The Boiling Point

"It's reached a decidedly wicked point in this Detroit Lions' season. The injuries have been absolutely unreal in their frequency and severity. The gut-wrenching win-blowing has turned into something that defies articulation. The excess of penalties, both absent-minded and unfairly officiated, have ruined the enjoyment of watching a team more talented than any I've seen in the last...good lord, since the '90's."

I wrote that an hour or two before the start of the game at Green Bay. I, like probably many other fans, had just about had it with this season. Everything was going wrong at a wicked pace, and then Green Bay comes rolling into town needing a win, and the Lions just were crippled by placing Kyle Vanden Bosch and Alphonso Smith on IR. It was bleak.

But the Lions punched their way to a win. For a change, it was the other team suffering miscues, injuries, and bad luck. And the Lions, God love 'em, held strong at the end when they could have choked it away like they've done for weeks. It was very gratifying.

I enjoy how Packer fans have been all whiny and emo and pathetic following this loss, saying it was luck on the Lions' part that Aaron Rodgers was knocked out of the game. A little lucky, yes, but while he was in he wasn't playing that well, and for the love of Spiced Meats, how lucky were the Packers going into this game? They needed a win, the Lions were decimated by injuries and brittle confidence, and things had just been going their way for quite some time. They need to suck it up and stop making excuses.

It was also nice to see the product of such extensive work by Martin Mayhew come through. The defensive line, minus KVB and with Cliff Avril having to leave again, was still spectacular; their depth is uncanny, and it truly does seem to be one of the better units in the league. This is what he should be able to do with the rest of the time.

Good grief, hope feels weird again.

You're got to be f*#%ing kidding me

Kevin Smith has now been placed on the IR.

This team cannot catch a break.

Kidney punching

This has been an absolutely brutal stretch for the Detroit Lions. It seems like in the span of two weeks they've gone from having all the hope and momentum in the world to being beaten up, beaten down, and pessimism embodied.

Remember all my schedule fun? Well, I have no idea anymore. I have no faith in the running game (Kevin Smith's surprise thumb surgery hasn't helped). You can tell that poor Shaun Hill just isn't right (that guy is a trooper, though, which has endeared him to the fanbase), and even though local papers are saying that Stafford will try and play again this season I have trouble believing it - I just see him suiting up and getting injured a few play into the game.

There is just this nearly palpable feeling of negativity prevailing right now. What's even more ridiculous is that we KNOW this is part of the rebuilding process; when constructing this team from a negative value standpoint, it's common knowledge that it will take at least three years. After losing perpetually for years, shaking a stigma will take time. I think it's the seemingly immediate success of the Bucs, Rams, and Browns that is so irritating, and it just fuels jealousy so easily.

So, at this point, I don't know what to expect or even predict. I want to feel optimistic going into Sunday's game against the Cowboys, but I feel like even though the NFL is probably praying for a Lions' victory (the NFL seems to get off on absolute, complete parity; if any team can win at anytime, isn't that what they've been striving for?), Jon Kitna and Roy Williams will absolutely destroy any and all hope.

On a lighter note, did anyone read Jeff Pearlman's list of the 100 Worst players in NFL History? CC Brown did, saw he was number 90, and he flipped out. It's pretty funny, especially considering that he really is terrible.

this picture not only serves as the embodiment of Brown's time in NY, but also his entire career. I can't wait until he, Julius Peterson, and Bryant Johnson get cut and ride off into the sunset in a beaten down camry.

HATEHATEHATE

Also, I hate Bryant Johnson.

Only 9 catches on the season going into this game.

Countless crappy routes ran.

Scads of easy drops.

He's got to get released from this team. There are far too many receivers in the world who are better than this guy who are available.

Oh, my gosh, do I despise this player.

Garbage

Right now, with about 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Lions look absolutely horrible.

I have no idea what's going on, nor do I have any theories to throw out. They Lions are just playing like they've given up. Going into this game, no one in the state of Michigan thought this game would be a freebie; Buffalo has gone down swinging in each of their games, probably the beneficiaries of worse luck than the Lions. They really should have a couple wins. And now?

Now the Lions are working on letting a winless team get their first win against them for the second year in a row.

The plus side right now (the silver lining on the giant steaming pile of turds) is that the offensive line is finally being exposed. For weeks now people have been saying, "'Y'know, they've been playing pretty good!" Which is a mirage. Just because we've been watching really, REALLY crappy line play for the last decade doesn't mean that watching a decent line makes it tremendous. Think about it this way: The Bills are getting pretty good production out of Ryan Fitzpatrick. Do you think they'll pass on Andrew Luck in the draft because of that?

Rob Sims is pretty good. Cherilus is alright. The rest top out at average. They take stupid penalties. And now, against the team that is dead last against the run, they can't open any lanes or push the Bills' D-Line around. That doesn't even factor into the fact that the Lions' QB's have been mightily injured behind this same line for about two years now. Pathetic.

This game is so frustrating.

Waiting another year...again

Shaun Hill is starting Sunday. OHTHANKGOD

Ahem. Now, I'm faced with a quandry: normally, it's around this point in the season where I and other Lions fans start to speculate on the events of the coming offseason and next season, usually because the Lions are playing so abysmally that there's really no there alternative; Hope is seen from a distance, not in front of our faces. This year, Detroit is playing really well in comparison to past efforts, so there's no need to focus on future hope when it's staring at us right in our faces.

So I guess when I start my speculations, it's less of a life preserver (a way to keep hope's head above water) and more of a condiment (a compliment to the hope already here). So let's crack this bottle of ketchup, eh?

INJURIES:

This season has provided a myriad of devastating injuries levied (PUN INTENDED) on Detroit, some minor and aggravating and some enormous and devastating. The fact of the matter is that teams generally don't seem to get crapped on this frequently in subsequent seasons. Last year Stafford, Pettigrew, and Kevin Smith had season ending injuries. This year we've had scads of injuries, but only one real horribly season-altering injury (Stafford, although cases could be made for Jahvid Best). Frankly, three years in a row is just ridiculous. Next year (fingers crossed, knock on wood) should be better in that aspect.

PERSONNEL:

This is a markedly improved team from last year, but there are still holes, and those holes are costing this team some wins. The biggest problem areas seem to be Linebacker, Offensive Line, and Secondary. DeAndre Levy is a lock in the middle (assuming, of course that he doesn't break apart like a movie-prop wine bottle), so the main needs are outside LB's. Julian Peterson is crap, Zack Follett, although good, isn't great enough to make a huge impact. Offensive line is a more interesting story. Rob Sims is fantastic. Gosder Cherilus is playing much, much better this year than last, and actually seems to be legitimately improving. Dominic Raiola is, for some reason, deeply ingrained in this franchise and won't be going anywhere. Jeff Backus is alright and Stephen Peterman is terrible, therefore the biggest needs are LT and RG. With Backus, honestly, he's not terrible. He's alright. Unfortunately, success in the NFL can't come with a left tackle who's serviceable - look at Stafford and his litany of injuries. The secondary is far better than anyone could have predicted, and Alphonso Smith just may be turning into an integral part of the team's future. Houston is playing good, Spievey is developing at a reasonable pace, and Delmas is awesome. Any upgrade would occur if something tremendously fantastic were to just plop down into the Lions' lap. The upcoming draft has two absolutely amazing corners available (Prince Amukamara from Nebraska and Patrick Peterson of LSU), but seems to be weaker in LB's and OL's as opposed to previous years. Basically, the offseason rests on Martin Mayhew kicking ass and taking names. So, hurray!

Combined with the development of talent and the cultural shift from utter defeatist to hopefully competitive, there's no reason this team can't compete for a divisional title next year....assuming there's a season. What? OH YES, THAT.

The absolute worst thing that can happen to the Lions next season is if there isn't one. The NFLPA and the NFL administration can't seem to stop being unfathomably greedy (and frankly, the NFLPA seems to be making the more ludicrous of the demands), and an ensuing work stoppage would not only alienate legions of fans and retard the gravitational popularity of the league (remember the '94 MLB strike?), but it would also really be a slap in the face to franchises like Detroit, Tampa Bay, and St. Louis that are actually gaining momentum in their developmental process. It would be criminally unfair not to see the fruits of all their labor, especially for tortured fanbases.

But anyway, the next year should be very appeasing to us, and the rest of this season should be lots of fun as well. My gosh, for the first time since, what, 1997?, it's kinda nice to be a Lions fan.

i absolutely adore these goofy lion pictures. I feel like Matt Millen desperately wanted these on the helmet, and doodled different variations of them in his coloring books, because far be it for that lummox to color inside the lines. I hope he gets banned from the state of Michigan. So residually angry...

Transactions, yo!

Some good news on the horizon: Jonathan Wade has been released! Practice squad receivers, beware! Soon Mr. Wade might be letting you catch scads of passes and then try to arm tackle you! Coming soon to a town near you!

Also, Pats castoff Zac Robinson is now the Lions' 3rd string QB, and Dave Rayner is the new kicker until Jason Hanson is whole again. Rayner is a former Spartan....but that hasn't boded well for Drew Stanton, Sedrick Irvin, Charles Rogers, etc. with the Lions.

"Hey! What 'bout me?? What 'bout your boy TJ??"