2019 Detroit Lions

[rickbak]

I can watch the other sports when there's no hope for the playoffs but not football. You can still look at how younger players are developing for the future in other sports but with the NFL, with half the roster turning over every 2 years, it's playoffs or bust. It's also the reason you should be able to turn things around pretty quickly. Buffalo was a total joke 2 years ago. I guess it applies to everyone but the Lions.

It could happen next year with the Lions, though I wouldn't bet the fair on it [[mostly cuz I don't own a farm). The positive signs are that they have been in every game so far this season---actually led in every game---so there's that. They've been competitive, even though they obviously don't know how to close the deal.

I'm thinking another year to acquire new bodies and things to jell philosophically, combined with the softer schedule they'll get because of their lousy record, might---might---be enough to get them over .500 and into the playoffs.

Then again, I'm thinking Salma Hayek is gonna ask me to spend a week with her in the South of France. We'll see which fantasy happens first.

[Smirnoff]

Those two Boston rookie dudes w/no experience need to try their experiment[[s) somewhere else, its not working, maybe a jack-in-da-box franchise.

The NFL fined the Lions $75,000 as an organization and handed down personal fines to head coach Matt Patricia [[$25,000) and general manager Bob Quinn [[$10,000) for violating the league's injury report policy for failing to properly update Stafford's game status prior to a Nov. 10 loss to the Chicago Bears.

[EastsideAl]

Week#14 NFL Power Rankings:

30. Detroit Lions

At some point in the season -- let's clock it around late September -- the Lions lost any ability to close out games. Detroit has lost eight of nine, but the free-fall wouldn't have been so pronounced had the Lions handled their business. We saw that again on Thanksgiving, when a 17-7 second-quarter lead became a 24-20 loss to the Bears. At least the Lions have a feel-good story in David Blough, whose first career completion was a 75-yard touchdown to Kenny Golladay. The third-string QB led the Lions to another touchdown on their second possession and threw for 280 yards against a top defense. We'll see more of the undrafted rookie, too: The Lions moved Jeff Driskel to injured reserve on Saturday with a hamstring injury. With Driskel done and Matthew Stafford [[back) in limbo, you Bloughhards out there are in for a treat.

A lot of the Lions inability to close out games has to go back to the GM & coaching staff. For one thing, a team that can't run the ball consistently is going to have difficulties running down the clock. This has led to too many 3 and outs in crucial situations where a first down or two would've made a lot of difference. Exacerbated by the inevitable incomplete pass on 3rd down, stopping the clock.

Even more important though, it seems to me, is the Lions inability to sustain any sort of pass rush late in games. The refusal to blitz by Patricia and Pasqualoni means that teams can just pick up the rushing down linemen and give their QB seemingly infinite time to pick the pass defense apart. Some of this may be a conditioning issue too. The Lions have brought in a lot of huge slowish guys on both lines, and late in games the D-line has looked gassed as hell, while the DBs are getting run all over the field.

The Lions do seem to consistently have similar problems putting a whole game together though. For a few years they seemed to be often falling behind early in games and waiting for Stafford to pull out a miracle, which he sometimes did against lesser teams. Now it's the opposite problem. Lions do remain frustrating as always though.

[Tig3rzhark]

https://www.wxyz.com/sports/lions-co...porting-policy

Lions just got fined 75k dollars. That's what happens when you got a team that has poor management.

[rickbak]

https://www.wxyz.com/sports/lions-co...porting-policy

Lions just got fined 75k dollars. That's what happens when you got a team that has poor management.

That's a year's salary for a lot of people. But in today's NFL, guys like Stafford make that much, what, every 14 seconds?

I have a feeling the Lions are gonna have their asses handed them today by the Vikings. Might be the first blowout of the season. But hopefully not.

[rickbak]

OK, 17-0, bored out of my mind, out to rake the leaves. We're looking at a final 31-7, 34-10 kinda game. The wet leaves and 2-day-old dog poop are more enticing.

[ggores]

OK, 17-0, bored out of my mind, out to rake the leaves. We're looking at a final 31-7, 34-10 kinda game. The wet leaves and 2-day-old dog poop are more enticing.

Truer words never spoken sir.. or ma'aam.

So many great games this weekend - SEC championship and the BIG TEN championship, just to start. Heart-wrenchers each one was! UGGGGH! LSU? Oy!

For the first time in a long time, I had zero interest in the Lion's game today. Didn't even bother to find out the spread on this one [[I'm guessing it was Lions +1?) I listened to no more than 10 seconds on the radio while driving out the WalaMart parking lot. It was, at the time, zero - zero. And right now, NE trails KC 23 to 13 and it is still a GAME. Now that's a game.

It is troubling the way they are dealing with this "Stafford Situation". Sheesh, this kid could have easily had at least three Super Bowl appearances with the... the... the Cowboys?

[softailrider]

One of the big questions always was: what happens if Matthew Stafford gets hurt? Now we know the answer, the Lions lose every game.

[Danny]

Same ole' losing bad ole putty tats Detroit Lions. Can't even stop the Minnesota Vikings invasion and plunder. 20-7 3-9-1 Thirteen down three to to go! Losing games after Barry Sanders left. Give it up Pat, leave!

[Danny]

USA Today 12-games played report card:
Detroit Lions

Matt Patricia is on the hot seat as the Lions find ways to lose week after week despite being in the lead. The team can't close anything except the book on another meek season. Can't blame everything on the absence of Matt Stafford. It doesn't appear as if he would have made a difference for this team. Grade: D-minus

Here is report card.

1. Coaching D-

2. Offensive D-

3. Defensive D+

4. Seasonal Wins F

Patricia is FLUNKING!!

[Tig3rzhark]

Looks like Matt Patricia is going to have to go back to school. You think that the NFL would show us mercy and end our season this week, but Ford just won't let it slide.

Well there's the bright side, the Green Bay Packers are the ones that will put the nail in the Lions coffin for this season, and bury it six feet deep.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

Both are signed through the 2022 season.

Should have signed both those clowns, to 1 year deals. Pay for performance, not potential. Season started somewhat promising, aside from the tie with the Cards when they led the whole game until the end and OT. At one point, they had the lead in all of their games. Then, the injuries. They traded Quandre Diggs to Seattle, and he's making plays all over the place. Then the defense went south, now they are playing out the string, as usual. I truly hope Quinn and Patricia are gone, after the season. Jim Caldwell's leash wasn't long, neither should theirs be.

[rickbak]

Nah, the Lions will keep Quinn & Patricia at least through 2020, maybe '21. While I wasn't convinced of either guy's genius when hired, and even less so now, the case can be made that it sometimes takes 3-4 years to implement a new management/coaching philosophy. I think the key is next year, Patricia's third. Anything close to respectability---say, 8 wins at least, considering a softer schedule and another offseason's worth of draft picks, trades, and free agent signings---will buy time, another season or two.

But if the Lions collapse again next year---say only 4 or 5 wins---I see Patricia being asked to pack his pencil case and leave town. But Quinn will stick around since he'll honcho the search for [[yet another) new coach that will "return the Lions to glory" [[or whatever bullshit the front office spouts).

Then again, these are the Lions. When you think about all the dark years and obvious signs of incompetence during the Russ Thomas and Matt Millen eras---and still those clowns were not only allowed to stay on, but got contract extensions---you just gotta shake your head. Who said it---"What's a guy gotta do to get fired around here??"

The bottom line: Patricia can't fuck up 2020.

Maybe he should shave that beard for good luck. Could fill a couple mattresses with that hair.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

^^For God's sake, I hope you're wrong. Both of them need to be dismissed, NOW!!

[p69rrh51]

As I have stated before "WHO CARES." Its a waste of time to pay attention to the team until they at least they play in the Super Bowl.

[rickbak]

As I have stated before "WHO CARES." Its a waste of time to pay attention to the team until they at least they play in the Super Bowl.

Ah, fair-weather patriots [[or Patriots?). As aggravating and soul-sucking as it I can be to watch the hometown boys stumble and bumble, it'll be that much sweeter if and when they finally win a title.

Remember how long the Wings were lost in the desert? I was all of a year old when they won their last Stanley Cup in 1955. By 1997 I was 43 and we'd all lived through 4 losses in the SC Finals in the '60s, the Dead Things of the '70s, the embarrassing Finals sweep by NJ under Bowman, the bitter rivalry with Colorado, until finally---after 42 freakin' seasons---winning the Cup. And then we grabbed another Cup the next season. And a couple more in the 2000s. Sports has always been cyclical, and fans cynical.

As is often pointed out, it's the journey, not the destination.

But, yeah, 62 years is a long fucking time for Lions fans. This town will bust loose when they win a championship. Hope we're all allowed out of the nursing home to attend the parade down Woodward.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

Saw on WDIV Sports Final Edition, where Jamie reported that the Lions are bringing the band back, for another year. How stupid is this?

[softailrider]

Their are only 32 NFL teams in the world. The Ford family owns one of them, it’s a very elite group to say the least. It’s also the equivalent to a license to print money. That isn’t going to change if the fire Quinn and Patricia or they bring them back. If they fire them, then the Fords are on the hook for 10 or 15 million in salary’s for those two [[not sure what the actual number is, but it’s a lot)

Do I think Mrs. Ford wants to win? Yes, I think she does. But I think she likes money more.

[Smirnoff]

As I have stated before "WHO CARES." Its a waste of time to pay attention to the team until they at least they play in the Super Bowl.

Decades of losing is accepted, the norm, & culture .....

[Danny]

Same ole Lions! They are good for one thing losing games. Those Buccaneers cut those bad ole putty tats 38 to 17. 3-10-1 Fourteen down two to go. Sell the Lions Ford family!

[Hermod]

No one wishes to comment on the Denver game? Sigh. I guess they have descended into total apathy.

[softailrider]

No one wishes to comment on the Denver game? Sigh. I guess they have descended into total apathy.

Big question to me [[among many others) is: why do they not have a decent backup QB? Other teams don’t fall off the map when their starting QB goes down. They had Conner Cook in the preseason, he had to be better then this group they have trotted out.

[Ray1936]

Don't be surprised when the franchise moves to Oklahoma City or Albuquerque. Likewise the Tigers and/or Wings. Detroit is dying, and the owners know it. [[Hey, just funnin'......Merry Christmas, y'all!)

[Pat001]

Coach Patricia has the best post-game patter of any NFL coach. If you transcribed what he says, it's a string of meaningless BS cliches.

[Smirnoff]

Everyone with just a little common-sense truly believes; "its not how you start, but how you finish". Apparently, the owner[[s) focused on the season start & liked what they saw to bring those two-rookie-loser-clowns back for another season[[s)?



Matt Patricia's Record: 9-21-1, last in the NFC North both years, only 1-win vs a team with a winning record.....oh, and don't worry about the draft picks, leave it for the next head-coach replacement to criticize the inept selection mistakes.