End of the Year Top 10 List of Doom

What am I counting down? WHAT EVER I WANT TO COUNTDOWN!

10. The Lions Madden Controller was cute, but I couldn’t laugh at it because it misspelled “Weird” as w-i-e-r-d. I understand the “I” before “E” except after “C” should have come into play with this one, but it didn’t.

9. Tim Tebow and the New York Jets… Read: Back-up/3rd string QB and the second fiddle major market team or Publicity Stunt and the Guy who has a foot fetish.

8.Clear Channel is to Radio what Hostess is to the Twinkie.

7.Tomas Holmstrom still hasn’t announced his retirement.

6. Calvin Johnson’s record (Formerly Jerry Rice’s) should be no less respected than Barry’s. Hearing Detroit sports radio callers say it was easier made me wish Clear Channel owned both sports stations in town.

5.When the NHL returns it will be without Nick Lidstrom and you’re still mad he won’t take a hometown discount. Think we can convince him to be motivated play 50 some odd games?

4. Maybe I’ll just take a knee here.

3. Will the NHL or Fiscal Cliff get solved? Which do you think happens first?

2. The Ilitches are still filthy rich. Detroit and its government are just lousy at running a city. (duh)

1. The USA and Canada play Sunday Morning at 4:30am EST on NHL Network and NHL.com, and I plan to wake up/ stay up to watch. Your move lock-out.

0. That’s how many more Piston games I am going to watch this year.

Expanding the NFL Playoffs; Not a Bad Thing.

Oh Puh-leez!

The NFL is talking about expanding it’s playoffs and people are pooh-poohing the idea!?

I can understand being against 18 regular season games…but the whole argument about this 14-16 teams watering down the NFL  post-season is a crock.

Yes, PLEASE remind me one more time of the 7-9 Seahawks making the playoffs. You know what nobody seems to bring up after they make that point?  The part where they knocked New Orleans OUT of the playoffs after just getting in.

What about that 11-5 2008 New England Patriots team that missed the playoffs?

You’re telling me the Playoffs might not have been different had they gotten in?

I’m not asking you to feel bad for these teams… and I won’t feel bad if the NFL doesn’t decide to expand it’s playoff perimeters. Just remember that the Seahawks were the exception not the rule, and I am perfectly OK with the Seahawks being in at 7-9 as a division winner. That’s how the NFL was set up. Win your division and you’re in. In fact, unless you win a very bad division, it would be nearly impossible to get in under .500 as a wild card.

If you fear that expanding the playoffs will allow more under .500 teams to get in, let me remind you the very fabric of the NFL is set up to where you’re going to have some very good teams jammed up in the middle of the pack.

In 2011, there were 8 teams that finished 8-8.

In 2010 the Giants and the Buccaneers both went 10-6 and MISSED the playoffs. Meanwhile the Packers DID get in at 10-6 and ended up winning the Superbowl.  In the AFC, the Chargers (9-7),  Raiders (8-8), and Jags (8-8) all missed the playoffs and were at or above .500.

In 2009 The Steelers, Falcons and Texans missed the playoffs at 9-7, and five other teams were 8-8.

The NFL is a pretty even footed league. Year-to-year there might be a couple teams at the top of the heap, but the section in the middle can often include some very talented teams… Teams that often miss the playoffs by a petty tie-breaker.

Adding a couple more middle of the pack teams won’t hurt the top of the heap’s achievements if you format the playoffs correctly, and you’ll have more fan bases tuned into their teams later in the season.

And just making the playoffs shouldn’t be considered an achievement anyhow, and you sure as heck shouldn’t hang a banner for it… (Looking at you Ford Field).

A Truly Dizzying Intellect. (Lions Logic)

I am not usually a gut feeling kind of guy. I don’t ignore my gut, but I generally like to factor in numbers and history before making a prediction.

That just doesn’t feel right this game. HA!

The Lions are not the same old Lions….but this upcoming game with the Packers feels all too familiar.

Heading into the game, word on the street is that the Lions will probably get roasted, and who am I to argue? I ‘m the guy who thought the Packers without Matt Flynn was a lock, once upon a time. Boy did that blow up in my face.

Still, my internal optimism machine built with a Lions logo on it reminds me the Packers are missing significant pieces of their defensive backfield.

Stafford and Johnson could hook up a TON!

How can you pick against the Lions?

Wait!.. is Aaron Rogers still playing?

Hmm… Ya, he’s never been super successful against the Lions. In fact we’ve knocked him around pretty good.

They’ve lost to the Titans, so we know the Lions can’t be very smart.

but they beat up Michael Vick the Eagles, so the Lions must be a little bit strong.

So I can’t pick the Lions, because that’s what you expect me to pick!

But I can’t pick the Packers, because surely you thought I would pick against what I actually wanted to pick, so the pick that I pick can’t be the pick you thought I would pick.

You know what they say, never bet on the Lions when football is involved.

Therefore I pick the Lions, because I’ve spent years building up an immunity to them.

Lions 27, Packers 24.

And because I watched the Princess Bride a couple days ago.

The Results Are In…

Ya, ya.

I am on again off again with this sports-blog thing.

MVP

This isn’t going to be a post where I proclaim that Miguel Cabrera was the right or wrong choice.

Miguel Cabrera is the American League MVP and a lot of people aren’t happy. If you’re one of  ’em?  Deal with it.

I have a problem with the way we Americans seem to be doing things lately; whether it be elections, American idol, or picking MVPs in sports.

Why can’t we just let the debate be settled when the results are in?

I don’t need you to be happy with the choice, but stop trying to discredit the choice after it’s already been made. Prior to the election, vote, or game; debate the merits, skills, flaws– whatever — to your heart’s content. THAT’S rational.

When it’s over, it is over. Accept it. Move on.

It’s like when Michigan and Michigan State play. The day after the game there are people with the audacity to debate the results. Why even play the game if nobody on the other side ever has to eat the humble pie?

Back to baseball, There is not going to be a recount to re-decide the MVP. You made your case (a damn good case) for Mike Trout leading up to the vote.  The people who decide that award, decided something different from your opinion. You guessed it! Move on!

“Shaggy” Matt Culbreath, a good friend of mine, suggested perhaps Angels fans would consider a petition to secede from the American League… but I don’t think the Angels could hack it as their own  independent  baseball league.

Nick Fairley Pulls a Mikel Leshoure

OK, so the Lions are apparently not a team full of players who learn from other people’s mistakes. Nick Fairley was arrested TODAY at 12:40pm. A day after it was found out that his Lions teammate had been arrested twice in 23 days for the same thing.

In the off season I said the Lions biggest improvement would come from the maturing process. Obviously they still have some growing up to do as individuals and I am more than certain this will be the case when they take the field in August.

I know driving can be stressful, but driving around with an illegal substance is probably one of the dumbest mistakes people make on a day to day basis.  Weed is illegal, but if you do choose to smoke it (and this goes for everybody, including pro athletes) is driving around with it really the best idea? If Fairley, Derrick Nix or Mikel Leshoure had just decided to smoke in their basement, nobody would ever know!

IT IS ILLEGAL, and ESPECIALLY as an athlete, an unnecessary risk to take.

SO FRUSTRATING.

By the way, don’t let them off the hook with “young and dumb.” Yes people make mistakes but for goodness sake I am 22 and I know what a bad idea sounds like.
From WKRG in Mobile, AL:  “Former Auburn defensive tackle Nick Fairley is use to running over quarterbacks on the field. Now he has run into trouble off the field.

Mobile police arrested Fairley on Morningside Drive at 12:40 p.m.

Police got a tip that Fairley was in possession of marijuana. They stopped the car around the corner from his mother’s house and found marijuana in the vehicle.

Fairley was booked into Metro Jail and charged with possession of marijuana 2nd. He bonded out just before 3:00 p.m.

Fairley graduated from Williamson High School and then played at Auburn where he won a BCS Championship in 2011. He was drafted in the first round by the Detroit Lions.”

Check Up!

As many will tell you, I am not a doctor, but here is a quick check up on Detroit sports.

Tigers

Opening day is Thursday already!?  It’s easy to get excited about the new look Detroit Tigers. The bats? The starting pitching? Heck even the bullpen looks poised to be improved.

Drew Smyly  has been named the Tigers’ fifth starter out of spring training after finally beating out Duane Below (Be-low) for the spot left open when the Tigers decided not to bring back Brad Penny (who went 11-11 and I contend did an adequate  job).  It is my prediction that he will not hold onto it for very long, though I am certainly OK with him getting the chance. It’s obvious to me whomever is in the fifth spot is just keeping the seat warm for Jacob Turner anyhow, but before you see Turner, I think you’ll see Below there.

It was also mentioned today, unfortunately not in the form of an April Fools day joke, that Brandon Inge could start the season on the DL. Inge has been out the last few days with a groin injury, which is ironic because a blunt force groin injury is exactly what it would feel like to a player replaced on the Tigers’ roster by Inge, if that in fact does happen. Inge is the serial killer in those slasher movies that will just not go away, or the Undertaker popping up when you think he’s down for the count.  Either way its a nightmare.

Pistons

While I openly admit that I haven’t sat and watched an entire Pistons game this season, I have been flipping over a lot more lately and I have to admit I like what I am seeing. I thought the season was going to be a complete disaster but it appears maybe, just maybe, Joe Dumars has a finger closer to the pulse of this team than we thought.

It’s clear to me that Tayshaun Prince needs to be the first one out the door at season’s end because he is not interested in the team.

Lot’s of talk about the Pistons playing themselves out of lottery balls, but I think they did the right thing by putting effort into this season, even if it did hurt their draft standing. When you have a team that is young like the Pistons are, asking them to tank is a good way to poison whatever future a player might have.

A very rare kudos from me to the Pistons.

Red Wings

Friday was a disaster, but Sunday’s victory over the Florida Panthers put the Wings fate back in their own hands. With three games to go the Red Wings lead Nashville by one point and Chicago by two (all three with the same amount of games remaining). That’s the good news.

The bad news is the sixth defenseman spot seems to be up for grabs, even after the position appeared to be filled when the Red Wings acquired Kyle Quincey for a first round pick at the deadline.  Quincey didn’t do himself any favors by getting called for a 5-minute charging penalty and a game misconduct on Sunday either. The hit could also draw a suspension from the league, which would give Kindl at least one more game to try and impress his way into a starting gig in the playoffs. Quincey is presumably the favorite to start on the third pairing when the playoffs start, but with the recent benching of “presumed starters” its hard to say anything is for sure.

Nothing to do with the Red Wings, but the Flyers and Penguins are on a collision course for the first round of the playoffs and things just got more interesting. Also, they still have one more to play!

 

Detroit Lions

Still dominating headlines and they haven’t played a a game since January. We long wondered what a winning football team would be like in the age of constant media coverage, and this is our answer. The Draft is coming up, but for once the Lions are too far to really venture a guess at a pick. This should be a year where they draft by need and not best player available, with focus on filling holes in the secondary, and freshening up that O-line.

Tim Tebow to the Jets

Tim Tebow is traded to the Jets from the Broncos for fourth and sixth round picks in the 2012 draft.

The Jets now have Mark Sanchez, Drew Stanton, and Tim Tebow.  Drew Stanton and Tim Tebow are actually remarkably similar players…I don’t have to point out the difference between these two though, do I?  Are the Jets looking to start some double option here?

Also a lot of talk about Tebow being some kind of slash….Still leaving room for the straight up fullback option.

Obviously what I am saying is ludicrous..

Or is it?

Ain’t No Saint: NFL Suspends Sean Payton, Saints Staff

Well the Saints are an ironically named team, aren’t they?

• Here is what the  Saints have earned as a punishment as a result of “Bounty Gates.”
• The New Orleans Saints are fined $500,000 and will lose its 2012 and 2013 second round draft picks.
• Head Coach Sean Payton is suspended for the year without pay, starting on April 1st. (no draft for him)
• General Manager Mickey Loomis is suspended without pay for the first eight regular season games of 2012.
• Current St. Louis Rams and former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is suspended indefinitely. His status will be reviewed at the end of the 2012 season.
• Saints’ assistant head coach Joe Vitt is barred the first six regular season games of 2012
• The individuals involved will be expected to  participate in programs that teach respect, fair play, and that bounties are wrong.

I think this sets a great precedent for the league and makes it very clear how the league feels about bounties. Players have gotten less for more (outside the NFL type of stuff, rape, murder, and dog fighting) but this type of stuff puts players on the offensive side of the ball in immediate dangers, and with Peyton Manning coming off a neck injury, there is no way the league wants this kind of stuff endangering players (not saying that Manning is specifically why they made the punishment this harsh).  Major League Baseball should consider this type of thing when a bunch of players connected to one team (cough! Yankees, cough!) get busted for steroids.

Tulloch Back for Five More

Tulloch back for five years

Numerous reports that Stephen Tulloch has signed back with the Detroit Lions for 5 more years. No factual numbers are out on the deal, but regardless of the numbers the Lions are bringing back 21 of 22 starters in 2012. Tulloch seals up the starting linebackers, but it probably also means the end of MAJOR off season additions not coming through the draft.

Mayhew (and the players) managed a difficult cap situation heading into free agency and came out with most of the same talent he started with. That’s a success with the Lions situation, believe it or not. Sure, there are still holes. BIG holes.  Holes you can now focus on using the draft to fill for the long term.  Offensive line and the secondary will HOPEFULLY be taking priority in next months draft. Running back is a hole too, but nobody knows how big it is.

The Lions weren’t exactly a success in the playoffs and didn’t add any different players, how are they going to get better?

Fair question. Jim Schwartz has been learning how to be a head coach, while in the process of the Lions learning how to win. Last year the team got into the playoffs on talent alone and often in spite of stupid penalties, dropped passes, and miscues on defense.

In 2012 Schwartz and his staff have to show that they developed these guys, the staff has to show that they tapped into that potential and turned it into productivity. It’s hard around here to demand more from a coach that got this franchise to the playoffs after years of futility, but without adding better players, you’re counting on the coaching staff to make the players better.

Five (plus) Things the Lions Didn’t Do When They Lost to the Saints

Ya, it is my “keys of the game.”

How did I not mention tackling in said keys to the game? Either way, Whomever is letting Louis Delmas teach the fundamentals of tackling should be slapped silly. He doesn’t wrap up, and neither does most of the Lions defense.

The Lions got beat by a better team, no excuse here, but there has to be something said about the officiating. I’ll let you say it below in the comments.

I’ll say nice things about them tomorrow….for now, here is a list of things the Lions didn’t do well.

5.  Matt Stafford has to be Matt Stafford:

Matt Stafford still looked good, but his back foot desperation heave was not exactly playing it cool, and it helped unravel the game. Not a failure, but not good enough to compete with Drew Brees….yet. Reminder: He’s 23 and a top 5 QB.

I am least worried about this one, but the times Stafford has struggled are the times the Lions have looked hapless.  Stafford has had the team on his back (sharing some of the weight with Calvin Johnson of course) all season and has looked nothing but comfortable with it. He came up big in Oakland when the Lions needed that win and he was superb in Green Bay. Sure he threw the interception at the end sealing the brutal loss at Lambeau, and a similar scenario could easily happen in a game with the Saints, but its hard to get down on a guy that threw five TDs for not throwing a sixth. In case you haven’t notice, he’s been a top 5 QB in the league.

4. Guys on offense have to catch the ball:

Calvin Johnson caught the ball…a lot. Will Heller got a TD? and nobody else was particularly good. Titus Young could of made a touch catch and didn’t, Pettigrew only having 4 catches is a shame.

It’s been easier to overlook this season than in years passed because Detroit did win 10 games, but there have been some absolutely brutal drops from the Lions receivers this season. First on that list is Brandon Pettigrew. Make no mistake about it Pettigrew is a huge part of the Lions “running game,”  so when he drops that wide open dink-n-dunk pass in the middle of the field, its very likely the Lions drive will stall.Despite having a case of the dropsies Pettigrew has been pretty reliable and he is a tough guy for defenses to take down when he makes catches.  Titus Young will be in a tough place to play as a number two rookie receiver. He hasn’t had a huge problem with drops but his emotions got the best of him last time out in the Superdome, so he might feel more pressure than he should coming into this one. Nate Burleson has proved he can catch the ball, but he runs with it so carelessly I worry he’ll fumble just about every time. Kevin Smith has had a hard time catching as of late it seems, so he would be a bonus.

3. Keeping penalty yardage to a minimum:

7 penalties for 64 yards isn’t bad by the Lions standard, but the Saints only had 3 for 18. Maybe that’s why they call them the Saints?

I am not optimistic on this one but that doesn’t mean it cannot be done. Obviously the last time these two teams played the personal foul problem came to a head, and since then it really hasn’t been much of an issue. The penalty issue however, is still there and the Saints are going to get plenty of yardage on their own without the Lions help. Keep it under 50 yards and the Lions can win this game.

2. The secondary need takeaways, and to just be visible on the field:

Mostly a giant failure. Four dropped picks, and the secondary in the second half was just absent.

Alphonso Smith was noticeably the worst player on the defense last week, and lets face it when he has a bad game he does it big (See New England game 2010). He also grabbed an INT for the Lions last week and has been reasonably anonymous the rest of the season (which is a good thing). With Aaron Berry going back on Saturday he’ll see reduced playing time but  Berry hasn’t had an interception thus far.  Normally I would give up interceptions for better coverage and in this case I have to assume they’ll spell one another, but the Lions defense  won’t be able to STOP Drew Brees, so they should be be trying to take the ball away from him.  Nobody stops Drew Brees.

1. The D-Line needs to have an influence on the game:

The D-Line had its moments, but just wasn’t good enough. Drew Brees had plenty of time to launch the ball 3 miles down field.

Heading into the 2011 season, there was talk of giving the defensive line a nick name. At the end of the season I must say there were games where I couldn’t name a player on the D-line that influenced the game. That can’t be the case this week, and I think everybody knows.  The Saints are said to have the best offensive line in the league,  but in the first five games of the season there was talk of the Lions D-line being of a very high caliber too. Well the stats don’t exactly back it up, but this group IS special. If the Lions get pressure on Drew Brees, that increases the odds he makes a mistake or two and that could be all the Lions need to out shoot the Saints in what is destined to be a shoot-out.

All hands are on deck for the playoffs, which means with the deep rotation the Saints O-Line won’t see much of a break. Nick Fairley had a great first half last time out against the Saints, and has basically disappeared since (he did re-injure his foot. Cliff Avril has quietly been the most consistent guy and if he has a stellar playoff he could sack himself into an even bigger payday than he is due. Ndamukong Suh has been a big name in 2011, but it hasn’t really been his play on the field… this could be a big stage for him to change that.