Pride Of Detroit: Front Page Posts

Five Questions With the Daily Norseman

Sean Yuille — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 21:05:30 -0000

I exchanged five questions with Gonzo from the Daily Norseman in anticipation of tomorrow's game between the Lions and Vikings. Below are his answers to my questions, and my answers to his questions can be found over at the Daily Norseman.

1. How has Minnesota's offense improved since Gus Frerotte took over as the starting quarterback? Do you see Frerotte as a long-term option for the Vikings or as someone that will simply finish the season until Minnesota can find another QB for next year?

Daily Norseman: I'm not sure if the offense has "improved" as much as it's opened up a bit with Frerotte under center. I joke that with Tarvaris Jackson under center, Brad Childress was running the "Tecmo Bowl" offense. . .approximately four different plays. With Frerotte under center, he's at least advanced to Super Tecmo Bowl level. I'm still not a big fan of how the change was handled, but I can't argue with the results at this point.

As far as the long-term future, it's almost impossible for me to see Frerotte as a long-term option. He's 37 years old and he's on a one-year contract with the Vikings. I'm not sure who the long-term answer is. . .whether it's Tarvaris Jackson or John David Booty or someone that's currently playing college ball, but I can't realistically term Gus Frerotte as the long-term solution. He's a good answer for this season, and possibly for 2009, but I can't go any further than that.

2. Has the defense lived up to your expectations so far this season?

DN: Well, the run defense has been every bit as good as it's been during the Brad Childress era. The pass defense, while not drastically improved, has gotten better than it was in previous seasons. There's been an increase in quarterback pressure, with Jared Allen leading the league in QB hurries, and the occasions where quarterbacks have had all day in the pocket to scan the defense has gone down. It's going to be interesting to see how the injury to E.J. Henderson affects the defense in the long-term. Henderson was having a monster season prior to getting injured, and though the defense looked good at times against the Saints, it's hard to lose a player of Henderson's ability without any long-term effects. Also, with as well as Tyrell Johnson has played thus far in his rookie season, I'd like to see Madieu Williams. . .who the Vikings paid a ton of money for this off-season. . .actually get out on to the field. He might be able to offset the loss of Henderson, if only a little bit. But, overall, the defense has almost gotten to what I expected them to be, and it will be interesting to see if they get there given the current circumstances.

3. This past Monday's game against the Saints was pretty crazy, to say the least. Minnesota survived a pair of Reggie Bush punt returns for touchdowns to pull off the surprising victory. What was the biggest factor in Minnesota's win, and how important was it in regards to the outlook for the rest of the season?

DN: The Vikings won on Monday night by simply showing more heart and more guts than I've seen them exhibit in the Brad Childress era. Yes, the offense spent most of the first half being terrible, and there were the two big punt returns from Bush in the second half. . .but rather than folding up the tents, the Vikings went out and fought and scrapped and got the tying touchdown and the (eventual) winning field goal. That's not the sort of resilience that we're used to seeing from the Vikings. Generally, in the kind of crazy game we saw on Monday night, the Vikings find a way to lose. Now, knowing that their season was probably over if they lost, even in this division, they pulled themselves up by the proverbial bootstraps and put their season back on track. I certainly hope that this carries over for the rest of the season.

4. You have been pretty upfront with your opinion of Brad Childress in the past. What makes you dislike his coaching decisions so much, and if the Vikings fail to make the playoffs, should he be replaced?

DN: I'm not a Childress fan, no. I'm not a fan of the way he handles a lot of things. I mentioned the quarterback situation earlier, and it's a prime example of his stubbornness and his inability to admit that he's wrong. He spent all off-season telling us about Tarvaris Jackson and how he's ready to lead and he's ready to take this team to the playoffs and this and that and the other thing. . .and then he goes out and puts together game plans that, basically, set Tarvaris Jackson up to fail. Incredibly conservative, totally unimaginative, and playing not to lose rather than playing to win. Even the dopes in the ESPN booth on Monday night questioned the offensive philosophy. This past week, he publicly threw punter Chris Kluwe under the bus for the Bush punt returns in the New Orleans game, and brought in four different punters to try out. Kluwe is a fine young punter, and to try to put the blame on his shoulders for what happened. . .particularly in the public manner that he did it. . .is totally unacceptable in my book. Childress is just a guy that rubs myself and other Viking fans completely the wrong way, and if he doesn't make the playoffs this year, then yes, he absolutely, positively should be fired.

5. How big of a role will Adrian Peterson play in Sunday's game? It is assumed that the Vikings offense as a whole will have little trouble since the Lions defense has been so bad this season, but should we expect a balanced attack or will Minnesota feed the ball to Peterson?

DN: At the risk of sounding arrogant, that is sort of the assumption, yes. With the Lion defense looking as poor as it has thus far, many people are under the assumption that if the Vikings want to run the ball, they'll run the ball, and if the Vikings want to throw the ball, they'll throw the ball. Now, we've both seen enough NFC North games over the years to know that that's not always the case. . .but if there was a game for the Vikings to get Adrian Peterson and/or Chester Taylor well and truly on track, this would probably be the game to do it, particularly with a tough road trip to Chicago coming up for the Vikings in Week 7. I would expect the Vikings to try to be more balanced, but if this turns out to be the type of game that you and I are both expecting it to be, there's going to be a healthy dose of the Vikings running game to be had in this one, particularly in the second half.

Week 6 Injury Report

Sean Yuille — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 04:00:05 -0000

DETROIT LIONS
Pos.	Player	Injury	Status
QB	Jon Kitna	Back	Doubtful
QB	Dan Orlovsky	Ankle	Probable
WR	Calvin Johnson	Knee	Questionable
WR	Roy Williams	Hip	Questionable
OG	Stephen Peterman	Hand	Doubtful
TE	Casey FitzSimmons	Elbow	Probable
CB	Travis Fisher	Groin	Questionable

MINNESOTA VIKINGS
Pos.	Player	Injury	Status
WR	Bernard Berrian	Knee	Questionable
WR	Sidney Rice	Knee	Questionable
TE	Jim Kleinsasser	Foot	Probable
C	John Sullivan	Knee	Probable
DE	Ray Edwards	Shoulder	Probable
LB	Vinny Ciurciu	Concussion	Probable
LB	Erin Henderson	Concussion	Questionable
CB	Benny Sapp	Hamstring	Questionable
S	Madieu Williams	Neck	Doubtful

NFL INJURY REPORT GUIDE
Status	Definition
Probable	75% chance that the player will play in the game
Questionable	50% chance that the player will play in the game
Doubtful	25% chance that the player will play in the game
Out	0% chance that the player will play in the game

Friday Notes: Kitna Misses Practice Again; Lions Waive Marcus Thomas

Sean Yuille — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 05:00:04 -0000

Jon Kitna missed practice again on Thursday, and it is looking more and more like he won't start for the Lions on Sunday. It will probably be a game-time decision, but if Kitna doesn't play then Dan Orlovsky would likely step in to replace him, just as he did against the Bears. I would hope Orlovsky plays better if he does start, but there really is no reason to believe he will.
The Lions waived running back Marcus Thomas and signed fullback Moran Norris on Thursday. Thomas was signed after the last round of cuts back at the end of August. Before joining the Lions, Thomas was a member of the Chargers, who drafted him earlier this year. Norris, the newest member of the Lions, played for the 49ers before being released during the final round of cuts.
Detroit also signed defensive back Chris Roberson to the practice squad to fill the vacancy created by the departure of Kenneth Moore. The Panthers signed Moore earlier this week from the Detroit's practice squad, giving Roberson, a former Eastern Michigan player, the chance to join the Lions.
Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports thinks the Lions should trade Dewayne White, Brian Kelly, Roy Williams, and Cory Redding.
Speaking of Brian Kelly, he isn't happy that he didn't play at all against the Bears and said something that Jim Mora would appreciate: "I'm not playing for the playoffs. Right now, I'm playing to win a game.'' That should be the focus of every Lions player and coach. This team will not make the playoffs, so they should get their priorities in order.
Offensive coordinator Jim Colletto admitted that the Lions' offense was terrible against the Bears. What about the other games this season?
SB Nation's Week 6 power rankings are out, and unsurprisingly, the Lions came in last place.

Week 6 NFL Schedule

Sean Yuille — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 04:57:51 -0000

PREDICTIONS:

Last Week: 8-6

Overall: 47-27

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12			TIME (ET)	TV
Chicago	@	Atlanta	1:00 PM	FOX
Baltimore	@	Indianapolis	1:00 PM	CBS
Detroit	@	Minnesota	1:00 PM	FOX
Oakland	@	New Orleans	1:00 PM	CBS
Cincinnati	@	NY Jets	1:00 PM	CBS
Carolina	@	Tampa Bay	1:00 PM	FOX
St. Louis	@	Washington	1:00 PM	FOX
Miami	@	Houston	1:00 PM	CBS
Jacksonville	@	Denver	4:05 PM	CBS
Dallas	@	Arizona	4:15 PM	FOX
Philadelphia	@	San Francisco	4:15 PM	FOX
Green Bay	@	Seattle	4:15 PM	FOX
New England	@	San Diego	8:15 PM	NBC
MONDAY, OCTOBER 13			TIME (ET)	TV
NY Giants	@	Cleveland	8:30 PM	ESPN

Rod Marinelli Should Be Fired, Just Not Yet

Sean Yuille — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 04:23:11 -0000

Let's face it Lions fans, it's time for another head coaching change. It is pretty clear that Rod Marinelli is not a very good head coach and his assistants are even worse. Marinelli doesn't deserve all the blame for this team being 0-4, but he certainly is responsible for quite a bit of the things wrong with this franchise. The players he has brought in -- mainly the ones from Tampa Bay -- have not made this team better. On top of that, the coaching staff he assembled is absolutely terrible, which leads me to my next point.

Rod Marinelli should be fired. Here's the problem: No one currently on the coaching staff is good enough to take over as the interim head coach. That is a direct result of the coaching staff Marinelli helped put together, and because of that, he shouldn't be fired until after the season. Yes, I realize that there is a chance the Lions could be 0-16 when that day comes, but there is simply no point to fire Marinelli right now. It won't make the team better, and although things can't get any worse, it just wouldn't make sense.

Many out there are calling for Rod Marinelli to quit, but he made it clear earlier this week that that won't be happening anytime soon.

"Just you saying that to me, I would take that as a personal insult," Marinelli said to a reporter.

Marinelli added that people who think quitting is a possibility don't know him.

"I won't change," he said. "I believe everything I'm doing in the game of football and how it's being taught. I have 100 percent belief in it.

"Is it getting done yet? No. Am I going to go to work? Yes."

"I respect authority, which a lot of times that doesn't happen in this country," said Marinelli, a Vietnam veteran. "I look at authority and I take my marching orders from there."

It wouldn't make sense for Marinelli to quit, and he obviously isn't going to. So where does that leave the Lions now? Well, the entire team is just going to have to tough it out the rest of the season and hope that things start to get better. Chances are that the entire coaching staff will remain intact until the end of the season, and then anything could happen. Assuming a new general manager is brought in, I highly doubt Rod Marinelli will be around after 2008 anyways, so the Lions just have to survive until then.

Just as Marinelli isn't going to quit, I highly doubt that William Clay Ford will fire him, especially since there is nobody on the coaching staff that can really replace him. Marinelli met with WCF earlier this week and it didn't sound like his job was in jeopardy. Besides, I doubt Ford wants to fire another person during the season anyways.

When it comes down to it, should Rod Marinelli be the head coach of the Lions? Absolutely not. However, the situation the Lions are in calls for Marinelli to stick around until the end of the season. Once 2008 is gone, everyone is fair game. Marinelli would probably be fired regardless of whether or not a new GM is hired, but considering chances are there will be someone new in the front office, his days definitely are numbered once the season is over with.

Thursday Notes: Kitna Gets an MRI, Misses Practice

Sean Yuille — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 05:47:40 -0000

Jon Kitna had an MRI on Wednesday and is questionable for Sunday's game against the Vikings. He missed practice due to his back injury and may not be healthy enough to play this weekend. Dan Orlovsky and Drew Stanton split the reps in practice to fill in for Kitna. Orlovsky is still suffering from the effects of a couple different injuries, but in all likelihood he will be ready for Sunday.
No, Roy Williams, the Lions will not go 12-4, 11-5, or 10-6. In fact, they will be lucky to win more than a few games, so I would just worry about that right now.
The Panthers signed fifth-round draft pick and wide receiver Kenneth Moore from the Lions practice squad.
Shaun Cody, Travis Fisher, Jon Kitna, Edwin Mulitalo, Casey FitzSimmons, Dan Orlovsky, Stephen Peterman, and Roy Williams are all on the Lions' initial injury report for this week.
Erin Henderson, Bernard Berrian, Vinny Ciurciu, Ray Edwards, Jim Kleinsasser, Sidney Rice, Benny Sapp, John Sullivan, and Madieu Williams are on Minnesota's injury report right now.
Contrary to a report in the Dayton Daily News, the 49ers do not have interest in trading for Roy Williams.
It has only been four games, but Leigh Bodden definitely has not lived up to the hype. Even worse, the Lions gave him a big contract in the offseason before he did anything on the field for them.
Mike Furrey doesn't understand what keeps going wrong for the Lions on game day.
Steve Mariucci thinks the Lions can win if they bring in the right personnel. He's correct in a "Captain Obvious" sort of way, but he does raise a good point that the Lions need someone that can bring in the right personnel. Matt Millen didn't bring in any of the right players or coaches, and even Rod Marinelli has brought in players that don't seem to be all that good.

If Detroit can hire a GM that in turn hires the right coach and signs and drafts the right players, then yes, the Lions can become winners. However, it would take an awful lot for all of those things to go correctly, and based on the past, it seems unlikely that Detroit will become a winner anytime soon.
The Red Wings begin their season tonight and will raise a banner honoring last season's Stanley Cup-winning team before the game. For more on the Red Wings, check out Winging It In Motown.
No thanks to the Lions, the Sporting News ranked Detroit as the second best sports city behind Boston.

Lions Win Grievance Against Charles Rogers

Sean Yuille — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 04:55:30 -0000

Almost three years after the Lions filed a grievance against Charles Rogers, an arbitrator has finally made a decision on the case. That decision is that Rogers owes the Lions $8.5 million for violating his contract by getting suspended under the NFL's substance abuse policy.

Even though the ruling is in favor of the Lions, getting the money back is easier said than done. Not only do the Lions have to get it themselves, but does anyone honestly believe that Rogers has anything remotely close to $8.5 million? Chances are he has much, much less than that, so the Lions probably won't ever see that money or even a portion of it.

I imagine many believe that it's no big deal if Rogers does give the Lions the money back or not, but it actually is. The amount of money the Lions get back from Rogers will be added to next year's salary cap. If the Lions were able to recover all $8.5 million, then they would have much more cap room, allowing them to make more moves to the roster. That is something that will have to happen to make this team better, and if a new GM is hired, there will be many moves made anyways, so the more cap room the better.

With this grievance out of the way, I really wish it was possible to go after Matt Millen. It's not possible since he didn't violate any terms of his contract as far as I know, but the man really should not be able to keep $50 million after doing such a poor job. It's the Lions' fault for keeping him around and paying him that much money, but can't the league level with us fans? After all, our owner has proven to not be the sharpest tool in the shed when it comes to football, so maybe we could get a pity ruling or something. Then again, William Clay Ford would probably just put the extra money to poor use anyways, so why even bother?

Time for Roy Williams to Go

Sean Yuille — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 06:06:04 -0000

There has been a great deal of discussion about Roy Williams' status with the Lions in 2009 and beyond. He is in the final year of his contract, and the Lions are going to have to decide what they want to do with him. The options range from re-signing him to franchising him, letting him simply walk, and trading him. Right now the latter of those options seems like the smartest move, and honestly, I think it's time for the Lions to do something.

The NFL's trade deadline is October 14, which is less than a week away. It is expected that the Lions will receive some offers for Roy Williams. I assume they've already heard offers ever since this past offseason, especially around draft time when many expected a move to be made.

The Lions have also reportedly been on the other side of things and offered to trade Roy Williams as well. The reason no deal has ever been close to happening, though, is because the Lions wanted Dallas to give them defensive end DeMarcus Ware, and they wanted a pair of first-round picks from other teams. Those are awfully high asking prices, so it isn't a surprise that there has been little talk of anything happening. Factor in the fact that Dallas isn't in the market for a receiver right now and you can understand why even the rumor mill has been fairly quiet.

I think at this point it is becoming pretty obvious that one way or another, Roy Williams will not be a Lion in 2009. I have my doubts that he will be traded in the coming days before the trade deadline, but I really do think that a move needs to be made. The bottom line is that his value can only go down at this point, and it is not likely that the Lions would get more out of him at a later time. Considering that his departure from the team would not affect the way things are going this season anyways, there isn't any big reason to keep him around.

Beyond the fact that his value is dropping with every week that goes by, Roy Williams needs to be traded simply because his antics are becoming increasingly more annoying. Roy has always spoken his mind, and as a result, he has said some pretty dumb things in the past. On top of that, he has done some pretty dumb things on the field as well, specifically this past Sunday against the Bears.

Williams has had trouble catching the ball this season and the stats show that. Against Chicago he had four drops, one of which resulted in an interception being returned for a touchdown. To make matters worse, he has been called for offensive pass interference three times this season. Despite all of those mistakes, Roy still decided to celebrate a catch that resulted in a first down, even though the Bears were smoking the Lions.

I have been able to deal with all of those annoyances as they aren't unusual for Roy. However, his antics in the second half against Chicago when Dan Orlovsky was the quarterback have sent me over the edge. Orlovsky was having trouble throwing the ball accurately, and every time a pass was thrown off target (when Roy was the target), Williams threw his arms up in the air in disgust and proceeded to complain once he got to the bench. At one point he even ripped off his gloves and seemed to utter the words "I'm done" to a teammate.

I understand that players get frustrated, especially receivers on a winless team that don't have a good quarterback. But that is no excuse to act the way Roy did on Sunday. I wouldn't have as much of a problem with his actions if he was actually playing well. However, Roy has been terribly inconsistent this season and has done nothing on the field to warrant any right to criticize others. If Orlovsky's passes were thrown accurately, chances are Roy would have dropped them anyways, so he has no room to complain.

As good of a player Roy Williams has been at times in the past, he simply isn't contributing anything positive to the Lions right now. He gets penalties called against him and drops passes every game, and quite frankly, those two things alone should be reason enough to get rid of him. It goes deeper than that, though, once you consider his big mouth and complain, complain, complain attitude. He does seem like a good guy and has done good things for the Lions, but the only thing he can do for this team now is get them draft picks. There is probably no way he would get a first-round pick anymore, but something is better than nothing, and right now nothing is what Roy Williams is bringing to the Lions.

Poll

Should the Lions trade Roy Williams before the October 14 deadline?

Wednesday Notes: The Curse of Bobby Layne Is Over

Sean Yuille — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 05:16:56 -0000

The Curse of Bobby Layne came to an end recently. Layne was a quarterback for the Lions and helped the team win three league championships during his time in Detroit. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and really was the main cause of the Lions' success in the 50's.

Despite his Hall of Fame career with the Lions, the team decided to trade him in 1958, which upset Layne greatly. As a result, the quarterback supposedly said something about the Lions in October 1958 that would turn out to be 100% accurate.

Bobby was injured during the last championship season and the Lions thought he was through and wanted to get what they could for him. According to Legend, as he was leaving for Pittsburgh Bobby said that Detroit "would not win for 50 years"
It has been 50 years since that statement was made, so maybe the Lions will get their act together and at least win their first game of the season. I wish it was as simple as that and the only problem was a curse, but the Lions have many other problems to worry about. As long as the current coaches and players are around and the owner of this franchise is William Clay Ford, this trend of not winning will continue.
Lions COO Tom Lewand made the strange decision to show up at the press conference following the loss to the Bears this past Sunday. He even answered questions and had nothing but good things to say about Rod Marinelli. It's not like anything else should be expected, but I really don't understand why Lewand felt the need to show up in the first place. I suppose it's nice that he is being upfront with the media, but the more he gets behind Marinelli, the more he puts his own job on the line.
Like it or not, Dan Orlovsky will be ready to play on Sunday against the Vikings. He played the entire second half for the Lions against Chicago and did a very poor job. During his time on the field, Orlovsky suffered a couple different injuries, but none of them are too serious. Should Kitna not be ready for some reason or get re-injured, then it still looks like Orlovsky would be the man to replace him.
Former Titans general manager Floyd Reese openly discussed the Lions GM job earlier this week on ESPNews. Reese first praised Lions fans and William Clay Ford before again saying that if he was offered the job, he would be in Detroit as soon as possible.

Around the NFC North: Week 5

Sean Yuille — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 23:23:31 -0000

Falcons - 27 :: Packers - 24

Green Bay was involved in another back and forth game on Sunday that ended in another loss. Atlanta got off to a 10-0 lead after the first quarter before the Packers got within a field goal on a 44-yard TD pass to Donald Driver. Before halftime, Atlanta extended their lead to 10 points again when Matt Ryan connected with Roddy White for a 22-yard touchdown.

Mason Crosby kicked a 50-yard field goal in the third quarter, and Greg Jennings caught a 25-yard touchdown pass to tie the game about five minutes into the fourth quarter. Less than three minutes later, though, the Falcons regained the lead on a Jason Elam field goal and again extended it to 10 points on a Michael Turner touchdown run. The Packers would score a late TD to cut the lead down to three points, but they didn't have enough time to do anything else.

The Packers are now 2-3, and this is what Acme Packing Company had to say following the loss:

Four 100 yard rushers allowed in five games. The only team without one? Detroit. This part of the team is so important because you can't let teams have the ball at the end of a close game and let them run the clock out. You have to stop them and give the offense another chance. In the last two losses against Tampa and Atlanta, both were sealed at the end when the defense couldn't stop the run.

Vikings - 30 :: Saints - 27

Minnesota was part of a wacky game last night against the Saints. The first quarter featured a blocked field goal that was returned by Antoine Winfield for a touchdown to tie the game up at 7-7 before both teams did make field goals of their own. In the second quarter, Minnesota scored on a 4-yard pass from Chester Taylor (it was a halfback pass) to Visanthe Shiancoe. Ryan Longwell added a field goal at the end of the half to give the Vikes a 20-10 lead after two quarters.

The Saints got back in this game thanks to Reggie Bush. Towards the end of the third quarter Bush took a punt back 71 yards for a touchdown, and he wasn't done yet. Shortly after Martin Gramatica connected on a 53-yard field goal, Bush returned another punt for a touchdown, this time from 64 yards out. Bush's second punt return for a TD gave the Saints a 27-20 lead, but Minnesota wasn't about to give up.

Gus Frerotte threw a great pass downfield to Bernard Berrian, who made a stellar catch for a touchdown despite being covered by a defender and getting hit by a teammate. The TD tied the game up, and it would be more kicking woes for the Saints that opened the door for the Vikings to win. Gramatica missed a 46-yard field goal attempt at the 2-minute warning, and the Vikings drove right down the field and kicked a 30-yard field goal to take the lead and to win the game after Drew Brees was picked off on a Hail Mary attempt with 2 seconds left.

This was Daily Norseman's reaction to the thrilling victory:

Antoine Winfield.

Reggie Bush.

Gus Frerotte.

Drew Brees.

You may not see a crazier game than this all season. And, for once, we came out on the right end.

In Week 6, the Lions and Vikings play in a divisional matchup, Chicago heads to Atlanta to do battle with the Falcons, and the Packers take on the Seahawks in Seattle.

Week 5 Fantasy Wrap-Up

Sean Yuille — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 20:24:58 -0000

Despite having the fourth lowest point total in the official POD fantasy football league this past week, I ended up winning to improve my record to 4-1 on the year. I lucked out for sure, as my opponent had both Deuce McAllister and Lance Moore playing in last night's game for the Saints. Had the two combined for just 8 more yards, I would have lost, so luck was definitely on my side.

Better Than Millen (me)			77.84
STUD:	QB Jake Delhomme		19.54
DUD:	WR Santana Moss		0
BENCHED:	WR Muhsin Muhammad		13.1
OPTIMUM:	105.64	RATING:	73%

SnotKnocker's (Ace BangerTheGuru)			77.1
STUD:	QB Kurt Warner		24
DUD:	TE Jerramy Stevens		0
BENCHED:	RB Tim Hightower		16.5
OPTIMUM:	93.9	RATING:	82%

In the POD overflow league, I lost for the second straight time. I only put up 69.46 points but did have a coaches rating of 94%. That was only because nearly half my bench had a bye, but that is good news for next week since I'll be getting a couple starters back, which hopefully will get my point total at least in the 70's. In the SBN/AOL league I improved to 4-1 after winning 106.2-69.65. I had a coaches rating of 88% and appear to be in good shape as the season continues.

Before taking a look at how the rest of the teams in the official POD league fared, here is a standings update:

Charlie Sanders Division

Better Than Millen (4-1)
Just go away Favre (3-2)
Maize 'n' Blue Jays (2-3)
Underdogs (1-4)

Bobby Layne Division

Motown Madmen (4-1)
West Coast Lions (3-2)
SnotKnocker's (2-3)
LA Leos (1-4)

Doak Walker Division

The Gosder Cherilus Posse (4-1)
Calvin and the Chipmunks (3-2)
Detroit's Few Good Men (2-3)
Rudys Warhawks (1-4)

Detroit's Few Good Men (ReichardZ)			85.66
STUD:	D/ST Panthers		19
DUD:	TE Vernon Davis		0
BENCHED:	QB David Garrard		15.2
OPTIMUM:	95.4	RATING:	89%

Maize 'n' Blue Jays (THE_J)			70.36
STUD:	RB Matt Forte		18.1
DUD:	TE Antonio Gates		1.2
BENCHED:	QB Carson Palmer		18.68
OPTIMUM:	96.28	RATING:	73%

Just go away Favre (ahtrap)			126.16
STUD:	QB Kyle Orton		27.36
DUD:	RB Chris Perry & D/ST Buccaneers		3
BENCHED:	RB DeAngelo Williams		32.8
OPTIMUM:	166.52	RATING:	75%

LA Leos (sgdbw90)			105.28
STUD:	QB Peyton Manning		21.68
DUD:	RB Larry Johnson		0.2
BENCHED:	RB Kevin Smith		11.6
OPTIMUM:	116.68	RATING:	90%

West Coast Lions (LVLionfan)			96.36
STUD:	QB Ben Roethlisberger		30.56
DUD:	WR Brandon Marshall		2.5
BENCHED:	QB Matt Ryan		19.36
OPTIMUM:	105.62	RATING:	91%

Calvin and the Chipmunks (mgersz)			106.54
STUD:	QB Tony Romo		22.74
DUD:	WR Calvin Johnson		1.6
BENCHED:	D/ST Jaguars		11
OPTIMUM:	114.54	RATING:	93%

Motown Madmen (Jettero2112)			93.2
STUD:	QB Drew Brees		15.8
DUD:	WR Robert Meachem		3.1
BENCHED:	WR Randy Moss		18.3
OPTIMUM:	108.4	RATING:	85%

Rudys Warhawks (isjim)			82.84
STUD:	WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh		20.5
DUD:	TE Jeremy Shockey		0
BENCHED:	WR Antwaan Randle El		10.12
OPTIMUM:	86.46	RATING:	95%

The Gosder Cherilus Posse (The Prodigy)			106.68
STUD:	RB Clinton Portis		21.8
DUD:	RB Chris Johnson		4.8
BENCHED:	RB Ronnie Brown		19.3
OPTIMUM:	121.18	RATING:	88%

Underdogs (Sig Sauer)			61.68
STUD:	QB Eli Manning		22.68
DUD:	WR Miles Austin		0
BENCHED:	WR Donald Driver		13.4
OPTIMUM:	83.88	RATING:	73%

Bears Embarrass Lions in 34-7 Beatdown

Sean Yuille — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 07:41:21 -0000

In the Lions' first game after the firing of Matt Millen, all fans were quickly reminded of just how bad this team is. The Lions were dominated in all four quarters by the Bears on Sunday and lost 34-7.

Detroit was lucky to keep it that close as the offense stunk and the defense got shredded by Kyle Orton. Jon Kitna left the game with "back spasms," and Dan Orlovsky looked terrible while filling in for Kitna. All in all, this was just an embarrassing game that sums up how bad of a team the Lions really are.

As I sit here trying to think about what I should write, nothing really comes to mind. There just isn't anything more to say about this game than the Lions suck. We already knew that coming in and this game simply confirmed that the coaching is terrible, the players lack talent, and a couple players really need to get their heads in the game from now on.

Specifically, I'm referring to Roy Williams, who complained and acted like a selfish idiot every time Dan Orlovsky threw a bad pass in his direction. Despite the fact Roy dropped 4 passes during this game, he still bitched and bitched throughout the second half and pretty much gave up on the team after one drive came to an end. Honestly, if he was to be traded for a 7th-round pick I'd be happy with the move right now. That is how much I'm sick of his antics.

Anyways, below is a briefer than usual rundown of what happened during this game. Like I said, there really isn't much to say beyond the results. This was a typical Lions game filled with typical Lions mistakes. And on top of that, as usual, the opposing quarterback looked like one of the league's best. Considering Kyle Orton is nowhere near being a top QB in this league, that should tell you how bad the defense was.

1st Quarter

The Lions went three and out to start the game.
Chicago drove down the field and was held to a field goal. They should have started this drive at the Detroit 28 after a great punt return by Devin Hester, but an offside penalty negated the play. Instead, they started at their own 47.
Detroit went three and out again.
The Bears had to punt later on in a drive that featured a 52-yard pass from Kyle Orton to tight end Greg Olsen.
The Lions went three and out yet again.

2nd Quarter

Chicago punted about a minute and a half into the quarter after driving into Lions territory again.
Jon Kitna got hit from his blindside and fumbled. Chicago recovered at the Lions' 24. Jeff Backus did a terrible job blocking and let Alex Brown go right by him to hit Kitna. Kitna should have a better clock in his head of when to move up in the pocket or get rid of the ball, but there's no excuse for blocking that poorly.
The Bears went for it on 4th and 1 and didn't convert after Dewayne White tackled Matt Forte for no gain.
After a personal foul by Ramzee Robinson on a punt, the Bears started at the Lions' 37-yard line.
Orton hit Forte for a 9-yard completion and a touchdown. Forte's knee looked like it hit the ground before the ball broke the plane, but a challenge by the Lions was unsuccessful.
The Lions picked up back-to-back first downs on 13-yard passes to Roy Williams before having to punt a few plays later.
Orton completed a 12-yard pass to Devin Hester for a touchdown, giving the Bears a 17-0 halftime lead.

3rd Quarter

Chicago drove down the field in less than four minutes to open the half with a 1-yard Forte touchdown run.
Dan Orlovsky came into the game for the first time after Kitna left with what Rod Marinelli called "back spasms."
Jerome Felton made a catch and carried a defender for 5 or 6 yards before fumbling. The Lions challenged, though, and the call was overturned since Felton's head hit the ground before the ball came out.
One play later Orlovsky threw a bullet to Roy Williams and it hit off Roy's hand. Charles Tillman caught the deflected pass and returned it 26 yards for a touchdown, giving the Bears a 31-0 lead. The pass was high and fast, but Roy shouldn't let it hit right off his hand to a defender. On top of that, he shouldn't complain about the pass when he helped cause the interception.
The Lions went three and out but recovered a fumble on the proceeding punt. Hester was hit hard by Daniel Bullocks and Ramzee Robinson fell on the ball.
With the great field position, Kevin Smith ran for 12 yards and a touchdown on the third play of the drive following the fumble for the Lions' only score of this game.

4th Quarter

Robbie Gould kicked a 45-yard field goal to give the Bears a 34-7 lead, which is what the final score would be.
A pass to Mike Furrey on 4th and 3 went for only 2 yards, meaning the Lions turned the ball over on downs.
Following a near 4-minute drive that resulted in only a punt for the Bears, the Lions went into the shotgun and started airing it out. They managed to get into Bears territory before Orlovsky was sacked on 4th and 7. Orlovsky hurt his ankle on the sack.
The Bears went three and out and Orlovsky just handed off to Smith to end the game.

As you can see, things definitely did not go well for the Lions. Jon Kitna supposedly is injured, and even if he is healthy someone else should probably start at quarterback. Problem is there is no one else on the roster really qualified enough to be the Lions' starting QB. Dan Orlovsky isn't very good and Drew Stanton has only recently fully returned to practice after recovering from his thumb injury. Obviously no one can do much worse, but the question really is starting to become just how bad things are going to get.

At this point Rod Marinelli and the entire coaching staff really do deserve to be fired. The only thing is that if Marinelli was fired no one on the coaching staff is good enough to be named the interim coach. That should tell you how unqualified many of these coaches really are and just how bad this season could turn out. Going 0-16 certainly seems like a tall task, but trust me, this Lions team seems like they could certainly pull it off.

The Lions head to Minnesota to play the Vikings next Sunday. I expect Gus Frerotte to tear apart the Lions' secondary in between Adrian Peterson touchdown runs. The march to 0-16 will continue at 1 p.m. on FOX. I'll be here providing live updates, but I am implementing a four-touchdown rule. If the Lions fall behind by 28 or more points, I am no longer going to provide live updates. I have to set some limits as I'll either be laughing at how bad this team is or crying. I hope it's the former, but either way, I don't want to waste my time watching this garbage team if they're getting blown out again.

Caption this photo. (Courtesy NFL.com)

Sean Yuille — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 07:39:44 -0000

Caption this photo. (Courtesy NFL.com)

Rod Marinelli's Postgame Quotes

Sean Yuille — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 22:47:12 -0000

Via the Lions, below is what Rod Marinelli had to say after today's game. Try not to pound your head into a wall while reading the quotes.

Opening Statement: Just two injuries so far: we've got (Jon) Kitna, had back spasms and that's why we didn't bring him out in the second half, and (Dan) Orlovsky has got a high ankle sprain. Again, we don't know how bad that is, so that's where we're at right now."

On what happens now after he has spent two weeks evaluating and making changes: "We just go back to work. We tried to get some no-huddle in; that's what we worked on quite a bit these last couple weeks, and it's no magic to it. It's not like you run it and all of a sudden everything opens up. You still have to communicate and execute, and we didn't do that. So we'll continue to work with it and try to improve it and go from there."

On if he will work on what they did today or two weeks ago: "We'll still keep working on our no-huddle. It's a part of what we try to and (part of) our base offense."

On if he expects to be fired today or tomorrow: "I think I've repeated this a lot to you, that I don't look in the future, right? I think I've said that to you, right? Would you agree? Your silence is agreement. If you're silent then you agree with me. Good; so I've already said it."

On why he expects to keep his job when he hasn't been able to win in a year and a half: "I'm going to again tell you exactly what I've said in the past: I'm going to get up in the morning and go to work."

On why he thinks he can turn this season and this team around: "Well, I think we have to go back and just keep evaluating talent, get the right people in here and keep working on what we do in terms of our system and improve it."

On if coaches are concerned after today's performance that the players have quit on them: "I don't believe they have."

On why he thinks that, considering the team was supposed to fix its struggles after a bye week: "I would agree with that, but the type of people we have, I wouldn't sense that they're going to quit. I sense they'll keep fighting."

On how he would evaluate QB Jon Kitna's performance in the first half: "I'd like to see the tape. Nothing's good. Anybody - the protection wasn't good enough, ball security wasn't good enough, getting takeaways wasn't good enough, some explosion plays. None of it was good enough."

On when he will come clean and tell them what the real problem is: "I'm coming clean. We have to coach football better. We have to get these guys ready to play, we have to find a way to get them to execute, and that's our job."

On if QB Jon Kitna would still be the starter if everyone is healthy next week: "We'll go back next week and look at - Yes, yes, as I'm sitting here right now. Yes."

Game #4 - Lions vs. Bears - Game Thread

Sean Yuille — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 15:38:42 -0000

DETROIT LIONS (0-3)	GAME #4	CHICAGO BEARS (2-2)
	VS.

Date:	October 5, 2008	Location:	Detroit, MI
Time:	1:00 p.m. ET	Stadium:	Ford Field
TV:	FOX	Favorite:	Bears by 3.5
Radio:	Click Here	Over/Under:	45.5
Weather:	Domed Stadium	Injury Report:	Click Here
SBN Coverage:	Windy City Gridiron	My Prediction:	Bears win
Final Score:	Detroit Lions - 7 :: Chicago Bears - 34

Week 5 Injury Report

Sean Yuille — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 04:00:05 -0000

DETROIT LIONS
Pos.	Player	Injury	Status
RB	Marcus Thomas	Hamstring	Doubtful
WR	Roy Williams	Knee	Probable
OT	George Foster	Knee	Doubtful
OG	Stephen Peterman	Hand	Doubtful
CB	Travis Fisher	Groin	Probable
CB	Leigh Bodden	Calf	Questionable

CHICAGO BEARS
Pos.	Player	Injury	Status
WR	Marty Booker	Knee	Questionable
WR	Brandon Lloyd	Knee	Out
OT	Chris Williams	Back	Questionable
DT	Tommie Harris	Knee/Suspended	Out
CB	Charles Tillman	Shoulder	Questionable
CB	Nathan Vasher	Wrist	Questionable

NFL INJURY REPORT GUIDE
Status	Definition
Probable	75% chance that the player will play in the game
Questionable	50% chance that the player will play in the game
Doubtful	25% chance that the player will play in the game
Out	0% chance that the player will play in the game

The Detroit Lions sold their remaining 2,000 tickets by the 1 p.m. Friday deadline (after receiving...

Sean Yuille — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 19:13:18 -0000

The Detroit Lions sold their remaining 2,000 tickets by the 1 p.m. Friday deadline (after receiving a 24-hour extension by the league) so Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears will be televised locally. The Lions have now sold out all 50 games in which they've played in Ford Field.

Lions reach sellout, game to be televised - MLive.com

The NFL has granted the Lions a 24-hour extension to reach a sellout for Sunday's home game against...

Sean Yuille — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 06:23:48 -0000

The NFL has granted the Lions a 24-hour extension to reach a sellout for Sunday's home game against the Chicago Bears at Ford Field. Fewer than 2,000 (tickets) are still available to purchase. The game must be sold out by Friday, October 3 at 1 p.m. ET in order to lift the local television (Metro Detroit, Lansing, Saginaw/Flint and Toledo markets) blackout. If a sellout is not reached by the deadline, the game will not air in the blackout areas, including WJBK-TV FOX 2 in Metro Detroit. Fans can buy tickets to the home opener through the following outlets: Detroitlions.com, TicketMaster.com, TicketMaster at 248.645.6666 and in person at the Ford Field Ticket Office and TicketMaster outlets.

From the Lions' daily press release.

Friday Notes: Bears Suspend Tommie Harris

Sean Yuille — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 06:02:39 -0000

Bears defensive tackle Tommie Harris has been suspended for Sunday's game. The reason Harris got suspended reportedly is because he missed a scheduled treatment for his injured knee.
On top of being without Harris, the Bears also will not have cornerback Nathan Vasher as he had surgery on his shoulder right hand. Vasher is just one of the many injured Chicago players, leaving the Bears in a tough situation considering how many backups are playing. I imagine their defense will still have a great game against the Lions considering it is the Lions, but all of the injuries and the suspension do provide a little bit of hope.
Roy Williams may have provided some bulletin board material for Bears cornerbacks. Big surprise, right?
The Chicago Tribune published a detailed article about how Kevin Jones recovered from his most recent injury and ended up in Chicago. If Matt Forte wasn't the Bears' starting running back, I would definitely predict Jones to have a career day considering that's usually what all former Lions do when they play Detroit.

Five Questions With Windy City Gridiron

Sean Yuille — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 05:42:47 -0000

In order to get ready for Sunday's game between the Bears and the Lions, I exchanged five questions with ChiFan13 of Windy City Gridiron. You can find my answers to his questions over at Windy City Gridiron later today, and his answers to my questions are below.

1. How has one-time Lions running back Kevin Jones done so far this season? I noticed he only has carried the ball 20 times. Is that because Matt Forte simply is that much better than him or is Jones just struggling?

ChiFan13: Honestly, I really think the reason Jones hasn't played is the performance of Forte so far. Forte has been amazing for us, running for 347 and gaining 147 through the air thus far. The one thing I have noticed is that Jones doesn't have the agility or speed that Forte does running the ball. But, I do hope Jones gets some more PT throughout the season, because Forte is on par to carry the ball 300+ times.

2. Kyle Orton has played pretty well this season. Are the Bears winning in spite of him, because of him, or is it somewhere in between where he is just managing the game well?

ChiFan13: You'll get different answers from every single Bears fan. Some think that he's awful, some think he's doing a good job managing the game. My own personal opinion is that it varies from game to game. In the Carolina and TB games, his lack of long-ball strength and accuracy was grossly apparent. However, he showed against the Eagles that he indeed does have the touch to throw the intermediate pass. Part of that also falls on Ron Turner, Boy Genius' play calling also. If Turner is able to take advantage of matchup problems like he did against the Eagles, Orton will be good enough to win games consistently.

3. Are you as surprised as I am that the Bears beat both the Colts and the Eagles? I suppose the 2-2 start isn't that strange, but the fact that they got there by beating Indy and Philly is to me, at least.

ChiFan13: The Bears this year are a very tough team to get a read on. We beat the Colts, we were ahead against Carolina/TB and lose, then beat the Eagles. I was very surprised about the Colts, not so much against the Eagles. Like Lance Briggs said after the Eagles game, we should be 4-0. But yes, if you had told me prior to the season that we'd be 2-2 with our wins against the Colts and Eagles, I would've laughed in your face. No doubt about that.

4. Is the Bears' defense back to its dominating self? I know just from having them on my fantasy teams that they have been very good this season, especially against the Colts and on that goal line stand against the Eagles, so should Jon Kitna be prepared to run for his life on Sunday?

ChiFan13: Again, it's been a tough read thus far, but I believe so. The one time that we seem to lose our ‘dominating' identity is late in the game when the D is tired. But, I do think that with our DB's hurt and questionable for Sunday, Jon Kitna will be running for his life. If I was Bob Babich (our DC), I'd be doing everything to get to Kitna early on and not let him sit back in the pocket. I think that our weakness against the Lions is your WR's against our hurt DB's, so Kitna should be prepared.

5. Are the Bears a contender? I don't mean to win the NFC North because that's not saying much. I'm wondering if they are contender to win a playoff game or two or possibly even more. Could we see a repeat of their 2007 playoff run with Kyle Orton playing the role of Rex Grossman?

ChiFan13: Like I said, it's a tough read. The fact that we haven't been consistent is worrisome to me. With the tough NFC East this year, we have to win the North to get into the playoffs. If we get there, I think they are a contender to win a game or two. When the team has been good, they've been very good. When the team has been bad, they've been very bad. So, it's a toss-up at this point.

And, I know you didn't ask for it, but I'll give you my prediction: Bears 24, Lions 14.

Thanks to ChiFan13 for answering my questions, and as stated already, my answers to his questions can be found later today over at Windy City Gridiron.