner-up the season after their Super Bowl loss. Hopefully, the perennial rebuilding project that the Lions have encumbered upon will allow them to be able to acquit themselves well and not be on the receiving end of Seattle exorcising some post-Super Bowl demons. I am not sure the team is yet strong enough to handle an opening game blood bath, which unfortunately is a distinct possibility.

The Lions enter this season with many obvious concerns. The ultimate concern is their inability to keep their linebackers and offensive line healthy. Neither unit has operated fully intact yet, and with the paradigm shifts that have occurred this year in the design of their playbook these two units may be an early liability. The team also has to be concerned that they have been unable to establish any sort of consistent ground attack or outside pass rush. Many believe that the Lions have been using vanilla schemes in the pre-season and the Lions will show a little more on offense and defense than they have up to this point. I am cautiously optimistic that they can perform better than they have up to this point, but am very concerned that it may take up to the midpoint of the season for the team to mesh the raw ability, understanding and execution necessary to be successful to any degree.

I believe that the team has made some excellent choices for it’s team leaders after seeing who they have selected for it’s captains. (C Dom Raiola, QB Jon Kitna, CB Dre Bly, DE James Hall, and LB Donte Curry) The captain who is most likely to have to excel if the team is likely to gain any measure of success is Kitna. Every move he makes will be under the microscope, since the Lion’s QB’s have faltered for so long. Kitna appears to have the character, make-up, and abilities to lead the team to improvement. I believe that Kitna at the very least can be an effective game manager who leads the team to a couple of grind-it-out victories and in a best case scenario, he will recapture some of his old form and really thrive in Mike Martz’s offense.

I feel strongly that Rod Marinelli is leading the team in the right direction. This team can be very competitive in a relatively weak (the weakest?) division in the NFL, in spite of it’s shortcomings. Obviously, the stars will have to align just right for the team to finish above .500. That being said, with all of the recent trials and travails the team (and fans) have suffered through ending the season in the ballpark of .500 may be acceptable.

Here’s Where the Story Ends…

The disappointingly underachieving career of former Lions first round draft selection Charles Rogers ended today. Obviously, Rogers will land on his feet. He will quickly sign an incentive-laden, low-priced contract and begin salvaging what meager NFL career he may have remaining. For the Lions interminable rebuilding process (nearly 50 years), this was very costly in the long term.

Generally speaking, the first round draft selections you decide upon are supposed to be the cornerstones around which you can build the remainder of your franchise. The Lions have recently cast aside two of those important pieces in less than 6 months. I realize that in real-life situations, opportunities are sometimes wasted and things do not always work according to pre-conceived expectations. These failures have been compounded and become even more painful with each successive disappointment because the Lions have frittered away so much time, organizational development and money (filthy lucre?) on players who have had almost zero positive impact or long-term benefits for them. This failure is a very poor reflection upon what is clearly among the worst organizations in all of professional sports (maybe of all time).

Rogers, an enigma, is largely to blame here. He clearly is a misguided and imperceptive person. He was granted a very lucrative and potentially rewarding opportunity when the Lions drafted him. He appears to have little motivation or understanding of what it will take for him to succeed in the NFL. He is likely the biggest wide receiver bust in the history of the league (How does it feel to have the monkey off of your back R. Jay Soward). My biggest fear is that Rogers will muster up what remaining skills he has to become an effective contributor elsewhere, worse case scenario, in the NFC North.

The Lions also released past team contributors LB James “Dirty” Davis, OT Kelly Butler, RB Artose Pinner, DT Damian Gregory, OL Brock Gutierrez, and ‘06 draft picks CB Dee McCann and G Fred Matua, both who I presume they will attempt to place on their practice squad. Pinner will be a valuable addition as backup for another team. He is not flashy, but he is workmanlike and consistent. Kelly Butler has a certain amount of promise as player, I’m actually very surprised he was released.

Three players who survived the cut-downs are major surprises who overcame spectacular odds to make the roster (and should be cause for the Lions to celebrate): WR/KR Shaun Bodiford, OG Frank Davis and LB Anthony Cannon. Hopefully, they will be able to develop into positive contributors and give the team the quality of performances that will make up for the poor performance of the others who were originally expected to do well but didn’t.

Finally, I have strong feelings that the release of Rogers may be redemptive for the Lions, maybe even cleansing. All of the hype, glitz, and glamour that surrounded the drafts of players like Harrington and Rogers, the hiring of Steve Mariucci, and the aborted West Coast Offense can be placed firmly to rest. This team is going to be rebuilt in the image of it’s new head coach, Rod Marinelli, whether we like it or not. Frankly, I am glad the disappointments from that era are finished. I just hope that more imminent ones aren’t soon awaiting.