2013 Detroit Lions

**smogboy** · March-12-13, 12:19 AM

Originally Posted by Thruster315

Hell, I think he's borderline NFL Hall of Fame material- but as a Lions fan today, I want him to come back with this team and have a friendly salary number.

Just think if Jason Hanson had played for any other even near contender, he'd almost be a shoo-in for the NFL Hall of Fame. Because the poor guy's been stuck here for his entire career, he might get over looked for that honor some day. I admire his willingness and dedication to stay with one team his entire career. He's definitely been a gem amongst the manure and if there were almost any givens on this Lions team, he'd be the one.

**Thruster315** · April-25-13, 08:16 PM

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Oh great. We signed Ziggy. So much for my proud prediction.

**smogboy** · August-25-13, 10:55 PM

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.

**Thruster315** · September-08-13, 12:13 PM

First set of plays- we looked phenomenal marching it down the field and stall. Only to be followed by a muffed hold. No points for a semi-impressive first touch with the ball.

And now Adrian Peterson guts us from stem to stern with a run from scrimmage?

WTF???

**Thruster315** · September-08-13, 12:27 PM

Two nice drives so far with only three points to show for it. Disappointing? Maybe a little bit but it does chew up some clock. Maybe this year our team can manage the time of possession a little better. The Calvin Johnson catch was properly over turned but I still wish we could've gotten a TD out of it.

Time for the defense to be on the field and kick some ass now. Hopefully.

**Thruster315** · September-08-13, 01:00 PM

One nice thing to say about the Lions so far- Rieff seems to have held up well against Jared Allen so far. He hasn't been man schooled like some people have said.

**Thruster315** · September-08-13, 01:20 PM

Will someone... ANYone, teach Brandon Pettigrew how to hold onto the damn ball? It couldn't be any more difficult than 1) ball hits hands, 2) catch ball, 3) hold onto ball with all your might, and if you have the opportunity 4) run with it but never forget #3. Is it that difficult???

**Thruster315** · September-08-13, 01:27 PM

This has been circus football on both teams. Neither side has been too disciplined. This sure hasn't been an NFL Films bonanza.

**Thruster315** · September-08-13, 01:30 PM

How many touchdowns have the Lions given away already?

**Thruster315** · September-08-13, 01:31 PM

Tip of the ball breaking the plane? OM freakin' Gawd~!

**Danny** · September-15-13, 06:48 PM

Lions lost! to the Cardinals No thanks to the passing interference on the one yard line. Fix that sloppy defence, Schwartz!

**Thruster315** · October-13-13, 01:34 PM

I want to jump up and down, rant and rave but it ain't happening.

First half is in the books and here’s my take so far.

Not much.

Outside of the DeAndre Levy interception there hasn’t been too much to jump off the couch and hoot about. Sure, sure Kris Durham’s doing his best Calvin Johnson impersonation but offensively we haven’t done beans. The running game has been stuffed- whether it be Bush, Bell or even… gasp, LeShoure! And there’s got to be something amiss with Calvin beyond what’s been reported; if he’s able to even out there on the field in any sort of capacity, he should still be the world’s greatest decoy. He also missed a few tosses his way too so it makes me wonder if there isn’t something wrong with his hands too. Edwards & Durham just don’t have the grip of a premier receiver.

Defensively we’re tackling well but they’re still getting some decent runs off of the wildcat. I’d prefer some stuffs and some more coverage sacks. We’ve been staunch in the red zone but I’d almost prefer the Browns never even getting near there.

Somebody needs to go into the Lions locker room and light up an M-80 or something like that to wake this crew up. This has been a pretty lackluster first half without much passion or tempo. We need to dial up this game offensively and defensively. Even if we went into the locker with a lead, this game has been a snoozer but seeing as how we’re trailing these guys, the coaching staff had better come up with a better game plan for the second half to win this game. It’s still winnable.

**smogboy** · October-27-13, 11:06 PM

Today's game was about as impressive of a win as I've seen the Lions have in a long while. It showed how scary impressive Calvin Johnson is. When he caught that pass against three defenders last week- we were impressed. Today he didn't exactly play down a notch either. His catches were impressive AND at clutch moments of the game when we needed him.

And where would he be without a savvy Matthew Stafford and his power arm? Stafford was on fire today. For all of those football gurus [[Ron Jaworski, you listening?) who faulted Stafford for his side arm throws, he surely used them to the team's advantage. Looking at a few of those camera angles of his throws, there was no way a QB was going to throw over the line of scrimmage. His side arm throws, which aren't weak- were precisely what this team needed in order to move the ball down field.

Toss in his football intelligence at the end of the game was just another step in confirming his football savvy and leadership of this team. He came screaming down the field calling for clock and a spike, but when he looked over the line and saw Dallas linebackers snoozing- he took matters into his own hands and scored easily. It wasn't diagrammed, it wasn't called in by Linehan, Schwartz didn't draw this up- it was Matthew Stafford alone who made that final play happen. The offensive line barely got set, the wide receivers didn't even flinch, and obviously the Dallas Cowboys were asleep at the switch as well. Well done for Matthew Stafford and his maturity and comprehension of the game situation.

And we go into the bye week with a nice 5-3 record now. This sits a heckuva lot better than a .500 record. Players will have a chance to heal and have a somewhat nice look at the schedule ahead.

Next up after the bye week will be:

•Chicago without Jay Cutler.
•Pittsburgh which has looked seriously dreadful.
•Tampa Bay which has had more upheaval than the San Andreas Fault.
•Green Bay for Thanksgiving. One can only hope, but it should be interesting to say the least.
•Philadelphia who has had Vick on and off the field with his injuries.
•Baltimore- another sub .500 team at the moment.
•NY Giants which has 97.1 FM's Mike Valenti losing his mind with their horrific play. Eli Manning has seriously regressed.
•Minnesota Vikings and their QB carousel to close out the regular season.

Things aren't looking too shabby for our Lions. Pray for health. Hope for luck. And play hard and smart is all we ask of them.

**rb336** · October-28-13, 05:39 AM

Originally Posted by smogboy

•Chicago without Jay Cutler.
•Pittsburgh which has looked seriously dreadful.
•Tampa Bay which has had more upheaval than the San Andreas Fault.
•Green Bay for Thanksgiving. One can only hope, but it should be interesting to say the least.
•Philadelphia who has had Vick on and off the field with his injuries.
•Baltimore- another sub .500 team at the moment.
•NY Giants which has 97.1 FM's Mike Valenti losing his mind with their horrific play. Eli Manning has seriously regressed.
•Minnesota Vikings and their QB carousel to close out the regular season.

Things aren't looking too shabby for our Lions. Pray for health. Hope for luck. And play hard and smart is all we ask of them.

I had three of those [[GB, Pittsburgh and NYG) as sure losses at the start of the year. Now I think they are winnable, esp. the last 2. The idea that it isn't totally absurd to think of a 12-4 or even 13-3 season is just weird.

**Pickford-Bentler** · October-28-13, 05:47 AM

Originally Posted by smogboy

Today's game was about as impressive of a win as I've seen the Lions have in a long while. It showed how scary impressive Calvin Johnson is. When he caught that pass against three defenders last week- we were impressed. Today he didn't exactly play down a notch either. His catches were impressive AND at clutch moments of the game when we needed him.

And where would he be without a savvy Matthew Stafford and his power arm? Stafford was on fire today. For all of those football gurus [[Ron Jaworski, you listening?) who faulted Stafford for his side arm throws, he surely used them to the team's advantage. Looking at a few of those camera angles of his throws, there was no way a QB was going to throw over the line of scrimmage. His side arm throws, which aren't weak- were precisely what this team needed in order to move the ball down field.

Toss in his football intelligence at the end of the game was just another step in confirming his football savvy and leadership of this team. He came screaming down the field calling for clock and a spike, but when he looked over the line and saw Dallas linebackers snoozing- he took matters into his own hands and scored easily. It wasn't diagrammed, it wasn't called in by Linehan, Schwartz didn't draw this up- it was Matthew Stafford alone who made that final play happen. The offensive line barely got set, the wide receivers didn't even flinch, and obviously the Dallas Cowboys were asleep at the switch as well. Well done for Matthew Stafford and his maturity and comprehension of the game situation.

And we go into the bye week with a nice 5-3 record now. This sits a heckuva lot better than a .500 record. Players will have a chance to heal and have a somewhat nice look at the schedule ahead.

Next up after the bye week will be:

•Chicago without Jay Cutler.
•Pittsburgh which has looked seriously dreadful.
•Tampa Bay which has had more upheaval than the San Andreas Fault.
•Green Bay for Thanksgiving. One can only hope, but it should be interesting to say the least.
•Philadelphia who has had Vick on and off the field with his injuries.
•Baltimore- another sub .500 team at the moment.
•NY Giants which has 97.1 FM's Mike Valenti losing his mind with their horrific play. Eli Manning has seriously regressed.
•Minnesota Vikings and their QB carousel to close out the regular season.

Things aren't looking too shabby for our Lions. Pray for health. Hope for luck. And play hard and smart is all we ask of them.

The side arm issue is silly. Baseball players throw side arm because it is more accurate and allows for a quicker release when the body is moving or subject to something {a runner coming at you from 1B as you turn a double play} that is going to knock you over. If I remember correctly, Jaworski was known for being tough because he would stand in the pocket and set his feet and take the hit. Stupid may get you respect, but it doesn't always win games. That last pass to Johnson was a sidearm sling that was right on the money. To make Jaws happy, the pass to Durham was over the top and also on the money. And because Stafford was not on queer street due to being a "man" and taking the "hit", he had the presence of mind to win the game with the fake spike.

**Thruster315** · November-04-13, 09:39 PM

Sonuva... we might stand a chance in a few weeks. Aaron Rodgers just had his shoulder dinged in the game tonight. Some dude named Seneca is under center now. WHO?? Not that I would ever wish injury upon ANY player in the NFL, but this might bode well for us in the divisional hunt now.

That being said, I'm gonna pray that we keep our health too.

**smogboy** · November-07-13, 12:49 PM

Originally Posted by Thruster315

Sonuva... we might stand a chance in a few weeks. Aaron Rodgers just had his shoulder dinged in the game tonight. Some dude named Seneca is under center now. WHO?? Not that I would ever wish injury upon ANY player in the NFL, but this might bode well for us in the divisional hunt now.

That being said, I'm gonna pray that we keep our health too.

Not that I would ever claim to have yours or gnome's powers of prediction but I'm not so sure of the following few games. Perhaps it's my Lions' burn from years of disappointment- but I still wouldn't put us past Chicago just yet.

We're going to need Reggie Bush to slash the Bears to ribbons this week. It's a game at Soldier Field. I'm sure the Bears remember when we clowned them here at Ford Field and don't want to be embarrassed in front of their home crowd. They might also have a bit of confidence from beating the Packers too.

BUT [[and this is where my Lions' optimism comes to play) if somehow the Lions can beat the Bears on the road and secure first place all to themselves- it'd say quite a bit about this team's maturity, drive and determination.

**smogboy** · November-24-13, 05:59 PM

This was one of those games that if I wanted to, who do I pin the blame on?

And it wasn't even as devastating as the Pittsburgh game where one could point to a few select plays that could've altered the outcome of the game. There were multiple culprits if you will for this loss. And for whatever reason the football gods have still deemed us worthy to be in first place in this division. Chicago choked a chance away and Green Bay couldn't make up any ground with their poor tie to the Vikings.

This team truly is based upon its superstars in Stafford & Johnson today. When those two don't him, this team is lucky to win. And even with those two working in harmony, there are so many lapses on this team- we need luck to win. Let's not take anything away from Tampa Bay either; they were a team that took it to the mighty Seahawks a few weeks back and nearly beat them. The opponents aren't patsies- NONE of them are in the NFL despite what their records say.

It's going to have to stew with me before I can even accurately digest this game and break it down here.

**Thruster315** · December-01-13, 05:31 PM

Hey Bears,

Thanks for choking one away to the Vikings. That 10 point lead went away faster than a Coney fart in a stiff wind. The Bears fourth quarter was almost reminiscent of something our old Lions would do.

I'm thinking aloud that we're going to need every bit of cushion in order to win this NFC North crown. This is going to help and help a lot.

**Danny** · December-09-13, 11:31 AM

Lions still SUCK! They can't play in the snow!

**Thruster315** · December-15-13, 12:11 PM

Sunday afternoon and no Lions game to rant about. But wait... they're on Monday night! And is it just me or does the allure of being on Monday Night Football not what it used to be since they made the jump to ESPN? Where's Howard Cossell? Dandy Don Meredith?

I know it's the ONLY NFL game on Monday night and supposedly the whole nation is watching but it just doesn't have that appeal to me any more.

I'll still cheer for our Lions to win though. Always.

**MotorCityTrikes** · December-16-13, 05:45 PM

Monday Night........... Lions 27- Ravens 24

**Danny** · December-23-13, 07:11 AM

That's it folks LIONS SUCKS! and lost their 4th straight game. They are out of the playoffs. It's was nothing but Matthew Stafford/ Calvin Johnson show. FIRE JIM SCHARTZ! and take Stafford with you.

**Danny** · December-23-13, 11:52 AM

Fire jim schartz now and take matthew stafford with you!!!!

**KJ5** · January-19-14, 07:10 AM

Forget the Same Old Lions.
Who do y'all like in the NFL's final four? I think I'm gonna root for the Seahawks since they've never won the Super Bowl and I rooted against them when they played one here.