Too much hoopla over The Kong's unnecessary roughness

Seneca Wallace, the Brown's second string quarterback, has called for a suspension of Ndamukong Suh in response to his flagrant unnecessary roughness penalty against Jake Delhomme in Saturday night's exhibition game.

"He already face masked him, then he grabs him by the neck, twists it and throws him down,'' Wallace told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "To me, I think I understand the face mask part, but he horse collared him and threw him down. We laughed about it, but that stuff can get people really hurt.'

While The Kong has had a great impact on all three of the Lions exhibition games, usually demanding double and sometimes triple teams, he has not exactly made a huge splash on the stat sheets. He has batted down two passes and had two tackles....QB pressures do not show up in the stats.

Suh is chomping at the bit to get his first sack...so as he chased around Delhomme Saturday night multiple times, he reached out and inadvertently grabbed his facemask. That's a penalty...but that happens and it's not a big deal.

But then, after Delhomme had thrown the pass, Suh twisted his head and then threw him violently to the ground.

So the Browns were given 15 yards and a first down.

Now, Wallace wants Suh suspended for a game, which I would be very surprised if it happened. He will instead get a large fine and told he was "very bad."

But what worries me is that this was a penalty caused from built up frustration, the kind of frustration that The Kong is probably going to have all year long as each team continues to double and triple team him while running no huddle offenses to keep him and the rest of the line from ever getting a breather.

The worry is that this will be the first of many penalties, which may eventually lead to an actual suspension.

Tampa Cheerleaders Hold that line!

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/09000d5d81a171b7/Cheerleader-goal-line-stand

35-27 Win over Browns should be death knell for Kevin Smith

These are some things I think I think about the Leo's after, what I consider, a less than promising display against the Browns Saturday afternoon...

• If Aaron Brown consistently ran like he did on Saturday all last season, the Lions would have thought twice about drafting Jahvid Best.
• The power running of Jerome Felton gives me more than enough confidence that he can be the Lions full time full back or short yardage machine.
• The developments of Brown and Felton should make the possibility of Maurice Morris or Kevin Smith getting cut very likely--practically speaking, they could both be cut.
• If DeAndre Levy is really hurt...the Lions need to get on the phone with Kansas City to find out white kind of package they can put together to get LB Derrick Johnson, and hopefully SS Jarard Page too.
• Matthew Stafford could have a very big year.
• Jahvid Best is a stud.
• Until opposing defenses start double covering Bryant and Calvin Johnson on the outside in the red zone, I'd throw fades and fade stops to each on every down.
• Erik King would look really, really good in a Chicago Bears or Green Bay Packer uniform...that way he could quit killing us. If he covers a receiver in Buffalo on Thursday night, it'll be the first time he's covered anybody this entire off season.
• Get used to seeing opposing teams running the no huddle offense against the Lions. It pretty much eliminates the threat of the DL and completely exposes the worst defensive secondary in the league.
• Randy Phillips should make this team and could still beat out CC Brown to start.
• Zach Follet still needs a lot of work.
  

What to expect this weekend...

Before I start lamenting on the issues of the day of the Detroit Lions, I'd like to encourage anybody reading this to go see the season opening game tonight for your local high school football team.

Go see the local kids who are playing with dreams of college football and maybe some day professional.

Go see the coaches and the marching bands, the cheerleaders and just the experience of the epitome of local sports.

And now, about the Lions....

The first and most important thing about this game is keeping everybody healthy. In a game where the starters are supposed to play well into the third quarter, a game that, historically, is the "dress rehearsal" for the regular season, the Lions can show they are much better than a team that is regarded at the same level as themselves.

Cleveland is not a good team. Saturday night, the Lions will host the Browns in the annual Great Lakes Classic. A team that has been taken over by former Green Bay and Seattle head coach Mike Holmgren. Holmgren, the new GM has brought in a 300 year old quarterback in Jake Delhomme is waiting and watching to see what his team is really made of.

His coach, Eric Mangini, who pretty much showed last season in an ugly loss to the the Lions that he didn't really even know the rules, is certainly on the hot seat this season.

To put it succinctly, the Browns are a one man team and that one man is Josh Cribbs. When your team's only real weapon is your kick and punt returner, you've got some major issues.

But what about the Lions...

What do we need to see from them? More improvement hopefully. I'd like to see The Kong record his first sack. I'd like to see Louis Delmas actually play and then not be crippled on Monday.

I think we need to see two touchdowns from the Franchize and some break away runs by Best.

We also need to see continued improvement from undrafted free agent safety Randy Phillips.

And about Randy Phillips...

WDFN (detroitsportstalkradio.com) has a clip of audio featuring some quotes by Randy Phillips. who has become an SSR favorite lately.

Phillips is quoted saying, "If the Lions secondary is the weakest part of the team, the Lions are going to the playoffs." This comment obviously angered the show hosts and probably a few fans.

Why? Because, first of all, Phillips isn't even guaranteed to have a paycheck coming to him this September. He's an undrafted ROOKIE free agent. He's never played a down of real NFL football. He's never seen the right side of a regular season.

He really doesn't have any right to make predictions about the Lions.

But...

Randy Phillips comes out of the University of Miami, a place that has never been known for producing humble athletes. It is not a huge stretch to think that he, as a professional athlete, might have an ego.

Perhaps, he feels insulted that all he's ever heard this season since joining the Lions is that the defensive secondary (of which he is a part) is the weakest link on the team. In other words, he is tired of hearing that he and his close teammates are the problem.

So he spoke out...should he have? Probably not, but he's still a very young man and people need to cut him a break.

Detroit vs Cleveland means...no cheerleaders.

Detroit Cheerleaders? Don't tease...

Jahvid Best - Key to 2010 season

People can make all of the "fool's gold" references to the expectations brought on from preseason play, but there are small, tiny bits of information that can be gleaned from watching these exhibitions.

You can see how fast a player is ("Damn, Best is fast!") or how powerful or disruptive a player can be ("They're double teaming Suh and he's still in the backfield!")

One thing I learned from watching so far is that the offense is completely different when Jahvid Best is in the game as compared to anybody else.

Whereas you cannot downplay the improvements made in the game of The Franchize, it is not hard to see that Best has to always be accounted for. This is both good and bad for the Lions.

Why?

Because Best, in his entire career, has never gone a full season without missing time with injuries. Even leaving out the youtube sensational highlight reel of his final concussion, which would have knocked anybody out (and was a very poor and unnecessary choice by Best), he had suffered other concussions and has had foot, hip, and elbow injuries.

Keeping Best healthy will be a monumental task for a team that needs him out on the field pretty much 100% of the time.

This fact is the main reason Best was not a much higher draft pick. Now people can point out that Best is in fact bigger than last seasons 2000 yard rusher, Chris Johnson. They can also point out that he has moves like Barry...but in fact, he's built a lot more like Marshall Faulk, and has a very similar skill set.

Let's hope he can perform anywhere near those he's being mentioned with...but more importantly, let's hope that he can stay on the field, because the Lions had another back just a few years ago that many said would be the next great Lions back. He was named Kevin Jones and he's already out of football with bad knees. Kevin Smith came next, but he's also run the same ACL injured course as Jones and he now sits behind the current savior, Best.

Can Best buck the trend?

Just how crazy stupid was Matt Millen?

The evidence continues to pile up.

Just think about this for a moment....Matt Millen had eight years of complete czar-like iron fisted control of the Lions franchise. He had a scouting department. He had a multitude of underlings including his right hand man, Martin Mayhew.

The average turn around time for the "average" NFL franchise is usually 2-3 years. Some organizations manage to do it much faster...but Matt Millen proved that even in the age of parity, you could also choose to not do it at all.

What is most awe-strikingly amazing about the new Lions turnaround and hope is...it's being done by all of the guys that Matt Millen hired! Please look at the last line of the first paragraph....Martin Mayhew, current Lions GM, was Millen's right hand man!

What does this mean? Does it mean that Mayhew learned so much at the "foot of the master" that he became a very good GM? Not likely.

What it really means is that Millen was smart enough to hire very competent people and then so incredibly concrete-lobed to refuse every bit of their council.

Matt Millen thought he was so intelligent, so experienced in what it takes to win in the NFL that he thought he could work for half weeks, do no research, and simply fly by the instincts in his gut.

What we learned was that Matt Millen's guts were full of...

When scouts and coaches were telling Millen that Joey Blue Skies was not the QB everybody was proclaiming him to be...Millen ignored them.

When scouts and coaches were telling Millen that the Lions really needed Clinton Portis and not Kalimba Edwards...Millen ignored them.

When scouts and coaches and fans and everybody else for that matter was telling Millen we didn't need to draft another damned receiver in the first round...what did Millen do? That's right, he ignored everybody, because he "knew" what it takes to be a winner.

There were countless more examples of Millen "knowing" contrary to the advice he received throughout his entire eight year hell, culminating with the hiring of a DL coach who may or may not have been mentally damaged as the team's final head coach.

We will have to watch the future of Rod Marinelli, but what is very interesting is that Steve Mariucci had great success, before landing with Millen. Marty Morninweg has done nothing but grab accolades as Assistant Head Coach and offensive coordinator for the Eagles over the last several years...

Maybe those guys weren't too bad either...Millen just never listened to anybody.

Preparing for the cliff...

I am a Lions fan, which means that I like to bang my head against brick walls for fun, love to be disappointed, will always love the underdog and probably need at least some form of medication.

It also means that I am an optimist, but a special kind of optimist. Your typical Lions fan is not a "half empty/half full" person, we're more of a..."Can I have a glass, please? I broke mine again" kind of person.

Why do I explain this? Because I'm nervous. In fact, I'm down right scared. The Lions have looked pretty damn good so far this preseason and now people are starting to notice.

People are starting to jinx them.

Three or four years ago, a national sports writer, Dan Pompeii, was so caught up with how the Lions were doing in preseason, he predicted a Lions super bowl. It's been a while and I think Mr. Pompeii is out of rehab now...but the damage was done.

Nobody can ever talk or write good things about the Lions...because they'll find out about it--and they'll believe what they hear and read. Three years ago the Lions were 6-2 and "an up and coming team heading for the playoffs!" The Lions read those stories...they're 3-39 since.

Let me reiterate...NEVER SAY GOOD THINGS ABOUT THE LIONS!!!

In 1992, a year removed from the magical 1991 NFC Championship game season, the Lions were going to be legitimate Super Bowl contenders...results 5-11.

NEVER, EVER SAY GOOD THINGS ABOUT THE LIONS!!

Now, how about those Texans!!! I hear they're going to do great things this season...Or I really like the look of those Bears....

Don't get too excited...

Impressions from the Lions 25-20 victory over the Denver Broncos.

On HBO's series, Hard Knocks: Training camp with the New York Jets, the Jets' first preseason game was covered. During the game, the Sanchize threw an interception which was returned for a touchdown. After the play, Sanchez came over to the sideline and stood by wily old veteran QB Mark Brunell.

"That's a hell of a way to start the season," the second year QB grumbled.

"Don't worry, this isn't the season," Brunell answered.

And truer words were never spoken--even though I paraphrased the whole thing.

This is the preseason, the players that are too injured to play in preseason games are most likely not too injured to play when the games finally mean something. Most coaches are doing everything in their power to show less than nothing of the types of offenses and defenses they will be running once the first kickoffs boom into the air.

Being who I am, which is probably a crazy person, I want to point out two things about the victory Saturday night.

1. On November 4th, 2007, the Detroit Lions thoroughly dominated the Denver Broncos in a 44-7 victory, which improved the team record to 6-2...the Lions have only won three games since. That's 3-39 since the Leos last beat the Broncos. What does that mean? I don't have a clue.
2. In 2008, the Lions looked great in the preseason, going 4-0 with a fast defense and a rising star in Megatron...That's right, that was the 0-16 season.

The preseason is pretty much less than meaningless.

But what did it all mean?

Most of the starters for both Detroit and Denver played the entire first half. The Lion defensive line was very impressive in the first quarter...but looked to get tired and slowed down in the second quarter. This is a little scary and I'm not sure if it can be attributed to playing at Mile High, poor conditioning or Denver adjustments.

I'm pretty sure I saw The Kong get held on a half dozen plays with pretty much no calls. We better get used to it.

I don't want to jinx anything, but Jahvid Best is a stud. The kid has jets in his feet and an array of moves to get him out into the open field. Depending on which story you read, Best finished with eight rushes for either 49 or 50 yards. That's 6.25 yards per carry...(again, not to jinx anyone) but I can only think of one other guy in my lifetime that had an average yards per carry that high.

Randy Phillips still looks very solid in the secondary, but may get beat out by veteran C.C. Brown--due to experience alone, because he certainly hasn't outplayed the undrafted free agent.

Steve Hauschka, the Lions substitute kicker while Jason Hanson recovers from minor knee surgery, looks like a keeper. Not sure how much of it had to do with the extremely light air of Mile High, but he didn't miss a field goal and every one of his kickoffs resulted in touchbacks. That's the kind of stuff Jason used to do...ten years ago.

DeAndre Levy, Brandon Pettigrew and Kevin Smith all returned from injuries and played.

The bad news...

Kevin Smith played and he still looks slow. The idea of there being a running back competition in Detroit is a farce. It looks like Best will be the feature back, most likely spelled by Maurice Morris or Aaron Brown. If Smith makes the team, it will most likely be on sentiment alone.

The rest of the secondary still looks awful. Eric King couldn't cover a receiver with a blanket. That guy looked awful. And Chris Houston, our supposed #1 CB, didn't look a whole lot better. The defensive line will have to apply as much pressure as possible for the whole game, with no let downs, because if they ever take their foots off the throttle, the secondary will be eaten alive.

Conclusion...

The Lions are no longer an 0-16 team. They're not even a 2-14 team. But I don't think they're an 8-8 team either. They have some very nice pieces...in fact, the collection on offense may just rival the early '90 Barry teams. Maybe Best is no Barry, but Rodney Peete/Andre Ware/Erik Kramer were no Matt Stafford. David Sloan was no Pettigrew or Scheffler. And, as much as I loved him, Herman Moore was never anything like Megatron.

Too bad the Lions don't have anybody comparable with Bennie Blades, William White, or Ray Crockett.

And the Broncos have some fine cheerleaders, even though the broadcast in Detroit refused to show them.

What to watch for on Saturday night in Denver

The Leos are traveling out to the place formerly known as Mile High Stadium (Invesco Field at Mile High?) Saturday night to play the Denver Broncos. What highlights should we be watching for?

Tim Tebow? Nope, he bruised a rib and won't be playing. No chance of seeing the NFL's closest thing to the Pope.

Dre Bly trying to shut down Calvin Johnson? Oh wait, he's back on our sidelines.

In the second preseason game teams usually keep their starters in for most of the first quarter, which means we should be able to see if Matt Stafford can continue to look good with his newly rebuilt two tight end offense.

We can watch to see if the new defensive line can continue to apply the same kind of pressure that they put on Pittsburgh last week. Will Denver decide to continually double and triple team The Kong? Will The Kong get his first sack?

How will Randy Phillips play? Is he good enough to start opposite Louis Delmas when the bullets start flying for real? Will any other defensive back show up at all?

It is unlikely that either Delmas or MLB DeAndre Levy will see any action this weekend, so the defense, aside from an injured CB Jonathon Wade, will pretty much be exactly the same.

Will Zach Follet continue to improve?

Will Pettigrew or Kevin Smith see any action? Are they both recovered enough to play?

Can Derrick Williams, Aaron Brown or Tim Toone return punts and kicks...hell, can they even catch them at all?

How hot are the Denver cheerleaders? Pretty hot...

Randy Phillips profiled on Detroit News

Here's hoping he's starting next to Delmas on opening day.

Lions trade for "a guy" and might sign one too

The Lions sent an undisclosed draft to Seattle for defensive end Lawrence Jackson. The former 2008 first round pick out of USC was dealt to the Leos for what is believed to be a sixth round pick.

So why? And, because we're Lions fans, what's wrong with him?

Why?

Lions defensive end Jared Devries, 11 yr vet, was sidelined for all of last season with a ruptured achilles tendon. This year, although he is on the active list of players, he has yet to play a down of practice or exhibition games. It is most likely that he has either strained that achilles or incurred another debilitating injury. The biggest problem with this lies in the fact that he is an 11 year vet...ie "very old." His days may very well be over. I'd feel bad for Devries, a player picked by Bobby Ross, lived through all of the worst years and now that perhaps the team is ready to start making their way back to respectability, Devries may be on his way out.

So what's wrong with Jackson?

There are a lot of worrisome issues with Jackson.
1. He was a first round pick just two years ago, 25th overall, and the Seahawks have no problem getting rid of him for a pack of Spearmint gum. That's not a good sign.

2. Not only are the Seahawks getting rid of him, new coach Pete Carroll, formerly the coach of USC who coached Jackson throughout his college career is the guy who thought it'd be a good idea to ditch Jackson for a pack of Spearmint gum.

3. Jackson, as a defensive end, has registered only 6 and a half sacks in two years--4 last season. This is less than an impressive total...but on the bright side, that total would have put Jackson among the team leaders on the Lions.

4. He didn't come with any cheerleaders.

Nick Harper?

Now, I know that the Lions are very, very thin at the cornerback position and that the position has been hit by every kind of injury imaginable--I think somebody was attacked by locusts in yesterday's afternoon session, but I haven't gotten that confirmed--but Nick Harper?

Harper is 36 years old and wasn't all that good when he was supposedly in his prime. This brings back images of Matt Millen trying to use 40 year old defensive backs like Otis Smith.

Sad days...

Look for the Lions to start scouring the waiver lists, especially when the Bengals start cutting some very serviceable NFL DB's when rosters need be cut down to 53.

He's Baaaack....

The Omen IV: The Devil Rides Again

It's back. Officially now. The wrangler wearing humbug from Hattiesburgh has shown his maniacal face again at Vikings camp and the followers of the Honolulu Blue gasped with remorse.

Brett Favre is the devil. And he's back again, again, and again in the NFC North.

Some feeble minds held out hope that a slow healing ankle injury might keep the devil who wears #4 from returning to the NFL, but the media loving whore would not be denied another chance to have the world fawn over his every move for another long and painful NFL season.

What is most disgusting about #4's inevitable return will be the endless press coverage his announcement will get, followed by the hordes of idiots who will be quoted as saying "I just love the way he plays" or "Brett Favre is good for the game."

He makes me sick.

"I just love the way he plays?" So you love the way he believes that he is completely above the team? Only deigning the Vikings with his presence after the rigors and pains of training camp are over for the rest of his teammates? Or do you like his horrible decision making, including decisions that ended last season's playoff run and his tenure in Green Bay with mind-blowingly stupid and irresponsible interceptions?

"He's such a gunslinger." The devil is such a gambler...he just wings it and sees what happens...he makes throws other quarterbacks would never dream of making...

Give me a break. I wish a meteorite would scream out of the cosmos and obliterate him on the practice field at Eden Prairie this afternoon.

The Kong gets his wish

Ndamakong Suh was quoted as saying he'd love the chance to sack Favre. I only hope he brings along a wooden stake to stab him in the heart and watch him crumble to dust.

The Lions have never been able to beat Favre in any reincarnation. Here's hoping that the new and improved D-Line will bury him, breaking him into small pieces, which can then be covered in salt and holy water and set on fire.

Let The Kong save the world from this evil unshaven beast! And then a healing rain can once again fall upon the earth...

What can we expect from The Kong's rookie year?

Now it would be easy to just throw out some insane numbers of what people should expect from Ndamakong Suh. 1900 sacks, 35,000 tackles, 1 bajillion QB pressures...

But let's be realistic here. Gauging the play of a defensive tackle by statistics is very misleading. The number of times a player was double or triple teamed at the line doesn't exactly show up in the box scores. And make no mistake about it, Suh will pretty much never see a snap where he isn't hit by at least two people.

So, if we can't look at direct numbers in regards to The Kong, how will we know what kind of effect he's having on the team? How much is he contributing?

The best way will be to look at the overall team statistics. If Kong is getting double and triple teamed, then players like Vanden Bosch and Avril better be cashing in on pressures and sacks. The Lions were 29th last year in team sacks with only 26 and they ranked 31st the year before. If Kong is making a difference that should show up in the teams sack total, look for the Lions to jump up to the mid teens.

Added pressure should also lead to more interceptions. The Lions have were 30th in the league, getting only nine interceptions all year, but, sadly, that was an "improvement" over the 0-16 year where the Lions ranked dead last and nabbed a pitiful four picks. Again, if the D-line is getting pressure and hurrying quarterbacks, that total should jump significantly. Look for the ranking to be somewhere in the high teens.

Furthermore, with added hurries, sacks and interceptions, the Lions should fare much better in third down efficiency. Last year the Lions ranked 25th overall in getting off the field after third down, giving up 40.5%--up from 29th in 2008 when they allowed 45% of opponent third down conversions.

If you are looking for definite numbers to attach directly to Suh one has to be practical. A good DT, Kevin Williams for example, made the pro bowl last season with 30 total tackles and six sacks. If Suh can beat those numbers, he'll definitely be making a big difference.

Lions loss is "encouraging," but scary as hell too

There were some good signs in the midst of the tsunami that drenched the Lions at Heinz Field on Saturday night.

Matt Stafford, Calvin Johnson, Nate Burleson, and Jahvid Best all looked more than adequate. The offense can be very good. However, they still showed a Lions moment when the Franchize dropped a pass on a hot read down to Best who let it bounce off his hands directly into the Steeler's safety's eagerly waiting paws.

However, even though that play happened inside the Leo's own twenty yardline, the defense didn't give up a single yard, holding the Steelers to only a field goal.

The Lions also were unable to convert a 3rd and 1 when they were stuffed on a run up the middle. Now 3rd and 3 or less is a stat that I keep all regular season long. It's a pet peeve of mine and at least the Leos were smart enough to run in that situation, but if the offensive line can't move the pile a measly three feet...that's a bad sign.

However, Best finished with 29 yards on six carries, including an impressive 15-yarder around the left end. Of course that means that without that run, he had 5 rushes for fourteen yards...not nearly as promising.

All in all, what jumps out at you from this game is that when the Lions and Steelers had their first teamers out there, the Lions more than held their own. Leaving the game after three series, the Lions first teamers held the lead 7-3.

Now, that's promising, but in the end doesn't necessarily mean a whole hell of a lot. I recall several games where the Lions went into half time with 17-0 and 13-0 leads only to crap the bed in the second half. Three series is nice, but we won't know if they can pull out a whole game performance until the regular season starts.

"The thing we've got to do is get everybody going, we've got to keep that consistency throughout the game,'' Lions new DE Kyle Vanden Bosch echoed this sentiment. Vanden Bosch put real pressure on the QB and Cliff Avril managed a sack as the Pittsburgh offensive line concentrated on doubling the Lions interior line with constant double teams on The Kong. All very good signs, but can they keep it up for a full 60 minutes? We can only hope.

The Problem

The issue with the game came after the first three series, when the second stringers started to play...which of course gives the final score merit...the Lions lost 23-7 or in other words the Lions backups lost 20-0 to the Steelers backups.

So while the Lions can hold their own with their starters, they cannot afford any injuries. The drop off to the backups is atrocious.

Return of the Fade Stop!
Detroit's only touchdown came on a slick play that somebody, I won't name names, has been calling for for two years. To me, this was the greatest revelation of the game. The Lions are actually going to run a play this year that is pretty damn near impossible to stop. On first down, the Lions tried to throw a fade pass to CJ in the back of the endzone. The Steelers inexplicably played one on one coverage on CJ, so Stafford tried to hit him, but sadly underthrew the ball. The Steelers then refused to change coverages on the next down.

"That was impressive," Schwartz said. "He came right back and noticed they were playing the same technique so he threw him a fade-stop. It shows what kind of command he's starting to have."

I think this is a direct result of an entire off season of CJ and the Franchize working and practicing together and developing real chemistry.

Possibly rectifying the Mike Williams draft pick?

While, I've already said that the Lions cannot afford any injuries, backup linebacker Jordan Dizon suffered a season ending knee injury.

In 2005, the Lions held the 10th pick in the draft and as many of you probably already know, Matt Millen chose to piss on all of his scouts' advice and take Mike Williams, when LB DeMarcus Ware, LB Shawn Merriman, and OT Jammal Brown (all probowlers) were all still staring the Lions in the face.

Now, this shows that I am not much of a scout, but let me say that the guy I really wanted the Lions to take was LB Derrick Johnson out of the University of Texas. He went five picks later to the Kansas City Chiefs and while he hasn't been in any pro bowls yet, he has so far had a solid career.

With the injury to Dizon and the lackluster play (massive understatement) of the Lions backup linebackers, the Leos are going to be looking to bring in somebody to shore up the position. For some reason, I haven't found out yet, Johnson is now running with the third team in Kansas City. His play did fall off last year as he registered only 37 tackles, while averaging 90+ the prior three years on typically bad defenses. Chances are Johnson could be camp casualty or trade bait and the guy the Lions probably should have picked five years ago will finally be in the fold.

The Steelers do not feature a cheerleading squad. Please write the Rooneys...

Scouting Report: Chicago Bears Week #1

Enough talk about these meaningless preseason scrums. The real action will open up on Sept. 12th on the mean streets of the windy city against the Bears.

The NFC North is a division that will be dominated by two legitimate super bowl contenders, but sadly neither of those teams are the Lions or the Bears. Most likely, Chicago and Detroit will make up the also-rans of the division, which will be very sad for Lovie Smith, the Chicago Bears head coach who currently sits on one of the most flaming coaching hot seats in the NFL.

Lovie has to win and win this season in order to keep his job. He is far too removed from the Bears super bowl appearance five years ago. The NFL is a what have you done for me lately and as Jerry Glanville once said, "NFL stands for not for long."

In order for the Bears to improve to a respectable record, they'll need to do it on the backs of the Detroit Lions. An opening day loss to our Leos would be a really big coffin nail in Smith's tenure in Detroit.

Chicago has made some major league changes in hopes of salvaging this season.

1. Mike Martz. Smith has brought in the mad scientist to overhaul the offense and potentially get every drop of potential out of last year's huge acquisition, Jay Cutler. Smith has a history with Martz, both having coached on the "Greatest Show on Turf" teams in St. Louis.

Martz's offense has shown that it can be very, very effective with an ultra accurate quarterback like Kurt Warner, a mega versatile running back like Marshall Faulk, and three exceptionally speedy and precise receivers like Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt, and Az Hakim.

The biggest problem with the offense in Chicago is that Jay Cutler is nothing like Kurt Warner, Cutler is a big armed erratic thrower, neither Chester Taylor or Matt Forte would ever be confused with Faulk and the Bears don't really have any receivers.

Not to mention, Martz's uber-complicated offense is not a quick and easy to install. I don't want to jinx anything, but let's just say that the offense the Lions will have to contain late in the year will be nothing like what they see on opening day.

Furthermore, the Bears are playing behind a total makeshift offensive line....

2. Rod Marinelli. Remember the Prophet of Pad Level? Smith has turned his defense over to him. If that wasn't bad enough, the Bears biggest offseason acquisition, Julius Peppers has a history of disappearing for several years after signing a big contract.

3. The Chicago secondary is barely a step up from Detroit's.

Having said all that, sadly I think the game will be a toss up. That's how bad Detroit will likely be this year. This should be the year the Lions finally jump the Bears into third place in the NFC North, but I'm not going to hold my breath either.

The Bears do not feature cheerleaders either--in fact, the Vikings are the only team in our division that do...

America's Game: Missing Rings 1991 Detroit Lions?

Dear NFL Films,

I have been very pleased with your recent series about teams that came up just a bit short. The pieces on the Bills and the Vikings both had great emotional impact.

I would like to suggest a piece on the only "successful" Detroit Lions team in the last 53 years, the 1991 Detroit Lions.

This was a team that buried in their first game of the season by more than 50 points by the eventual Super Bowl champion Washington Redskins. A team that featured Barry Sanders, Chris Spielman, Lomas Brown, Rodney Peete and Erik Kramer. A team that overcame the midseason paralyzing injury to Mike Utley and made it 60 minutes away from the franchise's first Super Bowl.

This team managed to win the franchise's first playoff game 34 years, beating the eventual team of the decade in the Dallas Cowboys.

There are no shortage of great interviewees for the piece, the ever boisterous and funny head coach, Wayne Fontes, Barry Sanders, Chris Spielman, Lomas Brown, etc. The show could feature a showcase of Sanders' incredibly impressive runs.

I believe the show would be very entertaining and hopefully you will too.

Thank you,

Derrick Barnsdale
dbarnsdal@gmail.com

What to watch for on Saturday night

The Leos open their preseason schedule Saturday night at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, home of the NFL's favorite date rapist.

So what do we, as fans, have to look forward to? What should we be on the edge of our proverbial seats ready to get excited about?

Well, I'm already on record as saying that for the most part the preseason is a completely useless tool for gauging the season, but there are some players I'm very anxious to see play. Although many of them will not play for very long.

For instance, it'll be nice to see Matt Stafford throw a ball for the first time since last November. I'll especially like to see how this whole two tight end base set formation looks and is used. However, I am not at all interested in seeing Calvin Johnson play more than a few snaps--we know what we've got there.

I can't wait to see Jahvid Best bust a few runs and short passes for long gains or touchdowns...that'd be very encouraging.

On defense, I am very anxious to see if The Kong can play anywhere near as good as advertised. If he does, I fully expect him to pull out one of the goal posts and beat to death anybody waving a terrible towel.

In fact, I'm pretty sure that 80% of what I'm interested in with this team Saturday is on the defensive side of the ball. I want to see the whole newly designed D-line play a few series and see how they do against the Steelers and their powerful run game.

I can't wait to see Zach Follet and see if he can actually play. How is Chris Houston going to do against Hines Ward? Dre Bly? Will Amari Spievey see the field? Is Jonathon Wade any good at all?

How is Caleb Campbell, the 7th round pick out of Army drafted two years ago on a whim by Rod Marinelli, going to do after two years away?

One of the players I am most interested in seeing, because every player that has lined up next to Delmas at safety has been worse than atrocious, is undrafted free agent Randy Phillips out of the University of Miami. Two years ago many thought he would be a first round draft pick, but after two years of injuries, this may be his best shot at making a team in the NFL. Damn, I hope he's good.

One thing I am not hopeful of seeing is cheerleaders. The Steelers are one of the six teams that are "too classy" to have professional dance teams. I guess that's ok for them, it gives Ben Roethlisberger fewer opportunities...

The lure of fantasy football...my trail of tears...

In 1996, a friend of mine, who I like to call "Mr. Rocket Scientist", was rather exuberant in insisting that I, a super football fan, simply had to try this fantasy football thing. He insisted that because we were both Lions fans, the Detroit Lions were ruining the game of football for us and that fantasy football provided a reason to get excited and watch other games besides the weekly Lions trouncing.

I believe that I should now refer to my friend no longer as "Mr. Rocket Scientist," but more correctly as "The Devil."

First of all, I'd like to make it clear that same stated friend has not played a season with yours truly in the last thirteen years...he's just left me to my own maniacal obsessions, while he has gone on to PhD's and world travel. He's like my genius crack dealing friend....

So now, here I am fifteen years later and still trying to stop this stupid obsession with rushing touchdowns and the next great "sleeper."

Fantasy football is degrading on many levels. Besides showing everyone that their belief that they know a little about football is completely false, it also is kind enough to tell you that you don't really have any friends.

Every year somebody asks me to start a league and then I have to start a long hard struggle to fill the league with enough players to make it viable. And then all of a sudden, nobody is interested in playing.

I can not tell you how many "Just join the league please" emails I've had to send. "Seriously dude, just join up and forget about it, I need to get the last slot filled..."

And god forbid you end up with an odd number of players...

Or CNNSI or Yahoo or whoever you're doing the free service through won't allow somebody into your league or you can't find the the League or three people who have apparently been in a drunken coma for the three weeks you've been recruiting show up on the day of the draft and want to get in. Three people...never four...Anything to get you back to an odd number.

And then there are all of the fantasy football sites that want to "fill you in" on the latest news and theories. How you have to draft a RB in the first round, how Peyton Manning is due to have a down year, this is the year Brett Favre finally gets hurt, running backs typically fall off when they hit the age of 30, Barry Sanders doesn't score enough touchdowns...It's a huge cacophony of noise and besides you know that your opinion is just as good as those talking bobbleheads, right?

This is how I once talked somebody into drafting the Arizona defense with the third overall pick one year.

So every year I say this is the year....this is the year I'm done with it.

Who wants to play?

The Legion of Doom

I think Matt Moore could be a sleeper this year...What round do you think I should draft Jahvid Best? I'm not sure...What are they saying on ESPN?

The Devil who wears #4's favorite cheerleader.

Name that pylon!

The Detroit Lions spent all offseason rebuilding the defensive front four. They brought in hyperactive and hyper disruptive defensive end Kyle VandenBosch, traded for defensive tackle Corey Williams, and drafted The Kong. That's three out of four new faces for a squad that couldn't put pressure on any opposing quarterback last year.

Without a doubt, the Lions should be much, much stouter up front. While the d-line was on the wrong side of mediocre last year, the secondary continued to be the worst in the NFL...for the second straight year.

So, who are the culprits that will be watching opposing receivers catch TD's (usually from at least ten yards away) this year?

Louis Delmas, S: Delmas was a prime rookie of the year candidate last year--playing for a secondary that gave up a 100+ quarterback efficiency rating to almost every opposing quarterback they faced. Although there are definitely holes in Delmas' game, he was by far the only player worth keeping. He may over pursue plays at times, but he is always in the action. He is a ball hawking safety who is always on or around the ball. He is the best player the Lions have had in the defensive back four since Bennie Blades--which in my book is very high praise. If Delmas continues to improve like he did last year, the Lions will have a staple in their secondary for a very long time.


Chris Houston, CB: The Atlanta Journal Constitution wrote the following of Chris Houston as news of his impending trade to Detroit broke: "Houston was a second-round pick (41st overall) for the Falcons in 2007. He has started 37 of 44 games over his career with the Falcons. Houston, who has three career interceptions, played well at times, but appeared to struggle while playing the ball in the air. He was nearly benched in 2008 for his lack of physical play."

This is not exactly high praise. The Atlanta Falcons thought so highly of their former high draft pick that they went out and got two guys to immediately replace him and traded him for a Big Mac and Fries.

It appears evident that Houston is probably not a #1 shutdown corner in the NFL, but hopefully he can be a solid #2 for the Lions. This, however, leaves the Lions in a very poor predicament--if the Lions best corner is hopefully a solid #2 then they don't have a #1 at all.

Dre Bly, CB: Other than the fact that Dre Bly is currently eligible to collect Social Security, I think his return to the team is a real upgrade over the players that were donning the Honolulu Blue last year. Dre has been to multiple probowls, both in his last stint with the Leos and his subsequent years with the Broncos. Undoubtedly he has lost a few steps, but he may very well end up being the Lions #1 CB, which is really kind of sad.

The fact that Bly left the Lions under such dubious circumstances and then was brought back several years later is a bit surprising. This is hopefully an admittance by GM Martin Mayhew that the Lions organization under Matt Millen (tell me if you've heard this one before) made a big mistake in shipping the boisterous CB out of town for talking bad about Joey Blue Skies.

Jonathon Wade, CB: Wade, who has been running with the Lions first team for most of training camp so far, is a cast off from the St. Louis Rams, who we all know has had one of the stoutest defenses in the NFL for...I'm sorry, I can't even finish that joke....The only team with a worse defense than the Rams plays at Ford Field most Sundays.

The fact that the Lions continue to hope and pray to find gold out of the castoffs of other failing franchises is a bit depressing. When they are searching for starters out of this same flotsam and jetsam is pitiful and shows how incredibly depleted the the Lions secondary has become. Thank you, Mr. Millen.

C.C. Brown, S: An interesting note, as I searched for pics of C.C. I discovered that in pretty much every picture, he is chasing somebody into the end zone...now, maybe that's just out of context, but it sure doesn't bode well for another guy who many are thinking will start in the defensive backfield.

C.C. played four years for the Houston Texans, who picked him in the sixth round of the 2005 draft, before a single year with the New York Giants. In five seasons he has managed to pick off a grand total of three passes.

Amari Spievey, CB: The Lions third round selection this year, Spievey has missed much of training camp with an oblique injury. There were several reports during mini camp that he was looking good and making great progress, but subsequent reports from camp, before the injury, were less than positive.

This is an upsetting development, because it continues to display that the Lions are really very, very bad at drafting corner backs. Hopefully, Spievey will rebound and change the current trend, but the Lions haven't been able to produce their own corner for more almost twenty years now.

Randy Phillips, S: Phillips comes to Detroit as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Miami. He has quickly risen up the Lions depth chart this camp, mostly due to Delmas starting on the PUP, but he appears to have taken full advantage of the opportunity.

Phillips was a very promising safety at the U and was regarded as a mid to high round pick, before an injury took him down in his senior season.

The development of Delmas and hopefully Phillips and Spievey could mark a change in the Lions prospects. Good teams develop their own talent, via draft choices and undrafted signings. Perhaps the Lions may start doing that too.

I can dream, can't I?

Eric King, CB: Was signed from the Tennessee Titans with the arrival of The Schwartz. He has spent most of his time on IR since his signing.

When he first arrived there was a lot of talk about using King as a nickel back and special teamer, but then camp started last year and quietly he had snuck into the starting rotation...until he blew a knee. He hasn't been seen much since. Here's hoping he can at least contribute this year.

Everybody Else, S and CB: There is not much else to get excited about in the Lions defensive backfield.

Granted, there wasn't a whole lot to get excited about in the players I've profiled so far. It appears as if the Lions do have a plan. They realize that Millen left all cupboards totally barren. The first year Mayhew and Schwartz brought in The Franchize, Delmas, Pettigrew, Sammie Hill, and Levy--in other words, a little bit of everything. This last off season they concentrated almost exclusively on the defensive line. Right now, the offense looks very promising. Next season, they will most likely concentrate on the defensive backfield and maybe the offensive line. One position at a time...

Are the Lions trying something "innovative?"

Personally, in my opinion, the Lions haven't been on the cutting edge of anything except finding new ways to lose since the day Mouse Davis was canned and the Silver Stretch died.

They have stayed with a base 4-3 defense for more than twenty years. Even though almost two-thirds of the league has at least flirted with the 3-4. The Lions did try the West Coast Offense (only ten years after everyone had already figured out how to stop it.)

To say that the Lions are cutting edge on offense or defense is grounds for a straight jacket fitting...but looking at the team this year and the changes that have been made, I'm pleasantly surprised that the Lions may indeed be trying something nobody else is doing.

Now, every team in the league has a two tight end set. Usually, it is used for goal line and short yardage situations. Some, like the Indianapolis Colts, even throw out of the formation from time to time.

It looks like the Lions will now be using this set as the offensive base. Is this going to set the league on fire and set new scoring records? Probably not. But it is a diversion from the norm and it appears to be a very intelligent move in the right direction.

By going to a two tight end, single back set the Lions are able to put their most talented playmakers all on the field at the same time. Last year's #20 overall pick, TE Brandon Pettigrew was showing real flashes at the end of last season, before he incurred a nasty knee injury. TE Tony Scheffler is another gifted receiver who can open up the middle of the field for The Franchize. Scheffler is better and more proven than the Lions current #3 wide receiver, Bryant Johnson.

With Calvin Johnson and Nate Burleson on the outside, the drop off to Bryant Johnson is significant.

Another, not to be overlooked, advantage of this set is the ability for the Lions to be able to protect another weakness, the offensive line and the right tackle in particular. Gosder Cherilus is in his third season now and still hasn't been able to play consistently well enough to keep his position. He is currently in a training camp battle with Jon Jansen, a 481 year old fossil, and it is still up in the air if he'll win out.

Jeff Backus has been the unheralded left tackle for ten years now and as bad as the offensive line has been, he's always been the fall guy. I have often said that Backus probably could have been a multiple probowl tackle--if the Lions had played him at right tackle his entire career. Backus, like most tackles, has great difficulty with speed rushers.

Covering up both of those tackles with tight ends does nothing but help them both and slowing down that pass rush keeps Stafford standing a little bit longer so he can launch his rockets deeper down the field to Calvin.

And this is probably the biggest change in the Lions over the last two years...they are looking at what talent they have and are actively trying to find the best way to work with that talent. They are not trying to slam square pegs into round holes anymore.

Pie in the Sky 2010 Lions Prediction - 7-9

So, how much of the kool-aid have I drunk? Apparently, more than I realized. In looking at the schedule and thinking about the supposed improvements of our grid iron warriors, this prediction doesn't seem completely out of the realms of possibility. If they can just win the games that they should expect to win. It shouldnt' be that bad. Let me explain...

Week 01Sun, 09/12 at 1:00 PM EDT Away Soldier Field

The Lions open the season at Soldier Field against the Bears new Mike Martz led offense. For a team that has basically no secondary to speak of, this could be a very large scale problem. But as I think about it long and hard, I start to see some hope. The Martz offense is predicated on long seven step drops and great timing between the quarterbacks and wide receivers. The strength of the Lions defense is in it's front four. If Suh, VandenBosch and Williams can play as expected, the Bears may not have the required time to execute the Mad Scientists offense. Furthermore, they are playing a somewhat inexperienced offensive line, which further boosts the Lions chances for generating a pass rush. Lastly, Martz's offense usually takes a few weeks to start clicking. Prediction: Lions win, 1-0.

Week 02 Sun, 09/19 at 1:00 PM EDT Ford Field

My enthusiasm only goes so far. The Eagles are a ready made playoff team. Yes they have a relative unknown ready to take over the helm for the departed Donavon McNabb, but Kolb has been in training for the last three years (see Aaron Rodgers/Brett Favre). Furthermore, while the Lions defensive line is supposed to be the strength of the defense and the secondary is....well, not, the Eagles run a West Coast offense, which will be only too happy to concentrate on three step drops and shredding our biggest weakness for 60 minutes. Prediction: Lions lose, 1-1.

Week 03 Sun, 09/26 at 1:00 PM EDT Away: Mall of America Field

Whether the Devil who wears #4 plays or not is huge in this meeting. The Lions simply throw out their white flags whenever that Mississippi Douche shows up. Something about him scares the holy hell out anybody sporting a Lion on their helmet. I will assume that the Devil will be back, no matter what he says--that media whore can't go three weeks without doing something to see helicopters circling his alligator infested compound. If he doesn't play and the Tavaris Jackson Era (Part II) is underway, all bets are off. I'd like to see Adrian Peterson running against the Lions improved D-Line. Prediction: Lions lose, 1-2.

Week 04 Sun, 10/03 at 1:00 PM EDT Away: Lambeau Field

With no Favre down the road in Minnesota, Green Bay becomes that prohibitive favorite to take the NFC North. With the Devil, the Packers simply have competition. This is the second year and only third time in 20 years that the Lions have played at Lambeau without snow on the ground. But don't expect the streak to end this year. This is another West Coast offense who can destroy our pitiful secondary. Prediction: Lions lose, 1-3

Week 05 Sun, 10/10 at 1:00 PM EDT Ford Field

Last year, everybody and their brother circled the Lions date with the Rams as the most likely possibility to end the infamous losing streak. Of course the Redskins were nice enough to jump in and end the streak first, because the Lions lost to the Rams 17-10, when the Rams shoved Stephen Jackson down the Lions throats for the entire game. This year, hopefully, the new DL can stop Jackson. Also, with Sam Bradford, a rookie, starting, the Lions chances look pretty good...of course I said that a few years ago when the Lions opened at home with Atlanta who was starting a rookie in Matt Ryan....Prediction: Lions win, 2-3.

Week 06 Sun, 10/17 at 1:00 PM EDT Away: New Meadowlands Stadium

The Lions will make their first visit to the brand spanking new billion dollar digs of the Giants and Jets. I am going to go out on a limb here and say that this game is one that the Lions surprise some people. The Giants are getting exceedingly old on defense. Their front is no where near what it used to be. The receivers in New York are not much to get excited about and Eli Manning is, in my opinion, way overrated. I like the Lions for the upset. Prediction: Lions win, 3-3.

Week 08 Sun, 10/31 at 1:00 PM EDT Ford Field

Welcome back, Skins! We really missed you. The Lions get the new Skins, with Mike Shanahan and Donavon McNabb after the week 7 bye. Aside from quarterback, I am not really sure where the Skins have made significant changes, let alone upgrades. I'm hoping that this isn't one of those "the Lions will prove you wrong" games. Prediction: Lions win, 4-3.

Week 09 Sun, 11/07 at 1:00 PM EST Ford Field

The first ever meeting between the top two quarterbacks of the 2009 draft. The Franchize vs. The Sanchize. But this game will have little to do with the QB's and a lot more to do with the fact that the Jets are built to be a Super Bowl juggernaut this season. This is sad, because I truly do believe that, on even teams, Stafford would definitely out-duel Sanchez. Prediction: Lions lose, 4-4.

Week 10 Sun, 11/14 at 1:00 PM EST Away: Ralph Wilson Stadium

Long, long, long, long gone are the days of Jim Kelly, Bruce Smith, Thurmon Thomas and Andre Reed. The Bills are a bad team with probably the worst offensive line in professional football. The Bills, seeing this massive deficiency, promptly drafted another running back to lead to the slaughter. I guess you can never have enough good running backs when everybody you hand the football to is going to be killed. Prediction: Lions win, 5-4.

Week 11 Sun, 11/21 at 1:00 PM EST Away: Cowboys Stadium

I can see how the City of Detroit will react when the Lions hit 5-4. "Above .500 after the midway point? We've got a chance to make the playoffs!" But alas, it is not to be this year. From this point on, the Lions will face a long, impossible road. The Cowboys will probably kill them. Prediction: Lions loss, 5-5.

Week 12 Thu, 11/25 at 12:30 PM EST Ford Field

Unless Tom Brady is run over a bus, or a hoard of screaming supermodels, the Lions stand no chance here. The Patriots will definitely kill them. Why? Because the Patriots are a real contender and the Lions are years away from being a pretender that fans might actually be fooled into believing in. Also, it's the Thanksgiving day game and the Lions have looked abysmal on Thanksgiving, pretty much since Barry left. Prediction: Lions loss, 5-6.

Week 13 Sun, 12/05 at 1:00 PM EST Ford Field

Simply because I don't really expect Jay Cutler to have two legs to stand on by this point in the season, I'm going to hand the Lions a sweep of the Chicago Bears this year. Besides, Cutler and a punt returner that the Bears now refuse to return punts, I don't think they have any weapons. Matt Forte was a one year wonder and the line is shaky at best. The defense? How old is Brian Urlacher? Prediction: Lions win, 6-6.

Week 14 Sun, 12/12 at 1:00 PM EST Ford Field

Green Bay in December with playoff implications? Get ready for a major league withering. This is when the young up and comers see what winning in the NFL is really and truly all about. Again, those who have truly partaken of the hometown cornbread will refuse to see the inevitable. This won't be like the Marinelli year that they started out 6-2...not that bad. But it won't be all that good either. Prediction: Lions blown out, 6-7.

Week 15 Sun, 12/19 at 1:00 PM EST Away: Raymond James Stadium

Detroit picked second in the draft this year. The Bucs picked third. And they picked third for a reason. They had a rookie head coach and a rookie quarterback. This year they went and picked a dominant defensive tackle really high....does any of this sound familiar. I think the difference lies in that the Bucs have nobody that compares to a Calvin Johnson. Although they will probably be logically eliminated from playoff contention already in this scenario...lets see if they can rebound from what was probably an epic trouncing at the hands of the Packers the week before. The Lions achieve the first non-10 loss season in what seems like forever. Prediction: Lions win, 7-7.

Week 16 Sun, 12/26 at 1:00 PM EST Away: Sun Life Stadium

Wow, 7-7 with two weeks left, just on the outside of the wild card race? Can the Lions step it up? Not a chance. Ricky Williams, Ronnie Brown, Chad Henne, and an improved defense put the Motown upstarts back in their place. The Dolphins will most likely be in the same position as our hometown heroes and I don't like the Lions chances in that scenario. All talk of the Cinderella kitties ends both logically and mathematically. Prediction: Lions lose, 7-8.

Week 17 Sun, 01/02 at 1:00 PM EST Ford Field

The Leos will try valiantly to end on an up note, but it will not be meant to be against another bonafide playoff contender. In what hopefully will be the Devil's last ride, I expect him to once again beat down the Lions. Prediction: Lions loss, 7-9. Third in the NFC North.

So are my predictions so far off base? Really everything is contingent on the Lions beating the teams that, on paper, they really should beat. But you know the Lions, they're always out to prove us wrong.