metrichead

Goodbye Football, Pt. 1

2012-02-06T22:35:00.004-05:00

And so the 2011 NFL Season concludes: the New York Giants are the best team in professional football. Super Bowl XLVI ended the same way Super Bowl XLII ended in two ways: Eli Manning leading a TD-scoring drive that included a spectacular catch by one of his wide receivers, and Tom Brady unable to lead the game winning drive.

It was a good game, and a good cap to a memorable season for a Lions' fan such as myself. My team won 10 games! We went to the playoffs. Well, "they" did. Ahh, who cares? We went to the playoffs!

My only interest in the game was to see Tom Brady notch his 4th Super Bowl victory and tie the likes of Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw. To do so would make him the undisputed best QB of his generation (and then another win would make him the best of all time!). I'm a Brady fan because he's a Michigan QB. He's from California, but quarterbacked the team in the two years following the Michigan Wolverines' 1997 Championship season. While he didn't repeat a National Championship, he did play well enough to win a share of the Big Ten Championship in 1998, and two Bowl victories (Citrus Bowl over Arkansas and Orange Bowl over Alabama).

Brady is kind of a local sports "hero" around here. Michigan and Michigan State have proud football traditions, and it's always nice to see players from those schools succeed at the next level. But Brady is different because he's a quarterback. Michigan in the last three decades has had Brady, Jim Harbaugh, Elvis Grbac, Brian Griese, Chad Henne, Drew Henson, Todd Collins, and John Navarre all play the position in the NFL. Of those guys, only Harbaugh, Grbac, and Griese had respectable careers aside from Brady.

Michigan State hasn't had any real tangible starting quarterback in the NFL, despite sending a handful over the last couple of decades: Jim Miller, Tony Banks, Jeff Smoker, Drew Stanton, and Brian Hoyer. None of them have made any significant impact in the NFL, although Miller, Banks, and maybe Stanton can qualify as journeymen, or quality backups.

Who's Ohio State got? Art Schlichter? Bobby Hoying? BAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! No, really, who've they got? (Terrelle Pryor, it's all on you, baby!)

So Brady's been my de facto favorite quarterback while my Lions have wandered for decades in search of "the guy" (and from the looks of things, we've found him in Matt Stafford). While Matt Millen was "brainstorming" on how to put a football team together, I had to root for some team that could actually win, so it was easy to find the Patriots as a logical 2nd choice. They've got Brady, and he's good for the state.

Yesterday's loss doesn't sting as much as the 2007 (technically, 2008) loss. The Patriots were undefeated, they were oh-so-close to capping off the perfect season, and it ended harshly. Think yesterday's game, but with less time on the clock. But the Patriots weren't as heavily favored. Their defense was atrocious, and many predicted that's where the outcome of the game would lie.

I see that Brady's wife, Gisele, is under scrutiny for criticizing his receivers. Of course, she's right; had Wes Welker caught that one pass late in the 4th, they might've scored another TD and put the game out of reach. There were other drops after Welker's, but his was a clutch drop. Now Welker may be developing a reputation for hurting his team's chances when they need him most (he was benched for the opening series against the Jets in the 2010 Wild Card for making references to Jets' Coach Rex Ryan's alleged foot fetishes). Other receivers too, like Deion Branch, had their hands on the ball but were slightly out of position making the ball harder to catch than Welker's pass.

But I digress, Brady's 4th Super Bowl ring eludes him another year. I don't know if he'll get another shot. He's 33, and the Patriots need to retool the defense. Maybe it will become dominant again, but by the time it does, his skills may have regressed to where he's no longer "Tom Terrific."

As for Eli Manning, my hat's off to him. He now has his second Super Bowl victory, one more than big brother Peyton. And Eli won it in Peyton's house, Lucas Oil Stadium (that's home to the Indianapolis Colts to any non-football fan). I'm not a huge fan of the Mannings, but I have to admit: they are good for football. They're clean, they respect the game, and they've expanded the brand.

If there's one statistic that will stand out to me is the fact that Eli Manning has not one, but TWO Super Bowl rings in his first eight years. Peyton Manning didn't make it to his first Super Bowl until his ninth year. No matter how many MVPs, how many All-Pro selections, Pro Bowl invites, or other numerous awards and accomplishments, that will always stand out to me. Peyton won his first Super Bowl just in time for Eli to win his first.

As far as the debate between who's the better quarterback - Brady or Manning? I think the nod once again goes to Brady. For all Manning's statistics, and all his accolades, the game is about winning championships. Brady has three rings out of five appearances; Manning is one for two. Brady has a better playoff record, he does own some single-season records (like the TD pass), and he is catching up in the number of MVP awards.

Brady is a Michigan man. I'm sad he didn't win, but I'm glad he's the best quarterback in his generation.

A Not-Quite All Star Game

2012-01-29T21:56:00.004-05:00

I remember a time when All-Star games were fun as a kid. It was a mid-season break in the NBA and MLB, and a last hurrah of football after the Super Bowl before going seven months without another game. (I honestly don't think I ever saw an NHL All-Star game - something that continues today)

You took a lot of pride seeing your team's representative playing with the best of the best in the league. That meant one year watching Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, and Dennis Rodman in the NBA. Another time it was Barry Sanders in the NFL. I even remember Cecil Fielder making the final out in one game, winning it all for the American League.

But I can't watch the Pro Bowl nowadays. It's not football. It's not an athletic contest; it's a popularity contest.

Football is dangerous, so I don't get why teams would allow their best players to risk injury in a meaningless exhibition game. Didn't we have a lockout last year that was based partly on the fact that there are too many preseason games? But now we have a postseason game that is, albeit different, but is still meaningless.

In the first place, you're not playing for anything. Rules are altered in a way that wouldn't fly with fans in a regular season game. Quarterbacks can't call audibles. Three wide receivers can't line up on one side of the ball. Offenses have to use a tight end on every play. Defenses can't blitz. All defenses run a 4-3 formation. No press coverage until you get to the 5-yard line.

Essentially the NFL dumbs down the game to keep teams from getting too hardcore about winning. So why play it then?

Another problem I have is how players are selected. It should be the best players of that season in the game. Instead, we have something like in economics called a "lagging indicator." Players like the Lions' Matthew Stafford were snubbed for players such as Cam Newton after throwing for over 5,000 yards and 41 TDs.

It's possible Stafford could go next year as the third quarterback or 1st alternate, granted Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers are still the best two QBs in the NFC. After those two, there's kind of a bottleneck with Stafford, Matt Ryan, Eli Manning, and Newton. Either way, Stafford has a good shot at going to Hawaii next year.

Even if you are picked, it's not a slight to skip the game altogether. Players who have injuries that would otherwise play through them in a regular season game duck the Pro Bowl. Last year, Ndamukong Suh went and had surgery on his shoulder, despite winning the most votes of any defensive tackle and being named an All-Pro. This year, Calvin Johnson is skipping the game because of a sore Achilles tendon.

More to the point, guess which teams are guaranteed not to have representatives, despite having selections? The two Super Bowl contenders. Why? It's obvious the fans have caught on. It was only last year that the NFL, once they switched the dates of Pro Bowl and Super Bowl, saw its highest number of viewers for the game (technically the NFL started this in 2010, but viewership was up to 13.4 million last year). It fills a void between the Conference Championships and the biggest game of all.

So really, what's the point of this game if nothing else, it gives Roger Goodell another chance to pitch his 18-game schedule plan for the next CBA? Just kill it now.

Wow, People Are Still Stupid

2012-01-27T22:45:00.003-05:00

Normally I won't read any "Letters to the Editor" section of any newspaper. Not because I'm against people expressing their right to free speech, but because they're stupid. If I sound elitist, it's because I am.

I have very little concern for the "common man's" opinion. Newspapers feel obligated to allow for everyone to chime in on a story, which is understandable. It facilitates discussion on relevant topics. But the discussion is almost always worthless when people have little clue what they're talking about. Even worse, if you ever want to find out what crazies do with their free time, look at the comments section of any news organization's website. The truthers, birthers, and everyone else come out in droves.

Last week, I broke one of my own rules and read through that very section in the Detroit Free Press. One of the letters the paper published was from a citizen of Troy being critical of their non-partisan elections for city office.

The writer doesn't like non-partisan elections because he believes that lack of party affiliation allows for candidates to hide their true selves from the public. At the center of his criticism was the Mayor of Troy, Janice Daniels, who apparently doesn't like gay people. She said so one time on facebook. Once this little "gaffe" was revealed publicly, she received an appropriate level of condemnation for her words.

The Mayor's response was something well short of an apology. She pointed out that the comments were made before she even considered running. That should make it all better, right? Well no, it won't. Having an openly homophobic Mayor isn't good, especially for a wealthy suburb town like Troy that has reputation for being cosmopolitan. But that's another topic for another time.

Our writer friend seems to think that had she run as a Republican (she most likely is given her involvement with the Tea Party), we would have known right away that she possesses all the negative traits of Republicans. Unfortunately, this person seems to make the same mistake a lot of people make: linking local politics to national politics.

There are a few reasons many local governments have non-partisan elections. They're too small to address national issues. There isn't a Republican or Democratic way to fix streetlights and potholes. Cities are often highly partisan one way or another, prohibiting the minority partisans from running for office. Plus, a party label is nothing more than an endorsement of coalitions.

Cities like Troy have no say in whether or not gay and lesbian couples can get married. They can't outlaw guns. They are simply creatures of the state, meaning what the state can bring you into the world, and it can take you out. Local governments provide basic community services that we cannot otherwise receive from the private sector, like law enforcement.

Some cities in Michigan do have partisan ballots on their city councils. Cities like Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor have that and what you see is one side has a monopoly. Such monopolies discourage those of a different political persuasion from getting involved in local politics.

More to the point, it's not uncommon if someone does seek elected office on the local level, they often join the other party in an attempt to get elected, or remain elected like in Ann Arbor when Marcia Higgins switched sides and Stephen Rapundalo left the Republicans to run for city council as a Democrat). Conservative Republicans can't win in a town like Ann Arbor.

So, even though we know for a fact that Mayor Daniels is a Tea Party activist, it doesn't mean everyone elected to office on one slate will tow the party line, especially at the local level where they can't really do the things they can do in Lansing or Washington. Are we okay with that?

It's Now a Race

2012-01-23T21:50:00.003-05:00

Apparently, Newt Gingrich won South Carolina. Apparently, by a lot of votes. I expected Mitt Romney to either a) win, or b) lose by a small percentage. Neither happened. Instead, Gingrich got about 40% to Romney's 28%.

I think two factors played an important role here: the "documentary" known as the King of Bain (watch the full video here), and the breaking news on Thursday that Gingrich's second wife Marianne accused her former husband of wanting to have an "open marriage." The documentary alone, might not have been so damaging, but the media highlighted what Romney's Republican critics had claimed during his time at Bain Capital: he was a corporate raider who shed jobs in the name of profits. Even if you didn't watch the video (I didn't), you knew what it was about, and the media's reporting of it made the message stick.

The second factor is somewhat ironic, somewhat funny given that Republicans often pander to the "family values" wing of their party. Here you have Newt Gingrich, a Presidential candidate two days away from one of the most important primaries, having a huge bombshell dropped in his lap - an accusation that he wanted to stay married with his then-second wife and continue his extramarital affair with the woman, Callista Bisek (now Gingrich), who is now his third wife. As Gingrich is a champion of social conservatives' causes, you would think they would be outraged by this, given his prior history of cheating on his first wife, Jackie, with his then-soon-to-be second wife, Marianne.

Alas, you would be wrong. The night of the South Carolina Republican Debate, moderator John King wasted little time and asked Gingrich with the very first question if he had a response to the charges. Instead of defending himself, he attacks the media for attacking him, making him the victim in all this. The crowd goes wild, and he rides off to victory by an impressive margin two days later.

Now, let's suppose Gingrich's second wife fabricated the story, since we can't prove either way if it's true or not. It's public knowledge he already had two affairs, so we can establish a pattern of behavior. Even if the second Mrs. Gingrich wasn't being truthful, why are so many social conservatives so quick to circle the wagons around the guy WHO IS ON HIS THIRD MARRIAGE????

I blame ideological tribalism (a term I picked up from Bob Somerby). Basically, it's the idea that people who are of a certain ideology or political leaning tend to have a belief that the people who think like them are virtuous, and that those who they are opposed to are at worst, a bunch of are idiots, liars, and crooks. It can never be that one of your own is one of those three.

Take my word for it, it's not something limited to conservatives and Republicans. I hear very little criticism from liberals about Michael Moore, Keith Olbermann, or Rachel Maddow, even though all three are guilty of being very fast and loose with facts in their documentaries or reporting. Probably because everyone's pride is at stake, and no one has the stones to call out one of their own.

As with Gingrich, we are left with more of the same. It's now a race, but I suspect it will be over by Super Tuesday. Romney has the establishment behind him, and they tend to carry the real weight in primary politics. I suspect as the coming weeks unfold, we'll see more party insiders who once worked with Gingrich dishing enough dirt to bring him down and ultimately undo his campaign.

If you're hoping a long and costly Republican primary will help Obama in November, think again.

I Didn't Black Out on January 18

2012-01-18T23:44:00.006-05:00

Well, I didn't jump on the bandwagon and black my page out on January 18 like some of the websites I visit.

I suppose I should be more adamant in my opposition to the legislation, but I'll be honest, I'm not that tech savvy enough to make a call. If you twisted my arm, I'd be opposed. The SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) sounds good, but apparently websites like Wikipedia took a position that the SOPA legislation would harm the streaming of content on the web.

The SOPA bill makes me think of the Napster controversy from twelve years ago when you had this website that made it possible to download music without having to pay the artists who created it. I pretty much sided with Lars Ulrich who was the most visible opponent of Napster, simply because Metallica has the right to be compensated for their works.

But the problem with legislation like SOPA, as I understand it, it's too vague to actually work. It's supposed to protect intellectual property, but it doesn't specify what I can and can't download, so technically, I could be downloading a file off the web illegally without even knowing it.

It also means that websites like Wikipedia would be required to self-monitor their own website for improper usage. According to the website, they could link their users to website that infringes on copyright laws. How many sites does Wikipedia link to? Hundreds of thousands? Millions?

Perhaps lost in all of this discussion is the fact that the politicians attempting to pass this legislation have little clue if any how the internet works. I'm no internet genius myself, but I'm not writing the laws that govern how we use it. Furthermore, how long has the internet been a commodity we commonly use? Close to twenty years, and yet in that time, how many people have we elected to Congress that have the capacity to understand how the internet works? It looks like if we can put a number on it, it isn't much.

Take this quote from Adam Theirer who wrote after a November 16 Congressional hearing, "the techno-ignorance of Congress was on full display. Member after member admitted that they really didn’t have any idea what impact SOPA’s regulatory provisions would have on the DNS, online security, or much of anything else." I found this quote from a Wikipedia article that best sums up our elected officials' capacity to regulate the internet.

In the end, I don't know. It wouldn't have made a difference either way if I had blacked this page out. I'm still playing around with the gadgets. Even though you could copy a javascript code, I didn't know where to put it.

Did Dana Milbank Say Something Reasonable?

2012-01-18T03:00:00.001-05:00

My God, straight from the Washington Post came this from Dana Milbank:

If the “choice” rally participants really wanted to preserve legal abortion, they’d be wise to drop the sky-is-falling warnings about Roe and to acknowledge that the other side, and most Americans, have legitimate concerns. Not every compromise means a slippery slope to the back alley.

I am of the "choice" side of the argument, but even I admit, I spend more time criticizing the people that I agree with for their tactics and how they say things, rather than the merits for which they stand their ground.

The Clash of MLK's Legacy and Modern Image

2012-01-16T22:56:00.008-05:00

Today we had a holiday in America. Perhaps you've heard of it - Martin Luther King Day. Perhaps you know the history or the image that is cultivated of our most famous modern day civil rights leader. But probably not.

In today's world, we lionize Dr. King. We think of him as one who led the struggle for equal opportunity, and often times in doing so we forget a few important things: he was a radical, he was not the only civil rights leader of his era, and he wasn't always as popular among Americans or even within the movement.

I remember first learning of the modern Civil Rights Movement in the fourth grade. I suppose it's always ongoing, but the one to which I'm specifically talking about occurred in the 1950s and '60s. But after having gone through college and studied African-American history more in-depth, it amazes me how different white and black Americans have learned of King.

It seems like in the white schools the history gets a lot of white washing. Dr. King was the "good civil rights" leader who preached peace as opposed to the "bad" ones, namely people like Malcolm X, who preached violence and all that stuff. Of course, history is almost never that simple, and in a way because of this, history has been rather unkind to people like Malcolm X.

It was quite the eye opener when I went to college and heard how he was discussed among African-American students. His history became much more complex. Of course, he was lionized; the fact that he is referred to sometimes as simply "Martin" the way Malcolm X is referred to as "Malcolm" is a testament to just how much of an impact each had. But he was spoken of in a much more complex manner.

A more detailed history of Dr. King is that he held radical views. He was greatly influenced by the likes of another radical, Mahatma Gandhi, who led the independence movement in India from British colonization. Gandhi's call for nonviolence and passive resistance was a cornerstone to King's tactics, like the Montgomery boycott. But there was much more to him than that.

He was one of the first leaders to call for a type of reparations for past injustices. He didn't think it was possible to provide for direct compensation for past injustices such as slavery or Jim Crow, but it was possible to provide $50 billion over the course of ten years to all disadvantaged groups (not just African-Americans) to address the needs of poverty, lack of access to education, and to combat other social ills such as broken homes.

He was also a vocal opponent of the Vietnam War. In a speech delivered exactly a year before his assassination, he said that the war was means for colonization and that the United States was "the greatest purveyor of violence in the world."

Nonetheless, towards the final years of his life, he wasn't the consensus civil rights leader that we think of today. In the years following the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, his methods were often in conflict with other leaders who were more vocally hostile discrimination. As the decade wore on, the movement took a more militant tone with leaders like Malcolm X, Huey Newton, Bobby Seale, and Stokely Carmichael calling for black nationalism. Passive resistance was no longer good enough as acts of economic discrimination and police brutality followed African-Americans out of the Deep South and into cities like Detroit and Los Angeles.

Public opinion of him has changed in the time since his assassination. According to Gallup, Dr. King had a favorable rating of 33% in 1966 - last August it was up to 94%. That same year, 50% of whites believed he was "hurting the Negro cause, while only 36% said he was helping, according to a Harris Poll.*

It's an ugly truth, but assassinations have a way of changing our views of someone, regardless of what they stood for (see Lincoln, Kennedy).

* (Thanks to The Monkey Cage for providing those stats).

And Then There Were Five

2012-01-16T22:22:00.002-05:00

Sadly, Jon Huntsman ended his presidential campaign today. It's not like anyone didn't see this coming. But the person most qualified to be President of the United States on the GOP side barely made a blip on the radar in 2012.

Huntsman's general election chances were promising. He served as an ambassador to China under the Obama administration. He was a successful two-term Governor of Utah. He had been a successful entrepreneur.

But it was his moderate views that made him an unwanted commodity in an increasingly hardline Republican Party. He never stood a chance in the primary. Too often he was seen as another Mitt Romney, a moderate who recognized civil unions for gays and lesbians. He believes in evolution and he criticized the Tea Party Caucus for bringing the country to the brink of default on our debt.

If anything, his staffers were right - the only votes he was getting were ones that would have otherwise gone to Romney. Like Huntsman, Romney is seen as the moderate among the grassroots base of the party. While Huntsman has authentic claims to being pro-life and pro-2nd Amendment, his ties to the Obama Administration meant most Republicans took one quick look and knew right away they wouldn't like him, regardless of his intellect and experience.

Let us not forget the "Mormon" issue as well. Various polls show that Romney's faith would have been a liability among the evangelical voters, who comprise about 44% of the Republican vote. If it hurt Romney, it would have hurt Huntsman the same.

I guess we're one step closer to the Romney coronation.

GOP - South Carolina Style

2012-01-15T22:25:00.005-05:00

Yesterday I wondered if Republicans were watching the Broncos-Patriots game, who were they cheering for? Broncos-Patriots was like Jesus vs. America. The Broncos have Jesus, a la Tim Tebow, and the Patriots are well, the Patriots. If you root for one, you're against the other, right? So if you're for Jesus, you're anti-American. But if you're for America, you're a godless heathen. What happens if you take the Republicans' two most sacred things and make them fight? Well, Jesus gets his ass kicked 45-10.

But speaking of Christians and Republicans...Mitt Romney. Romney will win his party's nomination, but he won't get much love from the grassroots conservative base of the GOP. I guess to their credit, they can spot a fake a million miles away. But they did nominate John McCain and George H. W. Bush in the post-Reagan world.

Romney won the first two rounds of the GOP's nominating contests, Iowa and New Hampshire. He barely got by Iowa, which his critics immediately seized an opportunity to move the goal posts and declare lost by winning the whole thing by a mere eight votes. Ouch. To me, he won. A win's a win. The talk leading up to the New Hampshire Primary was that he had to win by 15 points in order to really "win." Well, he did exceed that expectation.

I'm not sympathetic to Romney. He's very contrived, wooden, and inauthentic. He attacks Jon Huntsman for having served in the Obama administration, while as he admits, was spending the last three years trying to defeat this administration. Nothing like playing to the crowd to score a cheap applause.

As Hunstman stoically pointed out, he was serving his country, just as his sons are in the Navy, regardless of the President's affiliation. A good line for people like me, but then again, people like me are outvoted 12-1 every time.

But there's never a genuine moment with Romney. How many people can recall an unscripted moment with the former Governor? He's got a few lines to say and he's sticking with them. Even if it means completely not answering a question in a debate, in an interview, in a conference.

South Carolina is going to be a different fight altogether. In Iowa, you had a large share of evangelical voters; in New Hampshire, you did not. South Carolina is the first RED state of the red state primaries. As hard as Romney must try to win over those evangelical conservative voters in the Palmetto State, he knows he's better served by candidates Santorum, Gingrich, and Perry splitting those votes and walking away with at least 25% of the vote, regardless if he wins or loses.

Romney is in an enviable position in South Carolina. He doesn't have to win, but he might. He just has to tread water for the next six days and hope the conservatives don't coalesce around Ricks Perry or Santorum (or Newtie).

But South Carolina is tough. The 2000 GOP Primary got nasty once it headed to South Carolina. Team Bush notoriously started the use of push polls against John McCain. They would make calls (I think they were robocalls if I'm not mistaken) to random homes, falsely stating that McCain had fathered a black child. (The child in question was Bridget, the daughter they adopted from Bangladesh.)

Romney's challengers have six more days to tear him down, tear each other down, or build themselves up in order to put them in position to compete with him for the next few weeks. I wonder if the most vulnerable candidate is Rick Perry. Perry invested so much time in this state because he knew he had no shot at New Hampshire. If he fails to place at least a close second, I think it hurts his chances in Florida, ten days later, and then after that, he's done.

The great thing about this - we've got six more days to find out.

Hong Kong Disconnected with China

2012-01-11T23:19:00.004-05:00

I came across this article in the Washington Post today about Hong Kong. According to Robert Chung of Hong Kong University's Public Opinion Program, "Hong Kongers" (I didn't know that's how they referred to themselves) identify very little with China.

This doesn't surprise me at all. I went to Hong Kong with my dad in July of 1990 and spent a week there. First of all, that city was a blast. I never had so much fun at a place like that.

When we went, it was still a British territory/colony. Dad explained that Hong Kong was under a century-long lease to the United Kingdom from China and that the city would return to Chinese control in 1997.

We never got deep into politics, as most 10-year-olds have very little concern with such things, but from time-to-time the subject would pop up. Dozens of times I might have seen a shop selling t-shirts that showed a painter painting a Chinese flag over the Union Jack and it read "Hong Kong: 1897 - 1997." Looking back, I can see it was likely intended to stir fears about China's impeding takeover.

One late afternoon, we were walking the city and came across a display by some anti-Chinese activists. The Tiananmen Square massacre happened only a year earlier, so the fears of an autocratic regime imposing its will on Hong Kong seemed very plausible. I saw pictures of some of the most violent and grotesque things people do to each other. One picture showed the body of a protester after it had been run over by a tank. If it were a Hollywood production, nobody would have bought it.

As of today, nothing of that sort has happened to Hong Kong since its transition. Today, China and Hong Kong recognize the "One Country, Two Systems" policy. It is a capitalist utopia existing inside a Maoist empire. But today's article in the WaPo got me thinking about how much sense Dr. Chung's survey made.

Because Hong Kong had been under British control for virtually all of today's Hong Konger's lives, why would anyone there identify with the mainland Chinese? Sure, they look alike, have the same names, and even speak the same language, but so do people in the American North and South.

Chinese officials and pro-communist party media has denounced the survey, calling it "unscientific" and an attempt to divide the people of Hong Kong from their compatriots. While the survey itself does make sense that people who were under British rule their whole lives feel little connection to their mainland counterparts, I'm more worried about any sort of crackdown on the city itself.

Hong Kong is like a paradise. The freedoms Hong Kongers enjoy is nothing like what you see on mainland China. I would hate to see it turn into another Beirut.

Not a Chance

2012-01-08T23:25:00.002-05:00

First came this, and then I heard this, and yet I still have no chance with either. *sigh*

Liking the New Layout So Far

2012-01-08T22:48:00.002-05:00

Well, I ditched the old classic layout and am now using the updated templates that blogger provides me. So far, so good.

I created a twitter widget on the right hand side as well. This is actually getting to be kind of fun. I will continually update the links sections on the right as I find more blogs to frequent.

And So It Was Not To Be

2012-01-08T05:21:00.003-05:00

A few hours ago, we Detroit Lions fans were able to rejoin in an annual tradition known as the NFL Playoffs for the first time in a dozen years. And in just a little over three hours, we sat back and watched as our hopes for Super Bowl promise come to an unhappy ending with a 45-28 defeat at the hands of the New Orleans Saints.

I could be saddened, and maybe I should be, but I won't. There's a common perception in the NFL that we make predictions that establish our expectations for the season prior to the opening kickoff. Then, just as the season progresses, our expectations change depending on the team's performance. We Lions fans were no different than anybody, but looking back on the season, I can honestly, my expectations were satisfied.

Prior to the season, based on how Lions' GM Martin Mayhew had been making personnel decisions, I expected this team to have a legitimate shot at breaking the 10-win barrier and making a serious playoff run. Both expectations were satisfied. What I did not expect was for this team to make a serious run deep into the playoffs. Tonight's loss was not what I would call "satisfying," but it did reinforce what I had strongly believed all along: this team is good, but not yet great.

The game started with the Lions receiving the ball first, and quarterback Matthew Stafford taking the team in a flawlessly executed offensive drive that lasted eight plays and went eighty yards for a touchdown. For the first half, the Lions held their own and went into halftime with a 14-10 lead. They were actually making a game of it.

But the second half came, and Saints' quarterback Drew Brees led his team to its first lead of the game with a touchdown after only a 1:30 in the third quarter. Brees effectively took over, and the Lions' defense could not respond. Two straight scores gave the Saints a ten point lead before Stafford and Lions answered with another touchdown by Stafford running the ball on a bootleg, putting the Lions to within three.

However, Brees was able to not only manage a small lead, but keep the ball on multiple fourth down conversions (they never used the punter in the game). The Saints scored twice again, going ahead 38-21 before Stafford responded with a touchdown pass to Calvin Johnson with less than half the fourth quarter remaining. The Saints put up one more touchdown after a Stafford interception, taking a 45-28 lead. With their last chance, Stafford threw a second pick to Jabari Greer, who had intercepted him minutes earlier. That was Greer's second of the game; he only had one pick all year. Just to show the team's dominance, the Saints managed to take the ball all the way to the Lions' goal line, but decided to kill the clock in a victory formation rather than pile on.

It was pretty obvious by the end of the third quarter that we would not be seeing another week of Lions football. Sure, it's depressing to see your team lose. But putting it all in context, what we Lions fans have been through in over a decade, our sadness is fleeting.

We are no longer the laughingstock of the NFL. Detroit now has a legitimate NFL team again. And unlike the 1990s, this team will not have a string of disappointing, underachieving W-L records, like going 9-7 because we beat Super Bowl contenders like Dallas and San Francisco, but lost to teams like Tampa Bay (the pre-1997 Buccaneers were gawdawful for years).

Around this time in year's past, I was always looking forward to the draft. In 2012, I'll still get excited by it. But now I know we're not drafting for franchise players. We're drafting for need.

Like, a secondary perhaps? Maybe an interior offensive lineman? Maybe even look to replace a few players who are getting long in the tooth, like Kyle Vanden Bosch or Jeff Backus.

Supposedly, this draft is pretty light on corners. But I don't care. I'm all smiles for the next eight to ten years. Sure, there will be setbacks from time to time.

But you know what? I bet, Matthew Stafford will do something for this franchise, this city, and this state that no one's been able to do in the Super Bowl era - bring home the Lombardi Trophy. That I firmly believe.

So, I'm disappointed with last night's result. But I'm not distraught. Next year, my anticipation will grow, as will the rest of Detroit's.

On Tap: Lions at Saints

2012-01-07T19:04:00.004-05:00

I would be remiss I didn't at least blog about tonight's game at 8:00 pm, would I?

The Detroit Lions play the New Orleans Saints at the Super Dome in NOLA. This is the first playoff appearance for the Lions since 1999. Among the other firsts for the Detroit, it is the first playoff appearance for players such as Jeff Backus and Dominic Raiola, both drafted by former Lions' President and GM Matt Millen, Matthew Stafford and Ndamukong Suh, both drafted after Millen was fired in 2008, the first for Lions current GM Martin Mayhew, and Head Coach Jim Schwartz.

Even though the game is taking place in New Orleans, it's a big night in Detroit. The odds are stacked against the Lions, but I don't think a win is impossible, just unlikely.

First, the Saints have a dynamic offense led by QB Drew Brees, who just surpassed Dan Marino's record of 5,084 passing yards in a season (interestingly enough, Stafford was within fifty yards of the same record). Brees has one of the most balanced offenses, ever. The Saints running game is led by rookie Mark Ingram and Darren Sproles is used as a 3rd down, change of pace type back.

But the bread and butter of this offense is its receiving, complete with four quality wide receivers led by Marques Colston, and followed by Lance Moore, Devery Henderson, and Robert Meachem. Added to that, is the emergence of second year tight end Jimmy Graham, who had ninety nine receptions and eleven touchdowns this year.

This game is expected to be a shootout. The Lions' offense can almost go toe-to-toe with the Saints, except in one area: the running game. Prior to the season, Mayhew drafted halfback Mikel Leshoure and his "ground and pound game" to complement Jahvid Best's speed on the outside and his pass catching, play making abilities. But both were lost to injury for the year, with Leshoure blowing his achilles' tendon the first week of training camp, and Best suffering another concussion, which may possibly spell the end of his career.

The Lions were lucky enough to find former third round pick Kevin Smith available after not offering him another contract at the end of the 2010 season. Smith showed promise at the start, but a high ankle sprain has limited his productivity ever since. If all three can come back next year, the Lions may be able to have one of the most prolific running attacks to go along with their passing attack.

The passing game is the strength of this offense, led by QB Matthew Stafford who just set team records in passing yardage and touchdowns. Stafford has one of the strongest arms...ever. After being able to stay healthy an entire season, the second biggest concern for the Lions' franchise QB was his accuracy, and he has improved on that in each of his first three seasons.

The Lions have a receiving corps that can match the Saints, led by Calvin Johnson, perhaps the best in the game today. Johnson is complemented by veteran Nate Burleson, who started off sluggish earlier in the year, but has come on strong as of late. Rookie Titus Young was drafted in the second round, and despite some mental lapses, he has shown tremendous promise and looks to be a fixture for years to come.

Tight ends Brandon Pettigrew and Tony Scheffler complete the receiving corps. Pettigrew is still improving, but he still drops passes at critical moments. Scheffler has shown himself to be a dangerous threat in the slot, but at times disappears from the offense altogether.

The biggest question for Detroit is, can the defense contain enough of the Saints' offense in order to allow their offense a chance to pull off an upset? The last time these teams met was on December 4 at the Super Dome for Sunday Night Football. The Saints took the game, 31-17. Depending on who you ask, it was either a "blowout" or it was "close."

I do not think it was a blowout, per se, but the Lions committed a lot of egregious penalties - eleven - that cost them 107 yards of field position. This was a nationally televised game coming off a previously nationally televised game where Lions' DT Suh stomped on a Green Bay Packers O-lineman, causing a two-game suspension. Suh wasn't there in New Orleans, but rookie Nick Fairley was. For a quarter.

If Suh shows up, and Fairley plays like he did a month ago, the front four may create enough disruption to help a porous secondary that can't stop elite QBs like Brees on their own. The last time these teams played, the Lions came within seven points, before the Saints pulled away in the fourth quarter.

The Lions can't allow the Saints to get in their heads. They are emotional, but sometimes those emotions spill over, causing them to be thrown off their game (or out in the case of Suh).

Detroit gets free safety Louis Delmas back, who they need desperately. This team lacks a No. 1 cornerback, and any help from Delmas is a huge plus.

But I think the key difference here will be the Saints' offense over Detroit's. They've been tested and they have a ring. What distinguishes the Saints' passing game over Detroit's is their offensive line. Carl Nicks and Jahri Evans are the best offensive guard tandems in the NFL, and Jermon Bushrod is a very capable tackle.

I suspect this game will go to the fourth quarter, with the Saints' home field edge and experience winning the day on a late turnover.

===========================================================

Lions 28
Saints 38

Update at 2300 hours on 1/8/2012: I was not aware going into the game that Saints' RB Mark Ingram was out. My bad. But they still did damage with Darren Sproles and Pierre Thomas.

Some New Things (and some old)

2012-01-07T04:15:00.005-05:00

I went back to the old background. Instead of changing it up with some of the new templates from blogger, I went back to the original blue background. There just isn't enough time in the day for me to play around and tinker with all of the newer layouts and so forth.

But I did manage to add a twitter widget, so now my blog looks a little more up to date. Now I'm trying to add an Analytics (or "addthis") address bar. I want it to show up at the bottom of every post, but I think it'll wind up on the right side of the page.

If anyone's got some advice how to change that, please feel free to share. Or, tell me how this page sucks.

Is Romney's GOP Nomination a Fait Accompli?

2012-01-05T22:57:00.005-05:00

I can understand the frustration among the most conservative of Republican voters as to their wariness of nominating Mitt Romney as their standard bearer for the 2012 presidential election. Even though Romney won the Iowa Caucus last Tuesday by a mere eight votes over Rick Santorum, it seems obvious there's a ceiling to the amount of support Romney can expect in contests where it's Republican v. Republican.

For the better part of six months now, it seems that Romney's ascension to the GOP nomination is all but a given, and that the only thing standing in his way are a series of quick risings and falls among various contenders. First, it was Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty who quit after a disappointing showing in a straw poll. Another Minnesota pol, Michelle Bachmann, also turned out to be a quick flame out.

From Bachmann, the GOP base swooned over several more conservative candidates, only to see them all fall by the wayside as each were undone by a media microscope that exposed each candidate's weaknesses as quickly as they reached the pinnacles of their respective popularity. Rick Perry was the Texas Governor who reminded us of another Governor from the Lone Star State running twelve years earlier. He raised cash hand over fist until a series of debates exposed him for being seriously unprepared for how different federal office is from Austin.

Herman Cain came after Perry. Cain, a businessman who sold pizzas, showed off his conservative bona fides to a Tea Party crowd eager to shake the "racism" label that has dogged them since they began organizing at public venues two years ago. An old youtube clip shows Cain from almost twenty years ago going toe-to-toe with then-President Clinton over his healthcare plan and holding his own. His popularity came when he won a Florida Straw Poll. He rose to front-runner status as quickly as he fell after various reports and multiple allegations of sexual harassment emerged from his time as the President of the National Restaurants Association. His biggest contribution to the race was his 9-9-9 plan which called for a national sales tax, an income tax, and transaction tax, all at 9%. Despite his best efforts to prove otherwise, in-depth analyses showed that his tax plan would've been a tax hike for 84% of the country. Due to his campaign's awkward and clumsy handling of sexual harassment allegations, and then another of adultery, Cain's popularity fell, and then by December, his campaign was suspended.

Newt Gingrich was next to benefit from Cain's fall. Despite his past marital indiscretions, conservatives looked to him as the Romney alternative as he had a past of being the conservative "ideas man," he was a polished debater, and he was the driving opposition during the Clinton years. He tended to embellish his own resume, however. While claiming to be "an academic," Gingrich never really published. Furthermore, his arrogant proclamations in the media that he was going to be the nominee (he even began speaking as if he already wrapped up the nomination by speculating Romney would be on his list of potential VPs) were undermined as early as last week when he declared he wasn't going to win in Iowa. A SuperPAC known as "Restore Our Future" ran ads on behalf of Romney, demolished Gingrich's character, placed doubts inside the minds of supporters as to his credentials, and allowed Romney to avoid having to go negative himself. If that isn't passive-aggressive, I don't know what is.

As Gingrich fell, the next to rise up was a former Pennsylvania Senator, Rick Santorum. Santorum had a successful political career. He was elected to Congress in 1990 and then to the US Senate in 1994 in a Republican wave (the same one that catapulted Gingrich to the Speakership). His election was distinguishable by the fact that he was a conservative Republican who won a statewide office in one of the three biggest swing states. In a state that had elected liberal Republicans like Arlen Specter, Hugh Scott, and John Heinz, Santorum was an outlier. His ascension as the new anti-Romney could not have come at a better time, as he rose in the polls and finished a mere eight votes behind Romney to place second Tuesday.

Santorum is much like previous GOP also-rans, highly conservative, an intellectual lightweight, but sincere about what he says. Whereas candidates like Romney and Jon Huntsman have to dumb themselves down or modify previous stances, or Gingrich who has to talk with his chest puffed five inches out, Santorum fits the mold vacated by Bachmann and Cain. He can feel good about his candidacy right now. But come the next few weeks (or days for that matter), he'll face the same microscope that took down previous rivals.

Santorum could consolidate the anti-Romney sentiment within the GOP, but given his organization, his lack of resources, and whether he can withstand a higher level of scrutiny from the media and opposition, I highly doubt it. The anti-Romney vote, if it were consolidated to just one, or possibly two, candidates could wipe Mitt Romney off the map and out of GOP contention.

I suspect that in the coming days, we'll see just how far Santorum can go, given that New Hampshire is up next, and the voters there are less socially conservative than Iowans or South Carolinians. I'm guessing this thing is Romney's to lose, and we've known this now for three years going.

Hello Playoffs

2012-01-02T21:26:00.007-05:00

Yesterday the 2011 NFL season ended...

AND THE LIONS MADE THE PLAYOFFS!!!!!!!

The last time anyone could say that was in 1999, and even then they only backed into the playoffs after losing their final four games.

The season was special from the get-go. After finishing 2010 with four straight wins to go 6-10, expectations were high in this city and across the country. Many commentators picked the Lions as their "it" team of 2011.

In April, the Lions drafted a defensive tackle, Nick Fairley, out of Auburn with their 1st Round pick. They then selected a running back Mikel LeShoure and a wide receiver, Titus Young. While Martin Mayhew did little to address a porous secondary, he did manage to sign two solid linebackers in Justin Durant and Stephen Tulloch, which settled the defense's front seven.

While many of us were fretting at the sight of a possible work stoppage, both the NFL and its union, the NFLPA reached a new collective bargaining agreement that made the whole regular season possible. The only casualty was the Hall of Fame Game, which is largely a waste anyway, since it's one more meaningless game that two teams have to play in a preseason that has too many games as it is.

When the preseason arrived, the Lions dominated, going 4-0. While they didn't have any meaningful victories, they did stoke fears among fans who remembered the dreadful 0-16 season where they had also gone 4-0 in the preseason. Yet the key difference between the 2008 team and the 2011 team, was that the 2011 team had some actual talent. The '08 team did have Calvin Johnson, but there was no franchise quarterback, no defense, and no coaching staff that could adequately prepare a team and implement a game plan.

The team started off hot. They went 5-0 for the first time since 1956 and were the talk of the league. Their start coincided with the Detroit Tigers' playoff run. Detroit was buzzing. Included in that start were two come from behind victories at Minnesota and at Dallas where the Lions were down 20-0 and 23-0 at halftime respectively. A billboard along I-94 in Detroit showed a lion and a tiger with the warning: "Beware of cats." The name "Stafford" became a buzz word as at various sporting events around the city; you could hear fans screaming "STAFFORD!!!" at random times in games that had nothing to do with football.

Then came an eight-week stretch (including a bye week) where the Lions lost five of their next seven, and suddenly Detroit was 7-5 and outside the playoff bubble. A little dust up and the end of the Lions' first loss to San Francisco where Coach Jim Schwartz got into it with 49ers' Coach Jim Harbaugh in the post-game handshake was embarrassing for the team. The loss coincided with the Tigers' elimination from the ALCS a few days before.

Along the way, the Lions earned a reputation as a "dirty" team, and the anchor of its defense, Ndamukong Suh, was voted as the dirtiest player in the league. I contest such claims because (1) I'm a homer, and (2) there are plenty of other examples of dirtier players in the league, like the Steelers' James Harrison and Hines Ward. Suh didn't help himself on Thanksgiving day by driving Green Bay Packers' Evan Dietrich-Smith's head into the turf three times and then stomping on him once.

The stomp, while not as damaging as Albert Haynesworth's stomp on Andre Gurode five years earlier, caused Suh to have a two-game suspension. On top of that, Suh's clumsy handling of the matter hurt his popularity around the league. His failure to apologize to Dietrich-Smith after the game, a half-hearted apology on facebook the next day, and then ending a weekly radio interview abruptly after he came back only reinforced the negative things that his detractors were saying about him.

Eventually, the Lions regrouped and won three in a row against the Minnesota Vikings, Oakland Raiders, and San Diego Chargers. I went to the Vikings game, and watched them almost give the game away after taking a 21-0 lead. The game ended with the referees missing an obvious facemask penalty on Lions' DeAndre Levy, which would've given the Vikings a fresh set of downs and the ball on the 1-yard line. Lucky for us, the refs blew a call that actually went in our favor, for once.

Raiders game was the most dramatic as Detroit was down 27-14 with under eight minutes to go before Stafford pulled the team together and scored with a TD pass to Calvin Johnson. The Raiders game guaranteed the Lions' first winning season since 2000, and it included the return of Suh after his suspension, and his game-winning field goal block against Sebastian Janikowski.

The Chargers' game wasn't even close. The Lions dominated on both sides of the ball and secured its first playoff berth in twelve years. For me, the icing on the cake was the night before, former Lions' GM Matt Millen predicted the Chargers would win. To his defense, the Chargers had gotten hot, despite a lackluster start to the season. But his failed prediction was gravy. He predicted the Lions would lose, and instead, not only did they win, but they made the playoffs, something he never could pull off in eight years.

The season ended in Green Bay with a loss. This game was expected to be a Lions' win. Green Bay already secured the No. 1 seed with the best record in the NFC (and the NFL, for that matter), so it was expected that Packers' coach Mike McCarthy would sit his best players. He did, at least most of them. QB Aaron Rodgers, LB Clay Matthews, and CB Charles Woodson all sat out. While the Lions got off to a 9-0 start, backup QB Matt Flynn threw for over 450 yards and five TDs. Stafford also threw for over 500 yards and five TDs, but threw an interception on the final play of the game, giving the Packers the win.

Yesterday's loss was embarrassing. Despite the fact that the Pack sat only three (as far as I know) starters, the Lions won't be able to live that one down for a while. If Matt Flynn (Rodgers' backup) is 75% as good as he was against the Lions (and the Packers have that good of depth on their team), then maybe it isn't so bad, but your average common man won't remember all those nuances. They'll just remember that the Lions couldn't beat Green Bay's second string.

So, we're 10-6. 10-6 is good. I actually predicted they'd go 10-6, generically. According to my schedule I had on my fridge, I had them going 11-5 game-by-game, and I went 12-4 predicting those outcomes. I missed on San Francisco, at Chicago, Green Bay (on Thanksgiving), and San Diego. Not bad for the past three years. I said in 2009 they'd be 3-13; they were 2-14. In 2010, I said 5-11; they were 6-10.

And now, we're in the playoffs. This Saturday, Detroit goes to New Orleans. The city is still revved up for the playoffs. The only negative is the bad taste left in our mouths after yesterday's loss. Detroit had a chance to get another monkey off our backs. By beating Green Bay at home, the Lions would've ended the 20-game winning streak they had over us.

Yet, because of this season, we got a lot of other monkeys off our backs. We had a winning season. We won ten games. We made the playoffs. We found a franchise QB (STAHHF-FAHD!!!!). Last year, Coach Schwartz ended the NFL-record longest road losing streak (a record that was previously held by guess who - Detroit). The year before, he ended the nightmarish 19-game losing streak and gave us our first win in almost two years.

You can say a lot of what Coach Schwartz is doing is about monkeys. Yesterday's game was a chance to rid us of one more. It didn't happen, but there's always next year. For now, let's focus on beating New Orleans. And then winning a Super Bowl. I'll take those monkeys off our backs over winning a game at Green Bay.

Metrichead Reboot....Take 8 (or 80?)

2011-12-19T22:48:00.003-05:00

2011 is coming to a close. As usual, I've made a verbal commitment to this blog...one I could not keep. It's hard. My writing skills have regressed as I've been out of college for more than five years. I'm no longer as creative or articulate a writer as I once was. (Was I ever, really?)

It's very difficult to keep adding content to this blog. I could do like some bloggers and post a roundup of links to interesting articles I've come across. But I'm not getting paid and time is money. There are those whose blogs make some money by selling ad space, but it sounds like more trouble than it's worth, considering the very little amount some make off blogger or WordPress.

It also seems as if every time I'm logging in, Blogger has added a new feature that I should check out. I have about as much experience editing a web page as I do lighting myself on fire. (ahem, not much) I see there's a new Blogger interface. Not interested in trying it. Does it do twitter feeds like Brendan Nyhan's? I guess I just like the classic Blogger look; not really into all the new interfaces/templates.

But come 2012, I should start posting more. I don't make New Year's Resolutions. I'm not one to use a calendar to start a new behavioral pattern. If it's January 1, or the 1st of any month, or even just a Sunday, it means nothing. I started going to a gym regularly in late August (years back). I think I made my first bike trek on a Saturday in the summer.

2012 starts on a Sunday. Maybe I should try this once. I have a feeling I'll break it, because I don't want to add content for the sake of adding content.

Meanwhile, I'm going to go back through and start deleting some old posts. Mainly, I'm just not proud of all the posts I've made. This is supposed to help me hone my craft writing. But I need some kind of motivation. College was easy because I had deadlines, and my best writing actually came as the deadline approached (weird).

So, here's to a better 2012. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Matt Stafford Is a Hungry Man

2011-09-12T22:46:00.002-04:00

Stop the presses in Detroit: Matthew Stafford's streak of consecutive starts is now longer than Peyton Manning!

Okay, I may be pushing the logic just a bit here, but it is technically true. And it isn't like I didn't have a scare in the second half of yesterday's game against Tampa Bay. Stafford fell backwards as he lobbed a touchdown pass to Calvin Johnson. As Stafford threw, he looked as though he tore or broke something in his right leg.

Everyone in Detroit took a collective groan, until we realized about a minute later it was a cramp that had resulted from playing in the 87 degree heat. One pan along the sidelines on each side told you how hot it was in Tampa Bay, with everyone sitting underneath cooling fans with wet towels over their heads. Stafford was not immune to this.

Stafford finished the day throwing for three TDs and over 300 yards with one INT. Although the Lions won 27-20, the game really wasn't that close. Detroit controlled both sides of the ball and had possession of the football for over 20 minutes of the first half.

What we saw yesterday was how much of a command of this offense (and the team maybe) that Stafford has. If not for a couple of mental mistakes by Stafford - a bad throw that was tipped and intercepted by Aqib Talib and another bad throw that went incomplete - they should have scored in the high 30s.

This game was a statement for both teams. Detroit showed that they are poised to make a run at the playoffs, but they're going to do it one game at a time. Tampa Bay, although they lost, they showed that they have a bright future with Josh Freeman, even if they take a step back this year.

The Lions weren't perfect. Stafford could have thrown more than one INT. A drop by Brandon Pettigrew cost the Lions a TD and they settled for a field goal in the first quarter. The killer miscue for the Lions came from RT Gosder Cherilus who drew a personal foul after pushing a Tampa Bay LB when the play was whistled dead. It cost the Lions a chance to burn another 40 seconds off the clock, and could have allowed the Bucs to come back and tie the score. Hopefully as the season drags on, players like Pettigrew will find their rhythm and Cherilus will find a way to play with a cooler head.

There is no question though. When Stafford is under center, this is a completely different team. Kudos to the offensive line who kept him upright and didn't give up a sack during the game.

He has the look of a man who has a lot to prove. He's now only started 14 of a possible 33 games, and there are those who still doubt he will play or even finish a whole season. While they may not be the first thing he wants to accomplish, it will stand out if he does or doesn't come January.

On Tap: Lions at Buccaneers

2011-09-11T05:40:00.002-04:00

Week 1 is underway in the NFL. Detroit heads to Tampa Bay to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

This game is a test for both teams who are considered on the rise. Tampa Bay went 10-6 in 2010, but missed the playoffs thanks to a late season surge by the Lions who won their final four games to go 6-10.

Tampa Bay's long-term future looks promising with 3rd year QB Josh Freeman. Freeman isn't flashy, but he makes few mistakes. RB LaGarrette Blount and WR Mike Williams were very productive rookies last year and TE Kellen Winslow is the perfect safety net for Freeman. Davin Joseph is an elite guard and will have his hands full with Ndamukong Suh.

But I suspect Tampa Bay will take a step back this year. It's not uncommon for teams in the NFL to pop up one year, fall back the next, and make a bigger splash the next year. Tampa Bay looks like one of those teams.

Detroit is back with Matt Stafford at QB. So far, Freeman has had the better career, but there's more upside to Stafford if he can avoid being upside down. Or just stay upside. Whatever. They face DT Gerald McCoy (selected right after Suh in the 2010 Draft) and CB Aqib Talib who didn't play against the Lions last December.

Detroit's running attack has been hindered with the loss of rookie Mikel Leshoure, but last year they had Maurice Morris and Jahvid Best who will both be in the game as the team's 1-2 tandem. They've also cut FB Jerome Felton as they plan on using TE Will Heller as an H-back while going with a base 2-TE offense.

The key for Detroit is the passing game. WRs Calvin Johnson and Nate Burleson are the starters and rookie WR Titus Young is the third WR. Johnson could be the best WR in the NFL, but he'll need help from his other WRs if he can get more one-on-one matchups and not be double- and triple-covered all afternoon. Young is struggling, thanks to a hamstring injury that limited almost all of training camp. But their fourth WR, Maurice Stovall, had such an outstanding training camp, that he could supplant Young before the season's out, or maybe become part of an elite receiving corps with Brandon Pettigrew and Tony Scheffler as the two TEs .

The Lions' aren't Green Bay, yet. I'm still worried about the O-Line. Jeff Backus and Dominic Raiola are entering their 11th seasons with Detroit. They aren't getting younger, but last year, Backus was finally starting to receive recognition despite having never been to a Pro Bowl. We'll have to see how RT Gosder Cherilus has recovered from his microfracture injury to his right knee and if Stephen Peterman can stay healthy. As of now, LG Rob Sims is the only sure bet on the line.

Backus received most the blame for Stafford's AC separation last year at the opener against Chicago. He allowed Julius Peppers to blow right by him and he nailed Stafford, giving him a third-degree AC Separation. If Backus and the rest of the line can protect Stafford and create holes for the RBs, this team will make some noise.

This game will be close.

============================

Lions 23
Bucs 20

Football Is Back

2011-09-11T04:32:00.002-04:00

There could not be a more unfortunate date for the NFL's 2011 season to kick off than on the 10th anniversary of September 11, 2001. 9/11 reminds me of the fact that no matter how somber this commemoration is, I am thankful that I can still enjoy the things myself and millions of other Americans partake in - namely the kickoff of a new season.

My Detroit Lions are the buzz team of the 2011 season. Hopes are riding here in the mitten that the Lions will make a push for the playoffs. We're three years removed from the disastrous 0-16 season. Our team is no longer a laughing stock as evidenced by last season's performance; the games were close in most of the ten losses, but they put together a four-game winning streak at the end which included ending the 26-game road losing streak at Tampa Bay.

The lockout came and went. It ended in time for us to see that preseason will still take place, despite the cancellation of the Hall of Fame Game - a game that by all means, showcases two teams' first strings for probably no more than a couple of series while the rest of the game we watch as they simply play out the string.

I was about 90/10 in favor of the NFL Players' position in the lockout. I believe that the NFL and its owners were trying to squeeze every single nickel out of the pockets of fans and players, and they overreached. The more we got closer to the starting dates of NFL Training Camps, the more I came convinced we would have a season. $9 billion in revenue is simply too much to walk away from for either side.

And so, as a fan, I am ecstatic football is back. I am an NFL fan first and foremost. The NBA? MLB? NHL? Couldn't care that much about any of them. College football? I'm a University of Michigan fan first, a Michigan State fan second, and state-based schools third. But I don't follow college football like I do the NFL.

Detroit plays the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa at 1:00. Even though I get off work at 8 am, I am making it a special commitment to get to my sister's house, sleep four hours, and enjoy me some football. It's become a tradition for the last five years. My crazy work schedule makes it difficult for me to come out to enjoy the games, because I have to wake up after only 3-4 hours of sleep, and waking up is next to impossible sometimes. But now that Detroit is poised to make a serious push for the playoffs, the NFL has scheduled them their first Monday Night game since 2001, as well as a couple of 4:00 games, making it much easier for me to come out and watch.

I have high hopes for this year's squad. Matthew Stafford is back and looking sharp. He has demonstrated that he truly is the leader of this team. Ndamukong Suh is in his second year and is looking more and more like he will become the best defensive lineman in all of football. Calvin Johnson has probably never looked more forward to a season than this one.

The Lions made some major moves in the offseason. They drafted another defensive tackle in Nick Fairley in the 1st Round, along with WR Titus Young and RB Mikel Leshoure in the 2nd Rounds. One of the two weakest areas on defense, linebackers, were addressed with the free agent signings of Stephen Tulloch and Justin Durant. Tulloch, is a former Tennessee Titan who played under Coach Jim Schwartz when he was the Defensive Coordinator there while Durant was a solid LB for Jacksonville.

The team didn't do enough with its secondary, which looks to again be the weakest link of the entire team. They re-signed Chris Houston and added Eric Wright from Cleveland, and those two are expected to be the starters at cornerback. Free safety Louis Delmas, the only sure thing the Lions have in the secondary is back, while 2nd-year player Amari Spievey has made tremendous strides and won the starting job at strong safety.

I don't think the Lions are as weak in the secondary as most pundits believe. Houston is a solid No. 2 corner, while Eric Wright and Alphonso Smith (who lead the team in interceptions last year) can develop into solid No. 2s as well. the Lions are high on Aaron Berry and Brandon McDonald's development, and by year's end, they may not have a true No. 1 shutdown corner, but they could walk away with at least two solid No. 2s and two solid nickel corners. As long as the front seven can live up to their billing, that will help the back four tremendously.

It all rests on Matt Stafford's health. While they lost Mikel Leshoure for the year, which took away the 1-2 tandem of him and Jahvid Best, it is ultimately up to Stafford to run this pass-first oriented offense. He'll have an upgraded receiving corps with the addition of rookie Titus Young and Maurice Stovall. Calvin Johnson and Nate Burleson remain the starting WRs while Brandon Pettigrew is the TE.

The Lions have chosen to go without a FB, and will use a base 2-Tight End offense, with TE Will Heller playing some form of an H-back, or a hybrid fullback. They will use Tony Scheffler as the 2nd TE in passing situations, giving Stafford quite an arsenal in the passing attack.

I see their schedule as somewhat soft. They can beat the first six teams the play - at Tampa Bay, Kansas City, at Minnesota, at Dallas, Chicago (Monday Night), and at San Francisco. I can see them winning all six games there, but most predict losses at at least Dallas and at Tampa Bay. Then they play Atlanta, which I think right now is their only sure loss.

After Atlanta, it's against Denver, Chicago, and Carolina. Denver is going to be weak because they're young and building a defense, and they're not settled on a QB (Kyle Orton is a good QB, but on a bad team, and probably not in their long-term plans). Detroit can beat Chicago twice, as I suspect the Bears will take a step back from last year's team whose season ended in the NFC Title game. They've got a lot of motivation to beat Chicago since they beat them twice last year (due to the account of referee interference, both games were given to the Bears). And Carolina? Please! Cam Newton will be lucky if he last four NFL seasons.

The final six games begins and ends with Green Bay. They play the Packers on Thanksgiving, then face New Orleans, Minnesota, at Oakland, San Diego, and finally head to Lambeau. I can see them losing to the Saints, Chargers, and at the Packers, which would end the season on a somewhat sour note losing the final two games.

Most importantly, I can see them splitting the season with Green Bay, and beating both Chicago and Minnesota twice, going 5-1 in the NFC North. I expect Green Bay to once again be the NFC North Champions and Detroit to finish in second place (with Chicago in third and Minnesota last).

With all that said, it's a reasonable expectation for the Lions to win at least ten games. They can even go 11-5. 13-3 is the absolute best they can do if everything goes their way, but I won't make that prediction.

Final prediction for the season: 10-6, and a Wild Card berth.

Super Bowl: Green Bay vs. New England - Tom Brady wins his 4th Lombardi Trophy.

Maybe I'll Close This Thing Out

2011-08-07T05:05:00.002-04:00

It feels like unless you're somehow making money, or are in a career field where you do extensive writing, that there's little payoff in maintaining a blog.

I had an idea or two of things to write about, and although I felt I was off to a great start, by the second article I was failing to write a good sequel. I had written the previous article Chasing Ghosts and Gods with the hope of writing The Dark Knight to Batman Begins. Instead, the follow-ups were looking like The Whole Ten Yards from the The Whole Nine Yards.

Truth be told, there's a ton of things I should cover: Obama, the debt ceiling, anti-Islam fever, and the upcoming 2011 NFL Season, which would include my thoughts on the Lions, personnel, and of course, the ugly lockout.

I should also mention that the biggest difference between this summer and the last 10 have been how much fun I've had. I've gone and seen four over the summer, all comic-book inspired (X-Men First Class, Green Lantern, Transformers, and Captain America). I've also seen the first five Harry Potter movies, and plan on seeing No. 6, The Half-Blood Prince tonight, just in time for me to go with a friend to see No. 8, The Deathly Hallows Part II before it leaves the theaters.

Yeah, it remains to be seen at this point.

Chasing Ghosts and Gods

2011-03-27T22:59:00.005-04:00

I've spent the better part of the last two years or so rethinking and re imagining my thoughts on God. You may call this daydreaming. For a while now, I've found myself fumbling towards atheism without ever accepting it as a truth.

Nobody can really be sure either way if God exists or not, and if so, what form. Is God an old white man in the sky (outer space, the universe, etc.), or is he a woman? Or is it even an anthropomorphic being? Very rarely does anyone ever hear God spoken of as an energy or an object.

I think it's all a waste of time to spend so much energy in trying to search for truth, especially when we live here on Earth. Earth is too small a place in this vast universe. And the universe is too small a place if you're an astrophysicist who thinks this universe is part of a larger multiverse.

Astronomy always leads me back to thinking about God. Where did the universe come? Does it have defined limits, or is it limitless? Was there really a "Big Bang?" Do I even believe in the Big Bang Theory?

Truth be told, I don't quite believe in the Big Bang Theory. I don't believe that there was nothing and then all of a sudden "Bang!" A hot gaseous atomic explosion that started as something less than a millimeter wide that has expanded for 13 billion+ years. I kind of think that the universe has always been there (or here), like it has no genesis. I also think that it just goes on to infinity, that there is no "edge" to the universe.

But I'm not an astronomer, just a daydreamer. I don't have to worry about being discredited in this area because I have no cred to begin with. For me, it's just my way of putting my brain on the treadmill.

(For what it's worth, I'm not a believer in Intelligent Design, Creationism, or even Young Earth Creationism - the difference between the 2nd and 3rd being that some Creationists believe God created the Earth and Heavens and then let Evolution set it in, whereas Young Earthers believe in the biblical accounts written in Genesis. More on this later.)

Needless to say, the size of the universe is beyond my imagination. That's the way my 5th grade teacher would describe astronomical bodies. Hell, the size of the Sun is beyond my imagination. I could only imagine what it would be like to be an astronaut that flies the first shuttle to approach Jupiter. Oh wait, I can't. It's beyond that.

But the whole size and scope of the universe (and multiverse) is beyond my imagination. Which makes me ponder if there's truly a God, then all that happens on Earth (the good, the bad, the rest) is so small and insignificant to the greater workings of the universe. Everything from prosperity to famine and euphoria to despair is simply meaningless in the grander context of the universe.

For everyone who credits God's graces for their fortunes, there are a smaller number of people who turn their backs to God, believing he's either cruel or doesn't exist, because a loving God wouldn't allow for such horrible things like war, disease, and poverty. But why does it have to be one way or the other? Rarely are alternatives to the two competing theories ever discusses.

Me personally, I've come to think that what happens on Earth is inconsequential because in a vast universe like ours, there has got to be life somewhere else. Just because we've never seen aliens from another world doesn't mean they don't exist. Hence, I can't be an atheist, because having not seen God, doesn't mean he doesn't exist.

Do you think on those other planets, there are all kinds of possibilities as to how they've evolved? Some worlds have created highly advanced, progressive civilizations while others haven't come out of a protoplasmic state and have remained that way for eons. There has to be millions of these types of outcomes all over the universe, and perhaps there are hundreds of thousands of different forms of life and civilization in our own Milky Way Galaxy.

Countless lives, outcomes, etc. So much to ponder. So much creativity for sci-fi writers to put this stuff altogether and make a book, movie, or TV series of it.

So maybe God is out there. Beyond all of this. Maybe it's not that he, she, it, or they care about the fortunes and misfortunes that happen to us; maybe what happens here on Earth, good or bad, is so inconsequential, that it is minute to whatever is the grand design of the cosmos.

Off to ponder more.

Lazy Blogger (Again)

2011-03-27T22:57:00.002-04:00

Hmm, so after months away, I think I'm ready to start writing again. For a few months before I lose all interest in writing again and go on another 6-12 month hiatus.

Joe Schwarz Should Run for Senate

2010-11-07T21:13:00.004-05:00

The 2012 campaign is already underway. By now the media has taken its attention away from the midterms and is gearing up for a heated reelection campaign for President Obama. Obama will have to lay out his agenda in the coming months as he delivers his State of the Union address with the hopes of turning around the economy and the situation in Afghanistan.

Republicans will offer an array of Presidential hopefuls, each with their own set of bona fides, hoping to corral the entire party behind him (or her). Voters will get reacquainted with the likes of Mitt Romney, Sarah Palin, and Mike Huckabee, while others will be introduced to the likes of Tim Pawlenty.

We in Michigan will have a Senate election as Senator Debbie Stabenow is up for reelection. Stabenow won a close race in 2000 over incumbent Spencer Abraham, and won reelection in 2006 over Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard. Stabenow was largely credited for leading the ticket, despite the fact that it was Gov. Jennifer Granholm whose name was at the top of the ticket.

Stabenow is very popular among Democrats, and among voters across the state. At one time, she was the third-ranking Democrat in the Senate after Dick Durbin, the Minority Whip, and Harry Reid, the Democratic Leader. Virtually no Republican in the state has a shot at unseating her.

Except Joe Schwarz.

Dr. Joe Schwarz is a former Congressman who served Michigan's 7th Congressional District from 2005-2007. Schwarz's resume makes Stabenow's seem rather plain. Don't get me wrong, Stabenow is no slouch. She earned her bachelor's from Michigan State, and an MSW from MSU (she was a grad student when she won her first elected office).

Whereas as Stabenow went from being an Ingham County Commissioner to State Representative, State Senator, nominee for Lt. Governor, US Representative, and now Senator, Schwarz's curriculum vitae is even more impressive. He earned a Bachelor's of History from the University of Michigan, his MD from Wayne State University, and then entered the US Navy as an officer serving as a battlefield surgeon in Viet Nam. He joined the Defense Intelligence Agency and later the CIA, where he still today cannot disclose his full involvement.

He came back to Michigan and began a practice as an Otolaryngologist (ear, nose, and throat), became Mayor of Battle Creek, was then elected State Senator in 1986, and served there until 2002 as a result of state mandated term limits. He made an unsuccessful bid for Governor of Michigan that same year, and lost decidedly to eventual winner, Lt. Governor Dick Posthumous.

In 2004, Rep. Nick Smith announced he was retiring and Schwarz decided to run for his seat in southern Michigan. He won a hotly contested Republican Primary against five other Republicans, and proceeded to win the general election over Sharon Renier with about 59% of the vote.

(Before I go any further, I forgot to mention this in my original posting. What's 15 minutes between the original and an edited update? We can still be friends, eh?)

Most freshmen Congressman accomplish very little in their first two years, let alone ten years if they make it that far in politics. Rep. Schwarz, however, was able to convince the Base Realignment Commission (BRAC) to save the National Guard Base in Battle Creek, which in turned saved thousands of jobs in the region.

Unfortunately, Schwarz lost his reelection bid in the 2006 GOP Primary to Tim Walberg, a social fanatic whose campaign was funded largely by out-of-state interest groups like the Club for Growth. Walberg's little helpers ran a misinformation and smear campaign against Schwarz who was targeted as a liberal due to his moderate stances on a number of social issues, such as abortion, embryonic stem cell research, and his opposition to a state constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, because he felt the matter did not rise to the level of a constitutional question.

Schwarz has not been involved in politics since he lost his seat four years ago. In 2008, he endorsed then-State Senator Mark Schauer from Battle Creek over Walberg. Schauer defeated Walberg, as he ran on Barack Obama's coattails. Despite being the superior candidate, Schauer was defeated last Tuesday by Walberg in a reelection bid that swept over 60 Democrats out of the House of Representatives.

But I think Schwarz should run. The likelihood of a quick economic rebound in Michigan is very low at this point. The economy is tied to Obama's fortunes, as well as many incumbent Democrats like Stabenow. Schwarz's moderate views could make his candidacy appealing to independents and some conservative Democrats all over the state, including vote-rich Oakland County, a former GOP stronghold that went for Rick Snyder this last election.

Despite his lack of name recognition, Schwarz's biggest challenge might be his aversion to fund raising. He has been known to avoid "the ask" to solicit campaign contributions. But perhaps a larger GOP operation behind him could alleviate some of that aversion.

There may be a question about his age. He was first elected to the House when he was 66. In 2012, he'll turn 75 in less than two weeks after the election. But age has rarely been an impediment for US Senators. Even if he only serves one term in the Senate and retires, his expertise on so many areas including the military, foreign policy, education, and science would make him an asset to the GOP caucus in the upper chamber.

A quick scan of the internet shows some interest on facebook among GOP activists at nominating former US Representative Pete Hoekstra of Holland. But no Republican has announced his candidacy yet. I would expect that sometime in the spring of next year, we'll begin to see exploratory committees formed and official announcements made in the fall of 2011.

As of today, I don't think it'll happen. More likely, he'll continue his practice at Battle Creek, work as a visiting lecturer at U of M, and accept an appointment here and there to various state boards commissioned by Gov. Snyder.

But the Republican Party, the state, and the US Senate need more people like Dr. Schwarz. I'm not trying to carry water for Republicans - they can do that without me.

But if Joe Schwarz gives it a go, I'll actually vote in 2012.

Reflections on the 2010 Midterms

2010-11-04T02:04:00.004-04:00

Thought I'd just jot down some points about Tuesday's GOP smack down.

I did not expect the Republicans to win over 60 seats. I didn't begin thinking they'd win the House until September. Talk of taking the Senate seemed a might wishful.
Speaking of taking the Senate, the Tea Party cost the GOP control of the Senate. It would seem the Tea Party was more effective for House candidates, where regionalism reigns.
Christine O'Donnell, a Tea Partier, blames Republican 'cannibalism' for her defeat. She forgets the fact that she's Christine O'Donnell. Or that she's in Delaware. But she's right: Republican cannibalism was at work, as Mike Castle will tell you.
Lincoln Chafee is back in politics. Not following elections across the country like I did in my college days, I was surprised to see that he was running for Governor of Rhode Island. He won, too, as an Independent over a Republican (by a small margin) and a Democrat (wide margin).
For a while on Tuesday night, it looked like John Dingell (or his campaign) was going to have to pull an all-nighter. As time wore on, he began to separate from his opponent, Rob Steele. Still it would've been good to see him win in the low 50s. Even after half a century, it's still a good thing for democracy when even he needs to earn his seat.
Rick Snyder carried the Republicans all the way to Lansing. The MI GOP now controls all levers of government in the state. The GOP wrestled back control of the House after four years out of power. They now have a 2/3 majority in the Senate which means legislation can take effect immediately. The State Supreme Court now has a Republican majority again, thanks to the electorate voting out 'incumbent' Justice Tom Davis, a Granholm appointee.
This election was more than a rejection of Obama; in Michigan, it was a wholesale rejection of Gov. Jennifer Granholm. Virgil Bernero is the Democrats' McCain in this state. Only Bernero was more obnoxious, pompous, disingenuous, and flat out wrong on so many things, unlike McCain.
2011 will be a pivotal year for Obama. If the economy doesn't improve next year, he's done. I can't give you a benchmark; but if I had to, I'd say at least 3 million jobs alone next year and about that much in 2012.
I'd prefer Obama to Romney. Or Huckabee. Or Palin. But I'll take Chuck Hagel over Obama. Any day.
I still would've voted for McCain.
I feel no guilt about not voting. This might become permanent.

Staying Home on Tuesday

2010-10-31T20:55:00.005-04:00

I won't be voting this year. And I'm pretty contempt with that. After just getting off the phone with one of my political science professors, he seemed disappointed in my decision, but if I could explain the merits in a way he could understand, I felt even more okay about it.

I just can't support the Republicans. I cannot vote for them, and I cannot give my support to third party organizations like the Libertarians, or the Greens. Ideologically, I align with the libertarian ideology probably 85-90% of the time, or 95% if I can better articulate the nuance. Once I even threw away my vote by giving it to a Green running for governor.

But the past few years, I've seen what appears to be an irreversible turn for the worse in the Republican and Libertarian parties. Both are bombarded by Tea Party fanatics, people who treat opposition to tax hikes like they're commandments, the intellectually lazy, overly populist, anti-gay, birthers, and peppered with some truthers.

I was going to work for Andrew "Rocky" Raczkowski, an Oakland County Republican looking to unseat first-term Rep. Gary Peters. I wanted to get back in the game after quitting midway in the 2006 Primary and not doing anything in 2008. Apparently Rocky made some comments...in campaign-speak he gave a wink and a nod to the racist anti-Obama crowd by saying indirectly he wasn't a US citizen. Rocky is an officer in the US Army Reserve and has served the nation honorably in Somalia, but what he did was way too over the line for me. He tried saying he didn't believe Obama was a legit president without directly saying it, giving himself an outlet in case he'd have to backpedal to the media. So upon hearing that, I opted to not associate myself with him.

But Republicans have simply lost their minds. This Tea Party isn't necessarily a movement based on race, hatred of Obama, fear of socialism, or a clandestine strategy on the part of fascists bent on consolidating power in the hands of a few - it is like any other movement in the nation's history. A political movement that is organized by a small number of wealthy individuals and was somehow able to capture the imagination of an angry portion of the electorate seeking an outlet for that fomenting rage.

However, this Tea Party is what's given us people like Joe Miller in Alaska and Christine O'Donnell in Connecticut. The Republicans in their respective states had intelligent and articulate moderate conservatives who had broader appeal in Lisa Murkowski and Mike Castle. By doing this, the Tea Partiers have in fact cost the GOP the Senate.

I'm no Democrat. I hold a lot of right-leaning and a lot of left-leaning views. I'm pro-gun, pro-vouchers, flat income tax, abolishing the National Endowment for the Arts, partial privatization of Social Security, and I support right-to-work laws. But I'm also pro-choice, for gay marriage and giving couples the right to adopt, legalizing marijuana, and I'm for reducing the defense budget.

It came down to character. By and large, I probably agree more with Sharron Angle than Harry Reid, but Angle has too many character defects to be trusted as a US Senator.

Just goes to show, sometimes you have to separate character from the issues a person takes.

Juan Williams and Reflexiveness of Media

2010-10-24T22:42:00.002-04:00

I heard former NPR analyst Juan Williams was fired last week over comments he made on The O'Reilly Factor where he said he gets nervous when he sees a person in Muslim garb on an airplane. The comment was the last straw in a tug of war between Williams and NPR, who had been at odds over his dual role as a Fox Contributor.

Apparently for some time, the top brass at NPR had been unhappy about Williams' work at Fox News Channel, leading them to one point ask the network to stop using his NPR ID when he appeared on such shows as The Factor in 2009. NPR Ombudsman Alicia Shepard stated "Williams tends to speak one way on NPR and another on Fox," after Williams made the quip, "Michelle Obama, you know, she's got this Stokley Carmichael-in-a-designer-dress thing going. If she starts talking, as Mary Katherine is suggesting, her instinct is to start with this blame America, you know, I'm the victim. If that stuff starts coming out, people will go bananas and she'll go from being the new Jackie O to being something of an albatross."

I don't know exactly what NPR was getting at by denouncing some of his comments; his politics had been known for sometime, now. He had written op-ed columns for several other publications, including The New Republic, Time, Fortune, and the Washington Post, so it wasn't like he had somehow managed to conceal his views until last week.

Even if his comments were that offensive (remember, he did later qualify his remarks stating it was wrong to have those kinds of thoughts later on in the interview), certainly they weren't as incendiary as Nina Totenberg's comments about there being "retributive justice" if former Senator Jesse Helms had gotten AIDS. Last anyone checked, Totenberg still has a job there, and a quick glance at her biography shows anyone her allegiances.

The way I see it, Williams' point about getting nervous when he sees Muslims in Muslim garb is offensive, but it's an honest admission of character flaw. But the offensiveness is minimized if you put his entire interview with O'Reilly into context. He said having those kinds of thoughts are wrong. He is saying that you can't extrapolate the acts of 19 hijackers on 9/11 to all Muslims.

(I still have a bone to pick somewhat with his comments since he seems to also rehash the idea that extremism and terrorist sympathies aren't widespread among the Islamic world - but another time, another day.)

I don't feel sorry for Williams. He has since losing his job at NPR 1) received an outpouring of support within the media and from liberals and conservatives alike, and 2) was offered a $2 million contract with Fox News for the next three years. His new contract will put him on firm financial ground even if he doesn't work for the next ten years after his contract is up.

(I still hate the fact that the news networks always do this - make such a hoopla over getting a new personality and paying him/her loads of cash. Or giving a current personality a contract extension and a generous raise. Thank you for rubbing this kind of stuff in our faces, media. Have you seen the latest unemployment figures?)

Williams' new status at Fox will certainly raise his profile at the network. We'll probably be seeing him a lot more (err, people who watch Fox will - I don't watch TV). Having Williams there also raises Fox's credibility ever so slightly, given that Williams has a center-left take on things; I generally find him to be quite intuitive as he offers worthwhile commentary.

NPR, in the meantime will and should take a hit. Why did Williams' comments all of a sudden matter? Was it to please its liberal base of listeners? I listen to NPR and I won't stop because of this. It'll just remind me that NPR, too, can't pretend that it is somehow above the nonsense of the MSM all the time.

This Moment In Suck Has Been Brought To You By Dylan Ratigan

2010-10-17T22:29:00.003-04:00

The other night I was thumbing through the Huffington Post's website. Jumping from page to page, I came across one particular story, Dylan Ratigan Blasts Bill O'Reilly, 'War on Islam' on Morning Joe. Ratigan, an MSNBC anchor and host of the Dylan Ratigan Show, criticized Fox News' Bill O'Reilly for comments he made on ABC's The View Thursday, saying he opposed the "Ground Zero Mosque" because we were attacked by Muslims, or "Muslims killed us on 9/11."

O'Reilly's much publicized appearance on the View was controversial and memorable because at one point, co-hosts Joy Behar and Whoopi Goldberg were so upset with O'Reilly that they both stormed off the stage. It made for good TV. O'Reilly was chastised moments later by host Barbara Walters (after she chided Goldberg and Behar for leaving) saying that you can't condemn an entire religion for the acts of a few hijackers.

The next day, in typical MSNBC fashion, all the talk was about what somebody on or from Fox News said, because they can't report news themselves, they have to rehash what was said on Fox because Fox apparently puts a daily beatdown to MSNBC in the ratings everyday. I'm not a Fox defender; I don't watch TV to begin with, but Fox is an entertainment channel, solely, not a news organization.

MSNBC figured this out a few years ago and copied Fox's style. They gave us Keith Olbermann, a poor man's O'Reilly, and then followed up with Rachael Maddow and Ed Schultz, the former who intentionally distorts quotes of Republican politicians, and the latter who's too ignorant to understand simple things like rounding errors. MSNBC is Fox for liberals. They have a primetime lineup that hews to the Democratic base, and a tiny cadre of token conservatives, in mirror opposite to Fox's anchors and their "Fox News liberals."

Friday morning was a typical day at MSNBC. They spent their day watching Fox News or its personalities on other networks the day before and reported what they were doing. Dylan Ratigan was a guest panelist on the show Morning Joe, hosted by token conservative Joe Scarborough (who is MSNBC's Alan Colmes). Scarborough wasn't on, and that left Willie Geist to host the show.

After they aired the clip, Norah O'Donnell was first asked her thoughts and she said she supported the women walking off the stage (Goldberg and Behar) because they felt they were being "bullied" by O'Reilly. Yes, never mind the fact that Behar and Goldberg were Obama slappies in 2008 who feathered then-Sen. Barack Obama with softball questions, while they grilled Sen. John McCain during the presidential election.

Even though I don't watch The View, you can read enough newspapers and blogs to know that the show is slanted with a left-leaning bias. Their token conservative panelist is Elizabeth Hasselbeck, who's really a lightweight compared to the bombastic Behar and Goldberg. They do their fair share of "bullying." It's their show, it's their right. But O'Donnell apparently failed to grasp that notion when someone of equal bombast (O'Reilly) gave them a taste of their own medicine.

Ratigan came on next, and in usual politically correct form, pretended like every other idiot who thinks Islam isn't a violent religion and had this to say:

"We are not at war with Islam, we are not at war with Muslims, Iraq, Iran, it's nonsense! They hold up signs, 'I hate America.' Have you seen the signs we hold up? The only people that have ever funded a terrorist attack from that part of the world on us...was this Wahabi sect. And it is an extraordinary failure of our politicians and our media and anybody else who has an opportunity to communicate information to fail o make that distinction, because to fail to make that distinction is to risk a scale of conflict and a scale of disenfranchisement and alienation on this planet that may be convenient for TV ratings and votes, but is an abomination for the human beings that will populate this planet and it's a lie."

First of all, what got everyone's blood boiling was hearing O'Reilly say we weren't attacked (killed) by Muslims on 9/11. In an act of pure stupidity, Whoopi Goldberg immediately denied that, like instead we were attacked by some occultist sect. What O'Reilly said was 100% true, the 19 hijackers were all Muslims. Sunni Muslims. Muslims killed on 9/11 - there is no way around it.

Muslims attacked the country on 9/11. They attacked the USS Cole in September 2000. They attacked the American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998. They blew up the Khobar Towers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in 1996, and the OPM-SANG headquarters in 1995. My father and four other Americans were murdered in that attack.

Does Dylan Ratigan or Whoopi Goldberg want us to think differently? These were murders, and the victims were murdered in the name of Islam. It's completely absurd on their part to hear someone say "Muslims killed us" and assume that they're applying the murder label to all Muslims. It's even more dangerous to assume that Islam is somehow not at war with us.

Al Qaeda isn't a fringe group. It is a multinational terror network. The reason it has or had as now is the fact that it had millions of sympathizers and supporters in that part of the world. 9/11 wasn't the work of a small Wahhabi sect in Saudi Arabia as Ratigan would like all of us to think.

I can only guess the motives as to why some people are still willing to live in denial of Islam's purpose. It's not about peace. It cannot be progressive. If people weren't so afraid of being accused of bigotry, it wouldn't be as difficult to call it like it is.

And on that note, today's date is October 17. It's Jim and Marilyn's 46th anniversary. It's too sad I can't be with them to celebrate or even give them a phone call.

Ratigan's timing couldn't be worse.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Why Does Abortion Find Its Way In Here?

2010-10-11T22:19:00.002-04:00

At about 49:29 of the Gubernatorial debate, both candidates were asked their positions on abortion, gay marriage, and affirmative action. The latter two, gay marriage and affirmative action, have been addressed by the voters in 2004 and 2006 respectively and both were outlawed.

My problem is with abortion, no matter where you stand on the issue (I being pro-choice), it doesn't matter in the context of a state office race. The Governor of Michigan cannot outlaw abortion. The only way abortion can be outlawed is either by the US Supreme Court overturning the ruling in Roe v. Wade or the country enacting a constitutional amendment that bans the procedure.

Our state has far too many issues to deal with. A distressed economy, a budget that is cobbled together on an annual basis using accounting gimmicks, an education system that is short on cash and long on uncertainty, a leadership vacuum in Lansing created by term limitations.

Rick Snyder's pro-life stance means nothing to me. Virg Bernero's support for a woman's right to choose means the same. Both can tinker in very small ways to restrict access or expand it, but the fact of the matter is, the issue will not be resolved in four years by either candidate - even if they wanted to.

We voted to ban gay marriage, because so far, the citizens of Michigan still have the right to do so. I'm not sure putting the rights of individuals up before a popular vote and having their fate decided by people's retrograde values is even remotely ethical, but it was done.

When we voted to ban affirmative action, I felt a little more sympathetic to those pushing the issue, but I voted no because I believe it would hurt the prospects of kids growing up in Northern Michigan and finding their way into one of the state's 15 public universities, among others.

Abortion will be never be outlawed in this country because of how impossible it is to undo Roe. Even as conservative as the Roberts' Court is, even they don't want to touch the issue because they don't want to break precedent, otherwise known as stare decisis (let the decision stand).

The other way, which is even more impossible, is to amend the US Constitution. That means 2/3 of both the US House and Senate would have to pass the measure. Then it would have to be ratified by 3/4 of the states.

Given that most polls show the country evenly divided on the issue, there is no way the pro-life movement will ever muster up enough support to ban the procedure.

And Rick and Virg will have even bigger issues on their plate come January.

The Michigan Gubernatorial Debate

2010-10-11T21:46:00.003-04:00

Oh my god. This debate was not a debate. It was embarrassing. I don't think I can vote.

Rick Snyder, the Republican candidate, could not provide specifics. He spoke through the entire debate saying "we need to do this," "we need to do that," and "this is how we measure this."

Virgil Bernero, the Democrat, was worse. Some will say he won the debate because he attacked Snyder for allegedly moving business to China. His facts are disputable, a very generous term. If your facts are out of line with reality, doesn't the opponent technically win by default?

Snyder's novice political qualities are shown in full light. Bernero showed he's nothing more than an overly aggressive loudmouth who "writes checks his ass can't cash."

This will be the only debate, and it should be. No one will watch a 2nd or 3rd debate, and no one watches debates between the other candidates for statewide office. How good would they be for the public? At best, it'd be out there on TV for an hour and then in cyberspace.

It's to Snyder's advantage not to have another debate. It'd be like 1998 all over again when the Democrats nominated someone even more obnoxious and even less qualified to be governor: Geoffrey Fieger. Why should then-Gov. John Engler have chosen to debate him? It would have been a circus. Fieger compared Engler to Stalin and Hitler, his ads made your skin crawl, and the state was humming along fine.

It seems like people have already made up their mind at this point. Methinks I'm staying home.

Enjoy.

Watch the full episode. See more WKAR Presents.

It Just Feels Oh-So-Good

2010-10-10T21:26:00.003-04:00

The Lions have finally won their first game of the season after blowing out the St. Louis Rams 44-6. After starting the season 0-4 and losing three very close games, the Lions did everything right on both sides of the ball.

The first quarter ended with the Lions and Rams tied at 3-3. Then in the second quarter the Lions blew it wide open. A 105-yard kick return for a TD from Stefan Logan turned a lead into a snowball effect as the Lions scored two more touchdowns before halftime, taking a 24-6 lead.

St. Louis, led by the No. 1 overall pick Sam Bradford, had nothing in the second half as the Rams continued their collapse. The 44-6 victory is the Lions' largest margin since 1995, and their first blowout victory since they beat the Denver Broncos in 2007, 44-7. The win over the Broncos was also the last time fans in the Detroit market watched the team win on TV. The following year the Lions went 0-16, and in 2009, both victories came at home, while the game was blacked out.

The Lions were still without starting QB Matthew Stafford, who looks probably like he's set to return in Week 8 against the Washington Redskins on Halloween. Backup QB Shaun Hill threw 21 of 32 passing, for 227 yards and 3 TDs. It's the best he's looked all year and for the first time, I had confidence in our 2nd stringer.

By the end of the game, the Lions' D took over as Bradford threw two interceptions, one to Ndamukong Suh, the picked right after Bradford in last April's draft, and Alfonso Smith, a newly acquired DB from Denver, who ran it in for a TD.

The Lions, despite having won their only game of the year so far have actually outscored all their opponents combined, 126-112. What makes this victory extra sweet is that they made up for the one difference that has kept them away from winning in three other close losses: they were in the game for all four quarters. Instead of disappearing for a quarter or more, the Lions were in it the entire way.

It's scary to think that had they been firing on all cylinders like this all year, this team could actually be 4-1 right now.

On Tap: Rams at Lions - & What About U-M/MSU?

2010-10-10T05:49:00.002-04:00

I'm predicting my Lions will get their first victory of the season today. I know that Sam Bradford, the Rams' rookie QB has played well the last two weeks, but he's a rookie, and like every rookie, they won't develop consistency right away.

Bradford and Lions' QB Matt Stafford will be forever linked as the two Number One picks of their respective drafts (Stafford in 2009 and Bradford in 2010). They will always be compared to one another. Hopefully it'll be a Brady/Manning (with Stafford being more Brady) comparison, and not, say a Manning/Leaf or even Bledsoe/Mirer comparison.

As far as this game goes, both teams are evenly matched on both sides of the ball. Bradford has a better offensive line and RB Steven Jackson is a stud. But he doesn't have much for a receiving corps.

The Lions will again be without Stafford and they are starting Shaun Hill. Hill has put up some decent fantasy numbers, but he'll have to do a good job of managing the offense.

Detroit's single biggest problem in games this year has been the disappearance of the offense for a quarter, or quarter and a half. They need to control the ball, make some plays, and keep the defense off the field for as much as possible. You can't rely on letting the other team build a huge lead, and take their foot off the gas in the second half.

The Lions will have rookie RB Jahvid Best, although it's anyone's guess how good he'll be today. Also returning is TE Tony Scheffler, who has seen tremendous production since coming to Detroit. If Shaun Hill isn't going to manage the game, then the Lions just need to be in 2-minute offense form the entire game. It seems that's the only way they're able to move the ball and score.

I'm guessing the score will be Lions 24, Rams 21.

===============================================

On a side note, I did not see the game yesterday between Michigan and Michigan State. Apparently the game ended in the second quarter as Michigan apparently did nothing the rest of the way, blowing a 10-7 lead and turning it into a 31-10 deficit in the second half.

The papers are saying Denard Robinson looked human, ONLY running for 86 yards. 86 yards? I know that's his lowest total running yardage of the year, but Jesus, that's a lot for Michael Vick, pre-2007. His other less than impressive statistics - 17 of 29 passing for 215 yards, 1 TD, and 3 picks. Two of those picks were in the end zone.

Is it safe to anoint Michigan State QB Kirk Cousins the best in the state? I think so.

Michigan, I root for you above Michigan State. But after losing three in a row, how does it feel to be "Little Brother?"

Maybe One Day "Close" Will Count for the Lions, Too

2010-10-03T20:49:00.003-04:00

There's an old saying, "close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades." Maybe the Lions should be spotted a 3-6 point handicap.

I sat through a typical game today. 1 - they lost. 2 - they disappeared for about a quarter and a half, just like they did against Chicago and Philadelphia. 3- just like the three games before, they came oh-so close to pulling off another upset victory, a sure sign of a team that is better, but still not good enough.

This 0-4 team isn't like the 2008 debacle. More like the 2001 debacle. If you'll remember, that team started the season losing its first 11 games before winning an upset over the Minnesota Vikings at home. Many of those games comprised of the Lions losing the game by less than two possessions. The 2008 version had the Lions out of the game by the first or early second quarter most of the time.

They had six penalties for 57 yards in the first 20 minutes of the game. Gosder Cherilus returned to form with two penalties in the second half. Stephen Peterman maintained his streak of at least one penalty per game, making it No. 4 today. Most surprising of all, Jeff Backus didn't make the one dumb play needed to put the game out of reach for Detroit.

RB Jahvid Best failed to score a touchdown in the game for the first time in his career. His rushing numbers at least through the first six carries were respectable (26 yards), but Offensive Coordinator Scott Linehan simply didn't employ the running game enough to facilitate his game plan. Whatever that was.

I saw some bright spots, however. First, the secondary, as weak as that corps is, made some HUGE interceptions. I expected Aaron Rodgers to have the kind of game where he'd throw 350 yards, 3 TDs, and 2 INTs (due to throwing the ball on every down), but the secondary gave the Lions' life after the team made so many mistakes. It would've been 3 INTs, if not for the first one being overruled on account of a defensive penalty.

Calvin Johnson played the first half. Well, the second half, too, but he amassed six catches for 86 yards, and 2 TDs in the first half. He brought the Lions back to life at the end of the 2nd quarter with his TD catch, making the score 21-14. It's only significant because Detroit got the ball back in the 3rd quarter.

But Detroit started the 2nd half the way they played through much of the first half. Lifeless. But Brandon Pettigrew amassed nine catches for 84 yards. Unfortunately, his two drops in the 2nd half proved more damaging to Detroit than his nine receptions did to Green Bay.

Still, with over six minutes left in the 4th, the Lions were, only down by 2 points after a series of turnovers and Jason Hanson field goals. All it would've taken was one drive and the Lions would have the lead, either by FG or TD. But the Lions fell 4 yards short, and opted to punt instead of kick a 54-yard FG. Hanson missed a 55-yarder at the end of the 1st half. The miss wasn't even close. But he later hit a 52-yard FG and a 49-yard FG with plenty of clearance. The kind of clearance he would've needed to make the 55-yarder.

Still, the Lions punted. Green Bay held the ball for the rest of the game, taking away any more opportunities for Detroit. The Packers fell apart, only to put it all back together with their last chance.

Shaun Hill, despite my view of him as only a game manager, again put up 300+ yards in the loss. He also threw multiple interceptions. But he did have one Denard Robinson like play, breaking loose and running up the middle for a 40-yard gain that allowed the Lions to come within two points of the Packers.

I suspect he'll start against the Rams, and that Matt Stafford will return to the lineup come Week 8 after the Bye Week. If that's the case, Shaun Hill should be given one more shot, and if he can't beat the Rams, why not take one last look at Drew Stanton before sending him off? The season's lost, and you won't get much more out of Hill than what you've already gotten.

Be that as it may, no matter how much closer the Lions have gotten to victory against three of the first four teams they played (5 points, then 3, then 2), losing is losing. Expectations change in football and the other sports I don't give a damn about. When you come into the game expected to lose by 14-17 points and come within striking distance of winning it at the very end, it shouldn't raise morale.

Yes, they should be 3-1 after four games, but they're still bottom dwellers. And that sucks.

By the way, I was kind of stoked to check my twitter account (which blows up my phone because I follow people who 'tweet' such useless crap), and saw Tom Kowalski respond to a question of mine. Check it out here.

One Ugly Human Being

2010-10-02T21:35:00.003-04:00

Sometimes somebody makes you sick to be an American. Meet Andrew Shirvell.

Last week, I saw Anderson Cooper cover a story about someone so bizarre I could not believe my ears and eyes when I learned that one of our state's Assistant Attorneys General, Andrew Shirvell, apparently kept a blog he maintained, which existed solely as an attack blog on the President of the Michigan Student Association, Chris Armstrong.

This started when Chris Armstrong ran for President of the Michigan Student Association last spring. Armstrong won, becoming the first openly gay MSA President. Shirvell started his blog after the Alliance Defense Fund put out a notice about Armstrong advancing a "radical homosexual agenda." Shirvell had apparently posted numerous blog entries attacking Armstrong and his friends/allies, accusing him of being a racist, a Nazi, and photo shopping pictures of Armstrong next to a gay pride flag with a swastika encircled in the middle of the flag, and the word "Resign" scrawled across Armstrong's face.

Shirvell further went on to show up at rallies with offensive signs linking Armstrong to the KKK and even once showed up at his house with a video camera.

Cooper picked up on this story and interviewed Shirvell on his show, AC360 on Tuesday evening.

The first thing I noticed was just how scary it was this kid could be so unfazed by what he was doing. It never seems to occur to him that he, as a state official who represents the State of Michigan in court cases can somehow find it appropriate to attack not a state or federal official, but a student at a public university.

Chris Armstrong is 21 years old. He is the student body representative to the University of Michigan governance. He is not some influential public official. God knows, he probably makes no more than $300 a week (I haven't looked; and I don't care) at his job. Armstrong is elected to a 1-year term. Most likely he won't run again.

Shirvell maintains that this is a political campaign he's waging. He argues that Armstrong is pushing a "radical homosexual agenda" at the University of Michigan.

Please, no gays in Ann Arbor is like there being no rice in China.

Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan are one of the gay-friendliest communities in the world. The fact that only now in 2010, Armstrong is the first openly gay President only means that it's only about goddamn time. And maybe it's time for Shirvell to join us in the 21st century.

Unfortunately (or maybe it is fortunate), Shirvell's blog is no longer open to the public. Deleting the whole thing might have been better. I did view it on Wednesday, and while not shocked, I was a bit annoyed at the way he referenced phrases such as "gay rights" or "homosexuals" in quotations.

This is pure bigotry, plain and simple. No matter how hard he tries to disguise it, he fails. The fact that he is still allowed to represent my state in the courtroom is disturbing. Attorney General Mike Cox has maintained that while Shirvell's actions are offensive, they are done on his own time, and he has otherwise performed acceptably as a state attorney. Shirvell worked on his reelection campaign in 2006.

Cox recently lost a close race for Michigan Governor in the GOP Primary. He has since then gone back to his duties as AG. Observers have speculated the only reason Shirvell still has a job is simply Cox's way of repaying him for his loyalty. Cox does have a religious, values voters political base to consider. After all, we have not heard the last of Mike Cox in Michigan politics, I think.

I think Shirvell has not only done himself harm, but he apparently hurt his other cause even more simply by speaking his mind. Ever since Shirvell's interview, support for Chris Armstrong has skyrocketed. Thanks to our Asst. AG, Armstrong is probably more popular than ever, free to push his agenda, one of which is gender-neutral housing, which Shirvell says is a "radical redefinition of gender roles."

Even our ever-popular Governor, Jennifer Granholm couldn't resist the chance to take a swipe at Cox, saying if she were still Attorney General, he would've been fired already. Thanks, Gov, but every public statement you make from hear on out should an include an apology for the way you've run the state for the last eight years. Nice try scoring political points, but it's too little, too late, ma'am.

Maybe there is a silver lining to this cloud. Shirvell has recently taken paid sick leave, and when he comes back, he will be facing a disciplinary hearing. It isn't specific, what the hearing will be about, but what else could it be, really?

On Tap: Lions at Packers

2010-10-02T20:25:00.003-04:00

The 0-3 Lions head into Green Bay to face the 2-1 Packers at Lambeau Field, a place they haven't won at since 1991. I remember watching the tail end of that game as Barry Sanders was given a carry or two before the game was over.

Even more amazing might be that I actually remember the first game of the current losing streak. Played sometime in late November/early December, Lambeau was covered in snow, and Green Bay managed to go up 28-0 or 35-0. I don't remember the exact score, other than Green Bay having more points. What I do remember is watching Rodney Peete getting pulled early as Wayne Fontes apparently gave up on the game (and the season), and the team got a look at Andre Ware for the remainder of the year.

If the Lions lose tomorrow, the streak goes to 20 games. Chances are, they will. The Lions losing will maintain three unfavorable streaks: a losing streak of 8 games, a road losing streak of 21 games (3 away from tying the old record set back in 2003 by guess who - the Lions), and the 20 games at Lambeau.

Green Bay, despite their loss to the Bears, and the Bears' current record, is the strongest team in the NFC North. I still think the division is the Packers' to lose at this point. So is this game.

Aaron Rodgers will probably emerge this season as one of the Top 5 QBs in the game. Green Bay is otherwise, one of the teams who are pretty strong everywhere - except the O-Line. I expect this to change in the coming years as their 1st Round pick - Brian Bulaga emerges as a solid left tackle, and they use the draft to replace aging interior O-lineman.

Detroit is still without QB Matthew Stafford, who continues to recover from a shoulder injury suffered in Week 1 just before halftime against the Bears. It remains possible he will play the following week at home against the St. Louis Rams, but the Lions ought to put the future of the team and their franchise QB ahead of winning a single game, lest they risk losing Stafford for the entire year.

At this point, I've seen enough of Shaun Hill to realize he's a permanent backup, and on a more capable team like New England or Indianapolis. If Stafford is ready to return in Week 8, a week after the Bye, I don't see why the Lions don't give Drew Stanton one more shot and play him against the Rams or Giants.

==============================================

As far as the game goes, for Detroit to win, once again it will come down to what the front 4 on the D-line can do. The Green Bay O-line is probably the weakest in the division, and that may put pressure on Rodgers, who is otherwise mobile and has a good arm. RB Ryan Grant is lost for the year, so that leaves it up to the receiving corps with WRs Donald Driver, Greg Jennings (Western Michigan), and TE Jermichael Finley to attack the Lions' weak secondary.

The Lions' offense will have their hands full as Green Bay is loaded on defense with B.J. Raji at DT, Nick Barnett as OLB, and Charles Woodson (Michigan) in the secondary. There's an old adage, 75% of the Earth is covered in water. The rest is covered by Charles Woodson.

The Packers will give the Lions' offense fits, especially since the only viable weapon the Lions have at WR is Calvin Johnson (Nate Burleson is out with a sprained ankle). The Lions have seen production out of their TEs, Brandon Pettigrew and Tony Scheffler. RB Kevin Smith is back and will split time with the probably Offensive Rookie of the Year, Jahvid Best.

Final Score:
Detroit 21
Green Bay 31

Not Another Jobbing - Just Plain Bad Football

2010-09-26T18:17:00.003-04:00

My Lions lost again today, 24-10 in the Metrodome. The game ended in a way all too familiar to most Lions fans. They were down by double digits, and the game ended on an interception.

Unlike the last two games, this was less close than it appeared. I did predict the Lions would win, and unfortunately the only thing I got right was the score of the winning team, 24. But what I predict doesn't matter; I was willing to take a chance of getting it wrong since being wrong would be inconsequential.

I expected the Lions to be 0-3 at this point. I further expected them to get their first win against St. Louis in Week 5. After all, they play in Green Bay next week, and Aaron Rodgers is looking more and more like a Top 5 QB.

But after listening to FM radio when I left my sister's, I can hear people beginning to jump off ship and saying the season's lost. Well of course, they never really had the season. No one thought the Lions had a serious shot at getting to the playoffs.

Then again, predicting a team will go 0-4 in the first month and living through that first month are two different things, aren't they?

On Tap: Lions at Vikings

2010-09-26T04:44:00.003-04:00

Detroit heads into Minnesota today to play the Vikings at 1 pm. Both teams are 0-2 with both teams losing close games in each of their first two contests.

The Vikings' offense has been slowed by the loss of their top two receivers, Sidney Rice and Percy Harvin. Rice is out indefinitely as a result of a hip injury requiring surgery, and Harvin is questionable due to recurring migraines he has suffered from.

But the real story has been the mediocre play of Brett Favre. Without his best two targets, Favre's performance this year has been underwhelming. It hasn't helped him that his left ankle hasn't fully heeled yet (at least that's what it seems).

On the other side, the Lions are still without Matthew Stafford (shoulder). That leaves it up to Shaun Hill to once again take the reins. Hill will be facing the team that gave him his start in the NFL. Hill did nothing there, and eventually went on to have greater success in San Francisco.

Last week, Hill threw for 335 yards, was 25-for-45 passing, and had three interceptions. Most of his passing yards came late in the 4th quarter with Detroit down by 18.

The key to this game comes down to two things - 1) will Minnesota's D-line (the best in the NFL with Pat Williams, Kevin Williams, and Jared Allen) be able to overwhelm an improved Lions' O-line, 2) will the Lions' pass rush culminate in sacks and hurries for Favre?

If the Lions' front seven can get pressure on an immobile QB, it'll lessen the risk of Favre carving up the Lions' secondary as they have been all year. Minnesota's average receiving corps against Detroit's subpar secondary gives Minnesota a chance to blow this thing wide open.

But I think the Lions match up better than a lot of people give them credit for.

==========================================

Aww, hell with it. The 13-game losing skid in Minnesota ends today.

Lions 24
Vikings 21

On Tap: Eagles at Lions

2010-09-19T05:25:00.002-04:00

It's been a week since the "catch heard round the world," when Lions' receiver Calvin Johnson made a spectacular mid air catch and came down with it in the endzone with 24 seconds left to go against the Bears in Chicago. Only the play was ruled an incomplete pass on account of Johnson not "completing the process." Basically, the rule in the NFL is that if you complete the catch and then begin to turn around as though you are going to pick up more yardage, you have to hang on to the ball in the second phase of the catch.

The NFL has been embarrassed as they've been exposed the enormity of how poorly this rule was put together. When you have all the Bears' players and fans thinking that was a catch, you know it's a bad rule.

Apparently in the Canadian Football League, that play would've been ruled a catch. In the Arena Football League, it would've been a catch. In the NCAA, it's a catch. According to the Michigan High School Athletic Association, it would've been a catch. Even the Lingerie Football League would've ruled it a catch. I know that, cos I'm in the union.

==========================================

Okay, getting back to this week, Detroit plays its first home game of the season against the Philadelphia Eagles. Both teams are going into the game without their starting quarterbacks as Detroit's Matthew Stafford is out indefinitely as well as Philadelphia's Kevin Kolb.

Because the Lions are without DE Cliff Avril, that makes their run defense more vulnerable to Michael Vick taking off and picking up 15 yards at any time. Although they get MLB DeAndre Levy and FS Louis Delmas, this defense might not hold up against Philadelphia.

The Lions will be without Stafford for probably another 3 weeks, unless his shoulder injury isn't as serious as we think. That leaves journeyman Shaun Hill, whose lifetime starting record is 10-6, to start. Hill's starting experience entails a full season, and 10-6 is a playoff caliber record. But Hill is a game manager. He won't torch the defense with his arm like Stafford can.

For the Lions to win, they need to get more production out of the running backs. Then they have to get Nate Burleson and Calvin Johnson more involved in the passing game. Johnson saw the ball come his way only once in the first half of last week's game against the Bears. Not good enough.

Philadelphia is without their starting center and their O-Line is hurting. They're also without their starting MLB and their defense isn't the defense from their heyday in the mid aughts. This is also Michael Vick's first start since 2006, but he's been in Andy Reid's system for over a year, so he knows the playbook as good as anyone.

Final Score, Philadelphia takes it, 27-17.

Heavy Thoughts and Reflections On American-Islamic Antagonisms/Relations

2010-09-18T20:02:00.005-04:00

The 9th anniversary of 9/11 passed us a week ago. From waging two wars in Afghanistan in Iran to today, world events have played out before our eyes to where we are today.

I've also passed a milestone. It was 15 years ago this Saturday was the last time I saw dad alive. I was a 15-year-old who just started his sophomore year of high school in Northern BFE, Michigan. Dad was a contract specialist who worked for the US Dept. of Defense in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. His job was the planning and execution of economic development projects, such as construction and infrastructure upgrades, etc.

Prior to seeing him last, I had spent the summer of 1995 with him in the Kingdom. He got me a summer hire job working at the Motor Pool. Dad was something of a socialite as he intermingled among several social circles. Of course, working for OPM-SANG (Office of the Program Manager, Saudi Arabia National Guard), meant you work in a community of 400-500 people. You're bound to rub elbows with everyone at some point.

In the two months that I lived with him, we did everything together. My summer ended with me having a nice wad of cash to take home, since I couldn't spend my 40-hour minimum wage paychecks there. I came back to the states the same way I left, flying it alone across the Atlantic with a stop at London's Heathrow Airport. Living in the Kingdom gave me a greater academic lesson in two months than I could've had in an entire school year.

Like Dad, I was always fascinated with history and world events. His grasp of such a broad range of subjects was astounding; he could've taught history. He seemed to have an appreciation for Islam and Muslim culture. If he were here today, he'd be quite the voice of reason among many a conflicts that brew in the Middle East.

Dad came back a week after I did, and as usual, when Dad was home (a total of about 3-4 weeks in a whole year), the house was wound tightly. Mom had been battling diabetes for about six years, so even though having Dad home was great, it placed additional stress on her as both her and Dad had to take care of family business that accrues in six months in two weeks. My two oldest sisters were home because school hadn't started back up at Lake State or Northwood yet. Dad also has to make his rounds across the state as his mother and sister's family lived in the Metro Detroit area, so he had to leave the house for a few days to make the 3 1/2 hour trip to Clinton Township or Dearborn.

I remember the September day if not the date vividly in my mind of when we left to take Dad to the airport in Alpena (for whatever reason compels me, I should point out this is the same airport Die Hard 2 was filmed). Dad and I talked about among other things, me playing football and my upcoming biology project. That was that, and Dad boarded the plane headed to Detroit.

I played football that fall and we won the North Star League title that year. I stayed in touch with Dad by letter writing. My last letter to him was probably late October/early November. I asked for money to buy my high school class ring.

One Monday in November we saw on the news a bombing had taken place in Riyadh. I never suspected anything, since you can't really recognize a building once it's been half-demolished by a car bomb. We kind of all expected Dad to call us in a few days and give us the inside story. The next Tuesday I was in my third hour English class. I got a call to go to the principal's office, and the secretary told me I had to leave; my grandmother was waiting outside.

I got into the car, and my youngest sister told me that the bombing in Saudi Arabia, well Dad was killed in it. I barely remember what happened next, except trying to keep a straight face. We had to leave school because Mom was in a hospital an hour away in Cheboygan, fighting off more infections from her bouts with diabetes (a recurring theme before and after Dad's death).
We had to be there because there were two representatives from the Army waiting to deliver the bad news, and we couldn't let them do it without us being there.

We got to Cheboygan Hospital two hours later and we were greeted by the hospital staff who all knew before Mom was told. I don't remember anything that was said when we entered her room. I just remember her falling apart before my eyes.

There isn't much I remember about that November 14th day afterward. I think I sat in the cafeteria at one point, my face staring straight at a wall that either had nothing or some kitsch art. There was a staffer who asked me if I was okay; apparently I looked like I was in some kind of catatonic state. I must've nodded or something because they left.

My Dad had been murdered by Islamic fundamentalists opposed to the House of Saud that has ruled the Kingdom since 1931. Three groups, "Tigers of the Gulf," "Islamist Movement for Change," and "Fighting Advocates of God," claimed responsibility, and the Saudi government allegedly caught the perpetrators and executed them in "Chop Chop" Square. The attacks were later attributed to Al Qaeda, a yet-unknown terror network that would become a household name by September 12, 2001.

I remember asking Dad that summer about terrorism and if it could happen here. He didn't sugarcoat anything; he said the possibility of it happening here is quite real. But Americans and Westerners who had fallen victims to Islamic fundamentalists had usually been victimized by Shi'ite Muslims; the Kingdom is a predominantly Sunni state.

He was also well-versed on the ongoing conflict between Arabs and Israelis. Oddly enough, given his conservative worldview, he tended to side more with Arabs. I imagine he supported the establishment of the Israeli state, but when he spoke of Arabs and Islam, he spoke of a proud race of people and proud traditions. They were friends to him.

I today cannot share his admiration. When he first died, I tried to be PC. I put on the politically correct face. You can't blame all Arabs for his killing and the killing of four other Americans, not to mention the dozens of people hurt in the blast, I would think.

It didn't take long for that to unravel. I did evolve. My ever expanding knowledge of the Middle East took my crosshairs off "Arabs" and placed it on the real culprit: religion.

Shortly after Dad's death, I became a born again Christian. I was full-on Evangelical. At one point, I had accepted the view of some revisionists who denied Evolution (Dad raised us as Lutherans; he believed in it and didn't think you would go to hell for doing so). I'd go to a non-denominational church that preached Creationist/Young Earth theory ("Intelligent Design" had yet to enter our lexicon).

When I came to Eastern Michigan years later, I drifted further and further away from religion. A gay roommate opened my eyes to an "enlightened Christianity." I still saw homosexuality as a sin, but a sin on the level of getting a tattoo, being overweight, or smoking. It was not to be a crime. It did not keep you from entering into Heaven. In the Christian gospels, one is to be absolved of their sins by asking God for forgiveness, no matter how many times the sin is recommitted. I told my roommate that being gay doesn't send you to hell and that I concurred with him about the insanity of such backlashes against gay rights - since I was also a libertarian-leaning conservative in my early 20s.

Eventually, I dropped the religiousness altogether, months before September 11. My Creationist apostasy followed, strangely, months later as I just gradually accepted things such as the Earth existing for millions and billions of years. I just didn't think of evolution that much, to be honest.

But September 11 happened on a Tuesday morning. I slept through the attacks as I didn't usually wake up until around 10-11 am. My sister called me and told me to turn on the TV because the World Trade Centers had been "knocked down" (wha?) and both the Pentagon and State Department had been attacked.

3,000 Americans died that day. No one I knew had been hurt or killed. But the pain was there. It was real, as though November 13, 1995 was happening all over again. I was then almost six years removed from that day.

We knew who committed the attacks. I didn't know the name "al Qaeda," but I knew one name, Osama bin Laden. I had known the name for over five years. He had launched several attacks after the November 13 bombings, like in Jeddah in June 1996. They bombed embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998. They attacked the USS Cole in the Persian Gulf in 2000.

I've always felt it inappropriate to be so open about this. For instance, when September 11 occurred, I told only one professor of the shared grief. I didn't want to seem like someone who was craving sympathy in the wake of someone else's tragedy.

I also don't feel it's appropriate to say that I know how the victims' families feel. I don't. Although we shared a similar tragedy, no two events are ever exactly the same.

I gave up on religion just in time to see it in its most destructive form. I realize I'm ending this post with kind of a thud. But I have a truckload of thoughts that I need to get off my chest. I've got more to come.

On Tap: Lions at Bears

2010-09-12T05:11:00.003-04:00

Week 1 of the 2010 NFL Season is upon us, even if it started last Thursday with a dry, opening performance between the New Orleans Saints and the Minnesota Vikings, with the Saints winning 14-9.

My Lions are playing in Chicago today, and while I predicted the Lions would go 5-11 this year, I see this game as an upset. Last year, I predicted the Bears would beat the Lions 41-17. The Bears won 48-17. Not bad.

This year things are different. The Lions are moving up, and the Bears have decided they will implode because they hired Mike Martz to be the offensive coordinator and have chosen to keep Jay Cutler their starting QB. Martz was legendary prior to 2005 for running "the Greatest Show on Turf." Since then, he has been fired from 3 coaching jobs, one as an Offensive Coordinator with the Lions.

Meanwhile, Cutler has floundered since getting dumped from the Denver Broncos prior to 2009. While throwing 27 TDs, Cutler led the league in interceptions with 26. Cutler looked god awful in the preseason, and I'm hoping he continues that play into this game at least.

The only way the Lions will win is on offense. The offense looked good in the preseason, and now it's time for QB Matthew Stafford to take it to the next level. The Bears' defense on paper is still scary, but they're getting old. Led by Brian Urlacher who is 32, the Bears' D is coached by former Lions' coach Rod Marinelli, who led the Lions to the first 0-16 season ever.

The Bears offense is porous, but not as in bad a shape as the Lions' defense. Aside from the defensive line, the Lions will be without MLB DeAndre Levy, which means only Julian Peterson at LOLB and Louis Delmas will be the only reliable players. The jury's out on Zack Follett replacing LB Ernie Sims. But the secondary can be expected to give up the most yards all season long.

Bottom line, it'll be close, but I think the Bears take this, 28-24.

Snyder and Bernero

2010-09-06T21:56:00.004-04:00

Now that the Labor Day weekend is over, the real campaign begins in Michigan. The race is now between Rick Snyder (R), an Ann Arbor businessman, and Lansing Mayor Virgil Bernero (D).

I'm tempted to not vote in this election, if not for the fact that I am more concerned with an issue on the ballot. This year a question will be put to the voters whether or not to call a constitutional convention. Per the Michigan Constitution, the state is to ask voters every fourteen years if they'd like to keep the current, or rewrite a new one. Since we badly need a new constitution (the current one went into effect in 1963), I wholeheartedly will vote "yes."

But most people's attention will be on the Governor's race. President Obama is not at the top of the ticket and our current Governor, Jennifer Granholm, is very unpopular after 7.5 years. The latest EPIC-MRA poll has put Snyder 22 points ahead of Bernero, 51%-29%.

Bernero has a myriad of problems. Him being down so many points, the only place you would think he could go is up, and that is technically true. The problem on one end is that, Snyder can also go up. Bernero has only two months to make up this deficit, and I don't think he can.

The second reason is Bernero's negatives. Bernero was behind Andy Dillon most of the way in the Democratic Primary. Bernero spent almost $2 million from his campaign trashing Dillon instead of showcasing himself. That has left him with a lot of negatives going into the general.

The economy is and always will be a politician's single greatest asset/liability. Bernero is the heir to Gov. Granholm's legacy, whether he likes it or not. Voters are very simplistic. They see their fortunes, they look to the people in charge, and whatever letter is next to their name, they either are rewarded or punished. It's political science 101.

Snyder's problems are somewhat less critical. His moderate stances have rubbed a lot of conservative Tea Partiers the wrong way. His liability may be overshadowed by the unpopularity of the Granholm administration, the same way John McCain's fortunes were tied to President Bush in 2008. I expect one recurring theme of Snyder's campaign will be to link Bernero to Granholm the same way Obama linked McCain to Bush.

Even if Obama comes to Michigan to campaign for Bernero, his visit won't do much good. In fact, he may even hurt Bernero's chances even further. Even if Obama can bring in some badly needed cash to replenish Bernero's war chest, the acrimony among voters in this state toward Obama will only be reinforced.

Bernero has picked Southfield Mayor Brenda Lawrence to be his Lieutenant Governor for obvious reasons. The rule among Michigan Democrats about nominating a candidate for one of the top four spots on the ticket include having at least one female candidate (which will be Jocelyn Benson for Secretary of State), and one African-American candidate (Lawrence). Lawrence is a Detroit native and former candidate for Oakland County Executive in 2008. She is expected to draw interest among likely Democratic voters in southeastern Michigan.

Unfortunately, Lawrence won't draw enough because people don't vote for Lt. Governor. To add to that, Bernero is apparently getting trounced by Snyder everywhere but Wayne County. To be fair, one poll shows Snyder up 14 points in Detroit. Expect that one to come down a bit by November. According to Tim Skubick (since I can't yet cite EPIC-MRA on this one), Bernero is even getting beat in the Flint-Saginaw corridor. That is a trend more likely to hold for Snyder than Detroit.

Snyder being up 51%-29% tells me there are a lot of undecideds left in the state. I suspect Bernero can win most of that undecided 20%, but I also suspect those who've made their choice by now are staying with that choice through Election Day. That means Snyder's 51% margin will only go up, even if he picks up only 6-8% more of that undecided 20.

The Lions in 2010

2010-09-05T23:01:00.003-04:00

Well, the preseason's over, and Detroit managed to go 3-1. They say the games are meaningless, and that's 90% true. After all, they went 4-0 in 2008, and the regular season didn't end quite as well.

But it's still important that players get on the field, follow their assignments, and if everything goes according to plan, you come away with a victory. Winning in the preseason means something's been done right.

The offense clicked. The defense, shows promise in some areas, and deficits in the secondary. Does it mean playoffs? No. About 27 teams have a realistic chance to make the playoffs. This year, the Lions are one of them. But I would rank them as No. 27.

Matthew Stafford showed us he's continued to mature as a 2nd-year QB. He's connected in the endzone with Calvin Johnson. He's also shown us he's still a 2nd-year player.

This offense will be good. How good is the question. I'm predicting they'll finish somewhere between 15th and 10th in terms of offensive production. My biggest area of concern is the Right Tackle. Is Gosder Cherilus finally going to get some consistency, or will he wind up another bust from the Millen years? Suprisingly, the Lions cut Jon Jansen in an effort to show that this is a youth movement. They drafted Jason Fox in the 4th Round in 2010, and picked up Corey Hilliard, a guy who can play left and right tackle. Jansen's age + the fact he's suited to RT made him expendable.

The defense will be bad, but comparatively speaking, better than 2007 through 2009. I predict they'll end up ranked somewhere between 20th and 27th. The secondary and weak-side LB are the biggest concerns of mine. It wouldn't shock me at all if Detroit took a CB in both the 1st and 2nd Rounds of next year's draft. They're that bad there. Rookie Amari Spievey was recently converted to Safety, but there's no guarantee it's permanent. Only Louis Delmas is a reliable player, and a standout to boot.

The D-line, however, I expect will be among the best in the league. Ndamukong Suh, Corey Williams, Kyle Vanden Bosch, and Cliff Avril will be getting to the QB. Suh may leave with the QB's head detached from his body, but all the NFL will do is fine him another $7,500. DeAndre Levy and Julian Peterson are solid at MLB and LOLB respectively. I'm concerned with if Zack Follett is a good fit. If not, the Lions may have to decide between either CB or ROLB in next year's draft.

The defense should be good at stopping the run. It's the 3rd and long situations I'm worried about. The best thing for the defense will be if the offense can hang on to the ball, since it'll be all on them to win games.

As for the season, I'm predicting a 5-11 year. I suspect they will start off on very bad footing, at some point winding up at 1-5 before things look up. That's mainly due to the fact that four of the first six games are on the road, and the only game that I see is as close to a sure bet is against the St. Louis Rams.

A game-by-game breakdown:

Week 1 - @ Chicago. Possible upset in place. They haven't won at Chicago since 2007, but there's some history. The last time the Lions were on a very long road losing streak (24 consecutive games, they snapped it here in Chicago, opening day 2004). The Lions face former coaches Mike Martz (offense) and Rod Marinelli (defense). Martz is not the brilliant OC he once was and Jay Cutler looked lost in the preseason. But I'm going with Chicago. 0-1.

Week 2 - vs. Eagles. Home opener, the Lions face former 1st Round pick, Ernie Sims. The Lions just didn't think Sims was good enough, especially when you consider Sims was drafted for the Tampa Two Defense. The Eagles are without Donovan McNabb at QB and are going with unknown commodity, Kevin Kolb. Maybe an upset, but I have to give the nod to Philadelphia. 0-2.

Week 3 - @ Vikings. At Mall of America field, the Vikings will again contend for the NFC title. The Lions have little to no chance. Win goes to Minnesota. 0-3.

Week 4 - @ Packers. The Lions haven't won here since 1991. The weather will be warm, but Aaron Rodgers will be hot. Packers win. 0-4.

Week 5 - vs. Rams. The Rams were the only team with a record worse than Detroit's in 2009. (1-15 to 2-14). Who was the only team the Rams were able to beat? Detroit. But Detroit's gotten better and even though the Rams have Sam Bradford, the No. 1 overall pick, I'm going with Detroit. 1-4.

Week 6 - @ Giants. Against Eli Manning, the Giants are not the team they were in 2007. The latter half. But they're better than Detroit. 1-5.

Week 7 - Bye.

Week 8 - vs. Redskins. They now have Mike Shanahan, Donovan McNabb, and a cluster of RBs. But no viable weapons in the receiving corps outside Santana Moss and Chris Cooley. Could be an upset, but I'll take the Redskins. Remember, the Lions snapped their 19-game losing streak in Week 3 against the Skins in Detroit. 1-6.

Week 9 - vs. Jets. The talk going into this game? Matthew Stafford vs. Mark Sanchez. The Jets were one half away from the Super Bowl last year. But I see growing pains for Sanchez this year. Just not in Detroit. 1-7.

Week 10 - @ Bills. Probably will wind up as the worst team in the league by season's end. The Bills have too many questions on both sides of the ball. Trent Edwards, the once and future QB, is on his last leg with the team. If the road losing streak ends, it will end probably no later than here. 2-7.

Week 11 - @ Cowboys. You might think that given all the prognostications about the Boys heading to the Super Bowl, think about this. Their O-line is suspect. They no longer have Flozell Adams (a better cheap shot artist than a LT). Plus, the Lions have had a history of upsetting the Cowboys. But I suspect that won't be the case this year. 2-8.

Week 12 - Patriots on Thanksgiving Day. The Patriots were the team of last decade. Tom Brady is the best in the game, despite the insane insistence of some sports writers that Peyton Manning is. The problem for the Patriots as I see it, the days of Super Bowl glory are probably gone. Brady, despite not holding out for a new contract, is going to be asking for a lot of dough. Left Guard Logan Mankins promised to hold out the entire season until he gets a fatter contract. This is a complete reversal from even five years ago, when everyone who played for the Patriots was willing to accept a smaller contract for an opportunity to win championships. The NFL's a business, sure, and Logan Mankins is only trying to do what a lot of players who have won Super Bowls early in their career have done, start cashing in. But it looks to me as though the culture that once defined the Patriots is gone. But, hey, all that money and a victory in the Thanksgiving Classic should console their crocodile tears. 2-9.

Week 13 - Bears. I suspect that by this time of year, the Bears will begin wearing down as the players get more frustrated with the coaches (mainly the offense with Martz), Jay Cutler's performance will diminish even further. This lack of unity and cohesion benefits the Lions on their own turf. Put this one in the win column. 3-9.

Week 14 - Packers. Aaron Rodgers is expected to have another 4,000 yard passing season. Barring injury to Rodgers, the Lions probably will keep this one closer, but come up just short. If the D-Line can get to Rodgers through a less than spectacular Packer O-Line, then Lions have a shot. 3-10.

Week 15 - @ Buccaneers. The Buccaneers drafted one spot right after the Lions. Tampa Bay took DT Gerald McCoy. The Suh-McCoy debate was about as hotly debated an argument between two players of the same position since Manning/Leaf in 1998, or even Bledsoe/Mirer in 1993. I have nothing against McCoy. It wouldn't shock me if he had a better year than Suh, but I think Suh will have a more productive career. I doubt we'll be talking in ten years about how good one was and how bad the other was like we were the previous two. Lions win. 4-10.

Week 16 - @ Dolphins. I really don't know where this team will be at by season's end. Chad Henne is perhaps the team's answer after a decade's long search for its Dan Marino replacement. Henne has all the tools and intangibles needed to be an All-Pro. I'm looking forward to watching a rivalry develop between Henne and the Jets' (ooh, just saw that pun) Mark Sanchez this decade. This might be the Lions' upset game of the year. 5-10.

Week 17 - Vikings. Ugh, the Vikings are still too good. Or, are they? Unless Favre starts handing the ball off 60 times in a game, I think he will have been worn down by the grind of a 16-game season. Plus, he's at the Lions. This game will be closer, but it's another win for the Vikings. 5-11.

This Detroit team is a team that can finish 8-8 (if you count @ Bears, Redskins, and Eagles). What I do predict is another losing season and a Top 10 draft pick come April (some 5-11 teams wind up in the Top 5 of the draft order, which can only help).

Fans want to see improvement in the number of wins. Real fans of football shall enjoy some of that, and more of watching these players develop into a competitive organization by 2011 and 2012.

Barring a strike.

Okay, Got the Old Template Back

2010-08-27T23:08:00.002-04:00

After playing around with the new templates for about an hour, I discovered a link that allowed me to go back to the classic templates. Hooray! Of course, now the page looks like it's straight outta 2004.

Now to just figure out how to make it look fatter without having to zoom in all the time.

I Was Going To Write About My Top 5

2010-08-21T22:26:00.014-04:00

The Quarterback is the most important position in football. The greatest football teams of all time are built around their QB. The Pittsburgh Steelers had Terry Bradshaw in the 1970s and Ben Roethlisberger today. The Dallas Cowboys had Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman. The New England Patriots had Tom Brady. The San Francisco 49ers had Joe Montana. All of these players were the centerpiece to their respective championship runs.

There is no debate about who the Lions greatest QB of all time is: Bobby Layne. Layne led the Lions to three NFL championships in the 1950s. He was subsequently traded in 1958, where legend has it as he left Detroit he muttered "this team won't win for 50 years." Known as "The Curse of Bobby Layne," the Lions did not win another NFL championship and have never been to the Super Bowl. In the half-century since, the Lions have won only a single playoff game, in 1992 against the Dallas Cowboys before being routed by the Washington Redskins at RFK Stadium. The 50-year curse culminated in 2008, with the Lions being the first team ever to go 0-16.

When I was a kid, I didn't follow the Lions because I had heard all they ever did was lose. And when you're watching the Tigers and Pistons win (late 1980s), why bother with a game you didn't understand. All of that changed in 1991 when Detroit went to the NFC Conference Championship. Ever since, I have been hooked to the Lions. Like all other Lions' fans, my hopes have risen and fallen with promise and disappointment.

Like everyone else, I watch the QB most of all. The Lions have tried everything. Whether drafting a QB with their 1st Round pick (Chuck Long, Andre Ware, and Joey Harrington), to taking a later-round pick (Rodney Peete, Charlie Batch, Mike McMahon, and Dan Orlovsky), to bringing in someone via free agency (Scott Mitchell, Gus Frerotte, Jeff Garcia, and Daunte Culpepper), the Lions have had next to no success in finding the right guy to lead them to the Super Bowl.

So it falls on me to ponder who has been the best and why. To me, the best is the guy who wins. The stats, the accolades, are no substitutes for victory. Peyton Manning can win 5 more MVPs, but Tom Brady is still the better of the two because of his Super Bowl wins.

When I originally began thinking about this post, I thought I should just blog about the Top 5 Quarterbacks in the last two decades. Ugh, I couldn't do it. There probably is a "Top 5," but once you get past No. 2, no one really did anything to stand out.

Thus, I'm left to discussing only two QBs, (1) Erik Kramer and (2) Dave Krieg. Is it about winning? Mostly, yes. Could it be about statistics? They help.

Both Kramer and Krieg were somewhat mediocre to slightly above average throughout their careers. Krieg was a journeyman QB who had played previously for the Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs. He made the Pro Bowl three times, but his play was marginalized by periods of inconsistency and an apparent lack of appreciation in the Seahawks' front office leading to his dismissal after the 1991 season.

After a 10-6 stint with the Kansas City Chiefs in 1992, the Chiefs signed the legendary QB Joe Montana, who played the final two seasons of his career there. Krieg stayed in KC for one more year before signing with the Lions in the 1994 off season.

Krieg was initially intended to be the backup to newly acquired Scott Mitchell, the guy considered to be the hottest QB prospect of that off season. Mitchell's play was underwhelming, leading the Lions to a 4-5 record before breaking his hand at Green Bay. Krieg took over and almost lead the Lions to a comeback. He would finish the season 5-2 as the starter, and a loss at Green Bay in the post season.

Statistically, Krieg's numbers were the best of any Lions QB ever. His TD-Int. ratio was 14/3, and his QB Rating was 101. Had he thrown eight more passes, he would have been recorded as the highest rated QB of that season.

However, the Lions chose to stick with the youth movement and let Krieg go after 1994. The idea looked smart at first; Scott Mitchell posted a career best 32/11 TD-Int ratio and a playoff berth in 1995. His play subsequently diminished and was replaced early in the 1998 season for rookie QB Charlie Batch.

Meanwhile Krieg went on to play for the Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, and finished his career as a backup with the Tennessee Oilers. While he is considered to be one of the most prolific passers in NFL history, Krieg is not a Hall of Fame member. Despite the fact that he is in the Top 15 for most completions, attempts, TDs, passing yards, and victories, Krieg is a largely unsung hero, and probably isn't remembered much outside of Seattle.

Erik Kramer, on the other hand, is simply the best the Lions have had in the past 20 years. You could make a case for Greg Landry being the best since Bobby Layne left Detroit because of Landry being the only Pro Bowl QB the Lions have had. But Landry doesn't have any playoff victory with Detroit, and thus, didn't come as close to the Super Bowl as Kramer did.

Yes, Kramer did lead the Lions to their one and only playoff victory since 1957. But more than that, Kramer rescued the team twice. The first time, in 1991, was when Rodney Peete went down with a season-ending injury and Kramer stepped in leading the Lions to their best regular season ever, a 12-4 campaign. His play earned the Lions their first NFC Central Division Championship since 1983, the first playoff appearance since 1983, and more importantly, gave Lions fans a reason to believe.

What was Kramer's reward for proving himself? The following season Coach Wayne Fontes named Peete the starter. On top of playing behind Peete, Kramer also played behind former Lions' No. 1 pick, Andre Ware, a player largely seen as one of the Top 10 busts of all time.

Even though Peete was later benched for Kramer midway in 1992, at that point, the Lions were out of playoff contention. Kramer's performance that year mirrored the disappointing campaign, throwing 4 TDs to 8 Ints. He was later replaced by Andre Ware who finished out the season for the Lions in their final three games.

Kramer bounced back in 1993. After fumbling around with QBs between Peete, Ware, and then back to Peete, Coach Fontes finally gave Kramer the nod in the final four games. Kramer went 3-1, salvaging Detroit's second NFC Central Title of that decade, and leading the Lions into the playoffs. It would be their last playoff home game, the last one at the Pontiac Silverdome, and Kramer's final game in Detroit. The Lions were up 24-21 on Green Bay and about to put the Packers away before Kramer through an interception to George Teague in the Packers' end zone, who returned it 106 yards for the TD and 28-24 victory over Detroit.

At that point, Kramer had enough of Detroit, and bolted for Chicago. Kramer played five seasons with the Chicago Bears, and then saw his career curtailed by an injury while playing for the San Diego Chargers in 1999.

Kramer by and large, didn't have a memorable career. Neither did Krieg. But I can say with deep conviction that Kramer was definitely "the one that got away." Comparatively speaking, that is. I don't think he would have led the Lions to the Super Bowl, or a Super Bowl championship. I do think he would have at least won one or two more playoff victories, and maybe another division title.

You can blame Wayne Fontes for the way he handled his QB situation. He spent a 1st Round pick on Andre Ware, but was all about Rodney Peete. This left Kramer the odd man out more than once. Like Terry Foster once said, once Fontes realized Kramer was the guy, he wanted nothing to do with the organization.

We Aren't the Saudis; So Build the Mosque

2010-08-11T22:32:00.005-04:00

Newt Gingrich is on a tirade. Rick Lazio is running for Governor of New York and he's demagoguing. Rush Limbaugh is out of his mind.

I concede there are plenty of arguments against building a mosque near Ground Zero. Most are emotional, one is political. It's a slap in the face to the 3,000 who died on September 11, 2001. They don't allow churches and synagogues in Mecca. Of all places, it has to be so close to where the World Trade Centers once stood. Most politically that I see: it would be a PR coup for Muslim fundamentalists bent on seeing America destroyed to build a mosque right there.

If I could for a minute: stop. Please stop. Just let it be. It's the American way.

I admit first and foremost that if you accused me of bigotry toward Islam, I'm probably guilty. I have no use for it. To be fair, I have no use for Christianity, either. In fact, I'm pro-Jew, even though I'm not Jewish nor will I ever convert. I know next to nothing about Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, or even Zoroastrianism to make any commentary on, so I leave them alone.

Above all else, what Newt Gingrich fails to realize (or knows deep down and won't concede for political posturing), is that this is why we're different. We are better. We're better because we can have mosques. And churches, synagogues, temples, and whatever they pray in inside the other religions. The First Amendment protects that right.

I know the people protesting the mosque are aware of this, and that all they want is for it to be moved farther away from Ground Zero. But the fact is, it's got to go somewhere. There's about 600,000 Muslims that live in New York City. They have as much a right to use public spaces as do any other practitioners of faith.

For Rick Lazio, who's running to be the next governor, this is will only get you so far.
What exactly do you expect NY Attorney General Andrew Cuomo to uncover? We know the Imam leading the movement denies Hamas is a terrorist organization. We know he is linked to the flotilla sending humanitarian aid into Gaza.

So how far do you think you'll get after corralling the Jewish vote? Maybe the GOP nomination. You may even win the election once more people start paying attention. But you're going to face problems in your state that go far beyond somebody putting up a mosque.

Like stopping those terror babies.

I'd Like the Old Template Back, Please

2010-08-07T06:05:00.003-04:00

Bah. I must've hit "apply" somewhere when I didn't mean to. Maybe it's time for a change.

I really don't think it's worth taking the time to navigate through every link to edit this template and background design. But the previous two templates probably were out of date. And yet, I liked them.

Sucks to be me.

I Chose Not To

2010-08-07T04:47:00.003-04:00

I made a conscientuous decision a few weeks back. I chose not to vote. It's the first time I've missed a primary or general election since August 2000, when I didn't know I was supposed to cast a ballot then (I had voted in the Presidential Primary in February and didn't realize the other primary was in August for state and federal candidates).

It's not anything major. Right now I'm leaning toward not voting in the fall, which even though that isn't major either, a general election bears greater weight than a primary. Even that would not be newsworthy in and of itself.

It is cliche to be "disenchanted" with our political system, or just our politics. But I am. It's nice to think that I can somehow distinguish myself from anyone else, but I'm only human. I can only react to what is real and what I know.

I can thank the writers at "Freakonomics" for the beginning of this, and the aftermath of the 2008 election for the second part. I read an article from one of their blogs that was reproduced for the book's 2nd edition that talked about two economists who were embarassed to see each other at the polls voting. Why? Because in terms of economics, the vote you cast individually does not change the outcome of an election.

It is very rare that an election has a 1-vote difference. It has never happened in a popular vote in a Presidential election (even the winner in the Electoral College has to win 270 votes out of 538 to be elected President, a minimum two-vote difference). I'm unaware of any state Governor having won an election by one vote (although Marcus Morton won the Governorship of Massachusetts by two votes in 1839). I could be wrong, but no sitting US Senator since 1917, after the 17th Amendment to the US Constitution was passed, has won his/her seat by one vote. The only US House seat won by a one-vote margin happened in Buffalo, NY. In 1905.

Even as I write, there apparently was a one-vote victory in the GOP Primary for the 1st US Congressional District in Michigan, with Dr. Dan Benishek edging out State Sen. Jason Allen by just one vote. That will however change as a recount HAS to take place. That's my home district by the way.

The other elected offices? Have there been one-vote victors? Certainly. For sheriff, city council, commissioner, drain commissioner, and township clerk, etc. You get the picture. But those are small potatoes compared to the size and scope of Congressional, Gubernatorial, and Presidential elections.

Had I voted, let's say in the Republican Primary, I would have voted for Rick Snyder. I probably would have voted for Jason Allen because I am familiar with him, and I don't lend credibility to the Tea Party movement, as they've backed Benishek. So the outcome would have been a tie in that race, but not for long as recounts would have probably one candidate a narrow lead, even if it was only by less than 100 votes. Races that close have to be recounted for the sake of the election's integrity.

On the other hand, if I had voted in the Democratic Primary, I would have voted for Andy Dillon, who was trounced at the polls. Since you can't cross over in primaries, I would have had only a few choices in the remaining offices because there aren't a lot of Democrats who run for office in northeast Michigan/Montmorency County.

Now, the 2008 aftermath. I voted for McCain. It wasn't a vote for Sarah Palin. I was less skeptical of her in 2008, for sure. I have to admit, I read up on her before a lot of others and had initially thought she might make for an interesting VP candidate. I thought she would add some spark to the campaign, which they got. Ever since, I have become to think of her as someone addicted to celebrity (and probably milking the presidential speculation for all it's worth even though she'll never run).

You can blame McCain for running a poor campaign, but truth be told, George W. Bush cost him the presidency. Twice. I voted for McCain in 2000. I was a McCainiac. I had secretly hoped Bush would have lost in 2000 so that McCain could have ran in 2004 (because in either 2000 or 2004, McCain would have likely defeated Gore given the economy).

Barack Obama would have been an afterthought. The media loved him, but they loved George W. Bush the same way in 2000. It's the same way they seemed to like Clinton in 1992, and Reagan in 1980. These things have a way of swinging back and forth.

But they were clearly biased towards Obama the last time around. I thought very little of Obama. I thought even less of the Cult of Obama. The posters, the graphics, and stencils with the profile at the perfect angle with words like "Hope" and "Change." Barack Obama is NO AGENT OF CHANGE.

When I looked back on the 2008 election, I think, why is my generation so enamored by this guy? To me, he's another Bush. Plain and simple. Partly due to forces beyond his control (like historical and economic). But really, he's not this radical departure from the Bush years.

Today I don't hate him. If I give in to practicality, I'd vote for him over Mitt Romney or Mike Huckabee. But I hated the way the media let him define the election and define McCain without allowing McCain to return the favor. All they did was link a decorated Viet Nam war veteran to a draft-dodging prepster simply via party affiliation.

McCain stood in the way of many of Bush's initiatives, even when his popularity was in the 70s and 80s back in 2002 and 2003. Aside from the Iraq War, McCain had opposed Bush on his tax policies, embryonic stem cell research, prescription drug benefit program under Medicare, campaign finance reform, etc. McCain did more to oppose Bush than any Democratic leader on Capitol Hill. And we all listened Obama link McCain to Bush and allowed ourselves to believe him.

So I didn't drink the Obama Kool-Aid. Maybe it's not the system, just our state of politics that has disenchanted me. We're called "Millenials," but maybe a better name is Generation Suck.

State Primaries, Dem-Style

2010-08-02T20:37:00.002-04:00

Those who plan to vote in the Democratic Primary this Tuesday have two choices: Andy Dillon of Redford Township and Virg Bernero of Lansing. The winner faces the Republican nominee in November.

He will lose.

Andy Dillon is the current Speaker of the House, and Virg Bernero is the current Mayor of Lansing. The two could not be further apart on social issues. Dillon is pro-life and Bernero is pro-choice. Dillon opposes funding embryonic stem cell research and Bernero is for it. Dillon is against same sex marriage and Bernero has the support of the LGBTA Caucus of the Michigan Democratic Party, the LGBT publication Between the Lines, and the Lansing Association for Human Rights (LAHR).

Dillon has gained notoriety for two reasons: being the subject of a failed recall attempt by Leon Drolet, and boldly proposing to consolidate all public health employees (state, county, municipal, and public educators) under one umbrella, which has cost him the support of the AFL-CIO, UAW, UFCW (I was a member of this union for 8 years), MEA, and the AFT (all of whom endorsed Bernero).

Bernero has fashioned himself as a union man's man. Aside from opposing Dillon's health care plan, he too has gained notoriety, mostly from his bombastic appearances (like this one) on Fox News Channel. Known as the "Angriest Mayor" Bernero sees an unholy alliance (his words) with Washington and Wall Street and has been vocal about the fact that union workers for the Big Three are taking concessions while Wall Street executives are taking taxpayer funded bonuses. He criticizes policies like NAFTA because they have hurt the standard of living and sent good paying union jobs to Mexico.

While Bernero has unions and social progressive groups in his corner, Dillon has put his lot in with inner city voters and has gotten the endorsement of the Free Press and The News. The divide between Dillon and Bernero is a microcosm of what has been a larger schism going on within the Michigan Democratic Party between the labor unions and trial lawyers.

Back in April, the state Dems opted for a pre-convention convention whereby the party hoped to preselect nominees for Attorney General and Secretary of State. The hope was, the losers of the caucuses would bow out gracefully and endorse the winners four months ahead of the August conventions. This would allow the winners time to build their grassroots networks ahead of their Republican adversaries. It was a stroke of genius, but also a telling sign: the Democrats conceded without actually saying that they are going to take a bath in November.

The plot was successful, partially. They got the nominee for Secretary of State, Jocelyn Benson, a Wayne State law professor who handily defeated Detroit City Clerk, Janice Winfrey.

But the Attorney General race was hotly contested. Richard Bernstein, whose fame comes from the "Bernstein advantage" commercials you see in Metro Detroit, ran unsuccesfully against David Leyton, Genessee County Prosecutor, for the Democratic nomination. Bernstein quipped that people were "tired of being pushed around and told what to do (by the UAW)". He apologized for the comment a week later noting his involvement with the union and his support for labor.

Yet, the damage was done. Leyton defeated Bernstein by less than 170 votes. It doesn't mean the trial lawyers will buck the Democrats in the fall and run to the GOP. It does show how powerful the union bloc still is within the Democratic party.

Dillon can't afford to alienate any more union voters than he has. Polls have fluctuated rapidly. Mainly because the makeup of primary candidates has changed, and mostly because the different times at which candidates have been in the race or dropped out. While he's trailing in the most recent poll by eight points (40%-32%), the unknown factor is still prevalent as 28% are undecided. It will help Dillon cover some lost ground. But it also shows how much of an uphill battle either he or Bernero face in the fall.

For what it's worth, I'd pick Dillon over Bernero. Not because he gives the Democrats a better shot at maintaining the Governor's office, but because he is practically better suited to the job.

The state is bleeding money. Okay, IT HAS NO MONEY. That hasn't stopped Dillon from offering a series of comprehensive reforms for state government. Putting all public employees into a single insurance pool isn't popular, but it's the right thing to do. It's the hallmark of "ballsy" and it would not get passed if it had been proposed by Republicans. We're looking at probably the most grandiose proposal since Proposal A in 1994.

Dillon wants also to amend the hated Michigan Business Tax. Politicians left and right agree that it has hurt the state's ability to be competitive and attract new businesses. He also wants to do away with the current property taxes and replace them with a sales tax that doesn't have exemptions for food and other services.

He's pro-life. I'm not. I prefer being "for a woman's right to an abortion," because being "pro-choice" is as vague as being "pro-life." He's against publicly funding embryonic stem cell research. I think it will lead to progress and promise in fighting diseases.

But this is Michigan, and the Democrats can't win without their DINOs anymore than Republicans can win without RINOs. Progressives are reluctant to admit it, but without them, they're just a minority in Lansing and Washington.

Dillon is the way to go.

Handicapping Tuesday's GOP Primary

2010-07-31T22:07:00.008-04:00

We'll be picking a new Governor in November. It will be a Republican. The question is not who will win, but which Republican will be the winner of this Tuesday's primary.

On the GOP side, you have five candidates running, three of whom are locked in a dead heat. The top three are Ann Arbor venture capitalist Rick Snyder, Rep. Pete Hoekstra from Holland, and Attorney General Mike Cox of Livonia. The other two, Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard and State Sen. Tom George of Kalamazoo are the long shots.

Over on the other side, you have two Democrats, Speaker of the House, Andy Dillon of Redford Township, and Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero. The race between the two is in flux largely due to the number of undecideds among likely Democratic voters. In January, the Democratic field had more candidates, including the Lt. Governor John Cherry of Clio, and State Representative Alma Wheeler Smith of Salem Township (Ann Arbor). Polls indicate a seesaw battle between Dillon and Bernero.

Cherry was the favorite until he dropped out after realizing 1) he couldn't raise enough money, and 2) had no chance because of his ties to political pariah Jennifer Granholm. If Cherry had won the nomination, all the GOP candidate would have needed to do was refer to the "Granholm-Cherry administration," and his cause was lost. Smith, the most liberal of the Democratic contenders, simply couldn't raise enough money, either. Her catch-22 was that she couldn't be taken seriously as a candidate because she couldn't raise enough money, and because she couldn't raise money, she couldn't make a name for herself.

But the Republicans pose a more interesting race to watch. Snyder has cast himself as the outsider, "the tough nerd." He's positioned himself as slightly more moderate than the other two, Cox and Hoekstra. He favors embryonic stem cell research, has the endorsement of environmental groups and the support of a political scion, former Governor Bill Milliken.

(To be honest, I'm not sure how much weight Milliken's endorsement really carries anyway - he's been out of office since 1982, and his left-of-center record as governor has long since rubbed the dominant conservative wing of his party wrong in the decades since. Besides, how many voters under the age of 40 remember him?)

But he's a neophyte. He has no political experience, in a state where we need more career politicians to address the difficulties this state is facing. Having little experience failed Granholm, whereas it had helped previous Governors Engler, Blanchard, and Milliken.

Hoekstra is a nine-term Congressman whose most impressive credential is that he was the Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee up until 2007. He has cast himself as a maverick courting the MEA and public educators with his opposition to No Child Left Behind. While he supports Michigan becoming a "right-to-work" state, he knows that such an issue is too divisive in a labor-friendly state like ours.

I don't really know what he would bring to the table as the next Governor. It's not as though he's an outsider. A Lansing outsider, perhaps. But he's still been in politics since the early 1990s; it's not as though he's something new.

Then there's Mike Cox. Here's what Cox has going for him. He's won statewide office twice (in years that favored Democrats). He's got name recognition, and he's the GOP's perennial darling. He's very personable in interviews, and communicates well as I've heard when he's called in to the Drew and Mike Show on WRIF in Detroit.

But there's the other side of Mike Cox. First, his name. If I need to spell it out, reading this becomes pointless.

More curious though, Cox is connected to the mysterious Manoogian Mansion party that allegedly occurred in 2002. (See here, here, here, here, and here.) Cox has long since asserted that there isn't enough evidence to prove a party happened. Critics contend the State Police investigation was hastily concluded, which leads some to extrapolate that Cox may have something to hide. That is, notwithstanding the recent allegation that Cox was at the party, which has been widely dismissed.

I believe there was a party, however, I don't have enough information to make a guess as to whether or not Cox is trying to cover up the party. It could be that Cox simply didn't have enough to go on, and in this cash-strapped state, that's not unreasonable of an AG to decide not to go after a red herring if he thinks it's one.

Moreover, some of his recent campaign tactics have stoked the ire of Republicans across the state. Accusing rival Snyder of sending jobs to China is the exact same thing the Democrats did to Dick DeVos in 2006. It worked. If you want to win your party's nomination, channeling the other party's chairman can go a long way to hurting your chances.

Cox is a former Marine as well. It kind of shows. His bullying tactics of Snyder remind me of obnoxious Marines who forget to leave "Semper Fi" back in the Corps once they've been discharged. He's apparently never cultivated much of a relationship with the Secretary of State, Terri Lynn Land, who's the only other Republican to win statewide office in a state that has trended strongly Democratic in the last decade. Land even went as far as to join Bouchard on his ticket, which apparently backfired, given Bouchard's inability to gain traction.

(I also suspect she's kicking herself for joining the ticket since Rep. Vern Ehlers announced his decision to retire this year. She's a former Kent County Clerk who lives in his district, she wanted to succeed him, and would have been a shoe-in had she known he would leave Congress).

Michael Bouchard was the GOP nominee for the US Senate in 2006. He did poorly against incumbent Sen. Debbie Stabenow. He does have some name recognition, and he can deliver Oakland County for Republicans, but he's past his political prime. Oakland County is no longer the GOP bastion it once was.

I can sum up Sen. Tom George in one word. Who? To be fair, he has positioned himself as the candidate closest to the center. But George is ranked dead last in every poll. His stance that the state can't afford more tax cuts puts him at odds with Republican Kool-Aid drinkers. If not for constitutionally mandated term limits, I think George could have served the state well for years to come.

Since I've written more than I expected too, I'm going to handicap ~~this November’s sacrificial lambs~~ the Democrats tomorrow.

Training Camp Begins Today (The Hard Stuff Tomorrow)

2010-07-30T21:51:00.002-04:00

As I write this, the Detroit Lions will begin to make preparations for the upcoming 2010 season. Training camp springs optimism for Lions' diaspora. So far all is well in Allen Park with the one exception: Ndamokung Suh, the No. 2 overall pick in April's draft has yet to sign a contract, and thus, cannot attend camp. Don't expect that to last long; I wouldn't be surprised if he's on the field before the end of the weekend.

I can't help but be excited. Even though a majority of fans expect another losing season, I think we're witnessing the making of what could finally be a great football product. Matt Millen is gone, and everyone from General Manager Martin Mayhew to Coach Jim Schwartz to Matthew Stafford, and on down to the 80th man on the roster is on the same page. While we're still a year or two from adding all the ingredients, I think we're on the verge of something special.

No one should assume that just because everyone's on the same page that the playoffs (and a Super Bowl victory) are just around the corner. It's not a guarantee but it helps. Matt Millen drafted Joey Harrington over Marty Mornhinweg's objections in 2002, and that ended badly. Mike Martz differed in philosophy with Rod Marinelli. Steve Mariucci was an overrated Head Coach. It was always "their fault," never Millen's.

Last year I predicted Detroit would go 3-13 before the season began. I usually don't make a prediction until the last preseason game because I don't know what the 53-man roster will look like until then. Between now and the next six weeks, we'll see twenty seven players get cut, seven of which will be signed to the practice squad for future development or some other utility.

The Lions finished 2-14. Like most prognosticators, the information you have at hand changes on a week-to-week basis in the NFL. Injuries are ubiquitous, some players just don't play up to expectations. When the Lions won against the Washington Redskins, snapping their 19-game losing streak, my expectations changed. I thought for sure they'd lose their first six games before their bye-week and then the winning would follow.

As it turned out, the Redskins were in disarray, allowing Detroit to take advantage and put out a victory, 19-14. At one point, I thought it was feasible for the Lions to go 6-10. But a loss to St. Louis, and blowing a 17-0 lead against the Seattle Seahawks made it unlikely they'd win more than three.

It was clear after last year, the three biggest concerns for the Lions were the defensive line, secondary, and the interior offensive line (specifically the Left Guard position). I didn't think the Running Back spot was as questionable, since Kevin Smith would most likely return to the team by the start of 2010. The Lions addressed the defensive line in the offseason by drafting Suh, and signing veteran Defensive Tackle Corey Williams and Defensive End Kyle Vanden Bosch.

They then traded their 2nd round pick to move back into the 1st Round and took RB Jahvid Best at No. 30. In the offseason, they added Tight End Tony Scheffler out of Denver by trading Ernie Sims to Philadelphia. I'm guessing the Lions thought Sims just wasn't that good, or was only good in a Tampa Two system. They also signed free agent LG Rob Sims out of Seattle. While questions remain on the defense, the offense seems to be solid at every position. I hope.

With Matthew Stafford expected to make the leap this year (even though I think he'll fall short of a Pro Bowl or the playoffs), the offense will be the reason this team wins more games this year. The biggest question marks for the defense are 1) Who will start at weakside Linebacker? 2) Who will be starting in the secondary, besides Free Safety Louis Delmas?

Can't wait for September.

Whadd'ya Mean, No Quarterback Controversy?

2010-07-18T05:16:00.002-04:00

For the past few weeks at the Detroit Free Press, I've been noticing some reader columns that the paper has decided to publish (running short of actual columnists?). I don't know if they're doing this for the other major sports teams, since I don't follow too closely the Red Wings, Tigers, or Pistons.

But this latest article by a reader, Greg Eno, has got me to thinking, is there really no Quarterback controversy with the Detroit Lions? Eno insists like many others in print and radio that for once, the Lions are settled on the hardest position to play in Detroit sports (sorry Red Wings' goalies).

There's an old saying that the most popular athlete on the team is the backup QB. The Lions haven't had a regular standard bearer since Bobby Layne, that is true. And I kind of agree to some extent Eno's point about QBs not having enough gas left in the tank after fighting off an internal challenge (it's just that QB competitions are supposed to MAKE all your QBs better). After all, the constant looking over your shoulder could lead to distractions which will eventually lead to you making your way to the bench.

Nonetheless, I don't think it's true the Lions have no QB controversy. Matthew Stafford is the undisputed future of the team. But he's the undisputed future for this year. He has four years to show whether or not he can be "The Guy." Stafford is expected to make a serious leap this year.

At this point in Stafford's career, it is simply too early to tell how far he'll go. At this time in 2003, Joey Harrington was the future of the team. There was no controversy. It wasn't until 2005 when the Lions brought in Jeff Garcia to challenge Harrington. Harrington won the competition in training camp, but was eventually replaced by Garcia after five games. Garcia was clearly the inferior of the two, as his poor play hurt the Lions more than Harrington.

Same could be said for Charlie Batch in 1999. Or how about Chuck Long in 1987. Actually, I can't go back that far, since I wasn't following the team much when I was 7.

Rookie seasons cannot stand alone as an indicator of how far a QB will go in his career. Ben Roethlisberger and Chris Ryan are the anomalies. Rick Mirer outperformed Drew Bledsoe in 1993. But Mirer never got any better while Bledsoe flourished. Joe Flacco led his team the AFC Title game his rookie year, but seemingly took a step back last year. Mark Sanchez repeated Flacco's success taking the New York Jets to one game (or one half) of the Super Bowl. No one knows where the Jets will go this year with the attention on them.

Everyone knows Stafford had next to nothing to work with. This year, the Lions have brought in Nate Burleson, Jahvid Best, Tony Scheffler, and Rob Sims. All are expected to contribute significantly to the franchise's turnaround. They are key to Stafford's development. But they don't guarantee Stafford will go from a 13/20 TD-Interception ratio to a 20-15 or even better ratio.

Ultimately it is up to Stafford himself to make that leap forward this year. If he can't, it won't be long before Martin Mayhew and Jim Schwartz begin to look at their options again. If he doesn't show tangible progress between now and the end of 2011, the Lions are highly probable to either bring in a hot-ticket free agent that will compete/supplant Stafford, or look to the draft in 2012 or 2013. Stafford won't be here after four years if his potential isn't realized; the Lions simply don't have the option to pay a guy $15 million to lead them to a 6-10 record.

Stupidity at the Free Press

2010-06-14T22:01:00.002-04:00

Detroit Free Press Editorial Writer Jeff Gerritt recently commented on the possibility of former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick having to attend boot camp. The main point of Gerritt's column was about the fact that this was not a case of special treatment, nor should the prosecutor Kym Worthy be involved in his sentencing. Prisoners serving three years or less have the option of attending a military-style bootcamp.

I have no objection to that. What could only be a case of jaw-dropping stupidity was the commentary in the final paragraph where Gerritt said "I’m not happy with how Kilpatrick abused his office and authority, but he doesn't need to be in prison, where he's costing taxpayers $35,000 a year instead of working to pay off his considerable debts to the city."

Kilpatrick after serving 90 days in jail was given a new job with a $300,000+ salary in Texas. He was ordered to pay $1 million in restitution to the City of Detroit. Kilpatrick did everything possible and more to avoid making any payment whatsoever; at one point he even claimed he could only pay $6 a month to the city.

After a year's worth of hand-wringing, Judge David Groner finally held Kilpatrick in contempt of court and sentenced him to 1.5 to 5 years in prison. Gerritt's logic is that Kilpatrick can't pay off what he owes the city if he's in jail. Functional logic tells us Detroit is not getting the money back anyway. Once sentenced, Kilpatrick lost his job selling software for Compuware in Texas.

The problem with Kilpatrick is, like current Mayor Dave Bing said, every time he's in the news, it makes it that much harder to move the city forward. He's a distraction. An impediment. Sending him away for five years would do more good for the city than him being out looking for work, finding a job, and repeating the same cycle of hiding assets in court. You're not getting the money back.

Lazy Blogger! Lazy Blogger!

2010-06-08T22:48:00.007-04:00

I should have finished a fourth blog on my Lions' draft history, but apparently when it comes to putting on a four-part essay, I turn this thing into work, and it becomes boring and less rewarding.

I also went through and deleted a ton of old posts. Apparently after reading them, I had to cringe. Did I actually write that? I came very close to hitting the 100-post mark, though.

And the more I think about it, the more I realize this is turning into a Lions' blog and less of any other type of blog. Didn't plan on that. But I have a disorganized brain, which helps to explain why I do poorly in job interviews.

Lucky for me, there are some things that I have to get off my chest.

The first is Barack Obama. I didn't vote for him. I'm proud to say I voted for McCain. The more people pile on Obama, the more I like him, though. I think he'll be re-elected. Since Mitt Romney is the likely nominee (I'm calling it now) for the GOP, I'll probably end up voting for Obama. I don't apologize for supporting McCain. But I really never had a party. The Libertarian Party, which I'm most aligned with is filled with fruitcakes and bizarre people. Perhaps I should label myself a "small 'l' libertarian."

I want nothing to do with the "Tea Party" by the way.

I don't want anything to do with the Republican Party. (At least right now)

I'm no Democrat.

Hating both Republicans and Democrats has become very passe. It's easy.

Most people shouldn't vote. They hate parties and politicians. Except for the ones they know. This has been a collective SOP for most voters since the beginning of democracies. The rest are liars and crooks in their view. This is an example of being intellectually lazy because one simply cannot paint all pols with the same brush.

The media is biased towards populism. I had a well-thought out explanation to this a day ago. But it's left me now. It'll come back. I probably won't be anywhere near a computer to type it in, though. And then it'll go away. After writing two sentences in the following paragraph, I think one of the reasons involves the way in which media outlets allow for everyone to voice their opinions on message boards. And then thoughts of Rick Sanchez and Don Lemon from CNN popped into my head. More on this in a later blog.

I can't win arguments because I live in a day and age where everyone is held captive to 30-second soundbites. Sometimes arguing effectively requires you to take a little more than a minute to explain something. Bill O'Reilly once wrote that his father said if you couldn't argue your point in under a minute, you had lost him.

I'll let your imagination run wild with that one.

If you hate O'Reilly and love Keith Olbermann, you're unfit to vote.

MSNBC tried being the anti-Fox. As it turns out, they're Fox's mirror image.

The Stanley Cup Finals are over. The NBA Finals are underway. You know what that means, right? The NFL Preseason's just around the corner!

Reliving, Part V: 2006 - 2009

2010-04-11T18:54:00.005-04:00

I was over half way finished with this when it became too much like work and I left it alone. For about two months I should say. Lazy! Oh well, here's a wrap-up of draft picks between 2006 and 2009.

2006: Detroit selected Linebacker Ernie Sims out of Florida State with the No. 9 pick. Sims has proven to be somewhere between serviceable to promising. I personally think he's pretty good, but lately he's fallen afoul of Lions fans. Sims is a 6'0", 220 lb LB who is a prototypical Tampa Two LB. He's got speed and a ferocious hit. Injuries maligned his 2009 season, and with the emergence of rookie Deandre Levy, he should be part of a dynamic LB corps at the weak side along with Levy in the middle and Julian Peterson at strong side.

Note: Sims was traded on April 19 to the Philadelphia Eagles in a three-way trade between Philadelphia, Detroit, and the Denver Broncos. The Eagles got Sims, the Broncos got a 5th Round draft pick, and the Lions picked up TE Tony Scheffler from the Broncos, who happens to be a former Western Michigan standout.

2007: The Lions had the No. 2 pick and selected Wide Receiver Calvin Johnson of Georgia Tech. Johnson was the fourth WR taken in the first round in five years. Johnson was widely considered to be the best player in the entire draft.

Only this time, the Lions made a sound choice, despite needs elsewhere, like the offensive line and the secondary. Johnson, if he stays his entire career in Detroit, may wind up being the best WR ever to play for the Lions, notwithstanding being one of the greatest of all time.

No question about it, Johnson is as pure a receiver as they come. Sure hands, superhuman leaping ability, and the stride of a gazelle; there's nothing this guy can't do. The only thing hampering him right now is the lack of a No. 2 receiver, as well as an effective running game to take extra defenders off of him to make plays.

2008: This year was the first time the Lions drafted outside of the Top 10 after starting the 2007 campaign 6-2 and finishing 7-9. Detroit had the 15th pick but traded down two spots to No. 17 in a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs. With the 17th pick, the Lions selected Right Tackle Gosder Cherilus out of Boston College. Cherilus filled a need the Lions had long since neglected, addressing the O-Line.

Cherilus, unfortunately, has not been as solid a contributor as the Lions had hoped. His first year, he was benched a couple of times in favor of RT George Foster, who by all accounts, is one of the worst Tackles the Lions have seen in some time. His second year, he was benched again. He's been plagued with numerous penalties, mainly for false starts.

I don't think the Lions have written him off yet, but he needs to have a breakthrough year if he's going to remain in Detroit for long.

2009: 2008 was the worst season for any football team ever, and it belonged to the Lions. Everyone knows they went 0-16. It's like knowing what day the Declaration of Independence was signed - it's common knowledge.

So Detroit "earned" the top pick, and with the No. 1 pick, they selected Quarterback Matthew Stafford of Georgia. Lions GM Martin Mayhew that Detroit needed to just "blow it up," and completely remake the franchise. The first thing all "new" teams need is a franchise QB. Stafford was praised for his leadership, his playmaking ability, and for a cannon of an arm, rivaled only by Chicago's Jay Cutler.

There was very little question the Lions were going to pick Stafford. The decision to do so wasn't instantly popular; at the debut of the new look jerseys, fans screamed and hollered "DON'T DRAFT STAFFORD!" The only other option the Lions had was draft Linebacker Aaron Curry and see what they had in Drew Stanton, a former 2nd Round pick in 2007. As it turned out, they got to see both Stafford and Stanton, and after one game, Stanton was pretty well written off as either a career backup or player whose days in the NFL were numbered.

Stafford went into training camp competing for the No. 1 spot with journeyman Daunte Culpepper, a former Pro Bowl and All-Pro QB for the Minnesota Vikings. Culpepper suffered a devastating knee injury in 2005, and spent the next three years on three different teams: Miami, Oakland, and Detroit in 2008. Detroit signed him in 2008 after losing two starters to injury, and could not lead the Lions to a victory in the 2008 season. But he had been out of football, out of shape, signed midway through the season, and had very little chance to be successful.

After losing thirty pounds (Culpepper was at the time, 296 pounds, way too heavy for an NFL QB), he competed with Stafford, and was ultimately the loser in that battle. Stafford started the regular season and after two losses, led the Lions to their first victory in two years against the Washington Redskins. It wasn't pretty. But that's the way it goes in the NFL.

Stafford would lead the Lions to one more victory before going down with a season-ending shoulder injury. His rookie campaign would be most remembered for the victory against the Cleveland Browns where he threw five touchdowns, including a hail mary pass with no time left at the end of regulation. This pass was completed just after the play before where he initially injured his non-throwing shoulder; the referees flagged the Cleveland secondary for pass interference and the call gave the Lions one more shot. Stafford delivered, and was the talk of the league for that week.

While he only won two games (the only two victories the Lions had in 2009), he proved himself to be the franchise QB Lions have been looking for since Bobby Layne was traded in 1957.

But wait, there's more. With the 20th pick, the Lions selected TE Brandon Pettigrew out of Oklahoma State. Perhaps an even more unpopular pick, particularly given Matt Millen's penchant for drafting WRs, Pettigrew didn't make much sense. With so many holes on defense (defensive line, the secondary), Pettigrew didn't seem to fill an immediate need. But Martin Mayhew insisted they were going to draft for talent.

Pettigrew didn't help his case in the first few weeks, either. A dropped pass here, a botched play there, Pettigrew fanned the flames of his critics. That is until November where Pettigrew picked the up the pace and caught 15 balls in 4 games before blowing out his knee on Thanksgiving. As long as Pettigrew continues on his development, most see him as developing into a premier TE.

Reliving, Part IV: 2001 - 2005 = EPIC FAIL

2010-03-29T18:33:00.004-04:00

The draft years between 2001 and 2005 were arguably the worst draft years since 1957 for Detroit. Among them, only one 1st Round pick was a Pro Bowler (Roy Williams). The first pick was the third Offensive Tackle taken consecutively in that round. Three 1st Rounders were used on Wide Receivers between 2003 and 2005.

2001 brought us the Matt Millen years. Millen was brought in from William Clay Ford Jr., Vice Chairman of the Lions, and son of the owner, Bill Sr. When Millen came in, he spoke in plain words, that the days of finishing 9-7 aren't good enough anymore. His first decision as Team President and GM was to dismiss Head Coach Gary Moeller.

Moeller had just come off the previous 9-7 season where then-Coach Bobby Ross quit after going 5-4. Moeller went 4-3 and the Lions were knocked out of the playoffs by the Chicago Bears in the final game of the regular season. Ford Sr. offered him a new contract just before hiring Millen, but once Millen was in, Moeller was out and a new coach was hired, Marty Mornhinweg.

Millen's tenure lasted almost eight years. His record while on the job was 31-84, the worst of any NFL team in an eight-year span. To be fair, the team he left when he was fired was 0-3 in 2008, but the remaining thirteen losses translated into a 31-97 record.

2001: The very first draft selection for the Lions under the new Millen regime was a local guy, Left Tackle Jeff Backus from the University of Michigan at No. 20. He was the third consecutive T taken in the 1st Round, but due to the failure of Aaron Gibson and eventually Stockar McDougle, the Lions felt they had no choice but to fill that void.

I will be the first to say that Backus is not an elite LT. Compared to other LTs who played over 100 games, Backus has given up more sacks on average per season (7.47), and gave up 67.25 sacks through 133 games. He is known for some blown calls like getting called for false starts.

According to Tom Kowalski, his reputation isn't as bad around the league as it is in the media and among Lions fans. To Backus' credit, the Mike Martz years (2006 and 2007), he played hurt, and he played in a pass-oriented blocking scheme, and Martz's offense wasn't geared toward running the ball a lot (it was use the pass to set up the run, as opposed to the opposite being standard NFL convention). Then in 2008, Offensive Coordinator Jim Colletto installed a zone-blocking scheme which was more like O-linemen pushing defensive players to the side, neither which played to Backus' strengths.

Nonetheless, Backus is average. He is the most consistent starter, second to Jason Hanson (but he's a Kicker), having started every game since 2001 at that position. But he hasn't lived up to the value of a player signed for six years at $40 million.

2002: With the No. 3 pick, the Lions took Quarterback Joey Harrington out of Oregon. Harrington, a Heisman runner-up in 2001, is the most controversial player of the decade. When Harrington was drafted, Matt Millen declared him "the savior of the franchise." Harrington was a bust, but debate rages whether it was because of his character, because he was a "system QB," or because he simply didn't have the talent around him to succeed, said Troy Aikman and Dan Marino. (I'd take Aikman's word over anyone else since he's prone to just tell it like it is).

Harrington was going to sit in his rookie season, but the play of second-year QB Mike McMahon was so painful to watch, Harrington started his first game in Week 3. Much speculation remains today if the Fords had anything to do with him starting before he was ready. 2002 was the grand opening of Ford Field; did the Fords really want the inaugural game to be started by a player who probably wouldn't be there next year?

It's apparent that neither Head Coach Marty Mornhinweg, nor his successor Steve Mariucci wanted him. Millen's way of managing was to pick the popular player and if things didn't pan out, throw the coaches under the bus. Mornhinweg was fired after Harrington's rookie year and Mariucci replaced him. No one was on the same page, and Harrington was often the scapegoat for the team's troubles.

Harrington left Detroit after a tumultuous 2005 campaign, where he was benched twice by Jeff Garcia, a QB past his prime and one who performed far worse than Harrington. Harrington's four-year stint in Detroit ended with an 18-37 record, 79 Touchdowns, 85 interceptions, and a rating of 68.1. After signing with the Miami Dolphins in 2006, Harrington played against the Lions in the annual Thanksgiving Day game at Ford Field. He lit up the Lions for 213 yards, 3 TDs, a QB rating of 107.4, and a 27-10 victory over his former team.

Unfortunately for Harrington, he was benched near the end of the year for Cleo Lemon, released, and then signed a two-year contract with the Atlanta Falcons. Harrington was supposed to play backup behind QB Michael Vick, but a felony dogfighting conviction forced Vick out of football and Harrington back into the starting role. Despite establishing a winning streak, the Falcons benched him in favor of Byron Leftwich. In 2008, Harrington signed with the New Orleans Saints, but didn't take a snap. He was cut in 2009 after the Saints opted to go with only two QBs on their roster.

2003: With the No. 2 overall pick, the Lions selected another hometown hero, Wide Receiver Charles Rogers out of Michigan State. Rogers' impact was felt immediately, for four games. Rogers caught two TDs in the home opener against the Arizona Cardinals. But a collarbone injury during practice ended his rookie season after four games.

Rogers had all the talent, but none of the mental makeup. Or luck. Rogers was known for his fragility and had issues with substance abuse. Because the NFL didn't have a comprehensive drug testing policy, Rogers was able to fail a drug test at the NFL combine without consequence (his urine test had high water concentration - a masking agent for marijuana).

On the second play of the first game of the 2004 season, Rogers broke the same collarbone and was forced again to miss the rest of the season. Having been tossed to the side by Millen and co., Rogers was no longer a value to the team. By 2005, Rogers had lost the speed he had out of college (he ran a sub-4.3 40 in the combine), and was just average. During that season, Rogers was suspended four games for violating the NFL substance abuse policy. The following year he was cut by Coach Rod Marinelli. In three years, Rogers caught fourteen passes for 196 yards, and four TDs. He never caught on to another team and in a private workout, blew a 40-yard dash with a time of 4.9.

2004: The Lions were supposed to draft No. 7, but a trade with the Cleveland Browns dropped them down one spot and added an additional 1st Round pick at No. 30. At No. 7, the Lions picked their second WR, Roy Williams out of Texas. Williams was a popular fan-favorite while in Detroit.

Easily the best receiver, Williams ran into a lot of problems in regards to his work ethic. Like a lot of talented players, Williams got bored. He was known for taking plays off and not working out hard enough during team weightlifting exercises. But he was also known for making some spectacular catches and being a crowd pleaser.

Williams had often spoke about one day playing for the Dallas Cowboys, as they were his hometown team (Williams was from Odessa, TX). In 2008, during the 0-16 campaign, new Lions GM Martin Mayhew made a fire sale trade that sent Williams to the Cowboys for a 1st Round pick in 2009 and a 3rd Round pick. He has yet to meet expectations since joining Dallas.

At No. 30, the Lions picked Kevin Jones, a Running Back out of Virginia Tech. A steal, the Lions got what many analysts thought to be the best WR and RB in the draft. Jones didn't disappoint in his rookie campaign, rushing for 1,138 yards. He was the top rusher of the second half of the season with 908 yards.

Injuries plagued his career in Detroit. In 2006, he suffered a high ankle sprain resulting in Lisfranc surgery. After a grueling rehab, Jones competed with another RB Tatum Bell; Jones was clearly the superior of the two. His 2007 season ended with another foot injury and the Lions released him in April of 2008, figuring that Bell was the better of the two (Bell was cut midway in the 2008 season).

Jones signed on with the Chicago Bears and was expected to play behind RB Matt Forte. His 2009 campaign ended in the preseason after another ankle injury, this time to his left ankle and it was on a hit after he ran out of bounds. The Bears released him after signing RB Chester Taylor to run behind Forte.

2005: In what counts for a "What the hell were you thinking?" kind of move, Matt Millen selected WR Mike Williams out of USC at No. 10. Williams could be considered the worst pick of all the Millen picks. It seemed like all Williams wanted was the money. Williams was chronically late for meetings; overweight and out of shape, Williams should have never been taken so high in the draft.

Williams had opted to enter the NFL after playing two years at USC. The federal court had recently ruled in favor of another college player, Maurice Clarett that would have allowed him to enter the NFL Draft early, but a federal appeals judge reversed the Clarett decision. Williams had already declared for the Draft, hired an agent, and submitted paperwork to be draft-eligible. He was declared ineligible to play NCAA Football in 2004.

The year he was out of football, Williams apparently fell out of shape and his skills regressed. His rookie campaign in Detroit netted him only one TD catch. His sophomore campaign was much worse. He played in only eight games, and was inactive the first two. Williams only made 8 catches for 99 yards, and one TD, a game-winning score against the Cowboys.

Williams was subsequently traded to the Oakland Raiders along with QB Josh McCown for a 4th Round pick. Coach Lane Kiffin cut Williams half way into the season, and Williams later signed with the Tennessee Titans. It was reported that Williams weighed in at 271 pounds, a little higher than what WRs should weigh (which is about 230). He was cut the following year and among the reasons he hasn't gotten another shot in the NFL is due to his poor work ethic.

Reliving, Part III: 1996 - 2000

2010-03-28T20:36:00.003-04:00

A lot of times, great starts lead to dismal finishes. The Lions started strong in at least four seasons over the last ten years, and somehow managed to blow it. In 1999, an 8-4 start ended with an 8-8 record, and getting bounced out of the playoffs by Washington. In 2000, same record ended in 9-7, and no playoffs. 2004 - 4-2 ended up being 6-10. 2007 - 6-2 ended up being 7-9. 2008 - 4-0 in the preseason and 0-16 in the regular.

1996: The Lions had two picks, at 17 and 23. Detroit took Linebacker Reggie Brown from Texas A&M at No. 17. In the wake of losing Chris Spielman, the Lions selected Brown who was a stud LB. The guy had all the gifts, but in the final game of his second season, Brown went to make a tackle on New York Jets' Running back Adrian Murrell and in the process, caused a spinal contusion as a result of getting his head pushed into his body. As he lay on the field motionless for seventeen minutes, both Lions and Jets players huddled together in prayer for Brown. The game was the same day Lions managed to make the playoffs, and Barry Sanders hit the 2,000-yard mark.

At No. 23, the Lions made another excellent pick, Jeff Hartings, an Offensive Guard out of Penn State. Hartings only played for five seasons in Detroit before eventually moving on to bigger success with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Hartings was selected for the Pro Bowl twice and a one-time All-Pro selection. He retired in 2006, one year after winning his first Super Bowl with the 2005 Steelers.

1997: In order to address a depleted secondary, the Lions drafted Cornerback Bryant Westbrook (not to be confused with the more well-known Brian Westbrook) out of Texas with the No. 5 overall pick. Westbrook had an up-and-down career with Detroit, one of those "could-have-beens." His first year, he was named to the USA Today All-Rookie team after leading the Lions in pass defenses with twenty. Due to his partying and social habits, Westbrook fell into mediocrity the next two years, but in 2000, he managed to put it all together. After having made fifty two tackles, Westbrook suffered a devastating Achilles heel injury, and missed the rest of the season. He left the team in 2001 and in 2002, he returned to Pro Bowl form with the Green Bay Packers. A second Achilles' injury forced him to retire in 2003.

1998: With the No. 20 pick, the Lions took Tennessee CB Terry Fair. Fair, like Westbrook, had a short career with Detroit. He apparently has not been remembered fondly by Lions' writers, and an underwhelming career cut his time with Detroit short after an injury prior to the 2002 season.

1999: As luck would have it, the Lions again had two first round picks. With the No. 9 pick, Detroit first selected Chris Claiborne, LB out of USC. Apparently USC and the Lions don't mix (note Mike Williams, Shaun Cody). In college, Claiborne was an All-American, and won the Glenn Davis Award in 1995 and the Dick Butkus Award in 1998. Considered by some to be one of the best defensive players out of USC ever, Claiborne never lived up to the expectations of a No. 9 pick. He was serviceable, but he gained weight, his production decreased, and he left the Lions in 2003. You can't go as far as to say he was a total bust, but he didn't live up to the hype, either.

Before talk about the next pick, let me preface with this. There are two areas Lions fans have always "had concerns" over. First is the Quarterback. And if QB is the first, the Offensive Line is a close, close second. All through Barry Sanders' time with Detroit, that's all you ever heard. Especially after games where Sanders would carry the ball fifteen times and get only thirty yards.

When Lions fans complained about Matt Millen using three consecutive 1st Round picks on Wide Receivers, all the consensus was that you have to build teams from the inside. The O-Line, the D-Line, and then work your way back. Well friends, truth be told, they tried that. Remember taking three consecutive WRs? They took three consecutive Offensive Tackles, and you know what ? It got them nowhere.

Starting with the No. 27, Aaron Gibson, a Right Tackle out of Wisconsin. Gibson had a remarkable 5.35 second 40-yard dash in the combine, and was a massive figure, standing at 6'6" and weighing 375 pounds. Pretty fast for a fat guy. But Gibson never played his first season due to injury, and only ten games his second year. After six games in 2001, Gibson was cut. He eventually played for other teams like the Dallas Cowboys. Gibson has an historical first in the NFL: he is the first ever 400-pound player in the league.

2000: At No. 20, the Lions picked Left Tackle Stockar McDougle out of Oklahoma. McDougle was more NFL-ready than Gibson, but the Lions weren't aware of injuries he had that would have probably made them consider taking another player that year. McDougle managed to play five years with the Lions, before leaving after 2004.

As one can see, the draft from Brown to McDougle got progressively worse for the Lions. While I'm no defender of Matt Millen's regime in Detroit, I am a believer that his first year when Detroit when 2-14 is due more to previous front office decisions than his, despite that he hired Marty Mornhinweg as the Head Coach. The subsequent failures afterward are on him.

Reliving, Part II: 1991 - 1995.

2010-03-22T23:06:00.004-04:00

You might say that these 1st Round picks were their best crop of players taken in a five-year span.

1991: With the 10^th pick the draft, the Lions selected Wide Receiver Herman Moore out of Virginia. At the height of his career, Moore was an elite receiver, in the company of other receivers like Jerry Rice, Michael Irvin, and Tim Brown. A four-time Pro Bowl Selection, Moore was also a three-time All-Pro First Team selection between 1995 and 1997, and an All-Pro Second Team selection in 1994. Moore, along with WRs Brett Perriman and Johnnie Morton, was considered the best 3-WR tandem in the NFL until the Minnesota Vikings drafted Randy Moss (they already had Chris Carter and Jake Reed). Moore led the NFL in receptions in 1995 en route to the Lions having the No.1 offense that year (that included of course, Barry Sanders at Running Back).

1992: The Lions were No. 28 in the draft order that year, an unusually late draft pick for the Lions because they went 12-4 the prior year and came within one game of the Super Bowl. With that pick, the Lions took Defensive End Robert Porcher out of South Carolina State. Porcher was a stud DE, a three-time Pro Bowler and three-time All Pro selection in 1997, 1999, and 2001. He easily could be considered the best defensive lineman, if not the best defensive player the Lions picked in the past twenty five years.

1993: The Lions decided to go with defense again, as they picked Linebacker Pat Swilling out of the New Orleans Saints. Okay, so he wasn’t exactly a draft pick. He was only the worst trade the team had made all that decade. The Lions had the seventh pick in the draft, and they traded away a 1^st rounder to New Orleans for a guy who was clearly on the downside of his career. On top of that, Swilling publicly vented that “Pat Swilling don’t do pass coverage!” No one would question that in his time, Swilling was one of the finest LBs to play the game. In fact he played quite well in the 1993 season, helping the Lions win their last NFC Central championship. But in 1994, his production fell off and he left to play for the Oakland Raiders in 1995.

Adding insult to injury, the Saints drafted Lincoln Kennedy, one of the best offensive linemen of the 1990s, a position the Lions have struggled with to this day.

1994: Picking at No.21, the Lions selected WR Johnnie Morton out of USC. One could say that Morton was an odd pick; he was selected to be the Lions’ No.3 receiver. While Morton proved valuable in his role and just as valuable as a No.2 receiver when Brett Perriman left in 1997, Morton never got picked up for the Pro Bowl. Nonetheless, he was still a productive receiver, catching for over 1,000 receiving yards in four seasons.

1995: At No.20, the Lions selected Defensive Tackle Luther Elliss out of Utah. I met Luther Elliss the year following his rookie season, so I had high hopes for this guy. Elliss did not disappoint. While not having an outstanding rookie campaign, Elliss progressed rather well in his position, eventually earning two Pro Bowl selections in 1999 and 2000. He had no sacks in 1995, but had 6.5 in 1996 and his personal best of 8.5 sacks one year later. His career was cut short due to injuries, but he still remained a solid player in a team that would transition from slightly above mediocre to NFL irrelevancy.

Joe Schwarz’s Year of Living Dangerously

2010-03-22T14:16:00.000-04:00

Joe Schwarz’s Year of Living Dangerously

Susan J. Demas wrote this fantastic article about Dr. Joe Schwarz, a possible candidate for Governor of Michigan. Read it.

Reliving, Part I: 1986 - 1990

2010-03-20T23:21:00.004-04:00

1986: The Lions had two first round picks.

With the sixth overall pick, the Lions selected Left Tackle Lomas Brown out of Florida. Dubbed, the "Great Wall of Florida," Brown was the best LT the Lions picked in the last quarter century. He spent seven years blocking for the Lions' all-time greatest Running Back, Barry Sanders. Brown went to the Pro Bowl seven times in his career. He was one of the bright spots in an otherwise mediocre offensive line that Lions fans have complained about for years, second only to the man who always lines up behind center. His time in Detroit ended after an up-and-down 1995 campaign that saw the Lions finish the season with seven straight victories, a 10-6 record, and a guaranteed playoff victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on the road in the NFC Wild Card. What resulted, was a 58-37 humiliation for all of us. He ended up winning a Super Bowl at the very end of his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, albeit as a backup.

The second pick the Lions selected was Quarterback Chuck Long out of Iowa, taken 12th overall. Among the four quarterbacks taken in the first round between 1986 and 2009, Long was quite simply the least productive. In four years with Detroit, Long completed 330 passes off of 602 attempts, with 19 touchdowns to 28 interceptions, and a QB rating that was never higher than 55.8. He left the Lions after the 1990 season when Andre Ware and Rodney Peete were drafted, spent one season in futility with the Los Angeles Rams, and then came back to be the fourth-string QB with Detroit again, never throwing a pass in any game.

1987: At No. 7, the Lions selected DT Reggie Rogers out of the University of Washington. Rogers, by far, was the worst pick of all the 1st-rounders in the last 25 years. Extremely talented, blessed with natural physical ability, Rogers lacked the mental makeup needed to put all that talent to good work. Things came very easy to him, which is why didn't give a 100% commitment to the team. He played in only six games in 1987, due to a series of emotional problems.

In 1988, his car fatally struck another car carrying three teenagers in Pontiac, MI early one morning. It was later revealed he had a blood-alcohol content of .15. He was subsequently released by the Lions later that year, which would be the mother of all ironies, funny-if-it-weren't-true, because he broke his neck. In 1990, he was convicted of vehicular homicide and spent only sixteen months in jail. Talk about getting off easy, he later came back to the NFL in 1991 and spent two seasons with two teams, Buffalo and Tampa Bay respectively. His off-the-field habits continued to haunt him as years later he was again arrested for another DUI resulting from another hit-and-run in his hometown Tukwila, Washington, making that his fifth in the state, going all the way back to his days at the University of Washington.

1988: In 1988, the Lions selected Safety Bennie Blades with the No.3 pick. Blades had an outstanding career at the University of Miami, where he set a new NCAA single-season record for interceptions, culminating in Miami winning the National Championship in 1987. His record was later tied by another Hurricane Safety, Sean Hunter. Blades' success continued into the NFL as he was a key player in the Lions' 1991 Cinderella season, in which the Lions made it all the way to the NFC Title game, and was selected to the Pro Bowl. He was known for being one of the hardest hitting safeties, in company with the likes of Denver Broncos' Steve Atwater. Blades spent nine years with the Lions before being released by Detroit in 1996. He spent one year with the Seattle Seahawks in 1997, playing with his brother Michael Blades, a Wide Receiver, before retiring.

1989: Again, with the No. 3 pick overall, the Lions selected Oklahoma State Running Back Barry Sanders, the winner of the 1988 Heisman Trophy Award. Sanders is by far, the most well-known Lion, and some have argued that he is the greatest RB of all-time. In ten years, Sanders made the Pro Bowl ten times. He won the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award in 1989. He shared the NFL MVP award with Green Bay Packers QB Brett Favre in 1997 after running for 2,053 yards. He led the league in rushing four times in his career. He ran for 15,269 yards and scored 99 rushing TDs.

In 1999, Sanders abruptly retired on the eve of training camp. He left a press release, faxed to a Wichita, Kansas newspaper (his hometown) that he was announcing his retirement, and left on a plane bound for London. Without warning, the Lions were left to fill a void that they have been searching to replace ever since. He was within striking distance of breaking Hall-of-Famer Walter Payton's all-time career rushing mark. Instead, he walked away, inciting controversy which still lingers on today. Sanders was nonetheless voted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2004.

Sanders was known for his humility almost as much as his athleticism. He endeared himself to fans at the end of his rookie season, when only just ten yards shy of leading the league in rushing, he refused to go back into the game at the insistence of Head Coach Wayne Fontes.

1990: Well, if one Heisman winner wasn't enough, why not try and make it two-in-a-row? That's what the Lions did when they picked QB Andre Ware out of Houston with the seventh pick overall. Ware set twenty six NCAA passing records and was supposed to be the QB the Lions would use to run their Run-and-Shoot Offense, the same system he ran at the University of Houston.

Unfortunately for Ware and the Lions, college success didn't translate into NFL success. A mix of bad decisions on his part, poor planning and executing on Lions' front office part, and finally just bad timing to join the Lions doomed his career. Ware originally held out of training camp over contract issues. Once signed, Ware had too much to catch up on in training camp, and lost the starting job to Rodney Peete. Ware played backup behind Peete and Bob Gagliano, only starting one game and compiling a lukewarm statistical record of 13-of-30 passing, with one TD and two interceptions.

In 1991, the Lions had gone 12-4, winning its first playoff victory since 1957, and losing to the Washington Redskins in the NFC Title game. Coach Fontes had Rodney Peete start the season, but a season-ending injury forced Fontes to turn to another QB, Erik Kramer over Ware. Kramer led the team and created a nice QB carousel that lasted until the end of the 1993 season.

Ware was lost in the shuffle. Aside from his holdout, he had difficulty making simple pass patterns and was a better option QB. He couldn't throw a screen pass, and his short passes were thrown with the same velocity his 50-yard bombs were launched. The man definitely had an arm, but he never learned to control it.

Fontes did not believe Ware could run the offense, but allowed Ware the opportunity to show his stuff in 1992. He went 2-1 as a starter as the season was already lost for the Lions, who finished that year with a 5-11 record. The following year, he replaced Peete and went 1-1, until again being benched by Fontes. When Peete was benched a second time, Fontes opted for Kramer, who led the Lions again to a division title and a playoff birth. Ware was correct in pointing out that Fontes messed up his development. He still went 3-3 as a starter. But the confusion from the head coach doomed his chances, not that he didn't hurt himself. At one point, Fontes told the media he was starting Andre, but that "Rodney was my guy."

Ware was let go by Detroit and signed on first with the Minnesota Vikings in 1994, the Jacksonville Jaguars win 1995, and once more with the Oakland Raiders in 1999. In between that time, he spent two years in the Canadian Football League with the Toronto Argonauts trying again to restart his career, but was forced to play behind the CFL legend Doug Flutie, who led the Argos to a Grey Cup in 1997.

Reliving the NFL Draft With the Lions

2010-03-20T23:14:00.003-04:00

Now with the Super Bowl over, another NFL season has come and gone. If you’re a Lions fan such as myself, you know this only means one thing: the Lions are now on the clock.

The excessive losses have taken their toll on many a football fans in Detroit. The Lions have missed the playoffs now for ten straight years. They haven’t had a winning season since 2001, but they were 9-7 and missed the playoffs on an account of a kick return by Chicago Bears KR R. W. McQuarters at the Silverdome in December 2000.

Had that game gone the other way, Detroit would have made the playoffs at 10-6, and many of the seasons in the previous decade, we would have probably been sent packing in the Wild Card Round. Instead, Lions’ owner and Chairman William Clay Ford Sr. cleaned house and hired Matt Millen at the urging of his son, Bill Jr. What took place was the worst-run franchise in football for all of the 2000s, culminating in the first ever 0-16 season in 2008. Matt Millen was fired after Week 3 and replaced by then-Chief Operations Officer Tom Lewand and then-Assistant General Manager Martin Mayhew. While Lewand inherited Millen’s role as President and Mayhew promoted to GM, the remaining thirteen games of the 2008 seasons were dubiously credited to Millen’s honor.

In that time, the Lions under Lewand and Mayhew have re-engineered the entire organization from top to bottom. Head Coach Rod Marinelli was dismissed the day after the season ended and was replaced by Jim Schwartz. Schwartz was given his first head coaching job after years as a Defensive Coordinator with the Tennessee Titans.

The Lions made swift personnel changes, signing free agent Linebacker Larry Foote (a hometown hero who played for Michigan), and trading overpaid DT Cory Redding to Seattle for Linebacker Julian Peterson, another hometown hero who played for Michigan State. They also let go of key personnel who didn’t live up to promise, such as Cornerbacks Leigh Bodden, Travis Fisher, and Brian Kelly, Free Safety Dwight Howard, and Right Tackle George Foster.

Of course, the biggest steal the Lions grabbed was a trade that sent their most productive Wide Receiver, Roy Williams to the Dallas Cowboys for a first-round pick and a third-round pick. The Lions, after obtaining the No.1 pick in the draft, selected Matthew Stafford, Quarterback out of Georgia, and then took Tight End Brandon Pettigrew with the No.20 pick they received from Dallas in the Roy Williams trade.

Time will tell whether or not Stafford and Pettigrew will pan out, or whether or not other picks such as Louis Delmas, Deandre Levy, Derrick Williams, and Aaron Brown will turn around. At one point in the 2009 season, it had been reported that if the draft had been done over again, four of the Lions’ draft picks (Stafford, Pettigrew, Delmas, and Levy) all would have gone in the first round.

But what time has told us already is how well past draft picks have done for the organization. These next few articles will feature 25 years of draft futility and utility; how well Lions’ first round draft picks have faired in the last quarter century.

The Dean of TV Critics

2010-01-29T03:08:00.003-05:00

I suppose in order to be the "Dean of TV Critics" you need to watch a lot of TV. After looking at Tom Shales, I'm beginning to think it's a dubious honor at best.

Essay: Truth in Advertising - 1.26.10

2010-01-26T13:50:00.002-05:00

Essay: Truth in Advertising - 1.26.10

Posted using ShareThis

Sidenote: I saw this on Jack Lessenberry's blog. If the GOP wants to stay a permanent minority, this should help.

Joe Schwarz Mulling Another Run? (Please, God, Yes!)

2010-01-26T13:39:00.002-05:00

Tim Skubick, Dean of the Lansing press corps, or "our Helen Thomas" if you'd prefer, blogged that Dr. Joe Schwarz is considering running for governor of Michigan, again. This time though, he might be considering running as an independent.

"The climate for an independent is about as good as it's ever going to be," Schwarz told Skubick. But money is going to be the key for any successful independent run.

He's got my vote already.

Auto Show-and-Tell P.2

2010-01-24T22:12:00.008-05:00

The most troubling part about being at the Auto Show is whenever you want to take a nice picture of something, some idiot always has to walk in the picture or hop in the car.

BMW, for example, is my favorite brand of automobile. Considering I live in Michigan, that's taking a small risk. This is the state that's home to the Big Three. The loyalties toward "American made" (if that means anything anymore), is so intense, my sister was compelled to get a Ford Escape after driving Hondas for years, simply because she didn't want people eyeballing her Passport.

But because morons kept getting in the shots of all my pictures, my BMW photos turned out quite disappointing. Except for this motorcycle. It's a sleek-looking bike, that's for sure. But if you ask me, it looks like BMW just stole the bat-cycle as the Caped Crusader was investigating a mystery in Gotham and all they did was slap on white fairings and a BMW logo.

Of course, what is going to the BMW display without at least hopping in a convertible?

Yes, that's me. And no, I'm not adjusting myself. That's what I'd look like sitting upright and proper were I actually to drive that vehicle. There was no point in Sean sitting in the seat since he's two inches taller. Apparently, the Beamer-people have it in for us taller folk.

I admit, I'm not much of a car enthusiast. I do prefer trucks. But what kind of truck-owner would I be if I didn't at least check out the latest model of GMC's Sierra? This truck here is the hybrid version. I drive a black Sierra with an extended cab, and style-side box. It's seen better days. So has GM. If my truck were brand new, this is apparently what it would look like.

And these are just shots of the interior.

We noticed the interior was a bit dusty. We expected the panels to be covered in fingerprints with all the attendees getting in and out of it, but couldn't they at least run a rag through it once a week or so?

Sean and I also happened to notice there was a wide empty space behind us. We could tell the fact that Lamborghini and a few others that didn't make the show would have obviously made for additional space. It would've been quite apropos to place some sort of banner acknowledging the contribution of former Detroit city leaders. "This empty lot is brought to you by Monica Conyers."

Lucky for Detroit, the Auto Show will remain there, as well as in Michigan. Detroit was given an easy out when they were offered the chance to acquiese Cobo Hall over to a regional authority of Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb Counties. Some, namely Mrs. Conyers, and a couple of others, wouldn't have it that way. Their feet dragging may have ended up in Michigan losing the auto show altogether and pitting the city against Oakland County when Brooks Patterson began wooing the directors to bring the show to Rock Financial Showplace in Novi.

I think I'm going to make it an annual tradition to go to the auto show.

Auto Show-and-Tell P.1

2010-01-24T00:26:00.009-05:00

Last night I went to Cobo Arena in downtown Detroit to see the North American International Auto Show - NAIAS as the media in town refers to it. It was nice to know that it wouldn't be leaving despite the efforts of some former Detroit City Council members, including one convicted criminal named Monica Conyers.

I got there with a friend, Sean, last night around 6:00 pm. My first thought was that the entire set up way too resembled last year's show. Major automakers such as Ford, its subsidiaries, Honda, Volkswagen, Mercedes, BMW, and GM were all in the same positions they were last year, with the same set designs. Well, Ford and Volkswagen were definitely for sure. Both had sets that would stick in your head if you had seen them the year before.

My personal favorite was the Range Rover.

Its exterior hasn't changed much since it was first introduced to the US market, but I can appreciate the interior quality - the ergonomic design of the dash and the controls.

The best of show was probably the Maserati. Sean and I went back and forth with one gentleman who thought its price range was $200-250,000, whereas we thought it was $125-175,000.

I hate the fact that I didn't take a shot of the passenger side of the vehicle - the part where the door was closed so you could see what it looks like in full profile.

We also came across some odd duck style of displays. This first one makes me question the wisdom of the architect who thought, "I know, let's just nail a car to the wall and how it goes."

This next one says: "Jim was just a happy-go-lucky guy, unaware of the impending danger that lurked 12 feet above."

But I digress, going to the auto show is always fun. I was disappointed Jaguar and Lamborghini weren't there.

After the show, Sean and I went to a bar, whose name escapes me to meet up with friends of his. His friend's friend apparently has a popular blog, Sweet Juniper! Apparently, the author, Jim (not me), is quite popular among mommy bloggers. He's a lawyer who makes his income off his site (while his wife is also an attorney). He said he'd link up. And after seeing what's going on at EMUtalk, I might buy ad space there and just start turning this blog into one that gets traffic.

But then I'd probably miss having a blog that's a dirt road on the information superhighway.

More Random, Disjointed and Disorganized Thoughts on the Lions and Other Things in 2009

2010-01-10T03:29:00.002-05:00

So, the season ended for the Detroit Lions the same way every other season has since 2000. No playoffs. Detroit has achieved multiple dubious honors, including the first team to go winless in the 16-game season, and having the worst overall record of any team in the 2000s. Congratulations on going 42-118 this decade. To compare, the Detroit Tigers went 43-119 in 2003. For a Lions fan, it was like reliving the Tigers' 2003 campaign over and over again for the whole ten years.

The highlights? Two victories. Two more than last year. Rookie QB Matt Stafford made the NFL highlight reel with a stunning victory over the Cleveland Browns, which by the way, was the final victory for Detroit in the decade.

Now we got the No. 2 pick in April. We slid down a spot! Hopefully, the Lions will do two things: take Ndamakong Suh if available, and then a CB in the 2nd round, and sign Reggie Bush to tandem with Kevin Smith in the backfield. Next year, we may look at 6-10. Hooray.

As for the rest of the state - it's hard to love Michigan these days. I love it, but I'm pretty much set on the fact that this state has already bit it.

I went back to school in the fall to get a certification in HR. Only one class needed now, but it'll cost me $1,084 out of pocket at EMU.

But why bother with education? It's not going to do anything for this state. Every analyst says the state's key to a turnaround is education, yet no one has any backup plan if we have all these college grads and no jobs to go to.

Last Tuesday, Lt. Gov John Cherry bowed out of the race for Governor. He knew he wouldn't win, and thought "why bother?" It's still ripe for a Republican takeover in the Governor's mansion and all other statewide offices.

Why couldn't Debbie Stabenow be running this year?

None of the GOP candidates seem to show much promise. Attorney General Mike Cox mishandled the investigation of Kwame Kilpatrick, Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard speaks in conservative boiler plate spin, and no one knows who Rick Snyder (the Ann Arbor businessmen and outsider). Oh, and Pete Hoekstra? Forget it. It's between Cox and Bouchard at this point.

I might vote Green again. Then again, if it's the same Palestine-friendly guy from 2006, then I'll just sit the whole thing out.

Happy New Year.

On Tap: Lions at Packers

2009-10-18T05:23:00.004-04:00

Well, one final game before the Lions head into a Bye Week. And then the winning begins! So far, I'm 5-0 on the season in terms of predictions. Hooray. Now, onto the game.

The Detroit Lions haven't won in Green Bay since 1991 - the year they won the NFC Central, won their first playoff game since 1957, and went to the NFC Title game (which actually was in January of 1992, but for some odd reason, NFL talking heads always refer to that season as though the playoffs occurred in 1991). They won't snap the streak today.

Aaron Rodgers, Quarterback for the Packers, is good. Really, really good. The rest of the team can't seem to come around to his level of play, which is why they're 2-2. They just managed to talk Mark Tauscher out of retirement to fill a big, nasty void at Right Tackle. (I know positions aren't proper nouns, but it's a habit I've gotten into for reasons I can't explain)

I think the Lions are starting to turn a corner, by the way. Sammie Hill is getting a lot of valuable experience at Defensive Tackle. Gunther Cunningham, Defensive Coordinator, has been quick to praise him in the media. If he is the real deal, the Lions may have made quite the steal with their 4th round draft pick. If they're confident that he is going to be a stud DT, then maybe they should consider taking a DB with their 1st round pick next year, providing they switch to a 3-4 defense.

I'm not sure what the situation is with the carousel at Cornerback. Now that Eric King has been lost for the season, Detroit seems to be constantly switching it up. Philip Buchanon who was benched in Week 3 is apparently playing again.

The real interesting thing to watch with the defense is if they will end up converting to a 3-4 defense with the way the Linebackers are all playing. Ernie Sims, Julian Peterson, Larry Foote, and rookie DeAndre Levy have all demonstrated play-making capabilities, but they all can't be on the field at the same time in a 4-3 scheme that is currently being employed. Since you can't switch schemes in the middle of the season, we may see the Lions embracing the defense next year and forgoing selecting a DT with their 1st round pick in April.

I predict the Lions will be picking in the top 10 again next year, and maybe in the top 5, given how bad so many teams are at this point. My guess is they'll fall somewhere between 4 and 8 come April.

=========================================

On to the game - getting back to Rodgers, all he'll need to do today is throw the ball. Realistically, the Lions aren't playing with QB Matt Stafford, nor WR Calvin Johnson. In other words, they're toast.

Daunte Culpepper is losing stock at this point. He was awful last week against Pittsburgh. The interception in the late 3rd quarter was not the kind of play you expect from a guy who's been in the NFL for 10 years. It may just be rust from not playing in five weeks.

Nonetheless, Green Bay has it in the bag.

Detroit 17
Green Bay 34

Back in a couple of weeks unless I decide to post a comment about something other than the Lions. Because I hate Jon & Kate. And I hate the "Balloon Boy."

On Tap: Pittsburgh at Detroit

2009-10-11T00:33:00.002-04:00

Apparently, it's been brought to my attention that the Steelers' fans have purchased a bunch of tickets and that's why today's game at Ford Field isn't blacked out. So I expect to see a lot of terrible towels at the game today. At least I get to watch it on TV.

I don't want to even get into predicting the score of the outcome. It's last year's Super Bowl champions vs. last year's 0-16 Lions. Steelers will win.

Prediction:

Steelers: More points
Lions: Less

--------------------------------------------------------------

I can't believe how many teams at this point haven't won a game. The Lions have a better record than six other teams, all of whom have yet to win a game this year. Carolina, Tampa Bay, St. Louis, Cleveland, Kansas City, and Tennessee all haven't won any games. Carolina is 0-3, the rest are 0-4.

I don't know how the draft would fair out if the season ended today for the non-playoff teams. I'm guessing they would fall to the No. 11 spot in the first round. But this is why we play the game.

On Tap: Detroit at Chicago

2009-10-04T04:31:00.003-04:00

Even though the Lions won last week, and even though a huge cloud has been collectively lifted over every Lions fan, and even though I'm 3-0 with my predictions, I am only now posting another blog entry. This is what happens when school, work, and life happen altogether at once.

Anyway, on to Chicago. The Lions are playing at Soldier Field. Their last road victory came there...in 2007.

Conventional wisdom says it's usually two steps forward and one step back. Then again, I've always believed conventional wisdom isn't. I do believe the Lions will lose again today. So many factors - Chicago's QB Jay Cutler is hitting his stride, Detroit's Matt Stafford hasn't played outdoors in the pros (except in college and the preseason), and Detroit still being a subpar all lead me to believe it's going to be a bad day for the Lions.

My brother-in-law mocked me for calling the game for Chicago, only because it wouldn't take much of a leap of faith to predict the outcome. True, but the size of the outcome might be more of a stretch. Chicago RB Matt Forte is averaging 2.5 yards per carry, but today he's due for a breakout game.

This one's in the bank for Chicago.

Detroit 24
Chicago 41.

On Tap: Washington at Detroit

2009-09-27T07:24:00.002-04:00

Earlier, I predicted on my facebook account status message that Washington would hang in and beat Detroit by a slight margin, 20-17. After reading all the press clips about Washington, it's apparent the team is either in a state of or on the verge of disarray. Jim Zorn, the head coach and former Lions QB coach for Scott Mitchell and Charlie Batch ca. late '90s, is on the hot seat. QB Jason Campbell is under a lot of pressure to win. Redskins' owner Daniel Snyder is as impulsive an owner as Brett Favre is a football player.

If Detroit pulls one out today, Washington may never recover. Oh, and last week, they beat the St. Louis Rams 9-7.

Oh what the hell. Detroit ends it losing streak today!

Washington 17
Detroit 21

Well, When You Give Up 27 Unanswered Points...

2009-09-20T15:53:00.003-04:00

They showed some promise. Matthew Stafford threw his first touchdown pass ever to Calvin Johnson. The Lions were leading 10-0. Then the game happened, and Detroit had no answers.

Nobody had an answer for Adrian Peterson. Or Brett Favre. And when a team scores 27 without any response, the game is lost.

Is there anything to take away from today's game? What, that the margin of defeat was four points fewer today? Sure, except the offense only put up less than half of what they scored last week.

Stafford is still making errant throws. His career TD/INT ratio stands at 1/5. At least he got the ball to TE Brandon Pettigrew today.

Alas, this one's more deflating than last week. It probably has something to do with the season being underway.

Ubiquitously Yours, Jai-Lee Dearing

2009-09-18T19:06:00.003-04:00

Jai-Lee Dearing has mastered the trick all magicians before him have failed: to be in two places at once.

Apparently while being interviewed on WCHB 1200 AM radio, Dearing was also involved in an online discussion with the Detroit Free Press' Stephen Henderson and fielding questions from freep readers. At least that's what he wanted people to believe.

The interview ran over longer than Dearing had anticipated, and his campaign manager, Mike Carroll, was actually the one fielding questions online. Carroll said that his answers were consistent with the candidate's, noting “Jai-Lee and I are of one mind. They’re his answers,” but now acknowledges he should have signed in under his own name.

I wonder if the new city charter will allow Carroll to sit in and vote on matters if Dearing can't make it to council.

On Tap: Vikings at Lions

2009-09-18T18:46:00.002-04:00

Brett Favre returns to Detroit, this time as a Minnesota Viking. Favre is 23-9 against the Lions.

Say what you want about Favre, I was a supporter of his last year. The Green Bay Packers forced him into a making a decision he wasn't ready to make. Because he chose to retire, Green Bay drafted two quarterbacks in 2008 to back up Aaron Rodgers. Favre suddenly decided he wanted to play again right before training camp. The Packers were committed to Rogers and the media hounded Favre for being selfish (which he partly was).

Once he landed in New York, things started off promising. The Jets were at one point 8-3, and had a realistic shot of clinching the AFC East Title. A 1-4 collapse down the stretch cost Head Coach Eric Mangini his job and Favre opted to leave football once more. During the season, Mangini had called out Favre in the locker room in front of other players which caused a rift that the Jets never recovered from.

After months of speculation, hemming, and hawing, Favre decided to return to football, this time with the Minnesota Vikings. While there were initial concerns about his own health, especially in his biceps, he was apparently well enough to forge ahead and return to the NFC North. His signing instantly put the Vikings at the top of the division.

Even though I got tired of Favre at this point, Minnesota apparently didn't. Favre got a chance last week to light up his former coach, Mangini, which I'm sure he did with glee.

===============================

As for Sunday, this game is going to the Vikings. Much like last week, I believe the Lions will make a serious attempt at making it a game. But the Vikings, who aren't as good as the Saints, will still be a couple of steps ahead of the Lions.

End result:

Minnesota 38
Detroit 24

Welcome to Detroit, Matt Stafford

Lions 27, Saints 45

2009-09-13T20:40:00.003-04:00

I just watched the rest of the game and left the house when it was all over. For a moment it looked as though the Lions were going to keep it close. They were down 38-27 in the third. But the Saints piled it on, and Head Coach Jim Schwartz wasn't happy with today's performance.

I started listening to 97.1 after the game to hear some fan reactions. It was mostly negative. One caller in particular said the "Matthew Stafford bust era has begun." Apparently, he annoyed the host so much that they got into a pissing match over the radio and made both themselves look like fools. I say anytime you get the talk show host fuming like that, it always looks worse on him than the caller.

So what do we take from this game? How about the negative first.

As typical of last season, they were blown out.
Drew Brees threw six touchdowns, tying a club record. He also threw over 300 yards.
The defense gave up 260 yards in the first half alone.
Matt Stafford threw three interceptions, and was 16-for-37 passing with 207 yards.
Eric King gave up three touchdowns covering three different receivers.
Brandon Pettigrew was non-existent.
Plain and simple: they lost. Expect more of this throughout the remainder of the season.

And what the hell was with New Orleans still running the ball when the game's outcome was decided? How about a kneel-down? Detroit wasn't coming back. I didn't see how many timeouts Detroit had left, but I know it wasn't three, since Schwartz challenged a call that Reggie Bush hadn't fumbled and lost.

Is there something positive to take from the game? I'll try.

27 - the points the Lions put up. That is more their highest score in all of 2008 (they scored 25 at least twice).
1 - interception by Anthony Henry. He has tied the team total for interceptions from 2008.
1 - blown call by the referees, taking away a Calvin Johnson TD. Not that it mattered, Stafford ended running the ball in. It just hurt my brother-in-law's Fantasy Football score.
4 - quarters the Lions were in before collapsing. Last year, it was over in the first and second quarters.
Dennis Northcutt's punt return that set up a Kevin Smith TD.

I don't deny for one second I'm scraping from the bottom of the barrel. And Jim Schwartz was right to be angry at this team. They set out goals and none were accomplished. Oh, and where was all the blitzing we were promised from Defensive Coordinator Gunther Cunningham?

If I don't see the Vikings next week, it will be because the game was blacked out. I may be doing myself a favor. Brett Favre is back to torment Detroit twice.

Just like old times.

Sidenote: apparently I orginally posted that Philip Buchanon was injured in the game. He wasn't; he had been scratched from the lineup prior to opening kickoff.

Halftime

2009-09-13T14:45:00.002-04:00

This looks bad. But, it looks as expected. The score: Detroit 10, New Orleans 28. Here we go.

Failure to capitalize of Anthony Henry's (29) interception gave the Saints another opportunity to score, which they did. Another TD strike from Drew Brees to Tight End Jeremy Shockey made the score what it is now.
The Lions get the ball again and fail to convert. Matthew Stafford (9) throws his first career interception.
With less than a minute to go, the Saints MOVE the ball downfield. They come close to another TD but are stopped by great pass coverage from the secondary. Jon Carney's field goal attempt is BLOCKED. Great play, but would've been much more helpful had there still been time to put together a drive.
There is no excuse for giving up 28 points in one half. Game is a lost cause in terms of victory. I still think the Lions will make a game of it and score some more points before it's over.

In other news, New York Jets rookie QB Matt Sanchez threw his first career TD to Chansi Stuckey (spelling?). Matt Cassel is inactive for Kansas City. Didn't know Favre would be facing his old head coach today, Eric Mangini.

Let the third quarter begin.

Late To Game, Late To Blog

2009-09-13T14:05:00.003-04:00

Was listening on the radio and heard the Saints were already up 14-0. Ugh. Brees has been picking on Lions CB Eric King (29). Heard Philip Buchanon went down. Ow.

Some other thoughts:

Nice punt return by Dennis Northcutt (86) setting up touchdown drive. Stafford does a FB-fake, pitches it to Kevin Smith (34) for the Lions' first TD. Detroit: 10, New Orleans: 14.
Anthony Henry's (32) interception comes off of a Drew Brees' flea flicker bomb. Henry had just tied the Lions' interception total for all of 2008.
We fail to capitalize off Henry's interception. Saints move the ball inside the Lions' 10. Defense hasn't been aggressive like Defensive Coordinator Gunther Cunningham promised. Need to blitz! Quick pass to Reggie Bush moves Saints closer to TD. Lions stop Mike Bell from scoring, making it 3rd Down. Brees fakes hand-off; TD Jeremy Shockey, the Saints' Tight End. Flag on the play......Unsportsman-like Conduct on Lions' S Louis Delmas (26). Rookie mistake. To be enforced on the kickoff.

More to come...

On Tap: Detroit at New Orleans

2009-09-13T00:21:00.002-04:00

The Matt Stafford era begins in Detroit today. Well, technically it begins in New Orleans. Wherever the hell you want to call it, Stafford will make his first official start as the Lions' quarterback. Coach Jim Schwartz declared a week ago that Stafford met all the criteria and won the job outright.

I'm supportive of the decision, despite my preference for Daunte Culpepper to start. I was not a fan of Culpepper when the team signed him last year, but today I have much more respect for him now then I ever did at any point in his career. Culpepper was offered a chance to compete for the starting position. He lost thirty six pounds between last December and training camp in July. He showed his arm strength was still there and he retained some of the speed.

He came back knowing if he did win the starting job, he would not be holding it for long. Culpepper was the stop-gap, Stafford was the future. After all was said and done, Head Coach Jim Schwartz opted for Matthew Stafford, a man who earned the position. Both earned it, really. It just came down to not if, but how soon would Stafford be lining up behind center.

All Culpepper wanted was one more chance to resurrect his career. Sadly, it won't happen in Detroit, unless Stafford is seriously injured. Otherwise, he will be watching Stafford on the sidelines as he struggles, even if it means the Lions go 0-6, 0-8, or even 0-10.

But on a positive note, Culpepper has at least earned another opportunity to resurrect his career. Just in another town for another team. Until then, he remains in my mind, a class act and a great veteran to guide Stafford.

Now on to the game.

The Saints' offense is probably the most powerful in all the NFL. Detroit's defense still has too many holes to stop both their run game and passing attack. The only hope for Detroit is for the offense to click on cylinders at all times. As long as the keep New Orleans' offense off the field, the Lions have a shot of keeping it close.

A preview of things to come, I believe this game will be over as early as the late third quarter or into the fourth. Considering that last year, most games ended in the first and second quarters, this is actually a step up. Remember, the Lions are relying heavily this year on rookies. Stafford at QB, Brandon Pettigrew at Tight End, and Louis Delmas at Cornerback.

Expect promise.

Expect miscues.

Expect fun!

The outcome:

Lions 17
Saints 30.

Freep's Oneita Jackson Weighs In On Rashida

2009-09-02T22:59:00.004-04:00

I recently posted about State Rep. Rashida Tlaib's trouble with a recall movement that's been underway by Adolph Mongo and Matty Moroun.

Oneita Jackson, a writer/blogger whose column O Street appears in the online and print editions fot the Detroit Free Press, just posted a new blog online about Tlaib's recent visit to the Corktown Residents Council. According to Jackson, the people there seemed pretty enthusiastic to see her speaking.

Perhaps the most memorable comment relating to the recall/international bridge issue was Tlaib declaring, "It could be because I’m Palestinian, but I have a problem with people occupying land,"

That's putting it bluntly.

Read it here.

Culpepper Should Be The Man (For Now)

2009-08-31T22:03:00.003-04:00

As the preseason winds down, Lions' head coach Jim Schwartz has to decide who his starting quarterback will be against New Orleans: Daunte Culpepper or Matt Stafford.

It's obvious Matt Stafford shows the promise of a bright future for the Lions. But no harm would come to his career if he sat the first few games of the season, let alone all of 2009. It didn't hurt Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, Eli Manning, or Brad Johnson's careers.

For those who bring up the Peyton Mannings, Troy Aikmans, Joe Montanas, and Terry Bradshaws, we must remember there are literally dozens of times over quarterbacks' careers who are littered along the highway to NFL success. Joey Harrington, Akili Smith, Tim Couch, David Carr, Alex Smith, Ryan Leaf, Rick Mirer, and Chris Weinke are all names associated with the word "bust."

All of the above mentioned in the last sentence were thrust into the spotlight before they were ready. Not all of them had the mental makeup for the NFL (especially Leaf), but many of them can be looked on and wonder "what if?" As in, what if we had let them learn the pro game academically before being thrown to the wolves.

The worst thing that can happen to Stafford is to be forced to play when he's not 100% ready. Very few quarterbacks in the NFL have ever recovered from horrendous starts to their careers. As of now, Drew Brees is perhaps the sole exception. Jim Plunkett would count, but he had an exceptional first two or three years and recovered late in his career and retired with a Superbowl victory.

The worst thing Jim Schwartz can do is not trust his instincts. He's shown he's capable enough to be given an opportunity to be a head coach. That isn't saying much for a guy coming into an organization that is notorious for being a coaching graveyard: see Monte Clark, Wayne Fontes, Bobby Ross, Gary Moeller, Marty Mornhinweg, Steve Mariucci, and Rod Marinelli. None of the above have ever landed another job since being fired (Dick Jauron did indeed land a job in Buffalo after 2005, but he was never going to be running the show in Detroit after that debacle).

Schwartz and Stafford have one problem that can't be overlooked either: William Clay Ford, Sr. Ford is not a football man. He owns the team because he likes the status of being an owner of an NFL team. From what I've seen, he doesn't care about the fans. But it's his meddling that has cost many a coach's success here. His decision to make Mornhinweg start Joey Harrington over Mike McMahon in 2002 had nothing to do with the long-term success of the organization; he wanted the cornerstone of the franchise starting the inaugural game at Ford Field.

If Schwartz can show he can resist Ford's meddling, he and the Lions will be a better organization for it. That's why it's critical Culpepper get the go-ahead for Week 1 in New Orleans. The league has a "win now" mentality, even when such teams like Detroit are in the middle of rebuilding. Culpepper gives the Lions the best shot.

It is probable that the Lions will start the season off at 0-6. But that doesn't mean it's time to play Stafford. It won't do him any good with little help around him. The best situation for the Lions in any game is ball control: the longer the defense is off the field the better a chance a victory can be secured. Too many glaring holes on defense makes me think Detroit is a 2-14, 3-13, or 5-11 team at best. I'm still going with 3-13.

If you want Stafford to start, then I think two criteria need to be met. One, the Lions need to have won their first game. Two, he should see some time in mop-up action as a warm-up for when he actually does start. He doesn't have the help on either side of the ball to be going at full speed come September.

Stafford will be the starter, guaranteed, on Week 1 of 2010 barring injury. Until then, let him grow into the position.

Another Knuckleheaded Recall

2009-08-25T23:22:00.005-04:00

In a country that as of late has gone absolutely recall-happy, today I found out that State Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) is facing the potential of a recall because she opposed the construction of a second bridge to Canada and has voted to turn Cobo Hall over to a regional authority. Interestingly enough, it turns out that the effort isn't being spearheaded by a constituent, but rather Adolph Mongo, a name longtime associated with Detroit city politics. Mongo is apparently working on behalf of Matty Moroun, the owner Ambassador Bridge, and the man who wants to build another bridge right next to it.

Tlaib has come out publicly stating she supports a second bridge - one that would be built 1/4 of a mile away and would end in the Delray district (one of the poorest neighborhoods in the country). The Detroit River International Crossing, or DRIC, would be publicly owned, built, and operated, and would extend into Delray section of Detroit.

What's even worse is the fact that Moroun wants to build his bridge without environmental impact studies and does not have proper permits to begin construction. Tlaib feels (rightfully so) that the negatives of putting a second bridge next to the Ambassador Bridge warrant more discussion than they've received. Even the Canadian government is opposed to it. But that hasn't stopped Moroun from already constructing the ramp.

Perhaps maybe now is the time for people to take another look at the ways and means in which we seek to recall elected officials. Recalls were born out of the progressive era when constituents before had little or no means to punish elected officials other than waiting around until the next election. For some, that waiting could be as little as under two years. For some, it could take close to six years if such person were a sitting US Senator. The point of recalls were to remove those from office who had committed some act or acts of malfeasance. If your elected official, be it from alderman to governor, remained in office for some significant period of time, they still had opportunity to further break the public trust until ousted. It wasn't a guarantee either that a sitting legislator or executive would be removed by his/her peers, no matter how many smoking guns were found.

Nonetheless, In the time since 2000, multiple recall efforts have been made against both prominent and not-so prominent politicians. A recall movement in 2001 in Arizona put Sen. John McCain on the spot for his opposition to the Bush administration's domestic policies - most notably his $10 trillion dollar tax cut. While that movement fizzled (McCain was subsequently reelected in 2004 with over 70% of the vote), another recall effort in California was engineered by a sitting US Congressman, Darrell Issa, a Republican.

Issa argued that then-Gov. Gray Davis (D) had misled the voters about the state's financial situation during an election year. Davis defeated Republican Bill Simon without too much trouble. However, Issa (who actually I've found to have a little more respect for since the recall), thought it was necessary to remove Davis immediately. We all know what happened afterwards, - Governator Schwarzenegger.

In the time since, many politicians (especially here in Michigan) have come under attack for votes they have cast. Legal votes for new taxes has been the most prevalent.

While Tlaib isn't being singled out for tax increases, her support for transferring Cobo Hall to a regional authority and opposition to Moroun's bridge does not make her a corrupted politician. Adolph Mongo disagrees. He argues that she won't listen to constituents who support the new bridge. Even if true, that still is not a crime. There may be political consequences for ignoring constituents, but you can't take Mongo's word at face value, either.

What is obvious is that recall efforts are expensive. With the state and municipalities going for broke, these recall efforts do no one any favor. Moroun and Mongo want to be on the up-and-up with the people of Detroit, they should face her head on. None of these proxy wars by citizens they've recruited to recall her.

To do so otherwise, only makes them look like cowards.

I've Lost All Respect for Sarah Palin

2009-08-24T22:37:00.003-04:00

I know it's late in the game, but I'll throw my two cents in anyway. I had been willing to give Palin a fair look. Even after most liberals had already thrown her to the wolves before they knew anything about her. I was even critical of the scrutiny she received for lacking knowledge of foreign policy because governors don't have much time to pay attention to complex foreign matters.

But after rambling incoherently on non-existent "Death Panels," I felt it's time to abandon her once and for all.

It's okay to oppose President Obama's proposals for health care reform, it's another to use the most extreme language to stir up opposition to it.

I'm still not sold on Obama, nor am I supporting a single-payer health care system, but I do support the public option and have supported such an idea for ten years. For once, I feel as though I was ahead of the curve.

Just a few thoughts...

Thoughts on the Lions since last December

2009-08-24T21:36:00.004-04:00

Last time I commented on my beloved, err, lowly Detroit Lions, they were on the verge of 0-16. Since they accomplished that feat of ignominy, I have mostly been too aggravated to post anything since there are dozens of things I need to get off my chest.

1. Rod Marinelli - I'm sorry, I learned to respect the man a lot, even kind of liked him. But his lack of gamesmanship was demonstrated a final time at Green Bay last December. The Lions had stalled a Packers' drive in their territory, forcing the punt. Instead of calling a timeout, the Lions let the clock run down, down, down, and finally when Green Bay punted, the ball got a lucky Packer bounce and stopped rolling at about either the 8- or 12-yard line with only a handful of seconds left. No chance of a drive.

His worst quality may have been his hypocrisy. Mike Williams, despite the failure he was, probably was unfairly targeted by Marinelli and then-Offensive Coordinator Mike Martz. Everyone had to "earn their place" on the team, which is why fellow Wide Receiver Charles Rogers was cut before the regular season. But why bench Williams, sign WR Az Hakim and play him immediately.

As hard as he was on Williams and Rogers, why didn't that harshness extend to Shaun Rogers, his "pet project?" Like Williams, he was overweight, lazy, and a poor leader, but apparently he had something to offer (when he felt like it).

Overall, he was overpromoted, and thus, in over his head. He was a position coach, nothing more. He may have been a devout follower of the Tampa-Two system, but everytime you saw him on the sidelines, he was always talking to the D-Line. Maybe the LBs once and again. If he wanted to be a Defensive Line coach, fine. Be one. But don't neglect the other third of the defense (the secondary) and the entire offense.

2. Matt Millen - the man should have been fired long before 2008; but firing him after three games was premature. He, like Marinelli and the rest of the organization should have had to live with it for another thirteen weeks before dropping the ax. The only thing is, Roy Williams was traded before the deadline and Jon Kitna was placed on IR, even though his injury would've only kept him out until Week 7 or 8 at the most. Had they not traded Roy Williams for a 1st Round pick (a deal no sane person could pass up), they might've eeked out a win or two. Thus, Millen might still have a job.

3. William Clay Ford, Sr. - he is 1) a liar, and 2) he does not care about the fans. Example 1: raising ticket prices after six straight sellout years at Ford Field. In this economic climate, you've produced a poor product (with one playoff victory in five decades to show for it) to your customers, and this is the way you repay them. You wonder why you can no longer sell out games and risk having the game blacked out on Thanksgiving.

Example 2: Your fondness for Matt Millen blinds you to the fact that your job as the owner is to oversee a winning franchise, in a league designed to ensure there are no permanent winners and losers. Instead of listening to fans maybe once or twice on sports talk radio, or even reading the sports section once a week, you lend your ear only to the man who needs to mollify you in order to keep his while your customers simply give up. Do the words "conflict of interest" have any meaning to you?

Example 3: Making decisions that should be left to the coaches. An overall problem with the organization is the lack of everyone being on the same page. Millen wanted to draft Joey Harrington; Marty Mornhinweg did not. It was Ford's decision, despite his denials, to play Harrington instead of Mike McMahon at the inaugural game at Ford Field in 2002. Harrington wasn't ready, had no help, then wasn't wanted by Mornhinweg's successor, Steve Mariucci, and thus endures the label "bust."

Example 4: After firing Millen, you had a 13-week headstart on finding his replacement? Any moves, like interviewing former GMs, Presidents, etc.? No, Mr. Ford sat on it. He sat on it while New England's Scott Pioli, went to Kansas City. How many Super Bowl rings does Pioli have? Three (and four AFC titles). How about Floyd Reese? In twelve years, he drafted twelve Pro-Bowlers, and even made a trip to the Super Bowl.

Who did Ford end up hiring? Tom Lewand and Martin Mayhew. Lewand was the Lions' COO, and Mayhew was the Asst. GM under Millen. Lewand is now the president, and Mayhew is the GM. Usually, when a team brings in a new front office, they are met with celebration. Their first press conference was anything but. The mood was subdued. Nobody smiled (except maybe Ford).

If anything Mr. Ford, if you're not going to sell the team, could you at least turn over the reigns to your son, Jr.? He at least seems to be proactive, even if you want to blame him for bringing in Millen in the first place. At least he admitted his bad and Millen would've been gone after 2005.

4. The new uniforms- one word, ugly. The numbers didn't need a makeover. The new "Bubbles" (the leaping lion) has a few lines drawn in him. So much for the overhype. I don't like the additional accents/piping around the V-neck. Makes it look tacky.

And while I'm on uniforms, what was so wrong with the black alternates? They were actually pretty sharp looking. I know I'm in the minority on this one, but they are much more aesthetic than the throwbacks. I get a headache just looking at those.

5. The 2009 Draft - wasn't in favor of Stafford, originally. The defense needed the most attention. Mostly the line, maybe another LB, and definitely the secondary. But you do need a QB to be the cornerstone of the franchise, so I'm reluctantly on board. I just hope they don't rush him in before he's ready to play. Let him sit a few games if not the entire season.

But Brandon Pettigrew at No. 20? You take Pettigrew when Ray Maualaga is still on the board? I don't blame Pettigrew, it's not his choice to come to Detroit, but your defense ranked the worst for two seasons straight.

Louis Delmas was the first pick of the 2nd Round. Good, but Maualaga was still on the board. And they need CORNERS. Delmas though, I liked. But it isn't enough to draft a safety with so many other defensive needs.

More to come...

For What It's Worth, Palin Is Milking Letterman's Gaffe

2009-06-12T15:51:00.002-04:00

As if anyone needs to be reminded, going after an elected official's daughter is so far out of bounds, it's not funny. Unless you absolutely must hate Sarah Palin.

It's pretty obvious that David Letterman intended to poke fun at Bristol Palin and not her 14-year-old sister Willow. But even then, isn't some sort of ethical lapse that occurred in Letterman's mind to have gone after Bristol? What is her crime? And does it make a difference if the joke is meant for an 18-year-old instead of someone who is 14?

Seriously, I've never been keen on attacking one's kids. When Jenna and Barbara Bush were caught with fake IDs in a Texas restaurant, I admit it was hilarious. Everyone in town and on campus knew who they were and their ages. Holy Pete, their dad was Governor for six years prior to his presidency. But they reminded me of being that age and what they did isn't different from what many other college-age kids do - passing off a fake ID to buy alcohol. Even as they brought this problem on themselves, the media eventually let it go because after all, it's their dad that is the elected official, not them. They were not decision makers responsible for what would be one of the most controversial administrations ever, and they didn't choose to have a father with political ambitions.

Sarah Palin's kids remind me of that moment. Her daughter made a mistake; a mistake that is not unique to her, but one that imposes strict consequences on those like her that get pregnant before they finish high school. It isn't to say that Bristol is better off than most girls - her mother and father are most likely going to be contributing to her child's well-being so not to grow up desperate for food and shelter. But the fact that she is Gov. Palin's daughter means a spotlight will be shined on her versus a nobody who won't have the pressure of the media's glaring eye and self-righteous judgment laid out before all of us.

Which is why when I read in Rolling Stone (I shouldn't) that the father of Bristol's child (Levi somebody) has 'slammed' Bristol for her abstinence stance, or David Letterman ridicules her (or Willow-by-extension), I cringe. She shouldn't be made part of the ongoing debate about sex education in America. Bristol is a private citizen whose mother happens to have been the Republican Vice Presidential nominee. And she happens to have had a child at an age even I consider too young.

True, she happened to take a position on the side of abstinence. A position I feel is dangerous. But at least she was asked the question. You can disagree, but don't foment outrage over someone's opinion if it's been requested and not volunteered.

Gov. Palin, for what it's worth, has gotten a lot of mileage out of this. She reminds me of Hillary Clinton in a lot of ways. At the onset of their introduction to the public sixteen years apart from each other, they were each controversial. People just automatically hated both for no other reason than the letter that should appear next to their name, be it D, R, G, or me N (as in None-of-the-above). Things work both ways in America. If you're a powerful woman, no matter your partisan affiliation, you are instantly hated by the other team.

Maybe Palin is using this as a means to boost her popularity which has taken a hit since the election in 2008. Wait, maybe? Okay, she is using this to promote Sarah Palin. I believe she is genuinely angry. Perhaps Letterman did not sound as sincere in his apology. But it's time to move on.

Accept an invitation to appear on the Late Show? Do as you wish. But don't use it as a means to bring yourself down to his level. Your daughter (both of them, actually) have been exploited enough. From you, to Dave, to copy guys at the newsdesk, it's been done and you need to let it go.

For the record, Todd Palin, is no better. Yes, he has every right to be an outraged father. But he doesn't need two press releases. One that says, "I'm disgusted, I'm mad, leave my daugher out of this." is enough.

Needless to say, I need to go crawl back under my rock and go without blogging for another six months.

I'll Be Back (Momentarily)

2009-06-12T15:44:00.002-04:00

I apparently have not been posting enough. I had a good stretch in the latter half of 2008, but the former half of 2009 is almost up and I'm only now writing. Blogging (hate that word) can get in the way of a lot of things that need to be taken care of. But not blogging seems to leave out a lot of otherwise good points I need to get off of my chest.

On Tap: New Orleans at Detroit

2008-12-21T06:01:00.002-05:00

Is it pretty much a token move to just blog and predict this thing? The Lions will lose, plain and simple. I do admit, I've been feeling a little queezy in my stomach about this prediction. New Orleans is capable of dropping a turd from time-to-time.

My guess is today is not that day. Drew Brees may find the path to 5,000+ yards more difficult, if for whatever reason, the way the NFL is. Detroit's secondary may show up for once. Or something resembling a secondary will show up, I should say. The Saints are 1-6 on the road this year. The Lions? 0-7 at home. Go figure.

The final home game of the year for Detroit is also the final blacked out game of the year for Detroit. This one goes to New Orleans.

Saints 24
Lions 19

T-Shirt Hell :: Shirts :: BAILOUT

2008-12-09T00:53:00.004-05:00

Sounds about right to me (ignore the text on the bottom of the image).

Posted using ShareThis

On Tap: The Vikings

2008-12-07T05:19:00.003-05:00

Another blacked out game in Detroit as the Lions take on the Minnesota Vikings. Earlier in the season, Minnesota managed to best Detroit by two points thanks in part to a Dan Orlovsky safety and a pair of bad calls by the referees (mind you, the calls didn't mean the Lions would have won, only it guaranteed they couldn't win).

Sports columnists near and around Detroit have all singled out this game against Minnesota being the last chance the Lions have at avoiding infamy. If you look at the rest of the schedule, they have two more games at Indianapolis, home against New Orleans, and at Green Bay in that order. All four teams are in the hunt for a playoff spot, but Indianapolis is the only bonafide contender for a Superbowl.

I have a problem with the sportswriters and the analysts on this one. Why is it only this game appears to be the last shot Detroit has at infamy. Adrian Peterson has blown it up against Detroit in the three games he's played against them. The star running back for Minnesota has never rushed less than 100 yards against Detroit, and even the last game where he ran for 111, he was still a major reason why they came out on top.

And what about Green Bay? The rub on Detroit is that they haven't won at Lambeau Field since 1991. I'd remind people however, the in the last four years, the Lions have been very close to beating Green Bay, in so much as leading in the 2nd half in 2004, and 2005, and they were only down 8 points when they lost in 2006. Brett Favre isn't there anymore. Green Bay isn't what it used to be. Not that Aaron Rodgers won't bring the Packers back to contention, it just isn't this year.

Bottom line: the real best shot at avoiding the ugly 0-16 is against the Packers, not the Vikings. As for tomorrow, I'm taking Minnesota. The Viking don't have Daunte Culpepper on their team.

Minnesota 28
Detroit 13

'Proroguing' Sounds Dirty

2008-12-03T02:54:00.006-05:00

Aren't you glad we don't have this in America?

Canada just voted seven weeks ago to elect a new Parliament, err, House of Commons. Stephen Harper, the Conservative Prime Minister, and his party had won a second straight minority government (where the party with the most seats in the House of Commons fails to attain an absolute majority), this time with more seats.

When the Conservative Finance Minister Jim Flaherty presented his economic update on Thursday, the three opposition parties' leaders met to mete out a coalition government that would replace the Harper Government. On Monday, the three leaders formally announced they would consolidate their power to unseat Harper and the Conservatives and establish a coalition that would last eighteen months.

The three leaders of the opposition parties are Stephane Dion of the Liberal Party, Jack Layon of the New Democratic Party (NDP), and Gilles Duceppe of the Bloc Quebecois. The Liberals and NDP are leftist parties, with the NDP being further to the left than the "Grits." The Bloc is a Quebec sovereigntist party that sends members to Parliament to vote in the interests of Quebec, a province that has twice attempted to declare secession from Canada.

(From L-R: Jack Layton, Stephane Dion, and Gilles Duceppe. Courtesy cbc.ca/news)

The showdown is expected to come next week, when Canadian Governal General Michaelle Jean returns to Rideau Hall and the House of Commons is expected to vote down the budget, which in Canadian politics speak means the House has no confidence in the government. If Harper and the Conservatives fail a no-confidence vote, he will go to the GG and ask her to dissolve parliament and call for an election.

Jean could, before Harper presents his budget, prorogue the House, which would call for them to adjourn until the end of January. If she does not exercise that power, Dion could ask Jean if he may form a coalition government with NDP members occupying 25% of his cabinet. He would continue to have the support of the separatist Bloc until no later than June 30, 2011.

(Governor General Michaelle Jean with Prime Minister Stephen Harper, June 2008).

--------------------------------------

So, if I may chime in as an American with an understanding of Canadian politics, Stephane Dion wants to form a majority government, with a party of fringe leftists on one side, and separatists who want to leave Canada on the other side. Bear in mind, Dion just led his party to its worst defeat in the House of Commons; the Liberals now only have seventy seven seats. On top of that, Dion announced he's resigning, which means if they form a new government, the incoming PM won't have a mandate to govern with.

Let us remember how well the last coalition government worked. When the NDP formed a coalition with the ruling Liberal Party under Paul Martin in 2005, it lasted less than six months before the NDP opted to topple the Martin regime.

And then you want to add separatists to your government? Separatists, who don't even identify as Canadians and would leave if only they could muster up enough votes to actually win a secession vote?

No, this is a shit storm waiting to happen.

The GG should just opt to dissolve Parliament now and call for an election. It looks like a cheap power grab and should enable Harper to successfully win a majority government. So what if Canadians don't want another election. Get out and do it.

On Tap: The Titans

2008-11-26T23:35:00.002-05:00

The Tennessee Titans, led by QB Kerry Collins, are coming to Ford Field today. Fresh off a loss against the New York Jets, who ironically were originally known as the Titans, the Titans are looking maintain their spot at the top of the AFC while the Lions are in search of their first win.

On Sunday, Head Coach Jeff Fisher announced that Kerry Collins will remain the starter and Vince Young's future with the team depends on how well Collins plays. Kerry Collins??? Yeesh. All this time I thought he was washed out.

The outcome to me is not in doubt. The Titans will prevail. The real question is what quarter will the Lions collapse in this one. The first? Second? Fourth? It always comes down to pressure once the game is on. They have never been able to turn it on. Last week against Tampa Bay, the Buccaneers never seemed to be desperate, even after being down 17 in the first quarter. Nobody respects this team. Period.

Lions will fall to 0-12. Let us pray Dallas and Cleveland continue to spiral.

Titans 27
Detroit 17

On Tap: Detroit at Carolina

2008-11-16T07:14:00.003-05:00

Today, the 0-9 Lions play in Charlotte against the 7-2 Carolina Panthers. Basically, if Jake Delhomme can throw 7-for-27 and have a passer rating of 12 and still win a game, Detroit is fucked.

Detroit 10
Carolina 27

Like Henson Was the Devil Incarnate or Something

2008-11-16T01:44:00.003-05:00

One more piece of evidence to prove how football fans suck in Michigan means checking out this article in the Detroit Free Press about how Drew Henson has dealt with his disappointing professional sports career.

For those of you who don't know, here's a history of Drew Henson from 1997 to today. His senior year of high school was my senior year in 1997-1998. He was a highly-touted two-sport athlete from Brighton, MI, where he excelled in football and baseball. In 1998, he went to Michigan to play both sports for the Wolverines. His first two years he backed up Tom Brady, even though he played sparingly his freshmen and sophomore years.

In 2000, he led the Wolverines to a share of the Big Ten title and was expected to be a Heisman finalist in 2001, and then a for-sure, 1st Round pick in the NFL Draft in 2002. Did I mention he was a two-sport athlete? Apparently he excelled in baseball at Michigan, too.

So well that in fact, New York Yankees owner (and Ohio State man) George Steinbrenner offered him a multi-million dollar contract with the Yankees in a "take it or leave it" fashion in early 2001. Henson's choice was simple: either take the money, play pro baseball, and forget about football, or risk a good chance you'll never see that kind of money again. He opted to sign with New York for the money.

Apparently, his choice didn't quite pan out. Henson played some pro, but it turns out he couldn't hit a Major League curve ball. His lifetime batting average: .111 (1-for-9). By 2004, he had given up on baseball and looked to football again.

In 2003, the Houston Texans drafted him in the 6th round with the intent to trade him if he were to opt for the NFL. The Dallas Cowboys traded a 3rd round pick in 2004 for the rights to Henson and the most playing time he saw was either in the preseason or when he was allocated to the NFL Europe. His first career start came on Thanksgiving Day, where he played the first half until being pulled after going 4-for-12 with a TD and a pick.

Unfortunately for Henson, despite his success in the NFL Europe, Coach Bill Parcells soured on Henson and by 2006, he was no longer the future of the organization. Instead, Parcells opted for Tony Romo. Meanwhile, Tom Brady, whom Henson competed with at Michigan, had all but replaced Jesus as God's favorite son in New England (and Earth). After two years with Minnesota on the team and practice squad, Henson had been all but out of football by 2007.

2008 came around and the Detroit Lions needed an extra QB while Drew Stanton mended his injuries. Henson played the final game of the preseason, was cut, and then signed to the practice squad. After Jon Kitna was placed on IR after Week 3, Henson was elevated to the roster, the No. 3 man on the depth chart. Another injury to QB Dan Orlovsky, and the Lions signed free agent Daunte Culpepper. Because Orlovsky is avoiding IR, Henson was cut earlier this week and re-signed to the practice squad.

Henson was interviewed by Charean Williams who quotes him as feeling good about himself right now. "I feel better than I ever have in a long time." says Henson. He thinks he still has a shot at making a career in the NFL, and I for one, hope he gets another chance to play as a full-time starter.

But you'd be amazed at the amount of hate and negativity that just emanates from Lions fans, Wolverine fans, and just sports fans in general in Michigan. After reading the article, I scrolled down to the bottom of the page to see what comments had been left. And wouldn't you know, you'd think the article was about fucking Hitler, something. Here's some of the quotes I picked up on:

"Henson had it all set up to fully realize his potential at UM in his senior year, but he blew it by kowtowing to George Steinbrenner's demands (and money). There is no way he will ever fulfill that potential now."

"Happy to be cut and never considered as a viable QB. Good feeling to have if you're a non-competitive person. Good call by the Lions to cut him."

"Here's another 'loser' the Lions camp out on to 'rob' a potentially good rookie kid of some valuable NFL Pro time! Face it, to go and dig up a Henson that was tossed out of football like a used rubber...tire, is again why the Lions are where they're at in the NFL.CELLAR! Who makes these decissions like Henson? You have Culpepper and Henson...rejects from the NFL (Kitna isn't to far off)....and they won't play the kid Stanton in fear of embarassment?"

"Thanks for the memories Drew, especially throwing that critical pick against MSU when they beat your $^%&!"

I'm guessing maybe the last quote was by an MSU fan. But is Drew Henson really a "loser?" Can people not be thankful for the good things he did while at Michigan? It seems as though once they pass through the college ranks and into the pro threshold that if you somehow don't wind up a Pro-Bowl caliber athlete that you're a loser and this huge disgrace.

What I really think people need to put into perspective is this: Drew Henson, as an individual, was an incredibly gifted athlete. A gift that was that was so rare, he was able to play in two different professional sports.

Did it ever occur to anyone when he picked baseball that maybe, just maybe, he liked baseball more than football? I don't know if he did and I don't know what he thinks. I do know that if I were 20 and someone dropped over $10 million at my front door, I'd have taken it.

Some say he cost himself a chance at more money if he stayed at Michigan one more year. Well, what if he was injured to the point he couldn't have a career in the NFL, or MLB? Do the names Jason White and Eric Crouch come to mind? I don't have stats in front of me, but I'm willing to bet the injuries from a long-term career in pro football are more common, more wide ranging, more severe, and retirees are just plain more miserable than former baseball players.

Either way, I wish football had panned out for Drew Henson. I'm sure he does too, although he could feel the same way about baseball, if not more so. He has yet to write the final chapter of his football journey, and maybe if he turns out to be another Rich Gannon, he could have more chapters to write some day.

Otherwise, don't waste your time wallowing in contempt and hate for Drew. If he's a loser, then how many millions did you make by moaning on some newspaper's comment section about him?

On Tap: Jacksonville Jaguars

2008-11-09T06:23:00.004-05:00

Here comes a prediction. Detroit is 0-8, Jacksonville is 3-5. Simple logic would tell you Jacksonville is a better team, at least on paper. But the Jags have been in a slump lately. There's an implosion happening as we speak. Jack Del Rio, the Jags head coach, sent his Middle Linebacker home for two straight practices due to insubordination.

If the Lions have a chance of avoiding infamy, they may have found a break in what's expected to be a much tougher second half. But, today is the first game for Daunte Culpepper. Even though Coach Rod Marinelli has done all he can to keep the media in the dark (it's the first good job he's done in a long, long time), I expect Daunte Culpepper will be lining up behind center today. Coincidentally, Dominic Raiola, the starting center for Detroit, is out. The 104 consecutive game streak ends today due to a broken right hand.

But the ink isn't even dry on Culpepper's new contract, and he's already playing. Some say he's a has been, others think he's got something left to prove. I say his signing all amounts to nothing more than a distraction from giving the young players a serious evaluation heading into 2009.

Bottom line, Detroit has never shown that even when games are close, that they are capable of finishing the job. In the end, Jacksonville prevails, 17 - 10.

There Is Indeed Honor In Defeat

2008-11-05T04:48:00.003-05:00

Well, I was wrong about some things. I thought the Obama bubble had burst. Maybe it did, but clearly, what remained was so permeated that it carried him all the way through to Election Day.

But I am truly sad. I have been a backer of John McCain since 2000. For eight long years, I've been steadfast in my support for McCain, never wavering once. Even on his positions such as gay marriage and abortion, I have stuck by the Senator in tough times. I drove all the way up north in January to cast my ballot in futility, knowing this state would probably go for Mitt Romney in the GOP Primary.

For whatever reason, I logged into my facebook account tonight to check people's status, and found all but a handful were elated for the victory of Barack Obama. I thought about posting something to counter their joy, but what would it have done? Make me look like the villain, no doubt. Besides, everyone goes through life with at least one of their McGoverns or Goldwaters. Tonight, McCain is my Goldwater.

As I drove down to Frenchie's in Ypsilanti to watch the returns with some political science professors of mine, I was fortunate enough to sit with Dr. Richard Stahler-Sholk, my Comparative Politics prof. I had asked him if this time around he voted strategically and he said he did because "we needed to get the Republicans out of there." He was an avowed Ralph Nader supporter back in 2000 and 2004, but it didn't surprise me that this time around he wouldn't take any chances.

It was unfortunate that I couldn't follow the election this time around like I had last time, despite my enthusiasm for McCain. I am no longer in college, and I don't interact with poli sci people on a regular basis like I did just two years ago. The turnout at Frenchie's was depressingly low, just as it was in 2004. In 2000, before I was a regular face in the Political Science Department at EMU, I went to the election party at the Tower Inn, and watched with everyone as the election returns came in. That night helped propel me to concentrate my studies more in Political Science than history, as I felt the poli sci profs were more interesting and students had a better sense of humor.

In one month I lose my cat and McCain loses his bid for the White House. Both are devastating, yet, I saw both coming. The shock may have been quelled by that fact. But the depression will ruminate for a little longer until probably after January once Obama is sworn in. In the meantime, I'll be reliving this day when the Electoral College meets to elect Obama, and then when the House and Senate certify the results. All culminates in 75 days when Obama is sworn in as president on January 21.

I listen to McCain exit the campaign with grace tonight. He thanked his family, his fellow supporters, and Sarah Palin. He reminded us as candidates have before, what a tremendous burden the campaign is on their families. He urged all his supporters to get behind President-elect Obama and left it at that. I'm left thinking the good guys fought the good fight, and once again, lost.

I can't help but think, after all this, that all pundits and activists owe McCain a collective apology for all the stupid articles and books written about him and once and for all repudiate comments that compare him to Bush. It's only the right thing to do, which is why I'm not counting on them to do it.

So I Voted

2008-11-02T06:19:00.003-05:00

I just finished my absentee ballot. I voted for McCain at the top of the ticket, even though it's like I'll be trying to push back a tidal wave with a squeegee.

For Senate, I voted for Scotty Boman, the Libertarian. Bart Stupak got my vote to return to Washington an eighth time, another vote went to a Republican for the State House because I can't see Andy Neumann contributing anything in what would be an automatic lame duck term for him, and the rest were Republican as well, except for a particular County Road Commissioner, another Dem.

I can't help but think that George W. Bush is once again the reason John McCain could not ascend to the presidency.

I'm going to be depressed after November 4, I'm sure of it.

On Tap: Da Bears

2008-11-02T06:09:00.003-05:00

I didn't post anything last week, but one can guess I pretty much bet against the Lions then, too.

Needless to say, nothing's changed this week. Once again, Kyle Orton will carve up the Lions for 250+ yards, 2 TDs, maybe an interception, but a passer rating hoovering around 100 - he's due for an off day after three other clinics he's put on against the Leos.

Interesting note: the Lions have signed Daunte Culpepper, a washed-out QB who all but retired this year. I can't see him being anything but a distraction, and where does this leave Drew Henson? Back to the practice squad? All I know is Orlovsky is gone after this season.

I know how bad everyone wants Drew Stanton to play, but really, Offensive Coordinator Jim Colletto is right, they shouldn't "embarass" him in his first start. Especially since Detroit can't stop the pass rush, and can't put together a decent drive to save their lives, let alone at a critical moment in the game. Colletto was dead on, despite Rod Marinelli's claim it was a "poor choice of words." Why humiliate him by surrounding him with no protection, no running game, and a play-caller who can't call plays?

Final score: Bears 34, Lions 23. The game will be over by the 4th quarter, I think. And as usual, Marinelli will stick to his talking points, even as his methods are about as useful as an anchor for a drowning person. It's 0-8, and time to starting thinking about NFL ignominy, made all the more sadder by the fact that they might not even bear this alone if Cincinnati can't win a game.

Okay, Time To Predict Election 2008

2008-10-22T01:01:00.002-04:00

Alright, alright. Make no mistake about it, I'm for John McCain. McCain should be elected president, but given the turn of events since last September, things have all gone Barack Obama's way. As of today, 108 newspapers have endorsed Obama, while only 39 have gone to McCain. Obama is outspending McCain 4 to 1, and is widening his lead in the polls.

So as it goes, I'm going to make my predictions for this year's elections:

-Barack Obama will be elected President.

-The Republicans will lose 20 seats in the House of Representatives. They will lose five seats in the Senate.

-Senator Carl Levin will win easily over challenger Jack Hoogendyk by at least a 65%-35% margin.

-All incumbents up for re-election for the US House in Michigan will retain their seats, except for Tim Walberg. I predict Mark Schauer will win the seat for the 7th district.

-In Lansing, the Democrats will retain their lead and increase its size. I don't know how much; I can only guess that it's more troubling for the State GOP which has been hemorrhaging for years now.

The Republicans are going to take the fall for the faltering economy, the unpopular war in Iraq, and the continuing rise in health care costs, just to name the three most important issues.

I don't see any break for the party, either state or national, until 2010. It's my guess Republicans will have to retool and rebuild for the future. What will be interesting this year will be the surprise victory of one or two Republicans who may be elected to the Senate or a Governorship. For some reason, it's candidates like those who tend to play a larger role in the national spotlight in years to come (like Obama did when the GOP won all over the board in 2004).