Ndamukong Suh Big-Timing Detroit Media: OUTRAGE?

NFL Network showed up to film the Lions’ player-led workouts today, and for the first time, Ndamukong Suh showed up to participate. I’ll let the various reporters’ Twitter feeds break it down from there:

Several fans, including longtime friends of TLiW @jacoblrussell and @Dustin_aka_D, were taken aback by this news. Was Ndamukong Suh big-timing the local media? Was he making a phony show of being a great teammate for the national media? Is his “awesome guy” persona just that—a thin façade  covering a monstrous ego?

As if the lockout weren’t reminder enough, there are two words in the phrase “professional football,” and the first word means it’s their job. These men are paid to do a job, the same as you. Some players see talking to the media as an essential part of that job. Some see it as an annoyance. Some see it as a necessary evil. Some see it as an opportunity to get their face in front of your eyes, when they play a game where everyone’s head is covered. Most see it as some combination of the above, varying by circumstances and mood.

Chris McCosky, Paula Pasche, Dave Birkett, and Tom Kowalski are professionals, too. It’s their job to cover the Lions, to come up with fresh angles, to get good quotes, to keep us informed, to tell good stories, and keep us coming back for more. In the midst of a lockout, such stories have been incredibly difficult to come by—and Ndamukong Suh showing up to the voluntary workouts is, relatively speaking, compelling stuff. Add in a decent quote or two, and that’s a real actual football story they can write, and we can read. To get blown off after doing on the heels spot for the national media . . . it’s understandably upsetting.

It's tempting, as fans, to overreact to this, and assign all sorts of motivation and blame to Ndamukong Suh and his handlers—just like we assigned all sorts of motivation and blame when Suh didn’t immediately sign and report to camp. Remember all that hullabaloo? How Suh went from being the Best Guy Ever to a no-good spoiled money-grubber in a matter of hours? How a few missed days of would leave him scrambling to catch up? How falling behind in his rookie year would set his development back months—or maybe years?  How Lions fans took to Twitter and started hurling invective at Ndamukong and his sister, Ngum?

How’d that turn out?

The mild grumpiness I saw on Twitter about this incident wasn’t out-of-line. I thought it was a little out-of-character for Suh, too. But remember—part of what we love so much about Suh is his intelligence, his personality, his self-awareness, his selflessness, his engineering degree, his marketability, and his ability to be represent the franchise. He’s so much more than a monster between the hash marks; that’s what makes him special. He realizes that people across the nation associate him with the Lions, and the Lions with him—and he needs to maintain that relationship in our minds. He’s taking care of himself and his family first—and c’mon. We all know he’ll be ready for football when football happens, whether he’s pumping iron in Detroit or Lincoln or Portland or Belgrade.

So, don’t crucify Suh for this. It’s one little tiny spot on an otherwise spotless record so far. This doesn’t make him a prima donna or a problem child or Just Like Big Baby or any of that. It’s just another day at the office.

Technorati Tags: nfl,detroit lions,ndamukong suh,media,twitter,tom kowalski,dave birkett,paula pasche,chris mccosky

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Old Mother Hubbard: 2011 Detroit Lions Offseason

not looking so bare this year

Those of you who’ve been reading for a while have, I hope, been waiting for my Old Mother Hubbard series, where I review the performance of every Lion on the roster with a chance to make the next roster. It begins soon, enhanced with film grades from Pro Football Focus. I do my own film review, too, but they grade every snap—and moreover, they do it for the entire league.  As the Lions’ roster has improved, it’s vital that we compare it to the rest of the league for context.

Before, we knew that the Lions were at the bottom of the NFL in terms of talent. We knew the roster was flatly awful. But it’s been so long since we’ve seen truly competitive football in Detroit, judging the Lions against only themselves no longer makes sense. So, this year’s Old Mother Hubbard will try to compare every Lion’s 2010 performance to their counterparts across the NFL. If I do it right, it’ll be like a statistical combine, for veterans.

Ah, that’s right, the NFL combine—it’s this weekend. All of this year’s prospective draft picks—save a few at the very top, and a few at the very bottom—will be doing drills and jumps and lifts and sprints this weekend in Indianapolis. More importantly, they’ll be getting their medical evaluations, and be doing their personal interviews.

All of your favorite writers and reporters are down there to cover it live, from Michael Schottey to Dave Birkett to Peter King.  Also, follow Will Carroll, who besides being awesome knows Indy—and everyone in the industry. Also, follow me, @lionsinwinter—because if you like my blogging, you’ll likely like my Tweeting. Don’t forget to read Tom Kowalski’s articles (and watch his vlogs) at Mlive.com, and for general NFL-wide combine updates, the folks at Scout.com just kill it every year.

As for the NFL combine, you can follow it live at NFL.com, as well as on NFL Network. I always make time for the OL and DL position drills, and I suggest you do, too. Also, the bench presses are fun to watch; the strength coach who usually oversees it is a real character.

As for the Lions, well, I haven’t built out their shopping list for this season yet. But, for the first time in years, they’ll actually be drafting for depth instead of for starters. They’ll be drafting players to sit and learn instead of step in and start.  They’ll be drafting players now to be major parts of their future—you know, like real teams do. In a way, it’s not as exciting; without free agency, we’ll be desperate to hear about lots of new starters coming in the door. In another way, it’s much more exciting—it means the cupboard isn’t bare anymore.

Technorati Tags: nfl,nfl draft,nfl combine,detroit lions

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The Watchtower: Lions Vs. Redskins

Last night, I threw a question out to the Twitter followers: “Should I work on an excellent gameday post, or a Watchtower I likely won’t finish?”  The only answer I got back was from @derylgarland, who said “Will one choice make Michigan’s defense less sucky?”  The answer, of course, was no—so, tilting at a windmill, I started a Watchtower I knew I couldn’t finish. 

Mike Shanahan vs. Gunther Cunningham

Shan	Gun	Ornk	PgG	YpA	YpC	Drnk	PpG	DYpA	DYpC	PTS	YpA	INT	YpC	FumL	Sack
DEN	KCC	9th	24.3	6.81	4.53	1st	15.1	5.41	4.38	7	5.35	2	3.27	3-1	3-14
DEN	KCC	9th	24.3	6.81	4.53	1st	15.1	5.41	4.38	10	6.72	0	4.00	2-2	3-38
DEN	KCC	4th	24.4	6.40	4.50	11th	18.8	6.60	3.78	14	5.20	2	5.96	0-0	2-18
DEN	KCC	4th	24.4	6.40	4.50	11th	18.8	6.60	3.78	34	8.94	2	4.95	2-1	0-0
DEN	KCC	1st	29.5	6.81	4.57	1st	14.5	6.43	3.92	22	7.48	0	3.38	2-1	6-38
DEN	KCC	1st	29.5	6.81	4.57	1st	14.5	6.43	3.92	14	8.95	0	3.40	4-2	1-7
DEN	KCC	2nd	31.3	7.38	4.70	22nd	22.7	6.23	3.81	30	7.83	0	5.86	0-0	1-6
DEN	KCC	2nd	31.3	7.38	4.70	22nd	22.7	6.23	3.81	35	12.50	1	3.21	2-2	2-17
DEN	KCC	18th	19.6	6.17	4.01	13th	20.1	6.02	3.75	10	5.55	2	3.38	4-2	2-16
DEN	KCC	18th	19.6	6.17	4.01	13th	20.1	6.02	3.75	10	6.31	1	4.61	0-0	2-19
DEN	KCC	2nd	30.3	7.46	4.48	19th	22.1	6.32	3.83	15	6.71	1	4.83	2-2	1-11
DEN	KCC	2nd	30.3	7.46	4.48	19th	22.1	6.32	3.83	0	6.69	0	3.79	1-1	2-9
DEN	KCC	9th	23.8	7.68	4.37	29th	27.2	8.05	4.62	34	7.93	2	5.33	3-1	1-9
DEN	KCC	9th	23.8	7.68	4.37	29th	27.2	8.05	4.62	17	7.12	2	6.14	2-1	5-19
DEN	KCC	7th	24.7	6.94	4.68	16th	20.3	6.58	4.10	30	5.97	0	5.97	2-0	2-0
DEN	KCC	7th	24.7	6.94	4.68	16th	20.3	6.58	4.10	27	9.52	2	4.52	0-0	2-19
WAS	DET	22nd	18.6	6.89	4.10	23rd	22.4	7.13	4.79

Here’s why I couldn’t do it: Shanahan and Cunningham have a long, long history of facing each other as coordinators, longer than any I’ve ever written up before.  Dave Birkett of the Free Press wrote an excellent article that explores their rivalry and relationship:

"Like I said, that system is a special system," Cunningham said. "I know a lot about it, obviously. I can run the plays myself."

Over the years, there’s been a tug-of war between the two—but Cunningham has had the upper hand, by Watchtower reckoning.  Looking at their respective units, both men have had some incredible successes; in 1997 Shanahan led the best offense in the NFL against Cunningham’s best defense in the NFL—and in both games, Cunningham’s defense held Shanahan’s offense well below their average on the season.  In the second game, they even held them a half-point below their average allowed!  There are several other examples in the table above where Shanahan’s offense dramatically underperformed expectations.

In 1999, the only season where Cunningham's defense was clearly better than Shanahan's offense, the Broncos were held to ten offensive points in both games—when the Broncos were averaging almost 20 on the year.

The handful of examples where the Broncos met or exceeded their season averages, there’s a common thread: exceptional yards-per-attempt averages.  You see, Shanahan deploys the most run-heavy variant of the Bill Walsh “West Coast” offense: even when his passing game is devastatingly efficient, it’s not for very high yards-per-attempt.  Look at 1997 (highlighted with double-white): the Broncos were the #1 scoring offense in the NFL, yet averaging only 6.81 YpA.  That’s healthy, to be sure, but typically elite offenses average between 7 and 8 YpA.  Now look at the YpC: 4.57.  Shanahan’s offenses are most fearsome when the running game is rolling, not when the passing game is exploding.

Cunningham has thus focused on depressing the rushing yardage—and has been largely successful.  When he’s failed to stop Shanahan is when the passing defense completely fails, and Shanahan’s offense starts racking up atypically huge YpA.  Therefore, I’m comfortable concluding: given greater, equal, or lesser talent, Gunther Cunningham’s defenses have a systemic advantage in depressing scoring, by aggressively attacking the run—but if Shanahan’s offense can counter with the deep pass, this effect is negated.

This season, the Redskins’ offense is ranked 22nd, averaging 18.6 points per game.  The running game is uncharacteristically mediocre (4.10 YpC), due at least in part to Clinton Portis’s groin injury—but Ryan Torain has been an admirable fill-in.  The Skins’ offensive line is aging, though, so if Gunther can do what he normally does against Shanahan, the Lions could depress scoring indeed.  The only question will be, can Donovan McNabb exploit the Lions secondary?  I project the Redskins will score 13-17 points, average 7.00-7.50 YpA, and muster 3.25-3.50 YpC.  I have high confidence in this prediction.

Scott Linehan vs. Jim Haslett

Lin	Has	Ornk	PgG	YpA	YpC	Drnk	PpG	DYpA	DYpC	PTS	YpA	INT	YpC	FumL	Sack
MIN	NOS	8th	24.4	6.60	5.3	26th	24.2	6.42	4.14	32	8.67	0	5.84	1-0	3-19
MIN	NOS	6th	25.3	7.16	4.71	26th	24.2	6.42	4.14	38	6.17	2	6.71	4-1	2-8
MIA	NOS	16th	19.9	5.94	3.69	26th	24.2	6.42	4.14	33	10.34	0	3.73	0-0	6-26
DET	WAS	6th	25.2	5.95	3.63	9th	19.0	6.75	4.69

I’m flat-out running out of time for this part, and I’m deeply sorry.  But we don’t have very good data anyway—Linehan’s offense has had a massive talent advantage every time they’ve met—and have met the expectations that that would engender, doing very very well each time.  The only conclusion I can draw from this is that the Lions will meet expectations—and the Lions, ranked sixth in the NFL with 25.2 points per game, should score 20-23 points against the 9th-ranked Redskins defense.  I have very low confidence in this prediction.

Conclusion

Okay folks, I'm calling it: with Stafford back, a mostly-full home crowd, DeAndre Levy, and a winning streak (!) going against the Redskins, the most likely outcome of the game is a 20-14 Lions victory.

.

Technorati Tags: nfl,detroit lions,washington redskins,jim schwartz,mike shanahan,gunther cunningham,scott linehan,jim haslett

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Tinderbox: Up To Eleven

The Pride of Detroit Podcast interviewed Matthew Stafford on their latest episode, which is very cool.  Stafford says he has in fact let “a couple” of passes rip at full speed, and the shoulder “feels good.”  Jerry Mallory, the host, wasn’t afraid to grill Matthew about Shaun Hill, the Giants, and the Redskins game—so check it out!

As has been reported at Mlive and elsewhere, Stafford is, in fact, taking reps with the ones throughout practice  this week.  Though, as Dave Birkett of the Free Press notes, “the ones” is a pretty loose description of what’s left when you put 18 of the active 51 on the sidelines.  51?  Aren’t there fifty-three on the roster?

No.  Tom Kowalski notes that the Lions have cut DBs Dante Wesley and Paul Pratt, leaving two empty spots.  One of those may be for recently-activated-from-the-PUP Jack Williams, but the Lions technically have three weeks before they actually need to commit a roster spot to him.  Hmm . . .

Finally, I have to give a shout-out to Jim Schwartz and John Niyo.  First to Jim Schwartz, unquestionably the most rock-savvy NFL head coach in the league—and maybe ever—comparing the Lions’ MLB position to “the drummer from Spinal Tap.”  John deftly picked up the reference and ran with it in his latest column, primarily dealing with the Lions’ penalty woes.  For those of you who haven’t seen the film, and for those of you who never tire of it, I leave you with this:

Technorati Tags: nfl,detroit lions

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Tinderbox: Watchtower today!

I’m working feverishly on the Watchtower post; I’m being tripped up because both Giants coordinators have run, or been taught under, several distinct schemes.  I’m trying to figure out what’s relevant data and what isn’t.  In the meantime, here are some excellent links to tide you over:

Dave Birkett of the Free Press wrote a great piece on C.C. Brown's understanding of Eli Manning's game. I'd forgotten that C. C. played with the Giants last year, and has seen an awful lot of reps against Eli.

Tim Twentyman wrote a nice story for the Detroit News about Jeff Backus, and his 150-game starting streak.  Backus has overcome a lot of physical adversity, yes, but this season has also wrestled with some serious personal stress.  Definitely worth a read.

Big Al of The Wayne  Fontes Experience did a cool Q&A with UltimateNYG, Bloguin’s Giants blog.  They have not forgotten that C. C. Brown played for their favorite team last year.  Also, they have similar feelings to my own about their OC, Kevin Gilbride.

If you haven't been following the Adventures of the Great Willie Young, Armchair Linebacker's chronicling of Lions DE Willie Young's epic feats throughout human history, the latest installment reveals Willie’s adventures in the heart of 8th-century China.  Fair warning: Willie (according to the legendary tale of his epic legend) was involved in some seriously not-family-friendly stuff, so if that kind of thing isn’t your thing, don’t bother.

EDIT TO ADD: Oh, one more thing. I don't have a Homecoming post up yet—but this is Homecoming Weekend for Michigan State.  So, if you’re in to MSU football, check out my new MSU football blog, A Beautiful Day for Football.  Wolverines, fret not: I’ll keep TLiW Spartan-free.

Technorati Tags: nfl,detroit lions,new york giants

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Something’s Rotten in Delmas

Sometime during OTAs, Louis Delmas injured his groin.  He missed June minicamp completely, and started off training camp on the PUP list.  With lots of rest, and a little rehab, it was presumed that Delmas would soon be back to normal, running all over the field and making plays as usual.  All seemed to be going according to plan, with rumblings of Delmas returning to practice soon—when out of nowhere, ProFootballTalk.com published a rumor that  Delmas’s injury might not only be serious, but season-threatening:

Though he's widely expected to hit the practice field soon -- indeed, a source with knowledge of the situation insists that Delmas will be ready to go when the regular season begins -- we're hearing that there's quiet concern within the organization regarding the possibility that Delmas ultimately will need surgery to repair the injury.

If you parse the story carefully, you realize something interesting.  Mike Florio and/or the PFT staff heard the rumor about the Lions considering surgery for Delmas, and attempted to confirm with a source—and instead, that source insisted Delmas would be ready to go!  Apparently, the intial rumor was strong enough to run the story anyway, with this foreboding prophesy at the end:

Expect the team and the player to deny the possibility that surgery is needed. But then pay attention to Delmas' health throughout the year -- and whether there's eventually an "aggravation" that results in the player being placed on injured reserve in advance of a procedure aimed at fixing the situation.

This story sent Lions writers scurrying to their figurative Rolodexes:

Chris McCosky of the Detroit News declared the PFT rumor debunked, citing sources calling the report inaccurate.

Carlos Monarrez of the Freep quoted Schwartz as saying "Louis is a short-term guy. We're erring on the side of caution," though The Grandmaster admitted surgery had been discussed at one point.

Tom Kowalski of Mlive.com dismissed the "internet rumor" as well, noting that when Delmas was asked if he had any concerns about starting the season, he said: "Not at all, not at all".

With all the various stories and angles, a picture was emerging: Delmas had seen a specialist, surgery had been discussed, but rest and rehab was thought to be the best option, and everything was on track.  Nobody was worried, it was a short-term thing, and as soon as his conditioning was up to speed, he’d be going full-bore in no time.  But PFT’s story haunted the situation like a specter, filling our heads with terrible knowledge:

Expect the team and the player to deny the possibility that surgery is needed. But then pay attention to Delmas' health throughout the year -- and whether there's eventually an "aggravation" that results in the player being placed on injured reserve in advance of a procedure aimed at fixing the situation.

This grim prophesy weighed on me as I read this week’s practice reports.  Delmas was constantly in and out of the sessions—though Schwartz claimed it was all according to schedule.  But, when Delmas missed practice on Thursday, and admitted he’d be missing today’s session as well, it became clear that he’s not nearly ready for a full slate of full-speed practices and games.  Delmas admitted to the Freep’s Dave Birkett that it’s something that’s going to affect him for quite a while, possibly into the season:

“It’s a groin injury, so the more you beat it up, the more it’s going to affect you in the long run,” Delmas said. “Take one day on, two days off, one day on, two days off; that’ll be the best treatment for it.”

And how long does Delmas expect to follow that schedule?

“The groin injury is never going to heal if you keep aggravating it, so I guess that’ll be something I have to deal with,” he said.

The Lions and Delmas are absolutely right to be cautious with the injury.  Further, if the specialist Delmas saw didn’t recommend surgery as a first course of action, then why do it unnecessarily?  But this is clearly more serious than “a short-term thing.”  I don’t believe that limited practice reps are going to seriously harm Delmas’s play in 2010—but if going full-speed sporadically isn’t “restful” enough for the groin to completely heal before the season starts, Delmas may not be able to go at full speed all year.

Delmas’s impact on the defense last season was immediate, and dramatic.  Given the state of the rest of the secondary, his importance cannot be overstated.  If his groin can’t take the punishment, if he goes under the knife and on the shelf—if, indeed, his noble heart were to crack . . . the rest would be silence.

Technorati Tags: nfl,louis delmas,preseason,training camp

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Sunrise, Sunset: Changes for Mlive.com’s Highlight Reel, John Niyo, Chris McCoskey, & Dave Birkett

They say you leave bad news for Fridays, and . . . well,  Phil Zaroo, over at Mlive.com, has closed the doors on the Highlight Reel blog.  The Highlight Reel was a great place to find stuff other than “what everyone was talking about,” and home of the farthest-reaching Lions link-dump around.  Phil also let me pen an article or two over there.  His Lions writing, and Mlive.com’s Lions coverage, will of course continue at http://www.mlive.com/lions, but the Highlight Reel is no more.

In happier news, the Detroit News’ John Niyo has gotten a well-deserved bump—he’s now a full-time sports columnist.  Chris McCosky takes over the Lions beat, and Tim Twentyman will continue covering the Leos as well.  The Lions

One-time Lions beat writer for the Oakland Press, and current coverer of U-M football for AnnArbor.com, Dave Birkett confirmed via Twitter he’ll be replacing Nick Cotsonika on the Lions beat at the Freep.  This is great news.  Birkett’s stuff at the Oakland Press was always fresh; he always seemed to zig when everyone else was zagging, repeatedly coming up with fresh angles.  Dave’s also been extremely cool to me personally, going all the way back to the beginning.  I’m really excited to be able to read his stuff again.

Watching the carousel  spin like this is hauntingly familiar.  If life reflects art, I guess the media reflects its subject, right?

Technorati Tags: nfl,detroit lions,detroit news,detroit free press,mlive.com,john niyo,chris mccosky,tim twentyman,phil zaroo,sports media

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The game is afoot

Well Martin Mayhew, Tom Lewand, and the fine folks at Octagon Football must have gotten my letters, because yesterday the Lions brass flew Andy Ross and Michael Sullivan in to begin talking contract.  Ross and Sullivan were invited onto the sidelines to watch practice, which is interesting.  As Dave Birkett points out in a great wrapup of yesterday's minicamp workouts, what this means is that the Lions want to be seen negotiating with Aaron Curry's representation.  The fact that they are also negotiating with Matt Stafford and Jason Smith's representation, with far less fanfare (Mayhew even declined comment when asked if he was also talking to Tom Condon, Stafford's agent), underscores to me that they know the fans want Curry, and they want them to think there's a chance.  Either that, or they're trying to convince other teams that Curry's candidacy is heating up; pulling the switcheroo I've been postulating for weeks.  Two easy steps to creating a trade market for the 1.1: convince everyone that Stafford is a mortal lock--then shortly before the draft, leak that you've nearly got Curry signed.  A team in the 1.3, 1.4, 1.5 area that was already getting Aaron Curry jerseys printed up will be scrambling, and the Lions can finally slide back a few spots, get a very good player, and save themselves like $8M guaranteed over the life of the deal.

I hate it.  Sign Curry! C'mon Ross and/or Sullivan!  Negotiate like you've never negotiated!  Come in low, make your client the first #1 overall linebacker in 20 years, and reap the marketing benefits like crazy!

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on quarterbacks

held a press conference (click for Killer's take) yesterday afternoon, in which he adroitly managed to avoid saying very much of anything at all. However, I heard one thing in particular that made me glad:

"In the spring, when we start the first minicamp and the first OTAs, I'll sort of let that determine some of that,'' Schwartz said Tuesday. "We need to see where Drew Stanton is. We need to see Drew Henson. We need to see Daunte. We need those guys to throw. The early part of the offseason program, the first minicamp, the first OTA days, may have something to do with that and our comfort level with those guys."

I heard Dave Birkett's interview on the Huge Show afterwards; from what he said, it was apparent that Schwartz and the Lions really are putting an emphasis on assessing what they have in Drew Stanton before going into the draft.

Now, a quick disclaimer here: I've avoided "coming out" as a DS supporter, partly because so far his career has mostly consisted of an undeserved exile. On top of that, I am a third-generation Spartan who greatly admired Stanton's intelligence, toughness, and leadership at MSU . . . and of course, how lame and predictable is it that I'd root for the hometown boy to make good with my beloved Lions? But perhaps most importantly (to me), I've been burned before.

You see, Chuck Rogers was at State at the same time I was, and I had the pleasure of making his acquaintance a couple of times. The idea of a Saginaw kid, coming to State and blowing away records, and then being the #2 overall pick in the draft to the Lions . . . it was all just too good to be true. Even more incredible to me, this was a guy I'd actually met in real life. Watching his character and his game get dissected live on national TV, for weeks on end, really brought home to me what a completely ridiculous circus this all is, and how much money, fame, power, and greed circles around these kids, these boys, these men. Of course, being completely immersed in the NFL circus my whole life, I bought in wholesale; me and my boy got matching home-and-away C. Rogers jerseys, and that first game was a watershed moment.  We were absolutely jubilant at his two-TD performance. I remember watching the highlight shows after that day, and every once in a while a talking head would slip in, almost as an afterthought, "Oh, by the way, that Charles Rogers fellow found the end zone a couple of times." I actually said out loud, "FOOLS! Don't you see?? It's already begun!!

. . . I can neither confirm nor deny any accusations that I was anything other than stone cold sober at the time.  In any event, we all know how that turned out: with Rogers throwing his jersey to a kid on the way out the door, and the Lions suing him for his signing bonus. With Rogers working out for other teams, barely able to break five seconds in the forty--when he had legit 4.2 speed coming out of college. With Rogers in and out of jail for various petty crimes. With yet another Jersey I Cringe To Wear in Public hanging in the closet.

Now Stanton is a player I have an extra soft spot for, because my then-toddler daughter was introduced to football through him. One of the games we'd play with her would be to point out Drew Stanton every time teh camera closed in on him. In fact, one of the first times she recognized a number was during a Spartan football game, and she started shouting, "Green Number Five!" It took us a little while to realize that she was seeing Stanton and calling out his jersey number: a green five.  When got a little older, my mother taught her to say "Drew Stanton, what a babe!" (gee, thanks, Mom). Ultimately, DS was kind enough to do an autograph session at the Mall, and my little girl actually got to meet the man in person.

Anyway, when Stanton was drafted by the Lions, it was a dream come true, of course. A second-round pick, at just the right time to draft and groom a QB, and a very Millen kind of QB, a tough-nosed, smart, gritty, vocal leader. The kind of player who legitimately hates opponents and wants to beat them--not for glory, not for stats, not for money, but for the sake of victory. The kind of player who can't stand losing, and will give every last ounce he's got to come out on top. That is exactly the kind of quarterback that most Lions fans have been screaming for for years, yet have not ever seen.

I was both thrilled and scared to tell my daughter about Drew Stanton What A Babe becoming a Lion, because deep down I feared that what happened to Chuck would happen to Drew. That the dark presence that hangs over this organization would roll down upon Ford Field and smite him, and DS would never lead the Lions to anything. Sure enough, it's been two whole seasons now; thanks to injuries, blackouts, and the ineffable Will of Rod, my now-twice-as-old-as-she-was-then daughter has still never seen Drew Stanton play for the Lions. She roots for the Buccaneers now.

I tried really hard to not let this burn me. I tried really hard to temper my expectations. I tried for the longest time to justify everything that had happened and convince myself that Stanton would get a fair shake. But I'll state the obvious: if the Lions draft a quarterback with the first overall pick, Drew Stanton will never be the starter for the Lions. If I'm being brutally honest, a not-insignificant chunk of why I don't want to see the Lions draft Matt Stafford is that I don't want to see them give up on DS. If you take a hard look at their career numbers, their production was virtually identical--and Stanton played on much worse teams. If you look at their intangibles, their decision-making, their grasp of the offense (Stanton was a grad assistant his senior year, and actually assisted the coaches in gameplanning) . . . Stanton has everything going in his favor, and Stafford has . . . well, a better arm. To be frank, I think that if the Lions really give DS a chance, and truly evaluate Stafford as a quarterback--not as a passer, as a quarterback--they'll see that they'll be wasting, at least, forty million dollars if they select Stafford #1 overall.

Now, finally, we are hearing that Stanton will get his day. That he'll get the pre-draft minicamp and OTAs to show the Lions what he can do. That he'll get a fair shot to prove to Schwartz, Linehan, Mayhew, and whoever else that he's got enough potential to keep wearing the QB Of The Future headset-and-ballcap. Since the new Lions leadership has yet to fail to do what they say, or say anything they won't definitely do, I'm choosing to take them at their word.

Unfortunately Birkett rightly pointed out that the by the time DS gets his day, the Lions will have already made a decision on Matt Stafford. Schwartz said at the presser that they've already watched every pass Stafford threw in college. Stafford was actually in Allen Park yesterday for testing, interviews, etc. And, as Birkett noted, if you think Matt Stafford is worthy of the first overall pick, you take him. If you think he will be the next Peyton Manning, you take him. If you are comfortable with handing Matt Stafford forty million guaranteed dollars and the keys to your franchise, you do it--regardless of how DS looks in minicamp. Likewise, if you do NOT think he's worth the 1.1, then you DON'T do it--regardless of how DS looks in minicamp. No, the evaluation of Matt Stafford must be done separately from the evaluation of Drew Stanton. All I can do is wait and see, and trust that the Grandmaster knows what he's doing.

Technorati Tags: nfl,detroit lions,drew stanton,matthew stafford,jim schwartz

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be my valentine?

From Dave Birkett's blog, a quote Martin Mayhew on the hiring of Shack Harris as the oft-mentioned "personnel man":

"Mayhew was asked if he'd be OK if Harris voiced strong opposition to his decisions as they related to, say, the No. 1 overall pick. 'There were any number of yes men available, and we didn't pick any of those guys,' he said."

I gotta say folks, I know I have to be all "WTF why didn't they CLEAN HOUSE!!!?!?!?!?!?" in public . . . but I have a secret man-crush on Martin Mayhew.  Sometimes, even the blind old rich dude finds the acorn.

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