Lions' Pride

Best Videos This Season

2011-10-07T04:06:00.000-07:00

Just a collection of videos that sum up the Lions season so far.

Detroit Changes Losing Culture, Needs To Change Gameplans

2011-10-07T03:40:00.000-07:00

I’ve learned a lot about the Detroit Lions over the past few weeks and it began during the game against the Tampa Bay.‭ ‬During the game against Tampa Bay the Lions‭' ‬offense looked pretty good,‭ ‬they were up tempo and running a lot of no huddle which was working.‭ ‬Against Minnesota the Lions‭' ‬offense looked absolutely horrible,‭ ‬nothing they were doing seemed to work,‭ ‬they looked sluggish and weren’t running any no huddle plays.‭ ‬Later in the game against Minnesota they started to pick up the pace and that’s when they came back and won.‭ ‬The exact same thing happened with the Lions‭’ ‬offense when they played the Dallas Cowboys so whatever‭ ‬Scott Linehan is trying to do in the first half of these games he needs to throw out the window and roll with what’s working.‭

On the defensive side of the ball I’m not sure if this was the case during the Minnesota game but during the first half of the Lions‭' ‬game against Dallas I’ll admit I noticed something on defense that had me yelling at my television.‭ ‬Teams know that the Detroit Lions have an amazing defensive line so to negate the pass rush they’re going to try to run short passes.‭ ‬Well can anybody explain why more often than not the Detroit Lion corner-backs playing seven to ten yards off the Dallas Cowboy receivers‭? ‬That coupled with the way the offense was playing had me practically losing my mind but their was something strange about it.‭

During the Minnesota game I thought it was over at half time and I thought that there was absolutely no way the Lions were going to come back and beat the Vikings.‭ ‬However because of the way the Detroit battled back against Minnesota and were able to win I had faith that they would do the same against Dallas.‭ ‬Sitting in a room watching the game with a Dallas fan and catching so much crap via text message that I needed a biohazard suit‭ ‬I told them that it wasn’t over until the end of the fourth quarter.‭ ‬Most of the Dallas fans I know responded with something along the lines of‭ “‬We Aren’t Minnesota‭”‬.‭

It turns out the Cowboys were worse than Minnesota on that day because they allowed the Lions to come back from a twenty four point deficit and win the game without overtime.‭ ‬As the Lions made their comeback I noticed that the offense was once again up tempo running a lot of no huddle.‭ ‬On defense the Detroit corner-backs were no longer playing so far off of the Cowboy receivers as much.‭ ‬They started to mix it up and alternate playing close and playing off the wide receivers.‭ ‬Chris Houston's interception for a touchdown happened because he was able to play‭ ‬the receiver close and make a play on the ball.‭ ‬One of the only hits I remember us getting on Romo before the sack on the last play was the one Suh put on him that drew the penalty flag.‭ ‬The corner-backs were playing close and had Suh not hit Romo in the head‭ (‬barely‭) ‬then the Cowboys would have been forced to punt.‭

I’m happy that the Lions are currently undefeated and I’m writing this to show that in my mind at least the culture in Detroit has really changed.‭ ‬The fact that the Lions can be down by twenty four and I still believed they had a chance to win the game is absolutely amazing and the fact that they actually did win the game is unreal.‭

However as much as I love basically‭ ‬80%‭ ‬of what‭ ‬the Detroit coaching staff has done,‭ ‬the way the Lions have started the games against Minnesota and Dallas is the direct effect of a horrible game plan to start the game.‭ ‬I give them all the credit in the world for the way they adjusted in the second half and won the game but they wouldn’t have been so far down if they would’ve had a better game plan going into the game.‭

Next week against Chicago the Lions are going up against Mike Martz whose passing attack mostly relies on timing.‭ ‬Hopefully we'll come out in the first quarter and jam their receivers at the line disrupting their timing and allowing our defensive line to feast on Veal Cutler all game long.‭ ‬However even if we do that there is one other thing that worries me,‭ ‬Devin Hester.‭

Besides the first half game planing the only other thing about the Lions that worries me is the special teams.‭ ‬From what I've seen it doesn't seem like Jason Hanson has the leg to kick the ball out of the back of the endzone on kickoffs.‭ ‬I've thought since the beginning of the season that we should have a second kicker on the roster for the sole purpose of ensuring that the opposing team doesn't get a chance to make a kickoff return.‭ ‬Hanson has enough leg to get the ball a few yards‭ ‬into the endzone but most good kick returners are willing to risk taking the ball out from where Hanson kicks it.‭ ‬Against Minnesota the Lions kick coverage units looked absolutely horrible on special teams,‭ ‬they looked better against Dallas but they're going to need to be flawless if Hanson isn't able to kick the ball deep enough to force Devin Hester to take a knee.‭

This Monday I'll be looking for the Lion's to come out of the gate firing and put Chicago down early,‭ ‬if they can do that and force mad man Martz to abandon the run there is no doubt in my mind that the Detroit Lions can absolutely dominate against the Bears.‭ ‬However if the Lions come out of the gate flat like they have for the past two weeks and give Chicago the option of pounding the run,‭ ‬it could be a long Monday night for the Detroit Lions.‭

Not The Same Old Lions

2011-09-13T22:54:00.000-07:00

In my last post to this blog I refereed to how losing the first game of the 2011 season to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers may give some Lion's fans the right to use their favorite phrase "same old Lions". Well what the Detroit Lions did in Tampa Bay proved that these aren't the same old Lions, the Detroit Lions proved that they were downright better than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in every aspect of the game and Tampa Bay isn't a bad team. Now I will admit that there were some "same old Lions" moments like the two boneheaded plays by Sthephen Peterman and Gosder Cherilus among others but in the end where the "same old Lions" would have let Tampa Bay send the game to overtime and eventually lose, these Lions held on for a win. Also these Lion's weren't satisfied with their play even in their winning effort.

"I am not going to discount the value of a win, particularly a win on the road," Schwartz said. "But we definitely have to play a lot better than we played today. We made too many mistakes that kept Tampa in the game.

"I guess it's the sign of a good football team that we made those mistakes and still came out with the win. But there are things that happened in this game that are inexcusable and they will not continue."

Not one quote about pounding the rock or keeping the pad level low, plus actually holding players accountable for stupid plays, are these the Lions we're talking about? It's music to my ears and even though we're only one week into the 2011 season overall I'm loving what I'm seeing. However let's see if they continue looking good next week against a Kansas City team who looked horrible in week one.

In closing I'd just like to say.....

Detroit Lions Must Win Against Tampa Bay

2011-09-08T02:07:00.000-07:00

During week 15 of the 2010 NFL season a 3-10 Detroit Lions team took on a 8-5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that was still fighting to make the playoffs. Tampa Bay was without Gerald McCoy and Quincy Black however the Detroit Lions were without starting quarterback Matthew Stafford, backup quarterback Shaun Hill, linebacker Landon Johnson, and running-back Jahvid Best was hobbled by turf toe injuries on both feet.

With Tampa Bay still in the playoff hunt and the Detroit Lions playing for nothing other than pride the Lions and third string quarterback Drew Stanton were able to deal a serious blow to the Buccaneers playoff opportunities by pulling off an upset win in overtime.

This season the Detroit Lions and Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face off on week one of the 2011 NFL season on equal footing, both are still fighting to make the playoffs. However the loser of this game may be dead in the water and not even know it. According to stats released by both espn.com and nfl.com, since 1990 only 24% of teams that lost their first game made the playoffs. When it comes to teams losing their week one game and winning their division, only 14% of teams have been able to accomplish this feat.

So for all of the Detroit Lions fans who have been drinking the Honolulu blue kool aid all off season may be justified in yelling "same old Lions" as they jump off the bandwagon if the Lions lose. This game is as important as any other game the Lions will play this season and if Matthew Stafford fails to lead them to victory against a team Drew Stanton was able to beat then maybe, just maybe they haven't improved as much as we all think.

I'll agree that on paper this team is leaps and bounds ahead of any Detroit Lions team in recent memory however it HAS TO translate into great on the field performances or it doesn't matter.

Calvin Johnson Acura Commercial

2011-03-31T23:34:00.000-07:00

I'm glad Calvin is getting some recognition nationally but I wonder how Mr.Ford feels about the ad.

New Lion's Pride Store

2011-03-29T18:29:00.000-07:00

Check Out The New Lion's Pride Store On Amazon.com

Ndamukong Screwed

2010-12-12T23:47:00.000-08:00

The NFL refs have no idea what to do when they see Ndamukong Suh going beast mode and wreaking havoc on offenses. Their solution, throw a flag.

Enough Excuses We Were Out Coached

2010-09-26T21:45:00.000-07:00

Does talent play a role as to why the Lions are 0-3, yes. Losing your #1 QB is bad, Losing your #2 WR when there is nobody to replace him is horrible, and losing your #1 RB to top it all off is so unbelievably bad all you can really do is shake your head.

Through 3 game even with the injuries piling up, coaching could have easily turned two if not all three of our losses into victories. Let me start with my favorite target since week 1 of this year, Scott Linehan. Now Scotty's play call hasn't just bothered me this year, no, his play calling has bothered me since he was hired. From a article I wrote last November...

"I just don't believe in Scott Linehan at all; I'm willing to give him till the end of next year to show me something, but right now, he really isn't. Yeah, it's the players' first year in his system, but his system looks like crap."

"I swear that I sit there every Sunday feeling like a physic when the Lions offense is on the field. The worst part about it is the plays I'm predicting don't match the situation the Lions are in on the field. Case in point, if I see a 3rd-and-short, I predict pass because that's what this genius usually dials up, no matter how many times it burns us. Even if they are in a position where they have to go for it on fourth down if they don't convert, it's still a pass!”

"Linehan has managed to take us from crap to crap, but we're all okay with it because we have low expectations."

Linehan tried pounding the ball with Best up the middle all game in Chicago and it didn't work. He came back in week two and ran Best up the middle on 3rd and short against Philly then Schwartz let him do the same crap on 4th and short. Shockingly we didn't pick up the first and the worst part about it was we were in field goal range. This week against the Vikes I think it was Morris they tried it with but we got the same result, if Linehan is dead set on running right up the middle in those situations why not use Felton? Jahvid Best is more talented? Very true but how many times do we have to get stonewalled on 3rd or 4th and short before Linehan realizes that JAHVID BEST IS AN OUTSIDE THE TACKLES RUNNER! I'm not saying Best can't run up the middle but obviously he is better in space not trying to pound the ball up the middle with 8 or 9 guys in the box.

I’m sure everybody noticed the quote that doesn’t quite match up well with the others, last year I was complaining that Linehan always passed on 3rd and short and it burned us, this year I’m doing the same thing because he’s running and its burning us. Smith is 6‘’1 around 220, Best is 5‘’10 around 200, Linehan should have rolled out some of these HB Dives last year for Smith instead of trying to pass it on 3rd and short all the time. This year it seems as though watching HB Dives on you tube during the offseason has become Linehan’s new fetish of choice. Running the HB Dive a a couple times is fine but running it to the point where every fan watching at home knows your going to run it is downright stupid. There are things called HB pitches, there are HB off tackles, there are HB sweeps, there is even something called a play action pass. When everybody is stacked in the middle waiting for your small speedy HB to try to pound the rock between the tackles, good teams usually utilize one of the plays I’ve mentioned to pick up first downs. If Linehan doesn’t stop being so damn predictable I hope Schwartz takes Linehan out for dinner at the end of the season and buys him a big plate of “Your Ass Is Fired”.

Next on my **** list is Gunther Cunningham aka Rod Marenelli. What the hell was Gunther thinking this week against the Vikings? I seriously can’t come up with an explanation as to why we were letting the Vikings negate the talent on our defensive line by having the CBs playing 5 to 10 yards off. We could have had 4 clones of Reggie White playing on our defensive line today and it wouldn’t have mattered because as soon as Farve got the snap his was chucking it to the outside for an easy completion. It went on all game and I honestly don’t remember us adjusting to it and playing press any, it was kind of like having Rod back.

　

Last but not least is Schwartz and the special teams, again I’ll revert back to the articles I wrote last November...

“Secondly, does Schwartz not realize that not one person who the Lions have trotted out there has even resembled a competent kick returner?

We started the year with Aaron Brown taking kicks, but the Lions figured they would get more production out of Derrick Williams. Well, it hasn't happened and Williams' stats are actually worse than Brown's. On punt returns, we have Dennis Northcutt—do I even need to say anything else? It's Dennis Northcutt.

Meanwhile, the Lions had a good college kick returner on their practice squad in Tristan Davis and they cut him. I also wrote an article earlier in the season about the many good free agent return men out there.

However, the Lions still stubbornly continue to handicap themselves on special teams and on offense since they're getting horrible field position. So I guess Schwartz is okay with the fact his team will never have good field position. “

　

Anybody else think this sounds eerily familiar? If Stefan Logan isn’t cut this week it’ll do nothing but make my argument stronger and make me think I stepped into a time machine and went back to last year.

Detroit Robbed By Chicago

2010-09-12T21:18:00.000-07:00

By now everybody knows the Lions were screwed out of a game winning TD against the Bears by a horrible rule, or interpretation of a rule.

The Rule - If a player goes to the ground in the act of catching a pass (with or without contact by an opponent), he must maintain control of the ball after he touches the ground, whether in the field of play or the end zone. If he loses control of the ball, and the ball touches the ground before he regains control, the pass is incomplete. If he regains control prior to the ball touching the ground, the pass is complete.

With that rule there is no consistency because plays that are obviously in violation in the rule and are called TDs. The fact of the matter is no matter how you slice it Detroit got screwed, the rule is bad, enforcement of the rule is bad, and the TD was obvious. Had it been the Pats and Tom Brady or the Colts and Peyton Manning, then CJ's catch is a TD. Or maybe The Saints and Drew Brees....

VS

Hillarious Ndamukong Suh Commercial

2010-08-17T23:23:00.000-07:00

Saw this commercial for the first time today and it made me laugh.

Lions Making More Moves

2010-08-17T22:40:00.000-07:00

Due to the injury he sustained in Detroit's preseason opener, the Detroit Lions placed Jordon Dizon on injured reserve ending his season.

To go with that move, the man that fell into Dizon's leg causing the injury, Jason Hunter, was released.

Also on the way out is Tight End Richard Dickson who was waived. Dickson was injured in the steelers game just like Dizon and will revert back to the Lions injured reserve if he isn't claimed off waivers.

To replace the cut players the Lions signed The Boz! Okay, maybe not that one, actually the Lions signed Brian Bosworth's nephew Korey Bosworth.

If you were wondering, he's the one on the right (Kidding).

After the Bosworth signing, the Lions would then sign two more players to the team. Cornerback Jahi Word-Daniels, and Linebacker Lee Campbell. Again, most of these players won't make the team and the only one I can see having a shot is Kore Bosworth.

Detroit Lions Superbowl Celebration

2010-08-10T13:24:00.000-07:00

Madden 11 hit shelves at 12:01 AM today and this is a little glimpse of what every Lions fan dreams of.

Here Today Gone Tomorrow

2010-08-10T12:29:00.000-07:00

The Detroit Lions have made a flurry of here today gone tomorrow moves over the past couple weeks. First the Lions cut CB Paul Pratt to make room for veteran CB Dre Bly.

The Lions would then go on to release DT Robert Calloway in order to reseign Paul Pratt due to multiple injuries throughout the Lions secondary.

Next the Lions placed Joe Cohen on the waived/injured list in order to resign Robert Calloway.

None of these moves are of particualr importance and all of these players may end up being camp fodder. Paul Pratt may have a shot to make the team simply because of the way the Lions secondary has been deapleated by injuries since last season. Neither Calloway or Cohen are likely to make the team due to the sheer depth Detroit has on the defensive line.

All Aboard The Pain Train

2010-08-08T21:17:00.000-07:00

Jim Schwartz: Genius Is As Genius Does

2010-02-21T11:06:00.000-08:00

The Detroit Lions have done a lot of things over the past few years that make you cringe. The one that recently comes back to mind is the release of Mike Martz, say what you will about him, the Detroit Lions were a top ten offense with him but what did they do without him? Exactly, we haven't done anything and now we will most likely have a Mike Martz run offense ripping through our defense twice year for the foreseeable future.

However they say that every cloud has a silver lining and I suppose the Detroit Lions releasing Mike Martz has one as well. The Detroit Lions release of Mike Martz helped spark an 0-16 season which resulted in the the resignation of Matt Millen and the firing of head coach Rod Marinelli who has now reunited with Martz in Chicago. Where is the silver lining you ask? I believe that would be the hiring of head coach Jim Schwartz who I believe is the best hire the Lions have made since head coach Bobby Ross. Remember those days? That was back when we were practically guaranteed a finish within the 7-9 to 9-7 range and were at least in the running for a wild card playoff birth. Now with all that being said Jim Schwartz was not perfect in his first year as a head coach and in this article I will be critiquing his first season in Detroit.

To begin with Jim Schwartz walked into the disaster left by coach Rod Marinelli and his terrible Tampa two defensive scheme and offensive coordinator Jim Coletto's non-existent offensive scheme. There was a lot of work two be done on both sides of the ball especially on defense since Rod Marinelli invested in smaller speedy players with "good motors" while Jim Schwartz's scheme relies on bigger versatile players. So to begin with the Detroit Lions defensive players were playing catch up because during the off season not only did they have to learn Jim Schwartz's scheme but they also had to bulk up.

The off season also brought the trades of Jon Kitna for Anthony Henry with Dallas and Corey Redding for Julian Peterson with Seattle. Add those to the previous mid season trade with Dallas which sent Roy Williams to Dallas for multiple draft picks and the Detroit Lions were in prime position to add multiple talented players on draft day.

When draft day rolled around mos Lions fans were salivating at the prospect of Aaron Curry with the first pick of the 2009 draft or possibly an offensive lineman with the first pick in the draft and Rey Maualuga or James Laurinaitis with the twentieth pick in the draft. As we all know the Lions decided to go with Matthew Stafford with the first pick in the draft and shocked everyone with taking tight end Brandon Pettigrew twentieth overall.

The Lions had horrible blocking during their 0-16 season and Brandon Pettigrew was supposed to be a good blocker. It was also said that Scott Linehan's offense relied heavily on the tight ends as a receivers so Schwartz made the pick that pleased his offensive coordinator. To me this was the first mistake of Jim Schwartz tenure as head coach, I understand the logic behind it but I still can't justify this pick. You NEVER, take a tight end in the first round of the draft as far as I'm concerned especially if your coming off of an 0-16 season with a billion other holes to fill. Just for reference CB Vontae Davis was taken five picks later at number twenty five by the Miami Dolphins. Davis finished the year with four interceptions which was two more than any player on the Lions defense.

The next mistake of Jim Schwatz's tenure and of the Detroit Lions 2009 draft was the selection of Derrick Williams with the eighteenth pick of the third round. Derrick Williams was supposed to jump start the Detroit Lion's return game as well as provide newly acquired quarterback Matthew Stafford with a speedy target in the slot as a compliment to Bryant Johnson and Calvin Johnson who were slated for the number one and number two receiver positions. I'm not quite sure what Jim Schwartz and company saw in Derrick Williams to prompt his selection in the third round. At this point in his career I'm not ready to call him a bust but things aren't looking that great for him. Williams was pushed to the fourth receiver on the depth chart by the stone handed remains of what used to be a good slot receiver when the Lions traded Gerald Alexander for Dennis Northcutt. Williams also battled with sixth round draft pick Aaron Brown all season to see who could be a more mediocre kick returner. To make matters worse, two picks after the Lions drafted Derrick Williams the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Mike Wallace with the twentieth pick in the third round of the draft. While Williams was a non-factor in the Detroit Lions passing game, Wallace lit it up in his rookie season with the Steelers to the tune of thirty nine receptions for 756 yards and six touchdowns. To put that in perspective the Detroit Lions number two receiver Bryant Johnson had thirty five receptions for only 417 yards and three touchdowns.

The rest of the Draft was solid with the Lions finding good quality players like Sammie Lee Hill, Deandre Levy, and special teams ace Zack Follet throughout the later rounds.

That brings the Draft portion of this article to a close and moves us into the preseason where Jim Schwartz would also have his fair share of hits and misses. To begin with we had the motto of "the player who gives us the best chance to win will play" drilled into our heads. I have a problem with this philosophy because NOBODY thought the Lions were going to win the Superbowl coming off an 0-16 season and practically everybody agreed that the Lions were at least two or three drafts away from being competitive. With that being said if there isn't a huge drop off in production why wouldn't you play your younger guys?

Coming out of the preseason Matthew Stafford would earn the starting job at quarterback,Brandon Pettigrew the starting job and tight end, and Louis Delmas the starting job at one of the safety positions. Sammie Hill was number two on the depth chart and defensive tackle, as was Deandre Levy at linebacker. Derrick Williams was buried on the depth chart behind Bryant Johnson and Dennis Northcutt. Former second round pick Drew Stanton was also buried on the depth chart behind Daunte Culpepper. Williams being buried on the depth chart coming out of the preseason was fine in my book because I figured he have the opportunity to work his way up. Stanton on the other hand should have been placed above Culpepper because while Culpeper did nothing in the preseason. Yes Culpepper played against the starters and Stanton played against third stringers but he still played very well.

As the regular season progressed we saw the Detroit Lions secondary turn into a revolving door to the point where they would sign a guy and he would start. However not only would he start but he would get hurt that very same week! Also guys like Phillip Buchanon and Anthony Henry who were healthy would get rotated in and out of games to to their lackluster play. The Detroit Lions linebackers and offensive lineman would see the same kind of rotation dictated by their play. I liked that aspect of the team, if somebody wasn't playing well they were taken out of the game in favor of somebody else. My only question is why didn't that same philosophy apply to quarterback, wide receiver, and to a certain extent kick returner?

When Matthew Stafford was healthy enough to start then he should have but there were a few games he had to miss due to injury. The first o which happened at the end of the Lions week four game at Chicago. During week five and six Daunte Culpepper got the start at Quarterback. Culpepper proceeded to show everybody that he was washed up and couldn't throw a deep pass to save his life. It was during the week six game at Green Bay that I figured would assure that Culpepper never started another game as a Detroit Lion. Culpepper was six of fourteen for forty eight yards and one interception. Once Culpepper went down with an injury Drew Stanton came into the game and threw five passes for eleven yards and two interceptions. Looking solely at the numbers it would appear that Culpepper had the better day but you have to look at the big picture to truly understand why Stanton should have been elevated over Culpepper on the depth chart after this game. Culpepper had his glory days when he was in Scott Linehan's system so he should have been able to run the Detroit Lions offense in his sleep, which it looked like he was at times. Culpepper also got the benefit of being able to practice and play preseason games the first and second string offense. Stanton on the other hand hasn't been in Linehan's system until this year and spent most of his time practicing with the the teams backups. With all that being said after Stanton came into the Green Bay game the team looked unbelievably better on offense. Staton actually had some down field passes and had the offense moving the ball well. His first interception came after a pass bounced right off the hands of Brandon Pettigrew, he really can't be blamed for that one. The Second interception came in the red zone when he tried to force a pass to a wide receiver in the end zone. He shouldn't have tried to force the pass in there but hey when Culpepper was on the field the Lions offense didn't even sniff the end zone. Had Detroit pulled the plug on Culpepper then and upped Stanton's practice reps he probably would have been better prepared for when Matthew Stafford went down with an injury later in the season. Yet even when that happened they gave Culpepper even more chances to show us how horrible he could be with the occasional glimpse of mediocrity. When it finally came time for Stanton to get his chance he started a single game and didn't play well which prompted Daunte Culpepper to start at quarterback in the final game of the season. The same Duante Culpepper who will be gone next year due to free agency while Drew Stanton remains a Detroit Lion. For a so called genius simple logic seems to escape Mr. Schwartz at times.

Moving on from the quarterback situation the wide receiver situation also boggled my mind. If you haven't seen the Detroit Lions 2009 receiving stats leaders they look a little something like this.

Calvin Johnson - 67 Rec – 984 Yards – 5 TDs

Bryant Johnson – 35 Rec - 417 Yards – 3 TDs

Kevin Smith – 41 Rec – 415 Yards – 1 TD

Dennis Northcutt – 35 Rec – 357 Yards – 1 TD

Brandon Pettigrew – 30 Rec – 346 Yards – 2 TDs

Kevin Smith went down with three games left to play in the season and had 6 more receptions for two less yards than the Lions second leading receiver Bryant Johnson. Brandon Pettigrew who also went down with injuries before the season was over was also right there stat wise. With Calvin Johnson drawing double teams your telling me that Bryant Johnson and Dennis Northcutt couldn't beat single coverage? Not only that, your telling me that those too guys are so much better than Derrick Williams that he didn't even deserve the opportunity to prove himself why they struggled. For some reason highly doubt that Williams is so bad he didn't warrant at least an opportunity to start. Just like with the quarterback situation the Lions dropped the ball here, they should have had a rotation for the receivers just like they did for the secondary players. They could have picked up a free agent wide receiver too but instead they chose to let Bryant Johnson and Dennis Northcutt struggle to get open, then drop passes when they finally did get separation. I guess you could argue that a wide receiver rotation could throw off the offenses chemistry. To that all I can say is look at the stats above again, does that look like an offense with good chemistry?

Last but not least is the kick returning situation. There may be some people who don't see this as a huge problem but I beg to differ. Due to the Detroit Lions defense (mostly the secondary) the Detroit Lions special teams had the opportunity to return ninety six kicks, the most in the NFL. Out of those ninety six attempts the Lions special teams scored zero touchdowns with the longest return being eighty seven yards by Aaron Brown. Look what happens when you compare Detroit's stats to the team with the second most kick returns in 2009, the Chicago Bears.

Detroit - Kick Returns – 96 Ret (most) - 2,050 Yrds (most) - 21.4 Yrd Avg (26th)
Chicago – Kick Returns – 80 (2nd) – 1,999 Yrds (2nd) – 25.0 Yrd Avg (3rd)

3.6 Yrd Avg Difference X 96 Returns = 345.6 Yrds Of field Position

The difference in average would have been 75 yards away from our second leading receivers yardage total for the season. Unlike the wide receiver problem the Lions did try to address this one...kind of. The Lions chose to keep switching back and fourth between Derrick Williams and Aaron Brown both showed they couldn't cut it as the Lions kick returner. Meanwhile the Lions released kick returner Yamon Figures and brought in Adam Jennings who found his way on injured reserve quickly. The Lions would also cut Tristan Davis from there practice squad even though he showed he was a speedy halfback in preseason and was also a good kick returner in college. That flurry of moves happened in the first few weeks of the season and for the rest of the season the kick return situation was only addressed by the constant switching of Aaron Brown and Derrick Williams. During the final weeks of the season the Lions would sign Brain Witherspoon to take over kick return duties. Witherspoon didn't do anything spectacular either and ultimately the special teams coach Stan Kwan was finally released at the end of the season. However that still doesn't excuse the Lions essentially turning a blind eye to the kick return situation between the first few weeks and the last few weeks of the season. Why did it take so long for the Lions to finally address the problem?

I'm not a head coach but in my opinion Jim Schwartz and company should take a good long look at the decisions they made this year so they don't make the same mistakes in the future.

Drew Stanton Impersonating Matthew Stafford?

2009-12-29T10:32:00.000-08:00

I’d like to take this opportunity to explain something to everybody; Drew Stanton isn’t the savior of the Detroit Lions. If you thought he was going to get the start against San Francisco and torch their defense, you obviously had a little too much egg nog.

Now I didn’t expect him to be great when he finally got the start, I expected him to be able to play at the same level that Daunte Culpepper plays at. The reason I’ve been calling for Stanton to start is the fact that any bum can play just as well as Culpepper at this point in his career. The truth of the matter is that Daunte Culppepper should have been sent to third string after the first Green Bay game. However Jim Schwartz and Scott Linehan have absolutely mishandled the quarterback situation all season.

Now what we get is Drew Stanton finally getting some playing time with two weeks left in the season after only practicing with the starters for a week. Essentially any chemistry between Stanton and the receivers is non-existent because playing time and practice reps with the first team have been wasted since preseason. Wasted on a player who WILL NOT be a Detroit Lion next year and who HAS NEVER given us a “better chance to win”.

Drew Stanton has been in Detroit for three years and has suffered multiple injuries along with people changing his throwing mechanics. All things considered, this is his rookie season basically and I do see the potential in him to be able to backup Matthew Stafford. Stanton plays with heart and toughness just like Stafford does, he even has the same problems and makes the same mistakes Stafford does. If you looked at a couple of Staton’s interceptions against San Francisco you would have thought Stafford threw that ball. The one that really stood out the most was the one where if Stanton had put some touch on it to get it over the defender it would have been a great throw. The ball came out flat and powerful right into the hands of a defender, sounds familiar right?

The throws and mistakes I see Stanton make give me déjà vu of Matthew Stafford when he’s having a bad game. Stafford has had reps with the first team, he has had time to develop chemistry with his receivers, and most importantly he has had the opportunity to learn from his mistakes. Had Drew Stanton been elevated to the second string quarterback after the first Green Bay game, he would have had some of the same opportunities. Since Schwartz and company seem to be in love with watching Daunte Culppepper continue to fail miserably though, we are still left wondering what Drew Stanton could do if given a real opportunity. Well played Schwartz, well played.

Why Can't The Lions Get It Right?

2009-11-20T11:31:00.000-08:00

There have been some things that I like about this new coaching regime like the fact that most of this years draft picks look to have more potential than any Lions drafted in the Millen Era not named Ernie Sims, Shaun Rogers, or Calvin Johnson.

For the most part I'm willing to give Jim Schwartz a two or three season pass. With that being said, if he is so smart why are we making the same stupid mistakes? I'll start with the special teams. First and foremost Schwartz has to axe Stan Kwan at the end of the season, there is no excuse for the abomination the Lions call special teams. Secondly does Schwartz not realize that not one person who the Lions have trotted out there has even resembled a competent kick returner?

We started the year with Aaron Brown taking kicks but the Lions figured they would get more production out of Derrick Williams. Well it hasn't happened and Williams stats are actually worse than Brown's. On punt returns we have Dennis Northcutt, do I even need to say anything else? Its Dennis Northcutt. Meanwhile the Lions had a good college kick returner on their practice squad in Tristan Davis and they cut him. I also wrote an article earlier in the season about the many good free agent return men out there. However the Lions still stubbornly continue to handicap themselves on special teams and on offense since they're getting horrible field position. So I guess Schwartz is okay with the fact his team will never have good field position.

Next up we have the Jeckel and Hyde units in the offense and defense. People are quick to point out how horrible the defense is but I've actually seen some improvement on that side of the ball. Meanwhile on offense they were getting better and better but have started regressing since Stafford's injury. Maybe I've watched one to many Lions game this season. Maybe I'm starting to look at the world through the eyes of a boxer who has taken one to many hits to head. The fact of the matter is Scott Linehan is making me miss Mike Martz. There I said it but please hold all stones, rotten tomatoes, and other projectiles until the end of the article.

I just don't believe in Scott Linehan at all, I'm willing to give him till the end of next year to show me something but right now he really isn't. Yeah its the players first year in his system but his system looks like crap. Martz had guys like Shaun Mcdonald and Mike Furrey looking amazing. With Linehan it seems like even with teams loading up on Calvin, nobody else can get open. Sure a lot of that falls on the players but how much? Are we saying that Kitna is that much better than Stafford? Mike Furrey and Shaun Mcdonald that much better than Bryant Johnson and Dennis Northcutt? Well Kitna is sitting on the bench in Dallas probably for the rest of his career. Dennis Northcutt is statistically better than Mike Furrey and Shaun Mcdonald combined this season. Mostly because McDonald hasn't played but still both Northcutt and Johnson beat out Furrey.

You might say that Martz had horrible play calling, well so does Linehan. Linehan's isn't as bad as Martz was when it comes to running but everything else Linehan does boggles my mind. No we aren't the most talented team but that shouldn't mean the play calling should be crappy. I swear that I sit there every Sunday felling like a physic when the Lions offense is on the field. The worst part about it is the plays I'm predicting don't match the situation the Lions are in on the field. Case in point if I see a 3rd and short I predict pass because thats what this genius usually dials up no matter how many times it burns us. Even if they are in a position where they have to go for it on 4th down if they don't convert, its still a pass! Martz had a better system point blank, and it showed because after he left we went from a top 10 offense to crap. Linehan has managed to take us from crap to crap but were all okay with it because we have low expectations. If he hasn't done something with this offense by the end of next season I want Martz back.......with a clause in his contract that says he must run the ball at least 20 times per game!

Now the Defense, yes the defense has been bad but I honestly think they have been getting better and better. I don't have the stats to back it up but I do know that the offense has been horrendous since Stafford came back from injury. That means that we have been putting our bad defense out on the field far more than we should have to. The Rams put up 17 points on us yet our offense was only able to manage 10, are we really going to put that on the defense?

Then there is the Seattle game which we could have run away with if the offense had been able to put together anything after our amazing start. It didn't happen though, Stafford turned the ball over 5 times, I don't care if it was Pittsburgh's defense on the field. If your quarterback throws five interceptions, your probably not going to win.

Last but not least is the Vikings game, we were only able to put up 10 points. Yet again were putting our bad defense out on the field and saying "win the game for us". Of course it didn't work out, your supposed to hide your weaknesses not say "here is our weak spot take your best shot". Then again, over the last few weeks the offense hasn't exactly looked like our strong point.

The offense also has less of an excuse than the defense, sure on offense Stafford missed a couple of weeks. On defense, were signing people off the street! We'll sign a guy, he'll get hurt that week, we'll put him on injured reserve then begin the cycle all over again.

Right now Cunningham is getting the benefit of the doubt because he has far less to work with, Kwan and Linehan, my patience are already beginning to wear thin.

Update

2009-11-13T18:57:00.000-08:00

Hope to be able to work on the blog more soon, work has been kicking my butt recently. I still haven't been able to combine all the live updates from last sunday into one post so please excuse the mess.

2009-11-08T16:19:00.001-08:00

32 to 20 after the interception is returned for a TD

2009-11-08T16:18:00.001-08:00

The game ends on Stafford's 5th interception.

2009-11-08T16:12:00.001-08:00

The defense holds again but the punt is downed inside the 10. 2:03 LEFT AND WE NEED A TOUCHDOWN TO WIN.

2009-11-08T16:03:00.001-08:00

The offense does nothing thanks to another Stafford interception, thats 4 on the day.

2009-11-08T15:58:00.001-08:00

The defense holds again, but now the offense has to do something, anything.

2009-11-08T15:54:00.001-08:00

And the kick coverage remains horrible giving Seattle great field position.

2009-11-08T15:52:00.001-08:00

Shit man, Linehan ALWAYS throws on 3rd and short but Hanson nails the field goal at least. 20 to 25 Seattle.

2009-11-08T15:44:00.001-08:00

25 to 17 Seattle

2009-11-08T15:43:00.001-08:00

The defense holds on 3rd but seattle steps on our throat by picking up the 4th down on a bonehead penalty but lets us back in it by only geting the field goal.

2009-11-08T15:31:00.001-08:00

Stafford throws his 3rd pick not like it matters, it looked like a punt anyway. There is still a quarter left to play but i have a feeling its over.

2009-11-08T15:26:00.001-08:00

Well the refs give seattle a touchdown but they screw up the extra point. 22 to 17 Detroit.

2009-11-08T15:21:00.001-08:00

And we get pass interference on play that was uncatchable and the wr was holding the db? We got hit with the same shit call last week!

2009-11-08T15:15:00.001-08:00

We fail to hold them again and have to punt, up by 1 but it feels like were losing.

2009-11-08T15:04:00.001-08:00

Delmas just saved the defenses ass on a great hustle play and is the only reason Detroit is still up by 1

2009-11-08T14:56:00.001-08:00

3 and 2 we choose to pass and Fitzsimmons drops it. I bet Stafford wishes he woulda ran with it because he had nothin but green.

2009-11-08T14:51:00.001-08:00

At lest the defense holds them to 3 and out.

2009-11-08T14:50:00.001-08:00

And the second half starts with horrible kick coverage who woulda guessed

2009-11-08T14:32:00.001-08:00

Yuck, 17 to 13 Detroit but its ugly

2009-11-08T14:29:00.001-08:00

Will James couldn't tackle a peewee football player if his life depended on it.

2009-11-08T14:25:00.001-08:00

Jesus, Stafford is trying to force crap again and throws another pick. Last week wasn't his fault but this week its all him.

2009-11-08T14:15:00.001-08:00

Our secondary gets shreaded but we held em to 3, 17 tp 10 Detroit.

2009-11-08T14:06:00.001-08:00

And Stafford throws a pick on 3rd down, its starting to go downhill.

2009-11-08T14:04:00.001-08:00

Calvin Johnson just got screwed on an obvious pass interference play.

2009-11-08T13:56:00.001-08:00

After their drive should have ended on a fumble that was really a dropped pass. Seattle puts 7 on the board.

2009-11-08T13:47:00.001-08:00

Hanson makes a field goal after that miss earlier. 17 to 0 Detroit

2009-11-08T13:41:00.001-08:00

Detroit holds Seattle on 4th and 1, whats going on? Everything is going our way.

2009-11-08T13:34:00.001-08:00

TOUCHDOWN BRYANT JOHNSON! He looked like Calvin on that play, 14 to 0 Detroit!

Live Blog And Game Recap

2009-11-01T11:30:00.001-08:00

Updating the blog from my phone, its halftime and our special teams and offensive coordinators are idiots. How do you fall for a fake punt?

How the hell do you call a pass on 3rd and 4? Not only that, they call another pass on the next drive, 3rd and 2. We were running well, I could do a better job of calling plays for this team.

Holy crap are they serious, how do they expect to win? First possession of the second half, 3rd and 3, another pass and guess what they didn't get it.

This is turning into a live blog, is Scott Linehan drunk? He passes on 3rd and short but runs out of shotgun on 2nd and 14? I just don't understand.

WOOOO! Bryant Johnson finally makes a catch and Matthew Stafford takes it in for the touchdown. Then we actually converted the 2 point conversion!

My god Zack Follet just murdered the Rams returner. We were also able to hold them on 3rd down, starting to look better but now we need to score.

Good job pinning them deep Nick Harris, to bad we can't stop Steve Jackson. We gotta hold em from scoring here. COME ON DEFENSE!

WILL JAMES WITH THE STOP! Detroit ball at the 5, that's ugly but at least we got the ball with the game tied.

Damn, the one time we shoulda ran it on 3rd down its a fake draw, the real thing might have got a first, how ironic. Here we go asking the defense to save our ass again but it may be too much.

So it looks like were going to lose this game on a bogus pass interference call? Looked uncatchable to me, almost as bad as Peterson getting called for that noogie earlier. The refs absolutely blow calls in our games weekly.

The rams have to be paying the refs, nobody gets that many calls back to back. The zebras are giving this game away now, its pretty much over.

Well as you can see from what turned into a live blog session earlier, The Detroit Lions managed to blow the Rams game. However it truly was a team effort, the defense held them to 17 points, what more can you ask?

The wide receivers proved that other than Calvin Johnson none of them should be on this team next year. If you can't catch a pass that hits you in the hands, you shouldn't be in the NFL.

Matthew Stafford was actually very good, the fans at the game who were taunting him are idiots. If you didn't see the game, there were Joey chants, way to get plastered at the game and be idiots. Stafford looked like he actually got his overthrow problems in check, its not his fault the WRs all have butterfingers.

Zack Follet is a special teams monster, if he only makes one hit like that per season, he needs to stay on the roster. Delmas is the same way, he had some big plays today. Deandre Levy actually should have had a interception but thanks to Steven Jackson's pass interference not being called, no such luck. The returning Dewayne White on the other hand did come up with one, he seems to have a nose for interceptions.

Kevin Smith did pretty well until he went out with a hurt shoulder and Morris did just as well coming in as a backup. Defensively, it was Kevin Smith's heads up tackle that netted the Lions the safety.

Now as for the coaching, are you guys kidding me? Stan Kwan's special teams sucked on returns and fell for the fake punt. The only bright spot was Zack Follet but that has nothing to do with Kwan, Follet is just a hitter.

The Redskins took away play calling from Zorn and we need to do the same for Linehan. How does this joke not dial up a run on any of the 3rd and shorts we had when the receivers were dropping passes? This isn't rocket science, if its not working, try something else.

That pretty much sums up my Sunday, it wasn't [pretty and we gave away a winnable game. I had us down for at least four wins but now I'm saying were probably going to win two games and that's it. The coaches need to get their crap together because this loss was a complete team effort.

Detroit Lions Vs St. Louis Rams Preview and Prediction

2009-10-28T15:57:00.000-07:00

I just wrote my first ever game preview / prediction. Its for this weeks Detroit Lions Vs St. Louis Rams game and will appear on http://www.nflandcollegefootball.com soon.

Thank You Drew Stanton

2009-10-18T19:26:00.002-07:00

Well I've been tackling this topic for about three straight weeks now and does anybody still feel the need to defend Daunte Culpepper being the number two quarterback?

I don't wish injury on any player and I hate that Culpepper had to leave the game that way. I'd rather him have been benched but I'd be lying if I wasn't happy to finally see Drew Stanton in the game.

We saw what Daunte Culpepper could do today against the Packer defense and it wasn't much. How does 14 passes with 6 completions for 48 yards with a 3.4 yard average (Uh Captain Checkdown?) and 1 critical interception that helped the Packers jump out to a 14 to 0 lead sound? Not good for a veteran quarterback who is supposed to have a grasp, no, strangle hold on the offensive system he's playing in. Yet for the second straight week Daunte Culpepper continued to prove that he is prone to rookie mistakes and has no idea how to handle deep passes.

Now against the same defense our third string quarterback comes in and actually looked a whole hell of a lot better than our "veteran" second stringer just as he did in preseason. Thats considering the circumstances and the supposed experience gap of course. Even Packer fans over on NFL.com thought Stanton had poise in the pocket and didn't resemble a third string quarterback. Drew Stanton completed 5 of 11 passes for 57 yards with a 5.2 yard average (Because he actually can throw a deep ball) and 2 interceptions.

The stats are a little misleading since Stanton's first interception should have actually been a great play but Pettigrew dropped it right into Al Harris' hands. Stanton kept that play alive by being mobile which Culpepper just isn't these days. Don't give me that argument about his scramble against the Steelers either, look at Stanton in the pocket compared to Culpepper and then tell me who is a mobile quarterback.

The offense never even sniffed the endzone with Culpepper on the field however was in prime position to put points on the board with Stanton in the game. I know, that was until Stanton threw an interception in the endzone. Yes Stanton made a bad call but I can understand that because including today he's thrown a grand total of 28 career passes. Its not like hes making these mistakes after throwing 3,104 career passes (Culpepper).

This is exactly why I wanted him on the field instead of Culpepper because hes had a rocky start to his career and still needs some development. Last week I was told you don't need upside from a number two quarterback, really? If Stanton can play as well as Culpepper now, imagine what he can do after he's thrown more than 28 passes in a real game and has had a whole week to practice with the first team. How is that for upside?

Also have I mentioned Culpepper will be gone (thank god) after this season anyway while we have Stanton at least two more years? I'm pretty sure I have but just throwing that one out there one more time.

Lastly, there are rumors going around that Stafford may need surgery and while I'm praying that he doesn't, if he does Stanton should play. Thats it, end of discussion, there are no arguments that can be made anymore. The smart play for the future of the team and evaluation purposes is Drew Stanton. People have been able to argue that Culpepper gives us the best chance to win with Stafford out but does anybody really want to make that argument now?

Lions Stay Active In Free Agency

2009-10-14T16:14:00.000-07:00

If one thing can be said about coach Jim Schwartz and GM Martin Mayhew its that they just aren't sitting around doing nothing. Jim Schwartz isn't standing for underachieving players and if players want to start and want to keep their spots on the roster they better play well. That combined with a lot of injuries piling up have the Detroit Lions being more active in the free agent market than I have ever seen them.

With Adam Jennings hitting injured reserve and the injury to Calvin Johnson the Lions ended up with only three wide receivers against the Pittsburgh Steelers. They aren't going to make that mistake again, the Lions have re-signed WR John Standeford. To make room for him the Lions released veteran Chuck Darby who they had just re-signed last week which most likely means Sammie Hill and Grady Jackson are looking healthy.

The Lions Have placed DB Eric King on their injured reserve. Eric King was forced into starting in week one and was slaughtered by Drew Brees. Since then he played mostly nickel and dime corner after Phillip Buchanon became healthy and he was overtaken by the strong play of Will James. Still any loss to Detroit's already horrible secondary hurts, however this does leave them with an open roster spot and there are some good free agent DBs still on the market.

The Lions have also made a flurry of practice squad moves.In practice squad news The Lions placed DT Mathias Askew on practice squad/injured and released WR Logan Payne. The Lions signed WR Kole Heckendorf and DT Jervonte Jackson to the practice squad. The Lions released DB DeAndre Wright and signed DB DeMarcus Faggins. The Lions also sign DE Robert Henderson to their practice squad.

Why Is Duante Culpepper Still A Lion?

2009-10-11T22:53:00.000-07:00

So would all the Culpepper supporters like to eat their words now or would you like them to marinate in failure a few more weeks first? I hate to be a Drew Sharp type of writer I really do but Culpepper is a cancer to this team. His mere presence on the team has done nothing but slow down the progress of both of Detroit's future quarterbacks, Drew Stanton and Matthew Stafford.

Had Culpepper not been in Detroit Matthew Stafford would have gotten the majority of reps with the first team the entire preseason. Stafford would have also gotten the start in all of the preseason games to better prepare him for the season. With that being the case Stafford would have probably made a smoother transition from college to the pros in his first regular season games. We've all seen his week to week improvement since the season started so one can only imagine what the added time as the number one guy would have done for him.

Then there is Drew Stanton, he would have gotten all the reps with the second team and a few with the first team in practice. Then he would have gotten to show what he could do against the second stringers in the preseason games instead of the third and fourth stringers. That would have easily boosted Stanton's development which has been put on pause since he got to Detroit. Also it would have been Stanton who was in position to start this week against the Steelers with Stafford going down due to injury.

That is what could have been anyway, instead we put our veteran quarterback out there who is supposed to have all this experience on his side and what does he do? HE MAKES ROOKIE MISTAKES!!!

Seriously, anybody who thinks Culpepper had a good performance is probably wondering why we got rid of Joey Harrington because that is who Culpepper played like today. You would think after all that time chucking passes to Randy Moss, Culpepper would be comfortable going down field. Nope, Culpepper avoided down field passes like they were the plague and the one I did see him throw was horrible. It was nowhere near his intended target and its a good thing it wasn't because Bryant Johnson was covered.

Now I had to leave for work at about 3:15 eastern time but I caught the rest of the game via Sprint's NFL Mobile Live radio broadcast. Still some things you don't need to see to tell that a quarterback isn't doing a very good job. You know like falling down and throwing a pass across your body that the radio announcers said looked like a punt to the other team. Oh, then there is the matter of 3 fumbles and a horrible decision to give away 16 yards on an intentional grounding penalty.

Also lets not forget the game was still winnable until Culpepper blew it on the last drive. Yeah, Culpepper blew it, don't try to put that on the line, CULPEPPER BLEW IT! How the hell does a veteran quarterback get sacked twice in a row by the same play? What makes it even worse is the radio announcers said pre-play both times that William Gay was blitzing so obviously he was showing blitz. Was Culpepper asleep under center or something? I honestly don't remember him calling an audible the whole game and it bit us in the ass on the final drive. I see Stafford calling audibles all the time but the veteran who is supposed to know the system can't?

It might be different if Stafford and Stanton were really being mentored by Culpepper but from all indications thats not the case. I've never seen them cut to Culpepper giving Stafford pointers on the sideline or heard that Culpepper was helping Stanton and Stafford break down some film. So at this point my question remains, why is Culpepper still here?

Detroit Lions Shake Up Special Teams

2009-10-08T22:38:00.000-07:00

Well it seems as though Jim Schwartz has stayed true to his word and under performing players won't be playing for the Lions for very long. After a horrendous outing that ultimately cost them the game against the Chicago Bears, the Lions special teams have been under fire. Jim Schwartz has responded by awarding the kick return position to Derrick Williams. Also LB Darnell Bing was released to make room on the active roster for a preseason fan favorite for Lions fans, Zack Follet. Of course Williams and Follet both deserve the chance to prove themselves because after all thats why they drafted them. Follet could make a big impact on the special teams as could Williams however if Williams doesn't and drops the ball like he did during preseason the Lions could still be in the market for a good returner.

On Detroit's practice squad sits rookie RB Tristan Davis. The often injured Auburn RB returned 55 kicks for 1,455 yards with a 26.5 yard average and scored 2 touchdowns during his college days.

All Lions fans remember Eddie Drummond, he was one of the best returners in the league and the best Lions fan had seen since the likes of Mel Gray and Desmond Howard. That is until injuries slowed him down, Eddie is a free agent now and may still have some good years left in him. For his career thus far Drummond has returned 250 kicks for 5,811 yards with an average of 23.2 yards and 2 Tds. He has also returned 140 punts for 1,280 with a 9.1 yard average and 4 Tds.

Jim Schwartz has seen what free agent CB Adam "Pacman" Jones can do as a CB and as a returner. He does come with a reputation for making it rain.....bullets....."allegedly". I don't see a huge problem if Schwartz would want to take a look at him as long as the guy has the words "ZERO TOLERANCE" plastered all over his contract. He could probably play nickel corner or even start for us but thats not why he is on this list. As a returner Jones has returned 70 kick returns for 1,803 yards with a 25.8 yard average and 0 TDs. He has also returned 84 punts for 807 yards with a 9.6 yard average and 4 TDs.

Jerome Mathis has also had some legal problems and was signed to a CFL team the last I heard but playing for an NFL team usually trumps playing for a CFL team. As a return man Mathis has returned 72 kicks for 2054 yards with a 28.5 yard average and 3 TDs. With punts Mathis has only fielded 12 punts for 68 yards with a 5.7 yard average and 0 TDs.

Last but not least is the free agent WR and kick return specialist who at one time was just as good if not better than the Bears Devin Hester. Of course I'm talking about Dante Hall. Hall may still have something left, he may not but there is nothing wrong with looking especially if he can recapture even a fraction of his past return heroics. For his career Hall has returned 426 kicks for 10,136 yards with a 23.8 yard average and 6 tds. As a punt returner Hall has returned 216 punts for 2,261 yards with a 10.5 average and 6 Tds. For those keeping track that is an amazing 12 Tds combined!

I'm sure there are more good return men out there but these were the ones that stood out in my mind and it couldn't hurt just to see what if anything these guys have left in the tank.

Lions Lose In A Special Way

2009-10-04T13:51:00.000-07:00

Well it turns out that I was both wrong and right in my prediction of the Bears and Lions game. It turns out that neither quarterback reverted back to their multiple interception selves, Stafford did throw one interception but it was more bad luck than anything. Stafford didn't see Tommy Harris who had fallen down and when he got up the ball fell right into his lap. Stafford torched the Bears mighty defense for 298 yards passing with 1 touchdown and two rushes for 20 yards.

However those numbers don't mean that much when you have no running game to go along with it and are continuously starting drives within your own 20 yard line. Aaron Brown, Dennis Northcutt, and Adam Jennings failed miserably in the return game in a week were Schwartz stated they needed to be more productive. On the flip side of that, the Detroit Lion's cover units also fell flat on their faces when it came to keeping Johnny Knox, Devin Hester, Earl Bennett, and Daniel Manning in check on kick returns. We put our average defense out on the field all day and asked them to defend a shortened field.

Meanwhile we handicapped our offense by asking them to drive nearly 90 yards in order to score every time they got on the field. The result, a game that really started to get out of hand towards the end when the defense finally started to break down and the offense struggled in the shadow of their own end zone. We either need to release Jennings again and find a real kick returner or somebody needs to dropkick Stan Kwan so maybe he'll have the special teams units ready to play.

This was a winable game and the next time we play Chicago that one will be winable too, all of our division games are. We aren't a good enough team to do what we did against Chicago today and expect to win, its just not going to happen. The passing game looked good all day, Stafford overthrew some guys but he'll get better with that. There was no excuse for what the running game did, Smith was hurting and you could tell, he probably shouldn't have played. Still, the coaches should have pulled him, that or get some screens with Aaron Brown going to pick up the slack from the run game because they were teeing off on us every time we tried to run. Speaking of that, its not a rule that we have to run on first down, its okay to mix it up every now and then.

I guess we can chalk this one up to a learning experience, hopefully it will lead to us learning that we don't have a real kick returner and we need to get one. That or we just need to drop the only coaching holdover from our 0-16 season, Stan Kwan.

Detroit Lions @ Chicago Bears Matchup And Prediction

2009-10-03T07:54:00.000-07:00

Well I just watched the Detroit Lions @ Chicago Bears preview via Sprint / NFL Live. Essentially they think that Cutler will shred our secondary, Matt Forte will run all over us, and the Bears defense will dominate. However they think Larry Foote and Jason Hanson are good, also Stafford will be okay if he can limit interceptions.

Now of course I don't agree with most of their assessments. Both Pisa Tinoisamoa and Hunter Hillenmeyer are doubtful in a linebacking corps that is already missing Brian Urlacher. So Lance Briggs will get the start at weakside linebacker with Nick Roach, Tim Shaw, and Jamar Williams most likely getting time at the middle and strongside linebacker positions. On top of that Lance Briggs is also questionable for the game so hes hurting but is expected to start.However if Briggs doesn't play, saying the Bears are depleted at linebacker is an understatement.

Now with the linebackers already depleted, most of the defensive line is also on the Bears injury report. DT Anthony Adams probable knee injury, DE Alex Brown questionable ankle injury, DT Tommie Harris probable knee injury, and DT Israel Idonije questionable knee injury. I don't see the Bears being able to dominate much of anything with mostly hurting starters or backup players spread throughout their front seven.

Detroit was able to run on a healthy Vikings defense and a mostly healthy Redskins defense. Washington's DT Albert Haynesworth did go down with an injury during the game and so did Detroit's RB Kevin Smith. By all indications Kevin Smith says he will play against the Bears but if he can't Maurice Morris, Aaron Brown, and Jerome Felton should be capable of carrying the load against this banged up Bears defense.

Once the running game gets going, the passing game will follow. This game is going to rest squarely on the shoulders of Matthew Stafford and his ability to duplicate the performance he had against the Redskins last week. Stafford needs to make good decisions by spreading the ball around and not starring down Calvin Johnson like he did in the first two weeks of the season. If Stafford can do that and limits his interceptions, the Lions are looking at a two game winning streak because I'm not sold on the Bears offense beating us.

Matt Forte is on the Bears injury report as probable with a knee injury but really hasn't done much this season. The Lions defense, even with their injuries along the line have been able to keep Adrian Peterson and Clinton Portis from putting up crazy numbers. The Lions defense held Peterson under 100 yards (92 is still under 100) and allowed only 42 yards on the ground to Portis. I just don't see Matt Forte outperforming either Peterson or Portis especially after the way hes started the year.

Now could Jay Cutler shred our secondary? If Matt Forte gets the run game going, no dowubt. If Eric King was starting, no doubt, but I doubt they get the run going and I bet King never gets on the field. Last week Will James stepped onto the field and showed he could be a solid starter at corner and I've heard that he actually took the starting job from Phillip Buchanon. At safety Ko Simpson looked good last week but we'll see if its Simpson or Marquand Manuel who gets the start alongside defensive rookie of the month Louis Delmas. If the Bears run game never gets going and Jay Cutler starts trying to force things and win the game with his arm I can see this game getting ugly fast.

In the end though it will be a tale of two quarterbacks because they have always compared Matthew Stafford to Jay Cutler and I can see why. They are both gunslingers and when they get in a situation where they are asked to win the game with their arms they both force things. Whichever quarterback is calm in the pocket and takes what the defense gives them instead of forcing it is the team that will win.I think that its going to be Matthew Stafford and the Detroit Lions pulling of the "upset".

Injury Report For Week 4 Lions At Bears

2009-10-03T07:31:00.000-07:00

Detroit Lions

Drew Stanton Oct 2, 2009 Probable Knee - Probable
Sammie Hill Oct 2, 2009 Doubtful Ankle - Doubtful
Kalvin Pearson Oct 2, 2009 Doubtful Quadriceps - Doubtful
Kevin Smith Oct 2, 2009 Questionable Shoulder - Questionable
Dewayne White Oct 2, 2009 Doubtful Hamstring - Doubtful
Ernie Sims Oct 2, 2009 Questionable Shoulder - Questionable
Eric King Oct 2, 2009 Questionable Shoulder - Questionable
Grady Jackson Oct 2, 2009 Questionable Knee - Questionable
Cliff Avril Oct 2, 2009 Questionable Hamstring - Questionable

Chicago Bears

Patrick Mannelly Oct 2, 2009 Probable Forearm - Probable
Israel Idonije Oct 2, 2009 Questionable Knee - Questionable
Tommie Harris Oct 2, 2009 Probable Knee - Probable
Matt Forte Oct 2, 2009 Probable Knee - Probable
Desmond Clark Oct 2, 2009 Probable Rib - Probable
Anthony Adams Oct 2, 2009 Probable Knee - Probable
Pisa Tinoisamoa Oct 2, 2009 Doubtful Knee - Doubtful
Hunter Hillenmeyer Oct 2, 2009 Doubtful Rib - Doubtful
Alex Brown Oct 2, 2009 Questionable Ankle - Questionable
Lance Briggs Oct 2, 2009 Questionable Foot - Questionable

Injuries Force Lions To Turn To Familiar Faces

2009-10-02T11:10:00.000-07:00

Yamon Figurs has been released and Adam Jennings has been signed. Sound familiar? It should because at the end of the preseason it was Jennings who was cut to make room for Figurs. However with Figurs injury and inability to take the kick or punt returner spots from Dennis Northcutt or Aaron Brown, Jennings is back.

With the injuries to Sammie Hill, and Grady Jackson the Lions now turn to free agent Chuck Darby. Darby has been without a team since he failed to make final cuts with the Lions at the end of preseason. Darby started the entire 2008 season with the Lions and the thinking here is that he already knows the playbook. Even though he may not be the best free agent DT on the market, the Lions know exactly what they are getting.

Louis Delmas Defensive Rookie Of The Month

2009-10-01T21:47:00.000-07:00

Louis Delmas has captured the attention of every Lions fan since the preaseason. Now it appears as though he has the undivided attention of the entire NFL. For this first time in the history of the award (13 years), the Defensive Rookie of the Month award goes to a Detroit Lion. Delmas truly deserves it, the only other rookie I've seen all over the field this year like Delmas is Rey Maulauga but he went down with an injury. It would have been heaven to have drafted both of them but hey, at least were going to have Louis "Da Missile" Delmas roaming our secondary for years to come.

The Detroit Lions First Win Aftermath

2009-09-28T18:40:00.000-07:00

It seems as though The Detroit Lions first win has spawned a few YouTube videos so I figured I'd bring you some. The first one is another in the series of "Hitler is a Detroit Lions Fan" videos. The description is "Deep inside his bunker, Adolph Hitler gets the news that the Detroit Lions have finally broken their losing streak."I thought it was pretty funny.

Video number two comes from a fan in the stands. The Description - "The Detroit Lions Broke their 0-19 Losing Streak. These are my Memories of the 8 seconds of the game. So What is it reaaalllly like to be a Lions fan during this occasion....take a look"

Last but not least, if you missed it which a lot of people have, here are the highlights from the Lions first win.

Some People Just Shouldn't Drink

2009-09-28T18:16:00.000-07:00

I'm sure most of you have already seen this but if you haven't here it is, the viral video of the drunk Detroit Lions fans getting into trouble at the Viking's game. The description of the video reads as follows.

"The two girls in front of us were drunk before the game started," the video's description reads. "They grabbed one of our signs and trashed it (real classy) because we're Vikings fans, and then spent most of the first half mocking us instead of watching the game because the Lions were ahead."

"They were spilling beer on themselves, the seats, and some of the other fans," the description continues. "After they spilled quite a bit of beer on the guys in the row below them, they turned around and told them to SIT DOWN. One girl didn't like that so she poured the rest of her beer on his head. Then I knew it was time to start the camera."

Enjoy the video.

A Little Music For Todays Win

2009-09-27T15:20:00.000-07:00

Its About Time!

Matthew Stafford King Of The Jungle.....For A Day

2009-09-27T13:52:00.000-07:00

He wasn't overly accurate, he didn't exactly win the game with his arm, but he didn't cost them the game either and that's all that matters. Stafford's final numbers were 36 attempts with 21 completions, 241 yards, 1 Td. With a lot of glimpses of what could be if he can get his cannon under control.

The reaction by the Lion's players pretty much sums up my reaction. After the final play was over with no flags on the field my blood was boiling, it felt like my face was 1,000 degrees. Sure we won't go to the playoffs but in the grand scheme of things this win means so much more than that. With this win Matthew Stafford silences the critics because now there is no reason for Culpepper to start and we are no longer in danger of taking the losing streak away from the Bucs.Wait a second, I think i here the champagne bottles popping in Tampa Bay as we speak.

If it feels like this much of a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders I can only imagine how great the players are feeling right now. Not only that, we pulled it off without our 2nd or 3rd string CB, Kevin Jones went out, Ernie Sims and Cliff Avril were out. It has to be a huge confidence builder for the Lions, and I have to say that I'm loving the leadership from Larry Foote. Near the end of the game during the time out it looked like he was ripping Jordon Dizon a new one for some reason(wrong alignment?). Thats why we signed him, to get these guys heads on straight and hes doing what he's supposed to.

Honestly we even got screwed on a fair share of horrible calls as we do every week but were actually able to overcome them this time. I can honestly get used to this feeling they cal "winning" and hopefully the Lions can make it a two win streak. Hey, its possible, Cutler is as much of an interception machine as Farve used to be.

It doesn't even matter though, the monkey is finally off our backs and I for one am going to enjoy the rest of the season no matter how many wins we get, thank you Matthew Stafford, and thank you Lions defense!

What makes the victory even better for me is that I live in Virginia, Redskins country. I'm getting to experience the the backlash of the Redskins loss first hand and trust me the reaction locally isn't pretty. It feels good to be able to talk a little trash to these Redskin fans, I mean come on, they lost to the Lions!

The Real Detroit Lions QB Controversy

2009-09-27T00:41:00.001-07:00

You know when I hear that Daunte Culpepper should be starting it boggles my mind more and more each time. I mean call me crazy but the last time I checked at the end of this season Daunte Culpepper's contract ends. Now on the other hand the current starting quarterback, Matthew Stafford is under a very large contract until the end of the 2014 season. Then there is Drew Stanton who is signed to the Lions until the end of the 2010 season. Where am I going with all of this?

Its quite simple really, not only do I think Culpepper shouldn't replace Matthew Stafford even if Stafford sets the record for interceptions in a game. I don't think Culpepper should get the start if anything were to happen to Matthew Stafford. What exactly would be the point? The only good that can come out of Culpepper starting is the possibility that he plays well enough to earn himself a few extra dollars from whoever he signs with next year. What could the Lions possibly get out of it, two more wins than they could get by starting Stafford, if that?

As soon as Drew Stanton fully recovers from his injury Duante Culpepper should be demoted to third stringer or traded. The worst possible scenario is that we trade Culpepper for some defensive help and then something happens to Stafford. That means Stanton gets his shot and if Stanton doesn't play well, so what? The real question is, what if he does? If it were Culpepper going in and playing well or playing horrible, so what hes gone after this year anyway but as I said we have Stanton until the end of 2010.

If Stanton were to play well then we would now have a young capable backup just in case. We could also dangle him in front of other teams as trade bait, come on he was a 2nd round draft pick and in my scenario would have proven that hes a gamer. His first couple of years were plagued by Mike Martz craziness and injuries and he still hasn't gotten a real shot. Also lets not forget that he out shined both Stafford and Culpepper in the preseason.

Mark my words, next seasons depth chart at quarterback is going to be Stafford as starter and Stanton as second string anyway. The only thing Culpepper is really doing for this team is taking practice reps away from our eventual backup. That is besides giving some Lions fans and the media something to complain about when a rookie plays like a rookie. The Lions would be better off if they just traded Culpepper sooner rather than later.

Oh and just for the record,Brian Billick, NFL Network "I think coach Scwartz, taking into account the emotional stability of Stafford and his ability to handle the pressure of starting for the Lions, most QBs will tell you that you learn nothing from the bench, and the only way to learn is to play. I agree with that. It depends on the young QB, but Peyton Manning and Troy Aikman had very rough starts, but will tell you specifically they valued playing from the get-go."

Its Now Or St.Louis

2009-09-25T02:46:00.000-07:00

So far the season has gone as expected, we all knew the Lions would most likely get killed by the Saints high powered offense but we actually held up better than Philly did. Sure Mcnabb was hurt, BUT WERE THE LIONS! I think that trumps any silly rib injury. In week two we all knew we had a shot against the Vikings because have played them tough in our last few meetings as we did in this one, until the second half. That brings us to week three where Matthew Stafford is going to have to step out of his role of rookie quarterback and step into the role of team doctor because Detroit fans want him to stop the bleeding and stop it now. However nobody is doing Stafford any favors by giving the talented but underachieving Redskins bulletin board material. I know if I was Jim Zorn the first thing I'd tell the team is that people in the media were picking the Detroit Lions to beat them, THE DETROIT LIONS! Besides that I have fallen into this trap for the past two seasons, it appears as though we have a shot to beat the Skins but come game time it was all a dream. Third time is a charm? Lets hope so, as look at this matchup I can't help but get really excited but not just because the way the Redskins have played recently, because they're hurting in key positions.

Jason Campbell has been limited in practice because he sprained his foot against the Rams but said he will play againtst Detroit to the dismay of Washington fans everywhere who don't even like him when he's healthy.

Starting right guard Randy Thomas was placed on injured reserve after arm surgery but trust me it gets better (for us anyway). The Skins don't have a single backup lineman who played a down in the NFL last season.

Last but not least RB Clinton Portis has been limited in practice with an ankle injury. Thats not even taking into account the controversy with the Skins linbacker slamming the fans who have every right to boo since they're "Mcdonalds" money pays his salary. Also lets not forget that the Skins are racist and excuse they're racism by saying it will cost them too much money to change. They sound like a team who deserves to get beat by the Lions don't you think?

Detroit Lions

2009-09-24T23:09:00.000-07:00

Check out the article I just wrote on hubpages. Give The Detroit Lions And Matthew Stafford Time

This Is What The Lions Have Been Missing

2009-09-23T11:53:00.000-07:00

That is exactly what The Lions have been missing, a safety with a backbone. Corwin Brown wasn't exactly the best safety we had but I'll always remember him for that hit on Keyshawn Johnson. I wonder if he still wanted the damn ball after that one. In my opinion a safety needs to have a certain swagger, a mentality that he's going to demolish whatever receiver has the misfortune of catching the ball near him.

Mark Carrier was that kind of guy, he used to just demolish people no matter what. He used to get fined on a regular basis for some of his hits too, I remember him even getting suspended a few times. I'm not the only one that knew that though, I'm sure quite a few receivers were checking for where he was on the field while they were bringing in the catch.

Kurt Shultz was a huge hitter for us too, he was another guy that was going to hit you if you were trying to catch a ball anywhere near him. He put one of the Giants receivers (Ike Hilliard or Amani Toomer) out with broken ribs for weeks because they went up for a pass near him, talk about intimidation.

Louis Delmas is that type of player, hes all over the field making tackles and big plays. Essentially Delmas is what the Lions wanted when they brought in Kenoy Kennedy a few years ago but unlike Kennedy, Delmas has lived up to his reputation so far. The problem is that he can't do it all by himself and as good as he has looked, he is still a rookie. I see good things in the future for the Detroit Lions defense is we can get a few more players like Louis Delmas or at least ones that can support him better.

Drew Stanton Returns

2009-09-23T10:59:00.000-07:00

It looks as though Drew Stanton is ready to go, the Lions released Brock Berlin from their practice squad today and signed defensive tackle Matthias Askew. Hopefully Stanton can stay healthy this time around, he was our best quarterback during preseason but it was preseason and he was playing third stringers. Still, I can see him hanging around for a few years and backing up Stafford, I'd like to see him get a chance in a real game but hopefully Stafford will stay healthy and I won't have to.

Lion's Fans Are Nuts

2009-09-23T04:34:00.000-07:00

I can understand putting yourself through punishment, I'm a Lions fan I do it every Sunday. This is just crazy though, 0-16 is something I wish I could forget but this guy wants to be reminded of it every day? To each his own I guess, I bet he was pissed when the logo changed.