Detroit Lions Weblog

Adieu Brian Kelly, Dom’s $7500 Fine, Darnell Bing Get His Chance at Infamy

I am amazed.  The Lions are only 17 point underdogs to the Colts at Indianapolis.  To any degenerate gamblers out there, take the Colts giving the points before this game is eventually taken off of the board.  Given the Lions questions at QB and their incredibly incapable roster, the Colts could beat them by 50 points Sunday.

With that reality in mind, what do the Lions do?  They release CB Brian Kelly from their porous secondary, where they are likely their most weakest personnel-wise.   Admittedly, Kelly was an over-the-hill, grey beard, but does more playing time for Ramzee Robinson and Kalvin Pearson increase the likelihood that Peyton Manning will not complete 75 to 80% of his throws on Sunday?

Dominic Raiola, still stinging from his $7500 fine for flipping of some unruly fans, said that the fans should “just stay home if they are unhappy”.   In case you haven’t noticed Dom, there have been a lot of empty seats at Ford Field of late.   Do you believe that the ire and bile of the few fans attending next week’s final home game will be any less inflammatory if you are going to incite them with your stupidity?

If Raiola had any sense, he would apologize and offer to buy all of the fans who attend the final home game a beverage of their choice, on his tab.   Furthermore, as a team leader, he should fully acknowledge that the team’s ‘08 performance is thoroughly unacceptable.

I believe that Raiola should acknowledge that Sunday’s acts by a few “oiled-up” fans was unjustifiable, but not beyond his comprehension, due to the Lions poor performance this season.

The Lions put LB Alex Lewis on injured reserve and replaced hims with Darnell Bing, who was on their practice squad.  So Bing will be among the many who will boast for time immemorial that the he was a member of an 0-16 team, likely the only team to successfully to achieve this improbable feat, for the foreseeable future.

Three More Losses to Go…

Without completely rehashing entirely the Lions sickening loss to the Vikings on Sunday, one has got to wonder, did the Lions squander their last legitimate chance for a victory that remained this season?

The Lions were so bad (and unfortunate) that in Sunday’s game they lost another starting QB to injury, utilized a three safety nickel coverage package (which yielded the game-winning score) due to a banged up secondary, and blundering Head Coach Rod Marinelli decided to kick a field goal, to shorten their deficit to 17-16 late, in expectation that their league worst defense would actually be capable of aiding them by making a crucial, late game stop.

Just how bad are the Indy Colts and Peyton Manning going to light up the Lions defense next Sunday?   What if Dan Orlovsky is unable to start and Daunte Culpepper remains unavailable, too.  Do the Lions have a chance of keeping the game under a 30-35 point deficit with Drew Henson at the helm?

Dominic Raiola can “flip the bird” to  Lions fans all he wants.  Jeff Backus can whine about receiving personal and inflammatory messages on his cell phone all that he wants, too.  The fact of the matter is that the team’s players have legitimately earned their abuse, albeit not the insensitive and unjustifiable acts of the lunatic fringe of the team’s fan base.  This team absolutely S-U-C-K-S!

On December 9th, 1935 the Lions one their first championship.  In the 75 years of the franchise’s existence, they have won four NFL championships.  Amid all of the ups and downs that they have experienced, one had a sense that the organization would eventually find it’s way.

As the current 1-20 stretch wears on, it looks less and less likely that the organization will experience a miraculous turnaround anytime soon.   There is a lot of difficult work ahead.

Hopefully, the cumulative total of the years of failing will be the incentive necessary for the Ford’s to address their terminally ill franchise.  An 0-16 record should provide them with an abundance of impetus.

It’s a shame, though.   WR Calvin Johnson is going to be hardly appreciated for the spectacular season he has enjoyed because he will be overhsadowed by their 0-16 season.   He is one of the more exciting talents to have entered the league in the last five years, in my opinion.

Orlovsky, Buster Davis, “The Williams Boys”, Draft, The Genius Of Charles Rogers

The Lions are being particularly vague about their current QB situation.  Qb Dan “The Polish Pop Gun” Orlovsky is going to be available to return this week from his thumb injury.

My guess is that Drew Henson will eventually return to the Lions practice squad, even though Drew Stanton is still suffering from the symptoms of his recent concussion.

As poorly as Daunte Culpepper has played, I would not be at all surprised to Orlovsky return to the starter’s job.   If Orlovsky presents them with their best chance for victory, given Culpepper’s bountiful struggles, then he needs to play.

Ex-Lions MLB Buster Davis is getting an opportunity to start for the Colts due to an injury to LB Gary Brackett.  The Lions liked Davis, who performed well in the pre-season.

The Lions, or Matt Millen, decided that Jordan Dizon needed to remain in the middle which lead to them eventually releasing Davis, rather than moving to Dizon to the strong side (where Dizon is currently playing, in hopes of actually getting onto the field). It will be truly bittersweet, if Davis performs well in Indy.

The “Williams Boys”, Kevin and Pat, may not be suspended this weekend after all.   Their lawyer has submitted an injunction, which may delay their suspension for the foreseeable future. The Lions likelihood for victory hinges heavily upon the availability of these two run-stopping behemoths.

Tom “Killer” Kowalski finally acknowledged, in his Q&A column today, that if an Offensive Tackle is projected as the top available draft prospect that it would be wise for the Lions to move Jeff Backus to guard and bypass the selection of a quarterback.

Hopefully, the Lions front office sees the light, too.  I would feel a lot better with the addition of Andre Smith or Michael Oher and the Lions attempting to develop a QB like Rhett Bomar, Hunter Cantwell, Cullen Harper, Max Hall, etc.

Drew Stanton, or Mike McMahon II, is still not entirely a lost cause.   He has provided the team with a spark when he has played, and despite his persistent injury issues, he deserves a reasonable opportunity as an ex-second round pick, in my opinion.

In case you’ve forgotten, ex-Lions Charles Rogers will never be regarded as among one of the smarter members of the franchise’s alumni.

Rogers has been recently jailed for a probation violation, proving that character is nearly as important as the level of talent a player possesses in determining their success in professional sports, and more importantly, life.

Marinelli’s Motivational Ploy, Furrey Comments, Lions and Drafting QB’s (Shuddering UnControllably!)

Rod Marinelli held a team meeting Monday, and out of sheer desperation, took a chapter from the ol’-bound-to-be terminated coaches handbook.   Marinelli projected a team photo and said that the photo would be displayed in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, if the team went 0-16.  He also stated that they weren’t going to go 0-16.  Great Rod, a 1-15 and 2-14 record is just oh-so satisfying.

I almost feel sorry for the pathetic Marinelli.  He has been reduced to the prototypical Lions coaching caricature, wildly flailing for the hearts and minds of his players, as he is about to be shown the door, organizationally. Other than damaging their ‘09 draft position, what meager accomplishment is left for the organization if they improbably wrest victory from almost certain defeat in their four remaining games?

If Marinelli is willing to make this concession, I hope that the players take his attempt seriously and muster up some quality effort during the remaining games.  Despite Marinelli’s, and don’t forget the incompetent duo of Joe Barry and Jim Colletto, too, failing’s as a coach, he has been a steady, headstrong force.

It is time for the team’s players to take ownership of their failure and realize that only they can alter their current course towards immortal, NFL infamy.  I personally, don’t believe that the Lions players have the necessary resolve remaining with which they can draw upon to find a victory.  With each week, I am more certain than ever that the team is about to fulfill it’s destiny.

Mike Furrey was not very happy that the Lions shelved him yesterday, by putting him on the Injured Reserve List.   Furrey believed he was close to returning to play.

Earlier in the season, the Lions made the same type of decision with Jon Kitna, although, Kitna was clearly unhappy about the internal circumstances that lead to Jim Colletto replacing Mike Martz and all of the effects that came as a result of that decision.

Obviously, the players are competitors and work hard to reach the NFL and do not relinquish their roles comfortably.   I wonder, what exactly is happening behind closed doors that has motivated the Lions front office to make these type of organizational decisions?

As I mentioned yesterday, Detroit News’ Lynn Henning wrote two excellent articles in regards to the Lions current plight.   Upon further reflection, I was really  impressed with his article about the Lions inability to draft and develop a legitimate, franchise QB.

What I find particularly prescient about  Henning’s article, is the growing media speculation that the Lions would probably select someone like Georgia QB Matthew Stafford or Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford, should either elect to enter the ‘09 NFL draft.

In Henning’s article he references people like Ron Wolf (”There are different of going at this thing called winning, but I’ll always believe that you must have a quarterback-that without a quarterback you’re delaying something that eventually will tear you apart”), Michael Lombardi (” You can get away with anything if you have a great quarterback”), and ESPN’s Floyd Reese.

I realize that these are all ex-NFL executive’s who possess a realistic view of how one can build a successful franchise.  The Lions have failed miserably in the past because they have been lacking this necessary building block.  Do names like Joey Harrington, Andre Ware, Chuck Long, Charlie Batch, Mike McMahon, Rodney Peete resonate, at all, as successful NFL QB’s?

I am bitterly afraid that the Lions will attempt to make a big splash with their upcoming draft pick, in hopes of putting asses back into the Ford Field seats, despite a failing Michigan economy.   In order to do so, “Believe in Now”-styled media campaigns will not suffice. They will probably draft a QB, much to the dismay of Mike McMah–er, I mean Drew Stanton fans everywhere…

If the Lions are going to ultimately make this decision, they need to fully realize what is at stake for them, especially considering the financial commitment they will be making with the first overall draft pick.

If the Lions blow another first round pick, I think it will set the organization back another ten years, an area which they are already at a deficit in.  The combined detriments of a failing economy, an awful team, and a dispassionate fan base could put the organization in a position where it will never be able to return to respectability, at least in Detroit.

Furrey to IR, Lions Sign WR Keary Colbert, Ten Days of Peace?

Lions WR Mike Furrey will miss the remainder of the season due to the lingering effects of a concussion suffered in the Jacksonville Jaguars game.  The Lions have signed journeymen ex-USC WR Keary Colbert to replace Furrey on the roster.

Lions QB Daunte Culpepper has been no great shakes, but the idea of Calvin Johnson and Shaun McDonald joined by players like Colbert, John Standeford, and Adam Jennings, generates far less “daunting” prospects for Lions opponents than when the Lions roster was seemingly replete with wideout depth earlier in the season.

The Lions (mercifully) will have had 10 days off when it plays the Minnesota Vikings at home this Sunday.  In most cases, I would suggest this layoff would enhance their potential for them gaining a victory, especially since the Vikings were the last team to be defeated by an 0-12 Lions team.

That being said, the Vikings appear to be peaking at the right time.   Even without the “Williams Brothers” in their middle of their defense, should Pat and Kevin eventually be suspended, I still don’t like the sum total of the Lions chances for finding victory.

By the way, the Detroit News has done it again.   Lynn Henning has written two excellent articles about the Lions front office search and the team’s failure to draft and develop a franchise QB.  Both are must reads!