OT-Lions
What does everyone think of our improved Lions. by the looks of it mayhew knows what he is doing. the newest improvement is trading a wide receiver that was going to be cut after camp for a DT a position we need filling. what do you guys think will we be superbowl contendors in a couple years?
Superbowl contenders in a couple of years?!?!?!
I would be thrilled with 8-8 in a couple of years.
I am 24, thus do not remember the Lions past the first round... Fuck you Eagles
You don't remember the 1991 playoffs? I'm 24 as well and barely remember people being excited about the NFC title game.
i dont even remember them going to the playoffs so seeing them get to the first round will be something new for me
I'll assume 14 is your age... in which case, man you missed out on what was actually a pretty good decade for the Lions from 1990 to 2000.
haha naw i was just born in europe and moved here in 10 years ago. it took me a while to get adjusted to actually enjoying american sports compared to soccer
I like soccer, but nothing really compares to the excitement of college football saturday IMHE. Or Thursday night if you like that.
Live European soccer compares.
Win a game. Just 1.
game. Yeah, they got their asses kicked, but they at least won one playoff game. If nothing else I am old enough to have seen the greatest running back in NFL history - Barry Sanders. Jim Brown must have been incredible, but I ban't imagine anyone of that era stopping Sanders. He played behind the worst offensive lines of all time, but still gained more yards in a shorter span than anyone else playing for a perennial loser.
Barry was just incredible! He was a threat to make a highlight reel type of play like every 3 plays. I wish he would've stuck around for one more year and cemented what everyone around here knows and thats that he was better than Emmitt Smith. In my opinion BY FAR better!
lomas brown and kevin glover were extremely good.
Maybe im just drinking Master Ford's kool-aid, but I am REALLY optimistic about the Lions this year. Just sucks that every other team in the division got alot better also.
I'm optimistic that they and Michigan combine for double digit wins. Very optimistic.
The real question is, starting in 2008, how many years will it take the Lions to reach double digit wins? I'm setting the over/under at 3.5.
Over.
Ideally, we win 4-5 games this year, contend for the playoffs next season and are legit contenders in 2011. Will that happen? I have no idea. But, I have liked the additions of Johnson, Northcutt, Stafford, Pettigrew, Morris, Peterson and Foote. Next off season they will have to focus almost exclusively on the o line and d line and in the defensive backfield.
I think Jim Schwartz is a genius and I'm confident enough in Shack Harris' influence over the front office to think this will be turned around. I've considered myself a Baltimore Ravens fan since the late 90's, but I've always left the door open for the Lions and I'll gladly go back to them if they can show me just one sign of competence.
He's the NFL's version of a "Moneyball" coach and has an economics degree from Georgetown. I think the Lions finally made a cutting edge hire.
I like Jim Schwartz. Mayhew, Lewand & Harris? Not so much. It would be in the best interest of Lions fans that Schwartz pulls off a miracle this season and wins 6 or 7 games. That would enable him to wrestle away some of the control over player personnel decisions from the 3 headed monster. Historically, old man Ford has been willing to give considerable control over personnel decisions to the head coach. I trust Schwartz more than I do Mayhew, Harris or "Teflon Tommy" Lewand.
FACT: Shack Harris is the most experience personnel person in the Lions front office since Bill Tobin left in 2002. I'm familiar with him from following the Ravens, he was pivotal in building the 2000 Super Bowl team.
The job he did with the Jags was less than spectacular, imho.
The choice was him or Phil Savage. I think the right one was picked.
Savage turned Mayhew & Lewand down, actually. That was a smart move by him, imho. I will say that they all better watch out for Lewand. The dude has the reputation around the league as being a snake. He's tight with both the old man and Jr. He is not above trashing someone behind their backs to the Fords.
We can agree to disagree on Shack. I agree with your premise though, Schwartz has to have power to make decisions. The guy is a genius and I'd love to see his system fully implemented. I picture him eventually in the Shanahan/Belicheck coach/GM role.
I'm really high on Schwartz, too. I just hope to god that this wretched organization doesn't chew him up and spit him out like it has done to so many others before him. Lewand is the guy that worries me the most.
Lewand has way too much power for a guy running the finances of a team that is, allegedly, hemorrhaging money. He scares me too.
It's funny, if you look at the Lions hires since Moeller was (unfairly, ime) let go... the hot young assistant, the veteran winner with local ties, the steady defensive stalwart.... you have to figure at least one should have worked out. And yet here we are back at the hot young assistant. The Millen era was truly toxic.
Never forget...
Bobby Lane curse is over!! Matthew Stafford is from the same highschool, the stars are aligned!!!!
It seems like every year people are clamoring on how improved the Lions will be this year and then they proceed to blow it and look like a Pop Warner team at times. Then when the season ends the cycle starts over again.