Lions president Tom Lewand: "If it helps us win, I'll tattoo a Buckeye on my forehead"
ESPN is reporting that a deal is in place for the Detroit Lions to add former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel to Jim Caldwell's staff "pending approval from the front office."
And Lions president Tom Lewand, a University of Michigan alum, says he would have no problem adding the former Buckeyes coach if it makes the team better.
"If it helps us win, I'll tattoo a Buckeye on my forehead," Lewand said...
http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2014/01/detroit_lions_jim_tressel.html
January 16th, 2014 at 9:33 AM ^
January 16th, 2014 at 9:44 AM ^
January 16th, 2014 at 9:49 AM ^
You cheered for Spielman, didn't you?
January 16th, 2014 at 9:56 AM ^
If by chhered for him you mean hoped he would suffer a serious injury then yes !
January 16th, 2014 at 10:06 AM ^
Boy, this thread turned into a dick-measuring, I-can-hate-Ohio-more-than-you-can thread real fast.
January 16th, 2014 at 11:01 AM ^
90% of the internet is porn. 5% is cat and dog videos. 4% is videos of idiots sustaining compound fractures of the tibia attempting parkour or crushing their testicles on handrails while skateboarding. The remaining 1% is dick-measuring in the fields of sports and politics.
January 16th, 2014 at 11:18 AM ^
Sage wisdom
January 16th, 2014 at 11:36 AM ^
I think this site raises that to about 2%.
January 16th, 2014 at 11:59 AM ^
I forgot to account for dick-measuring porn.
January 16th, 2014 at 3:26 PM ^
I think your total should add up to >100% to account for all of the cat porn.
January 16th, 2014 at 12:20 PM ^
January 16th, 2014 at 1:16 PM ^
90% porn seems awfully low.
January 16th, 2014 at 3:17 PM ^
nobody post "pic or it didn't happen" to this dick measuring idea.
January 16th, 2014 at 4:07 PM ^
January 16th, 2014 at 11:04 AM ^
And another thing, if it's true that Spielman wanted to go to Michigan and his dad said no, then what does that say about him ? I say it shows Spielman wasn't mentally strong enough to tell his dad " I respect your opnion but this is my life". It's one thing to consider a parents opinion but to let them choose a college for you lacks maturity and strength.
January 16th, 2014 at 11:29 AM ^
You should always respect your father's opnion. Other's opnions, not so much.
January 16th, 2014 at 11:40 AM ^
Yeah, if there's one thing you're a fount of wisdom about, it's maturity.
January 16th, 2014 at 12:00 PM ^
January 16th, 2014 at 2:22 PM ^
So M-Wolverine/David from Wyoming/Chitownblue all get banned, but shit stains like you are allowed to stick around?
January 16th, 2014 at 11:38 AM ^
That's really a nasty thing to wish for another human being, someone you have probably never met, and as far as I can tell a truly decent human being. As a fan I think it's good to remember that we root from afar. We have no personal stake in this in that we don't actively participate in the event, at least the monster share of everyone who posts on this blog. If you are not a player, or coach, really what's the big deal? It's just fun to watch and cheer, but no reason to get to a level of hate. If you going to hate, at least save it for someone who has actually personally wronged you, not someone you've never met and who hasn't hurt you in anyway.
Besides that Spielman played his butt off for the Lions and was very loyal to them.
January 16th, 2014 at 11:44 AM ^
January 16th, 2014 at 12:01 PM ^
January 16th, 2014 at 12:03 PM ^
Can someone just instantly ban people that comment things like that? (5starrecruit) It makes us all look like Mlive or RCMB
January 16th, 2014 at 12:36 PM ^
Hmmm... it's just my opnion, but I think I smell a negbang and/or a trip to La Paz.
January 16th, 2014 at 6:59 PM ^
He'll have another account up that same day and rack up 500 points his first week. I've noticed lots of new accounts made in the last few weeks with more points accumulated in two weeks than I have in however long I've been a "valued" member. Perhaps I should start commenting on everything that's posted, regardless of whether or not I have anything to say.
January 16th, 2014 at 12:59 PM ^
Worthless dumbasses like you make me want to burn my diploma
January 16th, 2014 at 2:25 PM ^
I'd bet he's never set foot inside a UM classroom, so your diploma is safe.
January 16th, 2014 at 4:11 PM ^
He's a Lion LEGEND!!! GTFO
January 17th, 2014 at 3:35 PM ^
Hope you're kidding and totally disagree. I was a Lions season ticket holder when he played. (I was in college at the time too, so it made for fantastic football weekends. Wheatley on Saturday, Barry and Spielman on Sunday).
Spielman is one of my favorite football players ever. He's an example of how I think all football players should be. I love UM and hope they kick OSU in the teeth any time, but that doesn't extend to hoping their players get hurt.
Spielman is a class guy. He was a great player with the Lions. He was always polite and kind to the fans when I went to the fall camps. And the way he treated his wife when she was sick was, IMHO, a great example. He's a great player and an honorable man. He isn't a Michigan fan. I can get over that.
January 16th, 2014 at 10:03 AM ^
This is a slightly different situation, you know?
January 16th, 2014 at 11:09 AM ^
I don't see how it is, other than M beat Spielman's Buckeyes teams more than they beat Tressel's.
I guess I don't get as worked up about NCAA violations when I'm cheering for my NFL team as the rest of you.
January 16th, 2014 at 11:18 AM ^
You are lion-ized
Tressel is a cheater and a liar and sold kids out for his own gain.
Comparing that to Spielman and thinking you are right shows how lion-ized you are.
Becoming Lions free was the best thing that ever happened to me, especially now that this may be true. What a pathetic organization.
January 16th, 2014 at 11:53 AM ^
I guess I put more value on character than you do.
January 16th, 2014 at 12:04 PM ^
January 16th, 2014 at 1:44 PM ^
Character is a broad term, and I think there's still enough to be found in the NFL coaching ranks.
January 16th, 2014 at 1:08 PM ^
Do you? I hope you never wanted Michigan to hire big time asshole Jim Harbaugh, then. And I sure as shit hope you're asking all kinds of questions in the Jim Caldwell and Teryl Austin threads about what they knew in regards to Jerry Sandusky.
or is it just another selective "lolololololololol people from ohio aren't people lolololol look how much value I place in a meaningless football rivalry"
January 16th, 2014 at 1:43 PM ^
What in my posting history suggests that I'm inclined to any sort of "lolololololololol people from ohio aren't people lolololol look how much value I place in a meaningless football rivalry"
I'll wait for an answer on that one. As to the rest:
And I sure as shit hope you're asking all kinds of questions in the Jim Caldwell and Teryl Austin threads about what they knew in regards to Jerry Sandusky.
Why? I haven't said a single word about the Caldwell hire, good or bad. I'm not really an NFL fan in general. I watch the Lions about half of the time, and that's it. I commented on the potential Tressel hire, because it crossed the "line" of knowledge that I do have, and honestly, touched a nerve. He's a proven liar and cheater. Fin.
Do you? I hope you never wanted Michigan to hire big time asshole Jim Harbaugh, then.
Why? Because he's an asshole? I can deal with an asshole. He's an asshole with integrity, and is generally regarded as an honest guy. He may lack grace, so what? I would have been very happy with Harbaugh.
Who pissed in your cornflakes this morning? Don't take it out on me, there are plenty of legitimate mouth breathing idiots to lash out at. Bye.
January 16th, 2014 at 3:40 PM ^
meaningless football rivalry..really?
January 16th, 2014 at 6:59 PM ^
yes
you realize that these games are essentially value free, correct? The results have no tangible effect on the world at large?
January 16th, 2014 at 8:20 PM ^
have an effect on my quality of life, even if only for a few days. But the affect is there and I don't consider them meaningless, obviously you do. I doubt i'm alone in that, but if I am I still disagree with you. To each their own I guess.
January 16th, 2014 at 9:55 PM ^
it's really not an opinion thing
no matter how much value you or I personally place in these games, there is no deeper meaning or effect. They're a form of entertainment and that entertainment may or may not enrich our lives in some way, but they contribute nothing to society otherwise. Nobody who isn't affiliated with either side really cares and very few people outside the United States are even aware that this is a thing.
January 16th, 2014 at 10:16 AM ^
Hard to dislike Chris Spielman. Yes, he played for Ohio, but he's a good human being and it's difficult not to feel compassion for him.
January 16th, 2014 at 10:21 AM ^
January 16th, 2014 at 10:29 AM ^
Totally different situation. Spielman played hard, has never seemed to carry much of a grudge(almost signed with Michigan until his dad told him that wasn't an option), and there's never been a slimy aura around him You can combine that with Spielman played for Ohio when the rivalry was more or less even. Tressel locked down Ohio while playing the "I didn't see it" card in regards to players getting additional benefits and for better or worse is the face of Ohio's recent dominance of the rivalry.
It's pretty easy to see why Michigan fans would check out of the Lions if Tressel got hired, being a sports fan is primarily an empotional experience and Tressel inspires very bad ones. There's also the fact that drafting a player on the basis of his talents will be hard to replicate from another source is a VERY different thing from hiring a position coach who most fans think are mostly interchangeable. The value proposition of drafting and re-signing Spielman was clear, not so much with Tressel and it therefore becomes very easy to interpret the hiring of Tressel as a "Screw you" to a significant portion of the Lions fan base and does illustrate a problem with the organization to some extent.
January 16th, 2014 at 10:56 AM ^
Hah! We wrote the same stuff at about the same time. Zany internets.
January 16th, 2014 at 11:43 AM ^
CLord your avatar is brilliant.
January 16th, 2014 at 10:52 AM ^
C'man, big diff.
Spielman was/is a good dude who never cheated and just played hard. Easy guy to root for as a player with the Lions. Less so now as an announcer, but still a decent chap.
Tressel? Never, ever. Park him in the 9th circle of Hell next to WIll Gholston and David Boston. He cheated and lied, and the images of the standing ovation he received at the Shoe a year later is a memory I'll never forget, and will probably always most clearly illustrate the difference in character between Michigan's fan base and Ohio's.
If he's some ancillary advisor in the shadows I'll continue to root for my beloved Lions but if he gets any prominent role or - shudder - becomes OC, then GO RAMS!!!!
January 16th, 2014 at 11:13 AM ^
Spielman was a great player from an era when the rivalry was still even or in Michigan's favor. HIs contributions to the Lions were easy to see and easy to admire.
Tressel was a lying cheating scumbag who owned Michigan on the field. All we will see is his stupid mug on the sideline each week and be reminded of a crappy period in the UM/OSU rivalry.
Its not that hard to figure out why someone might want to be a fan of one and not the other.
January 16th, 2014 at 11:44 AM ^