Well, I’m back from vacation. I tried really hard to drink Myrtle Beach out of margaritas but didn’t quite make it. I didn’t turn on a TV or look at a paper or the internet the entire time I was gone. It seems like there was a bit of news while I was away.
- According to ESPN’s John Clayton, the Lions have agreed to trade safety Gerald Alexander to the Jacksonville Jaguars for wide receiver Dennis Northcutt. That puts Detroit at 11 wide receivers on the roster going into training camp (Northcutt, Demir Boldin, Keary Colbert, Ronald Curry, Eric Fowler, Adam Jennings, Bryant Johnson, Calvin Johnson, Tommy Saunders. John Standeford and Derrick Williams).
- Lions owner William Clay Ford says he will trust his own judgment from here on out. What judgment?! He held on to that idiot for 5 years more than the experiment required. He hasn’t had a playoff win since the 50’s and has only been back a few times since then. I don’t know how anyone can trust this man’s judgment any longer. It’s time to turn the team over to Junior and let him see if he can do any better. It shouldn’t be too hard.
- CBSSports.com Senior Writer Pete Prisco believes that Matthew Stafford should start for the Lions right away. I do as well. He was drafted as the #1 quarterback, the new face of the Lions and the franchise player. Let him play. Culpepper is past his prime and Stafford needs the experience, whether good or bad, to become a force for the Lions future.
- Keith Shelton, an analyst at bleacher report, has written a positional report card for the upcoming season. Although I don’t agree on all his grades (B- on secondary?!) he does a good overall job of describing where the Lions are right now position-wise.
- Eric Edholm at Pro Football Weekly talks about how the Lions are slowly building depth across the board. they still need to upgrade the d-line but Mayhew and company have done a very good job so far leading up to the 2009 season.
- My teenage years crush, Farrah Fawcett succumbed to cancer
over the weekend. She was the last of the real pin-up girls (Bettie Page, Brigitte Bardot, Betty Grable and Marilyn Monroe to name a few) and had a special place in every guys my age heart. I had her poster on the back of my bedroom door for several years, as did almost every guy I knew at the time. Farrah starred in the 70’s TV series Charlies Angels as Jill Monroe, a private detective. She also had a bit part in one of my favorite movies, Logan’s Run. She will be sorely missed. Rest in peace, Farrah.
- There are a lot of stories out there about Matt Millen, from here on referred to as “that idiot”. That idiot came out this week in an interview with Sports Illustrated writer Don Banks crying that he was a scapegoat in Detroit and that Lions fans are blaming him for pretty much everything.
"I don’t go backwards,” Millen said. "I just don’t think like that. There’s nothing I can do about [Detroit]. All I can do is from here on out. I understand. In Detroit, they need a bad guy. I was a bad guy. I was to blame for the fall of the auto industry and the housing market. Somehow, I had something to do with [Detroit mayor] Kwame Kilpatrick [resigning], although I’m not sure what. But that’s what happens when you lose in this game. You give everyone a cheap and easy story to jump on.”
WTF?! Is that idiot on drugs?! Could it possibly be that his ego and sense of himself is really that large and he has lost complete touch with reality? He took a playoff caliber team and turned them into a laughingstock, the worst team ever to play in the NFL. Part of the blame can be laid at William Clay Ford’s feet first for even hiring him and then for waiting so long to fire him. That idiot even got a contract extension after several years of losing records.
What a total load of crap. Now that idiot is working for ESPN and the NFL Network. I will not be watching any program that idiot covers except for Lions games where I will turn off the sound and stream via the internet. That idiot has no respect from any Detroit Lions fan and shouldn’t have any from other teams fans as well. That idiot was an ok broadcaster before he ruined the Lions but after the complete fiasco of the last 7 years, his credibility is shot, for sure as a NFL GM or any other office position and should have done penance for a few years before he was even allowed back in the booth. I don’t see how anyone can even consider taking that idiot seriously when he talks about football. Rant over for now.
- Lions offensive coordinator Scott Linehan believes that tight end Will Heller will be a more valuable asset in the passing game than most give him credit for.
Heller is primarily a blocking tight end who, at 6-6 and 270 pounds, matches up well against defensive ends. Heller will be on the field when the Lions go two-tight end and try to pound the defense with the running game.
Anything to score some points is a good thing.
- Matthew Stafford wants to learn all he can but he wants to do it from on the field, not from the sidelines.
"I’m a competitive guy and I want to be playing the game rather than watching, as anybody does," Stafford said during an interview with Colin Cowherd on ESPN Radio on Thursday. "But I want to get a grasp of what this league is like and hopefully get out there and try to help this team win some games."
I was initially against Stafford (Curry bandwagon here) but now that he’s the guy, I’d like to see him get a shot this season. If he can outplay Culpepper in training camp and pre-season, if might happen.
- Coach Jim Schwartz recently told the Detroit News that he’d like to move training camp to the west side of the state to Grand Valley State University in Allendale. I lived in Holland from the early 80’s until I moved to Louisville and think that might be a good idea. I’m not sure what their facilities are like but I do know they have a fantastic golf course that I played as often as I could. A lot of my friends from the area have already commented that they’d really like to see it happen, even if it’s for only a portion of camp. The facility will hold 10 times the amount of people the Allen Park facility will and would also allow the public more of a chance to watch the team practice.
- Free agent defensive end Kevin Carter looks to be taking his time deciding on a team to play for this year. I wouldn’t mind him in Honolulu Blue and silver by training camp.
- Ed Thompson at FOXSports.com says Lions rookie LB Zack Follett is a can’t miss player. I like Follett and thought he would have gone in the 5th round or so. I’d like to see him make the team, at least as a special teams player.
- I’ll be leaving in the morning on a trip to Myrtle Beach where my youngest daughter will be competing in a national dance competition. It’s also going to double as this years family vacation. That said, my wife has requested, with good reason, that I leave my laptop at home. With the competition, beach, NASCAR go-cart track with my son and the several tee times I’ve made, I wouldn’t really have time to do much on the site anyway. It’s been slow for a bit and doesn’t look to get exciting until we get closer to training camp. I’ll put up a more rumors and rambling as well as a few articles on the coming season beginning shortly after I get back from South Carolina. Have a great week and I hope you’ll be back to visit in the next couple weeks as I ramp up to the 2009 Lions season and resurgence as a force in the NFC
North Central division.
- ESPN NFC North analyst Kevin Seifert says that wide receiver Calvin Johnson, safety Louis Delmas and defensive end Cliff Avril will be the building blocks of the Lions resurgence. I have to agree.
The Lions finally have a real defensive coordinator in Gunther Cunningham and, in this system, Avril is poised to have a banner year. Safety Louis Delmas is also going to be a stud in the NFL. He was the top safety in the draft and for good reason. He’s a hard hitting playmaker and will be a great asset in Detroit for years to come.
WR Calvin Johnson had a fantastic year in 2008 without having a decent quarterback in Detroit. If Culpepper can step up this season or Stafford shines early, I expect Calvin to be in the pro-bowl this year and for a lot more to come. The Lions offense has a chance to shine this season if they can protect the quarterback. I still don’t see them winning more than 5 games but I could be wrong.
- Daniel Loper is working hard to get the starting nod at left guard. he’s been working a lot with the 1st offense and has the physical skills to handle the position. The roster isn’t set yet but I think Loper will do very well helping Backus protect the quarterback on the left side of the line.
- Middle linebacker Larry Foote may not be a third down linebacker for the Lion this season. With Sims and Peterson on the outside, Levy could come in on 3rd down and in blitz packages.
- The Lions are working hard to lure back previous and new season ticket holders. because of the economy in Detroit and last years dismal season, they may have a hard time doing so.
- Rookie tight end Brandon Pettigrew is working well and building a good on field rapport with fellow rookie, quarterback Matthew Stafford. I hope he gets to throw a lot of great passes to Pettigrew over the next many seasons. Pettigrew is a big tight end, has great hands, is a superb blocker and will be a great player in the NFL.
- There’s not a lot of news in the NFL right now and I will continue to update as that news warrants it. I’ll be putting up some original articles as well as the updates and rumors and ramblings. I’ll begin updating on a daily basis again in early July, after vacation and as teams approach training camp.
- Detroit Lions announcer Dan Miller says drafting tight end Brandon Pettigrew at 1-20 was a good
thing as he’s an offensive weapon, not a luxury pick. The 6’-5”, 263 lb TE should wreak havoc on opposing defenses and he will have to be accounted for on every play.
Here’s my scouting report on Pettigrew from before the draft. Mayhew and company selected the best player available with the Lions second pick and I believe it was a good decision. Pettigrew will occupy defenders, possibly freeing up Kevin Smith and the run game or single coverage on CJ and Bryant Johnson. If the offensive line can keep Culpepper off his back and give him time to throw or Matthew Stafford can step in and produce (the o-line still needs to protect, no matter which guy is in), the Lions have the possibility of a very potent offense this season.
- Senior defensive end Jeremy Jarmon was kicked off the University of Kentucky football team after testing positive for a banned substance. He will enter the 2009 NFL supplemental draft. To find out more about how the supplemental draft works, you can check here.
- The NFL is allowing teams to put sponsors logos on their practice jerseys. The Lions are in the process of talking to interested parties. I’m glad the logos are small and hope they never make it to game jerseys.
- Lions coach Jim Schwartz threw out the first pitch at a Tigers game on Sunday and is scheduled to be the honorary starter at the Lifelock 400 this coming Sunday at Michigan Speedway.
- The Redwings lost game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals 2-1 against the Penguins, forcing a game 7 at Joe Louis Arena on Friday night. I’m mostly hoarse after screaming at the refs on Tuesday night. They missed several calls against the Penguins that could have changed the tempo of the game in Detroit’s favor. Good luck and go get’em Redwings!!
- Pat Kirwan at NFL.com wrote an excellent article on the 2009 Lions. Check it out.
Sorry for not updating for a bit. We lost power and had lines down during the last storm. Everything just came back a little while ago. Friggin’ Ohio Valley weather.
- Damon Hack, at Sports Illustrated, is picking the Lions to take the NFC
Central North. I realize that the division is not very good. The Bears defense, which used to be outstanding, is now very suspect. The Vikings don’t have a quarterback to throw to Harvin and that may hurt their run game, though Peterson is still a stud. The Packers could be the division winners but the Lions don’t have to play them at Lambeau at the end of December this year and could possibly split or take two from them. I’m still hoping for 5 wins this season. Hell, one win would be a nice victory after the fiasco that was the last decade in Detroit.
- Controversial photos of
quarterback Matthew Stafford partying at Talladega Raceway seem to have improved his image in the Lions locker room. I guess this makes him just one of the guys instead of an uber rich spoiled kid. I suppose this is a good thing.
It’s not a matter of if he will but when he will take the reins and be the starter for the Lions. Here’s a good article and poll on Pride of Detroit. The Lions faithful believe that Stafford will get the nod coming out of the bye week (week #8)
- Lions running back Kevin Smith is still talking about making the playoffs this season. I like the fact that Kevin is a competitor and has a vision of what he’d like to see the Lions do. I just hope the rest of the team will step up to the challenge.
- Vinnie Iyer at the Sporting News has a good article on who will be the Lions QB this year and whether the teams make-up can support plying Stafford. Nice read.
- The Detroit Red Wings defeated the Pittsburgh Goon Squad Saturday night 5-zip. It was nice to see Pavel Datsyuk back on the ice. There were some excellent comments from players and members of the press. Here’s a few of my favorites.
Dave Molinari: " ‘The best thing you can say about tonight is that we shot ourselves in the foot,’ Penguins defenseman Rob Scuderi said. No, not really. They didn’t shoot themselves in the foot. They blew their leg off from the kneecap down."
Pierre McGuire after Pittsburgh’s Chris Kunitz tied up Nick Lidstrom: "Do you call that the figure four leg lock?" Pretty much, and you also could call it holding, though the refs chose not to.
NBC’s Mike Milbury called the Penguins’ second-period meltdown "juvenile behavior," but also gave a critique of Sidney Crosby’s slash of Henrik Zetterberg: "If you’re going to slash somebody, make it hurt, for cryin’ out loud. Not this halfhearted stuff."
- Tom Kowolski believes that oft injured tackle Lydon Murtha will end up on the practice squad this season. I have to agree. There are several talented players ahead of him and they will start and be used for depth before Lydon. We’ll probably see him next season in a back-up role if he can stay healthy or possibly this season if, God forbid, the Lions suffer a lot of injuries.
- Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson likes what he sees in rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford and the rest of the offense. I certainly hope they can put up points this season and the defense allows them to stay on the field more so they can do so. Johnson will be an even bigger stud this year and I expect to see him in the pro bowl.
- Former Michigan offensive lineman
Jon Jansen agreed to a one-year contract with the Lions and is contingent on Jansen passing a physical with the team on Monday. Jansen was cut by the Washington Redskins on Friday.If Jansen can stay healthy, this could be a great pick-up. He played well in Washington and brings an excellent veteran presence to the locker room.
- Adam Schein of Sirius NFL Radio and Fox Sports has ranked every NFL franchise according to a series of categories. The Lions finished in dead last.
“I like Jim Schwartz and thought he put together a very strong coaching staff, led by Gunther Cunningham,” writes Schein. “But it’s tough to overcome a ‘1′ for ownership and front office. There’s a reason why the Lions are rebuilding since 1957.”
Upper management, especially ownership, has been a great detriment to the Detroit Lions. I’m starting to believe in Mayhew and Lewand and just hope William Clay Ford will keep his fingers out of the pie and let the guys he hired do their jobs.
- Terry Barr, one of the great
players in Michigan football and Lions history, died Thursday morning at his home in Bloomfield Hills. Barr fought a long and hard battle with Alzheimer’s disease. He was 73.Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.
- The Detroit Lions claimed defensive end Brian Johnston off of waivers Thursday. Johnston was selected in the 7th round of the 2008 draft by Kansas City.
- GO RED WINGS!! Here’s some photo’s from Saturday night’s win. SWEEP, BABY! Datsyuk is out again for game two, but hopefully they can play well again and keep Sidney Crosby contained.
- John Howell, a scribe over at Bleacher Report, talks about the curse of Bobby Layne and how it’s now over with the drafting of Matthew Stafford. I’m not much on curses, even though I am a Lions and Cubs fan, but if it helps them win to believe that one is over, I’m all for it.
Rev Spielman over at The Church of Schwartz continues his Q&A with several of the internet’s top Lions bloggers. It is, as usual, a good read. Go check it out. Here’s the questions for this week and my responses.
1. Who starts at LG and RG this season?
Motown Madmen: Damion Cook and Steven Peterman, respectively. There could be an outside chance that Toniu Fonoti, if he plays well, could get a shot at the starting LG gig ahead of Ramirez. I’m not too thrilled with this group, or the entire o-line. I’m hoping that with the new coaching regime in place, they’ll be able to get the team more organized and playing as a cohesive unit instead of running around doing not much and letting the quarterback get killed. They need to be able to help the run game so that they’ll be able to air it out to CJ at will. I’m beginning to have faith in the new coaches and am looking forward to how the line plays as a unit.
2. How many games will the Lions sell out this year?
Motown Madmen: Sell out? I think they’ll sellout the first game Stafford starts and the Thanksgiving day game (might be the same game). After the last 8 years, a lot of “fans” have grown sour on the Lions. I think more fans will stay home. It costs a small fortune to attend a professional sporting event and the economy in Detroit, unfortunately, sucks. With the collapse of Chrysler and GM, jobs will be even more scarce and money will be better spent elsewhere.
3. Kevin Smith believes this is a playoff team. Do you?
Motown Madmen: No, I don’t. They aren’t the Falcons or Dolphins. I believe they have, at best, an outside chance in the North but them winning more than 5-6 games this year is probably a pipe dream. I would love nothing more than to be shown wrong. I think the team was better last year than it’s 0-16 record and a lot of the problems were due to extremely poor coaching and injuries but not enough so they make the playoffs.
- Lions coach Jim Schwartz has made no secret of his desire to find a veteran quarterback to fit into the rotation. Right now it’s Culpepper, Stafford and then Stanton bringing up the rear.
Schwartz believes that the competition is good for the players and will bring out the best in them all. Stanton has not performed as well as they might hope and his job could be in jeopardy.
Who would be available to fill that 3rd spot if Stanton is let go? Trent Green, Rex Grossman, J.P. Losman and Brad Johnson are still available as are several less than desirable options.
I agree with this article at Bleacher Report that says Stafford will dictate whether Stanton remains a Lion or not. With all the money and hype that has come with having Stafford as the QB, he’d better be ready to take over if Culpepper goes down or gets hurt. I think he can handle the job and would venture that Stanton will be the #3 guy in 2009.
- The Lions claimed former Charger and Cowboy defensive back Tra Battle off waivers on Wednesday. He played in 6 games with Dallas and San Diego in 2008. Battle played for Georgia and was a team mate of Matthew Stafford in 2006. He’s an unknown as an NFL DB but he did play reasonably well in college. Maybe he’ll be a sleeper and be a great asset.
- Former Lions linebacker Paris Lenon signed with the New England Patriots.
- Peter Schrager at Fox has a nice article on the best or most “buzzworthy” moves so far this offseason. Detroit came in at #9 with the trade for LB Julian Peterson and the signing LB Larry Foote. Both great moves and a big plus to the Lions defense.
- The Lions strength of schedule for 2009 is pretty tough. They’re ranked as having the 21st toughest schedule. The Packers, Bears and Vikes have the easiest schedule, I suppose, based on the fact they play the Lions twice each.
I pledge allegiance to the flag
of the United States of America,
and to the Republic for which it stands:
one Nation under God,
indivisible,
with Liberty and Justice
for all.
- Lions coach, Jim Schwartz, says that they’re going to look hard at all their players as well as anyone else available, except Michael Vick.
"We’re going to look at everybody," Lions coach Jim Schwartz said. "There’s no spot we feel great about, that we go in saying we’re 100 percent set. So anyone that comes available we’re going to do our due diligence."
This is a good thing. Vick is not someone I’d want on the Lions, much less back in the NFL so soon. Other than that, competition amongst all the positions tends to bring the best out of everyone. I like how this off season is shaping up as they head towards camp.
- Here’s a good photo essay of this weeks OTA’s with veterans and rookies.
- Quarterback Matthew Stafford got a little razzing in his first days of OTA’s.
“A guy couldn’t catch me coming out of a bootleg, and he said, ‘Sorry, I was just picking up all the money falling out of your pockets,’ ” Stafford said today. “I just laughed.”
With the money he’s making, that’s a pretty good joke. I know most rookies take some crap during their first years. At least he’s not Mark Sanchez.
- Detroit signed veteran offensive tackle Ephraim Saalam to fight with Backus for the tackle spot.
Salaam, who turns 33 in June, is an 11-year NFL veteran with 129 career starts. After starting 30 games at left tackle for Houston in 2006-07, he was a backup last season behind Duane Brown, a 2008 first-round pick. He played right tackle early in his career.
I can’t see him taking the starter role away but it adds excellent depth to the position.
- Here’s information from an interview with former Lions fullback, Cory Schlesinger.
- A Delaware court is hearing arguments on a sports betting bill in the state. The NFL is opposed, as expected. I’m a big fan of sports books. We have casino’s here and would love for them to open it up to betting on sports. I can see where it could lead to cheating and gambling addictions but no more so than with gaming casinos. It would be a boost to state revenues if the 1992 Federal law could be bypassed or removed completely.
I thought I would throw out some numbers and rant a bit on NFL rookies salaries. NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith doesn’t seem to believe that there is any problem with rookie salaries. The 2010 season is an uncapped year and Smith is posturing for the upcoming Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) talks with the owners.
Specifically, Smith said that the popular issue of controlling salaries for top draft picks wasn’t even an issue of concern for the union.
“It might be an issue to drive a wedge between rookies and vets. But I know one thing, it’s not a player issue,” Smith said Monday.
He also says that there is a need for the owners to open their books for review to help speed a up new agreement.
Lets look back at how the salaries for rookies has exploded in the last few years. Here are the contracts and signing bonuses for the top pick in the last several years drafts. I’m not 100% sure on all the figures but believe I”m pretty close. The bonus and salary figures are what they player should be able to make over the length of the initial contract.
Year
|
Name
|
Team
|
Salary
|
Bonus
|
| 2009 |
Matthew Stafford |
Lions |
$78m |
$41.7m |
| 2008 |
Jake Long |
Dolphins |
$57.75m |
$30m |
| 2007 |
JaMarcus Russell |
Raiders |
$60m |
$31m |
| 2006 |
Mario Williams |
Texans |
$60m |
$26m |
| 2005 |
Alex Smith |
49er’s |
$49.5m |
$24m |
| 2004 |
Eli Manning |
Giants |
$54m |
$20m |
| 2003 |
Carson Palmer |
Bengals |
$49m |
$10m |
| 2002 |
David Carr |
Texans |
$46.25m |
$11m |
| 2001 |
Mike Vick |
Falcons |
$62m |
$15.3m |
| 2000 |
Courtney Brown |
Browns |
$45m |
$11m |
| 1999 |
Tim Couch |
Browns |
$31.25m |
11.25m |
In ten years, the salary for the #1 overall pick went from $31.25m to $78m for a difference of $46.75 million dollars and the signing bonuses went from $11.25m to $41.7m for a difference of $30.45 million dollars. Cost of living increase? I’ll be lucky to even get a raise this year as will most of the rest of the nation.
When the salary cap was introduced in 1994 it was a whopping $34.6 million dollars. For the 2009 season, the cap is $128 million dollars. Expenses for running a stadium, player salaries, advertising, etc have risen dramatically in the last decade. NFL teams are reported to be worth an average of $1.06 billion dollars (the Lions are worth a bit over $917 millions dollars).
Costs rise and ticket prices rise as do concessions and everything else associated with the NFL. Is the increase in rookie salaries proportional to that increase or is it due to the media attention that has turned the NFL into the most lucrative sports business in the US. Is the salary cap increase do to the rising cost of expected rookie salaries? I saw more “experts” and “gurus” leading up to the draft saying players should make X amounts of dollars. Some IS media driven. I know fans aren’t too happy with the price of player salaries as they attempt to take their families to a game and it costs them a couple weeks pay.
Why are the rookies making so much money without even playing a down in the NFL? Shouldn’t players have to earn that money? A rookie cap should be instituted in the next CBA like was done in the NBA? I think it is unfair to veteran players who have earned the right to make the big bucks and rookies should start at a minimum. There should be a salary structure for the first 4-6 years of a players career. Some will say that’s unfair to new players who could lose it all with one injury. That’s life. Normal folks don’t come right out of high school or college and make more money than top executives at a company in any walk of life. Why is it like this in the NFL?
DeMaurice Smith and the union want the players to make as much money as possible as soon as possible. This rise in rookie salaries has made the cost of going to an NFL game exorbitant for anyone to attend regularly. Who pays the bills? The cost is passed to fans in ticket prices and concessions as well as merchandise. Advertising costs and sponsors pick up the rest.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m glad (now anyways) that the Lions have Matthew Stafford but paying anyone a guaranteed 41.7 million dollars without playing one snap is ludicrous. This needs to stop. This should stop. Hopefully the owners will be able to do something about it in the next contract. I could see a lockout and scab players if something isn’t done. I’m not entirely siding with the owners as this is as much their fault as it is the unions and agents. If something isn’t done soon, it could balloon even further out of proportion, making attending and NFL game something for only the rich.
Just my $0.02. What’s your opinion?
- Jim Schwartz wants to give offseason acquisition Daniel Loper a chance to win the starting left guard spot.
"He’s big, he fits the profile of what we’re looking for at the position, and we wanted to give him an opportunity to see if he can be a starter," Schwartz said.
Schwartz has also noticed right tackle Gosder Cherilus and believes he has a lot of room to grow. I certainly hope these guys can be coached up to their potential and beyond, something that is definitely needed on the offensive line in Detroit.
- The Lions released tackle Junius Coston and WR William Franklin on Friday. I thought Franklin had an outside chance at making the team but with drafting Willimas in the fourth round, he became expendable. They also signed undrafted free agent defensive end Ryan Kees.
The 6-foot-5, 276-pound lineman likes his chances of making an NFL roster. "I have a really good body size. I can put on a lot of weight and still maintain my athleticism," he said. "I work my hands well and I’ve got good pass-rush technique. I’m also able to stop the run and have good breakout speed and acceleration, especially for my size. At the Cactus Bowl, Kees drew interest from a number of teams that included the Carolina Panthers, Pittsburgh Steelers.
The defensive line needs some help, maybe he’ll work out. If not, he could add depth to the position.
- Coach Jim Schwartz likes what he sees in linebacker Larry Foote and the rest of the linebacker corps. I think they’ll be one of the top groups in the NFL this season. Lot’s of experience with Peterson and Foote, Sims will turn it around from last season and the others will contribute immensely.
- Lions new running back Maurice Morris thinks the Lions should have won 8 games last year.
“Not at all because I saw film,” Morris said. “You could see the Detroit Lions, they should have won eight games. They may have lost them in the fourth quarter with a play here and there, but they should have won eight games because they (lost) a bunch of games by a field goal. It’s kind of like, it’s just a matter of finishing in the fourth quarter.”
I couldn’t agree more. They were better than their record showed. 5-7 wins is not out of the realm of possibility. 4-5 is more likely but a good showing against tough competition would do a lot for them, bringing an excitement to the team and fans.
- Lions new tight end, and last pick for Detroit in the 7th round, Dan Gronkowski has high hopes for this season and believes that, given a chance, he can perform at an NFL level and help the Lions.
- The NFL’s salary cap has risen yet again this offseason. The cap will rise about $1 million more than expected to $128 million.
- Former Arizona Cardinals CB Rod Hood will visit the Detroit Lions on Monday. This would be an excellent pick-up is the Lions can get him signed. I hope they don’t let him leave without a contract.
- Coach Jim Schwartz
says there were too many holes to plug everywhere on the roster to just focus on defense.
"Well, it was the focal point, but it was one of three focal point," Schwartz said. "Quite honestly, we needed to improve the offense and the special teams also.
The Lions added several good players on defense this offseason, through free agency and the draft. I believe they’ll be much better than their last place from 2008.
- Kevin Smith says the Lions will go to the playoffs this season and Jim Schwartz is supporting his position.
"I don’t want to discourage enthusiasm, but the playoffs are a long away," Schwartz said Thursday. "What’s more important is what happens today. How are we practicing today? Those are the things we need to take care of on a daily basis.
I’ll be happy if they just win a dang regular season game. After that it’s just a big bonus for me this season. I do expect them to compete for the division title next year, though. A big year in ‘09 would be wonderful but is highly unlikely.
- The Lions showed a little excitement today in practice as quarterback Drew Stanton threw a touchdown pass to tight end Will Heller. That’s a good thing. Some emotion this year instead of standing around looking like a deer caught in the headlights would be nice.
- Quarterbacks Daunte Culpepper, Drew Stanton and Matthew Stafford will initially split reps evenly until someone can show dominance as the starter. With a new playbook, they will all need practice although Culpepper has seen most of it before playing for Linehan in Minnesota.
- Here’s a funny article by Greg Eno at Bleacher Report about an “interview” with Lions kicker Jason Hanson. Pretty funny.
- HOF quarterback Steve Young has some advice for Matthew Stafford.
"You have to be a really unique person, not player, but person," Young told FanHouse on Friday. "You can be a phenomenal player, but you have to have an iron stomach. It’s not going to be easy for him."
I just want Stafford to work out and hope he has both the guts and balls to pull it off for the next decade or two.
- One of Detroit’s 7th round picks, Lydon Murtha, has had to watch practice from the sidelines. Murtha has struggled with injuries ever since he joined Nebraska as a freshman. I’d hoped he would stay healthy and be able to contribute but Murtha says he’s learning a lot from the sidelines and will be able to catch up quickly. One can only hope that’s the case.
- TE Brandon Pettigrew could be a large part of the Lions offense this season and for years to come.
“I don’t know what Linehan plans on doing, but I know when he was in Minnesota they used the tight end a lot,” left tackle Jeff Backus said recently. “The tight end could be a big part of your offense. Tight end could be a good friend of the quarterback.”
Pettigrew is an excellent blocker and should be an every down guy. I think Pettigrew was a steal at 1-20 and that’ he’ll be a very productive member of the team for a long time.
- Quarterback Daunte Culpepper once again denied reporters interviews on Wednesday. He’s been quiet, but motivated according to other players.
“He’s a very fiery, competitive guy,” receiver Ronald Curry said. “I think he’s going to be very successful in this offense. And getting that first overall draft pick kind of lights a little more of a fire up under him, so I think he’s going to go out there and show the world that he can still play this game at a high level.”
I’d like to see a quarterback competition between the three guys (yes, I’m including Stanton). I believe that the competition can do nothing except make all three players better and more ready to play this season
- The key to Detroit’s offense – Scott Linehan. Scott has been able to get a lot of production out of average players over his years as a coach. He did it in Minnesota and should be able to do so in Detroit. I really liked the selection of Scott as offensive coordinator and am looking forward to seeing what he can do with Stafford, Smith, CJ and Pettigrew. That’s a nice core for an offense to start with. If the line can step up, they might surprise this season.
- Several Lion, both current and past players, attended the annual Tony Filippis Memorial Bocce Tournament on Wednesday. Here are some pictures posted on Freep.com.
- Lions saviors of Detroit? Here’s a nice article written by Skip Wood at USA Today extolling the virtues of what a decent Lions season could do for the city of Detroit, like the Saints did for New Orleans after Katrina. I don’t know if a winning Lions team could do anything for Detroit but a few wins would at least make folks forget about things for a bit on Sunday afternoons.
- Sports Illustrated ranked the best and worst five owners in the four major sports. Guess where William Clay Ford was on the list. Last? Nope, he was second to last behind none other that Al “I’ve been nuts for years” Davis. I thought Dan Snyder might have been ranked worse than WCF but he ended up at #30. Here’s the list.
Five Best
1. Rooney Family, Pittsburgh Steelers
2. Robert Kraft, New England Patriots
3. Mara and Tisch Families, New York Giants
4. Jeffrey Lurie, Philadelphia Eagles
5. Steve Bisciotti, Baltimore Ravens
Five Worst
1. Al Davis, Oakland Raiders
2. William Clay Ford, Detroit Lions
3. Dan Snyder, Washington Redskins
4. Mike Brown, Cincinnati Bengals
5. Denise DeBartolo York, San Francisco 49ers
It’s hard to disagree with those rankings. Ford has been more about the money than the fans. I’m hoping that it starts to turn around soon. I’d really like to see Junior come in and take over ownership duties. I believe he’d do a better job.
- The Lions signed free agent DE Jason Hunter. Hunter was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Green Bay Packers in 2006. He’s a young guy with lot’s of potential. It’d be nice to see him work out and be an impact player for the team. Best guess, though, is that he will excel in a back-up role.
- Lions RB Kevin Smith has a goal in mind…the playoffs. He doesn’t care about any media perceived controversy at the QB position, he just wants to win games. Now. I really like Kevin. Besides being a great running back, he looks like he is stepping up and will be one of the future leaders of the Lions. I believe he’s going to have an excellent season and will be one of the top backs in the league.
- Even though rookies don’t report until next week, Daunte Culpepper is excited about competing against the Lions first and the #1 overall pick in this years draft, Matthew Stafford, for the starting quarterback gig.
“I’m looking forward to competition,” said Culpepper. “I’m looking forward to competing and I’m going to compete every day, no matter when it is – even now. But when training camp starts, I’m still going to have the same attitude and the same focus like I do now. I’m looking forward to it.”
Culpepper should start the season behind center unless Stafford can come in and blow everyone away with his talent. I believe it will take a bit for Stafford to catch up to the speed of play in the NFL, and suspect he may make his debut on Thanksgiving Day on the national stage, unless Culpepper plays lights out for the first part of the season.
So, Daunte Culpepper should be the starter over Matthew Stafford, at least for the beginning of the season.
That’s what most believe. I’d say it’s 50/50 after reading this article on Scout.com.
“We’re not going to spoon-feed him, now,” offensive coordinator Scott Linehan said. “He’s got to take it in and digest everything we give him and go out and perform.”
As Linehan said, the Lions don’t want to play Stafford before he’s ready, but they don’t know when that will be. They don’t want to rush him. But they don’t want to hold him back, either.
“At this point,” Linehan said, “we’re just going to throw everything at him, put him in as many situations as we can and see how fast he progresses and not really put a timetable on it.”
They don’t want to rush him but he could be ready to go from day one. The only thing that has me concerned is his progress when 
he was in college. He got better each of the three season he played but his first season was nothing spectacular at all. I have a feeling that it will be the same thing for him to adjust to the speed and intensity of the NFL game.
I’ve called for Stafford and Culpepper to have an open competition but, the more I think about it, I’d rather he sit the entire season and learn the game. Give him some more reps in practice but keep him on the sidelines for the year. If Culpepper really stinks it up, I could see him making his debut on national TV Thanksgiving Day. That might be the time to let the kid show what he can do.
I was on the Curry bandwagon since the end of last season. I’ve had some lively debates with some other respected posters on the merits of Stafford. Since he was drafted, he’s my guy. I’m behind him 100% and want him to succeed. No, what I really want is for him to excel. The Lions have not had a a player really do that since Barry Sanders. It’s been a heck of a lot longer since they had a quarterback worth playing more than a couple-three seasons.
I’m starting to believe that he might actually be the the right man for the job. Mayhew and Lewand, as well as Schwartz and co, have made some good decisions since they took over the team and it looks like they’re trying to build for a winner sooner than later. Stafford needs to be the one to lead that change. Time for a winner.
Rev Spielman over at The Church of Schwartz continues his Q&A with several of the internet’s top Lions bloggers. It is, as usual, a good read. Go check it out. Here’s the questions for this week and my responses.
1. Are there any undrafted rookies that you expect to be on the team this season?
Motown Madmen: The Lions have already signed D.J. Boldin, WR, Wake Forest; Andrew Downey, LB, Maine; Dan Gerberry, C, Ball State; John Gill, DT, Northwestern; Otis Wiley, S, Michigan State and my favorite, Swayze Waters, K, Alabama-Birmingham. Gotta love that name. I’m not too worried about if they pursue others. Most, if not all, will not stand a chance to make the team. If I had to pick one, I’d say Boldin, if he can play even a little like is brother, and possible Wiley as the Lions secondary could still use some help.
2. If you can pick one remaining free agent on the market for the Lions to sign, who is it?
Motown Madmen: If they go grab another undrafted rookie free agent, I’d have to say Allen Langford, CB, Wisconsin. Allen was a first team All-Big Ten pick last year and had 47 tackles and 13 pass breakups. The Lions could use more help in the secondary and Langford wouldn’t be a bad option. I believe he already tried out for the Packers but nothing came out of it.
For veteran free agents, I’d like to see them go after Kevin Carter, Travis LaBoy or even Vonnie Holliday for a year or two. The D-line could use some shoring up and they need some bigger, faster, tougher guys there to stop the run and put pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
3. What retired Lion (if any) deserves Hall of Fame consideration?
Motown Madmen: Right now I can think of no one who has played for Detroit in the last several decades who deserves the Hall of Fame nod. You can list several names, but none have the numbers, or championships, to back it up. Maybe Stafford, CJ and Smith can turn that around.
