Michael, I appreciate your thoughts. I believe you might be giving the Eagles a little too much credit. No NFL receiver should ever be as open as Curtis was on two of those touchdowns he caught.

In regards to the defensive scheme, you are correct. My problem is that most coaches will attempt to fit square pegs into round holes and wonder why things aren’t working according to plan. Marinelli/Barry need to utilize the players that they have in the best way possible, despite their philosophies.

In some ways, I think you are right about the Eagles performance, but the Lions also faced teams with relatively weak receiving corps during the first two games and their tackling woes were only partially exposed to us before Sunday. McNabb is a very good NFL QB, eventually that would bear out after two consecutive poor games. Obviously, the Eagles offensive performance will go unmatched this season.

The fire you refer to, was more likely an added spring in the Eagles step, because they knew they were going to provide an as-whupping that will go down for the ages, not any sort of fabled inspiration to overcome the odds.

I am glad that you haven’t abandoned hope, because I haven’t either. That being said, Sunday’s performance was a horrible sign of things to come if some issues aren’t addressed, immediately.

In regards to me watching the game, we don’t live in a bubble. I saw plenty of highlights and read as much as possible about Sunday’s game, and will eventually watch it. Question my credibility if you like, but in the long run I believe I am quite well-informed. Thanks

If you have not watched the game yet, pay close attention to the Eagles demeanor and McNabbs movement. This was not the Eagles team you saw the first two weeks of the season.

What I saw yesterday was an Eagles team that had been pushed onto the ropes and came out fighting back with everything they had. Every member of that team played with a fire that I have not seen in the NFL in years. McNabb, sans knee brace, was able to move around and performed nearly flawlessly. I honestly do not believe that any team in the NFL could have beaten the Eagles yesterday in that stadium.

Now, the game really got out of hand when the Lions were not able to get a hand on McNabb early in the game when they were able to put some pressure on him. He was able to make big plays when they put pressure on him, resulting in scores and ratcheting up the Eagles inntensity even higher. From there it was like a snowball rolling downhill and turned into a full on route.

Are the Lions a Super Bowl contender…NO. Are the Lions a playoff team…Probably not. Are they the same old Lions…NO. This is an improved team heading in the right direction. They will be competitive in nearly every game they play this year and end up with a record much better than last year. In the off season they will have to once again address problems in the offensive line. Other than the offensive line I believe they are close to being an offensive that will be in the top five in the NFL on a consistant basis. Problems in the defense are many, as we knew going into the year. Linebacker and defensive back, particularly the corners, need to be addressed. However, the Tampa Two is not the problem but the players within that system are.

Michael B. Caro

I’ve spread stuff in fields that smelled sweeter than this defense. Grossman is going to look like Johnny Unitas throwing against these rascals.

I have to admit that on several occasions I requested the Almighty commit one or more (or all) of the Lions’ players to eternal perdition. Maybe not in those words . . .

My game plan for the Bears simple–tackle the oppsoing players. When an opposing player has the ball, use their facemasks for cross hairs, zero in, and deliver punishment.