With 1 more win necessary to cement themselves in the playoffs, I think it's alright for us to begin to talk playoffs. Having utilized a couple of tools at ESPN (get it?) and the Wall Street Journal (seriously), I've come up with what I consider to be the most likely course for the NFL and the Lions for the 2011-2012 season.

We'll briefly go week-by-week over the last two weeks of the season, highlighting games with playoff implications, and I'll give you my picks for the playoffs.

Although some most will probably disagree/hate on my choices, I think there's one thing that we can all agree on:

It's time for the rest of the NFL to take notice. These are not the "same old Lions".

Continue reading this post »

"Inspired" by joshsun's post regarding Jim Schwartz losing the team and an apparent necessity to already clean house (although even Marinelli was given 3 years), I want to cut past all the message board tough guy crap and just ask straight up:

Do you want to see Jim Schwartz as the Lions' coach in 2012?

Not do you think he'll be the coach. Win or lose, 7-9 or 11-5, is Jim Schwartz your coach? Either you stand behind him and believe he can straighten the team out and lead us to a Super Bowl, or you don't.

Go Lions!

Just read an article on ProFootballTalk (via the Free Press) about yet another Suh response to the Dalton hit, and I think he made a good point:

"Honestly, I really feel that I put the refs in a tough situation because of my strength," he said. "A lot of us players growing up and coming in, we’re getting faster, stronger, and some guys just have incredible strength on that football field. So I feel like we put them in tough situations, and with the new rules and the different situation of safety -- which definitely should be something that should be applied on both sides of the ball -- we definitely put them in tough situations, so they have to make the right judgment.

Gunther Cunningham agreed:

"I think what’s happened to him is I've never seen this player in my life, meaning there’s no one that’s ever played like this at defensive tackle," Cunningham said. "And if you watch the tape and you have any sense for athletes, that’s what you’re going to see. What happens to him, there were two guys blocking him in the game, he beat them both, clean as a whistle, and he felt like he had the tackle. The quarterback had the ball in his hand, and that was it, he took him down. And that’s what he's supposed to do."

I think we can all agree with Cunningham's remarks - Seeing Ndamukong Suh play is definitely eye-opening. Even moreso than Calvin Johnson, I think Suh will be a position defining player in the next era of the NFL. The combination of his size and speed can make his already roughneck tactics seem dangerous.

I'm not going to say Suh doesn't play with one hell of a mean streak, but as I'm sure someone has said before, there's a massive difference between the intent of his sacks vs. an Albert Haynesworth or whoever you want to compare him to. Suh is a competitor, straight up, and has as much respect for his opponents and their well-being as anyone on that field. His comments in interviews have always confirmed that to me, and I truly do think that he's simply playing harder and better than anyone out there, and enjoying every minute of it.

I guess if that means he gets fined, it's worth it. I'm down.

Sean recently posted a psuedo sign up for the 'official' Pride of Detroit fantasy football league, and not being in a whole lot of leagues myself, I've decided to do a backup league for PoD, regardless of whether Sean decides to sponsor another one (not that I really think there's a difference anyways). 

With that said, I'm going to also do it on Yahoo!, the draft will be live, probably around 5ish any given day. This is all more or less subject to change depending on several variables. There will either be 12 or 14 teams, depending once again on interest.

Being that this is my own venture (more or less), I probably will give preference to people who I recognize, but everyone is welcome to ask for a spot.

Folks from last year's main league who are intending on being in it again should probably not bother, it would obviously kind of defeat the purpose. 

Anyways, any input you wanna put in here is great. I'm considering starting an IDP league, but those tend to draw far less interest, so we'll see.

As always, GO LIONS!

So everyone (including myself) who was scratching their head about why New England picked up Albert Haynesworth and how he'd be utilized may have just gotten their answer:

Bill Belichick may be returning to a 4-3 defense.

Continue reading this post »

The 49ers said today that they plan on releasing CB Nate Clements.

I know this is some 'throw some spaghetti on the wall and see what sticks' shit, but I feel like Clements could have a decent ceiling with a much smaller cap hit if Joseph ends up going back to Cincy.

It seems like only a year or two ago he was being given a big contract because of his play. Maybe now that he needs to prove himself again, he could come back. Who knows.

I'm sure this has been attempted before, but with the new Madden supposedly getting a long deserved hard look at many of the glaring flaws it has had for years, I will once again be suckered into buying it (especially since I got an HDTV recently).

So, any thoughts? I'd like to do a franchise mode with as many people as possible, even if we just sim games a lot, even just handling offseason transactions and stuff would be fun with the occasional game when two people's schedule coincides. 

Just a jumping off point since we got the actual NFL back.

Well guys, it's been a while since I've posted, and it seems we're nearing the end of this whole debacle. With that said, and free agency potentially a week away, I started dreaming up (realistic) scenarios of who we could see starting in the Honolulu Blue and Silver come week one of the NFL season (thankfully, I can actually say that with a little conviction).

This is just my depth chart, based on realism and a little bit of my own bias. Would you be happy with this? What changes would you like to see made? Let's see some roster discussion, since we can actually kinda do that now!

Continue reading this post »

With Mr. Irrelevant chosen, it means that my favorite client linebacker Mark Herzlich is officially a free agent.

I don't care what it takes, we need to get this guy. I can't believe he went undrafted. Then again, so did JOHN RANDLE.

There, I've said my piece. What about you guys? Any of your favorites slip through the cracks to go undrafted? Who would you like to see the Lions take a look at once the CBA gets figured out?

Lots to talk about, from Nick Fairley to the back and forth saga of the lockout, to where things could be going today... what about Minnesota's shitty pick? Did the Bears and Pack react to our pick, or was that the plan all along?

Needless to say, I think we, and most of the rest of the country, are thrilled (or terrified) with regards to what exactly the Thundercats are gonna be doing this year.

Draft begins at 6 PM with rounds 2 and 3 today. GO LIONS!

(Per PFT) Today the federal courts in Minnesota ruled on the long running StarCaps case, with Pat and Kevin Williams of the Minnesota Vikings and Will Smith of the New Orleans Saints attempting to avoid a 4 game suspension imposed by the NFL after they tested positive for a diuretic they said they were unaware of taking.

Today, the courts ruled in favor of the NFL, and the Williamses appear to be headed for suspension the first 4 games of the year.

The Detroit Lions play the Vikings in week 3, which strips our already weakened rival of both of their interior defensive lineman.

This year is just getting better and better. 8 PM can't come fast enough. 

GO LIONS!

I looked at the draft order pretty closely today, looking for opportunties to move around on Thursday. I really only came away with one scenario I saw as viable - and I do believe there's potential for this to actually happen. 

Continue reading this post »

This is more of a request than anything, though some other PoDers might find this useful as well.

Since Facebook has now implemented something to allow you to view Twitter feeds instead of dumb ads, I figure I might as well check it out, and get an account. But before I do -

Can you guys give me names of people I should follow?

Ideally, I'd like to really just get the Lions players/coaches/whatever, and maybe some other NFL related shit. I could care less about anyone else really on there, as I'll probably end up deleting my account sooner than later. 

I'm gonna go try and get this going. I feel like I'm going to get mad as soon as I do this. I hate social networking.

In honor of my favorite holiday of the year, I figured I'd shoot a little post about the ever growing threat of marijuana usage and our favorite athletes.

Who are the top 10 pothead athletes of all time?

Continue reading this post »

So! The draft is, what, 2 weeks away?

I live in the Metro Detroit area (Sterling Heights), and I've recently found out that I'm not going to be in Europe this Friday as previously thought. 

So!

Is anyone considering getting together to watch the first round or something? Maybe we can arrange something to meet up at a local bar (for us Detroiters) or something. This might be a little easier to arrange than the Edmund Fitzgerald 'PoD Field Trip' (no disrespect to SLH or anyone who luckily got to enjoy that game).

Thoughts? Comments? I dunno, but I gotta find something to do, I'm pissed!

But is it so wrong to want to continue plucking players away from the Tennessee Titans?

Per the usual total speculation of Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, the new defensive philosophy being installed by new DC Jerry Gray has more of an emphasis on size, which appears to be leading to Tennessee not resigning DE Jason Babin. We saw a similar thing happen here after Rod left us with about 37 African pygmies on the roster, and the front office started mass cuts.

Anyways, if Babin isn't resigned, what would you think about it? Granted the draft comes before FA this year, but how hard do you think it would be to pull a KVB v2 and get the 30 year old Babin over here working with his old DC? We could hold off picking up a DE at the front of the draft, and add another very talented, if slightly undersized DE into the mix. Check out his stats from last year. Even missing 2 games in the middle of the season, he ended up with 12.5 sacks, 2 FF, and 58 tackles on an aging and underachieving Titans defense. Imagine what he could do in the D.

Regardless, what do you think of picking him up? He'll be 31 by the time football (hopefully) picks back up, and I think even given a great season recently, he could probably be had on the cheap.

Hi all - I'm Nate from over at the Pride of Detroit. I popped in here a bit ago, asking a few things about the Chiefs' front office and draft plans, and I figured I'd stop in again to gauge the fanbase on the pick I made on your behalf. You can find the pick and discussion here, but I'll quote it so you don't necessarily have to travel:

With the 21st pick of Pride of Detroit's 2011 NFL Mock Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs select Purdue defensive end Ryan Kerrigan. Nate D. is serving as the Chiefs' general manager, and his reasoning for the pick is below.

After analyzing the Chiefs' needs, the biggest positions that they need to fill are at NT, LB, and WR. With both of the top receivers off the board, and the top NT (Phil Taylor) still quite a reach, I chose to go with something of a surprise.

Ryan Kerrigan has been, for the most part, a hand in the dirt pass rusher for the Boilermakers. Coming out as a senior, he tied the FBS single-season record for forced fumbles with 14, and notched 13 sacks, a year after putting up 12. He has great size (just a shade under 6'4" and about 270 lbs) and reminds me of a former AFC West terror, Shawne Merriman - without the 'roids. Kerrigan may not be the 'sexy' pick, but his floor is high, and his production is a lock. Opposite Pro Bowl LB Tamba Hali and behind top 5 picks Glenn Dorsey and Tyson Jackson, Kansas City's defense would have a formidable pass rush to pair with a stellar young secondary. This would also allow currently unsigned OLB Mike Vrabel to kick inside where less range is required. The athletic DE from Purdue is a great fit for the young defense in KC, provides leadership, has coverage experience, and is exactly what the Chiefs need to compliment Hali.

Continue reading this post »

With everyone holding their breath over whether Judge Susan Nelson will lift the lockout, and pretty much everything else aside from draft talk at a standstill, I figured this would be a good opportunity to rally a little PoD patriotism. Just an OT thread:

What does your name mean?

I often read many posters responses and develop an idea of their ideologies reguarding the Lions, but often try to figure out what they meant or where the name came from. It might make for some interesting discussion, or your name might be 'Lions fan in Seattle', in which case, you can just tell me this post was a waste of time.

NFL Network analyst Trent Green weighed in on Total Access, saying that he's looking for Matthew Stafford to enjoy a breakout year in the NFL.

Taken with a grain of salt, Jamie Dukes said right after that Josh Freeman will take the next step in his 2nd year. Thoughts? Who's your up and coming elite QB? Or any other guy destined for greatness?

My pick? Ndamukong Suh, Detroit Lions. (Had to do it.)

Just caught this on his Facebook. Could just be more Godspeak, but I'm pretty sure he's referring to playing for the Lions in 2011:

God presented me with a 2011 contract that I just signed! If he didn't want me to play that wouldn't have happened.. So now it's just matter of time to be healed! Team Jesus let's go!

Here's to hoping we see the Pain Train in 2011! Go Lions!

In order to break up the monotony of Ayers v. the World among other burned and re-burned topics, I bring you on this 1st day of March, 2011 - The All-Nate Team of 2010!

This is nothing formal, just my own All-Star team. Guys who may not be the top of their respective position, but through some coercion have found a place in my football heart. Feel free to comment/add your own.

Continue reading this post »

No, this isn't some sort of half-baked Rex Ryan/zombie joke... Apparently the Jets are going to be cutting a handful of has beens and a never was in the near future, some of these names may surprise you:

Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reports that the Jets will release defensive tackle Kris Jenkins, outside linebacker Vernon Gholston, offensive lineman Damien Woody and defensive end Jason Taylor.

The article, per PFT, goes on to state that they may bring back any number of those guys if they'll accept lower salaries, but I don't really see any of them wanting to do something like that.

Really this is just an interesting NFL news update, but would anyone be interested in any of these players? Personally, anything with Rex Ryan's stink on them can stay out of Detroit as far as I'm concerned, but there's some veteran talent and experience there.

Have a great week guys. GO LIONS

Just a quick thought - I looked over at the poll that the site takes regarding our faith in the teams' progress or whatever, and it's about at 100 right now... funny, because throughout the season it was around 40ish... Which leads me to ask: 

What is it about the offseason that makes us so much more hopeful than the season? There's such a disparity between how good we think we're going to do vs. how we react to the situation at hand that I begin to wonder if we as Lions fans (yes, this is serious) may have our expectations set too high. I've been a Lions fan my entire life, having seen pretty much every game since about 1990, and it's always the same - big expectations in the offseason, then griping and calling for everyone's heads during the season. 

Why can't we temper our expectations and enjoy a slowly climbing team as it is? Why is our faith 100% now, and nonexistant when we actually get to enjoy football? With the CBA taking much of the attention of the NFL faithful, I've been pondering much about the philosophical end of the sport, and the fans' position in it. It's been a sort of wakeup call to me to ENJOY THE GAME, though I live for football... it's a sport, and the minute I begin to lose sight of that, I see a lot of ugly things within it.

I'm not sure exactly where this post was going, but I noticed that about the poll several times this season, and we got nothing to talk about outside of the same BS of who is even going to be available at #13, so, feel free to discuss or flame me as you see fit.

GO LIONS!

I recently got a haircut and shaved off my winter beard in response to these last few 50 degree days in Detroit, and while I was trying to find a picture of Jim Schwartz with a goatee in order to show how much I look like his son or something, I came across this photo that I had never seen before.

So here's your job, give us a caption for this heartwarming, albeit awkward photo. Enjoy!

via cache.daylife.com

NFL Total Access had Megatron on during their Pro Bowl coverage, and it was actually a pretty good segment. They lauded Calvin and the upcoming Lions, and Calvin's response seemed genuine that he does actually enjoy being here (albeit it seems that this season really changed his mind). He says he is excited for the next few years, and definitely seems to be on the up and up. 

Can't wait for this year and another 1200+ yd. season from Calvin.

GO LIONS!

Subway sandwich maker, physical freak of nature, AP All-Pro selection AND Pro Bowl selection, to go with his eventual Rookie of the Year honors... but there is one more job that Ndamukong Suh has decided to take on: recruiter.

"I'll definitely be up to answering questions and letting them know what my experience is that I've had here," Suh said recently. "I don't have a problem doing that by any means.

Very cool. We may have an edge if a young, upcoming NFL star is milling around the All-Star game hyping our team. Who knows what kind of dividends Suh could pay by doing this?

I can't wait to see what the next few years holds for this kid. 

SOMEBODY CALL DA MAYOR!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ih6FHImCe4Q

SLH might want to consider a career change. That kid is an absolute beast!

Apparently just some fun last summer before the season, I believe this is a fundraiser Derrick Williams hosted for "Mealz on Wheelz" or something to that effect. Some pretty funny stuff.

Go Lions! Go Lions! Go Lions! Go Lions! Go Lions! Go Lions! Go Lions! Go Lions! Go Lions! Go Lions! Go Lions!

This post began as a response specifically to Hyperion Ecta's post, thinking this week's game vs. Minnesota will be much harder than previously thought, and that they played 'inspired football' last night. Though I certainly cannot disagree (you've got to be inspired to win in most cases), I think that the fact that the Vikings beat a possible Super Bowl contender is being blown out of proportion. Any given Sunday, guys.

That said, I do believe this game has a lot of impact for our guys heading into next year, and you'll see that kind of effort in their play. The Lions, not the Vikings, will be the ones playing inspired football, heading into the offseason FINALLY out of the NFC North cellar, and with high hopes for 2011. Here's why:

Continue reading this post »

I came across this video clip that perfectly explains how Sunday's game will go:

Continue reading this post »