2013 Detroit Lions

[gnome]

There is nothing in this guy's background to indicate he is a First Rounder and Mayhew record of picking losers has been teetering on legendary.

He is like a woman who thinks she can change her man from a drunken lout to a choir boy. He is like a cat lady who takes in strays because they are "oh so cute". Mayhew forgets the cats are covered in fleas and the drunks will just drink some more.

Where is his home-run? Where is the guy he signed who was a putz but changed to a hero once he got to Allen Park?

Suh was already a monster. Fairley? Young? Broyles? Best? Cuthberth? Not Leshore. A very low to middle grade runner with little speed and not enough strength to make third and one a sure thing.

ok, Bell. Joique Bell. An unsigned free agent who came from zero to serviceable. He gets an attaboy for Bell.

Hope is in the future, but its foundation is built from the past and Mayhew's past is littered with nothingness.

[Thruster315]

There is nothing in this guy's background to indicate he is a First Rounder and Mayhew record of picking losers has been teetering on legendary.

I think there's the intrigue right there. Ziggy doesn't have a history worth noting. That could be good or it could be disastrous for this team. I get he's a sort of a feel good story with being from Ghana, he's hardly played the game, his team mates helped him put on his shoulder pads, etc. [[swoon)- but beyond that he's so damn raw. Maybe he did rack up some semi-impressive encumbers in the short time he was at BYU and maybe he did do some impressive things at the combine, but he's stepping into the NFL now where he's going to be taking on guys with experience, a nasty edge, and some improved coaching behind them.

Let's hope the man's got enough impressive raw talent to overcome some of the twists & turns that the other teams are going to heave his way.

Like smoggy said, this guy is going to need some serious schooling from the Lions. And not knowing what his Wonderlic Scores were, I hope he's going to be a helluva fast learner because he's going to need it. The Lions have never proven themselves to being a great place to being coached either so I'm not convinced yet either.

I hear you huffing & puffing, gnome. I hear ya. And I'm onboard with ya.

[gnome]

Wonderlic scores?

i dated her but never scored.

[Thruster315]

Wonderlic scores?

i dated her but never scored.

You should've showed her that third leg you used for booting long distance field goals during the Lions tryouts.

[gnome]

In the name of modesty, I demure any comment.

[gnome]

The silence here speaks to our collective doubt.

in years past, once Training Camp started, there would be a dozen posts about our beloved Leos.

Thoughts? Have we lost our vim?

[Downriviera]

I made my annual trek to training camp today on my mountain bike. Beautiful sunny morning and perfect temps. Stafford seemed to have a little more zip on the ball and looked good. Things seemed more serious this early in camp than on my past visits. They even had referees which I've never seen. They were mostly running plays from the 20, using Stafford and Hill. Also ran some plays out of the end zone. Didn't get to see any individual drills which is what I like to see.

Nice crowd and everyone was having a great time. Like everyone I'm worried about the O line. Sure is odd without Hanson around.

[smogboy]

The silence here speaks to our collective doubt.

in years past, once Training Camp started, there would be a dozen posts about our beloved Leos.

Thoughts? Have we lost our vim?

My apologies for not being around. Being out of the country dealing with family matters isn't exactly the world's best way of being a tried and true Lions fan. I was admittedly hoping that some of the others here would carry the torch a little bit though. No worries though; I've never considered the amount of posters here to be an indicator of us being Lions fans or our loyalty to the team.

What matters is our content and opinion for our hometown team.

That being said- from what I've seen before my digital hiatus was a team that seems hell bent on being an offensive juggernaut. They went after Reggie Bush hard and wanted to rinse the pain of losing Jahvid Best out [[I sincerely wish Jahvid a great life away from playing the game he loves so much but it just wasn't worth his life). What does concern me with the offense is the line. Losing Jeff Backus is going to hurt, although some Backus bashers will claim addition by subtraction. His durability and smarts will be missed but from what I've read- he's still around camp helping out. That offensive line needs to come together and gel ASAP. They don't need to be great but just stout enough for Stafford to get the ball out of his hands and into the likes of Calvin, Reggie, or any of the other weapons we've accumulated.

Defensively I love the Ziggy Ansah pick now. he's raw but given the fact that other teams will have to focus on Suh and Fairley, I can see him shining like no other rookie. He's going to benefit from being on the right team whereas if he went somewhere else, he might not flourish like he's going to here.

Linebackers still don't impress me. Tulloch and Levy are nice and the addition of Ashlee Palmer is okay but I don't see them striking fear into other team's running games. The linebackers are going to count on the front four a LOT and will just plug gaps as opposed to really being a playmaking bunch.

Defensive secondary? Always a mystery to me. I like the pick up of Quin helping out the likes of Houston, but the rest of that squad is going to be a huge question mark. Again, this is another group that will only do as well if the front four can pressure the other team. Secure tackling is also going to be paramount with this group if they are going to succeed on any level.

Another huge question mark is the special teams this year. This is going to be an odd year without Jason Hanson. Beyond Don Muhlbach and John Wendling, everything is up in the air. Drafting Martin in the 5th round had better pay off seeing as how he was the ONLY punter selected in the draft. Did Mayhew muff that choice? Only time will tell.

It's also pre-season football so it's all for looks right now. Nothing is set in stone. We can only be thankful there haven't been any major injuries to this team. It's going to be a long season and I'm glad to be back cheering this team on. GO LIONS!

[smogboy]

I made my annual trek to training camp today on my mountain bike. Beautiful sunny morning and perfect temps. Stafford seemed to have a little more zip on the ball and looked good. Things seemed more serious this early in camp than on my past visits. They even had referees which I've never seen. They were mostly running plays from the 20, using Stafford and Hill. Also ran some plays out of the end zone. Didn't get to see any individual drills which is what I like to see.

Nice crowd and everyone was having a great time. Like everyone I'm worried about the O line. Sure is odd without Hanson around.

I hear the crowds are larger than ever. Nice to know the Lions faithful are still attending these things. One of these days I'm going to have to see these practices in person.

[Downriviera]

I hear the crowds are larger than ever. Nice to know the Lions faithful are still attending these things. One of these days I'm going to have to see these practices in person.

I highly recommend it. I usually go during the week but I went on a Sunday so a bit more crowded with kids, which made it really fun. Kids in Lions jerseys running around throwing footballs and having a blast. Unless you get sideline passes during a game, this is the only way to see plays up close. To see Stafford throw the ball from ground level is amazing. The setting is really good, they had a couple of food trucks and a Lions mobile merch truck. Roary the mascot was there as were the 97.1 ticket chicks. I told them a Mike Valenti dunk tank might be fun but they didn't get it. They give you a roster sheet when you walk in so you can track all the players.

[gnome]

Didn't watch the pre-season game against Cleveland as I was out of town;however, the freep reports our leos sucked again.

True?

[firstandten]

Yes, I turned the game off. Our first team against their first team was not pretty at all. I saw too much of last year in that game and I couldn't take it. I know that playing the NFC East and the AFC North along with our own division is going to be rough in term of making the playoffs

[Thruster315]

Yes, I turned the game off. Our first team against their first team was not pretty at all. I saw too much of last year in that game and I couldn't take it. I know that playing the NFC East and the AFC North along with our own division is going to be rough in term of making the playoffs

Well I saw the Lions Pats game and we actually looked damn good. How and if it'll translate into the real season remains to be seen. Clowned Brady a few times too. They say the third game is the most important in pre-season- but hell if I know. This team teases us and then drops a turd. Meh. It's pre-season.

[gnome]

Has anyone else experienced their posts just disappearing?

[Thruster315]

Has anyone else experienced their posts just disappearing?

Here on this thread? Not me, but then I've been outside enjoying the hell out of this amazing ass weather. Why? You think someone is deleting your incomparable gems of wisdom & knowledge here?

[firstandten]

Well I saw the Lions Pats game and we actually looked damn good. How and if it'll translate into the real season remains to be seen. Clowned Brady a few times too. They say the third game is the most important in pre-season- but hell if I know. This team teases us and then drops a turd. Meh. It's pre-season.

Actually I think the D-line will be real strong this year, especially against the run. Against the pass not so much. I also think the Leo's pass coverage especially man-to-man press coverage leaves lots to be desired. We are seeing the same problems with on field discipline. I am not convinced that our tight end isn't going to stop dropping easy passes. I read where the Lions are picked last in the division not making the playoffs. Of course I am hoping that's not true but I am not sold on Schwartz being the coach to move the Lions to the playoffs

[smogboy]

For those of you that remember Tom Kowalski, the long time beat writer of the Lions- here's some thing happening with his charity:

http://killercares.org/wordpress/

Great cause from a great guy. He will be remembered.

[ejames01]

GO LIONS!!!!

[smogboy]

Actually I think the D-line will be real strong this year, especially against the run. Against the pass not so much. I also think the Leo's pass coverage especially man-to-man press coverage leaves lots to be desired. We are seeing the same problems with on field discipline. I am not convinced that our tight end isn't going to stop dropping easy passes. I read where the Lions are picked last in the division not making the playoffs. Of course I am hoping that's not true but I am not sold on Schwartz being the coach to move the Lions to the playoffs

Our defensive front four plus depth was enough to unseat a fourth round draft pick in Ronnell Lewis. For whatever reason our team suddenly has more depth than what we could've ever hoped for and dare I say it's a bit of an upgrade from VandenBosch and Avril as a whole? They look on paper as though they're going to be able to rotate in fresher and younger bodies in this year.

But like last year we're going to have to lean on this bunch to make things happen. If they can't hurry the passer or press him, that secondary is going to get exposed again. Yes i think we improved with getting Quin, but the rest of them are still very raw and unproven.

I'm not even so sure about our linebacking corps either. If the other team's offensive line can create a seam for their runner to break through the front four, it's going to be work for Tulloch, Levy and presumably Palmer to stop them. We've got serviceable linebackers not playmakers. It's hard to see any of this trio getting to their QB or the other teams backfield to being a force the likes of a Ray Lewis [[and yes I know I set the bar high).

[Thruster315]

Remember years ago when it was Matt Stafford's rookie year- the draft that landed him here? Remember the hullabaloo from some folks to take Aaron Curry first over all? Well I just caught wind that he retired from the NFL. He took a buttload of guaranteed money and is sailing off into the sunset after getting cut from the Giants. The Raiders took him early on, shipped him off to Seattle and he couldn't make the cut with the Giants.

Twenty seven freakin' years old too.

Did the Lions actually dodge a bullet here by not taking this guy first over all or what? It wouldn't have befuddled us one bit but it's nice to see we're not the only dumbasses in the NFL.

[Thruster315]

DONE DONE DONE DONE DONE!

No more of this pre-season stuff now. Let's cut to the real meat and potatoes here. Let's see who lingers around, who goes on the Practice Squad- and while we're at it- let's get the season predictions going. C'mon smoggy- you've been chartered to get the flow chart cooking now. We've seen enough of these guys clawing & scrapping- now it means something.

[admin]

Detroit Sports Discussion Has Been Merged Back Into Discuss Detroit Forum

The primary condition for posting on DetroitYES is simple. It has to be about Detroit, meaning all Detroit – from the international heart cities of Detroit-Windsor through to where farm and forest meet the metro sprawl edge of their suburbs. All Detroit, all the time, all in one place.

In that spirit that we have returned Detroit sports discussions to the main Discuss Detroit forum. To prevent thread proliferation the hard core game, team analysis, current games talk, etc. will be continued in the yearly team threads that have evolved, such as 2013 Detroit Lions thread. Detroit Sports forum has been deactivated and archived where it will remain accessible for reading. Recent and active threads have been moved to Discuss Detroit.

If you feel a sport-themed topic transcends the pure team discussion, please post it. A major free agent signing is team discussion at one level but it is a major business and Detroit celebrity culture story too. It deserves its own thread.

If you wish to start a thread for a team please do so.

[gnome]

Real bad idea.

[Thruster315]

Real bad idea.

I'm inclined to agree, gnome. Granted this thread's been kind of quiet as of late but dare I say the regulars here were pretty knowledgeable fans who had some pretty decent insights into this team? This moving of the thread could open the door to people who watch one game or get all of their info from 15 minutes of listening to Chris Mortenson on ESPN.

I'm just going to roll my eyes skyward as the dopes or the hit-and-run trolls come in here and need be smacked down. I have no problem with anyone who disagrees with me but at least bring the goods to back up your argument. We've always had some pretty good folks here who can bring their knowledge to the discussion.

[firstandten]

Now that the season is starting things are going to get heated in this thread. Especially after I start calling for the Head Coach head and trade that butter fingered tight end six weeks into the season LOL !!