Detroit Lions Weblog

Lions Left Guard Status, The Saints Making The Super Bowl Scratches Another Name Off From a Dubious List

Of the 32 NFL teams, after Sunday’s NFC Championship victory by the Saints, there are only four who have yet to have had the fortune of playing in the Super Bowl. Those teams, the Lions, Houston Texans, Cleveland Browns, and Jacksonville Jaguars are on the outside looking in, when it comes to the hype, fanfare, and attainment of filthy lucre, in an event that amounts to being the penultimate, panis et circenses-spectacle in western civilzation.

Dan Orlovsky, Like the Lions, Sees the Game From the Outside Looking In

What is even more painful, for the Lions and their fans, is the harsh reality that they are the lone team, excluding the complicated Browns/Ravens/Browns dichotomy, that existed before the inception of the Super Bowl.

Given the Lions recent abysmal 3-37 run, it is reasonable to wonder with all sincerity if it is possible that the Lions will never play in the world’s premier sporting championship game.

A Super Bowl Has Been Played In Each of the Lions Home Stadiums, But the Lions Have Yet to Play in the Game.

The wild, joyful celebration of Saints fan this weekend, served as a stark reminder of how poorly constructed and coached this team has been through the years. With the 2-14 Lions coaching staff observing and coaching potential talent in Mobile, Alabama for the Senior Bowl, the Lions and their fans are tantalized by the prospect of adding more young talents to the fold, in hopes of edging closer to respectability,

MLive.com’s Phil Zaroo rang a clarion call to the Lions organization imploring them to address a postion of personnel need, that they have neglected to their own detriment for 20 years now, left offensive guard.

In Zaroo’s words, using an impersonation, first:

*Dwight from The Office voice* Question: How many offensive guards have the Detroit Lions drafted in the last 20 years?

Answer: Five. That’s right. Five: Tony Semple (1994 – Rd. 5), Hessley Hempstead (1995 – Rd. 7), Jeff Hartings (1996 – Rd. 1), Manny Ramirez (2007-Rd. 4) and Fred Matua (2003 – Rd. 7).

*Philip from MLive.com voice* Did you hear me? FIVE!

Who the hell, aside from Hartings, were these guys?!?

Matt Millen's Decision to Not Re-Sign Hartings Seems to Be the Beginning of Their Current Troubles

The Lions have had an awful who’s who of players fill their guard positions during recent years names like Brendai Stai, Edwin Mulitalo, Rick DeMulling, Damien Woody, Ross Verba, David Loverne, Daniel Loper, Ray Brown, and Manny Ramirez all stand as cold, harsh reminder of the Lions failings at filling the guard position on their roster.

Matt Millen Says“D’Oh, Brendan Stai?”

It is early in the evaluation process, but Idaho’s Mike Iupati represents a hot commodity who is unlikely to be available when the Lions pick at the top of the second round in April. It remains to be seen what other talents may emerge, but the Lions clearly, if they ever hope to gain any momentum towards competing in a Super Bowl will need to address their gaping organizational hole at the guard position.

The Lions Have Enjoyed Some Past Success With Interior Linemen From the Pacific Islands