A Cheesehead's view of the Lions
On the way to the airport, the Green Bay cabbie asked where I was headed. I told him. He gave me that sympathetic look, one I had seen before.
"So you were here for the game, huh?" he said.
Yep.
"Lions still not any good, are they?"
Nope.
I was ready for the next line -- "Hey, at least they've won a game, hahahahaha!" -- but it never came. What the cab driver said next was either sort of interesting, or further evidence that excessive cheese rots the brain, as well as the intestines.
"Don't worry, you guys got a real good coach there," he said.
Mind you, this was the day after the Lions were squashed by the Packers 26-0, a hideous performance without any redeeming benefits. When out-of-town people talk to me about the Lions, they usually mention one person -- Calvin Johnson. This guy was touting first-year head coach Jim Schwartz, so I was intrigued.
"You know how you can tell he's a good coach?" the cabbie said.
I'm listening (and I actually was).
"Look at what happened to his defense in Tennessee as soon as he left. Think about it."
So I did. The Titans are 0-6 since Schwartz left as defensive coordinator, and they just finished off a stirring 59-0 loss to New England. Their defense ranked seventh last season and now sits at 31st. They're falling apart in Schwartz's absence, and for Lions fans, maybe that's a good sign.
Ah, but then I watched Monday Night football and saw Denver beat San Diego to go to 6-0. And I noted the Broncos had one of the worst defenses in the NFL last season, and now rank No. 2 overall under new head coach Josh McDaniels. They brought in a ton of new starters (just as the Lions did), nabbed a great veteran safety in Brian Dawkins and completely turned themselves around in one year.
So it can be done, and the sobering thought is, it's not being done here yet, although I fully acknowledge the 0-16 Lions needed far more work than the Broncos. The cabbie's point was fair -- Schwartz has a terrific defensive reputation. But this Lions' defense looks about as bad as last year's horrific defense, with opposing quarterbacks shredding it once again.
Because of that, my viewpoint is slightly different. I think Schwartz can be a good head coach, but a lot will depend on whether Martin Mayhew can be a decent general manager. Past experience means little when you come to the Lions. And until they show any semblance of improvement on defense, sorry, I can't be as chipper as my Cheesehead friend.
bob.wojnowski@detnews.com
