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Schwartz and the losing culture!
Hello again John,
I read where one beat writer claims Jim Schwartz shows the initial signs of adopting the losing culture that has has plagued the Lions for a generation. This he said was in Schwartz's response to a question after the loss to the Rams.
Well I would imagine the coach wasn't exactly in the best frame of mind, but to say he had shown signs of going where the goblins go, would be stretching a very long bow in anyone's language.
Sure the coach and the team will get their asses kicked more than a few times to come this season and probably next ...but the sun will rise once again over Michigan and that particular beat writer will no doubt have a convenient lapse of memory as he hops aboard the band waggon.
But John...given the fake field goal attempt and other Special Teams disasters what chance Stan Kwan will keep his job come 2010?
Probably not a real good chance at this point. I think Schwartz might've had another coach or two in mind for that job, but couldn't pry them away from current gigs. We'll see what happens after the season, but to those who want heads to roll now, that's just not realistic or sensible.
If we did but we didn't!!!
Greetings once again John...Well Coach Schwartz has said it time and again, the only thing that matters is winning...a fact not lost on beat writers and supporters who had chalked the game against the Rams as a win ...seems noone told the Rams.
Is there an excuse ..should we look for an excuse ...maybe there were some positives ...what can Schwartz and Co possibly salvage from this wreckage?
So this is the deal ...yesterday the Lions nation witnessed perhaps one of this franchise's lowest moments in its history...but sometime before this season has finished we will witness a victory that will be talked about in the great State of Michigan for as long as Football will be played.
I just can't tell you which game just yet but why do I make such a prognostication? ...simple...the day Stafford and Johnson and Pettigrew and the rest of the receiving corp as well as those who run the ball out of the backfield " just click " and at the same time the Defence stands up ...that will be the day it will all come together ..and it will!!
scouts and the draft!
Greetings again from down under John ...and my question this week concerns the Lions scouting department and the draft. Given as I understand it, the scouting department is still much the same, personnel wise, as in the Millen era why then were the previous drafts so collectively abysmal when this last one looks like being a winner.
Was it that Millen made all the decisions and that Mayhew is just the shot in the arm this franchise needed?
What is your take on the front office insofar as the chances of it delivering a truly professional and successful organisation in the future?
Will the Mayhew/Schwartz combination, now in its infancy, be the next great NFL success story ...or am I just whistling dixie.
Well, you're whistling way down in the mine shaft at the moment, so it's far too early to say what'll happen here. I've said this quite a bit, though -- and sorry for the broken record -- but I do think they've got a sound plan on how they want to build this team, with everyone on board. It's not a mismatched GM and coach the way it was with Millen and Mooch (or even Millen and Marinelli, in terms of playing young players, etc.) And then just as important, it's not Millen making the final calls in the draft room, often straying from his own plan, or trying haphazardly to upgrade the roster the other 364 days of the year. It's Mayhew now, and he's way more involved in the actual scouting aspect of draft prep than Millen ever was. That was evident about two weeks after Millen was fired, quite frankly.
Does that guarantee success? No, not hardly. But it's a start.
1-5 in perspective
Greetings again to you John and to the Lions Nation. This message is pretty simple and straight forward with just a few questions?
Are the Lions better right now than they were 12 months ago ?...answer ..they would have to be because they have won a game
Does the front office know what it is doing?...answer ...Matt Millen has left the building!
After a decade of disasterous drafts how are we faring?...answer ...eight of the draft picks are on the roster and playing and the remaining two are on the practice squad
Are there any weaknesses on the team?....answer ...heaps of them but the draft and free agency sorted out a few problems
Has this team a future?...answer ...absolutely!!!
But when is it going to happen ?...answer ...watch this space!
John...Lydon Murtha, Dan Gronkowski and Tristan Davis will they see any playing time this season?
Scratch Murtha off your list -- Dolphins plucked him this week just as you were posting your question. I think the answer is no with Gronkowski, too, unless there's an IR injury to one of their three. Ditto Davis, but maybe if Brown got hurt, I'd like to see what he could do. I think that kid can play a little bit if he gets a chance somewhere, somehow.
Beat writers and those smoke signals!
Calvin didn't practice and Stafford wasn't on the training track at least while the media were watching. Jim Schwartz will tell you nothing and take you nowhere, so the beat writers have got to give it their best guesstimate. The Packers Head Coach, now he is confused and John Niyo's notes on the news ain't helping the dust settle ...in short, with only a limited number of plays coming off the blackboard at Allen Park, Schwartz and Co need all the destablizing blitzes they can get, even if they come out of the pages of this newspaper or other media.
Yeah, but there are few secrets in the NFL. I'd be very surprised if Stafford played at Green Bay, and I'm guessing the same is true with the Packers. The Steelers certainly weren't confused last week about which QB they'd be facing.
The deafening sound of silence!
Millen had only just left the building and new kid on the GM block Martin Mayhew, working quietly away, arranged for the Roy Williams trade to Dallas that helped create 5 picks in the first 82 in the 2009 draft. Then at season's end, again without fanfare, Mayhew and Lewand did their due diligence and next thing Jim Scwartz had come to town. The silence continued unabated and Cunningham and Linehan arrived, James " Shack " Harris was added to the front office ...but the deafening silence had got too much for most beat writers and supporters. The draft was around the corner and it had to be him ...no him ...no way Stafford ...oh my God a quarterback ...these idiots don't know what they are doing....but then to the start of the season and again the deafening sound of silence as we speculate about who starts this week, last week or whenever.
But with one win on the board and at least five teams considered now worse than the Lions, Jay Leno looking for new comedy material, I think we should just maintain this deafening sound of silence ...it's music to my ears!
It is a refreshing change for these guys, not being everybody's punchline anymore. But they'd better win a few more to keep the laughter at bay.
The Lions and the Glenn Miller syndrome!
Greetings again John,
Back in the thirties the band leader Glenn Miller found his magic sound as a result of an injury to his lead trumpet player. A reshaping of the brass and wind sections and there it was ...and so to the Lions. Bing waived, Follett added from the practice squad ...Williams to take over kick returns and so like the game of chess, Schwartz keeps moving the pieces around the board.
Mind you todays sound out of Allen Park is a lot more melodious than a year ago but the fresh breed of bandsmen coming next year will help produce the sweetest sound...so Lions supporters just be patient and buy some ear plugs in the interim!!
The sheet music they're reading is much better, too. Late last season, all they were playing was "Chopsticks."
John Niyo...International Media Star
John,
Got in the car the other day, turned the key and the radio came on ...it was our sports station SEN1116, here in Melbourne Autralia and commentator Kevin Bartlett was in the last minute of a conversation with a guy called John....talking about the Lions big win. John you were a star and the calls that came in after you rang off were many, focussing on sports stories of teams in various sports which have had a run of outs.
Still it was good to get the coverage and the Lions will have to make you a sort of Ambassador.
John,just a quick question ...they broke the drought now can they string two wins together?
Wow, small world, indeed. I knew the guy's name was Kevin but couldn't remember what station it was. Thanks!
As for the new streak, I see it ending at 1, but the Bears also have some injury concerns heading in and I kind of expect this'll look like a lot of Bears-Lions games do here in Chicago: Ugly.
But only if the Lions secondary avoids the big plays.
the week that was!
Greetings again John et al from down under ... one loss does not a season make so to those of you wanting to bail out even at this early stage just hang about a while!
Sure the kid was beaten and bruised but he took it like a pro ...the fact he was picked was more a reflection of the scoreboard than his accuracy...the run game got derailed but it doesnt mean it will never turn up and be recognised ...and surprise surprise ...the return game looked good.
Im not going to beat up on my team because there are good things developing so keep your powder dry and watch it develop.
Am I just being optimistic ?....Nope ...you see I just know that the coaching staff are a definite upgrade as is the front office and roster...oh and one last thing ...Matt Stafford is going to have ordinary figures throughout the season but he will also have brilliant days ...so John you just keep letting your trusty keyboard do the talking and spell it out as you see it and I will look forward to the day when you announce that the Lions have arrived ...and they will!!!
The upcoming season!
Greetings to you John, your colleagues and to a desperate Lions Nation from down under, Melbourne Australia. I have scanned the sports pages and websites, read the predictions about the Lions and concluded that people should be taking one last look at the body before they close the lid!
So, we are told,the Saints are going to blow us out of the water...it will be a continuation of what we endured when we played them last season! But the problem with that logic is death and taxes are the only things certain in this world. Guaranteed losses by the Lions were dropped off that list when Matt Millen left town.
So here is the thing...if Jesus Christ came to New Orleans Drew Brees would become the back up quarter back because,you see, he is only human. For instance he is capable of throwing interceptions like the 17 last season. Who knows, confronted by a revamped Detroit Defence he just might even throw the odd interception or two on Sunday. By contrast, Matt Stafford connected with Calvin Johnson in the preseason and one just would never know what can happen Sunday...but this much I do know ...for the Lions the best is yet to come!
Hallelujah!
We shall see. If the Lions defense can force turnovers, there is hope. If not, I don't like their chances.
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