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.

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.

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.

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.

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???

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!!!!

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.