Lions SUCK!!!!!

[ohiobrewtus]

They need to trade down a few spots from #1 and get a few more picks. That way they can go after James Lauranitis or Rey Maualuga. I'd prefer James Lauranitis personally because he is a more disciplined MLB. After that they need an OL BADLY. A good OL can make mediocre QB and RB excellent.

I don't agree with drafting a QB #1 because we all remember how well the Andre Ware and Joey Harrington projects went for Detroit. Unfortunately they have Kitna and Culpepper for one more year after this season. I say start Stanton next year and give the kid a shot, if he is a legit NFL QB roll with it for a few years. If he sucks badly get rid of him, he was a bad second round pick to begin with. However, 2010 there are some very attractive FA QB's such as Jason Campbell, Eli Manning, Phillip Rivers and Ben Roethlisberger. Throw enough money at any of those guys and build them a team by 2010 and anything is possible.

If trading down a few spots from #1 were that easy, everyone would do it. Unfortunatley for Detroit, they have to find someone willing to make the trade and they have to get fair value for the pick. Neither of which are likely to happen.

I would prefer that they not take a QB #1 overall, but if they bring in a new GM, new coaching staff, etc - they're all going to want to make a splash and bring in their own players. Drafting a QB at #1 as the cornerstone of your team is certainly going to put butts in the stands and get people at least temporarily excited about the Lions again.

 

[Homercidal]

If trading down a few spots from #1 were that easy, everyone would do it. Unfortunatley for Detroit, they have to find someone willing to make the trade and they have to get fair value for the pick. Neither of which are likely to happen.

I would prefer that they not take a QB #1 overall, but if they bring in a new GM, new coaching staff, etc - they're all going to want to make a splash and bring in their own players. Drafting a QB at #1 as the cornerstone of your team is certainly going to put butts in the stands and get people at least temporarily excited about the Lions again.

No, it won't. They've been trying that for years now, and people are fed up with it. The Defense needs to get consistent (don't know if they need a few more players, or just a better play-calling), and they need to get an OL. They've burned through many QBs and WRs over the past few years, and it hasn't done a darned thing to improve the team.

People couldn't give a crap who throws the ball now. Plus, you have to convince someone who isn't terribly desperate to sign on. For the rest, they simply won't. We'd get someone like Culpepper, who I think is a pretty good QB, to play behind our line and that is useless.

We can't afford a Great QB, and only an upgrade in our OL is going to help everyone else.

 

[ohiobrewtus]

No, it won't. They've been trying that for years now, and people are fed up with it. The Defense needs to get consistent (don't know if they need a few more players, or just a better play-calling), and they need to get an OL. They've burned through many QBs and WRs over the past few years, and it hasn't done a darned thing to improve the team.

People couldn't give a crap who throws the ball now. Plus, you have to convince someone who isn't terribly desperate to sign on. For the rest, they simply won't. We'd get someone like Culpepper, who I think is a pretty good QB, to play behind our line and that is useless.

We can't afford a Great QB, and only an upgrade in our OL is going to help everyone else.

With 5 picks in the top 100 you can take a QB #1 overall and still greatly improve your lines. Best DE on the board with the 2nd #1 pick, best OL on the board in the 2nd. Fill out LB and CB in the 3rd.

I don't want to see them take a QB, but I think that there's a good chance that they do if the organization is gutted.

Right now my favorite for the #1 overall pick is between Michael Oher and Andre Smith.

 

[Flyin' Lion]

Oh come on, Harringtion was a piano player with the lowest arm strength in the league.

I think that's a bit of embellishment, I'll give you Rogers and Williams, but I think Harrington has the talent--he just needs the right team (look what he did for Miami). I know my opinion is not popular, but opinions are like iceholes...

 

[BooneDocks]

I think that's a bit of embellishment, I'll give you Rogers and Williams, but I think Harrington has the talent--he just needs the right team (look what he did for Miami). I know my opinion is not popular, but opinions are like iceholes...

At least three others than you have tried to like him in the three years since he left the Lions -- Dolphins, Falcons and now the Saints.

 

[Flyin' Lion]

He did alright with the Dolphins, did not fit with the scheme in Atlanta probably due to Atlanta's reliance on Vick's running prowess and how many starts is he going to get in NO while Brees is there.

Not knocking your opinion, but I've seen A LOT of QB's come through Detroit and I think a lot of their failures stem from the offensive line and play calling. Put Manning (either one) or Brady behind Detroit's OL and see how well they do.

Harrington may not have impressed people in Detroit, but he's a stand up guy that weathered a sh!t storm well.

My .02

 

[olllllo]

Doesn't the Harrington question revolve around whether you believe that a ill-conceived (for a particular player) NFL system and/or organization can ruin said player or not.

I believe that the Cardinals ruined Jake Plummer.

 

[ohiobrewtus]

I think that's a bit of embellishment, I'll give you Rogers and Williams, but I think Harrington has the talent--he just needs the right team (look what he did for Miami). I know my opinion is not popular, but opinions are like iceholes...

Sorry Flyin, I have to disagree with you. I had high hopes for Harrington and thought he had the ability to be a decent starter. After 2 seasons it was apparent that he didn't have what it took. When you're a "chanpagne and strawberries" guy (as Tony Saragusa once put it during a Lions broadcast) who has no interest in being the emotional leader of a team you have to be on ehte best physically talented guy in the league and Harrington was not even close.

His arm wasn't terrible, but it certainly was below average for an NFL QB. His accuracy was average at best. He was immobile, and was afraid to take a hit. He'd throw the ball away or fall down in the fetal position when good NFL QB's stand in there, make a throw or take a hit trying.

He's a career backup, and at this point, he's lucky to still have a career in the league at all.

I hated the Charles Rogers pick. I wanted either Andre Johnson or Terrance Newman. Even I knew that Rogers was a pothead in college and his career would be short lived.

The Mike Williams pick made me want to drive to Allen Park and kick Millen squarely in his goody bag. With Demarcus Ware, Shawn Merriman and Derrick Johnson on the board he takes *another* WR? I still contend that this pick was made for the sole purpose of trying to save face for picking Harrington by giving him as many weapons as possible. It's pretty sad when you feel that you need a 3rd 1st round WR to make your QB look good.

Fire them all and once and for all start from the ground up with someone who actually know what the hell they are doing. Millen's drafts screwed this team for years to come and Harrington is one of, if not THE worst pick of them all in terms of sending the franchise backwards.

 

[Flyin' Lion]

To be honest, I don't get to see a lot of games here in Virginia. Most of what I know about Harrington stems from the few games I saw, and what I read post game. I know its hypothetical, but I would like to see what Brady or either Manning would do in Detroit (my guess is not much).

Maybe, I just see him for being a stand up guy for how he handled all of the ridicule that fans threw at him, based on how he handled himself off of the field. Detroit has sucked for a long time and even though Harrington is gone, they still suck--it couldn't have been all his fault.

I used to have your same complaints about Scott Mitchell, but after watching him walk back up from the tunnel after practice to sign my nephews' mini-helmet I started to see him as a person instead of just a player.


I'll agree with olllllo that a team/offensive system can ruin a player. I guess I just don't hate the guy as much as most Lions fans. I don't intend to change anyone's mind, but I'm not changing mine either.

 

[the_bird]

Doesn't the Harrington question revolve around whether you believe that a ill-conceived (for a particular player) NFL system and/or organization can ruin said player or not.

I believe that the Cardinals ruined Jake Plummer.

The common factor behind so many failed high-pick QBs seems to be that they are put under extreme duress early in the careers. I mean, how many top-3 picks have been busts, and how many of them were playing behind terrible, terrible offensive lines? I'm thinking of guys like David Carr. Football teams should be built from the inside out; if you can protect the passer and generate a running game, a mediocre QB looks OK and a good QB looks great. Put a talented QB with talented WRs and don't give him time to throw, you're got a ruined QB.

I'd be interested in how many QBs taken in the first five picks over the past twenty years have proven to have successful careers. For every Peyton Manning, there seems to be three Akili Smiths. For every Drew Bledsoe, there's three Alex Smiths. Even Michael-Mike Vick, in the end I think you call him a bust.

Surround a talented QB with a bad offensive line, no running game, thrust him into action too soon, change his head coach and co-ordinators every year... you never see that talent develop.

Until the Lions get the core of the team figured out, they shouldn't be looking to draft a "franchise" QB.

 

[Flyin' Lion]

Until the Lions get the core of the team figured out, they shouldn't be looking to draft a "franchise" QB.

I agree with everything you said _bird, but for emphasis only quoted the above. I think it may be Detroit looking to find one player to "fix" their team. Much like Barry Sanders was able to vastly improve the Lions, he alone could not win them a championship, but he put Detroit on the map. When Detroit realizes that they win as a team, then we will see some wins, but trying to plug a few gaps here and there will never amount to anything great. Sanders was a freak, but a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Detroit that was blown.

 

[wildwest450]

For the first time in 8 years I have a sense of optimism - after this season is over of course.

I take it you haven't been a Lions fan long. The Ford's aren't football people, they will hire another ass for a GM, get a buttload of talent, and destroy their career's. It's been happening for years, and it's not going to end anytime soon.

Im so happy I moved to a town with a well run team, Go Titans.
Except on Thanksgiving, I will dust off my Sanders jersey and root for them like a fool.:cross:

 

[the_bird]

I agree with everything you said _bird, but for emphasis only quoted the above. I think it may be Detroit looking to find one player to "fix" their team. Much like Barry Sanders was able to vastly improve the Lions, he alone could not win them a championship, but he put Detroit on the map. When Detroit realizes that they win as a team, then we will see some wins, but trying to plug a few gaps here and there will never amount to anything great. Sanders was a freak, but a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Detroit that was blown.

I still think the '01 Pats are the model for a franchise like Detroit to turn things around reasonably quickly. Low-cost veterans to fill in the main holes. If they work out, great, if not get rid of them. Not "names," just solid players. Build from the inside out. They brought aboard guys like Joe Andruzi, a real solid veteran lineman who gave them a couple good years on the cheap while they rebuilt in the draft. Ted Washington. The guy from Buffalo at running back, his name's escaping me. Guys like that. They brought in a LOT of players without very much cap space.

But, that requires eschewing the "names" and having a GM in charge who knows who can play and who cannot. Forget the star wideouts, they're all primadonnas. Find a QB who can manage the game and build a decent offensive line so that he's got time to pass and a decent running game to keep defenses honest.

 

[olllllo]

"I resign as HC of the NYJ
- BB"

Where will they find this guy?

 

[the_bird]

They might be able to still find Bill Cowher somewhere around Pittsburg. His chin, though, might be in Philadelphia.

 

[wildwest450]

They might be able to still find Bill Cowher somewhere around Pittsburg. His chin, though, might be in Philadelphia.

And that's his happy face.

 

[capcrnch]

Welp, after listening to Marinelli's press conference today at work, im done.

I turned around and sold the rest of my tickets for the season.
I will not watch another game this year.
I will not partake in any Lions shenanigans until something changes.

I already have it tough being a Jets fan. I bleed green.
But as a football guy living in Detroit, I am a Lions fan by locale.

I can't do it anymore. Its just ridiculous now. I give up.

 

[Homercidal]

Welp, after listening to Marinelli's press conference today at work, im done.

I turned around and sold the rest of my tickets for the season.
I will not watch another game this year.
I will not partake in any Lions shenanigans until something changes.

I already have it tough being a Jets fan. I bleed green.
But as a football guy living in Detroit, I am a Lions fan by locale.

I can't do it anymore. Its just ridiculous now. I give up.

Traitor! After all this team has done for you! For shame. Through thick and thin? Better or worse? Forsaking all others?

Come on, Football is like marriage, except you only have to commit for one afternoon a week, 16 weeks (if you are the Lions) a year!

 

[capcrnch]

Traitor! After all this team has done for you! For shame. Through thick and thin? Better or worse? Forsaking all others?

Come on, Football is like marriage, except you only have to commit for one afternoon a week, 16 weeks (if you are the Lions) a year!

After all the team has done for me hahaha
-They took away my 3 mile drive by moving to Ford Field.
ok, ill take that one, the 'dome was ridiculously outdated.
-But then they outlawed tailgating.
That I can't excuse!
-They put me through mysery and heartache year after year.
I'm a sports fan. I can take that. I put up with it through the Tigers/Wings seasons, ill put up with the Lions doing it for a bit.

But now? I can't take it anymore. It's just painful.
Marinelli needs to go.
Clean house, minus 4-5 players.
I'm glad I dropped my season tickets. F the Ford family and this team.
I'm glad the games are blacked out. It gives me a chance to watch other league games..

Keep in mind, i'm a Jets fan first and foremost. So I have dual pains (not so much this season, but let's look at the track records)..
I live my life in pain every Sunday.
Heartburn is my Sunday dinner.

 

[Homercidal]

They banned tailgating? That is just a mortal sin. WTF?

Well, I never tailgated, because I live like 4 hours away, but still, that is an American tradition!

 

[AnonyBrew]

Wow, a 20 page thread with the title "Lions Suck".

 

[capcrnch]

They banned tailgating? That is just a mortal sin. WTF?

Well, I never tailgated, because I live like 4 hours away, but still, that is an American tradition!

Yeah, people have to tailgate in private lots or at Eastern Market, then take a shuttle to the Field.

 

[Homercidal]

Cripes, that is hard to believe. I can understand the why, but I think it's terrible. Other teams doing this?

Oh, well, that doesn't explain why the Lions suck so bad. I really had a gut feeling that they would pull this one out! I missed the game due to being at in-laws and having other things going on, but I honestly thought they would surprise everyone and win.

Looking forward to the Turkey day game though. I REALLY think they will do it then! They always seem to get up for that game and usually do pretty well, (except for the past couple of years I think...)

 

[capcrnch]

Cripes, that is hard to believe. I can understand the why, but I think it's terrible. Other teams doing this?

Oh, well, that doesn't explain why the Lions suck so bad. I really had a gut feeling that they would pull this one out! I missed the game due to being at in-laws and having other things going on, but I honestly thought they would surprise everyone and win.

Looking forward to the Turkey day game though. I REALLY think they will do it then! They always seem to get up for that game and usually do pretty well, (except for the past couple of years I think...)

I attribute it to the parking set up.
It's not a nice flatland like the Silverdome was.
It's leveled like a garage.

They suck because their coach is an idiot (WHATEVER TO YOU!), the former GM had no clue what he was doing. Their offensive coaching staff is a joke (3rd and 12? Let's throw side out and hope the receiver can turn it 12+ yards!). The defense is highly questionable and the owner refuses to do the right thing.

 

[mmb]

I take comfort in knowing that week after week the Lions can save defeat from the jaws of victory.

Do we expect lightning to strike for an 0-11 11-0 upset on Thanksgiving?

 

[ohiobrewtus]

I take comfort in knowing that week after week the Lions can save defeat from the jaws of victory.

Do we expect lightning to strike for an 0-11 11-0 upset on Thanksgiving?

Hell no. The only chances that the Lions have left to win a game this year are @MIN and NO at home and I put them at about 25% to win one of those games - at best.

0-16 is looking for and more attainable.

I hate this downtime before the NFL draft.

 

[Homercidal]

I attribute it to the parking set up.
It's not a nice flatland like the Silverdome was.
It's leveled like a garage.

They suck because their coach is an idiot (WHATEVER TO YOU!), the former GM had no clue what he was doing. Their offensive coaching staff is a joke (3rd and 12? Let's throw side out and hope the receiver can turn it 12+ yards!). The defense is highly questionable and the owner refuses to do the right thing.

Yes, WTH is this guy making some of these calls for? I doubt I could come up with calls better than him, in the time that he has, but then again, I'm not an NFL coach like him, and his staff. I read up on some of his bonehead play calls today. Cripes again.

 

[capcrnch]

I hate this downtime before the NFL draft.

 

[capcrnch]

Yes, WTH is this guy making some of these calls for? I doubt I could come up with calls better than him, in the time that he has, but then again, I'm not an NFL coach like him, and his staff. I read up on some of his bonehead play calls today. Cripes again.

I stay a "fan" strictly for the Marinelli press conferences.

"Whatever to you"

 

[the_bird]

I love the Lions. I got like fifty points in the Fantasy League betting against them. I was debating between starting DeAngelo Williams or Jonathan Stewart, and ultimately decided to start both of them. 250 yards, three touchdowns between the,, baby! That, and the points I got from starting Carolina's D against them... sweetness!

Basically, my strategy for the rest of the year is to accumulate as many players going up against Detroit as I can and make sure I start them. I've got Warrick Dunn for next week, he ought to be good for what, 100 yards rushing, 75 receiving, and a couple scores?