Why Can't The Lions Get It Right?

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.

Thank You Drew Stanton

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?

Why Is Duante Culpepper Still A Lion?

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?

Lions Lose In A Special Way

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

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".

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

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

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

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

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