Monday, December 11, 2006

The Strange World of the NFL

I really did not like it before the NFL Draft last spring when it seemed like the NFL experts were piling on Texas quarterback Vince Young. They did not like his throwing motion. He was portrayed as being unintelligent. To me, he was the greatest college football player I had ever seen. Put in the right offense, I saw his NFL career taking off. NFL coaches and team officials just do not think outside the box enough. They want to control players like they are at control of a joy stick. Sports do not function that way. Football is no exception. While good coaching obviously helps, the players are ultimately in charge. A coach can only put them in proper position. It is up to the athletes to make plays. Oh, by the way, Vince Young makes plays. Good for the Tennessee Titans for having the vision. As a result, they have the future the Detroit Lions do not.

Random Thoughts

- I know Orlando is having a surprisingly good season, and that Darko is doing far more for the Magic than he did for the Pistons. But he is not that good. He has only confirmed what many of us suspected all along - that Joe Dumars made the biggest mistake of his mostly brilliant career as a general manager by drafting him second overall.

- Count me among those who still find "Coaches Corner" with Don Cherry as "must see TV." What a knucklehead. But I just cannot get enough of the guy.

- It is a good thing Rod Marinelli took his team for that dreadful one-day road trip to Oakland for the all-important third preseason game. It was to build character, remember? I am sure it will really help the Lions now that they are 2-11 and his players have stopped listening. Yeah. Right. Sure. OK. What a joke.

20 Comments:

Blogger maddog52 said...

Artose Pinner dude wasn' t that the funniest thing you had ever seen. Almose more funnier then Joey coming back to bite us in the rear. Artose isn't good enough to backup K. Jones. Joey wasn't good enough to play QB for the lions. Hartings wasn't good enough to play center for the lions. Ray Crockett back in the day wasn't good enough to play DB for the lions. What does this say about the lions? It's funny you look at teams like the Bengals. They "BEEN" to a superbowl, sucked for a while and they got better before the lions. Tampa was "AWFUL" for years, they got to the big dance before the lions even though they stink again. This was suppose to be an "DISASTER" of a season for Tennessee and they are better then the lions already. Oh yeah they were in the super bowl before. You can make a claim for Arizona as being a garbage franchise. But Us as Lions fans have absolutely no room to laugh at Arizona or talk about them. We haven't earned the right. BEcause we are close if not right neck and neck to being the worse.
For us to get the number 1 pick. Interesting very interesting. ALl it means to me is we sucked again. The Patriots have picked near last in the first round the past few years. They seem to be all right. San Diego sure N.Y. take our number one pick. We'd be more then happy with Phillip Rivers. Atlanta Vick is all yours. I think we may take two guys in the first round oh yeah ONe guy (L.T.)just so happens to be one of the best Backs to possibly ever play. The other (BRees)who was to washed up for the lions likeing hasn't turned out bad for either N.O. (who rebuilt faster then the Lions) and S.D. (who also got better before the lions). So what good is our first round picks.
We as fans should just for one time during the season. Walk out at half time. Make that Disgrace of an orginization play to an empty house. They obviously don't care about their fans. Why should we care. the millen march last year was a blast and I enjoyed myself. I think this would be even better. THink it is something we could fix up and should?
What would that team think if at half time they were awful as usual. THe seats were packed. Then run out after halftime to deadsilence. All they hear is the old guy that fell a sleep farting in the stands or puking up all the beer he drank at the tail gate.

Kitna is a backup at best. He is the guy on your team where if your starter goes down you don't mind coming in. McCown has never really had any opportunity. Lets face neither of those guys are Brees or Leinart. But hey harrington we didn't give a fair shake. I always said. Our systems absolutely stunk for the past few years.

Yeah Garcia can't play anymore. Mooch check out Andy Reid's West Coast. It isn't bad the man adjusts. The lions don't know how to adjust to save their butts. Now we finalyl got a system, but no personal. I am sorry i been syaing from day one. Backus is a right tackle, or guard at best. Woody should've played where he was best at center. OUr line sucks. Other then Bly we haven't had a secondary since maybe the early 90's. I like redding a lot. I think he has played well enough to keep. Kalimba is awful and couldn't sack a potato. Sims is good, but that is it. I tell you what lions need to trade down.

Get multiple picks. I'd get proven guys in F.A. not old guys that can't do it anymore. I'd target Troy Smith, Lamar Woodley (Convert into outside linebacker pass rush specialist), and a big fat ass to do nothing more then plug the middle along with Big Baby. I personally think the lions are in position where they can address those needs and address them well.

You say it all the time Book Millen quit.

10:37 AM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Pat, I heard you say on the radio the other day: "Fire everyone in the Lion's organization". I have believed that for several years - that no matter what changes are made here and there, that we need a complete purge, from top to bottom. There is always a scapegoat. Fire Millen is fine, and will buy them a few more years of losing before the fans revolt again. It's completely hopeless without a massive overhaul.

Cheers,
Danny

12:26 PM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

We all thought “The Millan” was “learning” on the job, his first few years were a complete joke. He has a much better team now, NOT! The Lion’s currently have won 23 games in almost 6 complete seasons, good teams have this many in 2 seasons, even an average team, would win that in 3 seasons. So looking back at the 8 - 8 Lion’s that “The Millan” took over (an average team) in 6 years he has turned a bad franchise into a pathetic one! The Lion’s are averaging over 12 loses a season. Good thing “The Millan” got rid of all the “bad” players. Yes most were not marquee Pro Bowlers, but most serviceable, buying out contracts and releasing even the most average player is insane when you consistently replace them with someone of even lesser talent. The Lion’s organization, with the help of “The Millan” proves the grass is greener elsewhere. Batch, Harrington, Garcia and you can now add Pinner to the list, take their “I” out of TEAM and put it into wIn!

Next year Webster will add “Millan” to the dictionary: adj. Foolish, unwise, reckless, lacking judgment, foolhardy.

2:58 PM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The trip was to promote an adverse situation. What's more adverse than this season? IT WORKED!

If Mooch was let go on the premise he did not get the value out of the talent on this Millen team and Marinelli is about to tie Marty's 1st season record with the same talent minus Joey & Pinner, etc., isn't this the Grand Slam of ridicule?

8:18 PM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The sound of apathy. I listened to the Lions/Vikings game on the radio and watched the second half on television...That was not an NFL game day atmosphere. No energy, even to boo the horrible product on the field. It doesn't matter.Even the venting of the fans has lost some vitriol.....The Lions are entering the stage of obscurity, and that more than anything has to shake Mr. Ford out of his doldrums. I liked Rod Marinelli in the beginning, but it's obvious this job is way over his head. If he keeps saying that he needs to coach better for the players to execute more efficiently, he's done alot of talking, very little showing. This is worse than the Daryl Roger's era...The Christmas Eve game versus the Bears will mark the 6 year anniversary of the last time the Lions played a game of any major significance..( the irony being it was the same team on the same date..the Paul Edinger game.) If there is a Santa Claus, that could be Millen's last home game as GM. Then again....(sigh)

9:22 PM 
Blogger Pat Caputo said...

Maddog52,
I think it was, when you think about it, worse than Harrington. Pinner was awful here - a total bust beyond Harrington, who at least started for four years. I didn't think he could gain that many yards against a Pop Warner team.
Caputo

12:48 AM 
Blogger Pat Caputo said...

Thinkingman,
Mesa is just somebody for bullpen depth. He will help, too, because they won't ask him to do too much. They will eventually find a lefty, too. I don't like how old the Tigers are becoming, though.
Caputo

12:50 AM 
Blogger Pat Caputo said...

Danny,
You are right. Top to bottom is what they have to look at it. The Lions are, by far, the worst professional sports operation I have seen. They just do things the wrong way. Good people become bad people, often, working for them.
Caputo

12:52 AM 
Blogger Pat Caputo said...

Anonymous,
Nothing they told us about Millen when they hired him proved to be true. He didn't know player personnel, had no idea how to organize the franchise nor how to hire the proper coach.
Caputo

12:54 AM 
Blogger Pat Caputo said...

Anonymous,
The way Marinelli set up that trip to Oakland was ridiculous and provided a red flag as to how clueless he was about what was necessary to become a qualty head coach in the NFL.
Caputo

12:56 AM 
Blogger Pat Caputo said...

Thinkingman,
I think both lines and the linebackers are the biggest problem. They don't run the ball well nor protect the passer particularly well. They can't stop the run defensively at all and don't rush the passer well. Right there, a team is behind the eight-ball - even if it doesn't make the numerous mistakes the Lions do.
Caputo

12:59 AM 
Blogger Pat Caputo said...

Flog,
Good call on the Darryl Rogers era. That was what it was like at Ford Field Sunday.
Caputo

1:00 AM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I agree with you that the Vince Young bashing last year was weird. Do you see the same thing starting this year with Troy Smith?

I like the way Don Cherry wears his heart on his sleeve. One minute he's ripping league management a new one for whatevever the latest of their stupid moves is, and seconds later he's in tears over some child losing their fight against cancer. Maybe it's all an act, but it sure feels genuine.

Allan

7:28 AM 
Blogger maddog52 said...

I wasn't saying pinner was the second coming of Barry Sanders or even Reuban Droughns. However, for a backup he was a lot better then unproven Calhoun and Arlen Harris. My point is the lions don't know how to make decisions. THey neer could. HEck in the early 90's with Blades, Ball, Porcher, WHite, Crockett, SPeilman lions could have had one of the best defenses.

You look at all the teams that are good. They all focus on one area weather it be O or D. Make it solid. Then improve the other area. The lions do either. They need to take the offense or defense and build it from the trenches on up. Look at Chicago and Baltiomore they built defenses to be the foundation. Then they put together and offense that wouldn't hurt them. Do just enough for the defense to do the rest.

Look at St. Louis. They built an explosive offense and then put together a defense taht could hold it's own.

Look at the Patriots. Their offense isn't explosive. They built a solid defense then put together a decent offense. I can go on and on with examples.

BUt the more I talk lions the more I want to stick my head in the toilet and flush it.

8:26 AM 
Blogger Pat Caputo said...

Allan,
I think that's the thing about Don Cherry. He is not afraid to say exactly what he thinks. His critics have been waiting for years to nail him for something politically incorrect, but I hope that doesn't happen. I think this world is too vanilla. People are too afraid to said what they are really thinking, or do it just for effect. I don't believe Don Cherry is like that either way. I think he is pretty genuine. I like that about him.
Caputo

3:30 PM 
Blogger Pat Caputo said...

Maddog52,
You may be right about Pinner, but I don't necessarily agree. I am not saying he wasn't as good as Harris or Calhoun, who seems undersized and not that fast, but I didn't think he was any better. I am amazed he had that type of game in the NFL. I really am. And doubt he will have another one like it - even running behind Steve Hutchinson.
Caputo

3:33 PM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The NFL should establish a rule than any coach guilty of gross misconduct be required to coach the Detroit Lions. In fact maybe any coach guilty of some serious NCAA violation get the same fate - maybe you make him an assistant coach. To borrow an analogy from Dennis Miller (and Dante's Inferno), what possible concentric level of Hell would coaching the Lions be? - pretty close to the core. How are we ever supposed to get a top shelf coach? I don't see it happenning with this organization.

7:40 AM 
Blogger Milf said...

fire em all

10:01 PM 
Blogger Unknown said...

Why does Leyland have Neifi Perez the emergency catcher with his one game of MLB experience when Brandon Inge has over 300 games?

Doesn't it make more sense to have Perez or Infante at 3B and move Inge behind the plate.

I recall that in the context of one of his contracts, there was discussion about Inge not catching anymore, but is that actually in the language of the deal? If so, that seems to tie the manger's hands to the deteriment of the team.

1:15 PM 
Blogger DonL said...

Come on Pat. I know you guys have the broadcast rights for the wings but you're starting to shill just a bit. before you award Mccarty the Nobel peace prize, let's see him pay back the $30K he ran up on his wife's cards and return the car he stole. There's a lot of damage left behind in the wake of hurricane McCarty over the last 10 years. Ask his kids or creditors. Yes he deserves aas many chances as it takes and credit for work done so far. But scoring a goal is not a big deal. The wings are guilty of using this guy to put butts into their half empty arena. It shows how soft this team is that a guy with his limited skills can even make the roster. And how do you think Downey feels about being thrown under the bus just for the PR hype. I'd be more impressed if Mccarty apaologized for all the shit he's done and vowed to repay everyone rather than going gaga because of some stupid goal. All I'm asking is you hold off on the canonization ceremony for a while to see how this story will really play out. Be well. Don L., Redford

12:00 PM 

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