2008 Detroit Lions Thread

Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Choose or lose: Lions have No. 1 pick -- for better or worse
John Niyo / The Detroit News

ALLEN PARK -- Be warned, Lions fans: The life vest the NFL is about to toss you comes with hidden weights.

At 0-15 after Sunday's 42-7 loss to the Saints, the Lions clinched the No. 1 overall pick in April's draft. And while that could be the silver lining amid the dark clouds of this season's record-setting futility, there's also a catch.

"Some years, there isn't a first pick in the draft," said Charlie Casserly, a former NFL general manager with the Redskins and Texans. "So sometimes you can be unlucky as to the year and the talent."

In 2005, for instance, the 49ers cast their lot with Utah quarterback Alex Smith with the No. 1 pick, signing him to a six-year, $49.5 million contract with nearly half of that money guaranteed. Three injury-plagued seasons later, Smith has thrown just 19 touchdown passes with 31 interceptions, and he hasn't played a down since November 2007.

It's a cautionary tale, but it's hardly the only one in today's NFL, where top-end rookie salaries have skyrocketed over the last decade. Michigan's Jake Long signed a five-year, $57.75 million contract -- with $30 million guaranteed -- as last year's No. 1 pick. That trend hasn't gone unnoticed, either, as league owners and the NFL Players Association brace for a labor fight in 2010-11. Responding to Long's contract, among others, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told the Associated Press in June, "There's something wrong about the system."

Likewise, if you think the easy solution is to simply trade the No. 1 pick for a stockpile of lower draft choices, think again.

"You can't trade the pick," said Casserly, now an analyst for CBS Sports. "There was a time you could. You can't trade it. Nobody wants it. Now, that's a generalization, I know. But it's holding true, because of the money involved."

In 2006, Casserly had a quandary holding the No. 1 pick with the Texans. The fans were clamoring for Texas quarterback Vince Young or USC's Reggie Bush, while his scouting department was telling him North Carolina defensive end Mario Williams was the pick. Trading down wasn't an option.

"We did not have one offer," Casserly said. "In fact, one team jokingly wanted us to give them something to take the first pick."

Casserly used what little leverage he had left and began negotiating with representatives for both Williams and Bush, eventually signing Williams to a six-year, $54 million deal -- half of it guaranteed money -- the day before the draft. He took plenty of heat for that choice, but Williams, in his third season, was named a Pro Bowl starter earlier this month.

No easy choices

The Lions likely will face a similar choice in April, when there could be as many as 20 underclassmen drafted in the first round -- or as many as there were in the first two rounds a year ago. Juniors are expected to enter this year's draft class in record numbers to get into the league under the current collective-bargaining agreement.

"What Detroit obviously has to hope that the quality of the junior class is such that there's a player there that is deserving of a No. 1 pick and fits one of the needs they would like to fill," Casserly said. "When I say that, what you want is a big-money position -- a quarterback, a defensive end, a running back. What you don't want is for the best player in the draft to be a center or a guard or a defensive tackle or a safety, or something like that."

At the moment, two quarterbacks -- Georgia's Matthew Stafford and Oklahoma's Sam Bradford, the Heisman Trophy winner -- are at the top of most draft projections. Both are underclassmen -- Bradford is a third-year sophomore -- but each is expected to declare for the draft this winter.

And while ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper said he isn't ready to choose sides in the Bradford-Stafford debate yet -- "It is a tough decision," he said -- he does have some unsolicited advice for Lions general manager Martin Mayhew, or whomever will be making the selections in April.

"I think, if you're the Detroit Lions with the No. 1 pick, you've got to take a quarterback," Kiper said.

Alabama's Andre Smith, an offensive tackle, is another top draft prospect. And the draft should be loaded with talent at linebacker, with the likes of Aaron Curry (Wake Forest), Ray Rey Maualuga (USC) and James Laurinaitis (Ohio State) impressing scouts.

But the Lions, whose last Pro Bowl signal-caller was Greg Landry in 1971, are still searching for that elusive franchise quarterback. The team has four quarterbacks signed for next season in Jon Kitna, Daunte Culpepper, Drew Stanton and Drew Henson, while current starter Dan Orlovsky is scheduled to be a free agent.

"Look, this league is quarterback-driven," said Kiper. "There's a lot of second-round quarterbacks that everybody says are the next Drew Brees that can't see the light of day in the NFL. So this notion that you can take, say, Andre Smith, and then maybe get a Josh Freeman from Kansas State or a Nate Davis from Ball State with the first pick in the second round -- that's all fine if they're the next Drew Brees. But if they're not?

"I mean, hey, Drew Stanton was a second-round pick. Has he done anything? Miami passed on Brady Quinn (in 2007) and took John Beck, and John Beck hasn't done anything -- he's not even the second-string quarterback."

In a season seemingly devoid of answers in Detroit, it seems the questions have only just begun.

QB qualities

ESPN's draft expert Mel Kiper on Matt Stafford and Sam Bradford:

• Stafford: "Stafford has the great arm: He makes throws that nobody else can make in college football, and that has great value. He has gotten better with his touchdown-interception ratio and completion percentage every year at Georgia, and he didn't have a great offensive line in front of him like Bradford did. He has dealt with adversity in the pocket, dealt with pass pressure, and that's something Bradford hasn't.

• Bradford: "But if you look at Bradford, he's one of the smartest quarterbacks you'll ever see. He's 6-foot-4 -- ideal height -- and his accuracy is off the charts. That's a key to being successful in the NFL. He's mobile enough -- when he has to move, he can move -- but he's not pressured, so we don't see him do it. So that's something you won't see until he gets to the NFL, because he has a great offensive line at Oklahoma -- three of those lineman are going to be NFL players."

Prized players

A look at the top prospects for the NFL draft:

x-QB Matt Stafford, Georgia: Junior has All-Pro arm and has improved each season in tough SEC.

x-QB Sam Bradford, Oklahoma: Accuracy, efficiency off the charts, but how much of it is the system?

x-OT Andre Smith, Alabama: Monster left tackle (6-4, 330) won Outland Trophy

x-OT Michael Oher, Mississippi: Physical specimen can dominate, but inconsistency raises questions.

LB Aaron Curry, Wake Forest: Butkus Award winner rising quickly on draft boards

x-WR Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech: Redshirt sophomore was nation's No. 1 receiver - again.

DE Brian Orakpo, Texas: Pass-rushing ace won Nagurski Award but could play LB in NFL.

CB Malcolm Jenkins, Ohio State: Four-year starter excels in coverage but can tackle, too.

LB Rey Maualuga, USC: Packs punch with size and speed but slowed by injuries in '08.

x-RB Chris Wells, Ohio State: Big, powerful back has his detractors but hard to overlook.

• x-Draft-eligible underclassman who has yet to declare.

Lions' No. 1 overall picks

Year	Player		Years played	Pro bowls
1980	RB Billy Sims (Oklahoma)		5	3
1950	E Leon Hart (Notre Dame)		8	1
1943	HB Frank Sinkwich (Georgia)		4	0

Last 10 No. 1 picks

Year	Player	Team	Years played	Pro bowls
2008	OT Jake Long (Michigan)	Miami	1	0
2007	QB JaMarcus Russell (LSU)	Oakland	2	0
2006	DE Mario Williams (N.C. State)	Houston	3	1
2005	QB Alex Smith (Utah)	San Fran.	4	0
2004	x-QB Eli Manning (Mississippi)	x-San Diego	5	1
2003	QB Carson Palmer (USC)	Cincinnati	6	2
2002	QB David Carr (Fresno State)	Houston	7	0
2001	y-QB Michael Vick (Virginia Tech)	Atlanta	6	3
2000	y-DE Courtney Brown (Penn State)	Cleveland	6	0
1999	y-QB Tim Couch (Kentucky)	Cleveland	5	0

x-Traded to N.Y. Giants; y-no longer in NFL.
You can reach John Niyo at (313) 982-3810 or John.Niyo@detnews.com

Vick will be back


Sadly!

With the first pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions select Michael Crabtree, wide receiver, Texas Tech

catbox_9 wrote:

With the first pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions select Michael Crabtree, wide receiver, Texas Tech

Where is this info from?

Saturday, December 27, 2008
Lions at Packers: 1 p.m. Sunday
Can Lions cancel date with infamy?
To do so, they need to get a rare victory at Green Bay
John Niyo / The Detroit News

ALLEN PARK -- If hell freezes over, Travis Fisher will be happy to walk home.

The Lions have smartly declined to guarantee victory this weekend as they try to avoid a historic 0-16 season. But when asked Friday after the Lions' final regular-season practice what it would mean to end this dreadful season with a win -- especially at the Packers' Lambeau Field, where they haven't won since 1991 -- Fisher, one of the team's starting cornerbacks, couldn't help himself.

"Hey, if we win, man, I ain't catchin' the plane back home," Fisher said, laughing at his own misfortune. "I might walk. I'll walk back to Detroit. You can hold me to that. That's a guarantee: I'll walk back."

By now, laughter might be the only medicine for what's ailing the Lions, whose staggering march toward infamy has gathered a head of steam and national following the last several weeks. To wit, NFL Films has tripled its staffing for Sunday's game between the Lions and the Packers (5-10), assigning a half-dozen camera operators. Not because of its playoff implications -- there simply aren't any -- but for much the same reason folks buckle their safety belt in the car: just in case something bad happens.

"Yeah, you're hearing things," quarterback Dan Orlovsky said. "But if we can't deal with the national attention of being an 0-15 team, then we've got a long way to go. If you can't deal with the pressure of this, you're in the wrong profession. ...

"Sure, it's a daunting task, or whatever you want to say. I'm sure everyone will be betting against us. But I don't understand how every guy in here (wouldn't) treat this game like it's the last game he has ever played. Because it's embarrassing to be 0-16."

But given the embarrassing run of bad luck -- and bad football -- that has befallen the Lions at Lambeau, the rubbernecking is justified. The Lions have lost 17 consecutive road games against Green Bay, dating to Dec. 15, 1991, two weeks before the official end of the Soviet Union.

Orlovsky, who'll take his first snaps against the Packers in his seventh career start Sunday, was an 8-year-old when Wayne Fontes & Co. celebrated that last win in the bitter cold. Veteran kicker Jason Hanson was a college senior about to be drafted by the Lions, and now in his 17th NFL season, he's still looking for his first win at one of pro football's storied venues. He's seen everything from the 16-12 playoff loss in 1994 to the ridiculous 16-13 overtime loss in 2005, when Samkon Gado's near-safety nearly ended the skid.

"But we've had so much turnover -- guys that are here now weren't here four to five years ago," Hanson said. "So their history at Lambeau isn't the same as someone like me who has been there for the whole (time)."

Hanson paused.

"Maybe it's me," he added, chuckling. "Ever since I came to the team, I've never won there."

Of course, it's not him. In fact, it's practically everyone but Hanson, who has been nearly perfect again this season (21-for-22 on field goals, including 8-for-8 from 50 yards or more) and moved into seventh place on the NFL's all-time scoring list.

Ask Hanson why the Lions can't win at Green Bay and he'll try to explain, though his answer sounds a lot like Dominic Raiola, an eighth-year pro who points out, "Since I've been here, we haven't had much success just winning anywhere."

The Lions are 8-55 on the road since 2001, when Matt Millen was hired as team president. They're 3-20 in Rod Marinelli's three seasons as head coach.

And did we mention they haven't won in Green Bay in awhile?

Added Hanson: "A team starts to think they just can beat you, and all of those things come together to create 0-17 or whatever it is."

It's hard to pinpoint, especially for the players, who have grown numb to all the chatter about record-setting futility.

"It's at the point where you're putting everything into getting a win," Hanson said. "It's just been bad. And what do you say? I mean, I guess I should speak for myself, but I'm experiencing 0-and-whatever burnout. ...

"So what do you say? It's the position we're all in. There's huge pressure, there's huge scrutiny. And it's very disappointing to be sitting here at the end of the season even answering questions about how terrible we've been."

For the Lions, this week -- Monday, to be exact -- marked the one-year anniversary of their last triumph. They've been outscored by exactly a 2-to-1 margin (520 to 260) in their 16 consecutive losses dating to last season's finale. And if ending that streak in a stadium that has become their own private slaughterhouse sounds like a tall order, there's good reason.

"When you think about it like that, it almost seems impossible," Raiola said. "But anything can happen on Sunday. This team has got enough to beat Green Bay."

And if they do, Travis?

"Man, that'd be sweet," Fisher said. "I ain't gonna lie to you."

So the march continues.

You can reach John Niyo at (313) 982-3810 or john. niyo@detnews.com

Saturday, December 27, 2008
Lions freezing '09 ticket prices
Team official says poor economy biggest reason for change, but also cites dismal season as factor.
John Niyo / The Detroit News

ALLEN PARK -- The Lions insist they're feeling their fans' pain.

And near the end of a record-setting season of futility on the field, the team is offering the fans a reprieve, though certainly not a refund.

The Lions announced Friday they'll freeze ticket prices for next season. In addition, the team will reduce prices for a small portion -- about 8 percent -- of season-ticket holders for 2009.

The specific sections affected and final pricing will be announced next month, with season-ticket invoices set for delivery in early February. Individual game pricing won't be announced until spring.

The reason for the change?

"The economy being No. 1, but let's face it, the team performance is also a factor in this," said Bob Raymond, Lions vice president of business operations.

"And our fans have made us aware of that. We have to address that: both the economy and the team performance."

Added Raymond: "We see people struggling right now in this economy. And we obviously want to bring our season-ticket holders back. They've been very loyal to us over the last several years. We need their support now and want to continue to have their support."

Raymond, who joined the Ford Field operation in April after serving as Tigers vice president of marketing and ticket sales since 2002, also said there will be "significant" price reductions in club seating, which doesn't count in the 55,000-seat allotment used to determine an official sellout by the NFL.

Five of the Lions' eight home games this season weren't shown on local television because the team failed to reach a sellout, triggering the league's TV blackout policy. Raymond said there were about 10,500 unsold tickets for last week's home finale against the Saints, though the paid attendance was announced at 49,309.

"I can't say it caught us off-guard, but obviously as the economy got tougher and the team performance wasn't there, it became harder for us to sell tickets," said Raymond, adding that he'll work with a market research firm this winter to help map out a new marketing and sales strategy.

"The tough part for us was selling individual game tickets, which is why we need to address that."

The Lions raised ticket prices for most seats after last season's 7-9 record, even after the team lost seven of its last eight games.

The average ticket price rose from $60.66 in 2006 to $71.85 this year, on par with the NFL average.

"I don't think anyone went into this season knowing how the team would perform or that we were going to face this economy," Raymond said when asked if last winter's ticket hike was a mistake, in retrospect. "I think if we knew before what was going to happen, sure. ... But we didn't have that knowledge ahead of time."

Injury update

Lions coach Rod Marinelli said Manny Ramirez likely will start at right guard in place of Damion Cook .

... Cornerback Travis Fisher (concussion) returned to practice Friday and said he expects to play Sunday against the Packers.

You can reach John Niyo at (313) 982-3810 or john. niyo@detnews.com

They should lower prices



I doubt that I will renew

Shame I never saw them win a regular season home game as a ticket holder

Beat the Packers

Halftime.

Lions trail 14-7.

Lions tie it

Lions trail 24-21 with half a quarter to play.

catbox_9 wrote:

Lions trail 24-21 with half a quarter to play.

2 minute warning, Lions down by 10. They're going to do it.

They did it!

The Lions go winless.

This team makes last years Tigers look like WS champs!

Sunday, December 28, 2008
Packers 31, Lions 21
Perfectly dreadful
Dana Wakiji / The Detroit News

Infamy, say goodbye to the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Say hello to the 2008 Detroit Lions, the first team to go 0-16 in the regular season in league history.

The Lions went into Green Bay Sunday having not won there since 1991. That miserable streak remains unbroken as the Lions fell to the Packers, 31-21 at Lambeau Field.

For the second straight week, the Lions' opponent's opening drive started in Lions territory. The Packers did not score on that drive but didn't wait long to do so.

DeShawn Wynn ran 73 yards, a career best and Packers high this season, for the Packers' first touchdown of the game at 9:02 of the first quarter.

Aaron Rodgers threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jermichael Finley at 2:43 of the first as the Packers took an early 14-0 lead.

The Lions put together a 12-play, 63-yard drive in the second quarter and Dan Orlovsky threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Calvin Johnson on a fade in the left side of the end zone.

In the third quarter, Kalvin Pearson hit Packers running back Ryan Grant, forcing a fumble that Pearson recovered. The Packers challenged the ruling but it was upheld and the Packers lost a timeout.

Orlovsky connected with Johnson two plays later for a 14-yard touchdown to tie the game.

The Packers regained the lead on Mason Crosby's 36-yard field goal at 13:38 of the fourth.

Rodgers threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to John Kuhn at 8:40 of the fourth.

The Lions cut the lead to three points when Kevin Smith ran nine yards to complete a four-play, 80-yard drive. Receiver John Standeford had catches for 35 and 36 yards on the drive.

But any hope the Lions had was dashed when Rodgers threw a 71-yard pass to Donald Driver with 7:27 remaining in the game, pushing the lead back to 10.

I was listening to a commentary on the radio that any city whose team does not make the playoffs in a 5-year span should lose the franchise...
uh, well...I guess this does make the Tigers look a little better.
although we simply CANNOT go 0-7 to start again. That caused a lot of mental block!

Sad day for the Lions


Rotten fucking shame


Even worse; so many people are happy they went 0-16


Makes me sick

Maybe now the Fords will make the old man make massive positive changes to the management and team, or the NFL will force them to sell the team.

GoGetEmTigers wrote:

Maybe now the Fords will make the old man make massive positive changes to the management and team, or the NFL will force them to sell the team.

As much as I hate Ford; I am worried if he sells the team


There are cities that would love to have an NFL team

And with the Michigan economy in the tank; it is not far fetched that Detroit could lose the Lions

and Ford Field would be the place for high school playoffs and Pig Bowls only

Haha go Lions! I got a new shirt



I it ha!

I meant a new owner who would keep them in Detroit.

GoGetEmTigers wrote:

I meant a new owner who would keep them in Detroit.

Yeah, we need both!

I wonder how long before some company starts making 0-16 memorabilia? So far the Highland Mint has no commemorative plaques for sale.

Ugh...I was watching highlights from the last game...I don't even know the game all that well and was amazed at the interceptions and missed passes!

Even though the Lions don't play on Sunday, I'm sure they'll find a way to lose.

mrsrabelo wrote:

Haha go Lions! I got a new shirt



I it ha!

Shame on you

I can't believe people gleefully want to buy such shirts

Especially people that are Lions fans;





I would not be caught dead wearing such a shirt


I am very angry about 0-16


Nothing to be proud of;


Dark Day for Lions football

Of course there will be plenty of people printing such shirts


Anything to make a buck

Thank God the 2003 Tigers never broke the 62 Mets record

That would have really sucked

Would never have bought that shirt either