Posted on 12/12/2006 10:07:00 AM PST by SunkenCiv
...With a record of 2-11, the silver-and-Honolulu blue are firmly entrenched at No. 32 on any power poll in this spiral arm of the galaxy. Entrenched, that is, until another loss drops them behind Ohio State, Florida and the Hamburg Sea Devils. Think it can't get worse? Hey, this is the Lions. NFL schedule makers saw fit to arrange the endgame Kitty Cats' so, so long season likewise: at the Green Bay Packers where the Lions haven't won since a guy named Brett Favre took over there (that's right, 1992); against the Chicago Bears in a game which figures to see Motor City backers immortalize the chant "Fire *&#!!%&ing Millen!"; and at the Dallas Cowboys , who on New Year's Eve will probably looking to bag the No. 2 seed in the NFC... Kevin Jones, who was knocked out of the loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, figures to be out for the remainder of the season... Pro Bowl nominee Shaun Rogers... was slapped by the commissioner after testing positive for steroids. The judgment had Rogers forcibly sitting out four games and giving up $250,000. Naturally, "Big Baby" was innocent, protesting that the positive test represented a product that the 354-pound Rogers used to help him control his weight. Or he has asthma. Or he thought they were Shawne Merriman's Pez. Or something... Team officials announced yesterday that WR Mike Williams - you remember him: the former first-round draft pick cum The Most Useless Player in the NFL Today - flunked a weigh-in. At 240 pounds, Williams only missed the target set by Rod Marinelli and Co. by 20. Though no punitive measures have been mentioned, any punishment would seem pointless other then some quality time on the bench... Fire &#!!%&ing Millen.
(Excerpt) Read more at realfootball365.com ...
Oh, and before some jackass brings it up, this isn't a thread about the time some of the Pacers went up into the stands to fistfight some Pistons fans. Thanks for your restraint.
I found your topic about Kitna while checking to see if this had been posted. Something I vaguely heard on the radio suggested that Millen had been fired, but I found nothing in a news seach, and then this blogger op-ed looked good.
Despite losses, Lions to stick with Kitna as QB
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2687402
Posted on 12/05/2006 3:48:31 PM EST by mainepatsfan
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1748892/posts
They're pretty much out of that race, they are for all intents and purposes two games behind the Saints with only three games to play.
The Sun rises in the East.
Water is wet.
The Lions suck.
Kitna is the least of the Lions problems. The Lions need an owner who wants to win.
Brady Quinn...
Ah yes, good old "Cocaine Wayne."
http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/story/9863840
"After out-coaching, out-hustling, and just flat out embarrassing the Cowboys at home -- spanking them with glee might be a more appropriate description -- the Saints put the league on notice."
Heh... sportswriters enjoy their jobs more than anyone I know.
The Lions don't suck, they just are not playing well enough to win. And haven't been for years. Marty won 5 in two seasons, Mooch won 6 in one season, or, as I term them, "the good old days"...
Hey, I thought there wasn't any good news...
Millen could be Motor-ing out of Detroit
By Adam Schefter
Special to NFL.com
http://www.nfl.com/nflnetwork/story/9865129
"Early indications are that Millen will be out just because Lions ownership knows that it cannot bring back Millen and expect its fans -- who are so disgruntled with him -- to continue supporting the team."
The problem is who wants Millen's job in Detroit?
I'd not be surprised, that's what this guy says:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1752340/posts?page=11#11
OTOH, the Lions have a knack for not having their draft picks pan out.
Finally! But it's way overdue. Have it been, what? Six years since Millen been ruining Detroit?
Millen's job? Lots of people. Head coach job? Different story. Millen's (long overdue) replacement has to be someone who can successfully entice an able coach into the bloodbath that the head coach job has become in Detroit under Millen (who was a lousy choice in the first place).
Darn, because my first reaction when reading a thread about the Lions is always to want to comment on Ben Wallace's hair.
The writer is off in concluding that Dallas will be playing for the #2 NFC seed. And look at the bright side, at least the Lions aren't the Texans.
Get rid of that Millen he has bad mojo.
All part of William Clay Ford's master plan to get the top draft pick, so he can get another kicker with it...
Six years, wow... during that time, Bobby Ross quit after five games, Gary Moeller was brought up from coordinator to head coach, then dumped after the season in favor of Marty Mornhinweg, a former ass't under Steve Mariucci, who replaced him after being fired by the 49ers, who was then fired the Monday after Thanksgiving 2005, and replaced with Dick Jauron (former Bears head coach), who won one game by the end of the season, and was replaced by Rod Marinelli, who will be coach for at least a few years I hope, just for the sake of continuity.
Since Kidna can't seem to see whether he's throwing to one of his own when it's far down the field, the entire game plan should be geared around a variety of short passes, with maybe two long pass plays.
That also would fit with the Lions' inability to stop a pass rush of any kind without drawing frequent and costly penalties. Hit the man, and stay in his way without holding him, nimrods.
Detroit should concentrate more on short gains, period, and more ground game football, and control of the ball for more time. Beating on the other teams' defenses is the classic way to own the second half.
Kidna can't seem to see when it's time to run the hell for even short gains. That was a failing of many a QB around the league, historically, so that's not much of a criticism. But he still needs to do more of that, since the pocket collapses so easily. That would actually lead to less pressure in the pocket, because the only reason defenses bring pressure is that they know he'll either stand there trying to find an open receiver, or throw an interception.
Receivers in Detroit aren't worthy of the name. They don't keep an eye on the QB, and can't hold onto the ball. This has been a big problem for the Lions since Moore and Perryman were both downfield.
Drummond is a great return man, but he needs to take a knee when he catches one in the end zone. He costs the Lions yards of field position pretty much every time he takes out of there. Hansen is another great player, and if the Lions could move the ball a little more, could have been put in position to win a couple more games this year.
Tackling is terrible, on all three sides of the ball (offense after an interception -- they also can't recover a fumble to save their lives -- defense of course, and special teams). That's the reason I think the whole team is high.
That ends my fulmination for the day.
Heh... yeah, exactly. Maybe the time has come to fire or trade everyone on the team, and the entire corporate hierarchy, and start a brand new team from scratch. Open tryouts for walkons can't be any worse than what they've been doing. ;'D
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