Detroit Lions Weblog

Is There Life After Millen?

After the improbable and unpredicted announcement of Matt Millen’s liberation from “football prison” last week, one is left to ask, what can we expect for the Lions thirteen remaining games this season?

The Lions new triumvirate of interim, front office figureheads, Mr. Lewand, Mr. Mayhew, and Mr. Saunders, will have few if any roster decisions to make as the season progresses.  They will be in charge of personnel decisions like replacing injured players, promotions/demotions from/to the practice squad, and potentially, with about a week and half remaining until the deadline, trade players from the Lions current roster.

In the opening press conference of the new regime, Mayhew said that had been little thought given of potentially trading players.  However, he stated, that if the right offer arose, nothing would be ruled out.

Prevarication aside, I believe that the Lions will be interested in shopping a few players.  I also think that Mayhew, in the interest of retaining player value, reasoned that it would be imprudent to expose his hand too soon, especially given the fact that he had just been promoted to a higher executive position in the organization.

I would expect, given the much publicized unhappiness of players like Jon Kitna and Roy Williams, and the relatively bulging depth of players that the Lions possess along their defensive line(11 players), that it would be no surprise if a team inquired about the availability of any of these players.

Rod Marinelli, the entire 53 man roster, and the practice squad are all, or at least should be, abundantly aware that the remaining thirteen games are important in preserving their NFL futures(within and outside the Lions organization).

The Lions season may not entirely be lost, either.   They just have to significantly adjust their metric which they will use to determine success.

Can Kevin Smith develop into a consistent back?  Can Gosder Cherilus emerge as an effective blocker?  Can the likes of Jordan Dizon, Ikaika “Kalimba 2.0″ Alama-Francis, and Cliff Avril make their presence’s felt on defense? When Drew Stanton eventually replaces Jon Kitna, does he show the  metier, playmaking ability, and unflappability to carve a major role within the organization?

The 75th Lions season is a major crossroad for the organization, which should help define if the organization remains interminably mired in the cycle of failure/rebuilding/failure or actually becomes credible and competitive.

Unfortunately, that may be all we have to look forward to, until Matt Millen’s eventual replacement gives their opening press conference.

Who the Hell is Cedric Saunders?

The Ford’s, more importantly, William Clay Ford, Sr. has made some official  announcements in regard to the Lions front office shake-up today, i.e. the scab which ultimately needed to be picked:

Tom Lewand is in charge of the financial/business aspect of their operation, Martin Mayhew will assume the role of general manager (he was the assistant general manager and senior vice president ), and Cedric Saunders will be the vice president of football operations.  All will answer directly to William Clay Ford, Sr. in regard to team decisions that need to be made.

Who is Cedric Saunders , you ask?  I don’t know, either.  Apparently, you guessed it, he has freakin’ Tampa Bay connections. His bio says that he works closely with Marinelli, too.  I wonder if Marinelli won some sort of power play with Millen, at some point.  No matter,  will you relent and break out the “creamsicle” jerseys as alternates please, Mr. Ford!?!

Are the Ford’s actually assembling an interim staff, which may ultimately shift into a “permanent” staff?  Is there going to be an internal power play between Saunders and Mayhew, both likely interested candidates in the position.

Buckle your seat belts, you are due to hear about 3-6 months of this kind of speculation, the Ford’s final decision will take some time. Ford assures us that there will be a thorough search, and these positions are effective ONLY through the rest of the current season.

By the way, Lions fans are truly crazy.  According to the Oakland Press’ David Birkett, the Lions Allen Park headquarters has been “surreal” and that a ” parade of fans have been driving by all morning honking their horns and waving Lions flags as if they have been liberated”.

Here is a brief, off-hand list of candidates (from various sources)

1. Ron Wolf ex-Packers GM/championship architect
2. Floyd Reese ex-Titans GM
3. Bill Cowher “Coach Jaw”/spitter
4. Jimmy Johnson “Is it a rug, or not, Jimmy?”
5. Tom Heckert Michigan ties/Eagles exec
6. Nick Caserio Patriots exec
7. Martin Mayhew see Lions website
8. Kevin Colbert Steelers

The Lions Register Their First Ever Bye Week Victory!!!!

Now I know how Ol’ Maximilien Robespierre and the Jacobin’s felt after beginning to administer “justice” to their perceived despots.  To quote Maxie:

“To punish the oppressors of humanity is clemency. To forgive them is cruelty.”

Amen, brother.  Although, it is sad that Matt Millen lost his job today, he is still human (there’s the sum total of my sympathy), the move was INCREDIBLY long overdue, and was made out of necessity.

My friend Whitey and I, after week 2’s disappointing loss to the Packers, were discussing the need for a “sacrificial lamb” to be held accountable for the Lions continued failings.   In my wildest imagination, I never conjured this eventuality. The Lions have made a LARGE step forward as a franchise today.

Immediately thrust into the frying pan is Lions Head Coach Rod Marinelli.  I would imagine he is being given 13 weeks to make a case for his being retained.  I would still venture that his coaching the team next year would be facing long odds but, I believe the Ford’s will allow him every opportunity to prove his worth, like they did with the much-vilified Millen.

I also believe that the Lions players are all immediately being placed on notice.  Whomever the Lions choose to run the player/personnel side of the operation, will have no previous loyalty or attachment to the team’s current roster.  Expect a great deal of surgically-precise roster moves to occur this coming off-season.

One roster move that might occur more immediately, given the team’s unprecedented downfall, and the Ford’s improbable decision to terminate Millen, is the trade of Roy Williams, given his open insubordination and general lack of focus on the field, thus far.

To the fore, immediately come the Seahawks, Jaguars, Cowboys, and Titans, all who seem like logical mid-season trade partners for the talented Williams. The Seahawks, Jaguars, and Titans have a serious need for playmaking wideouts, and the Cowboys are an obviously logical destination, Patrick Crayton, Sam Hurd, and Miles Austin be damned.

I hate to excise Roy from the current team, but if the Lions are actually going to move forward, it’s going to take a concentrated, finely-hewn effort for the entire organization from the top down, a situation where the total has to be greater than the sum of it’s parts, and it’s quite obvious that Williams won’t be on board with any of the team’s future organizational plans, in my opinion.

All I know is, that the 31-84 Lions can kiss my ass, the Lions are now 1-0 coming out of their bye week. (Ford’s, please don’t screw this up!)

Stanton Says He is Ready, Roy Williams Has a BIG MOUTH

Drew Stanton says that he could be ready to play against the Bears in two Sundays, if he is eventually called upon.  With all of the recent public, bubbling over of organizational tumult, it remains to be seen if Rod Marinelli is ready to put his fate into the inexperienced Stanton’s hands over veteran/loser Jon Kitna (Quitna? Pickna?)

That being said, and as much as I respect Kitna’s toughness, this change is going to come, and soon.  If the Lions think that Kitna deserves one more game at the helm, so be it.  Still there is no doubt, they will eventually give Stanton his chance to run the team.

Stanton has remained in town for extra work with quarterbacks coach Scot Loefler, while nearly everyone else on the roster retreated during the bye week.   This could be a good sign that Stanton is strongly committed to, and is being vetted for, assuming the reins in the very near future.

Ultimately, the Lions need to know, is Stanton a potential franchise QB, or not?

Roy Williams, as talented and productive as he is capable of being, has never been at a loss for ill-timed words.   He has become increasingly critical of Jim Colletto’s by-proxy-of-Rod Marinelli ineffective, conservative offensive scheme, which has so little margin for error.

In some ways, Williams is right for bellyaching.  The Lions defense is so bad that the only legitimate chance that they possess is to put up as many points as possible in any given game.  Grind-it-out games are just not in the cards, for the ‘08 Lions.

With that in mind, Williams, without fail, drops at least one, if not two, catchable passes each and every week. A case can be made that if Williams had only run the correct route, or made the correct read, against Atlanta early in the 2nd half, the Lions may have made a comeback and won that game.

That is what is stupefying about Williams saying “If I was coordinator, I’d be in four-wide (receiver sets).”  If Williams kept his damn mouth shut, remained in focus, and caught the ball, the Lions may not even be in the routine predicament of spotting their opponents 21 points, which essentially forces Colletto to try on his “Mouse” Davis costume as offensive coordinator, each and every week.

Williams obviously needs to be more accountable for his own failings.   That being said, the Lions probably plan on “franchising” him next season, in hopes of acquiring a high draft pick or players in return for his services.

If we think his public jawing is little annoying, and out of place now, what kind of hissyfit will he have when the Lions decide to “franchise” him, and take away his opportunity for an open market, big payday.

That’s why I believed that the Lions should have traded him entering this season’s draft.   Can the Lions afford to have their opponents to slow play them, receiving Williams for pennies on the dollar, because he decides to hold out over his “franchise” designation? Oh, the Lions…

Hallejuhah, Bill Ford, Jr., Hallelujah!

Finally some legitimate traction towards the eventual dismissal of failed Lions chief executive, Matt Millen.   Bill Ford, Jr.’s bold comments yesterday are likely the initial force necessary to begin the eventual ouster of Matt Millen:

“I think Lions fans deserve better and if it were in my authority, which it’s not, I’d make some significant changes”  Ford, Jr. was also asked if he believed that Millen should leave the team and he replied, “Yes, I do.”

Hallelujah, Bill Ford, Jr. finally had the cajones to put Matt Millen in an untenable position, which can only lead to his resignation or termination.   As stubborn as Ford, Sr. is about retaining Millen, Ford, Jr. effectively put Millen in an unwinnable situation by asking for his head publicly.

As stupid as Millen is, he has to see, in spite of his statements to the contrary, that he will never win in this organization and that he must leave. Millen has essentially deflected all criticism because he had the weight of the Ford’s support behind him.  Apparently, given Ford, Jr.’s recent comments, that has all changed.

The other side to this equation, one that is equally intriguing, is the apparent internal standoff between the Ford’s.  They have agreed to disagree about the retention of Millen for a couple of seasons now.  Ford, Jr. is essentially forcing his father’s hand a bit by speaking out publicly.  However, if Ford, Sr. has any resolve left, this strategy may actually backfire.

What if, as crazy as it sounds, Ford, Sr. actually voices public support for Millen, then what? The bottom line is, the Lions can’t, as much as I think he deserves it, leave Millen twisting in the wind for very long.  They need to act swiftly, and decisively.

This doesn’t make the Lions a better football team or organization.   It does, however, give the Lions the opportunity to begin to move forward.  Their improbably, infamous string of failures goes against the league’s design.

I am sure that there are many in the league office who are quietly glad that the franchise, who is owned by one of the NFL’s biggest advertisers, is making steps towards regaining some footing in league circles.

Make no mistake, this is a BAD football team.  Or to quote Hondo “This team is as good as a tall glass of decomposing bile is delicious” (Yum!)

There will likely be an organizational clean sweep which will send the rats scurrying from the cupboards.  My one remaining hope is, that the Ford’s continue to wise up and ask for help from a board of consultants, comprised of ex-NFL executives, coaches, and players before they hand the keys to another incompetent, like Millen.

Same Old Disgusting Lions

The depths that the Lions ‘08 season likely will plunge, if Sunday’s road loss serves as any sort of litmus test, may be as deep as any during Matt Millen’s eight seasons in Detroit.  Considering Millen’s criminal 31-84 record as the team’s chief executive, that is saying a hell of a lot.

This is the 4th time in Millen’s eight seasons that the team has began a season 0-3.  In the team’s last 10 games, after an improbable 6-2 beginning to the ‘07 season, the Lions are 1-10, with eight double-digit losses.

As if that isn’t bad enough, to begin the ‘08 season, the Lions have been outscored 113-59, and an unbelievable 63-20 in the 1st half of those games.

Amid all of these ghastly numbers, the Lions are among one of the most veteran teams in the league, after an off-season of loading up on aging free agents.  Even more damningly, the Lions four rookies on defense, all “Rod Marinelli guys”, who were expected to contribute immediately , were inactive for this Sunday’s game.

That is just the very tip of the iceberg, as far as this organization’s failings are concerned.  It is becoming easy to see where this season will likely end, too. Matt Millen will fire his fourth coach and the Lions will own yet another top ten draft pick.

So, if the organization is failing on all levels, and it is apparent that the “foundation”, as Matt Millen has referred to Rod Marinelli’s detestable handiwork thus far, will need to be blown up again, and Lions fans are going to be sold another bill of goods about those, admittedly, necessary changes, what’s left for the remainder of this season?

Much like so many hard-working, but struggling taxpayers are being called upon to bail-out our failing financial and loan system with a record amount of money, with no promise or guarantee of future return, the Lions are going to expect to their fans ride along with their continued blind, ambling, and circuitous path towards achieving NFL credibility.

I have never been more dispirited as a fan of this team.  Everything you see and hear from the organization rings of total bullshit.  At a time when I can barely afford to buy groceries, I am expected to pay even MORE than I did last season to support a team who is clearly worse. Forget it, I will still watch at home, with my mouth agape, rather than attending any more games at Ford Field, and I won’t be afraid to switch channels, either.

To Rod Marinelli’s credit, he, at least, gives the appearance of being indefatigable in the line of fire.   At some point though, changes need to be made and production has to become more tangible.  Which also seems to be becoming clearer to Marinelli, if these comments are any sort of sign:

(in reference to the defense) “I think there are things you look at in your system, we might bring more pressure if were not getting it from the front four, we’ve got to be creative with that.” said Marinelli “Maybe disrupt and create–you gamble a little bit more–but to go three games and I think we’ve had one turnover in three games and three sacks.  You can’t do it”

I would certainly applaud this sort of adjustment, as a beginning to addressing the team’s current struggles. These adjustments, along with the termination or demotion of Marinelli’s son-in-law, and defensive coordinator Joe Barry seem to be a good jumping off point towards salvaging an already lost season.

Bear in mind, this adjustment (blitzing more) would come at considerable risk and could actually expose the Lions to worse losses.  Mlive.com’s Tom “Killer” Kowalski makes a good point though, when he says that Marinelli needs to act, under these dire conditions, more like the Ol’ Big Buck of the woods, Wayne Fontes.

No Lions coach ever stared down the barrel of disaster more frequently, and emerged unscathed, more often than Fontes. In order to do so, Marinelli is going to have to take some measured risks like altering the defensive scheme and replacing a starting QB, like Fontes did so often during his time as coach.

It is clear that the status quo only leads to one undesirable destination for Marinelli.  If the young players that were drafted in April are as good as has often been intimated, it is time for Marinelli to provide them with ample opportunity for their athleticism and ability to actually bear out.

In other words, if Marinelli is going to go down with the ship, which seems likely, he should go down while exhausting every available option at his disposal.  If that means removing Jim Colletto and Kippy Brown as co-offensive coordinators, so be it.

Marinelli really has two choices:  Continue to joust at windmills, as all Lions coaches ultimately do, or less desirably, have his tenure memorialized with a comment like this:

“What does it take to get fired around here!”

Week 3 Preview: Lions Visit San Francisco, Is it the Beginning of the End?

If there ever is going t o be a true circle-the-wagons moment during Rod Marinelli’s tenure, this road trip will be it.  The Lions are 1-9 in the last ten games he has coached.   At this pace, Marinelli’s coaching tenure will take on Mornihnweg-esque proportions of futility, as the Lions season grinds achingly towards the finish line.

One of the Lions captains, and among it’s chief underachievers, is the ever-deluded Cory Redding.   Redding recently commented upon the team’s ineffective, unproductive pass rush, which to use Matt Millen’s new favorite word, is the “foundation” of the Tampa Two defense.

“We are rushing our butts off.  If you really look at it…we should have five or six sacks from the D-Line right now.(They have two by DeWayne White…hmm I wonder who opponents will devote most of their attention towards blocking?)  But right now is not the case.  Somebody will break contain, a guy that was supposed to go outside goes inside.  The quarterback breaks the whole defense down.”

Or the Lions pass rush sucks, to paraphrase Mr. Redding.  There are no “almost sacks” or “should-have-been-sacks” scored in football, they are actually called QB hurries, but they aren’t sacks.  The success of the Lions defense is entirely predicated upon the defensive line being able to successfully pressure opposing QB’s, and gain sacks.

The harsh reality is the Lions have the worst defense in the NFL.   They have allowed teams to gain an unfathomable average of 9.17 yards on 1st down.  They are allowing 460.5 yards per game (240 passing/220.5 rushing) and there doesn’t appear to be a quick remedy in sight.

Which brings us to Mike Martz, J.T. O’Sullivan and company, who are lying in wait, as it were. Martz, the crazed megalomaniac that he is, was not given a very celebrated exit from the Lions organization, as it was seemingly, by consensus, determined that Martz was solely responsible for every single thing that has ever impeded the organization for 50 years now.

I believe that Martz, along with his eager lieutenant O’Sullivan, may have a little extra motivation to face the reeling Lions defense, and absolutely light them up.  The Niners are attempting to establish their legitmacy as a NFC West contender, so they absolutely can’t afford to lose to the Lions, especially at home.

I expect that the Lions will also provide an additionally spirited effort, because, at least internally, they have to realize that their entire season rides on winning this game.  If the Lions lose, and lose badly, there will no bottom to this season.  We could actually see the worst Lions season in their team history.

I am not going to get too hung up on X’s and O’s, I don’t believe that there will be a need for it.  The Lions need to show for once, that they can dig their heels in, and be the tougher team.   Unfortunately, given the past two games disappointing endings, I don’t expect a hell of a lot, in that regard.

Niners 37 Lions 21 (Bring on Stanton, Cowher and whatever ready-made panaceas are conceivably available to this doomed franchise!)

Millen (Gasp!) Speaks…And It’s as Moronic as You Would Expect It to Be!

MLive.com’s Tom “Killer” Kowalski was able to gain a few brief, elucidating comments from Matt Millen today, which is a must read.

Millen’s takes full responsibility for the team’s poor start, which is fine.  He says he still believes in the coaches, players, and the schemes. He basically says that, in order to for the team to achieve better outcomes,  the players need to “do what their coached to do” and “play to their capabilities” and “we will be fine.”

Millen also says that he hasn’t thought about how the Lions fan’s feel about the team’s 0-2 start, which was made clear yesterday with the team’s decision to work out several running backs, when it is so blatantly obvious that the running back position is the least of their current worries.

One thing I would like to ask Millen, given Sunday’s poor performance by Jon “Pickna”, is why he hasn’t looked at any of the available veteran QB’s–like Daunte Culpepper, to name one– as a potential roster addition.  It is fully clear, at least to me, that Kitna will not complete the season as the team’s starting QB.   With that in mind, I have got to wonder, what damage will be done to whatever future potential Drew Stanton may have, if he is thrown to the wolves after the bye week?  How will the rest of the offense respond to the organization tossing in the towel, as it were ?

This is likely the last we will here from Matt Millen, as the season continues towards futility.  This is the most clarification we can expect, in regard to the franchise’s failings, but it says a lot more than Matt Millen probably even realizes, in my opinion. If you’d like to enjoy a good laugh, and a little levity, at Millen’s expense, Big Al at The Wayne Fontes Experience whacks away at his very own, designated “Porn-Stached Goon”.  Dear Lord, maybe it’s really true, only the “Big Buck in the woods” can help us now?

How Do You Define Grasping at Straws?…..

…The Lions bringing in washed up running backs like Shaun Alexander, Cedric Benson, and Vernand Morency for workouts yesterday. Band-aids for bullet wounds, appear to the Lions preferred method of treatment for the team’s ills. The Lions stated that they were doing their due diligence, in case of injury.

If the Lions were ACTUALLY exercising due diligence, they would have brought in every free agent cornerback, linebacker, and defensive linemen who has ever played a down of professional football in for a peek. The Lions, with their defensive situation already inhabiting dire straits, should never allow their running attack to take a precedence over their awful defense. The running game is something that they never will be able to fully utilize, if their defensive failings continue to persist.

Is everybody girding themselves up for the compounded embarassment of the Lions losing yet another road game, at a place where they haven’t won for fifty years, against the Lions former offensive coordinator Mike Martz, and former backup QB J.T. O’Sullivan.

Expect Martz, if given the opportunity, to hang 60+ points on the hapless Lions defense. Ughh, when will the misery relent…

So, What is Exactly Wrong With the Lions in ‘08? Do You, Believe In Now?

Other than an extreme abundance of asininity which permeates the entire Lions organization, the Lions are exactly what we should have expected them to be (Thank You, Denny Green). Blind optimism perennially colors Lions fan’s judgment and expectations of how the team is going to perform, entering any given season. The sad thing is, given the Lions interminable 50 year rebuilding plan, in their 75th season as a professional franchise, they are no closer to being viably competitive than they were at the onset of Matt Millen’s 31-83 tenure as Lions Team President.

First off, the Lions currently feature the worst pair of bookend offensive tackles in the entire NFL. Jeff “Drive Killer” Backus and George Foster are among the worst offensive tackles in team history. Foster is likely to be benched, and hopefully, will be subsequently released in the upcoming weeks. It is an indictment of the entire organization that it took two games for Gosder Cherilus to surpass the awful Foster. I do believe that “Goz” will provide an upgrade, but there is no current available replacement for the increasingly, disappointing Backus. The fact that the Lions have overlooked Backus’ failings for so long is an indication of how poorly managed this franchise truly is.

The Lions have boasted a proud lineage of acquiring over-the-hill, non-playmaking, veteran DB’s in an attempt to bolster their long-running franchise weakness in the secondary. You can start back with Eric Davis, Robert “Beetle” Bailey, Todd Lyght, Kenoy Kennedy, and Otis Smith and connect them up with this season’s addition’s, Brian Kelly, Dwight Smith, and Travis Fisher. The Lions trade of the one true playmaking corner to have actually been on the Lions roster during the last ten seasons, Dre Bly, for George Foster, Tatum “Bell Hop” Bell and a flushed draft pick, will serve as the worst personnel decision in team history, in spite of any of Bly’s perceived failings.

In defense of the Lions secondary, if Sunday’s performance by safety Daniel Bullocks is a sign of things to come, especially after missing an entire season last year, the Lions may finally have found someone who could make a difference in both coverage and run support. Keep it up, Daniel!

Jon “Pickna” ’s surly, sulking, desultory demeanor, two games into the season, is a likely reflection of an as yet unknown internal, organizational issue that I am sure will emerge upon his upcoming benching. Kitna has given a lot to the Lions organization, and I respect him for it. That being said, he routinely kills the team, as it’s resident turnover machine, with his ill-timed, poor decision-making. The Lions operate in such a way that they have an absolute zero, margin of error. Pickna’s penchant for picks (and pickled peppers?) clearly has cost the team a number of games during his time as the team’s starting QB.

First, Dan Orlovsky, then as the season impotently marches on, then later Drew Stanton, should be vetted so that they can eventually replace Kitna, whose career may be reaching an ugly, unfortunate nadir in Detroit. Given the awful Lions pass blocking, Stanton, if prepared properly, is ultimately the logical choice to replace “Pickna”. Stanton can buy himself a bit of time with his feet which, after viewing Aaron Rodger’s performance last Sunday, can only be a good thing for the Lions.

My personal pet player to deride, Roy Williams, has held up his end of the bargain, thus far (after two games). Williams has been awful. He possesses an incredible amount of talent, but he has been dogged by a lack of focus, and an inability to correct his costly mistakes throughout his career. As Williams’ abundant talents leave him, as a part of the natural aging process, he needs to supplement his declining talents with some smarts, and a great deal more focus.

Williams also likes to provide an embarrassing running commentary, a sort of “State of The Team” via the media, throughout the season. He has ALREADY been critical of the Lions new and improved, zone rushing attack. The emphasis upon the running game, which is something that the players pressured the organizational powers-that-be to add after the removal of Mike Martz as the team’s offensive coordinator, has admittedly struggled. After the Lions offensive line and skill players spent the whole off-season attributing blame to the departed Martz, it is very disconcerting that they now are looking to affix a “Honolulu Blue” Letter to the chest of newly-minted offensive coordinator Jim Colletto, at this criminally early juncture.

The last problem, one which is an ominous warning sign of a truly awful team, has to do with situational execution. The Lions have perennially been awful on 3rd downs, both offensively and defensively. They have failed in the “red zone” and short yardage situations, and, as an added bonus, have been really poor on special teams during the Marinelli-era. All of this indicates, in my opinion, that the Lions can’t infuse their young talent quickly enough, and solve their schematic problems fast enough, to put their focus upon these crucial areas. This surely costs them at least two games a season.

As longtime Lions fans, we realize that cumulatively, these organizational failings are only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. We also can foresee the eventual result, Rod Marinelli’s termination, without reading tea leaves, or utilizing any other sort of psychic power. As the Lions season approaches yet another crushing denouement, we have to ask ourselves, what keeps us coming back, and what is in it for us? In an analogy to the sick, sadistic Michael Haneke film, “Funny Games” what responsibility rests squarely upon our shoulders for the continued languid, failings of this damned organization?