NFL Football at its best. NFL Football at its craziest.
My Lions stink. How could they just take Jon Kitna and throw him aside?

Jon Kitna’s career in Detroit takes a knee

No, Jon is not the short term answer to quarterback and he is not the long term answer, but there is a way to handle things and the Lions don’t know about that way. The Lions went with a gutless low class way. The put Jon on IR, basically shelved him for the season and implied he is done forever as a Lions.

Hey, thanks for nothing.

Oh, Jon had a bulging disc and needed some rest, but felt he could play last Sunday. If the coach, Rod Marinelli, does not want to play him, then fine, don’t play him, but why throw him out? Couldn’t he have helped with the young QB’s?

Sometimes the thought crosses my mind that Jon had it out with Jim Colletto, the offensive coordinator. Don’t have any proof of that, but this whole thing stinks.

Obviously when things aren’t going well, and things haven’t been going well for the Lions, changes are going to be inevitable. Typically the first person to get changed is the quarterback position. They way things were handled, it just seemed to me that, you know okay, we were thinking about making a change anyways, and this, all this does is really expedite the process and give even more reason for us to be able to go ahead and do this. That would be fine with me, I wouldn’t like it, but I could understand it. I know how the business is. The problem that I have is that is not what was communicated to me. It was more of, you’re hurt. Yeah, I got hurt in the game but I had the same thing last year but I pushed and could have played in the preseason game.
source

Photo source Newscom

Be sure to check out my companion blog at NBA Obsessed.

As always, any NFL Football related comments are welcome.

More blogs about football.

NFL Football at its best. NFL Football at its craziest.
As predicted by your intrepid author, Matt Forte rode all over my Lions. The Lions were pathetic and Matt Forte had a field day.

Matt had one touchdown on the ground and one through the air.

Chicago Bears 34 Detroit Lions 7

Matt Forte shown here stretching for a touchdown. He was a bit short before his knee hit the ground, but the refs figure the Bears will score on the next play anyway, so they gave him the touchdown

Remember this was for your intrepid author to win the weekly Pay the Fan 10 grand.

Unfortunately my other players must have been standing around watching Matt run for two touchdowns, because they did nothing. No 10 grand for the Squibster, but then there is always next week.

Who would have thought that the hot quarterback would have been Kyle Orton?

The thousands of Bears fans at Ford Field on Sunday could relate as they watched little Kyle Orton playing in the Lions’ backyard. He’s still a kid, sure, but suddenly he didn’t look like one. For the first time in Orton’s career, he played like a big boy.

He threw for 334 yards, 104 more than his previous career high. He completed 70 percent of his passes and averaged 13.9 yards per completion. His 121.4 passer rating was the second-best in the NFL on Sunday afternoon. He did not throw an interception, and he did not fumble.

source

For my Lions, Jon Kitna was ineffective and left at halftime with back spasms or so they said. Orlovsky replaced him and continued the standard of less than mediocrity.

Roy Williams, the tall and talented Lions receiver, looked especially frustrated.

Must have been a special night for rookie running backs as Rookie running back Kevin Smith of the Lions had the only Detroit touchdown.

Photo source Newscom

Be sure to check out my companion blog at NBA Obsessed.

As always, any NFL Football related comments are welcome.

More blogs about football.

NFL Football at its best. NFL Football at its craziest.

Matt Millen sitting with everyone that thought he should keep the job

Hey, hey, hey!

Your intrepid author went home today and told the wife, “Honey, don’t get me anything for Xmas, my present already arrived”. The Detroit Lions owner, William Clay Ford, fired Matt Millen the GM.

Finally there is something to look forward to in the Lions season. Now we can’t quit there. Just keep on firing. Get rid of the entire front office, the coaches, most of the players, maybe even the parking lot attendants. Ok, not the parking lot attendants.

The Lions have not fixed the problem. They have only reset the clock on a process that could take years.

Now they have to hire the right person — or people — to turn around this woebegone franchise. And when you think about the mess Millen leaves behind, you realize how big a job it’s going to be.

source

We all came to realize that Matt did not know what he was doing, but did you know Matt did not even live in Michigan? He kept a home in Pennsylvania. Yeah, it was like he was a part time worker with no stake in the outcome.

What was Matt Millen’s record as a General Manager, something like 31 - 84? Is that right? Uhh, that only makes him the worst General Manager of all time in any sport in the history of mankind.

For all the ability Millen had as a multi-Super Bowl winner in his playing career, he was a fraud — a 31-84 record — when it came to building a team.

Millen, a Fox broadcaster when hired, talked a good game. He sounded like the smartest man when he broke down players on TV. He told you who could play and who couldn’t.

What most people missed is that it’s easier to determine the better players once they’re at the pro level. Being able to determine which college players can move to the next level is the hardest job.

Clearly, Millen had no clue.

Worse, he never asked for help
source

It will still be a long road with Jon Kitna trying to be quarterback, no offensive or defensive line, Roy Williams and Calvin Johnson hardly getting the ball, Jim Colletto at offensive coordinator, and … need we go on?

And don’t forget the Silver Lining (can you have a silver lining when something good happens?), the Fords cannot hire someone worse than Millen, because that would be physically impossible. Nobody could do a worse job. The next GM automatically has to be an upgrade.

In fact, go get that parking lot attendant, at least he lives in Michigan.

Photo source Newscom

Be sure to check out my companion blog at NBA Obsessed.

As always, any NFL Football related comments are welcome.

More blogs about football.

NFL Football at its best. NFL Football at its craziest.

The greatest mystery of the Universe is how Matt Millen, seen here shaking hands with Detroit Lions owner William Clay Ford, can keep his job

The real question is how the Detroit Lions remain in the NFL.

You have Strahan calling them out on Fox TV saying you could see it in their eyes; they just don’t want to play. He got so bad even Jimmy Johnson tried to quiet him down, but he was just expressing what all of us have witnessed for 44 years of the William Clay Ford regime. The Lions stink.

One playoff victory in 44 years of Bill Ford ownership.

Today his son, Bill Ford Jr. called for Matt Millen’s head. Matt is the losingest GM in any sport anywhere all time. Here is Bill Ford Jr. at the Detroit Economic Club where they talk about Michigan’s 8.9% unemployment.

“It was an embarrassment, the fans deserve better, and if I had the authority, I would have fired the general manager,” Matt Millen, Ford said.

When asked again a few minutes later if he would fire Millen, he said, “Yes, but I don’t have that authority.”

source

The season has turned into a mockery. The latest loss has two former Lions coming back to haunt us with J.T. O’Sullivan and Coach Mike Martz both of the San Francisco 49er’s combining to destroy the Lions.

O’Sullivan ran around and slung the ball as if he couldn’t have been more confident. In one stretch, he threw three straight completions, covered 67 yards and finished with a touchdown. It took a little over a minute.

And Martz? Well, this was like Dr. Evil playing basketball against Mini-Me. He was able to use double-reverses, over–the-top passes and running back Frank Gore, whom he sent into the teeth of the Lions’ worst-in-the-NFL rush defense — OK, not teeth, gums — only to see him burst out the other side for 130 yards and a touchdown.

source

My complaints earlier pointed towards firing Coach Rod Marinelli thinking Matt Millen untouchable, but now? Hey, who knows?

It only gets worse as my complaints about the Lions failing to develop a backup quarterback to take over when Jon Kitna falls apart got worse as J.T. O’Sullivan looked pretty darn good and the games have gotten to the point that it does not matter if there is a backup QB.

Meanwhile, the Lions may have lost their starting quarterback. (Only in Detroit would this rank as the bottom third of a column.) Jon Kitna, who was getting mauled all game long, left the field with a knee injury in the final two minutes.

Kitna plays as if he’s ready to die on the field, and afterward, he looks like he has. He rightly points out that you can’t do much when you’re always two or three touchdowns behind.

By the way, the actual backup, Dan Orlovsky, came in and threw a screen pass for an interception. That pretty much seals his fate as the next starter. What else could you do with a Lions quarterback that actually threw a ball that was caught by someone?

Photo source Newscom

Be sure to check out my companion blog at NBA Obsessed.

As always, any NFL Football related comments are welcome.

More blogs about football.

NFL Football at its best. NFL Football at its craziest.

Michael Turner of the Atlanta Falcons. And where are the Stinkin Lions in this picture?

The Detroit Lions stink.

Maybe this should end right there, but that would tell you nothing, because they always seem to stink. They should be renamed the Detroit Stinkin Lions.

How can they lose to the Atlanta Falcons? Oh, that part is easy; any NFL team can lose to another on their home field. But how do you get blown out by a team with a rookie coach, rookie quarterback, rookie linemen, heck probably a rookie water boy (The falcons water boy out executed the Lions water boy by several sips of water.)

And we hear again and again and again that Marinelli is the guru of defensive linemen. He helped turn Warren Sapp and Simeon Rice into stars. Well, maybe Sapp and Rice turned Marinelli into a star. Because yesterday, Matt Ryan looked awfully comfortable in the pocket the few times he tried to pass. And when the Falcons ran, the inexperienced line mauled the Lions defenders. The clock was already ticking on Marinelli, and yesterday’s game moved the hands forward a little bit.

source

Can we call for Matt Millen’s head already? Will Jon Kitna still be our quarterback 10 years from now?

Were there any good parts for the Lions?

Calvin Johnson looked great at receiver.
Kevin Smith looked pretty good for a rookie running back.
Roy Williams had a nice touchdown grab.

What about Atlanta? Are they for real? Well, Matt Ryan had a nice debut at QB, but still only had to throw the ball 13 times. That may never happen again. Michael Turner looked pretty good at running back. Ok, he looked awesome, but it was the Stinkin Lions.

Ryan’s first NFL pass was a 62-yard touchdown. Running back Michael Turner — LaDainian Tomlinson’s understudy in San Diego the past four years — followed with 66- and five-yard touchdowns to give the Falcons a 21-0 lead in the first quarter.

Turner finished with a career-high 220 rushing yards. His career high for a season is 502.

source

Be sure to check out my companion blog at NBA Obsessed.

As always, any NFL Football related comments are welcome.

More blogs about football.

NFL Football at its best. NFL Football at its craziest.

Jon Kitna says, “Hey, we aren’t that bad” and then promptly predicts 16 regular season victories

Just a thought…

The Detroit Pussycats…err, Lions have Jon Kitna at quarterback.

The Chicago Bearcubs…err, Bears have Kyle Orton at quarterback.

The Minnesota ViQueens…err, Vikings have Tarvaris Jackson at quarterback.

The Green Bay sent Brett Packing…err, Packers have Aaron Rodgers at quarterback.

What do they all have in common?

Answer: Has there ever been a worse group of quarterbacks in one division in the NFL before?

Be sure to check out my companion blog at NBA Obsessed.

As always, any NFL Football related comments are welcome.

More blogs about football.

NFL Football at its best. NFL Football at its craziest.
In two preseason games Calvin Johnson has now posted 7 catches for 154 yards and looked impressive doing it.

Last year Calvin was not healthy and he played with a sore back. This year is different.

Johnson was bothered by a back injury most of his rookie season. Kitna said Johnson never complained about it but admitted in the off-season he was 65-70% after going down in Week 3 at Philadelphia.

“Being 100% is totally different for that guy,” Kitna said. “He’s a freak of nature.”
source

Calvin Johnson has size and speed. He also has huge hands that are perfect for a receiver. After being drafted second in the 2007 NFL draft there were high expectations with some analysts saying Calvin could be a Pro Bowler for 10 years in a row.

Here is a YouTube of Calvin Johnson.

Be sure to check out my companion blog at NBA Obsessed.

As always, any NFL Football related comments are welcome.

More blogs about football.

NFL Football at its best. NFL Football at its craziest.

Brett Favre wearing a stocking cap over his crown

Image details: Green Bay Packers v Chicago Bears served by picapp.com

The main reason Brett wants to come back and play is to torment the Detroit Lions, according to Michael Rosenberg at the Detroit Free Press.

I’m tired of getting my head beat in. But hey, I love beating the Lions. Nah, I don’t have the energy. But hey, how much energy does it take to beat the Lions?

source

Rosenberg goes on to give examples like last years 20 straight pass completions by the Great One.

My personal sadistic view is that it is fun to watch Brett Favre play and the Lions seem to lose anyway no matter who is the other teams quarterback.

Rosenberg has a final concern.

If Favre and the Packers divorce, who gets the right to torment the Lions? Do the lawyers sort that out? Or is it like joint custody, where they each get to beat the Lions, but not at the same time?

Anyway, Brett Favre has always been King over the Lions. Brett is the Lion King!

Be sure to check out my companion blog at NBA Obsessed.

As always, any NFL Football related comments are welcome.

More blogs about football.

NFL Football at its best. NFL Football at its craziest.

Please change the uniform on Brett Favre to a Lion uniform

Image details: NFC Championship: New York Giants v Green Bay Packers served by picapp.com

Ok, wake me up, that must have been a dream. Brett Favre goes back to pass and Calvin Johnson is open across midfield deep and Brett throws a bullet for a long gainer.

Hey, Barry Sanders is gone and there are never any playoffs, can’t the Lions have Brett Favre?

Although, to me it seems like a great idea, many are against it. Jamie Samuelson blogs for the Detroit Free Press and is on WDFN in Detroit in the mornings and she says Brett Favre makes too many mistakes at crucial moments, kind of like the quarterback we already have.

No, I’m not saying that Jon Kitna is Brett Favre. And I’m probably being a little too hard on both. But come on. The quarterback position is not holding the Lions back. If Favre came to Detroit, he’d certainly generate some excitement. But he’d also get killed behind the offensive line. source

Jamie makes a point about Brett Favre going to a team that is on the cusp of winning and just needs a quarterback. Jamie suggests Minnesota.

Most likely Green Bay would trade him to a team they would not face very often, rather than in the division.

Oh, well, selfish me, time to go back to sleep and dream about Brett Favre with a Lion on his helmet.

Be sure to check out my companion blog at NBA Obsessed.

As always, any NFL Football related comments are welcome.

More blogs about football.

NFL Football at its best. NFL Football at its craziest.
We have been looking everywhere, but they are hard to find.

Who?

The really good NFL quarterbacks, that’s who. Beyond Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, who is there?

Start with the Division my Lions live in, the NFC North.

Uhh, Aaron Rodgers has 1 TD pass to his credit. Some think he is the best QB in the North. Huh?

Tarvaris Jackson depends on running back Adrian Peterson. Last year my Lions beat the Vikings early in the season, before they featured Peterson, just by daring Jackson to throw.

The Bears will start…Rex Grossman? Maybe.

My Lions will go to a running attack as Coach Mike Martz has left for San Francisco and taken Jon Kitna’s stats with him.

So North Division - zero quarterbacks.

The toughest division in the NFL might be the NFC East.

The NFC East seems to be in quarterback order, although Donovan McNabb must remain healthy in Philly and talented Jason Campbell needs to achieve maturity in D.C. It also should be noted that before Eli Manning figured out a few things on the road to Super Bowl glory, he stunk up the joint and finished the season with a QB rating of 73.9.

Tony Romo of Dallas just needs to keep his bye-week vacations a secret.

source

So where have all the quarterbacks gone?

Some claim that the rise of read-option offenses in college football have failed to help quarterbacks develop the necessary skills for the pro game. While the quick-footed among them can shred a college defense, exposing that passer to NFL-level speed off the edge is almost a different game. While the shifty QB is busy reading college linebackers to decide whether he should keep or pitch the ball, that decision making will do little to aid him at the next level.

Maybe all the good ones are just hiding?

Be sure to check out my companion blog at NBA Obsessed.

As always, any NFL Football related comments are welcome.

More blogs about football.