Okay, so we all know the whole Millen thing was a circus. And that's a good thing because the Millen REGIME has been even worse.
But the funniest part of the whole thing?
The Lions just may have cost themselves a shot at the quarterback they needed to sign next year: Unrestricted free agent Jon Kitna.
Do you really think Kitna, an established veteran with just a few more years left in the tank who's probably looking to be on a contending team, would want to come here after bearing witness to THAT atmosphere yesterday??
Sure, the Lions might have a competent, offensive-minded coach in place by next year and some O-line help, but that certainly didn't help the Lions' chances of signing Kitna next season.
They might have to overpay him to get him to come.
Other options? Kurt Warner (ugh), Josh McCown (not good enough), Joey Harrington (probably too risky), Orlovsky (not ready), Garcia (hahaha).
Batch? I don't know, but Kitna was the best option...
It'll be interesting to see if he even considers the Lions now.
Monday, December 19, 2005
Monday, December 12, 2005
How does 79-3 sound?
Okay, so that was a bad loss in Utah.
The technical foul monster got the best of the Stones again. I'm glad we don't have to watch horrible games like that as often as we did last year.
Maybe it would have been best for the Pistons to fall behind early and then make their run at the end instead of vice versa.
Still, why isn't Flip using the bench??
Ben Wallace is tough to pull out of a game, but tonight he simply didn't have it and he got frustrated in a hurry.
Might as well stick Dale Davis in there, he could have at least boxed out Kirilenko and Okur and Jarron Collins.
This happens every year with Ben getting nicked up, and it's Flip's job to tell him when he doesn't have it.
Still, we obviously can't complain with 15-3. It's been a brutal schedule thus far.
Back to the Palace...
The technical foul monster got the best of the Stones again. I'm glad we don't have to watch horrible games like that as often as we did last year.
Maybe it would have been best for the Pistons to fall behind early and then make their run at the end instead of vice versa.
Still, why isn't Flip using the bench??
Ben Wallace is tough to pull out of a game, but tonight he simply didn't have it and he got frustrated in a hurry.
Might as well stick Dale Davis in there, he could have at least boxed out Kirilenko and Okur and Jarron Collins.
This happens every year with Ben getting nicked up, and it's Flip's job to tell him when he doesn't have it.
Still, we obviously can't complain with 15-3. It's been a brutal schedule thus far.
Back to the Palace...
Monday, November 28, 2005
Mooch, We Hardly Knew Ye
It's certainly not all his fault. But I'm ecstatic that Mooch is gone.
I don't think I could take another week of his "5 yard pass on third-and-eight" offense.
It wasn't working. This press conference was destined to happen from the get-go. Mooch was never going to lead us to a Super Bowl. His flaws were evident in San Francisco.
That being said, I was mildly happy when we hired him. I thought he would at least lead us to respectability and then be canned when he failed to take us to the next level.
I thought the Jeff Garcia comments were VERY telling on Mooch. He said he liked Mooch as a coach and that he thought he could get the job done here...but at the same time acknowledged he ran a soft camp and that such a camp was a bad thing for rookies (not to mention young players) and may have led to their undisciplined, lazy attitudes.
That's why I think it was a good idea to can Mooch now. We need to crack the whip on these young guys, especially the receivers, and get them to understand what being an NFL player is all about again. No more "freshening up," no more toking up, JUST SUCK IT UP, shut the hell up, stop dancing when you're down double digits, and earn your paycheck for a damn change.
Jauron isn't a disciplinarian exactly but he is a well-respected coach who will command the players' attention and not settle for insubordination.
Matt Millen is still a joke, obviously. He tried to dance around and crack jokes when asked to evaluate his own performance as GM, but the media obviously wasn't buying it.
I also find it funny that Millen has completely contradicted himself and his philosophy these past few years. He's a tough guy linebacker who talked about needing to bring in more "rats," i.e. tough guy, lunchbucket-style players in his mold. And what did he do? He drafted a bunch of fast linebackers that can't tackle or take on blocks reliably like Teddy Lehman, Boss Bailey, and James "Dirty from getting knocked on his ass all game" Davis.
He built around finesse players with a pourous offensive line. And he hired Jauron to coordinate the defense, one of the least aggressive guys around.
Look at the Bears: They might not have as much overall speed and talent as the Lions but they're built the RIGHT WAY, around the running game and in the trenches. And they have a coach who's aggressive on defense and doesn't mess around with the dink-and-dunk crap on offense. He runs the ball and goes for the occasional big play.
Millen said he thought the Lions had the talent to get the job done. We'll see...I still don't think they're a 4-7-caliber team, especially in this division. I think the switches, especially Greg Olsen to Offensive Coordinator, will benefit them in the short term.
But they still have to play Pittsburgh and the Bengals, so don't worry about our draft position slipping too much.
Fight on, blind Lions. You'll find that zebra carcass someday...
I don't think I could take another week of his "5 yard pass on third-and-eight" offense.
It wasn't working. This press conference was destined to happen from the get-go. Mooch was never going to lead us to a Super Bowl. His flaws were evident in San Francisco.
That being said, I was mildly happy when we hired him. I thought he would at least lead us to respectability and then be canned when he failed to take us to the next level.
I thought the Jeff Garcia comments were VERY telling on Mooch. He said he liked Mooch as a coach and that he thought he could get the job done here...but at the same time acknowledged he ran a soft camp and that such a camp was a bad thing for rookies (not to mention young players) and may have led to their undisciplined, lazy attitudes.
That's why I think it was a good idea to can Mooch now. We need to crack the whip on these young guys, especially the receivers, and get them to understand what being an NFL player is all about again. No more "freshening up," no more toking up, JUST SUCK IT UP, shut the hell up, stop dancing when you're down double digits, and earn your paycheck for a damn change.
Jauron isn't a disciplinarian exactly but he is a well-respected coach who will command the players' attention and not settle for insubordination.
Matt Millen is still a joke, obviously. He tried to dance around and crack jokes when asked to evaluate his own performance as GM, but the media obviously wasn't buying it.
I also find it funny that Millen has completely contradicted himself and his philosophy these past few years. He's a tough guy linebacker who talked about needing to bring in more "rats," i.e. tough guy, lunchbucket-style players in his mold. And what did he do? He drafted a bunch of fast linebackers that can't tackle or take on blocks reliably like Teddy Lehman, Boss Bailey, and James "Dirty from getting knocked on his ass all game" Davis.
He built around finesse players with a pourous offensive line. And he hired Jauron to coordinate the defense, one of the least aggressive guys around.
Look at the Bears: They might not have as much overall speed and talent as the Lions but they're built the RIGHT WAY, around the running game and in the trenches. And they have a coach who's aggressive on defense and doesn't mess around with the dink-and-dunk crap on offense. He runs the ball and goes for the occasional big play.
Millen said he thought the Lions had the talent to get the job done. We'll see...I still don't think they're a 4-7-caliber team, especially in this division. I think the switches, especially Greg Olsen to Offensive Coordinator, will benefit them in the short term.
But they still have to play Pittsburgh and the Bengals, so don't worry about our draft position slipping too much.
Fight on, blind Lions. You'll find that zebra carcass someday...
Saturday, November 26, 2005
Tommy A's bunch beats Butler
I dont know...Michigan and 2-2 (now 2-3) Butler were tied 70-70 late in the game before the Wolverines pulled it out.
Dion Harris has plantar fasciatis a la Rasheed a couple of years ago, that could be a tough injury.
I'm not too crazy about Tommy Ball, especially on the offensive side of things. There still doesn't seem to be much flow or much of a philosophy besides passing the ball in circles and launching.
I just hope we sneak into the tourney this year, I've been longing to see Michigan in the tourney since Tractor and company busted into it back in 1998 and choked against UCLA...
Michigan will need to rack up at least 9-10 NC wins because their early Big Ten schedule is tough.
That is all....too bad Notre Dame held on against Stanford...
I think Oregon and OSU and even Auburn definitely deserve to be in over the Irish, whose best three wins are BYU, Navy, and oh yeah, Michigan...sigh.
But they'll be in. They get special treatment. Not that Michigan hasn't in the past but it's still not right.
Dion Harris has plantar fasciatis a la Rasheed a couple of years ago, that could be a tough injury.
I'm not too crazy about Tommy Ball, especially on the offensive side of things. There still doesn't seem to be much flow or much of a philosophy besides passing the ball in circles and launching.
I just hope we sneak into the tourney this year, I've been longing to see Michigan in the tourney since Tractor and company busted into it back in 1998 and choked against UCLA...
Michigan will need to rack up at least 9-10 NC wins because their early Big Ten schedule is tough.
That is all....too bad Notre Dame held on against Stanford...
I think Oregon and OSU and even Auburn definitely deserve to be in over the Irish, whose best three wins are BYU, Navy, and oh yeah, Michigan...sigh.
But they'll be in. They get special treatment. Not that Michigan hasn't in the past but it's still not right.
Monday, November 21, 2005
The BCS Really Works!!
Or at least that's what they say after Texas gets done thrashing the rest of the Little 12 and USC falls behind UCLA before putting up 70 on them in the second half.
I fail to see how "the system works" simply because it is smart enough to pick two undefeated major conference teams when they're the only two left standing.
As for Michigan, this whole thing doesn't really apply to them and won't as long as Lloyd Carr is here, or at least fires his underacheiving assistants.
Prevent defense prevents you from winning. Period. You'd think Jim Hermann would have realized this after losing two games and nearly blowing three others with the exact same strategy.
Can someone please tell me why Michigan only brings out its blitz packages approximately one or two games PER SEASON?
Has Hermann noticed that EVERY SINGLE TIME he does it, it WORKS and WORKS WELL???
Look at the Michigan plays defense and compare it to SEC teams like LSU and Auburn or Ohio State.
The biggest problem isn't lack of speed, it's a complete and utter lack of BALLS by the defensive coaches. Almost every stop Michigan gets is the result of the other team NOT EXECUTING it's own offense.
And the tackling? Ohio State wraps up, Michigan doesn't. Story of the game and the rivalry these past few years.
End of discussion....but then again, that's all been said countless times before. Only LLoyd can do something about it.
But, as yes-man Jimmy Brandstatter said on M Replay, we had a "great season." Yep, terrific. Michigan has become Ohio State AND Notre Dame's (personal property)
Hail to the Victors indeed.
I fail to see how "the system works" simply because it is smart enough to pick two undefeated major conference teams when they're the only two left standing.
As for Michigan, this whole thing doesn't really apply to them and won't as long as Lloyd Carr is here, or at least fires his underacheiving assistants.
Prevent defense prevents you from winning. Period. You'd think Jim Hermann would have realized this after losing two games and nearly blowing three others with the exact same strategy.
Can someone please tell me why Michigan only brings out its blitz packages approximately one or two games PER SEASON?
Has Hermann noticed that EVERY SINGLE TIME he does it, it WORKS and WORKS WELL???
Look at the Michigan plays defense and compare it to SEC teams like LSU and Auburn or Ohio State.
The biggest problem isn't lack of speed, it's a complete and utter lack of BALLS by the defensive coaches. Almost every stop Michigan gets is the result of the other team NOT EXECUTING it's own offense.
And the tackling? Ohio State wraps up, Michigan doesn't. Story of the game and the rivalry these past few years.
End of discussion....but then again, that's all been said countless times before. Only LLoyd can do something about it.
But, as yes-man Jimmy Brandstatter said on M Replay, we had a "great season." Yep, terrific. Michigan has become Ohio State AND Notre Dame's (personal property)
Hail to the Victors indeed.
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
The Anti-Raptors!
That's right, your Detroit Pistons are now 7-0 after a come from behind win against the Boston Celtics, who I still hate by the way (just for the record).
I told my friend in class as we watched the Pistons go down at halftime just before we left to go home that we would rally and win it in the second half.
The Pistons flat sleepwalked right through the first half. How else do you explain Boston shooting 66%?
Strictly effort.
The Pistons may not go to work every night like they used to, at least not for the whole game. But against most teams, they won't have to.
The John L. Smith "WHERE'S YOUR COACH!!!?" Award of the...Night, I guess, goes to Doc Rivers (or should I just call him Dopey?).
The Celtics' resident mastermind put DAN DICKAU of all people on Chauncey Billups in the second half. Not surprisingly, Chauncey abused him and ended up with 24 and 10 assists. I know the Celtics don't have many options at the point, but putting Dan Dickau on Billups is pure idiocy.
Of course, it's Danny Ainge's fault for signing the likes of Dickau and Brian Scalabrine in the offseason for no apparent reason. But the Rivers-Ainge combo is right up there with the all-time worsts, such as....
hmm..
oh yeah, Millen and Mariucci. Should I go on and list more? Nah, I think you get the point loud and clear.
Back to the reason why I hate the Celtics. Ricky "Just rolled out of bed, smoked two blunts and now I'm gonna shoot at my own basket to get a triple-double" Davis is one of them, but Paul Pierce is the primary one.
The guy is the embodient of everything wrong with the NBA. Talks a bunch of noise, this time about Tayshaun Prince of all people, goes out and eventually helps his team to a nice lead, acts like the game's over, and then proceeds to end up losing and completely changes his attitude to one of quiet resignation by the end
He shows up for about half of the Celtics' 82 games, the other half of the time he spends jacking up shots and honing his anti-ref glare.
How about the play in the fourth with the game still in the balance, where Pierce slashed in and got swatted by Ben Wallace? The insant Ben's paw hit ball, he was glaring at the refs.
The Pistons broke out and got a dunk before he could even stop his bitching.
Priceless. It's a great time to be a Pistons fan.
Perhaps if Detroit can put together a 60-win regular season and keep this winning streak going for a little while, they will finally get the respect they deserve as a special team by the media.
Come to think of it, one of the reasons they've never been perceived as such is because the most wins they've had in the Joe D era is 54.
They could win 60, the question is, do they want to? They might have to with Indy breathing down their neck.
Or not, considering the way they turn it up in the playoffs.
I told my friend in class as we watched the Pistons go down at halftime just before we left to go home that we would rally and win it in the second half.
The Pistons flat sleepwalked right through the first half. How else do you explain Boston shooting 66%?
Strictly effort.
The Pistons may not go to work every night like they used to, at least not for the whole game. But against most teams, they won't have to.
The John L. Smith "WHERE'S YOUR COACH!!!?" Award of the...Night, I guess, goes to Doc Rivers (or should I just call him Dopey?).
The Celtics' resident mastermind put DAN DICKAU of all people on Chauncey Billups in the second half. Not surprisingly, Chauncey abused him and ended up with 24 and 10 assists. I know the Celtics don't have many options at the point, but putting Dan Dickau on Billups is pure idiocy.
Of course, it's Danny Ainge's fault for signing the likes of Dickau and Brian Scalabrine in the offseason for no apparent reason. But the Rivers-Ainge combo is right up there with the all-time worsts, such as....
hmm..
oh yeah, Millen and Mariucci. Should I go on and list more? Nah, I think you get the point loud and clear.
Back to the reason why I hate the Celtics. Ricky "Just rolled out of bed, smoked two blunts and now I'm gonna shoot at my own basket to get a triple-double" Davis is one of them, but Paul Pierce is the primary one.
The guy is the embodient of everything wrong with the NBA. Talks a bunch of noise, this time about Tayshaun Prince of all people, goes out and eventually helps his team to a nice lead, acts like the game's over, and then proceeds to end up losing and completely changes his attitude to one of quiet resignation by the end
He shows up for about half of the Celtics' 82 games, the other half of the time he spends jacking up shots and honing his anti-ref glare.
How about the play in the fourth with the game still in the balance, where Pierce slashed in and got swatted by Ben Wallace? The insant Ben's paw hit ball, he was glaring at the refs.
The Pistons broke out and got a dunk before he could even stop his bitching.
Priceless. It's a great time to be a Pistons fan.
Perhaps if Detroit can put together a 60-win regular season and keep this winning streak going for a little while, they will finally get the respect they deserve as a special team by the media.
Come to think of it, one of the reasons they've never been perceived as such is because the most wins they've had in the Joe D era is 54.
They could win 60, the question is, do they want to? They might have to with Indy breathing down their neck.
Or not, considering the way they turn it up in the playoffs.
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Flipping the switch
I'm really liking what I'm seeing from the new-look Pistons.
If anything, they're certainly a lot more fun to watch.
The fast break just might revolutionize the way this team plays offense.
They're built for speed. Even the big guys can run, in most cases far faster than the other team's bigs.
And Rasheed is the best outlet passer in the game. He joked that he'd like to QB the Lions and at this point, he might actually be better than One Joseph Heisman, who knows.
I'd really like to see Flip implement the bench more like he said he would, however. So far it's been mostly Mo Evans, Dyess, and Arroyo.
I'd like to see Delfino and The Dark One get in some more soon.
I think we'll see them more as the season progresses and the starters get tired, but right now they're rolling so well that it doesn't make sense to break a good thing up.
The regular season is paramount this year. Indy is a terrific regular season team, and if they beat out Detroit, they get a top seed and we get the fourth.
It's a tough tightrope for Flip to walk, but we should start to see the bench more.
I'm just hoping Delfino and Darko don't go into pout mode like they have in the past. We'll find out a lot about them this year whether they play a lot or not.
Tonight, the Pistons will pay back the Suns for last year's fluke win.
Without Amare up front, they will be no match for the Wallaces.
101-90 Pistons.
If anything, they're certainly a lot more fun to watch.
The fast break just might revolutionize the way this team plays offense.
They're built for speed. Even the big guys can run, in most cases far faster than the other team's bigs.
And Rasheed is the best outlet passer in the game. He joked that he'd like to QB the Lions and at this point, he might actually be better than One Joseph Heisman, who knows.
I'd really like to see Flip implement the bench more like he said he would, however. So far it's been mostly Mo Evans, Dyess, and Arroyo.
I'd like to see Delfino and The Dark One get in some more soon.
I think we'll see them more as the season progresses and the starters get tired, but right now they're rolling so well that it doesn't make sense to break a good thing up.
The regular season is paramount this year. Indy is a terrific regular season team, and if they beat out Detroit, they get a top seed and we get the fourth.
It's a tough tightrope for Flip to walk, but we should start to see the bench more.
I'm just hoping Delfino and Darko don't go into pout mode like they have in the past. We'll find out a lot about them this year whether they play a lot or not.
Tonight, the Pistons will pay back the Suns for last year's fluke win.
Without Amare up front, they will be no match for the Wallaces.
101-90 Pistons.
Monday, November 07, 2005
Now what??
Where do the Lions go from here?
Would it be better to sneak in the backdoor of the playoffs or to just tank it and go for the draft pick?
This year's draft is stacked. Reggie Bush sure would look a lot better than Shawnny Bryson on those three-yard passes, wouldn't he?
D'Brickashaw Ferguson could be the franchise left tackle the Lions have lacked for so long.
Vince Young could be...just about anything EXCEPT left tackle and be damn good at it.
The bottom line is this: Steve Mariucci ain't going to lead the Lions to a Super Bowl.
Best case scenario is he'll lead them right back where they were before Millen took over, which is exactly what Millen swore he would avoid back then.
The only option is to either cut him off and put in whatever coach on the staff is most aggressive (or one of their wives perhaps, judging by the ways these guys call games) to start putting in a real offense that suits these players.
It would also have to be the guy who is the biggest disciplinarian, someone who can get the "Three Divas" going and not accept their laziness.
Dick Jauron doesn't fit either option well, but is does better than Mooch.
Otherwise, the best option, yet again, is to tank the season.
We just might be right back where we started.
Millen said after the game that the mess was his fault and Mooch wasn't to blame...yeah right.
This is almost all on Mooch, with an assist from the Lions' old nemesis, the injury bug.
The Bears should finish about 8-8 with their easy schedule. The Lions won't finish better, and they don't have the tiebreaker.
Enjoy the rest of the season, folks.
Would it be better to sneak in the backdoor of the playoffs or to just tank it and go for the draft pick?
This year's draft is stacked. Reggie Bush sure would look a lot better than Shawnny Bryson on those three-yard passes, wouldn't he?
D'Brickashaw Ferguson could be the franchise left tackle the Lions have lacked for so long.
Vince Young could be...just about anything EXCEPT left tackle and be damn good at it.
The bottom line is this: Steve Mariucci ain't going to lead the Lions to a Super Bowl.
Best case scenario is he'll lead them right back where they were before Millen took over, which is exactly what Millen swore he would avoid back then.
The only option is to either cut him off and put in whatever coach on the staff is most aggressive (or one of their wives perhaps, judging by the ways these guys call games) to start putting in a real offense that suits these players.
It would also have to be the guy who is the biggest disciplinarian, someone who can get the "Three Divas" going and not accept their laziness.
Dick Jauron doesn't fit either option well, but is does better than Mooch.
Otherwise, the best option, yet again, is to tank the season.
We just might be right back where we started.
Millen said after the game that the mess was his fault and Mooch wasn't to blame...yeah right.
This is almost all on Mooch, with an assist from the Lions' old nemesis, the injury bug.
The Bears should finish about 8-8 with their easy schedule. The Lions won't finish better, and they don't have the tiebreaker.
Enjoy the rest of the season, folks.
Monday, October 24, 2005
Garcia guides Lions to victory
October 23,2005 was the day the Lions moved on. After 4 years of patiently waiting for Harrington, the 3rd pick in the 2001 draft to pan out, the Lions finally said "what are we doing, this guy sucks." Well, thats not exactly what Mooch said, but I am pretty sure thats what he was thinking. I find it funny that the Lions drafted a reciever three years in a row thinking the reason Harrington sucks is because the recievers suck, boy were they wrong. Yesterday, Jeff Garcia had a great game when his recievers were Scotty Vines, Mike Williams, Kevin Johnson until he got injured, and Pollard. Imagine what can happen when all the "big 3" are healthy. No excuses now, Joey.
Going further into yesterday's game, I was pleased with the defense. Boss Bailey really impressed me, but the defensive player of the game should be Dick Jauron. Jauron consistently made the right change/adjustment to shut down the Cleveland Browns pass game while containing the run. Everything he did made sense, unlike some past lion coardinaters. I'm happy to see Cory Schlesinger back in the game. Garcia found him numerous times with the checkdown and Cory gained positive yardage, hes always hard to bring down. A big upgrade over Paul Smith. Maybe the Lions offense didnt finish there chances efficiently, but they scored just enough to grab this game. Player of the game goes to Jeff Garcia: Maybe the Lions offense didnt finish there chances efficiently, but they scored just enough to grab this game. I dont know if 4 years watching Harrington miss an open reciever in the corner of the end zone has warped my perception on what a good game is, but I know Garcia played well.
Next week the Bears come into D-town to decide who is number one in the NFC north. Quite a feat to accomplish.
GO LIONS!!!!
Going further into yesterday's game, I was pleased with the defense. Boss Bailey really impressed me, but the defensive player of the game should be Dick Jauron. Jauron consistently made the right change/adjustment to shut down the Cleveland Browns pass game while containing the run. Everything he did made sense, unlike some past lion coardinaters. I'm happy to see Cory Schlesinger back in the game. Garcia found him numerous times with the checkdown and Cory gained positive yardage, hes always hard to bring down. A big upgrade over Paul Smith. Maybe the Lions offense didnt finish there chances efficiently, but they scored just enough to grab this game. Player of the game goes to Jeff Garcia: Maybe the Lions offense didnt finish there chances efficiently, but they scored just enough to grab this game. I dont know if 4 years watching Harrington miss an open reciever in the corner of the end zone has warped my perception on what a good game is, but I know Garcia played well.
Next week the Bears come into D-town to decide who is number one in the NFC north. Quite a feat to accomplish.
GO LIONS!!!!
Inactivity
Hey readers, all of us here at DSS are really very sorry for not posting and just plain not being active. Its been a busy couple weeks for us, ever since school started things have gotten out of control. I just wanted to tell you that we will be making a full recovery, dont give up on us. Expect frequent postings from now on out. Again, sorry for the lack of posting, we ask you to forgive us. Thanks for sticking with us.
Sunday, October 02, 2005
It's a shame somebody had to lose....
But that somebody, as it often has been, was Michigan State.
You have to wonder what John L. Smith was thinking with that hook-and-ladder play at the end of the game when all MSU needed was another 15-20 yard pass to set up for a field goal. Sometimes he's a bit too wacky for his own good.
I also wonder why he didn't give Stanton more chances to run.
As for my Wolverines, I guess Mike Hart does mean a lot to this team, doesn't he?
Kevin Grady and Max Martin will both be good running backs, but at this point they are severely lacking in the vision and ballhandling departments which are critical with Michigan's banged-up O-line.
Hart's performance was legendary. He fired up the team both on the field and on the sidelines and his tenacity was contagious.
That's eight out of ten for Michigan in the series.
The Big Ten race is wide open. Let's hope MSU can take out the Buckeyes in two weeks.
You have to wonder what John L. Smith was thinking with that hook-and-ladder play at the end of the game when all MSU needed was another 15-20 yard pass to set up for a field goal. Sometimes he's a bit too wacky for his own good.
I also wonder why he didn't give Stanton more chances to run.
As for my Wolverines, I guess Mike Hart does mean a lot to this team, doesn't he?
Kevin Grady and Max Martin will both be good running backs, but at this point they are severely lacking in the vision and ballhandling departments which are critical with Michigan's banged-up O-line.
Hart's performance was legendary. He fired up the team both on the field and on the sidelines and his tenacity was contagious.
That's eight out of ten for Michigan in the series.
The Big Ten race is wide open. Let's hope MSU can take out the Buckeyes in two weeks.
Monday, September 26, 2005
Panic in A-Squared
I just saw the matchup on the TV screen at halftime of the Tennessee-LSU game:
Michigan vs. 11 Michigan State.
Such a strange sight seeing Michigan unranked, and, quite frankly, infuriating.
Maybe Michigan fans were a bit spoiled after all, taking for granted that Michigan would automatically get 9 or 10 wins every season.
Everybody's been chiming in lately with their theories as to why Michigan has slipped so far this season: the mailman, the old lady who knits during the games in the wine and cheese section, that guy at the office who watches about 10 minutes of football a week.
Since almost everything's been said, I'll offer one of my theories in regards to their offensive problems.
Hint: It's not lack of speed. It's not lack of passion or leadership.
The biggest reason why Michigan's offense sputters so often at the most important times is because of space; or rather lack thereof.
Watch Michigan closely and you will see the fundamental difference between them and most other offenses: almost everything they do occurs in a tightly congested area.
There is little attempt to spread the field, little attempt to clear out space other than the old fashioned way of moving people off the ball with the offensive line or with the play-action pass.
This is not to say the pro-style offense with a fullback and a tight end and two wide receivers is past its prime. If it can work in the pros with all of their speed and advanced schemes, it certainly can work in college football.
Teams around the country are experimenting with spread offenses and option, yet the best offense in the country at USC still runs the good old pro-style offense.
What does USC do that Michigan doesn't (excluding the fact that they obviously have better players, although the difference isn't as far as it looks)?
They move the pocket. They vary the types of passes and passing plays (lobs, short timing routes, slants, different-step drops). They do things to space the field. It's not so much the fact that USC throws more deep passes than Michigan that makes them so great, it's how they use the threat of the deep pass to open up the field.
A deep pass doesn't have to be 40-50 yards, just a large chunk of yardage that has the potential to get behind the defense and go for a big play.
Teams are so worried about being beaten deep that they will leave the center of the field open. USC knows it and sends backs and tight ends out into this space and can pick up easy yards, including yards after the catch.
When was the last time Michigan got good yards after the catch off of a short pass? They don't do it very often, because they don't send enough people deep to clear out space. Instead, they prefer to send their wideouts on short hitch passes, which can be easy to complete but:
A) Don't allow for yards after the catch excepting a great individual play
and
B) Don't scare the opposing secondaries because they know that the majority of the time, those receivers will not be going deep.
So what if they get beat once. What are the odds that it will happen again? Certainly not nearly the same as if they were facing USC or California or Miami.
Look at Notre Dame against Michigan State. They threw deep ball after deep ball, eventually opening up the field for the underneath pass to chew up huge yards when they needed it.
How many times has Michigan gone into a game against a mediocre secondary and been projected to torch that secondary, only to have their passing game contained?
A deep ball or route that doesn't work is not a wasted play, it adds to the threat and puts the defensive backs on their heels. It shakes their confidence, which is the key to playing DB well.
Granted, Michigan needs to complete more deep passes to get people to respect that threat first.
But they had the ultimate deep pass catcher last year in Braylon Edwards and still were shut down in key situations, because of the way Michigan used him.
They sent him on far too many five-yard hitch routes, which is a waste of his talent and diminishes his threat. Those routes are freely available and gain more yards after you establish the deep threat.
Throw in the fact that Michigan rarely moves the pocket with Chad Henne (which they vowed to do now that he knows the playbook), rarely runs more than one type of screen play (the sideline one), and rarely runs outside, and you've got a team that is very easy to defend because almost all of the action is in the center of the field, and there is very little attempt to create space for its playmakers.
And when defenders don't have to honor the deep pass, they're closer to the line, hurting the run game.
It's one thing to get the ball to your playmakers as Terry Malone has often said he wanted to do, but it's another to actually get it to them with the space to do something with it.
When is the last time Steve Breaston got the ball in space? Every time he gets the ball on a short pass, he is immediately tackled. The one time I can remember him getting the ball in space against Oregon, he shook the defender and ran in untouched.
It's not that Michigan's basic schemes don't work, but they can be shut down for long stretches because of a lack of creativity and diversity.
As great as Michigan looked against Texas in the Rose Bowl, that doesn't excuse the Michigan State game last year, when just about everything they tried was stuffed by a mediocre defense.
Or the Minnesota game two years ago, when Michigan was completely shut down through three quarters by another mediocre defense.
Or against Purdue last year, when Michigan couldn't do much against a young, vulnerable, and overrated Boilermaker defense.
College football is a game of mismatches. There are average, flawed players hidden amongst the great ones.
All over the field, there are opportunities to exploit. But you can't exploit them unless you give players the space to do it in.
The Michigan coaches like to use this quote from Rudyard Kipling's poem "The Law of the Wolves" for motivation:
The strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack.
They know that football, both offensive and defensive, is all about numbers. The most important thing defensive principle is to swarm to the ball.
So why do they insist on running and throwing short passes into a pack of wolves every game, when they could spread them out, keep them on their heels, and attack them one by one?
Why do they make it easy for opposing defenses to gang up on them?
Michigan vs. 11 Michigan State.
Such a strange sight seeing Michigan unranked, and, quite frankly, infuriating.
Maybe Michigan fans were a bit spoiled after all, taking for granted that Michigan would automatically get 9 or 10 wins every season.
Everybody's been chiming in lately with their theories as to why Michigan has slipped so far this season: the mailman, the old lady who knits during the games in the wine and cheese section, that guy at the office who watches about 10 minutes of football a week.
Since almost everything's been said, I'll offer one of my theories in regards to their offensive problems.
Hint: It's not lack of speed. It's not lack of passion or leadership.
The biggest reason why Michigan's offense sputters so often at the most important times is because of space; or rather lack thereof.
Watch Michigan closely and you will see the fundamental difference between them and most other offenses: almost everything they do occurs in a tightly congested area.
There is little attempt to spread the field, little attempt to clear out space other than the old fashioned way of moving people off the ball with the offensive line or with the play-action pass.
This is not to say the pro-style offense with a fullback and a tight end and two wide receivers is past its prime. If it can work in the pros with all of their speed and advanced schemes, it certainly can work in college football.
Teams around the country are experimenting with spread offenses and option, yet the best offense in the country at USC still runs the good old pro-style offense.
What does USC do that Michigan doesn't (excluding the fact that they obviously have better players, although the difference isn't as far as it looks)?
They move the pocket. They vary the types of passes and passing plays (lobs, short timing routes, slants, different-step drops). They do things to space the field. It's not so much the fact that USC throws more deep passes than Michigan that makes them so great, it's how they use the threat of the deep pass to open up the field.
A deep pass doesn't have to be 40-50 yards, just a large chunk of yardage that has the potential to get behind the defense and go for a big play.
Teams are so worried about being beaten deep that they will leave the center of the field open. USC knows it and sends backs and tight ends out into this space and can pick up easy yards, including yards after the catch.
When was the last time Michigan got good yards after the catch off of a short pass? They don't do it very often, because they don't send enough people deep to clear out space. Instead, they prefer to send their wideouts on short hitch passes, which can be easy to complete but:
A) Don't allow for yards after the catch excepting a great individual play
and
B) Don't scare the opposing secondaries because they know that the majority of the time, those receivers will not be going deep.
So what if they get beat once. What are the odds that it will happen again? Certainly not nearly the same as if they were facing USC or California or Miami.
Look at Notre Dame against Michigan State. They threw deep ball after deep ball, eventually opening up the field for the underneath pass to chew up huge yards when they needed it.
How many times has Michigan gone into a game against a mediocre secondary and been projected to torch that secondary, only to have their passing game contained?
A deep ball or route that doesn't work is not a wasted play, it adds to the threat and puts the defensive backs on their heels. It shakes their confidence, which is the key to playing DB well.
Granted, Michigan needs to complete more deep passes to get people to respect that threat first.
But they had the ultimate deep pass catcher last year in Braylon Edwards and still were shut down in key situations, because of the way Michigan used him.
They sent him on far too many five-yard hitch routes, which is a waste of his talent and diminishes his threat. Those routes are freely available and gain more yards after you establish the deep threat.
Throw in the fact that Michigan rarely moves the pocket with Chad Henne (which they vowed to do now that he knows the playbook), rarely runs more than one type of screen play (the sideline one), and rarely runs outside, and you've got a team that is very easy to defend because almost all of the action is in the center of the field, and there is very little attempt to create space for its playmakers.
And when defenders don't have to honor the deep pass, they're closer to the line, hurting the run game.
It's one thing to get the ball to your playmakers as Terry Malone has often said he wanted to do, but it's another to actually get it to them with the space to do something with it.
When is the last time Steve Breaston got the ball in space? Every time he gets the ball on a short pass, he is immediately tackled. The one time I can remember him getting the ball in space against Oregon, he shook the defender and ran in untouched.
It's not that Michigan's basic schemes don't work, but they can be shut down for long stretches because of a lack of creativity and diversity.
As great as Michigan looked against Texas in the Rose Bowl, that doesn't excuse the Michigan State game last year, when just about everything they tried was stuffed by a mediocre defense.
Or the Minnesota game two years ago, when Michigan was completely shut down through three quarters by another mediocre defense.
Or against Purdue last year, when Michigan couldn't do much against a young, vulnerable, and overrated Boilermaker defense.
College football is a game of mismatches. There are average, flawed players hidden amongst the great ones.
All over the field, there are opportunities to exploit. But you can't exploit them unless you give players the space to do it in.
The Michigan coaches like to use this quote from Rudyard Kipling's poem "The Law of the Wolves" for motivation:
The strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack.
They know that football, both offensive and defensive, is all about numbers. The most important thing defensive principle is to swarm to the ball.
So why do they insist on running and throwing short passes into a pack of wolves every game, when they could spread them out, keep them on their heels, and attack them one by one?
Why do they make it easy for opposing defenses to gang up on them?
Saturday, September 24, 2005
Victory for MSU
The Spartans will not be the normal Spartans after a big win.......This time they will win another game after a beating then 10th ranked Notre Dame last weekend. The spread is 10.5 and if you are a betting man.......never bet for or against MSU. I do think they will win by 20 points today. I am upset because I have to work all day today starting at 1pm. Same goes for next week. Yeah I am a little upset, but what can you do. Stanton will destroy a weak Fighting Illini team today. Look for him to pass for over 300 yards. Look for a balanced running attact from all three Rbs. State will win and will go into the big game 4-0. I am hoping for a UofScum win as well...at least this week I am. Game day might come back to East Lansing if both teams win. Could be exciting.
Stanton 19-28 319 yards 3 td and 1 Int
Teague 77 yars on 14 carries 2 Td
MSU 45 Illinios 24
Stanton 19-28 319 yards 3 td and 1 Int
Teague 77 yars on 14 carries 2 Td
MSU 45 Illinios 24
Friday, September 23, 2005
Detroit Sports Squad Forum
There is now a Detroit Sports Squad forum located here. You can use this message board to discuss anything in detail regarding the sports world or off-topic conversation. Please head over there and register a screen name.
Thursday, September 15, 2005
Oh its great to be a Spartan
Sorry Nick, but I told you the Wolverines will lose at least one game they should have won. Now it's up to the Spartans to take care of business this Saturday in South Bend. I think MSU has won there more then any other team in history.......I am not sure but I think I am right. It should be a good game.
Look for MSU to expose ND for the team they really are. Stanton will get the job done and the running game should do well with a good fix of passing and running. Look for some more play action from the Spartans. Notre is a good team but they are not a top 10 team.........
MSU 37 ND 24
Stanton 19/26 277 yards 3 TDs and 1 Int
Ringer 10 carries for 77 yards 2 TD
Spartan Defense 4 forced turnovers
Look for MSU to expose ND for the team they really are. Stanton will get the job done and the running game should do well with a good fix of passing and running. Look for some more play action from the Spartans. Notre is a good team but they are not a top 10 team.........
MSU 37 ND 24
Stanton 19/26 277 yards 3 TDs and 1 Int
Ringer 10 carries for 77 yards 2 TD
Spartan Defense 4 forced turnovers
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Tram on the Move?
Ken Rosenthal, writer for FoxSports.com, has a new article up on the site regarding little news tidbits from around Major League Baseball. Why this concerns Tigers fans is the headline of the article: "Trammell will likely take fall in Detroit"
So what's the reasoning behind this? Well, the Tigers are a team that has spent a lot of money the last couple of seasons to bring in names to help right the ship. It has been a great while since a winning season in Detroit. Rosenthal picks up on this and then adds why this is his thought on the situation with the Tigers:
So, is the non-success of this team to break over the .500 plateau all on the shoulders of Tram? No. But as Rosenthal said, when a team looks as bad as the Tigers have in the second half of the season, most notably the last 12-15 games, the manager is more than likely going to get the fingers pointed at him.
In my opinion, I would like to see Trammell get a little more time at the helm of this club. He has grown up with a lot of these players as a manager, and I feel it is the front office's duty to let him finish out his contract in Detroit. While we all want to see results now, who doesn't, I still feel that this ballclub coming into the year was one that was going to hover around the .500 mark. While they did for most of the season, and more than likely will finish several games under the breakeven mark, I would like to see Tram get a chance to manage a ballclub with more talent than he has had in his three years. Hopefully our front office can do something about that this offseason.
And I'm not even going to go into the whole Jim Leyland thing, that's for another time.
So what's the reasoning behind this? Well, the Tigers are a team that has spent a lot of money the last couple of seasons to bring in names to help right the ship. It has been a great while since a winning season in Detroit. Rosenthal picks up on this and then adds why this is his thought on the situation with the Tigers:
So, it seems as if the Tigers recent mishaps on the field have triggered a response towards Alan Trammell. Hired prior to the 2003 season as a public relations move (which is the opinion of many Tigers fans), it has been a rocky path for Tram as the skipper in Detroit. First he was put through one of the worst baseball seasons in recent history as the Tigers only won 43 games. After that season came the signing of Pudge Rodriguez and Rondell White, producing a 29 game improvement. While 72 wins for the Tigers in 2004 sounded good at the time, it may have hurt Tram's chances for a long term tenure with the Tigers, as the expectations were raised...and this was even before last offseason in which the Tigers paid out big bucks to bring in Magglio Ordonez, Troy Percival, and Kyle Farnsworth. Even though the Tigers were still a .500 type ballclub, fans and the front office in Detroit want results, and this means bringing a winning season.As the Tigers' season crumbles, it's becoming increasingly doubtful that Alan Trammell will remain the team's manager, especially with Jim Leyland looming as a possible replacement.One game under .500 on Aug. 23, the Tigers were within reach of their first winning season since 1993. But the team scored only 12 runs during its recent nine-game losing streak, and its late-season collapse — complete with lapses in concentration and breakdowns in team play — is the kind that typically gets a manager fired.
So, is the non-success of this team to break over the .500 plateau all on the shoulders of Tram? No. But as Rosenthal said, when a team looks as bad as the Tigers have in the second half of the season, most notably the last 12-15 games, the manager is more than likely going to get the fingers pointed at him.
In my opinion, I would like to see Trammell get a little more time at the helm of this club. He has grown up with a lot of these players as a manager, and I feel it is the front office's duty to let him finish out his contract in Detroit. While we all want to see results now, who doesn't, I still feel that this ballclub coming into the year was one that was going to hover around the .500 mark. While they did for most of the season, and more than likely will finish several games under the breakeven mark, I would like to see Tram get a chance to manage a ballclub with more talent than he has had in his three years. Hopefully our front office can do something about that this offseason.
And I'm not even going to go into the whole Jim Leyland thing, that's for another time.
Sunday, September 11, 2005
1-0 is a Good Place to Be
First off, please excuse my shoddy headlines. My first copy editing class is Tuesday, and we're supposed to work on those.
Our faithful readers (all four of them) will have to wait at least another week for a good one because we don't actually do anything the first class...knock on wood.
I was going to vent on the Wolverines Saturday afternoon, but I decided to sleep on it first.
Guess what, it didn't work. I still don't want to talk about it.
But stay tuned to this here blog contraption in the coming days for an extensive breakdown of what went wrong and my take on this program and what needs to change and whatnot.
Or you can simply ask any Michigan fan between the ages of 4-95, I'm sure they've got some strong opinions.
Anyway, it's time to talk Lions.
The men in Honolulu blue and black and silver and white got the big 17-3 win over the Packers today, and while it wasn't the flashy offensive show we were all hoping for, it was a surprisingly dominant performance by a much-maligned defense, and a masterful job of play-calling by the oft-criticized Dick Jauron.
(Speaking of which, what are the odds both Jauron and Jim Hermann's defenses would come out and play this good against quality opponents in the same week? Unreal. Oh, and in case any Sparties happen to be reading this screaming at the monitor for me to shut up about UM already-yes, Drew Stanton is amazing, now go and knock off those annoying Domers for us again, please.)
The front seven of the Lions seemed to have gotten with an attitude transplant. They were stunting, blitzing, weaving, and getting in Brett Favre's face most of the day.
The Lions' personnel is more suited to an aggressive style, and Jauron seems more willing to trust them on the blitz with Dre Bly and Fernando Bryant healthy in the secondary.
Terrence Holt and Kenoy Kennedy will make some mistakes, but they'll also make plays, and that's more than you can say about Brock Marion and Bracy Walker.
Hopefully Jauron will continue to call games this way all season.
As for the offensive playcalling, sure, it wasn't great. A couple of those draw plays were ridiculous and the booing was justified.
But there's not really much you can do when your offensive line is getting pushed back all day- by the likes of Cullen Jenkins and Big Fat Grady Jackson, no less. Not a good sign.
Can the line still improve? Sure. Kelly Butler will only get better, and he and Rick DeMulling need time to mesh with the rest of the O-line.
But I see this as being a major problem for the rest of the season. Jeff Backus isn't going to get any quicker, and Dominic Raiola isn't going to get any bigger and will always struggle with interior bull rushers.
The big key is how Joey Harrington handles the rush. He's going to have to learn to live with it.
He made some plays stepping up into the pocket, but he got frustrated as the game wore on and rushed his throws.
At least he didn't put any balls up for grabs. He managed the game and that's all the Lions needed against a surprisingly lifeless Packers team.
Even Brett Favre looked like he didn't really want to be there. He was basically talked out of retirement and then came back with designs on making one last run, and what's his reward?
The Packers got rid of two of his top three linemen, not to mention the entire secondary.
Despite the Packers' woes, this was a solid win and a crucial one, but we won't know for sure what kind of team the Lions have until they face some real adversity.
We'll still get the same old "We need to look at the film and correct some things" jargon at the press conference tomorrow, but it'll sound a whole lot better coming on the heels of a win, and that's a beautiful thing.
On to Chicago.
Our faithful readers (all four of them) will have to wait at least another week for a good one because we don't actually do anything the first class...knock on wood.
I was going to vent on the Wolverines Saturday afternoon, but I decided to sleep on it first.
Guess what, it didn't work. I still don't want to talk about it.
But stay tuned to this here blog contraption in the coming days for an extensive breakdown of what went wrong and my take on this program and what needs to change and whatnot.
Or you can simply ask any Michigan fan between the ages of 4-95, I'm sure they've got some strong opinions.
Anyway, it's time to talk Lions.
The men in Honolulu blue and black and silver and white got the big 17-3 win over the Packers today, and while it wasn't the flashy offensive show we were all hoping for, it was a surprisingly dominant performance by a much-maligned defense, and a masterful job of play-calling by the oft-criticized Dick Jauron.
(Speaking of which, what are the odds both Jauron and Jim Hermann's defenses would come out and play this good against quality opponents in the same week? Unreal. Oh, and in case any Sparties happen to be reading this screaming at the monitor for me to shut up about UM already-yes, Drew Stanton is amazing, now go and knock off those annoying Domers for us again, please.)
The front seven of the Lions seemed to have gotten with an attitude transplant. They were stunting, blitzing, weaving, and getting in Brett Favre's face most of the day.
The Lions' personnel is more suited to an aggressive style, and Jauron seems more willing to trust them on the blitz with Dre Bly and Fernando Bryant healthy in the secondary.
Terrence Holt and Kenoy Kennedy will make some mistakes, but they'll also make plays, and that's more than you can say about Brock Marion and Bracy Walker.
Hopefully Jauron will continue to call games this way all season.
As for the offensive playcalling, sure, it wasn't great. A couple of those draw plays were ridiculous and the booing was justified.
But there's not really much you can do when your offensive line is getting pushed back all day- by the likes of Cullen Jenkins and Big Fat Grady Jackson, no less. Not a good sign.
Can the line still improve? Sure. Kelly Butler will only get better, and he and Rick DeMulling need time to mesh with the rest of the O-line.
But I see this as being a major problem for the rest of the season. Jeff Backus isn't going to get any quicker, and Dominic Raiola isn't going to get any bigger and will always struggle with interior bull rushers.
The big key is how Joey Harrington handles the rush. He's going to have to learn to live with it.
He made some plays stepping up into the pocket, but he got frustrated as the game wore on and rushed his throws.
At least he didn't put any balls up for grabs. He managed the game and that's all the Lions needed against a surprisingly lifeless Packers team.
Even Brett Favre looked like he didn't really want to be there. He was basically talked out of retirement and then came back with designs on making one last run, and what's his reward?
The Packers got rid of two of his top three linemen, not to mention the entire secondary.
Despite the Packers' woes, this was a solid win and a crucial one, but we won't know for sure what kind of team the Lions have until they face some real adversity.
We'll still get the same old "We need to look at the film and correct some things" jargon at the press conference tomorrow, but it'll sound a whole lot better coming on the heels of a win, and that's a beautiful thing.
On to Chicago.
Bring on ND
Big game next week for the Spartans. If they can win this game in South Bend, it will give them much more confidence going into the Big Ten opener. I hope they can manage to be 3-0 going into the Big Ten season. Did not see the UofM vs ND game yesterday but I heard UofM could not move the ball on the Fighting Irish. So much for all the Chad Henne for Heismen talk. So much for UofM being ranked 3rd in the country. What a joke.......overrated once again this year.
It is time for MSU to step it out and come strong against a good team this Saturday.
It is time for MSU to step it out and come strong against a good team this Saturday.
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Lions not in trouble
I have said this a lot over the past five to ten years but the Lions are not in too bad of shape going into week one against the Green Bay Packers. Sure you can say they were 1-3 in the preseason. That is just it, it is preseason. It means nothing at all. The team is put together in the preseason and most teams run there basic offense and defense.
They did not look great, but when the first unit was on the field, they moved the ball, but just could not find the endzone. They still moved the ball on most of the drives they were on the field. Joey looked decent, which is saying a lot but again he looked good last season and stunk it up on the field once the season started. We should have a high powered offense if Joey can get the ball to his wideouts and JK can run all over the place like he did to finish the season last year. The O-line should be improved, at least on paper it is. Lets just hope the unit can pull it together and work as a team come Sunday afternoon.
The defense is the only thing I am scared about but I think they will be able to stay off the field more this year with a much improved offense. We will see come Sunday.
Go Lions!!!!!!
My weekly predictions:
Lions 27
Packers 17
Joey Harrington 14-26 236 yards 2 tds 1 int
Kevin Jones 23 carries 109 yards 1 td
Charles Rogers 6 catches 98 yards 1 tds
They did not look great, but when the first unit was on the field, they moved the ball, but just could not find the endzone. They still moved the ball on most of the drives they were on the field. Joey looked decent, which is saying a lot but again he looked good last season and stunk it up on the field once the season started. We should have a high powered offense if Joey can get the ball to his wideouts and JK can run all over the place like he did to finish the season last year. The O-line should be improved, at least on paper it is. Lets just hope the unit can pull it together and work as a team come Sunday afternoon.
The defense is the only thing I am scared about but I think they will be able to stay off the field more this year with a much improved offense. We will see come Sunday.
Go Lions!!!!!!
My weekly predictions:
Lions 27
Packers 17
Joey Harrington 14-26 236 yards 2 tds 1 int
Kevin Jones 23 carries 109 yards 1 td
Charles Rogers 6 catches 98 yards 1 tds
Sunday, September 04, 2005
R.I.P. Tigers
Well, it looks like our beloved Tigers are ready to roll over and play dead yet again.
For the Metro Detroit youth who've grown up not knowing what it's like to see meaningful baseball in September, the nightmare lives on.
Four losses in Chicago against a supposedly struggling ChiSox team. Outscored 29-6.
The one positive thing you can say about them is at least they know their place, quitting just in time for football season.
So with that in mind, it's time to speak my peace, and distance myself from the team as much as possible until someone intriguing like Justin Verlander or Joel Zumaya comes up for September.
Here's my list of who should stay and go for next season, broken down into convenient categories:
Building Blocks:
Magglio Ordonez, RF- The only truly professional Tiger hitter with plus power, bounced back nicely from injury.
Jeremy Bonderman, SP- Hold off the ace coronation for another year. He needs to stop giving up easy runs in the first inning and use the last few games to work on his changeup. But he's still the real deal and should take off very soon.
Placido Polanco, 2B- Deposits balls into left and right field like coins in a shopping mall fountain and is a natural in the field.
Carlos Guillen, SS- His health will be paramount next season. Perhaps Trammel was right in resting him so much. If healthy he can be a top-notch shortstop.
Complimentary Pieces:
Chris Shelton, DH/1B- Notice how I put DH first. He's capable enough to platoon at first, but doesn't have ideal range and would probaby hit more consistently if given time to rest, as he isn't exactly in tip-top shape. But he can mash to all fields. Almost Edgar Martinez-like.
Curtis Granderson, OF- He's young and needs to work on plate presence, but silky smooth in the field and provides LH power. Should be a keeper. An actual contributing homegrown prospect, wow.
Nate Robertson, SP- His velocity and command are inconsistent, but he is a quality LH starter. Best suited for 3rd or 4th in the rotation.
Fernando Rodney, RP- Could be the perfect setup guy, but if the Tigers are serious about contending next season, they need a real closer. Rodney has a wicked changeup and should throw his slider more next year as he is still healing from Tommy John surgery.
Pudge Rodriguez, C- His salary most likely will make him impossible to trade. If a team like the Mets who is willing to take on his huge salary offers a can't miss deal and there's a plan in place to acquire another catcher, the Tigers should take it. Otherwise, stick with him because he's still great defensively. If only he hadn't suddenly transformed into a Randall Simon at the plate...
Rondell White, OF- A good fill-in guy in case Craig Monroe or Dmitri Young are traded. Sign him to a one-year deal if he takes it.
Ramon Colon, RP/SP- Give him a shot in the rotation, where he was most effective in Atlanta. Some GM's think he might be an All-Star some day, as mentioned in a Peter Gammons column on ESPN.com. Has good stuff and velocity, but needs more confidence on the mound.
Keep in Lesser Roles:
Omar Infante, 2B/SS- Good power, solid fielder (with some concentration lapses). Keep him and get some more at-bats in fall/winter ball to learn how to hit a curve. Good infield sub.
Brandon Inge, 3B- Should develop into a much better fielder than he's shown. Also shows great ability to take a walk, which is a rare commodity in Tiger lineup. But the Tigers need more power and production from either 3B, OF, or 1B. Whether Inge stays or moves to a backup role depends on whether or not Detroit gets that spot filled.
Franklyn German, RP- Not someone you'd trust with the game on the line, but good as a 4th or 5th reliever and could improve if he gets more confident. Probably needs a third pitch.
Nook Logan, CF- Forget about winter/fall ball, get this kid in the weight room and swallow the key. Keep as a pinch runner/defensive sub for now.
Mike Maroth, SP- Should be a 5th starter or ideally a left-handed specialist out of the bullpen.
John McDonald, INF- Finally, the Tigers found a utility man who can bunt. Keep him unless you can find a better option, but it's pointless for Trammell to continue to give him at-bats at the expense of Omar Infante right now.
Put 'Em on the Market:
Carlos Pena, 1B- Young and talented, but far too inconsistent. Don't give him away without getting someone who can contribute, however. Still a great defender and one of few LH power bats.
Craig Monroe- Another talented guy who appears to be hitting his stride. But Monroe is the prototypical Randy Smith-style Tiger- Boneheaded, inconsistent, lacking in the concentration department. At some point, the Tigers need to fill their lineup with more patient and most importantly consistent hitters, and Monroe is a good candidate to be traded right now coming off of a career year.
If you can get a prospect with potential, do it, even though most Tiger fans don't want to hear about prospects right now. His spot can easily be filled by Granderson or White
Dmitri Young- Talented and a great clubhouse guy, but also sets a bad example with his lack of committment to conditioning and his free swinging, lax personality. Not likely to be coveted.
The Tigers need to give him an ultimatum: get in shape or else. Probably won't happen, though.
Take him or leave him.
Dump 'Em:
It's time for the easiest and most fun part of a Tiger fan's job: the cuts.
Jamie Walker, RP- Good with no one on, horrible with people on base. Can't trust him.
Sean Douglass, SP- Lucked his way to five wins, Nate Cornejo-style. He can now join him in Toledo. The bottom has fallen out.
Jason Johnson, SP- A stopgap from day one, and he doesn't seem to like it here anyway.
Craig Dingman, RP- If it looks like a AAAA guy, sounds like a AAAA guy, and plays like a AAAA guy...keep him in Toledo.
Chris Spurling, RP- Speaks softly, carries a large gas can.
Doug Creek, RP- A poor man's Jamie Walker. Scratch that, homeless man's.
Vic Darensbourg, RP- Pitched decently so far, but teams will eventually figure him out and his lack of talent will catch up to him.
Vance Wilson, C- He's hitting .182. Need I say more?
Finally....
Alan Trammel, manager-
Nothing personal, Tram...but this team needs a change of pace...ie a swift kick in the behind. Someone to challenge them, someone to motivate them. A proven professional manager who the players can trust and look up to is a must if the Tigers are serious about competing next year.
Then again, are they ever really serious about competing?
If so, Mike Illitch better open up his wallet and get a proven manager, Cameron Maybin signed, and some pitching help.
We've waited long enough.
For the Metro Detroit youth who've grown up not knowing what it's like to see meaningful baseball in September, the nightmare lives on.
Four losses in Chicago against a supposedly struggling ChiSox team. Outscored 29-6.
The one positive thing you can say about them is at least they know their place, quitting just in time for football season.
So with that in mind, it's time to speak my peace, and distance myself from the team as much as possible until someone intriguing like Justin Verlander or Joel Zumaya comes up for September.
Here's my list of who should stay and go for next season, broken down into convenient categories:
Building Blocks:
Magglio Ordonez, RF- The only truly professional Tiger hitter with plus power, bounced back nicely from injury.
Jeremy Bonderman, SP- Hold off the ace coronation for another year. He needs to stop giving up easy runs in the first inning and use the last few games to work on his changeup. But he's still the real deal and should take off very soon.
Placido Polanco, 2B- Deposits balls into left and right field like coins in a shopping mall fountain and is a natural in the field.
Carlos Guillen, SS- His health will be paramount next season. Perhaps Trammel was right in resting him so much. If healthy he can be a top-notch shortstop.
Complimentary Pieces:
Chris Shelton, DH/1B- Notice how I put DH first. He's capable enough to platoon at first, but doesn't have ideal range and would probaby hit more consistently if given time to rest, as he isn't exactly in tip-top shape. But he can mash to all fields. Almost Edgar Martinez-like.
Curtis Granderson, OF- He's young and needs to work on plate presence, but silky smooth in the field and provides LH power. Should be a keeper. An actual contributing homegrown prospect, wow.
Nate Robertson, SP- His velocity and command are inconsistent, but he is a quality LH starter. Best suited for 3rd or 4th in the rotation.
Fernando Rodney, RP- Could be the perfect setup guy, but if the Tigers are serious about contending next season, they need a real closer. Rodney has a wicked changeup and should throw his slider more next year as he is still healing from Tommy John surgery.
Pudge Rodriguez, C- His salary most likely will make him impossible to trade. If a team like the Mets who is willing to take on his huge salary offers a can't miss deal and there's a plan in place to acquire another catcher, the Tigers should take it. Otherwise, stick with him because he's still great defensively. If only he hadn't suddenly transformed into a Randall Simon at the plate...
Rondell White, OF- A good fill-in guy in case Craig Monroe or Dmitri Young are traded. Sign him to a one-year deal if he takes it.
Ramon Colon, RP/SP- Give him a shot in the rotation, where he was most effective in Atlanta. Some GM's think he might be an All-Star some day, as mentioned in a Peter Gammons column on ESPN.com. Has good stuff and velocity, but needs more confidence on the mound.
Keep in Lesser Roles:
Omar Infante, 2B/SS- Good power, solid fielder (with some concentration lapses). Keep him and get some more at-bats in fall/winter ball to learn how to hit a curve. Good infield sub.
Brandon Inge, 3B- Should develop into a much better fielder than he's shown. Also shows great ability to take a walk, which is a rare commodity in Tiger lineup. But the Tigers need more power and production from either 3B, OF, or 1B. Whether Inge stays or moves to a backup role depends on whether or not Detroit gets that spot filled.
Franklyn German, RP- Not someone you'd trust with the game on the line, but good as a 4th or 5th reliever and could improve if he gets more confident. Probably needs a third pitch.
Nook Logan, CF- Forget about winter/fall ball, get this kid in the weight room and swallow the key. Keep as a pinch runner/defensive sub for now.
Mike Maroth, SP- Should be a 5th starter or ideally a left-handed specialist out of the bullpen.
John McDonald, INF- Finally, the Tigers found a utility man who can bunt. Keep him unless you can find a better option, but it's pointless for Trammell to continue to give him at-bats at the expense of Omar Infante right now.
Put 'Em on the Market:
Carlos Pena, 1B- Young and talented, but far too inconsistent. Don't give him away without getting someone who can contribute, however. Still a great defender and one of few LH power bats.
Craig Monroe- Another talented guy who appears to be hitting his stride. But Monroe is the prototypical Randy Smith-style Tiger- Boneheaded, inconsistent, lacking in the concentration department. At some point, the Tigers need to fill their lineup with more patient and most importantly consistent hitters, and Monroe is a good candidate to be traded right now coming off of a career year.
If you can get a prospect with potential, do it, even though most Tiger fans don't want to hear about prospects right now. His spot can easily be filled by Granderson or White
Dmitri Young- Talented and a great clubhouse guy, but also sets a bad example with his lack of committment to conditioning and his free swinging, lax personality. Not likely to be coveted.
The Tigers need to give him an ultimatum: get in shape or else. Probably won't happen, though.
Take him or leave him.
Dump 'Em:
It's time for the easiest and most fun part of a Tiger fan's job: the cuts.
Jamie Walker, RP- Good with no one on, horrible with people on base. Can't trust him.
Sean Douglass, SP- Lucked his way to five wins, Nate Cornejo-style. He can now join him in Toledo. The bottom has fallen out.
Jason Johnson, SP- A stopgap from day one, and he doesn't seem to like it here anyway.
Craig Dingman, RP- If it looks like a AAAA guy, sounds like a AAAA guy, and plays like a AAAA guy...keep him in Toledo.
Chris Spurling, RP- Speaks softly, carries a large gas can.
Doug Creek, RP- A poor man's Jamie Walker. Scratch that, homeless man's.
Vic Darensbourg, RP- Pitched decently so far, but teams will eventually figure him out and his lack of talent will catch up to him.
Vance Wilson, C- He's hitting .182. Need I say more?
Finally....
Alan Trammel, manager-
Nothing personal, Tram...but this team needs a change of pace...ie a swift kick in the behind. Someone to challenge them, someone to motivate them. A proven professional manager who the players can trust and look up to is a must if the Tigers are serious about competing next year.
Then again, are they ever really serious about competing?
If so, Mike Illitch better open up his wallet and get a proven manager, Cameron Maybin signed, and some pitching help.
We've waited long enough.
Friday, September 02, 2005
The Big Ten's Top Eleven Signal Callers
Most of the offseason talk in the Big Ten has been about the new Big Three- Michigan, Ohio State and Iowa- and which is the favorite.
But there hasn't been much debate about the other Big Three- the conference's top 3 quarterbacks- Iowa's Drew Tate, Michigan's Chad Henne, and Michigan State's Drew Stanton- and which is the best all-around quarterback.
Most simply hand that title to Tate, who was last year's Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year.
But Henne and Stanton can each make their own claims.
Henne has better size and an NFL arm, and displayed better pocket presence, especially as the year went on.
Stanton is the best pure playmaker of the group, with great running ability and passing accuracy.
The thing that makes picking between these three so difficult is that each is a perfect fit for their team's systems.
Tate is great on play action fakes and throwing on the run in Iowa's system based on running and misdirection in the passing game.
Henne is the best at reading defenses and delivering crisp mid-range strikes, a must in Michigan's pro-style offense that requires great timing and communication between the quarterback and his receiver.
And Stanton's ability to run and throw out of John L. Smith's spread offense gives defenses serious problems.
These rankings were made with an eye towards the future, as projections are always a big part of the college game.
That being said, here are my Big Ten starting quarterback rankings:
1. Chad Henne, Michigan- Last year, there were times when he was shaky. There were times when his passes were too high or too fast, or his decisions were made too slowly. He was bailed out many times by Braylon Edwards, and Michigan doesn't have a playmaker of that caliber this year, at least not one who can erase his mistakes.
But Henne won't make a lot of those mistakes this year. He was a true freshman last year, a soft-spoken, skinny freshman placed in an almost impossible situation.
He didn't know much of Michigan's offense, yet he still threw a very favorable 25 touchdowns to 12 interceptions and completed more than 60 percent of his passes.
This year he will have the full allotment of plays to work with, he's much stronger physically, and he's coming off of an exceptional four TD performance against a very good Texas defense in the Rose Bowl.
He's easily the conference's best pro prospect at QB and still has a great assortment of targets to throw to, so a huge season might be on the way.
2. Drew Tate, Iowa- Let's see here...undersized, throws extremely well on the run, elusive and creative in the pocket, won a big game on a hail mary...sounds a lot like a modern Doug Flutie.
But the 6-foot tall Tate is better equipped to handle life in the pocket...when he wants to. He's best outside of it and a master on the bootleg.
He deserves a lot of credit for helping engineer a Big Ten co-title with no running game, but he has problems with interceptions (14 against 20 TD's) and threw a huge one that was returned for a touchdown in a showdown with Michigan.
Still, he completes a high percentage of his passes (62.1) and he's a strong-willed winner.
He'll have another crack at Henne and the Wolverines in Iowa City this year.
3. Drew Stanton, Michigan State- Anybody who saw last year's Michigan-Michigan State classic knew Stanton was the best player on the field.
The only problem is Stanton was only it for half of the game, and that's his career in a nutshell: brilliant in fleeting glimpses, hurt by injuries and inconsistency.
He was brilliant both through the air and on the ground against Minnesota, Hawaii, and Michigan, but erratic against Iowa and Penn State.
In Happy Valley with a bowl bid on the line, he threw two costly picks and only went 13-for-37 passing.
People tend to overrate him a bit based on his performance against Michigan, who made several running quarterbacks look amazing (last year's defense would have fared better against Dan Marino than even the likes of...say...Carlyle Holiday).
But the bottom is that Stanton is a great leader, dangerous playmaker, and a fiery competitor, and he'll have his chance to finish what he started and get revenge on UM in East Lansing this year.
4. Brandon Kirsch, Purdue- In seasons past, the Boilermakers' spread passing offense has bogged down late in the Big Ten season.
When the winds swirl and conditions worsen, it all comes down to the running game.
Kirsch may not have quite the passing skill of Kyle Orton, but he has experience and a good touch, and his running ability will make Purdue's offense more diversified and difficult to gameplan against. He completed 61.7% of his passes in relief of Orton last year and shows a good command of the offense.
5. Troy Smith, Ohio State- Magnificent against Michigan, ordinary against everyone else.
Yet Buckeye fans pushed him to third in an ESPN.com poll of the Big Ten's best quarterbacks.
Guess that shows just how important "The Game" is to the Buckeye nation.
Smith's only game of 200 or more passing yards was against Michigan, and it was his only rushing game of 100 yards or more.
No doubt Smith has top-tier athletic ability and speed for a quarterback, but he's got a lot of work to do in the passing game to move up this list.
6. Brett Basanez, Northwestern- One website went as far as to call Basanez a star, but most recognition he's earned stems from the fact that's he's been in Evanston for what seems like an eternity, rather than his actual play.
The fourth-year starter is a decent runner, but he only completed 53.7% of his passes in an offense that relies a great deal on screen passes and slants.
7. Anthony Morelli, Penn State- Drew a similar amount of attention as Henne out of high school, and has a huge arm and prototype size. He got very limited playing time last year, but his potential and the addition of top-ranked receiver prospect Derrick Williams to the Lions but him here by default.
Michael Robinson will start out at QB but expect him to eventually shift to wide receiver/tailback. He only threw for 172 yards last year and on 36% passing, and Penn State is too one-dimensional with him behind center.
8. John Stocco, Wisconsin- Another guy that's been around forever but hasn't really impressed. Stocco has made a few big plays and has lots of big game experience, but he's inaccurate, especially on the deep ball, and doesn't have much mobility.
9. Bryan Cupito, Minnesota- Despite the benefits of a stellar running game and nice receivers in big, fast Ernie Wheelwright and sure-handed tight end Ben Spaeth, Cupito only completed a shockingly bad 47.7% of his passes last season.
He must improve his accuracy and mental toughness to keep teams from stacking the box against the Gophers, or coach Glen Mason will try to find someone else who can.
10. Blake Powers, Indiana- Has only thrown 22 passes and completed 9, but he'll work under new coach Terry Hoeppner, a spread guru from the MAC's Miami Red Hawks who helped develop Ben Roethlisberger.
11. Tim Brasic, Illinois- Two years with the Illini and only one pass attempt, he'll help kick off the Ron Zook era in Champaign.
But there hasn't been much debate about the other Big Three- the conference's top 3 quarterbacks- Iowa's Drew Tate, Michigan's Chad Henne, and Michigan State's Drew Stanton- and which is the best all-around quarterback.
Most simply hand that title to Tate, who was last year's Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year.
But Henne and Stanton can each make their own claims.
Henne has better size and an NFL arm, and displayed better pocket presence, especially as the year went on.
Stanton is the best pure playmaker of the group, with great running ability and passing accuracy.
The thing that makes picking between these three so difficult is that each is a perfect fit for their team's systems.
Tate is great on play action fakes and throwing on the run in Iowa's system based on running and misdirection in the passing game.
Henne is the best at reading defenses and delivering crisp mid-range strikes, a must in Michigan's pro-style offense that requires great timing and communication between the quarterback and his receiver.
And Stanton's ability to run and throw out of John L. Smith's spread offense gives defenses serious problems.
These rankings were made with an eye towards the future, as projections are always a big part of the college game.
That being said, here are my Big Ten starting quarterback rankings:
1. Chad Henne, Michigan- Last year, there were times when he was shaky. There were times when his passes were too high or too fast, or his decisions were made too slowly. He was bailed out many times by Braylon Edwards, and Michigan doesn't have a playmaker of that caliber this year, at least not one who can erase his mistakes.
But Henne won't make a lot of those mistakes this year. He was a true freshman last year, a soft-spoken, skinny freshman placed in an almost impossible situation.
He didn't know much of Michigan's offense, yet he still threw a very favorable 25 touchdowns to 12 interceptions and completed more than 60 percent of his passes.
This year he will have the full allotment of plays to work with, he's much stronger physically, and he's coming off of an exceptional four TD performance against a very good Texas defense in the Rose Bowl.
He's easily the conference's best pro prospect at QB and still has a great assortment of targets to throw to, so a huge season might be on the way.
2. Drew Tate, Iowa- Let's see here...undersized, throws extremely well on the run, elusive and creative in the pocket, won a big game on a hail mary...sounds a lot like a modern Doug Flutie.
But the 6-foot tall Tate is better equipped to handle life in the pocket...when he wants to. He's best outside of it and a master on the bootleg.
He deserves a lot of credit for helping engineer a Big Ten co-title with no running game, but he has problems with interceptions (14 against 20 TD's) and threw a huge one that was returned for a touchdown in a showdown with Michigan.
Still, he completes a high percentage of his passes (62.1) and he's a strong-willed winner.
He'll have another crack at Henne and the Wolverines in Iowa City this year.
3. Drew Stanton, Michigan State- Anybody who saw last year's Michigan-Michigan State classic knew Stanton was the best player on the field.
The only problem is Stanton was only it for half of the game, and that's his career in a nutshell: brilliant in fleeting glimpses, hurt by injuries and inconsistency.
He was brilliant both through the air and on the ground against Minnesota, Hawaii, and Michigan, but erratic against Iowa and Penn State.
In Happy Valley with a bowl bid on the line, he threw two costly picks and only went 13-for-37 passing.
People tend to overrate him a bit based on his performance against Michigan, who made several running quarterbacks look amazing (last year's defense would have fared better against Dan Marino than even the likes of...say...Carlyle Holiday).
But the bottom is that Stanton is a great leader, dangerous playmaker, and a fiery competitor, and he'll have his chance to finish what he started and get revenge on UM in East Lansing this year.
4. Brandon Kirsch, Purdue- In seasons past, the Boilermakers' spread passing offense has bogged down late in the Big Ten season.
When the winds swirl and conditions worsen, it all comes down to the running game.
Kirsch may not have quite the passing skill of Kyle Orton, but he has experience and a good touch, and his running ability will make Purdue's offense more diversified and difficult to gameplan against. He completed 61.7% of his passes in relief of Orton last year and shows a good command of the offense.
5. Troy Smith, Ohio State- Magnificent against Michigan, ordinary against everyone else.
Yet Buckeye fans pushed him to third in an ESPN.com poll of the Big Ten's best quarterbacks.
Guess that shows just how important "The Game" is to the Buckeye nation.
Smith's only game of 200 or more passing yards was against Michigan, and it was his only rushing game of 100 yards or more.
No doubt Smith has top-tier athletic ability and speed for a quarterback, but he's got a lot of work to do in the passing game to move up this list.
6. Brett Basanez, Northwestern- One website went as far as to call Basanez a star, but most recognition he's earned stems from the fact that's he's been in Evanston for what seems like an eternity, rather than his actual play.
The fourth-year starter is a decent runner, but he only completed 53.7% of his passes in an offense that relies a great deal on screen passes and slants.
7. Anthony Morelli, Penn State- Drew a similar amount of attention as Henne out of high school, and has a huge arm and prototype size. He got very limited playing time last year, but his potential and the addition of top-ranked receiver prospect Derrick Williams to the Lions but him here by default.
Michael Robinson will start out at QB but expect him to eventually shift to wide receiver/tailback. He only threw for 172 yards last year and on 36% passing, and Penn State is too one-dimensional with him behind center.
8. John Stocco, Wisconsin- Another guy that's been around forever but hasn't really impressed. Stocco has made a few big plays and has lots of big game experience, but he's inaccurate, especially on the deep ball, and doesn't have much mobility.
9. Bryan Cupito, Minnesota- Despite the benefits of a stellar running game and nice receivers in big, fast Ernie Wheelwright and sure-handed tight end Ben Spaeth, Cupito only completed a shockingly bad 47.7% of his passes last season.
He must improve his accuracy and mental toughness to keep teams from stacking the box against the Gophers, or coach Glen Mason will try to find someone else who can.
10. Blake Powers, Indiana- Has only thrown 22 passes and completed 9, but he'll work under new coach Terry Hoeppner, a spread guru from the MAC's Miami Red Hawks who helped develop Ben Roethlisberger.
11. Tim Brasic, Illinois- Two years with the Illini and only one pass attempt, he'll help kick off the Ron Zook era in Champaign.
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
When people asked me this summer what I thought of the Lions, my typical response was as follows-
"Well, at least they'll be entertaining."
But last night was one of the LEAST entertaining games I have EVER seen.
We had new uniforms and new attitude (yet again...SURE...), but that performance was VINTAGE LIONS.
You had the inability to keep the opposing offense off the field, the befuddled offensive line, the dropped passes, and, of course, PENALTY after stupid PENALTY.
I can't decide which penalty was a better microcosm of the team in the 15 or so years I've been old/patient enough to sit down and watch them: the play where Dominic Raiola held on a SCREEN PASS or the time when Kevin Jones got to the corner and danced into the endzone, only to have it called back by a PAIR of holding calls.
Now, we're left to pick up the pieces and all of a sudden expectations have been lowered for the season.
Frankly, this dose of reality is something Lions fans desperately needed.
Even though I was shocked at Monday's ghastly effort, I still haven't changed my prediction- This looks like an 8-8 team.
There are going to be some days where the Lions light it up on offense, and there are going to be days where their defense simply won't be able to get off of the field.
The offensive line is a major weakness, but the biggest will be the inability to stop the outside run. It will be a major problem against Green Bay and on into the season. Boss Bailey and James Davis just aren't rugged enough to hold up on the outside, and the corners are not sure tacklers.
Terrence Holt and Kenoy Kennedy will come up and help at times, but then what happens when the defense goes over the top? These guys aren't good cover safeties in the first place.
Another thought that popped into my head after this debacle regarding the Matt Millen situation...
can someone please explain to me again what he did to deserve a FIVE year contract???
Sure, the Lions look flashy and POTENTIALLY good on paper....but what have they proven?
Anybody could have put together as good or better a team as Millen with the picks he had.
It's time we face facts people- this is a Playstation lineup and it's not the right way to build a football team.
Look at the teams who've made quick turnarounds in the salary cap era- they all did it with defense- New England, Carolina, Tampa Bay, you name it.
This reminds me a lot of the Tigers a couple years ago...they had Jeff Weaver and Matt Anderson, two tantalizing young pitchers seemingly on their way up. Desperately for stability, they gave 'em huge contracts. We all know how that turned out.
So, what we're left with is an exciting team stuck in neutral, until the offensive line figures out how to block somebody and the defense stops somebody.
And just last week I was telling people how little the preseason mattered. But this team has major flaws, and a lot of it is talent and coaching related...things that can't just be "corrected" like Joey Harrington seems to boast every week after EVERY loss.
I hope they prove me wrong on the 8-8 guess. I'd definitely take 9-7.
"Well, at least they'll be entertaining."
But last night was one of the LEAST entertaining games I have EVER seen.
We had new uniforms and new attitude (yet again...SURE...), but that performance was VINTAGE LIONS.
You had the inability to keep the opposing offense off the field, the befuddled offensive line, the dropped passes, and, of course, PENALTY after stupid PENALTY.
I can't decide which penalty was a better microcosm of the team in the 15 or so years I've been old/patient enough to sit down and watch them: the play where Dominic Raiola held on a SCREEN PASS or the time when Kevin Jones got to the corner and danced into the endzone, only to have it called back by a PAIR of holding calls.
Now, we're left to pick up the pieces and all of a sudden expectations have been lowered for the season.
Frankly, this dose of reality is something Lions fans desperately needed.
Even though I was shocked at Monday's ghastly effort, I still haven't changed my prediction- This looks like an 8-8 team.
There are going to be some days where the Lions light it up on offense, and there are going to be days where their defense simply won't be able to get off of the field.
The offensive line is a major weakness, but the biggest will be the inability to stop the outside run. It will be a major problem against Green Bay and on into the season. Boss Bailey and James Davis just aren't rugged enough to hold up on the outside, and the corners are not sure tacklers.
Terrence Holt and Kenoy Kennedy will come up and help at times, but then what happens when the defense goes over the top? These guys aren't good cover safeties in the first place.
Another thought that popped into my head after this debacle regarding the Matt Millen situation...
can someone please explain to me again what he did to deserve a FIVE year contract???
Sure, the Lions look flashy and POTENTIALLY good on paper....but what have they proven?
Anybody could have put together as good or better a team as Millen with the picks he had.
It's time we face facts people- this is a Playstation lineup and it's not the right way to build a football team.
Look at the teams who've made quick turnarounds in the salary cap era- they all did it with defense- New England, Carolina, Tampa Bay, you name it.
This reminds me a lot of the Tigers a couple years ago...they had Jeff Weaver and Matt Anderson, two tantalizing young pitchers seemingly on their way up. Desperately for stability, they gave 'em huge contracts. We all know how that turned out.
So, what we're left with is an exciting team stuck in neutral, until the offensive line figures out how to block somebody and the defense stops somebody.
And just last week I was telling people how little the preseason mattered. But this team has major flaws, and a lot of it is talent and coaching related...things that can't just be "corrected" like Joey Harrington seems to boast every week after EVERY loss.
I hope they prove me wrong on the 8-8 guess. I'd definitely take 9-7.
Sunday, August 28, 2005
Monday Night Significance
Why the Lions need to win:
They need to know that they can win a game for a change. Many of the starters will be playing the first half; this gives us fans a taste of how the team looks at this point. It also gives the coaching staff a chance of what to do differently. I’m tired of this conservative bend don’t break defense run by Dick Jauron. The more pressure you get on the QB the more opportunities that open up for the defense to make plays.
The offense needs to be given more chances to go vertical. These talented wideouts need to be catching the ball heading toward the endzone instead of toward the sidelines. The west coast offense gives you a chance to make some big plays. The team needs to be given the chance for those plays to unfold.
It will be good to see Eddie Drummond play. Hopefully he can win a game or two for us this year. Have him return a few punts and maybe some kickoffs, and then get him off the field. We need our star players to be healthy. We’ve been spared quite nicely so far.
Monday night will be a great chance for the football world to see how much the Lions have improved. I would like to see the offense have a solid first half so the town can talk positively about the team for awhile. I would certainly welcome that.
Oh I forgot, win the game, please.
They need to know that they can win a game for a change. Many of the starters will be playing the first half; this gives us fans a taste of how the team looks at this point. It also gives the coaching staff a chance of what to do differently. I’m tired of this conservative bend don’t break defense run by Dick Jauron. The more pressure you get on the QB the more opportunities that open up for the defense to make plays.
The offense needs to be given more chances to go vertical. These talented wideouts need to be catching the ball heading toward the endzone instead of toward the sidelines. The west coast offense gives you a chance to make some big plays. The team needs to be given the chance for those plays to unfold.
It will be good to see Eddie Drummond play. Hopefully he can win a game or two for us this year. Have him return a few punts and maybe some kickoffs, and then get him off the field. We need our star players to be healthy. We’ve been spared quite nicely so far.
Monday night will be a great chance for the football world to see how much the Lions have improved. I would like to see the offense have a solid first half so the town can talk positively about the team for awhile. I would certainly welcome that.
Oh I forgot, win the game, please.
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
MSU Football
Nick, losing Agim Shabaj is a blessing in a way. He was 4th or 5th on the depth chart and he had a bad attitude. I have not been a student there since 2004, but I remember him having a piss poor attitude at a young age. He was basically only good for kickoff returns. MSU is better off with Brown, Trannon, Scott, Grimes at the wideout position. Our defense you say is always decent or something along those lines is a bunch of BS also. MSU lost in the Big House last year do to their defense. Granted Stanton got hurt but Dowdell should have been able to sustain a few drives and win the game with the lead he had going into the second half. MSU's defense is what loses games for them all the time. Even in the Duckett, Smoker, Rogers era. The corners and the safties suck balls. MSU will win 7 games this year and finish about 5th in the Big 10. They do have a great offense if they can stay healthy. If Stanton gets hurt for a long period of time, we might be in trouble. A redshirt freshman is second on the depth chart at QB, but RB and WR are stacked. Here is hoping for a great season and at least 7 wins. Go STATE!!!
Mo Evans and Dale Davis....hmmm
Looks like there will be no Spree and no Finley in the D.
Or is it Auburn Hills? Whatever.
The Pistons have offered restricted free agent 6'5, 220-lb. swingman a multi-year deal, and now Sac-town has a chance to match.
Coupled with the signing of Dale Davis, this could be it for the Pistons in the free agent market.
I've heard from some Sacramento fans about Evans and they call him a rugged defender and rebounder who can also drive to the basket, and he's very strong and athletic.
Then again, Christian Laetnner might look like Charles Oakley that buttery-soft Kings lineup.
All kidding aside, Mo Evans is definitely a Joe Dumars type of player. He's consistent, hungry, and hard-working.
So is Dale Davis, who will add a lot of toughness and keep Detroit's big man rotation as strong as it's been the past two years and provide disaster insurance against Hurricane Shaq (though it may be weakening a bit with age, let's hope so anyway) down in Miami.
The question is, do the Pistons really need more ham-and-eggers/lunch pail guys/ blue collar guys/whatever other kind of cliche you want to use type of players?
Or was a talent upgrade necessary to assure home court in the vastly improved East, which may be needed to get through Indy and Miami?
Evans still doesn't address the need for a long-range shooter, especially in the Flip Saunders era where shooting threes won't get you chewed out and/or a seat on the bench. Not many other candidates either, unless Alex Acker somehow finds his way into the rotation (long shot) or Carlos Delfino has a breakthrough.
But if he (or Devin Brown or whichever other thrifty 3-man the Pistons end up bringing in) can keep Tayshaun Prince rested and ready to go for the playoffs, that might be all the Pistons need to get back to the Finals.
MIGHT...
The East is no joke this year, that's for sure.
Hopefully, Flip will put more trust in the bench and let these guys develop into a unit, while resting the starters.
That could go a long way.
Oh, and let's keep our fingers crossed that the Heat don't land Finley.
Listen, I hate the Heat, and Shaq's smugness, and Pat Riley, and Antoine Walker as much as the next guy...but you can't deny the Heat gave us EVERYTHING we could handle last year, and represent a major threat.
Or is it Auburn Hills? Whatever.
The Pistons have offered restricted free agent 6'5, 220-lb. swingman a multi-year deal, and now Sac-town has a chance to match.
Coupled with the signing of Dale Davis, this could be it for the Pistons in the free agent market.
I've heard from some Sacramento fans about Evans and they call him a rugged defender and rebounder who can also drive to the basket, and he's very strong and athletic.
Then again, Christian Laetnner might look like Charles Oakley that buttery-soft Kings lineup.
All kidding aside, Mo Evans is definitely a Joe Dumars type of player. He's consistent, hungry, and hard-working.
So is Dale Davis, who will add a lot of toughness and keep Detroit's big man rotation as strong as it's been the past two years and provide disaster insurance against Hurricane Shaq (though it may be weakening a bit with age, let's hope so anyway) down in Miami.
The question is, do the Pistons really need more ham-and-eggers/lunch pail guys/ blue collar guys/whatever other kind of cliche you want to use type of players?
Or was a talent upgrade necessary to assure home court in the vastly improved East, which may be needed to get through Indy and Miami?
Evans still doesn't address the need for a long-range shooter, especially in the Flip Saunders era where shooting threes won't get you chewed out and/or a seat on the bench. Not many other candidates either, unless Alex Acker somehow finds his way into the rotation (long shot) or Carlos Delfino has a breakthrough.
But if he (or Devin Brown or whichever other thrifty 3-man the Pistons end up bringing in) can keep Tayshaun Prince rested and ready to go for the playoffs, that might be all the Pistons need to get back to the Finals.
MIGHT...
The East is no joke this year, that's for sure.
Hopefully, Flip will put more trust in the bench and let these guys develop into a unit, while resting the starters.
That could go a long way.
Oh, and let's keep our fingers crossed that the Heat don't land Finley.
Listen, I hate the Heat, and Shaq's smugness, and Pat Riley, and Antoine Walker as much as the next guy...but you can't deny the Heat gave us EVERYTHING we could handle last year, and represent a major threat.
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Free Agent Talk
After a strenuous few week holdout situation, I have decided to come back to detroitfab4 and help out. I'm still a little miffed about my contract situation though.
As you have hopefully heard, the Pistons are probably not going to sign Michael Finley. He is likely off to Miami or Phoenix. I don't know why he would want to go to Miami. Miami has loads and loads of guys who like to jack up shots. I'm mainly talking about JWill and Antoine Walker. Wade and Shaq did fine last year with nice complementary players such as Eddie Jones and Damon Jones, basically guys who took the open shots and didn't demand the ball. But with White Chocolate running the offense and Walker shooting 3's all day, it could become a circus real quick.
But back to Finley. He would be a perfect fit for this team. The Pistons need perimeter scoring off the bench; I don't know if their totally sold on Delfino yet.
Sprewell has been talked about also. I don't like the guy and I don't think Flip likes him much either. Remember, last year Spree didn't get the money he wanted, so he basically floated on by for the rest of the season, essentially quitting on the Wolves.
Derek Anderson is not available now, so who does that leave?
Lee Nailon, Flip Murray, James Jones (Rodney White-LOL) are the possibilities left out there still. I think Joey D. will decide to stand pat and go with what they have, hoping Carlos Delfino can have a fresh start with a new coach. The same can also be said about Carlos Arroyo. Coach Brown really messed with Arroyo's head and made him a player he was not comfortable being. Arroyo is a skillful passer with ok offensive skills, expect Arroyo to be a steady contributor this year.
Dale Davis signed a 2 year deal with the Pistons yesterday. He's a replacement for Elden Campbell and an insurance policy for Darko. Dale can still play decent defense and rebound a little bit. Dale's agent, Chubby Wells, said yesterday on WDFN that Dale isn't concerned about playing time, he just wants to be on a team that can win a championship. BTW, Dale and Rasheed are real tight.
And for a side note, Horace Jenkins signed with Hapoel Jerusalem from the Israel premier league. It was a great story that Horace finally made it to the NBA after his long and difficult journey, but I think we all could tell he was not quite an NBA caliber type player. But he's a definite inspiration to everyone.
As you have hopefully heard, the Pistons are probably not going to sign Michael Finley. He is likely off to Miami or Phoenix. I don't know why he would want to go to Miami. Miami has loads and loads of guys who like to jack up shots. I'm mainly talking about JWill and Antoine Walker. Wade and Shaq did fine last year with nice complementary players such as Eddie Jones and Damon Jones, basically guys who took the open shots and didn't demand the ball. But with White Chocolate running the offense and Walker shooting 3's all day, it could become a circus real quick.
But back to Finley. He would be a perfect fit for this team. The Pistons need perimeter scoring off the bench; I don't know if their totally sold on Delfino yet.
Sprewell has been talked about also. I don't like the guy and I don't think Flip likes him much either. Remember, last year Spree didn't get the money he wanted, so he basically floated on by for the rest of the season, essentially quitting on the Wolves.
Derek Anderson is not available now, so who does that leave?
Lee Nailon, Flip Murray, James Jones (Rodney White-LOL) are the possibilities left out there still. I think Joey D. will decide to stand pat and go with what they have, hoping Carlos Delfino can have a fresh start with a new coach. The same can also be said about Carlos Arroyo. Coach Brown really messed with Arroyo's head and made him a player he was not comfortable being. Arroyo is a skillful passer with ok offensive skills, expect Arroyo to be a steady contributor this year.
Dale Davis signed a 2 year deal with the Pistons yesterday. He's a replacement for Elden Campbell and an insurance policy for Darko. Dale can still play decent defense and rebound a little bit. Dale's agent, Chubby Wells, said yesterday on WDFN that Dale isn't concerned about playing time, he just wants to be on a team that can win a championship. BTW, Dale and Rasheed are real tight.
And for a side note, Horace Jenkins signed with Hapoel Jerusalem from the Israel premier league. It was a great story that Horace finally made it to the NBA after his long and difficult journey, but I think we all could tell he was not quite an NBA caliber type player. But he's a definite inspiration to everyone.
Tigers approaching .500
The Tigers have won 7 out of their last 8 games. The Tigs hitting has caught fire. The whole lineup is producing, and this is without Guillen or a healthy Mags. Whats happend over the past week is connfidence. The Tigers came into the series against the Red Sox lacking confidence, but determined to get back on track. They took 2 out 3 and they knew they could play with the big boys. When the Blue Jays came into town it felt like playing the Royals. I knew the Jays had no chance from the first run the Tigers scored. I just had a feeling it would be a good series. It turned out better then I thought, with an easy sweep.
Today the A's come into town. The A.L wild card leaders. I think the Tigers still have their confidence. However, if we want to win, our pitching is goung to have to come through. You know the A's will bring it. I predict we win 2 out of 3, all close 1 run games. Something like 5-4, or 4-3 sounds about right. Our record now stands at 60-62. Only 5 games back of the Twins we could catch up soon. The Indians will be a tougher task. We are 7 games back and if we do catch up to them, and its a major IF we will finally be back in the race. Maybe these past games have just been a fluke...... Who knows???
Monday, August 22, 2005
Allow me to introduce myself
Hello, I'm the new guy.
My name is Nick Meyer and yes, I do attend Michigan-Dearborn.
Aka "The Fake U-M," or at least that's what someone wrote on the inside of a bathroom stall.
But it has its advantages. For one, there aren't 200 people in every class, more like a good 20-30.
Secondly, we actually have a journalism program here, something Ann Arbor doesn't have.
Third, the average GPA here is 3.5, and because it's a commuter campus, you don't get the large contingents of aimless partiers, so it's a great environment to go to work in.
Finally, we get cheap season tickets and the opportunity to cover Michigan's excelllent (Albeit slightly underachieving) football team and woefully underfunded, disappointing basketball team through the school paper.
We don't advertise much, but take it from me, prospective collegians, it's a great place to go, especially if you're a Michigan fan.
If, however, you enjoy the challenging of passing your tests with massive hangovers, it might not be for you. It's not much of a party school, although you can find the parties if you try hard enough.
I'd like to say hello to my Sparty neighbor up there on the banks of the Old Red Cedar (In my best Rece Davis voice...god I can't wait for college football to start!) and wish him bad luck in the annual rivalry game.
That's right, you guys don't need any more good luck up there in East Lansing...here's to a good, clean, ORTHODOX game with no FUNNY BUSINESS and may the best team win.
Actually, as good as Drew Stanton is, we already know Michigan is the better team.
Hopefully, Jim Hermann won't get de-pantsed by John L. Smith's offense again.
To the rest of you writers, thanks for having me.
Great to be here and talking sports....
More where that came from...
IN THE FUTURE!!!!
My name is Nick Meyer and yes, I do attend Michigan-Dearborn.
Aka "The Fake U-M," or at least that's what someone wrote on the inside of a bathroom stall.
But it has its advantages. For one, there aren't 200 people in every class, more like a good 20-30.
Secondly, we actually have a journalism program here, something Ann Arbor doesn't have.
Third, the average GPA here is 3.5, and because it's a commuter campus, you don't get the large contingents of aimless partiers, so it's a great environment to go to work in.
Finally, we get cheap season tickets and the opportunity to cover Michigan's excelllent (Albeit slightly underachieving) football team and woefully underfunded, disappointing basketball team through the school paper.
We don't advertise much, but take it from me, prospective collegians, it's a great place to go, especially if you're a Michigan fan.
If, however, you enjoy the challenging of passing your tests with massive hangovers, it might not be for you. It's not much of a party school, although you can find the parties if you try hard enough.
I'd like to say hello to my Sparty neighbor up there on the banks of the Old Red Cedar (In my best Rece Davis voice...god I can't wait for college football to start!) and wish him bad luck in the annual rivalry game.
That's right, you guys don't need any more good luck up there in East Lansing...here's to a good, clean, ORTHODOX game with no FUNNY BUSINESS and may the best team win.
Actually, as good as Drew Stanton is, we already know Michigan is the better team.
Hopefully, Jim Hermann won't get de-pantsed by John L. Smith's offense again.
To the rest of you writers, thanks for having me.
Great to be here and talking sports....
More where that came from...
IN THE FUTURE!!!!
Saturday, August 20, 2005
Short Intro/Welcome Back Carlos Pena
As a Tigers fan in the great state of Florida, I am forced to use the internet as a tool to check on news and stories surrounding the team. This includes not only the official sites of the Tigers, the Free Press and Detroit News, but also independent fansites and weblogs like this one here. While there are many great blogs on the net to read news and opinions on the Tigers, the Detroit Sports Squad seemed to be lacking real in-depth "analysis" on the team. With that being said, I agreed to jump on here and post a couple of my thoughts and opinions on the Tigers whenever I feel the need to.
I figured it would be nice to try and help out Tamaz and the other people here who work hard to try and make this a legit weblog. Even though there have been shortcomings in the past (as well documented by the Sports Blog Critic), I feel that there is potential for this blog to be great. I will also try and help with some formatting issues that perhaps could be addressed. In the past I wrote on a weblog on the Tigers titled "Detroit What?," but later found out that a full time commitment to an internet blog was something that was just not in my best interests. I also helped Jeff over at Bless You Boys keep his blog up to date. I love the Tigers and I like to write, so this is something that I enjoy to do on the side from time to time. Hopefully Tamaz and the other young'ns here can improve from post to post and make this place a great site to read about and discuss the world of Detroit sports.
With all that being said, a short thought on the Tigers should be discussed. Carlos Pena, the Tigers much-criticized first baseman for the last three seasons, was recently called back up to the big league club as Carlos Guillen hit the DL once again. In his first appearance back for the Tigers since the 27th of May, Pena went 3 for 4 with 2 monstrous homeruns and 3 RBI's.
With an abysmal .181 batting average as of that day in May, Pena was shipped to Toledo to find his swing once again. With the absence of that everyday first baseman, the Tigers were forced to try the sweet swinging Chris Shelton, who had been one of the best hitters in the International League brfore his callup. Well, the Shelton experiment has been a shining success for the club as the Tigers have more than likely found a guy they could hang their hat on as the future first baseman. This, of course, was what Pena was pretty much declared last year as he finished strong, hitting 27 homeruns and knocking in 82.
The beginning of the 2005 campaign was just one giant slump for Pena. He was an offensive black hole pretty much in every game he appeared in for the Tigers. The swing just wasn't there for him and the numbers proved it, as he hit only 3 homeruns and drove in 14 in 41 games. Toledo was the only option for the front office to look into, and it seemed to help out as Carlos's numbers were pretty impressive: .311, 12 HRs, 45 RBIs.
While it was a pleasant surprise, perhaps last night's game was just one giant fluke. Carlos could return to early season form in his next game and this will all be for not. BUT, let's say that he has really found his swing and his bat gets hot, what do the Tigers do then? There are little options seeing that as of right now Shelton seems to have the biggest upside at first base, and Dmitri Young has proven that he really cannot do anything with efficiency other than be an average fielder at first base. There just isn't enough room for Pena to play a consistent first base right now for the Tigers. The Tigers could try and switch him to outfielder, especially with the loss of Rondell White in left field, but that would push one of our younger and better future options (Monroe, Logan, and Granderson) out of sufficient playing time.
While I would love to see Pena succeed, I know that it would just throw more of a monkey wrench into an already confusing season for the Tigers. Unless he really does something special I feel that it would be in the best interest for the Tigers to try and trade the young first baseman this offseason. Hopefully a string of successful appearances will up his trade value quite a bit and the Tigers can acquire a more suitable piece of the puzzle. As of right now Shelton is our man at first, and it would take quite a performance for Carlos Pena to change that.
I figured it would be nice to try and help out Tamaz and the other people here who work hard to try and make this a legit weblog. Even though there have been shortcomings in the past (as well documented by the Sports Blog Critic), I feel that there is potential for this blog to be great. I will also try and help with some formatting issues that perhaps could be addressed. In the past I wrote on a weblog on the Tigers titled "Detroit What?," but later found out that a full time commitment to an internet blog was something that was just not in my best interests. I also helped Jeff over at Bless You Boys keep his blog up to date. I love the Tigers and I like to write, so this is something that I enjoy to do on the side from time to time. Hopefully Tamaz and the other young'ns here can improve from post to post and make this place a great site to read about and discuss the world of Detroit sports.
With all that being said, a short thought on the Tigers should be discussed. Carlos Pena, the Tigers much-criticized first baseman for the last three seasons, was recently called back up to the big league club as Carlos Guillen hit the DL once again. In his first appearance back for the Tigers since the 27th of May, Pena went 3 for 4 with 2 monstrous homeruns and 3 RBI's.
With an abysmal .181 batting average as of that day in May, Pena was shipped to Toledo to find his swing once again. With the absence of that everyday first baseman, the Tigers were forced to try the sweet swinging Chris Shelton, who had been one of the best hitters in the International League brfore his callup. Well, the Shelton experiment has been a shining success for the club as the Tigers have more than likely found a guy they could hang their hat on as the future first baseman. This, of course, was what Pena was pretty much declared last year as he finished strong, hitting 27 homeruns and knocking in 82.The beginning of the 2005 campaign was just one giant slump for Pena. He was an offensive black hole pretty much in every game he appeared in for the Tigers. The swing just wasn't there for him and the numbers proved it, as he hit only 3 homeruns and drove in 14 in 41 games. Toledo was the only option for the front office to look into, and it seemed to help out as Carlos's numbers were pretty impressive: .311, 12 HRs, 45 RBIs.
While it was a pleasant surprise, perhaps last night's game was just one giant fluke. Carlos could return to early season form in his next game and this will all be for not. BUT, let's say that he has really found his swing and his bat gets hot, what do the Tigers do then? There are little options seeing that as of right now Shelton seems to have the biggest upside at first base, and Dmitri Young has proven that he really cannot do anything with efficiency other than be an average fielder at first base. There just isn't enough room for Pena to play a consistent first base right now for the Tigers. The Tigers could try and switch him to outfielder, especially with the loss of Rondell White in left field, but that would push one of our younger and better future options (Monroe, Logan, and Granderson) out of sufficient playing time.
While I would love to see Pena succeed, I know that it would just throw more of a monkey wrench into an already confusing season for the Tigers. Unless he really does something special I feel that it would be in the best interest for the Tigers to try and trade the young first baseman this offseason. Hopefully a string of successful appearances will up his trade value quite a bit and the Tigers can acquire a more suitable piece of the puzzle. As of right now Shelton is our man at first, and it would take quite a performance for Carlos Pena to change that.
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Welcome UofM Fan
I heard we got a uofm dearborn writer to this blog. Although I am not a fan of your school, I welcome you to this blog and many future discussions of our two schools and other sports related topics.
Harrington, Harrington, Harrington
I am sick and tired of all this Joey vs Jeff talk. Who is better? Who should start and who should sit? Joey has only won a handful of games in three years. Jeff Garcia is a pro bowler. Stop with all of that talk, it is getting old really fast. Jeff Garcia was brought in to push Joey Harrington, not start over him. The job is Joey's to lose and after his performance last week, I think it is his for the keeping. I am glad we brought Jeff Garcia in this year, beacuse Detroit finally brought in a backup capable of playing the quartback position. If Joey Harrington fails or gets hurt I am confident Jeff Garcia can win a few games for us. I want to see the Lions succeed whether it is with Joey or Jeff playing I don't really care. The job is Joey's until he proves he can not get it done.
Sunday, August 14, 2005
I believe a thank you is in order
Tigers fans, I believe a thank you is in order to the Devil Rays. In case any of you have been watching, my Devil Rays just swept the Indians in three games over the weekend. The only time the Tribe were even close to winning was when they took an early 3-0 win on Friday. Due to this, the Tigers are now only six back of the Indians in the AL Central, and while their playoff chances are still slim to nil, six games is still a reachable goal with one and a half months to go in the season.
The Devil Rays and Indians square off at Tropicana Field in one week, in a four game series. By that time, the Tigers could do themselves a favor and go 4-2 this week vs. the Red Sox and their cross-border rivals in Toronto. With a pitching matchup tomorrow of Sean Douglass vs. Bronson Arroyo the Tigers should at least be competitive in a contest that could go eihter way. While Tuesday's matchup has yet to be announced, the Tigers should almost surely take one from the Sox on Wednesday, when David "Half-Drunk" Wells take the mound. Don't let that mid-4 ERA fool you, Wells is awful away from Fenway Park, and should get hit well, even in the expansive deadball zone that is Comerica Park.
The Indians might be heading into a slump after their weekend slip, and with a three game series coming vs the Rangers and their hot bats, the Tribe's slump could continue. This week, the Indians have Kenny Rogers going against them in a Tuesday start while they send C.C Sabathia to the mound. That game shoulkd break Texas' way. Sorry to say, but Wednesday and Thursday's pitching matchups look to break Cleveland's way, although both pitchers starting for the Indians are no sure thing.
The bottom line is, this week, I have a feeling, will be crucial to whatever is left of the Tigers playoff chances. If things break their way, and the Indians slump, they could get back into some sort of contention. But if the Tribe outduels them, you can raise the white flag. So try to hold down the fort before the Indians come down south!
The Devil Rays and Indians square off at Tropicana Field in one week, in a four game series. By that time, the Tigers could do themselves a favor and go 4-2 this week vs. the Red Sox and their cross-border rivals in Toronto. With a pitching matchup tomorrow of Sean Douglass vs. Bronson Arroyo the Tigers should at least be competitive in a contest that could go eihter way. While Tuesday's matchup has yet to be announced, the Tigers should almost surely take one from the Sox on Wednesday, when David "Half-Drunk" Wells take the mound. Don't let that mid-4 ERA fool you, Wells is awful away from Fenway Park, and should get hit well, even in the expansive deadball zone that is Comerica Park.
The Indians might be heading into a slump after their weekend slip, and with a three game series coming vs the Rangers and their hot bats, the Tribe's slump could continue. This week, the Indians have Kenny Rogers going against them in a Tuesday start while they send C.C Sabathia to the mound. That game shoulkd break Texas' way. Sorry to say, but Wednesday and Thursday's pitching matchups look to break Cleveland's way, although both pitchers starting for the Indians are no sure thing.
The bottom line is, this week, I have a feeling, will be crucial to whatever is left of the Tigers playoff chances. If things break their way, and the Indians slump, they could get back into some sort of contention. But if the Tribe outduels them, you can raise the white flag. So try to hold down the fort before the Indians come down south!
IMPROVEMENT?
Hey Detroit Sports fans, lets get back to sports talk.
The detroit lions are said to be another "Suprise team," which was also said last year and the year before. But, I think they might actually be a suprise team if they improve on the following topics.
They really need to work on their offensive line. Even though Kevin Jones is.....well........pretty good, The offensive line really needs to step up and block. Cory Schleschinger is out 6 to 8 weeks and will probaly miss two weeks of the regular season. For that reason, the lions need to start off strong and without blocking, Kevin Jones may not be as productive as last year. This is a major problem because he is the major force in the lions offense. Schleschinger is one of the best blockers along with Jeff Backus and recently aquired Rick demulling on the lions. Unless Kevin Jones is better than we think, he needs some major help.
Joey Harrington has made some improvement in confidence. Last year, he was kind of shaky and made a lot of turnovers. He made a couple fumbles but that was the offensive line. (No BLOCKING!!!)
The defense is getting stronger with the addition of RW McQuarters, Jon McGraw, and draft picks. I think that Dre Bly feel very confident knowing that they have help coming from better safties. The defensive line has a lot of potential, especially the defensive end position. 8 of the 10 linemen from detroit are under 30. Looks pretty bright in the future.
The lions may have a chance of making the playoffs if they imrpove on their offensive line, careless mistakes, and confidence. I predict that the lions will go about 7 and 8, or 6 and 10. If they do worse than 5 wins, I'm giving up.
The detroit lions are said to be another "Suprise team," which was also said last year and the year before. But, I think they might actually be a suprise team if they improve on the following topics.
They really need to work on their offensive line. Even though Kevin Jones is.....well........pretty good, The offensive line really needs to step up and block. Cory Schleschinger is out 6 to 8 weeks and will probaly miss two weeks of the regular season. For that reason, the lions need to start off strong and without blocking, Kevin Jones may not be as productive as last year. This is a major problem because he is the major force in the lions offense. Schleschinger is one of the best blockers along with Jeff Backus and recently aquired Rick demulling on the lions. Unless Kevin Jones is better than we think, he needs some major help.
Joey Harrington has made some improvement in confidence. Last year, he was kind of shaky and made a lot of turnovers. He made a couple fumbles but that was the offensive line. (No BLOCKING!!!)
The defense is getting stronger with the addition of RW McQuarters, Jon McGraw, and draft picks. I think that Dre Bly feel very confident knowing that they have help coming from better safties. The defensive line has a lot of potential, especially the defensive end position. 8 of the 10 linemen from detroit are under 30. Looks pretty bright in the future.
The lions may have a chance of making the playoffs if they imrpove on their offensive line, careless mistakes, and confidence. I predict that the lions will go about 7 and 8, or 6 and 10. If they do worse than 5 wins, I'm giving up.
my bad
To all fans of Detroit sports squad,
I am sorry I havn't been able to make any posts in the last............million years. lol. I have totally forgot about me being a member of this website and I terribly apoligize for that. I will now try to remember that you guys depend on my thoughts and ideas. Please feel to leave a comment if you will.
I am sorry I havn't been able to make any posts in the last............million years. lol. I have totally forgot about me being a member of this website and I terribly apoligize for that. I will now try to remember that you guys depend on my thoughts and ideas. Please feel to leave a comment if you will.
Sunday, August 07, 2005
Behind Enemy Lines: An Outsider's Perspective
First of all, I would like to thank Tamaz for inviting me onto your "staff" of bloggers. This blog is great, and I'm glad to be a part of it. But since all of you don't know who I am, I shall intoduce myself. I am Patrick Kennedy, a 14 year old (today!) bloggers, who has been the driving force of several baseball blogs. I am currently in the process of trying to start another one up, with Jacob Larsen of RaysBaseball. I am a huge Devil Rays fan, and live in St. Petersburg, Florida. With that being said, I shall move on to my first post.
As someone who lives far, far from Detroit, let me just say that I do not know too much about the area. I have been to Motown once, and that was four years ago. As an avid sports fan, I say I know a a fair amount about Detroit sports teams, and that is why I am here. To give you an outsider's perspective on the Detroit pro sports teams.
When I was last in Detroit, in June of 2001, it was only for an evening. Myself and my traveling companion had driven up from Cleveland to watch the Royals play Detroit in what was then Comerica Park's second season. Ford Field was still being constructed next door, the Wings were about to embark on their Stanley Cup-winning season, and the Pistons were gearing up for their first in many playoff seasons.
I will not lie to any of you. I left Detroit under the impression that this is the worst city I have ever been to. It is a city full of decrepit buildings boarded up with bums sleeping outside of them. What has happened to Tiger Stadium truly has disgusted me, and reminds me so much of Shibe Park in its later daysthat I can't even bear to go on. That's not to say Motown doesn't have its bright spots. It does have the Fox Theatre, which I enjoyed very much, it is a great and historic sports town, and the suburbs are very nice. But as for the actual town, feh.
With that out of the way, let me say that I know a fair more about sports than the casual fan, especially baseball, so my opinion might be a little out of a casual fan's league. I have already mentioned my disdain for the decrepit state of Tiger Stadium.
As for the actual teams, my impression of the Tigers is as follows. After Dombrowski made that rash of signings in the 2002-03 offseason, I was convinced it was the wrong move (I.E giving $10 million to an old catcher....). But it turns out all of those signings worked out fo the best, except for the Fernando Vina deal. That, coupled with an strong farm system, make the Tigers a good team for the future as a threat to win the Central as long as they keep the team intact. And when I say "a strong farm system", let me explain. When I went to the FSL All-Star Game in my hometown of Clearwater, I was amazed at how many L-Tigers were on the West roster. It seemed like all position players were L-Tigers, and they had a fair amount of pitchers too, the most high-profile being, of course, someone who wasn't there, Justin Verlander. Hell, Brett Clevlen won the Home Run Derby. So the Tigers, in my mind, are good now, but are going to be great later.
The Lions are viewed as a national joke, and maybe that is because the closest Detroit has ever been to the Super Bowl was when they hosted it at the Silverdome. But with a good young crop of recievers to go along with the free agent signing of Marcus Pollard, the Lions could make some noise in the North this year. The key to the offense will be whether QB Joey Harrington can do a good job and hold his job, or whehter the Lions will have to turn to backup Jeff Garcia. After all, someone has to get the ball to the recievers. Also, the Lions shouldn't expect to do much on the ground with Jamel White and Kevin Jones, two mediocre backs. The D projects as strong on the line and at the corners, but the safties and linebackers are pretty weak, except for Boss Bailey. Overall though, if things on the fence fall their way, the Lions could make the playoffs.
As for your two-time defending East champion Pistons? Well, they have all the tools in place. It is very simple, they are one of the most complete teams in the NBA. The question is, whether the chemistry will suffer without Larry Brown to keep guys like Rasheed Wallace in check. Larry is a great coach, don't get me wrong, but you guys shouldn't have dumped Carlisle for that carpetbagger. But Flip Saunders is a very good coach, nowhere near the level of Brown, but the best the market had to offer at that point. As long as the Pistons play like they can, they can win the East. But their challenge will once again be Miami, who with their recent acquisition of Antoine Walker, are going to go all out this year. But the Pistons should give them a run for their money.
As for the Red Wings, I cannot make an assesment. With the new CBA in place, and teams shedding salaries like a dog in summer, free agency is just one big expansion draft. With a new coach, a lot of new players, and a new economoic system, I really don't know how the Wings will fare. Most likely the cap will hurt them since they were always a team who could go out and throw money at any problem they might have, but now they are limited to spending "only" about $39 million. But I will evaluate Detroit a little later on after the mess that is the NHL offseason is completed. One thing is for sure though, Detroit is glad to have hockey back!
So there you have it. I am just an outsider, but that is my two cents on the Detroit sports scene. In my future articles, you can look at this as a reference for my general impressions of the "Fab Four" in Detroit. I'm glad to be here, and I look forward to providing you with my best.
As someone who lives far, far from Detroit, let me just say that I do not know too much about the area. I have been to Motown once, and that was four years ago. As an avid sports fan, I say I know a a fair amount about Detroit sports teams, and that is why I am here. To give you an outsider's perspective on the Detroit pro sports teams.
When I was last in Detroit, in June of 2001, it was only for an evening. Myself and my traveling companion had driven up from Cleveland to watch the Royals play Detroit in what was then Comerica Park's second season. Ford Field was still being constructed next door, the Wings were about to embark on their Stanley Cup-winning season, and the Pistons were gearing up for their first in many playoff seasons.
I will not lie to any of you. I left Detroit under the impression that this is the worst city I have ever been to. It is a city full of decrepit buildings boarded up with bums sleeping outside of them. What has happened to Tiger Stadium truly has disgusted me, and reminds me so much of Shibe Park in its later daysthat I can't even bear to go on. That's not to say Motown doesn't have its bright spots. It does have the Fox Theatre, which I enjoyed very much, it is a great and historic sports town, and the suburbs are very nice. But as for the actual town, feh.
With that out of the way, let me say that I know a fair more about sports than the casual fan, especially baseball, so my opinion might be a little out of a casual fan's league. I have already mentioned my disdain for the decrepit state of Tiger Stadium.
As for the actual teams, my impression of the Tigers is as follows. After Dombrowski made that rash of signings in the 2002-03 offseason, I was convinced it was the wrong move (I.E giving $10 million to an old catcher....). But it turns out all of those signings worked out fo the best, except for the Fernando Vina deal. That, coupled with an strong farm system, make the Tigers a good team for the future as a threat to win the Central as long as they keep the team intact. And when I say "a strong farm system", let me explain. When I went to the FSL All-Star Game in my hometown of Clearwater, I was amazed at how many L-Tigers were on the West roster. It seemed like all position players were L-Tigers, and they had a fair amount of pitchers too, the most high-profile being, of course, someone who wasn't there, Justin Verlander. Hell, Brett Clevlen won the Home Run Derby. So the Tigers, in my mind, are good now, but are going to be great later.
The Lions are viewed as a national joke, and maybe that is because the closest Detroit has ever been to the Super Bowl was when they hosted it at the Silverdome. But with a good young crop of recievers to go along with the free agent signing of Marcus Pollard, the Lions could make some noise in the North this year. The key to the offense will be whether QB Joey Harrington can do a good job and hold his job, or whehter the Lions will have to turn to backup Jeff Garcia. After all, someone has to get the ball to the recievers. Also, the Lions shouldn't expect to do much on the ground with Jamel White and Kevin Jones, two mediocre backs. The D projects as strong on the line and at the corners, but the safties and linebackers are pretty weak, except for Boss Bailey. Overall though, if things on the fence fall their way, the Lions could make the playoffs.
As for your two-time defending East champion Pistons? Well, they have all the tools in place. It is very simple, they are one of the most complete teams in the NBA. The question is, whether the chemistry will suffer without Larry Brown to keep guys like Rasheed Wallace in check. Larry is a great coach, don't get me wrong, but you guys shouldn't have dumped Carlisle for that carpetbagger. But Flip Saunders is a very good coach, nowhere near the level of Brown, but the best the market had to offer at that point. As long as the Pistons play like they can, they can win the East. But their challenge will once again be Miami, who with their recent acquisition of Antoine Walker, are going to go all out this year. But the Pistons should give them a run for their money.
As for the Red Wings, I cannot make an assesment. With the new CBA in place, and teams shedding salaries like a dog in summer, free agency is just one big expansion draft. With a new coach, a lot of new players, and a new economoic system, I really don't know how the Wings will fare. Most likely the cap will hurt them since they were always a team who could go out and throw money at any problem they might have, but now they are limited to spending "only" about $39 million. But I will evaluate Detroit a little later on after the mess that is the NHL offseason is completed. One thing is for sure though, Detroit is glad to have hockey back!
So there you have it. I am just an outsider, but that is my two cents on the Detroit sports scene. In my future articles, you can look at this as a reference for my general impressions of the "Fab Four" in Detroit. I'm glad to be here, and I look forward to providing you with my best.
Thursday, August 04, 2005
Tigers need to refocus
Just a week ago I made an article on how the Tigers were looking to pass the Indians. A week later the Indians pass the Twins, and the Tigers start to struggle. The Tigers now find themselves 4.5 games back of the Tribe and 2.5 games back from the Twins. It seems like anything that could go wrong the past week, has. Most of all, lack of RUN SUPPORT. Don’t blame it on the pitching we lost 4-1 many times. As down as this Tiger team has been, I believe the Tigs have one more chance. This weekend the Tigers host the Tribe.
If the Tigers lose this series its over, there is absolutely no chance the Tigers come back. I believe if the Tigers win this series they will gain confidence, and possibly pass the Twins. The key to winning this giant series is forgetting about the past week and REFOCUSING on the present. This is Trams job. Tram needs to wash away the teams past regrets and focus them. If Tram isn’t capable of doing this, you have to get rid of him. This is Trams final exam and he needs to ace it. I think he has it in him.
See, this whole thing is emotional. Its obvious the Tigers have the talent to sweep the Indians. Tram this is your chance, right here right now. Rally cap ready.
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Tigers knock on Indians door
Just days ago, the word out of Detroit was selling.Today being one game behind Cleveland, and only 4 games back in the wild card race the word has changed. The word should now be waiting. By waiting I mean waiting about a week, and seeing if the Tigers can pass the Indians. If they have passed the Tribe, then Dave D should switch modes to buying. If they are still in 4th I say stand pat. The Tigers don’t need to get rid of their foundation. Remember how Dave D said he wants to win “now”? If he really wants to win now, he won’t sell this year. If the management decides to sell, it just proves to me that they have been lying all along. I still don’t think Bonderman is ready to take on the roll of an ace. He is so young, and I just don’t know if he can handle that pressure. If the Tigers management was smart they would enter the A.J Burnett chase. He would be the perfect fit here in Detroit.
Will the Tigers pass the Indians? Most definitely they will. I am tired of hearing all of this stuff about Tiger pitching failing us. Sure the pitching staff isn’t top of the line, but has it really been that bad? No. The Tigers have the 6th best pitching staff in the A.L with an E.R.A of 3.99. That’s ahead of the Yankees and Red Sox. Now how is our pitching staff bad? Farnsworth has proven to be a great addition. Kyle has a 2.32 ERA and 6 saves on his record. That’s the best on our staff. Another surprise has been Sean Douglass. Sean was with the mud hens for awhile, and the Tigers finally called him up and he has impressed. Racking up three wins in five games, way to go to Sean! Jeremy Bonderman has shown stellar stuff on most nights. However, some games he just doesn’t have it. Bondy has had a very good season with 13 wins and 6 losses so far. An ERA of 3.95 isn’t too bad. I just question Jeremy’s stability. He needs to work his stuff every night, which hasn’t happened yet.
Last but certainly not least, the one and only proven Tigers hitting! Not much to say regarding hitting, except we are third in the A.L with a team overall 2.75 average which rocks! And lets hope D young gets his swing back. Polanco has just been activated from the DL hopefully he can stay healthy! One more, Maggs keep it UP!
Here’s to passing the Indians.
GOOO TIGERS
Will the Tigers pass the Indians? Most definitely they will. I am tired of hearing all of this stuff about Tiger pitching failing us. Sure the pitching staff isn’t top of the line, but has it really been that bad? No. The Tigers have the 6th best pitching staff in the A.L with an E.R.A of 3.99. That’s ahead of the Yankees and Red Sox. Now how is our pitching staff bad? Farnsworth has proven to be a great addition. Kyle has a 2.32 ERA and 6 saves on his record. That’s the best on our staff. Another surprise has been Sean Douglass. Sean was with the mud hens for awhile, and the Tigers finally called him up and he has impressed. Racking up three wins in five games, way to go to Sean! Jeremy Bonderman has shown stellar stuff on most nights. However, some games he just doesn’t have it. Bondy has had a very good season with 13 wins and 6 losses so far. An ERA of 3.95 isn’t too bad. I just question Jeremy’s stability. He needs to work his stuff every night, which hasn’t happened yet.
Last but certainly not least, the one and only proven Tigers hitting! Not much to say regarding hitting, except we are third in the A.L with a team overall 2.75 average which rocks! And lets hope D young gets his swing back. Polanco has just been activated from the DL hopefully he can stay healthy! One more, Maggs keep it UP!
Here’s to passing the Indians.
GOOO TIGERS
Monday, July 25, 2005
Tigers show their mettle
The Detroit Tigers have shown the best of the AL Central that they are no longer the division easy-beats. They took 2 of 3 from the division leading White Sox and then took 3 of 5 from the 2nd place Twins. There were many good things to come from this 8 game stretch, including the 3-4 punch of Shelton & Ordonez and the emergence of Curtis Granderson.
Chris Shelton, a much-maligned player of 2004, has come so far in one year that he will be pushing for selection of July’s player of the month. He, along with Magglio Ordonez were a formidable and feared back-to-back combination for both Chicago & Minnesota during their respective series. Shelton’s numbers speak for themselves, including 14 hits in the past 8 games. He has been able to fill the void that Carlos Pena was supposed to fill and enabled the Tigers much freedom in their lineup.
Ordonez is a class act, a professional hitter that makes plays. He moves runners when needed, he gets on base when needed and his clutch hitting is outstanding. He is showing Tigers fans what they were missing during the first half of the season, and why the Tigers organization paid big money for him to join Detroit.
There is quite the dogfight for rights to the CF position between Nook Logan & Curtis Granderson after this weekend, and it isn’t a bad problem to have. These two budding prospects both bring unique qualities to the position.
Nook Logan might just be watching a few more games from the dugout if Curtis continues to show the power he displayed over the weekend. Curtis hit 2 home runs in 3 games. Nook has only been able to hit 1 home run in 89 games this season. Granderson is quick around the bags, but nobody can replace Nook Logan’s base running, rivaled by very few in the league. Trammell may platoon both players through the CF position, but whichever player sits will be a valuable commodity late in games.
To take 5 of 8 from the top two teams in the AL Central is no easy feat. Hopefully the Tigers can continue to swing the bat and lay an exciting foundation for seasons to come.
Chris Shelton, a much-maligned player of 2004, has come so far in one year that he will be pushing for selection of July’s player of the month. He, along with Magglio Ordonez were a formidable and feared back-to-back combination for both Chicago & Minnesota during their respective series. Shelton’s numbers speak for themselves, including 14 hits in the past 8 games. He has been able to fill the void that Carlos Pena was supposed to fill and enabled the Tigers much freedom in their lineup.
Ordonez is a class act, a professional hitter that makes plays. He moves runners when needed, he gets on base when needed and his clutch hitting is outstanding. He is showing Tigers fans what they were missing during the first half of the season, and why the Tigers organization paid big money for him to join Detroit.
There is quite the dogfight for rights to the CF position between Nook Logan & Curtis Granderson after this weekend, and it isn’t a bad problem to have. These two budding prospects both bring unique qualities to the position.
Nook Logan might just be watching a few more games from the dugout if Curtis continues to show the power he displayed over the weekend. Curtis hit 2 home runs in 3 games. Nook has only been able to hit 1 home run in 89 games this season. Granderson is quick around the bags, but nobody can replace Nook Logan’s base running, rivaled by very few in the league. Trammell may platoon both players through the CF position, but whichever player sits will be a valuable commodity late in games.
To take 5 of 8 from the top two teams in the AL Central is no easy feat. Hopefully the Tigers can continue to swing the bat and lay an exciting foundation for seasons to come.
Sunday, July 24, 2005
ThE yEaR!
Everything seems to be in place. This year seems to be the year.
Who can deliver for the Honolulu blue and silver this year? Can Joey be this year's Drew Brees? I sure the heck hope so. This playoff withdrawal is taking it's toll on Detroit fans, it needs to end. The Detroit Lions need to produce, now.
The talent is in place for sure. New offensive editions Marcus Pollard, Mike Williams, Kevin Johnson and Rick Demulling should be just what the doc ordered. This gives the Lions 4 "solid" receivers to work with and a proven tight end. Streets and Hakim were a joke last year. I 'm not laughing either.
The running back position has some depth with Bryson and Pinner/Jamel White backing up Kevin Jones. Jones is a stud and if the o- line plays like it's capable of playing, Jones could be a pro-bowler for sure.
I'm hoping Jeff Garcia will stay as the backup and nothing more. I really believe Joey will come through and "get it". However, if Jeff is called upon because of Joey's poor play, I think Jeff will be sound in his decision making and really help us out. What!?, he does have 3 pro-bowls under his belt.
The special teams was a little down last year if your name wasn't Eddie Drummond or Jason Hanson. I don't have much to say or report.
I don't know much about predicting whether a defense will be any good, but I'm going to try. For one thing, the secondary will be much more physical and will have depth like it has never had. This Terrence Holt should have a breakout year, he just needs to be given more of a chance.
Who can deliver for the Honolulu blue and silver this year? Can Joey be this year's Drew Brees? I sure the heck hope so. This playoff withdrawal is taking it's toll on Detroit fans, it needs to end. The Detroit Lions need to produce, now.
The talent is in place for sure. New offensive editions Marcus Pollard, Mike Williams, Kevin Johnson and Rick Demulling should be just what the doc ordered. This gives the Lions 4 "solid" receivers to work with and a proven tight end. Streets and Hakim were a joke last year. I 'm not laughing either.
The running back position has some depth with Bryson and Pinner/Jamel White backing up Kevin Jones. Jones is a stud and if the o- line plays like it's capable of playing, Jones could be a pro-bowler for sure.
I'm hoping Jeff Garcia will stay as the backup and nothing more. I really believe Joey will come through and "get it". However, if Jeff is called upon because of Joey's poor play, I think Jeff will be sound in his decision making and really help us out. What!?, he does have 3 pro-bowls under his belt.
The special teams was a little down last year if your name wasn't Eddie Drummond or Jason Hanson. I don't have much to say or report.
I don't know much about predicting whether a defense will be any good, but I'm going to try. For one thing, the secondary will be much more physical and will have depth like it has never had. This Terrence Holt should have a breakout year, he just needs to be given more of a chance.
The D-line is alright, I think. I thought they underachieved last year, but Cody should help them out with his speed, maybe shifty Swancutt too.
As for the linebackers, it all starts with Boss. If he's healthy, they got a chance to be something. Lehman, Dirty Davis and those other fillers need to take his lead if they want to form a good unit. As a whole, the D looks to be better, but it's the Lions we're talking about. Maybe a 10-6 record in the weak NFC north will be good enough to take the division outright. I can dream can't I?
Friday, July 22, 2005
Season can not come soon enough
In February, I was ready for football to be over. Now I can not wait for it to start. It has been a pretty bland summer in terms of sports. Sure the Pistons went to the Finals, but it was not like the year before. Not because we won last year, but because the whole Larry Brown drama. I am glad Flip is in and now Larry can get his "dream job" in New York and watch the suck it up in Madison Squar Garden. No Hockey this season was a big disapointed. I really missed that, especially come playoff time. Nothing is more exciting then playoff hockey. Now the NHL is back and with new rules, which should make the game more enjoyable others. The All Star game was great and Detroit came out as a winner, which we really needed, but the Tigers are still the Tigers. I love them and will always root for them, but they are still the Tigers.
Football season is now apon us, both for college and pro. I am not sure what I like better but I love watching the Lions. I got to see Barry Sanders play for 10 years. I was at the game when he got 2000 yards and a few other black and blue division games. I miss the Silverdome. There was just something about it that brings fear into oposing teams heads.
This season should be fun to watch. KJ, R. Williams, BMW, and Chuck are a great young tandom of WRs and RB. I just hope Joey or Jeff can get the job done. I really do not care who it is and long has we have a good year. If we do not make the playoffs..........
Now onto my Spartans.............Well, I know for a fact we will have a great offense with Stanton at the helm and we have some good fast RB and John L. will open up the offense with some good WRs as well. Brown and Trannon are both good WR. It will come down to the defense doing what it takes not to lose games for this team. Expect high scoring games.
UofScum will be a top 10 team. They will lose a game they should win on the road and win the rest of there games. I hope it is to MSU this year!!! Mike Hart is the man and Chad Henne is also strong. With some good WR, UofScum will have a good offense, and there defense is always good. Expect them to win the big 10 again this year. OSU and Iowa will not be able to do it.
Bring on the season!!!
Football season is now apon us, both for college and pro. I am not sure what I like better but I love watching the Lions. I got to see Barry Sanders play for 10 years. I was at the game when he got 2000 yards and a few other black and blue division games. I miss the Silverdome. There was just something about it that brings fear into oposing teams heads.
This season should be fun to watch. KJ, R. Williams, BMW, and Chuck are a great young tandom of WRs and RB. I just hope Joey or Jeff can get the job done. I really do not care who it is and long has we have a good year. If we do not make the playoffs..........
Now onto my Spartans.............Well, I know for a fact we will have a great offense with Stanton at the helm and we have some good fast RB and John L. will open up the offense with some good WRs as well. Brown and Trannon are both good WR. It will come down to the defense doing what it takes not to lose games for this team. Expect high scoring games.
UofScum will be a top 10 team. They will lose a game they should win on the road and win the rest of there games. I hope it is to MSU this year!!! Mike Hart is the man and Chad Henne is also strong. With some good WR, UofScum will have a good offense, and there defense is always good. Expect them to win the big 10 again this year. OSU and Iowa will not be able to do it.
Bring on the season!!!
Thursday, July 21, 2005
The state of the league
edited to appease the critics
This year's off season activities stand out from the past off seasons in the NFL to me. The players seem to be acting only on self-interest. Players are demanding new contracts or trades. The word "team" no longer has meaning.
This year's off season activities stand out from the past off seasons in the NFL to me. The players seem to be acting only on self-interest. Players are demanding new contracts or trades. The word "team" no longer has meaning.
What does team mean though? According to dictionary.com
A group on the same side, as in a game; a group organized to work together.
Regardless when a team comes so close to repeating as NBA champions, there should be focus on: How the team plays as a unit.
But even if your agent is Drew Rosenhaus, (and no I still don'’t like him even if he saved a child from the water), you have to play for the TEAM concept.
"At the end of the day, I don't have to worry about what people think of me, whether they hate me or not. People hated on Jesus. They threw stones at him and tried to kill him, so how can I complain or worry about what people think?"
Flip Saunders to coach Pistons
The Pistons choice to replace Larry Brown as head coach is Flip Saunders. Detroit is not an easy place for Flip to come into. Piston fans expect no less then another trip to the NBA finals next season. Flip's easy choice was to go to the Bucks. The Bucks are a team that doesnt expect much, all they want is to develop their players further and contend for a playoff spot. Why didn't Flip go to Milwaukee? I think he wanted all of the "Flip Saunders can't coach a team in the playoffs, he has Garnett, Cassell. And he still can't get it done". Flip wants to come to Detroit and win a championship to silence that criticism and become a truly elite coach. The Timberwolves are a very diffrent team than the Pistons. The Timberwolves rely on star power, and the Pistons rely on team work. Hopefully Flip is more of a team work kind of coach. Say Phil Jackson, he can make stars perform at their best game. I dont think Flip has that, but I think he can make the whole team perform. With good scheme's etc. Another major task for Saunders is developing Darko, something Brown was having a hard time with. Flip will probably play Darko more then Brown did. I think thats one of the reasons Dumars wanted Saunders, was the developing of Darko. We'll see how this all turns out. I wish Flip Saunders luck.
Catch you on the flip side.
Catch you on the flip side.
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Vegas Summer League
The Detroit Pistons just concluded their summer league play in Vegas on July 15. They finished with a respectable 3-2 record and quite frankly, learned a lot about their young talent, or lack of.
Though I wasn't fortunate enough to watch any of the games, I have followed closely through the internet and newspaper. People hoping to see Delfino return to his old self before his injury during last year should be quite disappointed. Carlos only played in 3 games and averaged just 7 points/game. 5.3 turnovers/game won't help your image either. For good measure however, Carlos did average 2 steals/game, ranking second of all the players on all 16 teams that participated.
Seen Darko play? Well, his numbers weren't astounding, neither were they bad. He averaged 9.8 points/game and 5.8 rebounds/game. But the downside is the field goal shooting he displayed, a mind boggling 36.7%. Shake it off Darko, you tied for 5th in blocks at 1.4/game.
"How well did the rookies play," you are screaming at the computer hysterically, "Who cares about these foreigners." Well I do, considering Brown never gave them the light of day to display their skills. Did I mention Brown is out? Amen.
Rookies, yes the rookies. I now know why the Pistons drafted Alex Acker. He's got mad skills, mad ones. Alex averaged 14.4 points/game, second best on the team only to Maxiell. Alex also drained 46% of his 3 balls. This kid definitely kicked Ricky Paulding out of the mix for another year. Ricky only averaged 4.2 points/game. Ouch, see ya back in Israel Ricky.
Jason Maxiell was the main man in Vegas for the Pistons. His 15 points/game and 52% field goal shooting really surprised a lot of people. Although Jason only averaged 3.8 rebounds/game, he blocked 9 shots during the 5 games. His performance considered by many team analysts and reporters was really exceptional. His stats proved it, so I'll have to agree. He better be ready for a nice role off the bench this year. I can't wait to see the day where there's 3 and 4, maybe even 5 guys coming off the bench for the Pistons, yes. Have fun in New York Larry!
Don't sleep on this youngster by the name of Amir Johnson. He showed glimpses of great talent during the majority of the 5 games. He averaged 8.8 points/game and shot a solid 18-26 from the field, giving him a 69% field goal shooting effort. Not bad I say, not shabby at all. I really doubt whether the Pistons will keep him on the roster, they will probably send him to the NBDL for a year and bring him back for 06/07. But that all depends what changes are made to the NBDL.
I'm not saying that Alex Acker will be on the team this next year, but he sure didn't hurt his chances in anyway. Every team needs some off the bench shooters and Acker would be just the guy to help out. Though if the Pistons sign Rose or Finley or whoever, there's not much room for Acker, but if the NBDL turns out sort of like the minor league baseball system, Acker would be a great choice for that. A guard gets hurt, bring Acker up, we know he can shoot.
If you want to see a sweet dunk by Gerald Green of the Celtics, here's the link
http://www.nba.com/media/celtics/green_dunk_320.mpg
BTW- Good job by Sean Douglass last night- and what was Trammell thinking, leaving Spurling out there after the first homer and the next hit?
Though I wasn't fortunate enough to watch any of the games, I have followed closely through the internet and newspaper. People hoping to see Delfino return to his old self before his injury during last year should be quite disappointed. Carlos only played in 3 games and averaged just 7 points/game. 5.3 turnovers/game won't help your image either. For good measure however, Carlos did average 2 steals/game, ranking second of all the players on all 16 teams that participated.
Seen Darko play? Well, his numbers weren't astounding, neither were they bad. He averaged 9.8 points/game and 5.8 rebounds/game. But the downside is the field goal shooting he displayed, a mind boggling 36.7%. Shake it off Darko, you tied for 5th in blocks at 1.4/game.
"How well did the rookies play," you are screaming at the computer hysterically, "Who cares about these foreigners." Well I do, considering Brown never gave them the light of day to display their skills. Did I mention Brown is out? Amen.
Rookies, yes the rookies. I now know why the Pistons drafted Alex Acker. He's got mad skills, mad ones. Alex averaged 14.4 points/game, second best on the team only to Maxiell. Alex also drained 46% of his 3 balls. This kid definitely kicked Ricky Paulding out of the mix for another year. Ricky only averaged 4.2 points/game. Ouch, see ya back in Israel Ricky.
Jason Maxiell was the main man in Vegas for the Pistons. His 15 points/game and 52% field goal shooting really surprised a lot of people. Although Jason only averaged 3.8 rebounds/game, he blocked 9 shots during the 5 games. His performance considered by many team analysts and reporters was really exceptional. His stats proved it, so I'll have to agree. He better be ready for a nice role off the bench this year. I can't wait to see the day where there's 3 and 4, maybe even 5 guys coming off the bench for the Pistons, yes. Have fun in New York Larry!
Don't sleep on this youngster by the name of Amir Johnson. He showed glimpses of great talent during the majority of the 5 games. He averaged 8.8 points/game and shot a solid 18-26 from the field, giving him a 69% field goal shooting effort. Not bad I say, not shabby at all. I really doubt whether the Pistons will keep him on the roster, they will probably send him to the NBDL for a year and bring him back for 06/07. But that all depends what changes are made to the NBDL.
I'm not saying that Alex Acker will be on the team this next year, but he sure didn't hurt his chances in anyway. Every team needs some off the bench shooters and Acker would be just the guy to help out. Though if the Pistons sign Rose or Finley or whoever, there's not much room for Acker, but if the NBDL turns out sort of like the minor league baseball system, Acker would be a great choice for that. A guard gets hurt, bring Acker up, we know he can shoot.
If you want to see a sweet dunk by Gerald Green of the Celtics, here's the link
http://www.nba.com/media/celtics/green_dunk_320.mpg
BTW- Good job by Sean Douglass last night- and what was Trammell thinking, leaving Spurling out there after the first homer and the next hit?
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