2012 Detroit Lions

**firstandten** · September-17-12, 10:28 PM

Agreed smogboy and gnome sometimes a team is just better than you.

**Thruster315** · September-17-12, 10:40 PM

Originally Posted by gnome

Last week I pointed out where the Replacements didn't call Dom being downfield on the Kevin Smith winning TD. I believe the collective opinion was that since the failed call was in our favor, it wasn't in our best interests to complain.

This week a failed call may very well have contributed to our demise. Does it feel different?

I think regardless if we would've had the regular referees or these replacement refs, the calls at the end of the season will balance themselves out. We'll get a few fortunate ones coming our way and then we'll be boned the other way over the span of a season. Call it football karma if you want but things balance themselves out in the NFL. We can't be totally reliant on lucky calls; we should just go out there, kick enough ass so we don't have to worry about a referee's call to determine the outcome of our game.

And I also agree with smogboy. You always get some pretty straight forward observations there. You secretly Van Earl or Stu Klitenic?

**gnome** · September-18-12, 08:02 AM

I must admit I had to google Van Earl Wright and Stu Klitenic. I have a clear memory of Van Earl as being an affable, if slightly shmarmy, sports reporter. Stu on the other hand is recalled as being a boorish lout with a host of catch-phrases and a singular ability to say the wrong thing whenever he opened his mouth. LinkedIn reports Stu is working at The Siding Doctor, inc in Hotlanta.

Nice to know Stu has found a home in the health care field.

**Thruster315** · September-23-12, 04:05 PM

Exciting yes, but will someone tell me how Tennessee won this fiasco?

**smogboy** · September-23-12, 04:28 PM

Somebody walk me in off the ledge, please!

Talk about a heartbreaker. I had a gut feeling this wasn’t going to be an easy game. Here we are feeling pretty good about holding our own against SF last week and we’re taking on a team that’s 0-2 at home. They needed this victory more than we did and it showed.

The few things that absolutely bothered me about the game were our defensive line couldn’t get any sort of pressure on the Titans’ QB. For all the hype, they were stalemated and that’s about as brutal of thing as you can say about a defensive front four. They kept Johnson on check but they still gave Locker far too much time to throw the ball and even have second looks. For a slightly above average QB, having that sort of time is a luxury against our DBs. I don’t recall hearing much of Suh, Avril, Williams, Hill Young, or Jackson’s name mentioned. The one guy that played contain and smart was VandenBosch.

On the fourth down play that ended the game- why the QB sneak with Hill? Why not go with Bell or LeShoure who seemed to be moving the ball downhill every time they touched the ball? They offensive line kept them moving forward and I don’t recall either one of them even getting pushed back once the whole game. I understand that Hill is a veteran and a good one at that, but why not stick with the bread and butter plays that have gotten them there to begin with? Even a slightly cold Kevin Smith would’ve been preferable!

And I’m sure this point will be brought up all week long; Calvin Johnson hardly touching the football and his one touchdown [[which will keep the fantasy geeks happy) was almost a gimme. Why not unleash him in the first half. It’s not like he’s got a born on date on him and he ripens as the game progresses.

We also got beat on the big plays too. I believe they were all of the 60+ yard variety too. Whether they were on special teams [[twice), plucked off the back of Lacey’s numbers or just striped from Pettigrew’s hands- we got burned from the goofy plays. Not once but five times from a team that is not known for their big strike capabilities too.

Ron Pitts the play-by-play guy on the broadcast today was absolutely horrible too. Saying the missed Bironas field goal was made when it was obvious the judges underneath were waving it off was terrible. Giving the Titans the victory with :18 seconds to go was also unforgivable. Just to see the Lions come back and miraculously tie it was fitting justice to hear Pitts eat his words.

I’ll admit that it was very exciting of a game to watch but not in a good way. To see the Lions come back and miraculously tie it up was encouraging but given the play calling and the lack of execution on our part, we should’ve walked all over this mediocre Titans team. We reverted to stupid penalties at the most inopportune times [[ for a while there I thought VandenBosch and Tulloch was giving discounts back to their old team) and we imploded. Tennessee gave us every opportunity to steal the victory and yet we declined. All we had to do was manage it properly; hold onto the football, grind them down with LeShoure, put the fear of God into them with an occasional toss to Calvin, use the secondary receivers, and even resort to the bend, but don’t break defense was okay.

Now that I’ve abused my keyboard with some post game rants, I think I can come back in off the ledge here and stop annoying the pigeons. This game had more emotional ups and downs than a week’s worth of Dallas and Dynasty combined.

**smogboy** · September-23-12, 04:30 PM

Originally Posted by Thruster315

You secretly Van Earl or Stu Klitenic?

After this game I almost wish I was one of them. At least they got out of town.

**gnome** · September-23-12, 05:20 PM

I believe if everyone would refer to my preseason prediction on this game, the answer to our collective WTF would be found.

**Thruster315** · September-23-12, 06:00 PM

Originally Posted by gnome

I believe if everyone would refer to my preseason prediction on this game, the answer to our collective WTF would be found.

Damn you and your turban for being right! One can never say that the Lions didn't provide some hellacious excitement towards the end of the game now.

**Downriviera** · September-23-12, 07:27 PM

I've never seen a team better at snatching defeat from the jaws of victory than our Lions.

**gnome** · September-23-12, 07:53 PM

Apparently that cluster fukkle of a QB sneak wasn't suppose to be a sneak. The plan was for Hill to try and pull the Titans offsides with a hard count, if that didn't work, then hill was to call a timeout as the play clock neared zero.

Unfortunately that plan never reached the O-line in general or Riola in particular.

Dont know who's to blame, but we all get to floss away the remnants of this Sunday's poop sandwich.

And just to harp on my favorite topic of the hoseidorium we are getting from the refs ... That head hit penalty by Tulloch resulted in a 27 yard gain by the Titans. If you recall the play was ruled a completed pass on the field, but the upstairs guys called it incomplete. But the penalty stays. Fine. Except the refs marched off the 15 yards from the Titans 44, not the Lions 44 where the original play started.

**firstandten** · September-23-12, 11:23 PM

We did have some bright spots. First J. Hanson is still dependable. On a team filled with unpredictable players you can count on Hanson. One day when he decides to hang them up the Lions are going to miss him.

The running game is looking up. Leshoure and Bell looked good and ran hard. Hopefully that bodes well moving forward.

Now for the not-so-good part. The D-line couldn't get the type of pressure they needed to help out our sub-par DB's and safeties. If this continues to happen then its going to be a long season, because our D-back field is what it is and without pressure from the front seven they will continue to be exposed. Special teams play left a lot to be desired but I think that correctable. If you read my posts in the past you know I am not a fan of Pettigrew's game. Today just confirmed to me that we need to draft a TE next draft with the purpose of having him compete for his job. For every good play that he makes he drops three passes and that strip was just awful. I think that position can be upgraded.

I think in Calvin's cases, defenses are coming up with all kinds of schemes to shut him down, it seems that Stafford does look for him if he can determine that there is one on one coverage, but I don't think you want to force to many high passes to him in the middle of the field because you will be exposing him to injury

After three games I see a team that is about the same as last year, I see a winning record but not a playoff team. If they somehow make the playoffs they will be one and done like last year.

**Thruster315** · September-23-12, 11:43 PM

Originally Posted by firstandten

We did have some bright spots. First J. Hanson is still dependable. On a team filled with unpredictable players you can count on Hanson. One day when he decides to hang them up the Lions are going to miss him.

Jason Hanson is probably the player of the game. He hits all of his field goals, comes in emergency duty as the punter, and let's not forget that stellar onside kick that was a beauty. He was money today.

**firstandten** · September-24-12, 12:12 AM

Guys I like your thoughts on this, some felt that on the last play the lions should have kicked the field goal and extend the game. I had no problem with the call to go for it just the execution. The way the defense was playing the Titans probably would have scored on their next possession and won the game. Besides I am a believer that if you can't gain a foot then you don't deserve to win anyway.

**Thruster315** · September-24-12, 12:35 AM

Originally Posted by firstandten

Guys I like your thoughts on this, some felt that on the last play the lions should have kicked the field goal and extend the game. I had no problem with the call to go for it just the execution. The way the defense was playing the Titans probably would have scored on their next possession and won the game. Besides I am a believer that if you can't gain a foot then you don't deserve to win anyway.

Honestly I thought the Lions had every chance to win this damn thing. They were marching pretty effectively and had both timeouts to blow if needed. The Lions should've found a much much better way to get that miserable foot of real estate and walked away with a win.

**Thruster315** · September-24-12, 12:36 AM

Originally Posted by smogboy

Now that I’ve abused my keyboard with some post game rants, I think I can come back in off the ledge here and stop annoying the pigeons.

And git your ass off the ledge and back inside. It's a cold one out there tonight!

**Downriviera** · September-24-12, 04:11 PM

After watching the replay again today, it looks to me like Hill made the 1st down with forward progress and the replacement refs spotted the ball wrong as they did a few other times in this game. Bad calls in other games as well. These guys need to go back to their day jobs asap.

**Thruster315** · September-25-12, 08:13 AM

Originally Posted by Downriviera

After watching the replay again today, it looks to me like Hill made the 1st down with forward progress and the replacement refs spotted the ball wrong as they did a few other times in this game. Bad calls in other games as well. These guys need to go back to their day jobs asap.

I generally try not to pin a game's outcome on what officiating can do because I'd like to think [[rose colored glasses here) that things will balance themselves out in the end but after last night's Seahawks vs. Packers debacle... I'm aghast now. The Pack got jobbed in the worst way. Goodell needs to bring back the real referees. I'm not knocking the replacements because they're trying their damndest and I'm not even so sure with this blown call I can pin it solely on them because it went up to the mysterious booth. And where is this booth? Is it right there in the stadium or is it like the NHL where it's based in Toronto and a bunch of eggheads there decide?

Seriously the NFL should just pipe in a live feed to the DYes officiating crew and let us decide the outcomes of games. I know I sure as hell could do a better job of officiating especially after seeing the Alphonse & Gaston call in the end zone.

It's about time Goodell prints a few more million and pay the regular referees. We as fans deserve better. And I know the regular guys will blow a few calls too; that's a given but that's the way the cookie crumbles.

**smogboy** · September-25-12, 09:45 AM

Originally Posted by Thruster315

I generally try not to pin a game's outcome on what officiating can do because I'd like to think [[rose colored glasses here) that things will balance themselves out in the end but after last night's Seahawks vs. Packers debacle... I'm aghast now. The Pack got jobbed in the worst way. Goodell needs to bring back the real referees. I'm not knocking the replacements because they're trying their damndest and I'm not even so sure with this blown call I can pin it solely on them because it went up to the mysterious booth. And where is this booth? Is it right there in the stadium or is it like the NHL where it's based in Toronto and a bunch of eggheads there decide?

Seriously the NFL should just pipe in a live feed to the DYes officiating crew and let us decide the outcomes of games. I know I sure as hell could do a better job of officiating especially after seeing the Alphonse & Gaston call in the end zone.

It's about time Goodell prints a few more million and pay the regular referees. We as fans deserve better. And I know the regular guys will blow a few calls too; that's a given but that's the way the cookie crumbles.

This solely falls on the NFL's shoulders. The blown call was reviewed in the booth by the regular NFL replay officials and not under the jurisdiction of the replacement referees. While the on field referees have blown numerous calls, we really have no guarantees that the regular referees couldn't have blown the call either. We have to have faith that whatever officials they have out there will make the right calls.

What boggles my mind is that in this day and age with instant replay is that the league doesn't refer to it more often. Is it really going to delay the game that much? I'd much rather that they make the right call [[win or lose) than to lose it because we were rushed. Give the coaches more than two red flags if need be. Over turn the wrong calls and admit to human error; we'll understand as fans.

**gnome** · September-26-12, 01:55 PM

The Refs and Goddell are locked in small room hashing out an agreement, at least according to the media.

So now we are going to get Mr. BigArms back but he has not had a second of preseason to tune his game. Expect more WTFs as this season progresses.

---
the Vikes are rowing their Longship through the Soo locks and will be here for a 1pm tilt. They looked pretty strong against SF. Really strong. We looked like a lot of things,but strong wasn't one of them. Unless Sckwartz tunes up our passing game, expect a fist to the teeth.

**Thruster315** · September-27-12, 10:24 AM

Originally Posted by gnome

The Refs and Goddell are locked in small room hashing out an agreement, at least according to the media.

So now we are going to get Mr. BigArms back but he has not had a second of preseason to tune his game. Expect more WTFs as this season progresses.

EIGHT years of having the regulars back now. They hammered something out- and after that debacle call, they had to.

We'll still bitch and moan at the bad calls but as fans, we should. The biggest difference will be the time between making the calls; no more stalling, unsure, and befuddled looks.

**Thruster315** · September-30-12, 03:26 AM

I'm not sure why, but something says that we're going to do pretty well agains the Vikings today. Maybe it's indigestion, the bunion flaring up, or the wind blowing right- but I'm quietly confident today for our Lions.

**firstandten** · September-30-12, 04:42 PM

On a very basic level once you get past scheme's and strategy football is about blocking and tackling. Now just because you can block and tackle doesn't mean that you will win but without it you definitely won't win. The Lions flat out can't tackle its been like that for years. I saw it last year even with the improvement of the team. Its especially noticable when offensive guys are out in space forcing the defense to make one-on-one tackles. This is something west coast style offenses exposes on the Lions on a regular basis.

Its also evident with their special teams plays, as we saw today.

I put this directly at the feet of coach Schwartz. Coach cannot put up with this sloppy tackling on a week in week out basis. Yes, he's not making the plays but he's the coach putting up with the sloppy fundamentals. We know a coach gets what he demands and evidently coach doesn't put enough emphasis in that aspect of the game. I get tired of the pathetic arm and shoulder tackling and diving at guys and coming up with air.

There's no way a team should beat you solely on special plays and not from the LOS, and the special team plays you missed numerous tackles.

Right now we are looking at a .500 team at best

**softailrider** · September-30-12, 10:36 PM

Originally Posted by Thruster315

I'm not sure why, but something says that we're going to do pretty well agains the Vikings today. Maybe it's indigestion, the bunion flaring up, or the wind blowing right- but I'm quietly confident today for our Lions.

Never heard Ford Field as loud as it was today for the Vikings game. The crowd came out, they were more into it then any game I've ever been to at that stadium. The Lion's were flat, not only were they never really close, they were a bore from beginning to end.

**smogboy** · September-30-12, 11:55 PM

Originally Posted by softailrider

Never heard Ford Field as loud as it was today for the Vikings game. The crowd came out, they were more into it then any game I've ever been to at that stadium. The Lion's were flat, not only were they never really close, they were a bore from beginning to end.

I always got the feeling that in years past that we fans were the 12th man on the field. And while I wasn't at the game earlier I saw bits and pieces of it and heard Dan Miller/ Jim Brandstatter make the radio call. Knowing that we gave up so much on the Special Teams was brutal especially early on.

Dare I say we were never this inept under Stan Kwan even! Given the opportunity to go our offense to their defense and our defense against the Vikings offense, we should've won that game. Instead the much unheralded third unit, the Special Teams ends up sucking eggs this time around.

We just couldn't counter punch in this game. The Vikings roared out of the gate and dictated the pace from the first play. And whereas last season we counted on some minor miracles, the sure hands of Calvin Johnson & others- we just couldn't pull one out of the bag. Last season Pettigrew tore them up slipping in between their front four and linebackers- and while it looked as though he managed some of that, he had a case of the slippery paws again. I don't know Schwartz & Co. are remedy that situation either. How does one coach concentration? They can draw up all the X's & O's they want but how does a coach get a player to be more focused other than repetition, repetition, and more repetition?

While I'm not about to declare this team a bust by any means, the Lions will also have a bye week to mull over just what they need to work on. Not meaning to be mean but I hope it eats at them and really makes them realize that it's a fine line between winning in the NFL. The teams that can overcome that fine line elevate and become champions; the others fall back into the wannabe category.

**firstandten** · October-01-12, 08:06 AM

Originally Posted by smogboy

I Last season Pettigrew tore them up slipping in between their front four and linebackers- and while it looked as though he managed some of that, he had a case of the slippery paws again. I don't know Schwartz & Co. are remedy that situation either. How does one coach concentration? They can draw up all the X's & O's they want but how does a coach get a player to be more focused other than repetition, repetition, and more repetition.

As Bobby Ross used to say BUS TCKETS !