As Charlie Brown approaches the football…
Proof of UFOs is more likely than the Lions making the playoffs
I haven’t been a serious Lions fans since Barry, Herman Moore, Jerry Ball, and Chris Spielman were sporting the Honolulu Blue and Silver. How on earth does anyone take this franchise seriously? Sure I’ve followed the team but any serious amount of interest in the team has been shot down during Matt Millen’s reign of error. The way I’ve tended to gauge the success the Lions are likely to have has been based on coaching. Hire a goofball like Darryl Rogers or Marty Mornhnweg and watch the hilarity ensue.
Post Wayne Fontes, Bobby Ross was a proven coach and he provided one of the few glimmers of hope for Lions fans before the culture of losing forced him to throw up his hands and resign. Here’s a nice anecdote for that situation:
I was a big fan of the decision to hire both Rod Marinelli and Mike Martz, as both coaches have proven themselves at the NFL level. I was clearly overly optimistic on what they could do in their first year at the helm:
I personally think the Lions can go anywhere from the 7-9 Schein predicts up to 9-7. The latter record would probably put them in playoff contention.
Just a bit off! But if there is reason for hope this season it’s twofold: All three main coaches - head coach Rod Marinelli, offensive coordinator Mike Martz and defensive coordinator Joe Barry - are all proven entities at the NFL level; and most turnaround jobs show signs of being effective during the second season if they are going to be successful at all. Just take a look at Lovie Smith’s record in Chicago:
2004: 5-11
2005: 11-5
So if the Lions are going to show signs of pulling out of their 7 year tailspin it will likely occur this season. To that end the team showed some positive signs in their preseason game last night. The offense is going to have to win the team games and that’s exactly what they did last night. Here are some of the key stats:
Total Points: 27 [all generated by the offense]
Avg gain per play: 8.2 yards
Passing Yards: 482 yards
Completion percentage: 63.8%
A good sign is the backups came through and scored the bulk of the points. Jon Kitna only threw 5 passes. Dan Orlovsky made a nice case for being the backup quarterback, going 15-23 for 220 yards 2 TDs and 1 interception. J.T. O’Sullivan was also solid for the Lions. Calvin Johnson - who was technically a backup last night - had two passes thrown his way and he caught both for a total of 45 yards.
The most important thing is that Marinelli change the culture within the organization. This is something Dan Orlovsky touched on in the Associated Press recap of the game:
“Coach Marinelli came in here last year and preached winning, whether it was a 1-on-1 route in practice or a preseason game,” Orlovsky said. “Losing is going to be wiped out as a culture around here.
“Cincinnati is a good team. I think it was really important that we won and showed excitement.”
It’s probably for the best that the offense is going to have to win games for the team as that will contribute to the excitement level. I don’t really think the defense is going to be very good this season. So an offense that is able to move the football and score lots of points will be exactly what the dormant franchise needs to generate some buzz.
The team has some huge obstacles to overcome in the form of William Clay Ford and Matt Millen. If they are to pull out of the gravitational suck of incompetence that has grounded the franchise for 32 years it is going to have to be on the strength of their coaching staff and their offense.
Calvin Johnson Joe Barry Lions Matt Millen Mike Martz Rod Marinelli William Clay FordNo Comments
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