Detroit Lions Weblog

Mea Culpa, Shaun Cody place on Injured Reserve

I have been writing entries on the Detroit Lions Blog for 2 1/2 seasons and counting, now.   I am currently also posting entries on the AOL Fanhouse site about the Lions.   The current state of the Lions, and their continued inability to provide a consistent quality of performance has become increasingly trying.   I can say unequivocally, that this is one of the most disappointing seasons in my lifetime and among the all-time worst of Lions teams. 

I believe that the unexpected success of the Tigers has provided the necessary counterpoint for this season to leave an even more bitter taste in my mouth than the Lions performance normally would, with their numerous missteps.   I also believe that by engaging in conversations about the Lions, through the means that this site provides me, has informed me that Lions fans deserve better and are among the most loyal around. 

Instead Lions fans are met with indifference.   The William Clay Ford’s and Matt Millen have been conspicuously quiet as this team has now begun it’s annual late-season free fall.   The culmination of this free fall will likely come at the hands of a cold, methodical, surgically precise de-construction of the Lions by the Patriots in New England this Sunday.   The Fords have extracted their pound of flesh from Lions fans, but have given little in return.   Last season two vociferous protests occurred that were intended to signal to the powers that be that change was necessary.    Former Head Coach Steve Mariucci and QB Joey Harrington provided fitting substitutes as sacrificial lambs.   At this point, there will be no quarter offered.   The Fords need to completely overhaul this sad sack franchise and once and for all find the necessary employees, with NFL assistance, to begin rebuilding this once proud franchise.  It is also incumbent upon Lions fans to remain supportive, from a distance.   The time has come to quit spending our hard-earned money on this team until we see some positive results. 

Now that I have stepped off my soapbox,  I need to apologize for the paucity of my entries on this site.  I really love the opportunity I have been given to discuss my favorite professional sports franchise, in spite of it’s failings.

The Lions had to place DT Shaun Cody on the injured reserve for the 2nd consecutive season.   Cody’s future role has to come into question, since he wasn’t very productive when given the opportunity to play this season.  If I were going to place the blame for the Lions precipitous free fall, it would be the loss of Cody and suspension of Shaun Rogers which would reside near the top of my list. 

How Much Lower Can the Lions Sink?

How can you even begin to establish (or diminish?) the significance, and symbolism, of Joey Harrington returning to Ford Field and systematically dismantling Mr. Ford’s folly in front of a national television audience? 

The Lions played about ten minutes of quality football on Thanksgiving, and were incapable of executing on so many levels that only divine mercy would provide them with ten more days between games in which they can attempt to band-aid together whatever team confidence remains.  This team was not expected to perform miracles this season, but they have clearly undershot most people’s expectations.   After the win against the Falcons, it appeared that the Lions could be approaching a crucial point where they could begin turning around their losing ways. 

Instead, the Lions are now 5-40 on the road, 23-68 during Matt Millen’s tenure and have been blown out in three consecutive Thanksgiving Day games, all amidst a three game losing streak.   Matt Millen’s presidency is indefensible, to let his tenure continue is only cruel and negligent.   At this point, if you are likely to be selecting 2007’s number one draft pick, maybe it is time to start back from square one.   The only sign of hope that could possibly be offered to Lions fans would be to strip away all remnants of the Millen-era and keep the few basic, useful components that exist on the roster and start all over again.

Embarrassing Loss Expected, Harbinger of Things to Come?

There are no existing adjectives that can define how poor the Lions are currently playing.  The fact that the Lions were able to lose a winnable game, against a one win opponent, who had previously lost eight straight games, highlights just how low this organization has sank.   During Matt Millen’s 23-67 tenure, the team is an amazing 5-40 in road games.

There are no means in which to defend this loss.   It is actually quite astounding that the Lions were able to keep the score as close as they did Sunday.   After Sunday’s loss, and the increasing likelihood  that they will suffer a Thanksgiving Day loss to the Joey Harrington-lead Miami Dolphins, what remains for Lions fans?  Are there any more organizational setbacks that they can be expected to weather?

As much as I have held faith in Rod Marinelli’s ability to change the culture within the Lion’s organization and implement his core coaching principles, it is now becoming clearer that if the Lions continue their free fall, with a massacre on par with last year’s horrific Thanksgiving Day loss to the Falcons, then no job within the entire Lions organization should remain safe, including Marinelli’s. 

Marinelli’s ouster would be premature, but also an unfortunate necessity.   Let’s be objective, how much farther can this organization be allowed to denigrate?  When will fan apathy increase to the point where it will pose deleterious effects upon the future health of the organization. 

The Ford’s have been criminally negligent in their treatment of their dysfunctional organization.   Owning a pro sport’s franchise is a folly that few can afford.   The Ford’s, though well-heeled, aren’t completely stupid.   This organization can’t continue to chart it’s current course without seriously dire consequences. With that in mind, there is likely no bigger game than this Thursday’s against the Dolphins.  Within the addled minds of Lions fans, Thursday’s game is a source of pride.   The game is a long-standing tradition in which fans have grown to expect that the Lions will perform admirably, irregardless of their current standing in the league.  If that myth is shattered, there will be no sane reason left to follow the sad-sack Lions

Wide Receiver Carousel Comes Full Circle, Weak 11 Preview:The Brady Quinn Bowl?

I chuckled heartily when I heard that the Lions have re-signed veteran WR Corey Bradford, a player who they had released after the third game this season, to fill the role of their third receiver.   I hope that Bradford enjoyed his 7-week hiatus.  The re-signing of Bradford continues to highlight the complete and utter uselessness that last year’s first round draft pick,Mike Williams, has to this organization. Bradford, who had been paid a million dollars per catch upon his release, will not receive any additional payment from the Lions this season. It remains to be seen if Bradford can contribute, but I’d expect that the Lions will attempt to stretch the field vertically with him and also hope that with his size he can provide a difficult matchup in the slot.

Entering this Sunday’s game in Arizona, this may be one of the bleaker times in the history of this franchise.   They have struggled to win games on the road in recent seasons and have been unable string together consecutive victories for 39 games and counting. During Matt Millen’s 23-66 tenure, there have many low points, but last week’s home loss to San Francisco highlighted two things: 1)This franchise is severely lacking in the type of personnel that is needed to win in the NFL 2) The maturity, focus, and character of the players on the current roster is not to the point where they can afford to rest upon their laurels, even briefly. It is clear that no matter how much Rod Marinelli has preached establishing a base level of consistency, the current personnel has a very long road ahead before they can become winners.

 With that in mind, the Lions face two winnable games upon the horizon that don’t come without there respective challenges.   Sunday’s game in Arizona will likely be a shoot-out.   I expect a game similar to the one in which Marty Mornihnweg was head coach in 2001.  Both Charlie Batch and Jake Plummer threw for nearly 400 yards.   The Lions, who were decimated with injuries at the receiver position, utilized young QB Mike McMahon at wideout.   Coming full-circle, the Lions have been allowing veteran backup QB Josh McCown to run some pass routes recently.

It is imperative that the Lions limit their turnovers offensively.   In a Martz-designed, high-risk offense, there are going to be a lot of turnovers committed.  However, the Lions can ill-afford to turn the ball over at their current rate.   The Cardinals have a porous defense that can be exploited by Jon Kitna.   The Cards will have a tough time limiting all of the receiving options that Kitna has at his disposal.  Still, if the Lions cough the ball up frequently, the Cards will take advantage. 

Defensively, the Lions need to pressure young QB Matt Leinart and force him into making costly turnovers.  They have struggled throughout the season to apply pressure to opposing QB’s.  The Lions have not faced a receiving corps with the depth of the Cardinals trio of Anquan Boldin, Larry Fitzgerald, and Bryant Johnson.  The Lions will have to rely heavily upon their nickel defensive backs to perform well.   With the recent success of the Jets and Niners, the Cards will also try to take advantage of the Lions depleted defensive front with RB Edgerrin James, as they attempt to establish a successful ground game.

Last week was the end of any optimism that I had reserved for the 2006 Lions.  At this point, any win will be a pleasant surprise.   I fully expect them to lose Sunday and follow that up with an embarassing home loss to the Joey Harrington-lead Dolphins on national television.   In fact, the Harrington loss may be the ultimate low point necessary to exorcise the Bobby Layne curse that has damned this organization since Layne’s trade in 1958.  There is no conceivable way this organization could go any lower than a loss to Harrington.

Cards 37 Lions 31

Are the Lions Entering the Eye of the Storm?

Is it me, or have things been eerily quiet from the Lions team headquarters since their inexcusable loss to the Niners last Sunday.  Lions Head Coach Rod Marinelli admirably fell on the sword during his Monday press conference stating that the team was not properly prepared entering the Niners game.   As valiant as Marinelli’s statements are, it is becoming abundantly clear that the Lions are not stocked with adequate personnel and no amount of preparation is going to alter the course of this season.

Fast forward about 12 days and assume that the Lions lose to Arizona on the road this Sunday, and follow that up by further embarassing themselves against a Joey Harrington-lead Miami Dolphins team, during their annual showcase game, which will be nationally televised on Thanksgiving.  What will the state of affairs within the Lions organization be like then?  You would have to expect an angry fan base to respond by increasing the ante on their prostests directed at Team President Matt Millen, that will most certainly pale last year’s “Millen Man March” and “Orange Out” by comparison.  A growing contingent will also become increasingly apathetic and stop attending or viewing games. The Ford’s have been indifferent about team affairs up to this point, but the direction of this organization has to be coming into question for them, too.

Philadelphia Eagles GM Tom Heckert’s name has been mentioned recently as potential successor to Matt Millen should an exit strategy be devised (assuming he isn’t strung up by an angry mob!) to make a change at the head of the organization.   As much as I’d like to see changes made, I have mixed feelings about bringing someone else into the fold.  Rod Marinelli instantly becomes a lame duck coach if someone succeeds Matt Millen.   Heckert would want to employ some of his own staff that he can place his faith in.   Heckert also has not been in charge of personnel decisions at Philadelphia, which concerns me.  The Ford’s have already hired someone who was lacking the appropriate experience, would they make the same mistake twice?

The Lions are going to have to provide a sacrificial lamb at some point.  As much as I hate to admit it, Millen is an albatross that can’t removed from the Lions necks until we are certain that it will not work out with Rod Marinelli.   If I had to provide the most likely lamb to be lead to slaughter, I would suggest that Defense Coordinator Donnie Henderson would be the candidate, no matter how unfair such a decision might be.

The Lions Drop the Ball, Again.

The Lions loss this Sunday was a devastating blow to their season.   There is no way to look at their performance this Sunday that can shed a positive light upon their season up to this point, or for their future outlook for that matter.  The Lions have struggled so mightily to establish a base level of consistency under which they might be able to turn the tide of their organization.   Instead, considering the manner in which they loss Sunday’s game, they now have to regroup from several regressive steps backward that were made during Sunday’s loss.

I am extremely disappointed by the fact that facing an upstart team, in a winnable game, the Lions appeared to be so clearly uninspired.   Where is the hunger for success in this organization reside?   Even if it had been a meager step forward, you can’t discount the potential step forward that would have been achieved by winning two or more games in a row.   Instead, we are now left wondering which team is most likely to show up each week, the one we have seen brief glimpses of, or the more emblematic one, which displayed the type of performance that they exhibited on Sunday.  

No one play serves a stronger notice of the Lions maddening inconsistency than the Frank Gore 61-yard touchdown run on a 3rd-and-16 drive situation.  In a play that  I affectionately have referred to as the “Wayne Fontes Draw”,  the Lions exhibited a lackluster effort that allowed the exciting young Gore to conduct a symphony of missed tackles as he chugged down the field for paydirt.  Several players, if you watched the game on television, were shown quitting on the play and pulling up early rather than giving maximum effort.   In a nutshell, this one play indicates why the Lions continue to languish so mightily. 

Another play which indicates how disastrous the Lions performance can be at times, was the blown blocking assignment which allowed bltzing Niners CB Shawntae Spencer to gain an unfettered, devastating blow on Lions QB Jon Kitna during the 3rd quarter.   In this play, if it had been any other team besides the one that I love, you can enjoy how devastating unimpeded contact can be to a team’s QB.   The Lions certainly can’t make practice of allowing Kitna to absorb these kind of hits, or the next time that they see him he will be in a hospital, under traction.

I was glad that Lions Head Coach Rod Marinelli is quick to dispel the idea that there could be any potential changes made at the Lions Qb position.   Kitna is a recognized team leader who the players appear to be fully committed to.  Kitna’s performance has not been perfect (11 INT’s, 6 fumbles), yet, the Lions are not in a position where they can begin evaluation of the other players on their roster.   Any meager advances that can be made organizationally, need to be seized.  You aren’t going to be able to convince me that the demotion of Kitna would represent any sort of advance no matter what the future holds, or outcomes may that occur as a result of their decision to continue starting Kitna for the remainder of this season.

Week 9 Preview: Lions Vs. Niners

Other than the side bar story of Niners QB Alex Smith being related to recently deposed Michigan State Head Coach John L. Smith, this game possesses little tangible intrigue.   Had Steve Mariucci remained as Lions Head Coach, that may have provided some interesting back story in preview to this game.   That being said, the immediate concern for the Lions is to develop some consistency coming off their surprising victory last Sunday against the Falcons.   The Lions have had a great deal of difficulty in stringing consecutive victories together in recent seasons.  it is imperative, that in what is perceived to be a winnable game, against a lesser foe, the Lions find a way to achieve victory Sunday.

Rod Marinelli’s laser sharp focus and adherence to the repetition of cornerstone team mantra’s like establishing fundamentals and maintaining consistency, may just be the right man to lead the Lions to victory in a string of winnable games.   I believe that Marinelli’s approach is taking hold within the locker room and the fact the team’s confidence has never faltered during a poor start to the season says a lot about the amount of sway he holds.

Offensively, the Lions needs to continue to perform at the high level that they have recently achieved, and limit their penalties and turnovers.   If they are able to do that, this game could become an early blow out.  The Niners have struggled defensively on the road, even though they are coming off a big home victory against the Vikings last Sunday it remains to be seen if they have what it takes to limit the threat provided by the increasingly dangerous Lions offense.   The Niners have struggled in stopping the run and also have a very difficult time in getting third down stops.   if the Lions get some extended drives early, they would be doing themselves a big favor with the injuries they have sustained along their defensive front.

Defensivelly, the Lions will likely stack up the box to prevent Frank Gore from pounding them, especially with three starters on the defensive line unavailable in Sunday’s game.   If the Lions gain an early lead, the Niners will be unable to rely upon Gore.  In an ideal situation, the Lions will place the game upon the shoulders of the young, much improved Niners QB Alex Smith to lead the Niners to victory.   The Lions would like to be able to pin their ears back and come after Smith, and hopefully force him into costly turnovers.  The other factor is that the Niners receivers Antonio Bryant and Arnaz Battle are inconsistent and likely containable by Lions CB’s Dre Bly and Fernando Bryant.

Their is no reason other than a pre-conditioned sense of an impending Lions letdown to believe that they will lose this game. 

Lions 34 John L. Smith’s nephew 20

DE Hall, RB Calhoun Place on IR

It was announced this week that the Lions placed DE James Hall and RB Brian Calhoun on injured reserve.   Hall, a captain and veteran pass rusher, will be sorely missed.  Hall was the team leader in sacks and was the most reliable Lion on the defensive front.   The onus now falls upon the combination of the inconsistent Kalimba Edwards, workmanlike Jared DeVries, and recently signed veteran Corey Smith to pick up the slack.   Hall’s missing the remainder of the season also amplifies Shaun Rogers’ selfish and careless decision to take a banned substance(ephedra or a derivative) in an attempt to maintain his weight.

The loss of Calhoun will be less severe.  The Lions signed versatile, veteran Aveion Cason who has previously played with the both the Lions and the Rams under Mike Martz.  Cason will contribute on special teams and could be an occasional 3rd down situational back.  My greatest fear is that Kevin Jones will sustain a serious injury that creates a situation where the Lions have to rely upon RB’s Cason and Arlen Harris to carry the load in his stead.  Another aspect to the loss of Calhoun highlights that the Lions (Matt Millen) may have been better served utilizing their third round draft pick on a player who could have provided more immediate depth and assistance to their limited personnel.   Calhoun possesses a great deal of potential, but contributed little this season.

Lions Top Priority Must Become Retaining Martz

The Lions are beginning to develop a consistently potent offense that forces it’s opponents to take notice.  The chief engineeer behind that offense, Mike Martz, already has been recognized throughout the league as one of it’s more innovative minds.   This season’s performance by the Lions offense should be considered the crowning achievement of Martz’s exemplary career, when you consider how bad the Lions offense has been in the past.

With Martz’s leaguewide high esteem in mind, the Lions improved offensive performance does not come without unfortunate consequences.   Martz’s name will likely move to the top of several team’s wish lists as a future head coaching candidate.  Martz’s previously stated desire to return to the position only increases the likelihood that his potential candidacies will gain some steam as the season progresses.

The Lions currently employ several members of it’s offensive staff that have a great deal of experience within Martz’s offensive system.   That being said, Martz’s ability to game plan and utilize his personnel to orchestrate this offense should not be undervalued, though.   Their are no immediate successors to the throne on hand, so the Lions must make it a priority to retain Martz.

One clear cut future option for Martz to become head coach is the Arizona Cardinals.   The Cards feature an enviably talented cadre of young offensive skill players who have no discernible performance limits, if they were able to be guided by someone like Martz.  The Cards Head Coach Denny Green appears to be a resident lame duck, and their would be no better landing spot for Martz.   The immediate challenge for the Lions is to convince Martz that his work in Detroit is yet unfinished.

Lions Perform Admirably in Victory Over Falcons

The Lions were quite impressive in their Sunday victory over the Atlanta Falcons.  They exhibited a toughness and resilience that has been sorely lacking within this organization for a long time.   One particular moment that should stand out in future Lions lore as a defining moment of this team occurred late in the game.   QB Jon Kitna scrambled from out of the pocket during the 3rd quarter on Sunday, and as he gained a first down, he entered into a feet-first slide.   While Kitna was sliding, Falcons LB Michael Boley and CB De Angelo Hall entered into the play.   Hall, who is developing a negative reputation around the league as a dirty player, delivered an ugly cheap shot to Kitna’s head.   Kitna, understandably angered, immediately went after Boley and Hall engaging in a brief melee, rather than stepping away from the pile.  Obviously, it is not advisable for Kitna to make a practice of engaging in these type of physical altercations, but Kitna’s stubborn unwillingness to back down from the Falcons was emblematic of the Lions performance throughout the day.

One element of Sunday’s game that I thoroughly underestimated prior to the game was Rod Marinelli’s previous involvement in successful game plans (in Tampa Bay) which have been able to limit the damage incurred by Michael Vick.   Vick, who prior to Sunday’s game was being trumpeted throughout the league as finally fulfilling his anticipated potential, played more like the inconsistent, incomplete player that has unfortunately marked his career rather than playing like the stalwart that everyone so anxiously awaits.  I never believed that the undermanned Lions defensive front would be able to exhibit the type of discipline necessary to provide capable resistance against the dynamic Vick.  I take a great deal of joy in the fact that Vick’s Hall of Fame enshrinement will have to wait at least one more week.

The Lions offense is beginning to establish a new watermark for the level of performance that it can provide each week.  The emergence of RB Kevin Jones and WR Roy Williams, along with the steady, defiant hand of journeymen QB Jon Kitna all represent players that this team can hopefully begin to depend upon.  The healthy return of veteran offensive linemen Ross Verba and Rex Tucker are also worthy of mention, because it is obvious to me that the Lions offensive line is much better with them than without them.

Most important for the Lions, at this season’s midpoint, is their ability to build upon Sunday’s success and string together a few wins.  As the old adage goes, a blind squirrel will eventually find an acorn, and it is up to the Lions to prove that Sunday’s performance was no aberration, but a representation of games to come.