Pride Of Detroit: FanPosts

Lions put Stephen Peterman on IR, sign WR Eric Fowler

2009-11-20T21:36:38Z

http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2009/11/its_official_--_lions_put_step.html

ALLEN PARK -- The Detroit Lions have officially put right guard Stephen Peterman on the injured reserve list. Peterman was replaced on the roster by receiver Eric Fowler, who starred at Grand Valley State University.

Peterman suffered a right ankle injury last week against the Minnesota Vikings and saw a specialist today. Fowler was impressive in training camp but was waived after suffering a hand injury. Fowler, who is now fully recovered, was recently signed to the team's practice squad.

More Bad News

2009-11-20T17:52:04Z

Looks like Cribbs is going to play Sunday. With all our injuries on defense, specifically the secondary, I wouldn't be surprised to see him put up a career day. Brady Quinn may look like Peyton Manning this week. I know one guy doesn't make or break a team, but it would've been nice to play one of the NFL's worst teams without their best player. We saw what Stephen Jackson did to us. I wouldn't be surprised to see Cribbs have similar success through the air.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4674264

On Paper: Lions vs. Browns

2009-11-20T17:50:16Z

You can read this article and more like it at http://www.studyofsports.com/?cat=142

This week, the Lions face the Browns in what promises to be the Game of the Week…that everyone ignores and makes fun of. In other words, when you reach the halftime report of the game that you’re watching, it’ll be the game that they just flash the score of rather than show you any of the pathetic highlights. They may even throw in a clever line like, “Detroit leads Cleveland 2-0 in the 2009 Toilet Bowl”, or “Could it be any more depressing in Detroit? They trail 7-0 at the half to Cleveland.” Nothing beats the hilarious antics of Terry Bradshaw. Anyways, now that I’ve dissuaded any non Lions/Browns fan to read on, let’s go! (warning: video contains old white guy rapping).

Lions Pass Offense (21st) vs. Browns Pass Defense (19th)

Opponent	Opponent’s Passing YPG	Passing Yards vs. Browns	Opponent’s Season QB Rating	QB Rating vs. Browns
Vikings	246.7	110	106.9	95.3
Broncos	216.7	263	86.9	83.5
Ravens	230.8	342	90.1	111.8
Bengals	211.9	230	88.1	73.1
Bills	160.6	152	70.4	52.1
Steelers	253.3	417	98.3	113.6
Packers	247.0	246	101.6	155.4
Bears	249.1	225	75.8	66.7
Ravens	230.8	155	90.1	98.1

The Browns pass defense is the definition of mediocre. They’ve held about half of their opponents (5 of 9) under their season average for QB rating. They’ve put up some pretty impressive numbers, like stymieing Jay Cutler to 225 yards and a poor 66.7 passer rating, but have also had some terrible games including a 417 yard disaster against the Steelers.

The Browns defense is also quite mediocre when it comes to pressuring the opposing quarterback. They have 18 sacks on the season which ranks them 19th in the league. The Browns play the 3-4 defense, so a lot of their pressure is generated by linebackers. Linebackers Kamerion Wimbley and David Bowens lead the team with five and 2.5 sacks respectively.

When the Lions last faced a 3-4 defense (against the Packers), they gave up five sacks, 3.5 of which came from linebackers (for the record, Green Bay also has 18 sacks on the season). The Lions may struggle even more now that arguably their best offensive lineman, right guard Stephen Peterman, is very doubtful to play. Last week, Matthew Stafford took a beating, getting pressured on 70% of passing plays. Granted, Minnesota has a much better front seven than Cleveland, but I still fully expect Stafford to be on the run again this week.

Where the matchup leans in the Lions favor is the battle between receivers and secondary. Cleveland boasts no real big names in their secondary. Safety Brodney Pool is probably their most impressive player, as he’s tallied up three interceptions on the season and leads the team in passes defended with 8. But overall, they are not too impressive of a unit. Cleveland ranks 27th in opposing passer rating and dead last in interceptions with four. Calvin Johnson and company have a good chance to be open, if Stafford has the time to throw. In the end, I think both sides will make their plays. Stafford will likely throw a pick or two, but he’ll also perform much like last week, somewhat effective. Draw.

Lions Run Offense (21st) vs. Browns Run Defense (30th)

Opponent	Opponent’s Rushing YPG	Rushing Yards vs. Browns*	Opponent’s Season Avg YPC	YPC vs. Browns*
Vikings	122.4	225	4.2	6.1
Broncos	112.1	186	4.2	5.3
Ravens	118.1	137	4.4	5.3
Bengals	122.3	134	4.0	5.0
Bills	107.7	105	4.1	3.4
Steelers	111.3	129	4.3	4.3
Packers	119.2	179	4.4	4.8
Bears	85.2	138	3.8	4.3
Ravens	118.1	134	4.4	3.7

*QB rushes omitted

Every team other than the Bills outperformed their season averages for rushing yards. This is not a surprise, given that most teams find themselves with a comfortable lead over the Browns and run the ball late. The additional YPC stat is more telling. Still, in seven out of nine games, the Browns’ opponents met or surpassed their season average YPC.

Obviously, this is good news for the Lions. Though the Lions will be forced to go against their former teammate Shaun Rogers, other teams seem to have had no problem with him. Every team has surpassed the century mark, even the 30th ranked rush offense of the Bears. The Lions have been struggling to have a consistent running game, but are still averaging 103 yards per game. Though the Peterman injury may hurt the Lions, they’ve actually had their most success running behind Backus anyways (<---awesome site). I expect the Lions to outperform their average and Kevin Smith to reach the 100 yard mark for the first time since the Lions beat Washington. Lions +2

Browns Pass Offense (32nd) vs. Lions Pass Defense (32nd)

Opponent	Opponent’s Passing YPG Allowed	Passing Yards Allowed vs. Browns	Opponent’s Season QB Rating Against	QB Rating Allowed vs. Browns
Vikings	234.1	205	90.3	74.1
Broncos	186.7	161	83.4	58.7
Ravens	208.9	115	80.0	32.7
Bengals	231.0	269	77.9	68.8
Bills	200.0	23	62.2	15.1
Steelers	208.1	122	77.2	51.0
Packers	189.2	99	76.2	36.4
Bears	195.3	74	87.4	7.1
Ravens	208.9	99	80.0	23.5

Brady Quinn games in italics (pulled in week 3 game vs. Ravens)

My dear lord.

This is about as ugly of a matchup that you can get. Think Stevie Wonder versus Helen Keller in a game of charades. Cleveland is last in points per game (8.7) and Detroit is last in points allowed (29.3). Cleveland is ranked last in QB rating, passing yards per game, completion percentage and passing touchdowns. Yet Detroit ranks last in every single one of those defensive stats (well, 31st in passing TDs allowed, thanks Tennessee).

Quinn is starting his second consecutive game after Derek Anderson was promoted and demoted in the middle of the season. Quinn has yet to put up a passer rating about 75 this year and has one TD to his five interceptions. In Cleveland’s defense, they have little options at the receiver position. This year, they traded away their two best options, Kellen Winslow and Braylon Edwards. They’re now left with former Lion Mike Furrey and Josh Cribbs. Cribbs is a great playmaker, but he’s much better utilized in special teams and in the running game. More on him later.

I’ll be honest; I have no idea what is going to happen here. The Browns have been sacked 23 times (22nd in the NFL), but they also have one of the best LTs protecting Quinn in Joe Thomas. I have no faith in Detroit’s pass defense, especially considering how many injuries they’re suffering from in the secondary, but Cleveland put up 23 passing yards in a game! They’ve only thrown for 200 passing yards twice this season! Instead of giving one team an advantage, they both get two points taken away. Lions -2, Browns -2. You should both be ashamed of yourselves.

Browns Run Offense (26th) vs. Lions Run Defense (19th)

Opponent	Opponent’s Rushing YPG Allowed	Rushing Yards Allowed vs. Browns*	Opponent’s Avg YPC Allowed	YPC Allowed vs. Browns*
Vikings	94.6	68	4.2	3.8
Broncos	105.6	50	3.8	2.8
Ravens	93.9	62	3.5	3.0
Bengals	83.4	144	3.9	4.6
Bills	173.0	169	5.1	4.2
Steelers	69.3	92	3.4	4.2
Packers	93.1	55	3.5	2.9
Bears	118.4	116	4.2	4.1
Ravens	93.9	85	3.5	3.5

*QB rushes omitted

Though they rank 26th, the Browns run offense may be better than advertised. The Browns have faced five out of the six top run defenses in the league (Baltimore twice). That means out of their nine games, six of them have been against top six run defenses in the league. Jamal Lewis remains a pretty solid back, but he has struggled recently, only gaining 173 yards in his past four games. Again, the stats may be a little misleading, as the Browns have often found themselves behind games early and have had to focus on the passing game to climb back into games (of course, this makes their passing statistics even worse).

Josh Cribbs is also a big factor in Cleveland’s running game. Cribbs is being used in Wildcat formations successfully as he’s clearly the most athletic player on the field for Cleveland. This season, he has accounted for nearly 20% of the Browns’ running game and is averaging 6.6 a carry. This season, the Lions have not faced the Wildcat (have they ever?), so it’ll be interesting to see how they adjust. They may not have to, however, as Cribbs was injured on the last play of the game on Monday night. UPDATE: Cribbs practiced on Thursday, so it’s quite likely that he will play.

The Lions are fairly inconsistent when it comes to stopping the run. Though they rank 19th in yards allowed per game, they’re giving up 4.7 a carry which ranks them 28th. I don’t expect the Browns to run all over Detroit, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Lewis break a lot of tackles and bust out a long run or two. Still, I think Detroit has the advantage, especially if Cribbs is out. With Cribbs: Draw; Without Cribbs: Lions +2.

Special Teams

Although Jason Hanson is struggling, I’m not too worried about it. He is not shanking any kicks, so I expect his accuracy to come back to him. Phil Dawson is also reliable. He’s 100% on field goals this year, but has only attempted four.

The advantage here completely relies on Cribbs’ availability. Cribbs burned the Lions in their preseason game this year. He returned the opening kick for a TD (though it was called back) and later returned a punt to the house. Though it was a preseason game, I fully expect that Cribbs has the potential to do the exact same thing. He has returned three kickoffs for more than 40 yards (1 TD) and he has returned a league-high four punts for 20+ yards, one for a TD. Cleveland ranks 1st in punt return average and 8th in kick returns. As always, I have 0 confidence in Detroit’s kick coverage. Detroit’s defensive special teams ranks 31st in kickoff return average and 22nd in punt returns. Given how terrible these teams are, special teams may make the difference. If Cribbs is in, look out. Browns +2. If he’s out, Draw.

Overall

I don’t even know what to say. This game is actually quite enthralling to me. Not because it’s one of the few games left that Detroit has a chance of winning. Not because there’s actual importance to this game, in that the loser has a very good chance at having the #1 draft pick. No, my interest in the game is much more depressing than that. Both these teams are awful right now. There’s a part of me that actually thinks the world might end when the Browns’ pass offense goes against the Lions’ pass defense. But I can’t wait to see what happens. Much like The Beatles’ “A Day In the Life”, most people will turn away from this game on Sunday. But I just have to look. Having read the book?

Anyways, if Cribbs is in, that leaves the Lions with 0 and the Browns with 0. A 0-0 draw. If Cribbs is out, however, the Lions have 2 and the Browns have -2. I think this is going to be a low-scoring game, so a big special teams play from Cribbs could make all the difference. Obviously, this is a must win for Detroit if they ever want to win a football game again. Of course, Cleveland fans are saying the exact same thing. With no confidence at all, I’m picking the Lions to win regardless of Cribbs’ availability. Without Cribbs, 13-7 Lions; With Cribbs 13-10 Lions.

Hearts out to Chris Spielman

2009-11-20T16:11:04Z

All Lions fans are with you Chris... Many here have felt your pain and all others will now share yours. My condolences to the family.

Stay tough,

CLF

ALLEN PARK, MICH. – Stefanie Spielman, the wife of former Lions’ linebacker Chris Spielman, died yesterday (November 19) at her home in Columbus after a 12-year battle with breast cancer. She was 42. The Spielmans have four children – Madison (15), Noah (13), Macy (8) and Audrey (7).

What if... ?

2009-11-20T03:58:04Z

I'm sitting around today wondering why the hell I had the luck of being raised in a state with a collapsing economy with no light at the end of the tunnel, with everything going wrong in the country in the peak of my life (24-years-old) ... no jobs, shitty health care (couldn't get it if i wanted), and on and on ... why I get the added pleasantry of the having the Lions as my home team. I've been a sports nut my whole life. I played football, baseball, soccer, hockey, basketball, bowling in organized leagues and many other in unorganized fashion.

Football has been the biggest sport in my life though. Ever since I was young I remember devoting the WHOLE weekend to football, playing or watching. I remember the obvious good times with Barry and the gang and even managed to stay ignorantly positive, enthusiastic and hopeful through the after-Barry years when we were touting James Stewart, Germane Crowell, Stoney Case and Cory Schlesinger as our prime weaponry.

But the thing I keep replaying in my head over and over and can't help but wonder if things had been a little different, what would have happened...

That situation is two years ago, when we led the division after 8 games, then collapsed from rising threat to laughing stock of the WORLD.

Now I'm not gonna say we weren't a worse team than we let on those first 8 but I do believe there was a key to the fall. That key was Calvin Johnson. Once again, I remind you this is in no way blaming Calvin for what happened, I'm blaming the circumstances.

If you remember, the first few games of the season our offense looked like the Colts, well not the Colts but at least TCU. We put up 36, 21, 20 and 37 in the first four games and Kitna didn't have a game under 245 in passing yards. He even had a 446er in there. What I remember was that was this was Rod Marinelli's 2nd year manning the helms our offense was clicking on all cylinders, except one that is.

After the first four games, we had a 3-1 record with a blowout loss to Philly (If you remember, Kevin Curtis ran up and down the field on us for about 1000 yards receiving). Roy Williams and Kitna were hitting on all cylinders and Furrey and McDonald were fitting in nicely working the seams and underneath stuff. Our run game was nowhere to be found but that didn't really hurt our offense because we were so good passing in the second year with Martz as offensive coordinator.

A little niche in Martz's offense was if you get a hot receiver, go back to him until they stop him. Roy Williams was really taking to this quite well and was in top shape. I remember so many great catches and runs after catches that I hadn't really seem as a dimension from another receiver before. His hands were above average then, he ran like the wind, didn't give up on routes and shined beautifully in the first four games. But then something happened that I blame partially for his and the teams fallout — the fans and pundits started in on the Calvin Johnson era and demanded more playing time and to throw him in there.

While it didn't seem like a bad idea, even to me, it led to increased pressure to get him the ball, indirectly taking balls away from Roy and subsequently beginning the end for both him and Kitna, as well as the rest of the offense, mostly.

Nothing from that point on clicked the rest of the season. We were blown out in Washington and managed to scrape together two more wins before disappearing into mediocrity and ultimately down right awfulness. Roy and Kitna never recovered the rhythm they had and if one concentrated you could see Roy giving way emotionally and physically in presence to Calvin to take over as the main guy.

It's hard to have two top level receivers on one team, ask Ochocinco or TO or Boldin or Marvin Harrison. To be a great receiver you have to always want the ball and want to push your team. But if there are two franchise receivers they aren't both going to get a significant number of balls thrown their way and eventually one will get significantly more or less depending on the quarterback relationship. QBs tend to subliminally pick favorite targets and with the shallow psyche of a receiver that only leads to destruction as was the case with Roy.

Like I said before, I don't put much thought behind it, but it does make you wonder for sure.

I think maybe had Calvin not been demanded to produce right away and had been eeked into the offense throughout the course of the year, things could have been a bit different. I'm not sure if anything could have kept the offense from imploding but who knows.

What do you guys think? Let me know in the comment section.

Poll

If Calvin Johnson had not been forced in so early, could the Lions have utilized the situation any better (or worse)?

This Should Cheer You Guys Up

2009-11-20T02:43:01Z

http://www.nfl.com/videos/cleveland-browns/09000d5d81451f7b/Weather-update-Browns-vs-Lions

Things wrong with this video:
1. its posted on NFL.com so it is an assumed knowledgeable source.
2. the banter of the weather man, "Brady Quinn Looking Like a Linebacker...did get fined"
3. THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT THE WEATHER AT FORD FIELD
4. IN CASE YOU ARE SLOW THERE IS NO WEATHER AT FORD FIELD ITS A CLIMATE CONTROLLED INDOOR FIELDDDDDD!!!!!!!!! Sometimes people are dumb.

Thinking Bout the Good Ole Days

2009-11-20T02:28:41Z

Was thinking about the lions, really a lot of different teams and cities in the league for that matter. Oh yeah, and before I continue I know a posted on Detroit moving to LA and got everyone riled up, but whatever. I freaking was pissed off at the time and the crazy idea popped into my head that we would get better quicker by shipping out our team and bringing in a team like the vikes. Truth is I wouldn’t ever pull that trigger even if we were offered the colts. I want to see this team rise. Its what keeps me reading all the news I can about em and watching and hoping this is finally the game when the all pistons click and we explode to the next tier of talented teams. What is ironic though, I bet when we do finally reign supreme I may end up missing these days when we were the underdogs every Sunday and always had the chance to deliver an upset and shock the public.

Is there anything you guys are gonna miss when we are the best and winning SBs when thinking back to seasons like we’re in now?

BLACKOUT

2009-11-19T18:38:03Z

97.1 The Ticket just stated that the game Sunday will be Blacked out. Our 2nd win of the season we will be unable to witness. Sometimes fans patience is pushed to limits. You would think the Ford's would buy the rest of the remaining tickets, because the Lions Pride is being debuted this weekend. I will unfortunately be at work again. So with someones help maybe I will be able to witness the game. I am also unable to post this because of the 75 word limit. = p

Draft Dream or Nightmare?

2009-11-19T14:07:15Z

Just readin' Lions news & dreamin'. Weigh in on this one, y'all: we trade Sims for another 1st round pick to a team needing a ILB (Broncos #16 or Eagles #22). Then--unless we can snag Suh on the first pick--we find a way to bring back big Shaun Rogers who may be suggesting he wants out of Cleveland. If Rogers comes back, we can focus more on OL guys and DBs or safeties. Who sees problems with this? Or more possibilities?

It's not too early to think next year's draft because we're getting pretty banged up. And even if most guys on IR come back next year, can we do better?

intresting article by K. Seifert

2009-11-18T22:04:36Z

Seifert's article: 75words...75words...75words...75words...75words...75words...75words...75words...75words...75words...75words...75words...75words...75words...75words...75words...

Sifting through Detroit's roster

So while the topic is fresh in all of our minds, I thought I would scan the Lions' roster and divide the players into three categories:

Keepers. These are players the Lions can build their future around.

Worth Learning More About. For various reasons, I wouldn’t give up on the players in this group.

2006 draft

2009-11-18T18:29:59Z

i just wanna say im not a huge ernie sims fan. he has been a solid linebacker but he's never been a PLAYMAKER. i was just looking back at that 06 draft and was thinking if we had drafted differently. what would the team be like if we had drafted.............

haloti ngata

jay cutler

kamerion wimbley

how much better off would our lilttle lions be and who would u have drafted??

off the subject to matt millen should never broadcast college football games in michigan!!!!!

Megatrons not the same!!!!

2009-11-18T13:56:18Z

I dont know if his knee is still bothering him or he is just plain not having any fun.The lions only have one victory and I understand all the players are beat-up by this time of the year ,but when you look on the sidelines at least most of the players are still enjoying playing the game.CJ looks like he's going through the motions and does'nt seem to have a rapport with Staff.In my opinion I think he's just not happy in Detroit.

Week 10 Trivia

2009-11-18T13:41:36Z

Another week of licking our wounds fellow POD'ers as we got physically outmuscled by the Vikes. Here's to a W this week (hopefully) against a team (Cleveland) who is almost as inept as our beloved Lions.

Anyway, I usually think of the 1990's as good, solid years for the Lions. They were consistent playoff threats and always seemed to be on the brink of exploding, but never reached those anticipated heights (we were sort of like the Texans over the past several years). Anyway, sandwiched in between playoff appearances in 1995 and 1997 was 1996. I remember this season in particular because I felt hopeless as the Lions found unbeleivable ways to lose games during the season (sound familiar??) All of this losing, of course, after starting the season strongly, entering the bye week at 4-3 (I think) and posting impressive offensive statistics.

However, coming off the bye we lost every game the rest of the season except one (the only reason I remember this is my brother was living in this city at the time and he called me to congratulate me).

Poll

QUESTION: In 1996, who was the only team the Lions beat in the second half of the season to finish 5-11?

Washington Redskins

5 votes

Chicago Bears

9 votes

Seattle Seahawks

9 votes

TB Buccaneers

18 votes

41 votes | Poll has closed

Who's Replacing Jack Williams?

2009-11-17T23:00:57Z

We got one play out of him; I can't believe it. (Then again, maybe this year I will believe anything!) So we have Jahi Word-Daniels (R - released by OAK) on the ps and can raid cuts/ps members of other teams. Anyone know who's the best of the worst? Haven't seen anything yet. Williams gave me a tiny shred of hope; 3 other teams wanted him. Bottom of the barrel yet? BTW: if he's reading this thread, props to Nate D. on his "What the h---?" post. You read my mind, buddy.

Split the Difference

2009-11-17T19:24:43Z

Okay, Sunday is over...the Lions suffered another loss and most of the dust has settled from Monday's most disgruntled fans (myself being one of them). Being the NFL junkie that I am, I couldn't help but watch what the NFL was claiming to be an NFL game on Monday night between the Baltimore Ravens and some team wearing jerseys the same color as the excrement they were playing like.

After the debacle that took place against the Rams I can't possibly go out on a limb and say that the Lions will absolutely, without a doubt, come away victors this Sunday against what could be the "other" worst team in the league. This much I am confident about...these are two pretty lousy teams getting ready to bump heads this Sunday at Ford Field.

I did a comparison like this after the Rams game and was shocked to see that it predicted an outcome similar to what actually happened on the field that Black Sunday. Basically I looked at the team stats (prior to the game) and compared one teams offense to the other teams defense. Hindsight is always 20/20 or better though, so that isn't even remotely impressive. Here's what that very crude comparison has to say about the upcoming game against the Browns.

Pre-Game Stats:

Detroit on Offense: 103YPG Rushing, 191YPG Passing, 15.9PPG

Detroit on Defense: 115YPG Rushing, 272YPG Passing, 29.3PPG

Cleveland on Offense: 98YPG Rushing, 116YPG Passing, 8.7PPG

Cleveland on Defense: 166YPG Rushing, 228YPG Passing, 25PPG

Splitting the difference between Detroit's Offense and Cleveland's Defense, then doing the same with Cleveland's Offense and Detroit's Defense results in the following...

...Predicted Outcome:

Detroit : 134.5 Yards Rushing, 210 Yards Passing, 20.45pts

Cleveland: 106.5 Yards Rushing, 194 Yards Passing, 19pts

To which I respond...oh $#!t...

Now I know someone will come up with a much more reliable, less crude mathematical way to predict the outcome of this game....but for anyone predicting this will be a blowout, think again. The Browns may be one of the worst teams in football, they may have been part one of (if not several of) the worst games of the season, but the Lions are simply not fairing too much better as a team so far this season. If they do come away with a win however...I for one will be doing my happy dance!

By the way...if the Rams vs. Lions game was so appropriately named "The Toilet Bowl", what would you call a 20-19 game between the Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions?

Poll

How are you feeling about this upcoming game against the NFL's other worst team?

Williams The Guy We Got Off Waivers.....

2009-11-16T22:32:22Z

.....Denver....Is out for the year per the freep.com.......He was injured on his 1st play......Wow what luck does this team have.....I was actually looking forward to see what this guy could do....He was like a 3rd or 4th round pick in Denver and was released when they signed Ty Law.....Oh well its just the curse of the Lions I suppose.....Have I reached 75 words yet......Now it is.

Stafford Is It

2009-11-16T20:55:55Z

Yesterday's game against the Vikings proved to me that Stafford has what it takes to not only be a starting QB in the NFL, but a damn good one. Enlighten me if you will, but I can't remember the last time a quarterback played so well with his offensive line virtually non-existent. On that same note, I can't remember the last time and offensive line played that bad. But Stafford hung in there, made some good throws and played tough. He was on the ground 70% of the game. I think if the Lions put some talent on that o-line, and maybe get Stafford one more WR that won't drop six passes a game, he could be something special. That throw he made to Bryant Johnson in the endzone should've been a TD. Stafford was running to his left full speed, threw across his body and hit Johnson right where that ball needed to be. It was his best throw so far this season in my opinion, right up there with the one against Washington on 3rd and long to seal the game.

Even with all our losses, Mathew Stafford proves to me each game that he has what it takes. I'm excited to see what he can do with one more year of drafting/free agent moves, and one more year of him gathering a better understanding of the NFL game.

This is it!!! Formula for Lions Success

2009-11-16T16:40:36Z

Ok, after another numbing loss and pondering another 3 years before we switch coaches and get a new qb a glimmer of hope entered my mind. While this is a long shot for sure, I think if the right people were involved we could actually make it work.

What's the one thing that detroit really has going for us - and don't say stafford or calvin, really any player for that matter cause they all blow! Its our stadium - we actually have one of the best stadiums in the league. I'd even take it over the cowboys mini roman empire. So my thought is, we should use this stadium to our advantage (again, since it is the only thing worth salvaging on this horrible horrible team - sorry i'm really pissed).

You may have heard that LA got a new stadium approved to be built, but as of now, no takers. I say we jump on this opportunity to ship this sorry ass bunch of pathetic loser players (i could field a better team at my local 24hr gym) to LA - yup the LA Lions (even sounds good). Now with the trash finally out of town we entice a new team to come to Dtown. I prefer the vikings - would even be a short trip for em. Actually, there isn't a team in this league that i wouldn't trade places with. This includes all the bottom dwellers - id take oakland, the browns, the chiefs - any team over the sorry ass team we have. They have no heart. All they offer is a 50cent hallmark responses to repeated losses. calvin johnson is OVERRATED. I don't care what you say - he is overrated. How pathetic have we become - Stafford runs for a meanless gain and gets whacked and the city is ready to throw him a parade. Give me a break. this is joke, its football and if there is anything this team has demonstrated, is they have no clue how to play it.

Ship this F'ng team out of here. Ahh, i feel better now and can go about my monday.

2010 mock draft

2009-11-16T15:43:27Z

i know we got a few running but they are mostly out of the page and with it looking more and more likely that we will have a top 3 pick (1st if we lose to the browns) might as well start dreaming about draft picks

http://walterfootball.com/draftdata.php

thats a grat link has like 100 mock crafts on it

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/prospectrankings/TSX/2010

has all the players coming out of the draft and has writ ups on them

1ST DT Ndamukong Suh Height 6-4 Weight 302
2nd LT Jason Fox Height: 6-7 Weight: 314
LT Ciron Black Height: 6-5 Weight: 322 might be a good one here to..
3rd DE Lindsey Witten Height: 6-4 Weight: 251
______________________________________
^^I like these a lot and I think it's a great chance the will all be there and be able to start

These are more of what I want and some names that sound good that might still be there

4th CB Brian Jackson Height: 6-1 Weight: 202
5th A. CB Stephan Virgil Height: 5-11 Weight: 189
5th B. (from broncos)
6th OG Thomas Austin Height: 6-3 Weight: 315
7th a ST player like ZF

Rating the Offensive Linemen by Pro Football Focus

2009-11-16T15:12:23Z

Here is a football site that attempts to rate all football players by position. I am not sure of their methodology, but I was interested in seeing how the Detroit offensive linemen rated.

Here is the Link: http://www.profootballfocus.com/by_position.php?tab=&season=2009&pos=T&stype=r&runpass=&teamid=-1&numsnaps=25&numgames=1

to Offensive Tackles. You can check out the Guards and Centers from there.

Jeff Backus was the #9 rated Tackle. The sixth best Left Tackle just behind Joe Thomas [Cleve.], D. Ferguson [Jets], S. Vollmer [NE], A. Whitworth [Cin.], and Ryan Clady [Den.].

Gosder was the #29 rated Tackle, fifteenth best Right Tackle.

Raiola was the #12 Center.

Peterman is the #3 Guard, just behind fellow Right Guards S. Neal of NE and Jahri Evans of NO.

Ramirez is the #65 Guard, and Loper is the #37 Guard.

Like I said, I will take a closer look at the way they determine their rankings but some our guys come off a lot better than we believe and other sites have measured them as a group.

One personal aside, for those that want the Lions to use their first round pick for an LT should have watched Sebastian Vollmer of New England handle Dwight Freeney last night. Most of the time with no help. Vollmer was a second round pick in 2009. The guy looks like a keeper.