Detroit Lions Weblog

Warning, Semi-Positive Content: Lions Announce 75th Anniversary All-Time Team

Amid the carnage and bloodletting that has consumed the current Lions season, lost in the mire, was the fact that the Lions are celebrating their 75th season as a franchise.  They are going to wear “throwback” jerseys against Jacksonville, and celebrate these players that day:

The Lions 75th Season All-Time Team .

Lions QB Situation, Is a Culpepper Signing Imminent?

After reviewing the recent Lions/Redskins game, and taking a holistic view of Dan Orlovsky’s, aka “The Polish Pop Gun”, body of work as a starting QB, I believe it is safe to assume that Orlovsky will never be more than the competent, turnover-free, game manager that he has been thus far.

The Lions offense is severely hamstrung by having Orlovsky at the helm, however.  He has a penchant for the “check down”, or exhibiting compulsive audible syndrome (CAS) when facing an oncoming blitz, much like one of his predecessors, “Joey Checkdown”.

Orlovsky essentially plays the game so close to the vest that the only good thing that you can say about his performance is that he doesn’t make too many mistakes.

Meanwhile, the Lions under-utilize, or downright ignore, their only chance to attack opposing defense’s (Calvin Johnson, Kevin Smith) when Orlovsky is at the helm.  When you feature a defense as bad as the Lions currently possess, well, you kinda can see the results.

So that brings us to our favorite stage of the season, If Orlovsky isn’t the convenient panacea for the Lions ills, now what?  The Lions have looked at both Tim Rattay and Daunte Culpepper, with Culpepper appearing to be the Lions preference, at this point.

Culpepper, who has to ask himself why he has to now play for one of the few teams he could actually defeat with relative ease, is a lumbering shell of his former self, at this point.

With Culpepper’s large frame and shredded knees, both contributing to a noticeable lack of mobility, one has to wonder how desperate he ACTUALLY is to return to the NFL.  He has cannon of an arm, but he has never proven to be a particularly quick-reader of opposing defenses or astute decision-maker, either.

With the bumbling tandem of the spinning-turnstile Lions offensive line and the Lions receivers continued blown routes and dropped passes, Culpepper will be facing a Sisyphean uphill struggle, given his own obvious deficiencies.

Which leads to the obvious question, why was Jon Kitna placed on IR, again?  Or If Culpepper was a potential signee, and the Lions could have signed him entering the season as a backup for Kitna, why didn’t they follow that path?   The Lions could have vetted Culpepper for this very moment, rather than potentially thrusting him into their current disastrous milieu.

In regards to Kitna, the Lions placing him upon injured reserve seems more and more vengeful each day, rather than based on the actual severity of his injuries.

It is not debatable that Kitna was truly awful this season, and there is a distinct possibility that a Culpepper-to-Johnson combo could rival the success Culpepper-to-Moss, but I highly doubt it.

That being said, the Lions are now in a position, without Kitna, where they have to give Culpepper a multi-year deal, something that is both irresponsible and patently unfair to the new, incoming front office.  If Kitna were now available, couldn’t he return to the starting lineup,  and continue to buy the plucky Mike McMah–er, I mean Drew Stanton, the time necessary for him to eventually get his shot?

The Lions are quite likely going to seriously consider drafting a franchise QB in the ‘09 draft, too.  With that in mind, maybe the best answer is, to cut Drew Stanton, bid adieu to Jon Kitna, bypass signing Culpepper and allow “The Polish Pop Gun” to ride off into the sunset, meanwhile, standing pat with their current situation in the interim?

Then the Lions can completely start anew, with a new front office staff, coaching staff, and a talented, young, untainted QB much like the Atlanta Falcons did this season, with a couple of convenient stop-gap measures (ala Orlovsky, et al.) put in place, too.

Millen, “Big Baby”, Roy, Daunte, Drew and…

For those of you haven’t read “Big Al’s” hilarious and informative blog, The Wayne Fontes Experience , he makes two exceptionally valid points that I hadn’t previously considered.

In regards to the Lions stiffing their deposed chief executive, Matt Millen, “Big Al” suggests that the Lions could be making a mistake by choosing to breach their contractual agreement with Millen.

The damage is not to their current reputation, which is irreparable, but to their appeal with future candidates.  Future candidates, who could eventually assume the helm of the organization, or at least become in charge of the team’s personnel, which is infinitely more important than their sullied, “crack whore”-esque esteem in league circles.

The other thing that “Big Al” mentions that I wholeheartedly agree with, and I believe is particularly damning of Marinelli’s faculties as a head coach, is his concrete refusal to even consider playing QB Drew Stanton, the only rational thing left for Lions fans to pine for, as this Bataan death march of a season wears on.

Marinelli insists that the coaches need to indicate that Stanton is playing better than the “Polish Pop Gun” and gives them a better chance to win than Orlovsky does.  As if any one of them actually has a clue, uhm…cough…gasp…wheeze… if an 0-7 start to the season, or 1-14 performance since last season’s midpoint, serves as an indicator of coaching aptitude?

That being said, after last week’s tete-a-tete with journeymen QB Tim Rattay, the Lions are reportedly meeting with retired/unretired journeymen QB Daunte Culpepper today.

As much I called for the consideration of a Culpepper signing entering the season, I see no logical reason to bring him in now, unless they view him as a potential stop-gap, in case their other stop-gap measure, Orlovsky, eventually leaves (or runs as fast as he possibly f@cking can!) the organization as a free agent next year.

Suggesting that Culpepper could return to his previous form in Minnesota might be a stretch, but it wouldn’t entirely hurt my feelings if the Lions were to sign him.   He has thrown to a game-breaking receiver before (Randy Moss), and at least he understands that he has to find a way to get the ball to a weapon of Calvin Johnson’s magnitude, by hook or by crook!

I take back everything I ever said about Cowboys WR Roy Williams during his time as a Lion.   Williams attended Mike Furrey’s Halloween fundraiser, get this, dressed as “The Bell Hop”, or ex-Lions RB Tatum Bell with Rudi Johnson’s luggage.   The Lions Halloween events are injecting a much needed dose of brevity to the Lions failed seasons and add significantly to the lore of the franchise.  I can’t wait till next year…

In regards to Roy Williams, and Lions trades, two things:

1) Williams was interviewed on an ESPN sports talk program this weekend and was asked about his current limited role in the Cowboys offense, obviously hoping to draw one of Williams’ patented bold statements, and Williams stated that he was just glad to play for a team that was actually winning, and that Sunday was his first win of the season.

2) Matt Millen’s trades obviously sucked, hopefully, Martin Mayhew’s trade doesn’t suffer from the same kind of 20/20 hindsight/perspective.   The Lions Dre Bly (George Foster, Tatum Bell, and Johnny Balwin) and Shaun Rogers (Leigh Bodden and draft picks) trades have provided miserable returns, and Shaun Rogers’ 9 tackles and blocked FG (this weekend) serves as a reminder of sorely “Big Baby” is missed, despite his often surly demeanor!

I hate to even consider how deeply Williams’ future performance could burn into the darkened souls of long-suffering Lions fans..

No Moral Victories in “Close” Eight Point Loss Sunday

Many Lions fans, at least, the most co-dependent ones, may attempt to see the glass half-full when reflecting upon Sunday’s eight point loss, where the Lions “battled” back by reducing the ‘Skins sizable fourth quarter lead to a touchdown and two-point conversion, but ultimately still losing.

The Lions recent “close” losses reveal two things to me. First,  the Lions are still a very long ways from possessing the talent necessary on their current roster to even be legitimately competitive in most games.

The other detail (remember, the devil is in the details), the one that is the most frustrating, is that Lions opponents usually are willing to give the Lions just enough rope so that the Lions will eventually hang themselves during their “close” losses.

In Sunday’s game, as the Lions were “battling” back, the “Same Old Lions” ultimately re-emerged.   The gory chain of events, and their bitter, unpleasant aftermath, left the Lions with players (Kevin Smith) forgetting to run out-of-bounds with precious time dwindling off from the game clock, another getting two ill-timed holding penalties(Gosder Cherilus), and last, but not least, the Lions best player(Calvin Johnson) running a pass route two yards short of the first down marker, which turned the ball back over to the ‘Skins, and snuffed out the Lions miniscule, pipe dream “chances” for victory.

Embattled Lions Head Coach Rod Marinelli still holds dogmatic faith in his Tampa Cover-2 defense, and bristled when asked if the rest of the league had “caught up” with the scheme.  Marinelli clearly has not had his faith shaken, which I don’t know whether it stands as a testament to the strength of his character, or the depths of his stupidity.

At any rate, Marinelli is going to keep valiantly pressing forward, even as the flames of discontent and ineptitude threaten to engulf him.  If there has ever been a more urgent call for a mercy kill, err–I mean “termination”, the Lions should utilize it, especially after reading “Killer” Kowalski’s commentary upon Marinelli today.

It is inhumane, and unjustifiable, to retain Marinelli any longer.  The lame excuse of not having a natural in-house, interim candidates in tow is wearing very thin as the season marches interminably on.

The execrable performance of the hydra-headed incompentence of both coordinators, Joe Barry and Jim Colletto, are also deserving of a quick, clean organizational break.  There is no defense for the Lions 0-7 start, both literally and figuratively.

If any one saw Mike Singletary’s post-game presser yesterday after the Niners close loss,  a new voice, even an angry one, can serve as a symbolic jumping off point.   Now I don’t believe that Singletary’s outburst guarantees anything, but I am certain that he has fully captured the Niners attention.

Marinelli’s tediously montonous drone about “pounding the rock”, “looking at tape”, and “playing one snap at a time” have lead the Lions to an abysmal 1-14 performance since their “blind squirrel” 6-2 improbable (Still looking for “acorns” in ‘08, by the way!) start to the ‘07 season.

In that fact alone, despite any perceived/imagined Lions “competitiveness”, it is clear that Marinelli’s message has become diluted and proved inacapable of changing the organization’s current course. The force which can do such a thing, likely borders on the supernatural.  That being said, the Lions desperately need to investigate any available options in which they can begin to do so…

Week 8 Preview: Lions Vs. Redskins, Or If a Football Game is Un-Televised and, No One Can See It, Does It Still Happen?

In the Lions week 8 game, amid a season of grossly copious embarrassment, the Lions were awarded their largest embarrassment of the season, thus far, a league mandated television black-out, due to poor ticket sales (about 5,000 seats remain).

Many Lions fans enacted a self-imposed black-out weeks ago, but for the rest of us loyal sucker’s, now what?  As much as it is healthy to avert one’s eyes from a bad car wreck, we still are usually compelled to look, in most cases.  That option has been removed, for now.

It appears that the Lions have made it an organizational directive of sorts, that just when fans begin to think the franchise has hit rock bottom, they can find lower depths in which to sink.

The Lions have a slim chance of finding victory at home on Sunday. The Redskins are a pretty good team, but they also are notorious for possessing a penchant for playing down to their competition, especially if their recent loss to the then winless Rams can serve as a indicator.

The Lions may also find an opportunity for victory by allowing their playmakers, Kevin Smith and Calvin Johnson, to be active participants, rather than angry bystanders, in the Lions offense.  Dan Orlovsky needs to continue to be an efficient, turnover-free game manager in the process.  If Orlovsky can keep the Lions defense off of the field, the Lions may remain competitive late in the contest.

The Redskins defense can be exploited, too.   They have a limited pass rush, and may be without their best rusher, DE Jason Taylor.  The ‘Skins will also be limited in the secondary because veteran CB Shawn Springs isn’t going to play.  It is up to Jim Colletto to find ways to take advantage of these opportunities.

The Redskins offense is an efficient, but not explosive or dynamic, version of the Seattle brand of the West Coast offense.   The ‘Skins offense features the probable league MVP in RB Clinton Portis, who is having a season much like his backfield mate, Shaun Alexander, had when Alexander won the MVP a few years ago.

The most dangerous factors in this game, in my opinion, are TE Chris Cooley and WR Santana Moss, each player is likely to light up the scoreboard with huge stat totals as the Lions continue to bumble in the secondary and remain unproductive in their pass rush, too.

Ultimately, no matter what Sunday’s results are, Lions fans lose.  With the cash-strapped, insecurity of most Michiganders, no one can blame people for not buying tickets to see this lamentable franchise.  In fact, as much as we need healthy diversions during times of distress and strife, the Lions have proved incapable of filling the bill in that regard.  Shame on them…

‘Skins 27 Lions 13 Fans 0

Marinelli and the Lions Future

Rod Marinelli is clearly in over his head as the team’s head coach.   The Lions overall general lack of competitiveness, their inability to efficiently develop young talent, and Marinelli’s unwillingness to make the necessary changes to give the team a better chance to win, all will reflect negatively upon his Lions coaching tenure, as it continues to unravel towards it’s close.

Marinelli has been his most stubborn about the team’s younger players “earning” playing time.  In an interview excerpt published by the Detroit News ,Marinelli has this to say about playing the team’s young players:

“The only thing I can tell you is what my approach is on it and what I believe in,” Marinelli said. “I think you can hurt a young player by giving him everything.  I know there are pros and cons to it, but for me, I’ve always had success with young players (by being) really demanding of them, making sure they’re doing things right. And if they’re not starting, I want to see how they’re fighting.”

I realize that Marinelli was quite successful with coaching Tampa’s defensive linemen, and that he also assisted Tampa Head Coach Jon Gruden in an assistant head coaching capacity, in an organization that had a enjoyed a great deal of success.  That in mind,  I still believe that he is behaving dishonestly and irrationally in his handling of the Lions young players.

Marinelli is obviously attempting to extend his Lions coaching career, by any means necessary, to the detriment of the organization.  It is clear that he believes he can somehow win with the band of misfits and cast-offs that the team has accumulated during his brief stay, in spite of the team’s 0-6 start.  He is unwilling to admit that this season is a complete wash-out, much like his Mornihnweg-esque failed coaching tenure.

There will come a time, a crucial crossroads, some may say even a watershed moment, that the Lions front office and Marinelli will reach an impasse over his use of the team’s younger talent.   A brief power play will ensue, one which I am growing increasingly certain Marinelli will not win, despite the captive audience he appears to have with the Ford’s.

I don’t disagree with Marinelli being demanding of young players, in fact, I believe it is the correct approach.  That being said, the pungent internal toxicity of the Lions organization needs to be expunged, and their only hope of doing so is by injecting some fresh blood into the playing mix(i.e. the younger players).

I guess, I am saying that Marinelli needs to be more demanding of players like Gosder Cherilus, Kevin Smith, Andre Fluellen, “Kalimba 2.0″, Jordan Dizon, and Drew Stanton, while they are actually playing!!

As the Lions 0-16, limp-dicked march towards infamy tarries on,  do Lions fans really want to see players like George Foster, Paris Lenon, Dwight Smith, and Brian Kelly steal playing time from players who may actually return to the team next season, after this season’s perennial off-season fumigation?

Favre, Cherilus, and 6500 Available Seats…

Apparently, Brett Favre isn’t spiteful and vindictive, after all.   His phone call to Matt Millen, coincidentally the week in which the Lions were about to face his former franchise, the Green Bay Packers, was just to coordinate a “hunting trip” with his good friend, “Ole Matt”.  Yeah, Right!!

Favre boasts an incredible legacy as a NFL QB, especially with his seemingly, untouchable consecutive games started streak in tact. That being said, he is among the worst public liars in mediated history.  He’ll never be able to repair the damage that he has done to his credibility over the last season, or three.

Favre can call upon his “Palin”-esque, everyman charm all that he wants, and much like last season’s “Spygate”, no one is going to accept this lame excuse.

What I find even more remarkable in this case, whether Brett called the Lions or not, is that the Lions are such a widely agreed upon unmitigated failure, that no one has even questioned why they would even consider utilizing Favre’s assistance in the first place.  This is a firm representation of just how low the esteem in which they are viewed leaguewide is, in my opinion.

Gosder Cherilus has apparently responded well to his demotion last week, and will likely start Sunday’s home game. The Lions constant personnel shuffling along the offensive line is another poor reflection upon the organization.

Most team’s find it important to develop some consistency and coordinated effort among their offensive linemen and choose to make changes only when truly necessary.  Unfortunately, the Lions are choosing a more recombinant approach, it the first group doesn’t work, just mix-and-match the players, and see if that works any better.  Yikes!!!

Lions fans, “Do You Believe in Now”, apparently, not.  If 6500 available tickets for Sunday’s game against the playoff-contending Washington Redskins does not send a strong enough message to the Ford’s about the level of fan dissatisfaction, combined with the desperately flagging Michigan economy, then nothing ever will.

The Ford Field consecutive “sell-out”  streak is almost certainly going to “bite the dust”, Jimmy “Spider Man” Allen-style, this week, that’s for sure!

The Time is Now for Marinelli’s Termination…

The Lions coaching staff has completely lost all of it’s perceived credibility, after Sunday’s awful road loss.   In the spirit of the upcoming holidays, I think it is time for the Lions “Grim Reaper” to wield a swift and gruesome judgment upon one or all of these members of the current Lions coaching staff:

1) Jim Colletto

2) Joe Barry

3) Rod Marinelli

In the case of Colletto, after the difficult trade (for the organization, at least) of Roy Williams last week, it obviously wasn’t going to be easy to find the means to get Calvin Johnson all of the necessary touches, especially with “The Polish Pop Gun”, Dan Orlovsky, behind center, for his incredible playmaking ability to thoroughly shine.  Three touches for Johnson, in 60 minutes of play, is impeachable, in my opinion.

The fact that Johnson went 96 yards with one of his touches, only augments the strength of my argument.   Who do the Lions have on their current roster, save Kevin Smith, who has flashed any kind of offensive-playmaking ability, whatsoever, this season?

This reality alone, makes it imperative for Colletto to invent ways to put the ball into Johnson’s hands.  Over the course of several weeks, Colletto has failed to do so.  Do you think Mike Martz would have failed to capitalize on Johnson’s ability this season, despite his issues with Johnson last season?

Joe Barry has not been capable of getting the Lions to perform ably and consistently in any aspect of their defense.   Their version of the cover-2 might as well be a “prevent” defense, since teams routinely complete 70-80% of their passes against it, while providing inexperienced QB’s with career-defining days, in their performance against it.

The Lions defense looks like a “Bizarro-world” version of the Tampa defense, who consistently pressure opposing QB’s with their front four, and can boast having a secondary that consistently makes plays and is unwielding in it’s ability to limit opponent’s passing attacks.

The Lions margin for error on both offense and defense are so limited, that Colletto and Barry are charged with difficult tasks each week.   That being said, the team’s vacillation from week to week, exchanging one strategy for another, indicates an inability to imprint the essence of each of their offensive and defensive philosophies upon their players, therefore, leaving them without one.

The team’s slow starts in five out of their six games, with so little wiggle room for remaining competitive, is an indictment upon both Colletto and Barry, but more importantly, is a stark reflection of the failed tenure of Head Coach Rod Marinelli.

With the breaking news that the Lions received a 90 minute briefing from Brett Favre before playing the Packers this season, and the Lions still finding the means to clutch defeat from victory in their early season match-up, what indication is their left that the 10-28 Marinelli tenure will ever turn around?

Essentially, the Lions were provided outside assistance and still were not able to draw up the resources to defeat the Packers.   Marinelli has been completely unable to alter the losing culture of the Lions, in fact, I think he has helped bolster it’s pungent toxicity with his numerous poor coaching choices.

Marinelli possesses a great deal of character.  Unfortunately, that alone doesn’t win football games.   As Lions provide ghoulish performance after ghoulish performance, the scariest reality of all, in my opinion, is that the powers that be in the Lions organization would consider retaining any of these three coaches for one more day, let alone, 10 more games!!!

Week 7: Lions at Houston, Or The Can it Get Any Worse Sentinel…

With the news that George “False Start” Foster will start instead of the Lions ‘08 1st round draft pick Gosder Cherilus and that the “Polish Pop Gun”, Dan Orlovsky enjoyed an advantage of a 80%/20% ratio of 1st team offensive snaps with Drew Stanton this week, one has to wonder, when will the penance for Matt Millen’s sins as executive cease?

As the Lions prepare for a major road game, that could actually be winnable, the recent news about the Lions coaching staff choosing to play several vets over the team’s inexperienced, younger players, especially after this week’s personnel moves, seems more than a little strange, in my opinion.

Against the Texans, it is quite simple, especially with Orlovsky at the helm.   The Lions are going to have utilize ball control, with a successful rushing attack, and allow Dan Orlovsky to effectively manage the game.  The Mario Williams versus Jeff Backus matchup, or my own personal vision of hell, will go along ways towards determining Orlovsky’s success, too.

The Lions defense will need to continue blitzing to force mistake-prone Matt Schaub into some costly errors.   They will need to do their best not to be annihilated by big games from WR Andre Johnson and RB Steve Slaton, and hopefully limit big yardage “chunk” plays from either.

The Texans also have game-breaking speedster Andre Davis and capable possession receiver Kevin Walter, so if the Lions don’t want their secondary exposed, they have to pressure Schaub early and often.

With low expectations to begin with, each week I dial them down even lower.  The Lions will be competitive for a half, or possibly even three quarters.  But in the end, the team with the most talent will win.

Texans 24 Lions 17

The Jon Kitna Situation

Jon Kitna, as a 36-year old journeymen QB, had to be incredibly disappointed about the Lions decision to place him on the IR, with an injury that he believes will only keep him from playing one or two more games.  The Lions supposedly attempted to trade him before yesterday’s deadline, but obviously, his value was diminished significantly by his injury status.

Pro Football Talk’s “Rumor Mill” indicates that the Lions may have hurt their credibility by attempting to trade a player whom they view as unable to play for the rest of the season, with their decision place Kitna on injured reserve. The implication is, other team’s will not trust the Lions in future trades, since they may be attempting to pass damaged goods onto another organization.

MLive.com indicates that the Lions believed that Kitna’s highest value will come in trade this off-season, rather than in a mid-season swap.   The Lions essentially made a low-risk decision, that could pay future dividends.

It is strange, though, for the second season in a row, that the Lions have placed a relatively healthy QB on the IR, due to organizational whimsy, as opposed to the severity of an injury.   Do I believe that Kitna has much to left to offer the Lions and their fans, no.  That being said, the Lions are making it clear that they are “cutting bait” with their dormant, infertile Millen-era and beginning to take their wobbly, first steps towards building a legitimate football team.  At least we hope…