motownsportsforever

2006-09-13T08:54:00.000-07:00

LIONS: WHO WAS THE MOST IMPRESSIVE ON SUNDAY?

Interesting question...glad I asked it, frankly. Well, I've already blogged about how positive I thought the game was, particularly for the defense, and I see promise for the offense. But, to me, we've got a top flight player in Shaun Rogers, a top 3 d-lineman in the league in my opinion. When you combine everything, age, productivity, etc., of all the other DTs in the NFL I would take ahead of him would be Chicago's Tommie Harris...maybe.

So, Shaun gets the award, but some other guys need a shout out, too...Cory Redding and James Hall for starters. Particularly Hall...people can forget he was a Pro Bowler a couple of years back and played hurt all last year (Hey, you don't get all the love you deserve in the NFL when you're team goes 5-11 every year, its just that simple)...I also thought Cody looked solid and Tyroka Jackson gave us some good downs which bodes well for our depth...maybe we won't miss Big Daddy Wilkinson as much as I thought we would...

Fernando Bryant looked real good, I can see why the coaching staffs, past and present , wanted to wait out his injuries...got to keep him healthy, though. (Note to Fernando: Stay healthy, brother)

And, of course, big shout out to Ernie Sims. Some of you who were reading this blog during draft time know I liked Kiwanuka or Jimmy Allen for the Lions if Vernon Davis was gone at 9, but you've got to love Sims so far...we haven't had a guy who wants to hit like this since the days of Blades and Spielman. 10 tackles, looked great.

Also, I liked Mike Furrey, too...I feel good about that slot position for the first time in a while.

2006-09-13T08:37:00.000-07:00

TIGER TALK: THAT GUILLEN IS SOMETHING, HUH?

It would be hard to overstate his importance to the club, and last night just works as another example, though you can make a hell of an argument for Marcus Thames-in my opinion-as the team's MVP. Carlos will probably get some love, but not too much, when it comes to MVP voting, maybe he's got an outside shot to finish in the top 5, but I would not count on it.

Now, we've been here before, taking the first game of a series, and we really, really need to get one tonight and take this thing, we're going to get some help from other folks with the Twins and ChiSox, trust me. On the other hand, disregard that talk about how easy our schedule is compared to the other two contenders. The Royals, yes the Royals, have been playing good ball recently (ask Boston if you think I'm sh****** you)and probably have a better record in August than we do. We've got to bear down, because the Royals are going to break someone's heart. One team is going to finish with 90+ wins, miss the playoffs, then realize they dropped 3 of their last 5 games with K.C., the worst team in the league. Lets not let it be us, boys.

2006-09-11T15:14:00.000-07:00

TIGER TALK

Well, that series certainly didn't go like we thought it would after taking the first game, did it? To me, the series turned in the second game when we blew the lead...but you knew that, too. The question is, how do we feel now being only 2 games up on Minnesota and 3 1/2 on Chicago? Well, looking at it from a contemporary point of view, you probably feel shaky as hell.

Looking at it from a totally fair and realistic point of view, if someone asked you in April (I know you were busy watching the Pistons and Red Wings blow wonderful seasons in the playoffs) how you'd feel about having a 2 game lead in the toughest division in baseball coming into mid-September-even though the Tigers will have had a horrible month leading up to that, you would have been more giddy than Paris Hilton running into 5 sailors just beginning their leave after six months at sea.

Is this all just psycho-babble BS? Probably, doesn't mean it won't work, however. We'll be fine if we can just turn it around and win or series or two in a row...something we haven't done since the Boston series in the first week of August. Remember, its not like the Sox or the Twins are exactly streaking past us here, they have both played .500 ball down the stetch...better than us the last month, but its not a problem we can't fix.

That's what I'm telling myself, anyway. Do you think I will ever totally convince myself to really buy my own BS? Well, if I don't, it won't be because I didn't try.

2006-09-10T21:10:00.000-07:00

LIONS: THE BEST LOSS WE'VE HAD IN A WHILE...

I know the thing to do would be to moan and bitch about yet another loss, to decry the change in direction of the team, to essentially say "same Lions" and move on, but I just can't. Sure, it would have been nice to get the win, and it was tough to see our defense soften just enough after such an outstanding effort, but we've got to be realistic here.

Don't let those who would devalue this as Seattle being shaky or try to pretend that our D-line was very good only because Seattle lost Steve Hutchinson in free agency fool you. I was very impressed with our defensive tenacity, speed, and-most of all-hitting. We covered well and got to the QB. Folks, Hasselback is a good QB, he got out of some things with quick, accurate throws that a lot of other QB's wouldn't...or won't. Five sacks, holding last year's MVP to less than 100 yards, keeping the highest scoring offense from last year out of the end zone...really couldn't ask for more from the defense other than letting them go down the field on the last drive-and even that was really two big plays, the seventeen yard run being the real killer.

Offesively I was not as impressed, but I wasn't displeased, which might surprise you since we rolled up 6 points. First, that defense is real good and got better from last year-they didn't go to the Super Bowl by accident-by adding Peterson. Next, I was pleased to see our offense trying to go downfield instead of sideways, something I hadn't seen in a while. I like the way Kevin ran, even though the stats weren't great...he caught the ball well. For the first time, it makes total sense to me why a former DB from St. Louis was valued more by the coaches than two former 1st round picks at WR. Our O-line is obviously better, but not yet up to where it needs to be. If I'm not mistaken, we gave up only one sack. And, yes, I like our QB. Confident, not afraid to throw downfield and make no mistake, that incomplete pass on 3rd and 3 that led to the decision not to try a FG was Bryson's fault for not making the right read.

All in all, we did well, the real key will be to come out with the same intensity and better precision next week on the road in Chicago. We've seen surprising one game positives from this team before, making it a week in and week out thing is the key. You can make an argument, which some people have made, that we have already played the best team we will play this season.

Any loss sucks, but compared to 31-3 shellackings and overtimes losses where we win the toss but decide to kick, I'll take one like this every time.

2006-09-09T19:01:00.000-07:00

WHAT THE WOVERINES NEED TO DO TO BEAT THE IRISH

Its amazing the difference a year makes, isn't it? Last year the Wolves were a solid favorite over the Irish, this year, with largely the same personnel, you have football experts, like Mel Kiper, saying the Wolves aren't in Notre Dame's class.

Count me in as one who said the Irish as overrated, and I still say that. Now, does that mean I think they are not good? No, I take "overrated" literally. Are they a top 5 team in terms of talent. Not even close. There is not a single guy who scares you physically on this team, and I'm including Quinn. (understand what I mean by that...Tom Brady didn't scare people, either at UM...now he does) Notre Dame has next level offensive coaching, good play calling, and a defense that is much more athletic than last year. Here are the keys, as I see it, to UM winning on Saturday:

1) They must match the intensity of the Irish, if I'm not mistaken, this will be the first ND-UM game since '94 where the Irish will be favored (and that is the last time UM won in South Bend). For once, the Wolverines have to come out as if they are the ones with a bone to pick, so to speak, and get physical with Notre Dame

2) Avoid the early mistake. If you look at Penn State today, you realize that this is a young, fragile team with a lot of talent who is going to be really good later in the year and exspecially next year. You also realize that this game today would have been a lot more competitive if the Nittany Lions don't drop two sure interceptions, fumble, drop passes, and make horrible decisions on pitches. Notre Dame will give UM the chance to make big plays, the Wolves have to take it.

3) Expose the Irish secondary. Yes, the Irish have faced a great receiver in Calvin Johnson, and some good receivers today. But, this will be the first time they have faced some good receivers who also have a good QB and, hopefully, willnot be afraid to throw the ball downfield. Last year, I was beside myself watching the Wolves dink and dunk and do everything except force the ball downfiled to Breaston and Avant. Throw the ball downfield and make the Irish prove they can cover Manningham Breaston, and Arrington consistently. Hint: Trust me, they can't.

4) Stick with the running game. Look, Penn State was moving the ball fine until the game got away from them. UM, which clearly panicked last year whenever Hart was not in the game, needs to not worry about the occassions where they might be in 2nd and long...you've got a veteran offensive line, use it. The Irish haven't seen a line like this yet.

5) Bring it on defense. Georgia Tech showed the way to disrupt the short passing game, and its no big secret. The D-line needs to play big and English needs to bring people intermittently. The Wolves can't sit back in the soft "Hermann" zone and wait for them to make a mistake. You have a very athletic defense, and Ga. Tech showed that that will disrupt the Irish. The Wolves have more depth than Ga. Tech.

6) Henne needs to show up. Look, this kid is going to leave UM with all the records. He has only thrown about 9 less TD passes in his third season as glamour boy Quinn has in his fourth. But, you know what? He hasn't beaten ND or Ohio St. nor played particularly well in big games, the '05 Rose Bowl and the 4th quarter against Penn St. excepted. Good decisions. Strong throws. Can't be fumbling snaps, especially on the goal line like last year

7) Carr has to play this one to win, not to "not lose". Carr's vaunted record against top 10 teams, which isn't as good as it was a few years ago, includes a lot of wins where UM was not the favorite...he needs to approach this one like that, and play to win.

2006-09-08T11:24:00.000-07:00

READY OR NOT, HERE COME THE LIONS...

Well, there is no question that there is not the unbridled optimism that there was last year, and any optimism out there is guarded, to say the least. But, is it more realistic? Look, some of the things we're seeing might gives us some reason to question, and for those of us on the plus side of 10 years of being Lion's fans, we've seen it all before: new tough coach, new optimistic quarterback, new defensive scheme, new offesive scheme, etc...

But, maybe the thing to most be optimistic about is the attitude, which obviously did not go over real big with everyone. There is no way that, if it holds and is real, that a tougher and more disciplined team won't translate into more wins. Having said that, it does not mean we'll see more wins right away. Only the most insane optimist would predict the Lions to win either one of their first two games, against arguably the two best teams in the NFC, but a win over one would make starting 1-1 a hell of a lot more joyful than last year. But, to me, the big thing is how we compete and execute...I am excited, hell, I always am, but this is the first time in a long time-if ever-that I feel we're going in the right direction on both sides of the ball.

Still, the light at the end of the tunnel could very well be an oncoming train driven by some Seahawks, so we'll see. I have no idea how to predict this team, though I don't think a lot of us will really buy in until we finish a season north of .500. Having said that, did you get Peter King of SI predicting that we will be 10-6 and win the North? There is a reference to that in today's Free Press. Remember one thing as you are L.Y.A.O...last year, when most of the experts said the division would come down, as always, to the Packers and the Bears, with the Lions being a chic sleeper pick...Peter King picked the Bears.

2006-09-08T11:10:00.000-07:00

TIGER TALK...

Big one yesterday, getting the first one in Minnesota in this crucial four game...remember when everyone was worrying that Verlander might wear down in September? Well, he is looking pretty good to me right now. How can you not love what Marcus Thames brings to the table? Leading the team in HRs? Amazing, and he might only be the third or fourth most valuable on this team...

Make no mistake, even just getting a split in this series is good right now, because the clock is starting to favor us, everyone is running out of tomorrows. A split and Minnesota cannot gain ground, personally, I think we have a chance to do better, but we'll see...

You know how everyone in the Detroit hating national media keeps chortling that we had a 10 game lead on August 7? Well, its all how you want to look at it, isn't it? The Tigers have had their worst stretch of the year and the lead is still 5 games...fortunately for us, wins in April count as much as wins in August.

2006-09-07T16:21:00.000-07:00

TIGER TALK: FOREVER YOUNG NO MORE...

O.k., count me as one of those Tigers fans who was simply shocked to hear that Dimitri Young had been released. Huh? Here's a solid left handed bat that has hit close to .300 since he's been back and his release is strictly performance based? Uh, sorry, not buying that. Unless I'm missing something, this team has not exactly been tearing it up at the plate for the last month collectively....Messrs. Ordonez, Inge, Perez, and a few others could have been released under the standard of not setting the world on fire...not to mention the guy was released , not benched or anything. And, they were so fed up with his "lack of performance" that he is slotted to hit third just last night in a game we have to have? What, he hits a homer last night and its all good? Please.

Look, I don't know how any sane mortal or Tigers fan (the two groups often being mutually exclusive) could complain loudly about anything that Leyland and Dombrowski have done so far this year, but this does not, as we used to say back in the Southern courts, does not pass the smell test.

I'm not saying this was not a good move...yet. But, to release your best run producer over the past five seasons and a guy hitting .292 with seven homers in the month or so he's been back when you are in a playoff race and in dire need of a left handed power bat in the lineup...you don't do that unless there is some major issue somewhere else. And, don't tell me its "performance based" when everyone can see that, if a nightmare of not making the playoffs does come true, it will likely be because of the lack of offense at key times, not due to the young pitching coming undone , as most had feared back in the late spring.

Do they owe it to us to tell us every detail, particularly when its a guy who has had significant personal problems? No, I don't think they do.
Do they owe it to us not to BS us? Yes, I think they do.
A simple statement saying it was for team chemistry reasons or off the field issues, or private reasons would have been fine.
At least, that's my take.

2006-09-06T08:50:00.000-07:00

DETROIT LIONS: THE FORGOTTEN COORDINATOR

With all of the hoopla surrounding Mike Martz and Head Coach Marinelli's defensive baqckground, its easy to forget about Donnie Henderson. Don't do that. Look, for all of the focus on offense the last few years, it was easy to forget that the defensive side of the ball was clearly the better unit. However, it was not an elite unit, but has the potential to be. I actually didn't mind Jauron as a coordinator, though I did think he was a tad conservative.

Henderson is known for blitizing a great deal, which is not one of the hall marks of the cover2 defense that the Lions-and it seems everyone else- is now running in the league. One thing that has also gone unnoticed-and justifiably so-is that as bad as Millen's drafts have been on offense (though you have to say that Backus, Jones, and R. Williams were good selections), his picks on defense, before this year always lower draft picks, have not been too bad. Shaun Rogers, Redding, Lehman, Bailey, Bailey, Lewis, Cody, and Holt all seem to be good players-to different degrees-and the biggest problem is keeping them all healthy. I hope that the two defensive guys we picked up this year will pan out. Remember, Ernie Sims will be the only guy that we have picked in the first round on defense.

Yes, like everyone else, I am more excited about seeing the offense develop after so many years of ineptitude and so much promise, but I am still confident, that at least for this year, the defense will again be the best unit for the team.

Whether that will turn out to be good or a disaster, only time will tell.

2006-09-06T08:42:00.000-07:00

TIGER TALK: THE NEXT WEEK IS CRUCIAL...

but, you already knew that. It hurts to give one away to Seattle, this was a series we need to sweep, 'yall. But, there is always tomorrow, or should I say today, and once again we need the Gambler Kenny Rogers to get us one. There is not a way to overemphazie the importance of the Twins series, we will need a repeat of the last time we went in there and took two of three, and should have swept...but we gave up a multi run lead with Bonderman on the mound. (Sound familiar?) And, of course, we will run into Santana, but that's part of it, folks. Lets get one today and go from there.

2006-09-05T07:35:00.000-07:00

LIONS: CAPTAIN BLY

When you are a life long Detroit Lions fan, you get used to seeing bizarre and ridiculous things: from the organization, players, coaches, local media and fans. One of the more puzzling I saw last year was the venom that Dre' Bly lot last year for stating that the QB had not been very good, a statement equivalent to saying it gets a little brisk in northern Canada during the winter.

Boy, you would have thought old Dre' did something really awful in some quarters, the media piled on and some knowledgeable fans called him a punk for piling on heroic Joey. I see a guy who is a two time Pro Bowler with the Lions, the rarest of birds: a big ticket free agent who comes in and plays up to his contract (remember Pat Swilling and Bill Schroeder?), who has obviously had a desire from day one that the Lions actually win, and has helped to try to woo free agents.

So, he said something he probably shouldn't have about St. Joey. So what? He was obviously emotional about Mooch getting fired, and the only reason why the JoLos (Joey Lovers) were so pissed is because they knew what he said was right. Now we can see that all the crap about a divided locker room and the inane comparisons of Bly to T.O. for what they were: a smokescreen for Joey Ballgame and his sympathizers to see their hero slink out of town with some excuse. I just can't believe a guy doesn't want to give it a whirl for a team that has a GM who might be the only guy in football who actually still thinks he can be an upper level QB, and brings in arguably the best offensive mind and quarterback maker in the league to be the coordinator. No, Joey Legend just doesn't think the "atmosphere" here in Detroit will allow him to succeed. Oh, o.k.

Its no accident that Jon Kitna is one of the captains voted on along with Bly.

2006-09-04T16:46:00.000-07:00

Monday Morning Quarterbacking the Wolverines

Well, the opening game has come and gone and its time for reflections. I'm no genius (if I were I would be coaching Notre Dame), but here are my impressions of what I saw of the UM-Vandy game this weekend:

* There is definitely a long overdue change in the defensive philosphy, and this defense is loaded with talented guys, who seem to be more aggressive. Make no mistake, the sacks are huge, and the Vandy QB is mobile and they run a sophisticated passing attack, they did average 27 points per game last year, albeit with Cutler. But, I did see better tackling and some big hits which are solely needed. Not a bad debut.

* Mesko seems to be an above average punter, something the Wolves have not had since Don Bracken in the early '80s. If he is what he looks like right now, you will be amazed how much it helps not to have someone line driving 35 yarders in key situations.

*The depth at running back looks good, but I worry about Grady around the goal line holding onto the ball. Miner and Brown look like quality depth behind the two big guys, Hart looks wonderful, just keep him healthy.

* The receiving corps has some work to do, although you would rather have these athletes who need to learn how to catch the ball than vice-versa. Manningham is, obviously, on track to be the the next great UM receiver. Breaston never was as good a WR prosepct as KR, but he needs to get more consistent catching the ball. This guy is, potentially, every bit the playmaker that number 7 is in Columbus.

* Henne still mystifies me. He is on track to literally obliterate all the numbers at a school with a pretty good track record at QB over the last fifteen years, but he still looks shaky to me at times. However, there is no question that he is the man the Wolves can least afford to lose. If Chad could play with the poise he showed in the fourth quarter of the PSU game, you are looking at a high draft pick in '08. Think about this, Brady Quinn is the all everything glamour boy for this year and, like Henne, he is a four year starter. Quinn has thrown 58 TD passes in three years and one game, Henne has 51 in two years plus one game. My point? Henne has All America talent and needs to smooth it out...I think he can...I just can't understan d why, so soon after making a play/throw that makes me think this might be the best UM QB I've seen in 30 years-Brady included-he will do something that makes me think "Scott Mitchell!" involuntarily. But, I still like him.

CMU showed me something against BC, the nations perenially most underrated team. This will be a good test for UM, particularly offensively. I would stay away from expecting them to cover the 27 1/2 point spread, but I will call it UM 31 CMU 7.

2006-09-04T16:32:00.000-07:00

TIGER TALK:

While the Tiger's August swoon has made many in the Detroit hating national media lick their chops, I think the positive we should focus on is that the pitching has held up pretty well, even in most of the losses the pitching has been good, such as Ledezma last night against the Angels. We get the big win today against Seattle and, make no mistake, this is a big oppotunity for us with a team in town that we should sweep.

One of the things that has helped us, as it does all front running teams down the stretch, is that as the schedule toughens up in the division, it gets a little harder for those chasing the front team to make up ground quickly, just as I said it would be. We only had a 5 game lead going into September, not the 7 I would have preferred, but we are in good shape right now if we take care of Seattle in a sweep and head in strong to the Minnesota series.

I think we can and I'm still feeling good about things.

2006-09-03T13:12:00.000-07:00

LIONS' FINAL CUTS:

Well, there you have it, Charlie Rogers, Kelly Butler, Artose Pinner, and 2 picks from this year's draft class all gone. For those of you keeping score at home, that leaves 1 player from the eight picked in the dreadful '02 draft (Kalimba Edwards...who was taken with DeShaun Foster and Clinton Portis still on the board when we needed a running back, although we addressed those needs with the selection of Luke Staley in the seventh round). What else can you say about that? I remember telling my buddy (and Chiefs fan) that our draft grade then was an "F" and he, trying to make me feel better, said, "Its not that bad".

Of course, I know Charlie came out in '03, and all we have from that haul of studs is Cory Redding and Boss Bailey. Two quality players, but considering that we were picking 3rd in '02 and second in '03...well, I'm going to be like one of my favorite baseball players, Mark McGwire, and therefore I won't sit here and talk about the past.

As for the future? Well, for we Lions fans born after the Eisenhower administration, thats all we've ever really had...exciting moments from Billy and Barry aside, so its nothing new. The new regime seems to be serious about the work ethic thing...how quickly that translates to wins on Sunday, I don't know.

30+ years of being a fan, I'm tired of waiting, though.

Aren't you?

2006-09-01T10:57:00.000-07:00

LION'S PRESEASON: T.G.I.O THANK GOODNESS ITS OVER

Now, we can get to the serious business at hand. I still support this new staff, although I'm not sure I buy what they are doing, especially with the WRs, but you have got to like the OC and DC if nothing else. I said a few weeks ago that this was a key year for Lehman and Bailey, we already have bad news on Teddy, lets hope Boss can stay healthy.

I'm confused after last night, though I predicted that both Williams and Rogers would make the team, but now its hard to say that with Rogers only getting a couple of plays last night...who knows?

I think there is more talent on this team than most people realize, I'd like to see if Martz can make this thing work...it won't happen overnight, but it can happen. We're good at running back and receiver, better on the o-line, much,much better at QB...a lot depends on getting off to a good start. We should get one of the first three games, but if we can steal one more, who knows?

Let's see what happens.

2006-08-31T08:44:00.000-07:00

TIGER TALK...

I am not one for hyperbole, but the win to get the split with the Yanks yesterday is the biggest win of the year in my mind. We don't lose any ground, we come back to win a game that was seen as lost, at least in most Tiger fan's minds, and it has to help the psyche as we have struggled in August.

I think that a win today would be even bigger, but if we don't, its huge to not get swept like that, especially when the ChiSox come back to win on the same day. And, thank you to the Twins for struggling right now with K.C., though I don't know if that is a good thing going into our series with them.

Way to go, Monroe.

2006-08-31T08:26:00.000-07:00

LIONS PREDICTION

I know this will not surprise some of you who have read this blog, but I don't care about the outcome of the Buffalo game tonight, though I suspect the Lions will win it, so this prediction is about the big cut day. I boldly forecast that both Messrs. Rogers and Williams will be on the final roster, it just does not make any sense, to me, to cut either one of them and to cut both borders on insanity. (Having said that, it is not completely out of the realm of possibility that it might happen, this is an organization that traded a fourth round pick for Ty Detmer.)

I do feel that the focus on the wideouts is missplaced, if I hear one more national sports type harp about the Lions' choosing three WRs in a row, I'll scream. What the hell does that have to do with anything? Does anyone think that the key to winning is picking different positions in the first round each year? If it is, why hasn't it worked for the Lions before? Its the players, guys, not where they were picked or what happened in previous drafts. I still think each of those picks were the right ones at the time-hell, I wanted the Lions to draft Roy Williams if we picked number 1-and it is way too early, particularly in the case of Mike Williams, to be talking bust. As a fan, I would rather have a top pick struggling with other issues (provided he comes around) than a great guy who doesn't have the talent (see , Ware, Long, Gibson, etc.)

Of all the criticism of these two guys-some justified, some ridiculous-no one who is knowledgeable about football has indicated that he/she doesn't think eithrer of these guys can play. And, at least neither one of these guys has thrown up his hands and proclaimed that it just won't work in Detroit, a la Harrington, so that's something.

And, its a good thing, I think.

2006-08-28T09:18:00.000-07:00

PRESEASON DEBACLE IN OAKLAND:

Well, that certainly was a disappointing waste, wasn't it? After having to suffer through the NFL's silly season with the premise that the third game is the one that "is most like a regular season game", aa 21-3 beatdown isn't what we hoped to see.

Look, I've always been one to say preseason means nothing aqnd I'm not going to change from that, just as I didn't afer the Denver win, but this team, with so many unknowns, you look for signs of progress (hope) and its just hard. I support the new coaching staff, particularly since we have two proven coordinators, but I do hope they know what they are doing. Things like flying to the Coast for the day of the game have to have a purpose other than the preseason game itself. Is it a smart tactic? Well, I don't know, obviously, its not done to help for that game, so who knows.

Two coaching regimes ago, we had a new coaching staff, most of whom had never been at the helm of anything, that did a lot of silly things, but were given the benefit of the doubt, largely because the head coach came from San Francisco, where he was incorrectly said to have worked with Bill Walsh. Well, we know how those things turned out, what about now?

I don't know, but its hard to peg, especially the deal with the receivers, which I just don't get as its almost like these two young men are the poster boys of everything that is wrong with the Lions...I don't get it.

I understand trying to send messages and all, but when Mike Williams doesn't get off the bench, huh? Are we actually supposed to believe that this team will be better off with two free agents than Williams and Rogers? Is the organization that willing to take such a huge cap hit? I hope not. But, that's just me.

2006-08-28T09:04:00.000-07:00

TIGER TALK:YOU AND YOU PANIC, THE REST OF YOU STAY CALM...

Whew, that was close, we were looking at a sweep in Cleveland, but the Gambler Kenny Rogers came through along with some big knocks from Thames and Granderson...yeah, the lead is back up to 5, and that's not too bad. I was starting to worry because we had dropped 4 in a row, and an extended losing streak is, in my opinion, the only way we miss the playoffs. We've been playing .500 ball or less for almost a month and still have a nice cushion. On the other hand, if we can bang out a stretch of 10 games where we win 8, this puppy is over. The Tigers are also in position to have a 7 game lead going into September, which is also a key as I said at the beginning of the month, to wrapping up the division.

I still believe, do you?

2006-08-25T18:07:00.000-07:00

LIONS PRESEASON GAME

Unfortunately, I won't be able to see the Lions when they visit my old stomping grounds of Oakland tonight, but the big thing I hope for, more than anything, is for everyone to come out healthy, of course. Next to that, I think it would be good to really see something out of Corey Bradford and Brian Calhoun,two new players I'm excited about.

I'm also going to predict that this is the game where Mike Williams puts all of this silliness about not making the team to rest. He had his problems last year, but 29 catches as a rookie is, frankly, about on par with what many first year wideouts do. I'm not saying it wasn't diappointing, but anyone can see this kids potential and I still don't think there are many out there with the hands that this guy has. His speed has been unfairly criticized because of his size, he's got enough speed at 4.6. If you think that most receivers in the NFL, particularly the top ones, are all sub 4.5., you're reading too many of those pre draft rags that don't realize just how fast that is and how relatively few people can legitimately run that fast on a consistent basis.

Well, that's my take, we'll see how it plays out.

2006-08-25T17:56:00.000-07:00

TIGER TALK: THIS IS WHEN LEYLAND EARNS HIS MONEY...

O.k., I'm with you here, he's already earned, of course. But, as we sit here on the doorstep of September, best record in baseball, leading the toughest division in baseball by 5 1/2 games, and it is easy to be a little down about things. You can hear and feel the national media rubbing its hands for the anticipated Tiger collapse, and some of our own faithful are questioning things...getting a little nervous.

Its up to Leyland to keep the ship on an even keel, and keep the young ballplayers focused and not worrying about the talking heads or anything else. Look, its easier said than done, but this thing, like most things in life, is really a function of how you look at it. People talk about the brief 10 game lead we had a month ago like we were up by 10 games all year. Look, the ChiSox have picked up about 3 games in a month, if you go back to the first couple of weeks after the All Star break. Everyone knew they would be around to the end, hell, I picked them to win the division right off the bat and they are the defending World Series Champs, so this is no great shock or breathtaking run. The Tigers just have to take care of business, particularly in the series against teams other than the main contenders...the big thing is not to be dropping 2 out of 3 against teams like Cleveland or Kansas City, and that's where Leyland comes in. I would look for him to make a minor shakeup in the rotation here in the next week or two. But, the key thing is not to panic.

Nothing to panic about, folks. Leyland knows this as well as anybody.

2006-08-24T09:33:00.000-07:00

TIGER TALK: MINER WORRIES:

A double entendre, to be sure, as the loss yesterday to the Sox, in a game we could have won, is a minor worry, but we've aleady done the minimum we needed to in this series. The other part of that clever repartee is, of course, the shelling of Zach Miner as, of course, this is not the first time in recent starts. I don't know what the problem with Zach is, but we need to remember this is still a rookie pitcher who has done a wonderful job for us this year and more than makes what we looked at last year as the "dumping" of Kyle Farnsworth seem like a very good move by Dombrowski. Because it was.

Look, I've been blogging for about a month now about how important the return of Maroth would be down the stretch and into the playoffs, if he can come back healthy. It would be good to get him a couple of starts, if possible, before the playoffs. What I'm reading from Toledo makes me cautiously optimistic.

2006-08-23T08:14:00.000-07:00

THE NEW RED WING CAPTAIN

as you all know, is Nick Lidstrom, and it is impossible to argue with that choice. I did, however, think that it might go to one of the younger guns, namely Zetterberg, in terms of looking to have another long serving Captain and, lets be honest, maybe make us feel like this guy will never leave. On the other hand, Captains leave all the time, look at us picking up Greg Johnson this summer, and they length of captaincy you saw with Stevie Y just is not going to happen again, folks.

Despite the huge disappointment of last year's playoffs, you have to feel excited going into this year, I like the offseason moves and the biggest thing is that the goaltending is so much better come playoff time...if Dom is healthy. But, you can say that about anyone.

I know its way, way early, but look for Nick to win the Norris again and for the Wings to challenge for the President's Trophy...and then the real season starts.

2006-08-22T20:33:00.000-07:00

TIGER TALK

I told you that the pressure would be on the Sox in this game tonight, in addition to blogging about how I felt good about this series coming in. Look, I said the only way this series could really be a disaster for the Tigers would be a four game sweep, even three games won by the ChiSox wouldn't have been the end of the world, in my opinion.

And now, with the first two games in the bag, Chicago is teetering on the brink, people, because this lead should be no less than 7 1/2 games, and could be more when this is done. We're also getting some help from Baltimore with the Twins, who are now just as much a threat as the ChiSox are but, again, I just think playing .500 ball from here on will probably wrap the division.

As far as the Tigers themselves, can you imagine a better story than Marcus Thames? On a team full of great stories and solid performances, you have to really love this kid and what he's done. Also, how about an attaboy to Dave Dombrowski, again, for picking up Neifi Perez. Smart move. This guy has a glove and can play three of the four infield positions, no way this isn't a great move.

2006-08-22T03:04:00.000-07:00

DETROIT LIONS

I'm hearing-like you-all of this talk about how Artose Pinner is probably the odd man out in the backfield and, I guess it makes sense...if one accepts that Arlen Harris is a fave of the coaches-meaning Martz-really like him. My problem with that is that I really haven't seen what the coaches seem to see in practice, and 'Tose looks good to me, plus we know that he can be a solid backup RB. I think its obvious why they like Calhoun, and I say that based more on what I believe he can do as opposed to what some who didn't see him play in college might think. I just think his versatility is a key, especially with the type of offense Martz wants to run. I can also understand why they like Bryson, whom even the previous coaching staff was in love with. I don't know about cutting Pinner loose, however, I've always liked him and I think we know what we have with him.

I read one column that predicted that it would come down to Martz wanting Harris and Millen fighting for Pinner. It will be interesting to see how that one will shake out.