Late Afternoon Hilarity - i.e. watching the Lions play and other NFL games
So if you haven't been watching the Lions play, and you're in need of some comedy, turn them on. A quick summary of events. After leading 7-0, the Lions forced a 3 and out.....except Logan muffed the punt, and the Cardinals scored on the next play.
After trading 3 and outs again, the Cardinals punt it away, and Logan screws up the return, and puts the Lions on the 7 yard line. After back to back false starts by different players, Stafford throws deep to a double covered Calvin....except he overthrows him and it's picked off by Patrick Petersen, who returns it to the 3 yard line. The Cardinals score again.
So yeah, let's all laugh at the Lions and watch some NFL games. Betters than the news about Treadwell and Floyd, Hagerup, Hawthorne anyways
December 16th, 2012 at 7:39 PM ^
Ridley, Vereen, and Woodhead get plenty of carries. New England's success comes mainly from having one of the greatest QBs to have ever played the game. In the NFL scheme matters less than the quality of players you have.
December 16th, 2012 at 7:56 PM ^
Having 4 receivers a play is still spreading the field quite a bit. And that's generally what Oregon has been doing, spread the field with the receivers and run a RB in the holes. They rarely run QB designed runs, so QB health wouldn't be as much of an issue as some people are making it out to be.
As far as the scheme/players debate, I don't think you can say scheme doesn't matter at all. Less than a decade ago, the way to win in the NFL was still with a strong running game. Just look at the Patriots, they won 3 of 4 Super Bowls with a strong run game and strong defense. And after they lost some of that core, they retooled it up, spread the field with a passing attack, and got back to winning a lot
December 16th, 2012 at 8:32 PM ^
If the Cardinals tried to spread the field they would get their heads beat in. You need the players to run a scheme at the NFL level.
If simply running a spread would win games every team would so. But it isn't. You need tackles who can block on an island, you need receivers who can consistently get open, and most importantly, you need a QB who can make the correct decision quickly. You need all three of these to have success running the spread at the NFL level. Most teams do not have this.
December 16th, 2012 at 7:29 PM ^
December 16th, 2012 at 7:13 PM ^
December 16th, 2012 at 7:16 PM ^
December 16th, 2012 at 7:16 PM ^
I don't think Schwartz is a bad guy, but this team needs and offensive and defensive system that has some coherence, not "throw to Calvin Johnson" and "tackle hard." I want nothing to do with any college coach, but there has to be a competent DC/OC out there who could come in and use the talent on this squad. I mean, Marvin Lewis has turned the Bengals into a consistently-okay team. So it can be done even with a bad roster.
December 16th, 2012 at 7:29 PM ^
December 16th, 2012 at 7:47 PM ^
December 16th, 2012 at 10:13 PM ^
Nah. I'd rather get someone a bit younger, though I do respect Reid for what he did with Philly.
December 16th, 2012 at 7:37 PM ^
December 16th, 2012 at 7:17 PM ^
December 16th, 2012 at 7:27 PM ^
December 16th, 2012 at 7:46 PM ^
December 16th, 2012 at 8:29 PM ^
December 16th, 2012 at 7:34 PM ^
Shutout central today. Hasn't anybody heard of offense? I long for the golden days of no defense and the spread n' shred. The current generation is inferior.
/s
December 16th, 2012 at 7:40 PM ^
December 16th, 2012 at 7:49 PM ^
I am a Lions fan. Stafford has all the tools and can make all the throws he just doesn't win. CJ is the best WR in the game. Our OL sucks and has for pretty much ever. Our D-Line is great but have no motor and Fairley and Suh are looking to get out ASAP.
It's a shame but this team might be better if they just moved and got new ownership. If a new team came here with new ownership they might win, but with these same old clowns I can't see us ever being w inning franchise. If you look at the NFL there are really only a handful of teams that are ever any good. Steelers, Packers, Giants, Ravens, Pats are nearly always good and we just aren't one of those teams.
December 16th, 2012 at 8:00 PM ^
Can we just go the Browns route? Let's start a petition to have Ford move them to L.A. and change their name, then someone else can start over.
December 16th, 2012 at 8:29 PM ^
In five years they'll have won a superbowl as the Los Angeles Turkey Vultures and the Detroit Lions will be a second-year expansion team with one of the worst offenses the league has ever seen. And your head coach will be Chris Palmer.
You'll be free of the Fords but it's a heavy price to pay.
December 16th, 2012 at 7:50 PM ^
December 16th, 2012 at 8:23 PM ^
December 16th, 2012 at 8:46 PM ^
December 16th, 2012 at 8:24 PM ^
December 16th, 2012 at 8:48 PM ^
December 16th, 2012 at 8:29 PM ^
The lions could have to sign a brand new secondary which they've seemingly done the last like 10 years. The DL is way overrated, the OLine is average at best and we have no receiving depth.
Drafts have turned out to be pretty bad all around. Sure, trading Roy Williams for 3 picks and making the playoffs were big accomplishments, but things aren't looking good
December 16th, 2012 at 8:40 PM ^
I wouldn't say that they have been bad. They are getting decent players out of the draft, but the problem is they are not gettign enough of them
A bad draft is what Millen gave us. I don't see any of them looking that bad just yet. The DL is overrated is because the DEs' stink.
December 16th, 2012 at 9:31 PM ^
Fairley, And Leshoure did nothing their rookie year, but seem to be players you can build a team with. Young has been a waste.
Suh has been alright, and Best and Spievey haven't been able to contribute.
The Lions have to trade Suh this year and go back to building the trenches. Time for a new center, LT, RT and a guard. I like Sims. Gotta draft conservatively too. No more projects for the next few drafts. No more previously injured players, no more character issues, no "best player available" who won't start and make an impact. I'm not expecting them to draft studs in every round, but they have to draft players that will contribute
December 16th, 2012 at 10:51 PM ^
The Lions desperately need DE, LB, and DBS. Trading Suh is not doable. Not with his contract. Plus, he is differencemaker. Those just don't come along.
The line is going to be rebuilt. Age alone dictates that, but spending high picks on OL when you have more pressing needs on defense is insane.
December 16th, 2012 at 8:48 PM ^
December 16th, 2012 at 9:08 PM ^
December 16th, 2012 at 9:16 PM ^
December 16th, 2012 at 9:19 PM ^
If you ends can't beat one-on-one blocks that means they can double your DTs. In Year One Vanden Bosch was still an effective player. Now he is a scrub.
The Lions need two defensive ends. Jarvis Jones would be perfect.
December 16th, 2012 at 10:57 PM ^
December 16th, 2012 at 8:50 PM ^
December 16th, 2012 at 8:55 PM ^
December 16th, 2012 at 9:05 PM ^
Love the diagonal snap on the fake punt.
When Denison U. was running the single wing back in the 70s and 80s they always had a center who could do that, even hit a back in motion with the snap. You never knew who was going to get the snap, or where.
December 16th, 2012 at 11:04 PM ^
December 17th, 2012 at 1:33 AM ^
If Schwartz got canned, the Fords are just as likely to elevate one of the assistants to HC, because loyalty. That's how we ended up with such stellar HCs like Rick Forzano, Tommy Hudspeth, and Wayne Fontes. The Fords have never hired a HC with the record and accomplishments of Bill Cowher. Not sure they've even interviewed one.
December 17th, 2012 at 1:56 AM ^
In fairness, very few such coaches exist, and many would likely not give the Lions the time of day if they can find a better offer. They did try to hire an established head coach when they hired Mooch, and it worked out just as well as the rest of the crew.
December 17th, 2012 at 2:43 AM ^
I've always thought Mariucci was overrated. He inherited the 49ers machine from Seifert, and the machine was good enough to post double-digit wins in his first two seasons. Then Mooch leads them to seasons of 4-12 and 6-10. They rebounded with 12- and 10-win seasons, but their faiures in post-season got him canned. If the Lions had the talent that the 49ers had, then Mooch would not have been faced with the task of building up a program with an idiot like Millen running the show.
The problem for the Lions is that they've needed a coach and a GM who've proven they can build a team from the ground up, but amazingly the Fords have been even worse at hiring GMs than they've been at hiring HCs.
December 17th, 2012 at 2:24 AM ^
In the second round, they opted for Ryan Broyles—with his serious knee injury—over Peter Konz, who has become a starter at RG for the 12-2 Falcons. If you want to make the argument that choosing Reiff in the first round meant we didn't have to expend a high draft choice on another OL, fine, but the Lions had more pressing needs than another WR, especially one coming in with a recent knee injury.
December 17th, 2012 at 9:09 AM ^
December 17th, 2012 at 11:54 PM ^
The Lions have a real shot at the 3rd pick in the draft. Manti Te'o or one of the Alabama studs is a real possibility. sorry what was i thinking they'll probably winout and draft elsewhere : (