Detroit Lions Weblog

Welcome Back, Suckhole Lions!

The Lions have been giving alms to the patron saints of pipe dreams and lost causes all season.    In order to fully digest the magnitude of their six game (and running) second half losing streak fully, here are a few points to ponder:

1) During Matt Millen’s seven year tenure, in which the team has had an astounding 30-80 record, the Lions have had losing streaks of five games or more, eight times.

2)The Lions are 2-5 on the road this season.  In those five road losses, they have been outscored 214-69 allowing an average of 42.8 ppg in those games.  They have had three losses by more than 32 points!

3) The Lions are -82 in team points differential.  They have allowed 390 points to be scored, the most in the league, and have only scored 308 points to date.

Rod Marinelli has preached adherence to sound fundamentals, toughness, and teamwork as organizational principles.   In the six games since Mike Furrey’s unfortunate “the media can kiss our ass” comments, the Lions have revealed that they were the luckiest 6-2 team in the history of the league.   Given their poor second half performance, it is a surprise that they somehow managed to win all of those games early, in my eyes.

At any rate, the Lions are again at an unfortunate organizational crossroads.   At this point, avoiding double digit losses should be a major motivator, since so many of the supposed principles that the team was being built upon have fallen by the wayside.   That being said, how can anything positive be taken from winning 6, 7, or 8 games given the way this season has played out?

Rod Marinelli will likely be retained, even at six wins, the Ford’s will likely view the ‘07 season as a step, no matter how anguised, forward.   As much as I believe that Marinelli will be back, Offensive Coordinator Mike Martz and Special Teams Coordinator Stan Kwan are a near surety to become the season’s sacrificial lambs.

With the requisite pounds of flesh extracted, where will this franchise ultimately be headed in ‘08?  With their continued ignominous organizational path, why not fully clear house?   One of the great NFL minds, Bill Cowher, is out there.   The Ford’s should make a run at him.   All Cowher can do is say no, or more likely, no way in hell!!!

The Lions should not be rewarded with any votes of confidence or glean any moral victories from their season.   To start 6-2, and blow it, is a sin worse than going 2-14 in my eyes.

By the way, where is Millen?   He has been conspicuous in his absence during the Lions slide, hasn’t he?   I kinda miss the revved up “f@ggot” and “devout coward” comments we used to get out of Mr. 30-80.  If the Lions are going to continue to suck year after year, the least Millen and the Ford’s can do is make the team more interesting.  

Marinelli’s comments are generally innocuous, and are certainly far from inflammatory.  The Lions pathetic performance has seemed to hardly cause a ripple internally, given the supposed expectations entering ‘07.