There was a man in Detroit who didn't have a clue. He made Lions fans' faces turn black and blue. Many of those same fans were really stewed. And then he decided to hire Martin Mayhew.
That man is named Ford. His figurative tires are stuck. And he clearly can't see his way through the muck. Looking at this, Downs says "Aw shucks!" 'Cause Ford is no good; no, he totally ####s!
I said Ford ###s, and that's a fact. His handling of this team had no tact. There are many things this 0-16 team lacks. And knowing W.C. Ford, losing is his knack!
I really lamented Marinelli; I thought he was over his head. But after today's presser, I knew what I thought had no cred. Because it is clear who makes fan's faces turn red That man is Ford; he should be forced to his bed!
The man seems like a clone of Donald Sterling. Who keeps the Clippers' wheels keep whirling and whirling. They seems joined at the hip; that has me stirring. Because neither one has a guy like Merlin.
Look at yesterday; the game at Green Bay. And much to the Lions' fans dismay. The Packers beat them up; a truly ugly display. And then I thought; they could lose to the Tampa Bay Rays!
The team was two players; Johnson and Smith. Other than them, the rest could probably jump ship. Poor coverage and broken tackles; plenty of blips. And a 31-21 defeat; 0-16 attached to their hips.
But let me be clear who is to blame. It is Ford who carries that flame. Until he sells the team, he can proudly claim That he is the worst owner in the game!
The message here is clear; William Clay Ford is directly responsible for the debacle that is the Lions. He needs to sell this team now; wtf was he thinking promoting Mayhew (a Matt Millen cronie) to GM? If Millen was his mentor, he'll stink, too! And not hiring a guy like Parcells to at least mentor Mayhew; Ford is pure genius! It's a shame that the only way this sorry team will improve is if a really bad thing happens to Ford, but it seems like that is the only way it will happen.
In an aside, I applaud Rod Marinelli; I have been his most vocal critic on these blogs, but he handled himself with class and diginity, and I hope that some team will hire him to be an assistant coach; he did the best with a no-win (literally) situation. And shame to the Detroit Lions, especially Ford. You deserve having your car company on the rocks, and scant support of "your football team". You really f####ng ####!
Today marks my second anniversary of the day I decided to unleash my cynicism on these blogs. Yes, November 23rd, 2006, I signed up for this blog, and I remember the first post well. It was about the NFL, and it invloved the Thanksgiving day games.
That night, I wrote that the NFL should consider changing its lineup for the Turkey day games. At the time, the Cowboys were not playing spectacularly, the third NFL Network game featured the Colts destroying the Vick-less Falcons, and the Lions were, well, the Lions. They were the feature of my post, as I said they should not have a mandatory game on national TV when they lost frequently. The next day (which was Thanksgiving), Joey Harrington and the Dolphins ripped them, and the Lions showed no class by playing Billy Joel in mock of Harrington and singled him out for intro just so fans could boo.
Well, two years later, things haven't changed. And now, even the major sports networks agree with me. Today, Mike Ditka put the entire NFL in the doghouse for continuing to allow the Lions to dirty up Turkey day. So, the question I have is the same one I asked two years ago; should the Lions be removed from Thanksgiving?
The answer, in my opinion, is the same; yes, they should! Why would the NFL want to 'showcase' an 0-10 (soon to be 0-11) team? And against a team (Tennessee) who could be 11-0 that same day? It's a frickin' massacre waiting to happen! I don't want to see that! Give me a game with meaning. Please, not the Lions!
And this isn't my bias against the Losers, er, Lions here; the NFL shoud want to have the best matchups they can muster here. There's an easy solution to this problem; flex the Thanksgiving matchup! Here's how you do it; the week before the games, if (or should I say when) the Lions stink, you tell a better matchup (call the two teams therein) and say "You're playing on Thursday". This gives you enough time to save Thanksgiving.
It seems ironic that I celebrate two years by doing the story I wrote on that first night here. But, as the title says, some things never change. The sky is always blue, the taxes have to be paid, and the Lions will lose a lot. Until the Fords (who apparently can't run any franchise) get serious about this team, they'll remain a disgrace to the league. And, to recall my first title post, there are too many turkeys on Thankgiving, and that shouldn't be the case. It's time for a change.
I haven't posted on the site too much this month, mostly because I have been swamped at school, but also because there hasn't been anything I felt interested enough in to write. Then, yesterday, I found inspiration from a familiar source. That's right; everyone's favorite losers, the Lions! Yesterday's press conference was easily one of the best I've seen this season.
For those who didn't pay attention (so basically, everybody), head lame duck, er, coach Rod Marinelli had a heated discussion with Detroit News (and ESPN FirstTake) scribe Rob Parker. Parker asked him, in essence, how was his mood after another loss (31-22 to the Panthers, making the Losers 0-10), whether he was disgusted or encouraged. Marinelli said he had complete faith and confidence in his players, and that he had to work harder to get into the win column. When Parker then wondered how he could be encouraged by this team, Marinelli tried his best to turn into Jim "Playoffs!" Mora or Denny "They are who we thought they were!" Green, and tried to insinuate that Parker was just trying to create a story.
The comdedy didn't end there, though. Parker later appeared on Sports Final Edition on Channel 4 here in Detroit, and defended his actions, and then said that the Lions should fire Marinelli because it's doing no good to keep him when it's obvious to most that he will get canned at season's end anyway. Instantly, Detroit had its version of Ozzie Guillen versus Jay Mariotti.
Where do I, an unabashed Lions basher, stand on this? I am in 100% agreement with Parker; Rod's ship has sailed on him. When former Lion Lomas Brown said on the same SFE show where Parker said the Lions should fire Rod that the team hasn't quit on him, I say "Really?". This team does play hard at times, but never for a full game. And isn't it lovely that the 10 million ex-Buccaneer players he brought in have, for the most part, stank!? So too has his son-in-law (and ex-Bucs coach) Joe Barry. Hell, Rick Barry would have been more able to run this D! Consider that Carolina rushed for 264 yards, and both DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart rushed for over 100 each. Then consider that nearly 200 of those yards came after the 1st hit. Shoddy tackling has been the hallmark of these Lions since Marinelli took over, which is ironic for a former D-line coach.
And if Marinelli considers himself a motivator, he needs to get more bran in his diet; even my seventy year old grandmother, who knows very little about football, thinks he's an ####! I haven't had faith in his ability since he took over! So, why would this team give any effort to him? He needs to go. And before you say "It's too late in the season to do it", consider this; the Lions fired Darryl Rogers and replaced him with Wayne Fontes with four games to go in 1988, and fired Steve Mariucci after the Thanksgiving game a few years ago. So why not make it Rod-gone!
So, Rob, while your appearences on ESPN may grate at times, you're correct here; Rod should be fired. And fire his son-in-law as well, so the fam can get the hell out of Detroit!
There really hasn't been much going on in the world of sports that would inspire me to write a full post on them, so to shake off some rust, I'll just run off some questions that have eaten at my mind recently:
1. Can the Lions go 0-16!: The short answer is "yes". Their schedule (including home games with the Redskins, Titans, Bucs, Saints, Jaguars and Vikings that I, unfortunately, have tickets for) is brutal, and they have little left to play for; the coach is a goner, the GM is already gone, and many players may not be here in 2009. And I say "Please tank this year!", if only for a few laughs.
2. Was yesterday's Lakers/Bobcats preseason game really bad, or was it me?: Maybe it was good Kobe sat out with his knee injury; that game was disgusting to watch. Fortunately, it's only preseason, but I think that all sports leagues should reduce preseason games and rates charged, so that fans who normally can't afford it can go to a game.
3. Has anybody else gotten tired of the Cowboys-palooza?: First, it was perennial troublemaker TO. Then, it was perennial troublemaker Pacman. Then, it was the non-stop Tony Romo injury coverage. Then, it was the "should Wade go?" stuff. Now, it's Wade taking over as defensive playcaller. Enough, already!
4. Speaking of, what about Brady?: I heard so much about Brady's complications from his ACL surgery, that I think I could perform the surgery myself! Look, I know Brady has won three Super Bowl and dates a supermodel, but that doesn't mean I need to know every angle about his surgery. Enough!
5. Is Manny Ramirez worth $27.5 million?: No. Nobody really is. Only in baseball can we discuss this with a straight face, and Manny wants six years, which would make him 42 when the deal ends. Um, Manny, you better settle for three years max, because you won't be productive at 42.
6. Will I win in any of my fantasy basketball leagues?: Of course I will! If you go into a fantasy league thinking you'll fail, you'll, well, fail. Look out to all three leagues!
Well, that's it for the questions! Hopefully, I have some better material after I attend the Lions-Redskins bloodletting, er, game! Take care!
It's been awhile since I blogged on the old Fox blog, so I'll break that today with some random sports thoughts. Here goes!:
The Patriots destroyed the Broncos yesterday. And honestly, after that performance, I can say that... the Pats still aren't that good. Matt "Jon Kitna" Cassel went down faster than the stock market early in that game. Not a good sign.
The Bronco defense had more holes than swiss cheese last night. Apparently, they took tackling lessons from the Lions, since their 73% completion rate would top the old record (70% by last year's Lions). Shameful.
The 49ers fired Mike Nolan after a 2-5 start and hired Mike Singletary. Can he still play D?
Speaking of which; Nolan's canning was the third during this season alone. Why is that significant? Because Herman Edwards and Rod Marinelli still have their jobs with less wins than Nolan! Wtf!?
Big time PGs Baron Davis, Steve Nash and Deron Williams have suffered injuries in the preseason. On Nash, it was bound to happen. It's called the "curse of Shaq"! Or could it really be the "curse of getting old"?!
Pacman Jones entered a alcohol rehab center. With Jones, the old cliche "less is more" applys; the less production, the more we talk about him.
The dramatic Rays-Phillies series begins. This is about as exciting as watching a documentary on gingivitis, isn't it, Rick Reilly?
Did you see that umpire tackle South Carolina QB Stephen Garcia in the SC-LSU game? Sign him up for the Lions!
Is it me, or does "1st and Ten" suddenly seem tolerable without Skip Bayless? Of course, Screaming A. Smith is there just to keep things irritating until Skip comes back, so nothing has changed.
According to the News & Globe (Toronto; I hope I'm attributing right), the NHL is talking about adding a second Toronto team. Sure; like Canada likes keeping their teams, anyway. Two words, Toronto; Vancouver Grizzlies!
Finally: I enjoyed seeing Chris Berman say he's "disgusted" after the Mike Nolan firing. Wasn't that the most original thing Boomer has said in more than twenty years?
Well, that's all the randomness for now! Until next time, may you have a boss like William Clay Ford; one who will never fire you, regardless of your bad judgment! Take care!
Forgive me for being a little tardy on the competition post; I was at a journalism intern fair at college, and it got pretty busy. Now then; the post makes it abundently clear what the topic is. What current NFL coach is feeling the burn the most? Who has such shaky security, that working for Al Davis would look like fun? Who wishes they had William Clay Ford for an pwner? Here are my top five, and the reasoning behind it:
5. Wade Phillips, Cowboys: I'm not saying that Phillips will be fired tomorrow; I mean to look at what he must do to stay beyond this year. He must overcome Tony Romo's thumb injury, placate two primadonna WRs in Terrell "Team Obilterator" Owens and Roy "That Annoying #### First-Down Signaler" Williams, fix a defense that has major secondary problems, wonder about Pacman's future, and take the 'Boys to the Super Bowl after not winning a playoff game since 1996. Easy, isn't it?
4. (tie) Eric Mangini, Jets & Romeo Crennel, Browns: Monday's impressive win not withstanding, the Browns were expected to be better than 2-3 at this point. Crennel was on the hot seat prior to last season, when the Browns went 10-6, because players seemed to be on the verge of mutiny against his Belichick-ian ways. Crennel must make the playoffs to keep the wolfs at bay, since his QB entered Monday as the NFL's lowest rated passer, and the fans could still pine for Brady Quinn. Meanwhile, Mangini is under even more pressure than Crennel, considering that the Jets brought in Brett Favre and several other prominent FAs to make a run right now. Mangini has come under fire for being too conservative, and it could get hotter if the Jets lose.
3. Herman Edwards, Chiefs: In a previous blog competition post, I said that the Rams were the worst team in the NFL because they fought more than the Hatfields and McCoys. Well, look at the dissention in KC; Tony Gonzalez wanted out, but is still there (the countdown to him becoming Shockey has begun), Larry Johnson was charged with assault, and the Chiefs don't have a quarterback. Combine that with a terrible stretch of play (1-13 if my math is correct) and the lack of imagination (quote of the year; I heard someone say "Edwards should realize that Army isn't #1 anymore) and you've got some major heat.
2. Marvin Lewis, Bengals: Speaking of dissention, Lewis is another example of getting bitten in the rear by bad apples. The Bengals began their offseason with both Chad Ocho Cinco and T.J. Houshmanzadeh pining for new homes/new contracts, and their lack of conditioning has been evident. Granted, injured QB Carson Palmer has barely played, and Ryan Fitzpatrick has been terrible, but neither play defense, which was supposed to be Lewis' forte, and has stunk in Cincy throughout his tenure. But at least he has won in the past, which I can't say for...
1. Rod Marinelli, Lions: I'm not looking through this with rose-#### glasses! Marinelli is the only coach I think right now should be fired on the spot! The Lions invent new ways to lose each week; last week, they chose simply to rip the heart out of the few fans they had left by showing abysmal clock management and allowing the Vikings to kick the winning field goal. They traded Williams to Dallas for draft picks in a draft without a legit star at the top, and then they treat Jon Kitna (who I don't really care for) like #### by ending his season with an 'injury' that would heal through rest! Why stop someone who is lightyears better than Dan "Where's the Out of Bounds Area?" Orlovsky and Drew "Injury Waiting to Happen" Stanton? Marinelli should be fired, plain and simple.
There's my coached on the hot seat. What coaches do you think should be feeling the heat? Just let me know in a comment. Until next time, may these coaches feel really lucky that I don't own a team!
As I woke up this morning, I had all the intention in the world to write a post about Rod Marinelli and why he should be fired. After writing two posts yesterday, I deemed it unnecessary to write a third. However, the events of recent days have made me decide to put aside that post and write one completely from the heart. Be forewarned; this might not be pretty, and it might upset some people, but I MUST write it.
Lately, there has been a concerted attempt by the site managers to 'gag' members and prevent them from being seen among the most commented blogs on this site. Personally, I haven't run afoul of the administrators yet, because I have been careful not to say anything directly hurtful or what they wouldn't like. I just don't like when hatred and bias comes into play, and that's where I make my stand.
Many of these 'offenders' are blogger friends of mine, such as gambit, SRM, Nique and Jokerswild. Look, I could understand if they had come out and said "I hope (said figure) would pass away!", but what exactly have these bloggers done wrong? I read all of their work every time they post and I log on, and I can say, without exception, that nothing I read was intentionally hurtful or biased in a negative way towards anybody! Joker does a political post, and it gets gagged. I'm sorry, but that's a load of ####! He wasn't advocating for a revolution! He simply stated his views, and that's bad. Bull!
And now, you're making these very talented people leave for other sites that don't have the restrictions placed upon them. That really sucks (forget the ####!)! I have to chase to keep up with my friends like gambit and SRM simply because you have a problem with something they said! And your tech support sure doesn't offer much support; I tried to figure out why my Youtube video didn't play in one since-deleted post, and all I got was the same message TWICE saying "We know your problem; we'll fix it" essentially! Wow! Thanks!
I don't want to make war, but this borders on old-fashioned communism. Restricting speech you deem offensive because you don't like them! Hell, Oliver Stone is about to release a George W. Bush film that ridicules him, and I don't see Bush saying "Ban it!". In a strange way, you acting just like Marinelli; he realizes the problem before him, but he chooses to do nothing to because he is too cowardly to confront and fix the problem! You are better than that, Fox, and I really feel sorry for those who have been gagged.
With that in mind, I'm going to ask anybody who is leaving/has left this site who likes me to try and keep up with me. I won't say that I'm leaving, but I will go where my friends are. I have a new blog up on "THE Blog" sponsored before I was there, and I'll contribute there and here. And to those I mentioned by name; if indeed you guys are through here, you can send me e-mails at davidadowns@msn.com. Thank you, and, to close, I make this earnest plea; reinstate these bloggers and be more open to other opinions. Because, as Marinelli will find out soon, not being cognizant of problems will eventually be your downfall.
The Miami Dolphins were not expected to be very good coming into the 2008 season. After all, they went a putrid 1-15 last season, the front office and coaching staff were overhauled coming into the season, and they had jettisoned long-time veterans Jason Taylor and Zach Thomas, among others. It seemed that, even with the venerable Bill Parcells in charge, it would take at least two to three seasons to turn it around.
But, after starting with two losses, the Dolphins have come back with stunning and impressive victories over the defending AFC champion Patriots (38-13) and the team they beat for the AFC title, the Chargers (17-10). Highly impressive stuff for a team nobody expected to compete. The Pats victory saw the Dolphins play the college single-wing with Ronnie Brown, who scored 4 TDs and threw for a fifth. The Chargers game saw them hold LaDainian Tomlinson to 35 rushing yards and the explosive Chargers’ O to 202 yards. So, after that, are the Dolphins a legit contender in the AFC? I don’t think that they are. Here’s why.
1. They don’t have legit pass weapons, and Chad Pennington doesn’t have the arm to keep defenses on their toes: The top receiver so far is Greg Camarillo, who has 17 catches and 214 yards. Only Anthony Fasano has more than 1 TD receiving, and Pennington’s best passing day was 251 yards in the season opener against the Jets. Those same Jets traded for Brett Favre and released Pennington in part because he didn’t have the arm to throw deep and keep defenses honest. Further evidence of a team wasting a good running game (like the Dolphins have with Brown and Ricky Williams) is the Vikings, who despite having Adrian Peterson, are 1-3 entering Monday night. Unless Pennington can improve the pass attack, teams can stack the box and limit the Dolphins’ effectiveness.
2. Gimmick offenses work for only so long: After surprising the Patriots with the single-wing offense (leading to Brown’s big TD day), the Chargers did a better job against it, as Brown gained just 49 yards on 11 plays from the formation (although one of the plays led to the decisive touchdown). Teams will eventually have game film of this offense to plan defenses against, and the Dolphins will be forced to adjust their gameplan, which could be bad for Brown, who has just recovered from a severe knee injury. That connects to #1, since once the run offense cools, can the pass O step up?
3. The defense doesn’t force turnovers: While the Dolphins don’t commit many turnovers (just 2 all year), they haven’t forced many, either. The Dolphins have just one INT (only the Lions have fewer INTs than they do) and two fumble recoveries; the three turnovers forced ranks ahead of only the Lions (2), Rams (2) and Giants (2) in the NFL. Unless they become more opportunistic, they won’t put their uncertain offense in good field position, and points will thus be harder to come by.
4. The schedule has pitfalls: The Dolphins have some favorable matchups (they face the winless Rams & Texans, plus the struggling Raiders and Chiefs, albeit on the road except for Oakland), but there are some difficult matchups, such as the Bills (who shouldn’t give up 41 points again) twice, the Pats in a return trip (and likely thirsty for revenge), the Broncos, the Ravens, and the Jets in the season finale. The Dolphins’ inability to force turnovers and lack of passing makes it to where they must play a near-perfect game to win those games. That’s too high of a standard for any team, much less a young team, to live up to.
5. The AFC East is tough: As stated above, they still have four games left within their division. They play Buffalo twice, the Pats at home, and the Jets on the road in the finale where the playoff hopes of both teams could be hanging in the balance. Being a young team, they could be exposed in those games, and finishing third in a division with other contenders like the Colts, Ravens and Chargers jockeying for those two wild card spots probably won’t cut it.
So, after all of that, how will the Dolphins fare? The Texans next week could allow them to be 3-2, but a stretch against the Ravens (home game), Bills (home game) and Broncos (road game) is going to be a make-or-break stretch. If they can win at least two of those games, then they have a great chance to win 9-10 games and compete for the playoffs (assuming they beat Houston). If not, then the best they can hope for is 7-9 and a look ahead to next year.
Yesterday certainly showed that professional sports owners can be quirky people. For those who haven't paid attention to the bizzarro world of Oakland, Raiders owner/coach/GM/disaster-creator Al Davis canned coach Lane Kiffin in such a public display of acrimony that you half expected mafia hitmen to shoot Kiffin on the spot after Davis held a fiery news conference where he called Kiffin a "liar" and showed a four-page letter 'proving' that he warned Kiffin to stop the lies.
I don't know who is right here, but my opinion is that Davis, not Kiffin, is the biggest reason the Raiders stink. And after thinking about it for awhile last night, I decided to do a list of other owners who share Davis' (and Eric Bischoff's) belief that 'controversy creates cash'. Only, in this case, controversy creates... losing. Here are the top ten masters of that craft (and a return to a traditional "My List". Yay!):
10. Michael Heisley, Memphis Grizzlies: Not many people outside of Memphis know who Heisley is. But the Grizzlies have stunk for the last two years (44-120). The kicker? He felt that Pau Gasol for Kwame Brown was a good deal. Enough said.
9. Disney, Anaheim Ducks and ESPN: The company of Mickey Mouse is here for two reasons. First off, their ownership of the then-Mighty Ducks was spotty at best, and eveytime I thought about the team, I though Emilio Estevez was their coach! Is it a coincidence that the Ducks won the Stanley Cup after they sold the team? Then, of course, the way that ESPN has de-evolved in recent years since Disney assumed command needs no intro. If you hire Stephen A. Smith, you're not smart, period!
8. Wayne Huizenga, Dolphins and Marlins: Before you throw your Blockbuster rental at me, consider how haphazardly Huizenga ran two teams. The Dolphins have never made a Super Bowl since he became owner, and he treated the Marlins like a rental by destroying the team after their World Series win in 1997, simply so he could sell to the highest bidder. Simply put, I've seen used Kleenex treated better than those two teams have been under his watch.
7. Pittsburgh Pirates ownership: The reason I don't put the name of the current leader of the board of directors here (btw, his name is Bob Nutting) is because he's been on the job for only two years. The previous management was inept, to say the least. Hell, the last time the team made the playoffs, a pre-steroids Barry Bonds couldn't throw out Sid Bream and keep Atlanta out of the Series (that was 1992)! They haven't developed any cohesive strategy, and that's why their streak of losing seasons will be the longest in MLB history.
6. Al Davis, Raiders: The only reason Davis isn't higher is that, at one time, he was among the brightest minds in the NFL. Now, he's a dinosaur who still thinks that the old Raiders principals (throw it deep) work today. His handling of the Kiffin fiasco was a joke, and he hamstrings any potential coach by hiring the asistants! Even Jerry Jones isn't that meddling with the Cowboys! davis needs to step aside and enjoy retirement, for the sake of the Raiders going forward.
5. Bill Bidwell, Cardinals: The Cardinals are among the symbols for extended failure in the NFL; since Bill became the head of the team in the mid-60s, the team has moved out once, won only two division titles, and boast but one playoff win since their last title in 1947! Even the Lions have won titles during that span! Call it the curse of the Pottsville Maroons, if you will (btw, there's an excellent book on how that team was shafted out of the title); I call it bad ownership. Bid-fareWell, Billy!
4. Mike Brown, Bengals: Now we get to the heart of the inept; Brown, whose father Paul built the Browns into a power, then made Cincy a solid team, has been far less successful since taking over in 1991. The Bengals have just one winning season since then, and Brown has been his own worst enemy. The coaching hires (David Shula, anyone?) haven't been good, and the draft picks have been spotty at best (Ki-Jana Carter, Dan Wilkinson, etc.). Worse yet, the team has become an episode of Cops; there have been so many arrests in Cincy, I haven't even bothered to count. That's because the Bengals have the league's smallest scouting department, and boy does it shows the leaks! No oversight creates a mess, and Brown seems too cheap to correct it, so let the embarassment continue!
3. James Dolan, Knicks: Dolan is the head of the Cablevision group that owns the Knicks, and as the de-facto owner, the Knicks have been terrible. One hire says all you need to know about why he's here; Isiah Thomas. Worse still, he stuck by Thomas and allowed him to give out those ridiculous contratcs (Stephon "The Walking Advertsiment for Bad Deals" Marbury, Jerome James, etc.) that will continue to plague New York for at least the next three to five years. When you enable as much as Dolan has, you derserve to fail.
2. William Clay Ford, Lions: Speaking of enabling, Ford is the Dolan of the NFL; he too made a major mistake by hiring (and then sticking by until it was too late) Matt Millen. Since he became majority owner in 1964, the Lions boast just three division titles, one playoff win, and zero Super Bowl/NFL Championship appearences. In that same span, the Buccaneers, Seahawks, and Panthers have made the Super Bowl, and they weren't in the league in 1964! He's too nice and won't fire anybody until the uproar is too loud (Millen and Darryl Rogers stand out). To borrow and modify a catchphrase, think Ford last! Except...
1. Donald Sterling, Clippers: ... there is one man who is the cubic zirconia of the sports world. A man who, when faced with the chance of victory, instead prefers defeat. A man who has gleefully moved his team to become an afterthought to the Lakers in L.A. A man who has kept Elgin Baylor on for more than two decades! That's right; the Donald is #1! And Sterling figured out the dirty rule of sports long before the other nine did; he realized "Hey! I can put zero effort to build a winner, make the profits, and go home happy!". He actually is smarter than all of us, because he knows people will pay to see his product, no matter how few it actually is. And the results (one playoff series win; only two winning seasons since 1980-81) speak for themselves. Sterling is the standard by which all inept owners should be measured!
There's my top ten. Are there any owners you think that do a worse job than these guys have! There's probably at least one or two I may have missed! Let me know if I have made an error. Until next time, may Tom Cable (the new Raiders coach) rent rather than buy!
We are four weeks into the NFL season, and we’ve already seen plenty of surprises and disappointments. There have been devastating injuries (Tom Brady), thrill-a-minute wins (Carolina, anyone?), and silly name changes (Chad Ocho Cinco). But, at the end of the day, what teams are the best and worst of the crop in the NFL?
To answer those questions, I looked at what each team has done so far. Their games, how the games were played, the stats involved, the level of competition, and my general feeling about the teams. After considering all of those criteria, I picked the best and the worst teams, and now I shall explain the merits (and demerits) of the two teams.
Let’s start at the very bottom, and reveal the worst team in the NFL. And, in a departure for me, it’s NOT the Detroit Lions. No, the worst team in the NFL was the easiest choice; the St. Louis Rams. Here is the case for the Rams as the worst team in the NFL:
#1: They are as united as the Hatfields and McCoys: The Rams have been fighting amongst themselves almost since the season began. First, Scott Linehan benched Marc Bulger after the first three bad games in favor of a brittle Trent Green. Then, it’s revealed that Bulger and Linehan didn’t see eye to eye. After that, Steven Jackson revealed that many teammates (including himself) did not approve of Linehan’s decision. Lastly, there are reports that Linehan would be fired regardless of the result Sunday (another bad loss) and that he attempted to trade star WR Torry Holt. They lack harmony, to say the least.
#2: They have the worst point differential in the league: Through the first four games of the season, the Rams have been outscored 147 to 43; the 104 point difference is the worst in the NFL (a full 50 points worse than #2, the Lions). That means the average score of a Rams game is 39 to 11! Need more stats? Well, here comes…
#3: The stats don’t lie: The Rams have allowed 40 more first downs (91 to 51) than they have gained, are converting about 20% of their 3rd downs (11 out of 49), have been nearly doubled up on the ground (664 rushing yards allowed, 336 gained), have allowed more than four times as many touchdowns (17 to 4), and the most key stat; they’ve allowed 13 sacks (an average of 3 per game). With stats like that, it’s no wonder they’ve lost by scores of 38-3 (Eagles), 41-13 (Giants), 37-13 (an injured Seahawks team), and 31-14 (Bills).
#4: Scott Linehan is not respected by his team: With all the negative feelings towards Linehan from management down to the star players like Jackson and Holt, it’s little wonder that he is expected to be fired sometime in the next few days. Once a coach loses the players’ respect, the team plays lifeless, and it has clearly shown this year. It’s the Matt Millen factor; you need to change just to clear the stench out of the air.
So, the Rams are clearly the worst team in the NFL. But who is the best team? It’s not as clear cut as the Rams are. Four teams are currently undefeated (with the Ravens in action Monday), and several teams that have lost once, like the Cowboys, Broncos, Redskins, and Buccaneers, have had impressive moments. But, after considerable thought, the best team in the NFL is the Tennessee Titans. That’s right; the Titans are the best team. How, when you consider that well known QB Vince Young (he hasn’t played like a star, hence well known being used) has been out most of the season? Glad you asked:
#1: To use an old cliché, defense wins championships: As opposed to the Rams’ league worst point differential, the Titans boast the league’s best differential (+70). They also have 15 sacks, which leads the league, have given up the sixth fewest yards (263.5 per), are tied for first in INTs (8), and lead the league in total turnovers recovered (12, including four fumble recoveries). No wonder they’re undefeated.
#2: Kerry Collins helps keep defenses honest: Granted, Collins isn’t going to make Titans fans remember Air Coryell, but with him in the game, the Titans’ pass attack at least opens up the running game; Collins’ 7 YPA (yards per attempt) is two yards higher than Young’s, and since he became the starter, the Titans have gone for 24, 30 and 31 points since he replaced Young. And, as the 2000 Ravens showed, you don’t need a spectacular QB to win a title. So, as long as Collins plays mistake-free (only one INT and one sack), they’ll be fine.
#3: They have a two-headed RB monster: Collins should be familiar to a running attack like this; similar to the 2000 Giants’ Thunder & Lightning combo of Tiki Barber and Ron Dayne, the Titans have Chris Johnson and LenDale White. Johnson has assumed the lead back role, and has proven he can be a fine runner; he has 337 yards on 67 carries (a robust 5 yards per carry), and has 3 total TDs (2 rushing, 1 receiving). White has become a goal-line back and has 5 TDs on his 60 carries. A ground game like this is critical come playoff time, but so far, no one has an answer for this duo.
#4: A +6 turnover differential: With such good ball security, the Titans can afford to be methodical in their approach. By comparison, the Bills’ have a +1 differential, the Ravens are also +1, and the Giants are even in that department, among the undefeated teams.
With that, there are the best and worst teams in the NFL right now. Will that stay the same come January and February? With the Titans, it’s not certain; they need to sort out the issues with Young, and decide what to do with him. But they have the kind of physical attack that does well in the playoffs. As for the Rams, it seems certain that they will be bad all year; Linehan will probably be fired within the time this is posted, and likely interim coach Jim Haslett won’t be able to turn around the season with a team full of malcontents. While the Rams won’t lose all 16 games, they have the look of a 1-15 or 2-14 team. That’s my opinion on the best & worst of the NFL.
Writer's Note: This post was written Sunday night, prior to the Rams firing Scott Linehan. So, all material written therein about Linehan was before the fact. Bur wasn't I right, people?
It's time once again to sort out some loose junk in my head. It's time for Random Sports Thoughts (otherwise known as "Stuff I write when a really good topic isn't available/is written ad nauseum")!
The most talked about item clearly is USC losing to Oregon State 27-21. On the positive side, at least ESPN won't devote segments of their show to a hypothetical USC/St. Louis Rams matchup, huh?
Btw, doesn't this game show why college football needs a playoff? And, in another irony, it will also show why CFB won't do it; they love negative press more than TO!
Monta Ellis admitted he crashed and burned on a Moped to cause his ankle injury. Why should we be surprised? His adviser was Kellen Winslow Jr.!
Stephon "The Walking Advertisment for Bad Deals" Marbury said he will not accept any buyout from the Knicks and that "they're gonna pay me my money". That should quash all those 'rumors' that he is a bad teammate.
The baseball races are really heating up. The battle between the White Sox and Twins for the Central, The NL wild card, the Tigers' quest for last place...
Dustin Perdroia for AL MVP? Sorry, Sox fans; the MVP of the American League should be... chosen from a hat if that's the case.
The Lions fired Matt Millen. I'd just like to repeat that because it sounds vaguely important. The Lions fired Matt Millen. It just SOUNDS good, doesn't it?
Now, if they could only dump Kitna and Marinelli, they'd be onto something.
Kevin Garnett is the face of NBA 2K9. As long as he doesn't scream in the game, we should be fine.
Hank Steinbrenner is crying about Joe Torre's Dodgers making the playoffs and his Yankees staying home. Maybe you should hire him. Oh wait...
Then again, poppa George hired (and fired) Billy Martin 76 times, so maybe, eh, no.
Todd Jones will retire from the Tigers. Somewhere, I yawned.
Did you see Kimbo Slice interviewed on PTI yesterday? That had more BLEEP bombs than an Ozzy Osborne concert!
One more of these; the Chiefs are thinking about starting Damon Huard this week. In a related story, they've called Len Dawson and Steve DeBerg asking if they're available!
That's all the random junk for today! Hope you enjoy it! And I hope that the animosity hinted at earlier in the post dies down. Take care! (Damn; can't stop using exclamation marks!!!!)
Today, the clouds finally disappeared. The suns drenched Ford Field in downtown Detroit, almost as if a heavenly event had occured. Indeed, such an event did occur for long suffering Lions fans, as the most inept GM this side of Elgin Baylor has apparently resigned. That's right; Matt Millen is finished in Detroit!
So, to 'honor' Millen in only the best way I know how (to completely ridicule and belittle him), and to get some more Millen jokes in before they're gone, I dug up some of my archived post material to send him out in style! Here we go!
From “Whose to blame for Lions’ Woes”, November 23, 2006: Today, in another display of Thanksgiving ineptitude, the Detroit Lions lost to Miami 27-10 as Joey Harrington burned his former team for 3 TDs. During the game, frustrated fans started a familiar chant of "Fire Millen!" in reference to the embattled president of the ball club. As a lifelong Detroit resident, lets put things in perspective. Yes, Millen's record as the prez is terrible (23-68 after today) and yes he did draft badly (Harrington, Charles Rogers, Mike Williams) but lets say he is fired after the season. Then what? I say when things are always bad, you must look at the top, which means you must look at the Fords in charge. That family has owned the franchise for 42 years now, and exactly how many titles have they won? Zero! And the team has just one playoff win in those years to boot. They've hired too many coaches to count, and they hired Millen despite having no experience as a executive and have allowed his reign of terror to continue into a sixth season.
(commentary on above: I blame the Fords here, but this was just my second post, so I wasn't in full bash-Millen mode yet!)
From “My List: Top Ten Worst Player-to-Executive Transitions”, March 2008: 1. Matt Millen: Millen is the posterchild for any team looking at ex-jocks on TV and thinking about hiring them to run the team. In short, don't believe the packaging! Millen has the worst record of any executive in the NFL over his tenure, and the Lions, who had a winning record before he arrived, have been no better than 7-9 over his tenure. His draft picks (Joey Harrington, Charles Rogers, Mike Williams, and now Kevin Jones) have tanked, his free agents have stank, and fans have been on the verge of mutiny in recent years. Millen may not have techincally been a star athlete, but his name must be included on any list of former players who haven't been good GMs/coaches.
(Now I was in stride, though my Millen jokes were featured in comments on other blogs, as you will see!)
From “Beating a Disgusting Dead Horse”: September 8, 2008: You may notice that I have not mentioned Millen much. That's because this perpetually inept franchise will NEVER fire him! And being a season ticket holder (just so I can spread the fire to a public audience), the Lions fans deserve better. Unfortunately, they will never get it as long as William Clay Ford and Millen run the team. So, now that the Lions are underway to another 10-loss season, I will continue to rip them at every opportunity. Because it's readily apparent that this team needs a front office overhaul, and until that happens, the digusting dead horse will continue to ride! Gotta go; the effigy is being set on fire!
(I guess I was right; he wasn't fired, though Bill Ford Jr. probably 'nudged' him to resign!)
A Response to Jokerswild’s blog about pep talk phrases: “Momma, don’t let your boys grow up to be Matt Millen!”
(Isn't it true? Look at the failure he is!)
From “A Petition for Common Sense: Sign Up En Masse”: September 15, 2008: This is a request to remove Matt "He Falls Splat" Millen as the general manager of the Lions. Mr. Millen has been found guilty of many high crimes while in charge of the Lions, such as;
1) Willingly engaging in unrelenting losing, and then blaming everyone else for his own failures.
2) Making mind-numbingly bad draft pick one after another (Charles Rogers, Mike Williams, Kevin Jones, etc.) and bad reaches when desperate (Gosder Cherlius).
3) Having an obsession with coaches who start with "m" (Marty Morhinweg (whatever his name was), Steve Mariucci, Rod "Gutless" Marinelli) and who shouldn't be head men in the first place.
4) Impersonating an NFL GM. Do I really need to say more?
5) And even you, Mr. Ford, are guilty of high crimes; you allowed all of this to occur without any attempt to stop it.
The most recent disaster occured Sunday at Ford Field against the Packers. Following the embarassment in Atlanta, the team continued to stink, as the Packers rolled to a 21-0 lead. Your offense was inept, the defense even worse, and the crowd began to serenade them with the "Fire Millen" chant. Things looked grim.
Then, in the 3rd quarter, the team had new life. Jon Kitna hit Calvin Johnson for two TDs, and the Lions led 25-24. Alas, they soon realized they were run by Mr. Millen, and the Pack rolled to 24 unanswered points to win 48-25, as Kitna threw 3 INTs (two returned for TDs) in the final five drives of the game. One of the fans even cursed out linebacker Alex Lewis after the game ended.
If you want to avoid having your team treated with antipathy and apathy, you must wake up and realize Mr. Millen isn't good as his job at all. Your team is a laughing stock of the NFL, and has the worst record in the league since Millen took over before the 2001 season. Even Al Davis is laughing at you. Do you honestly think that perennial losing will placate fans who haven't seen a winner since Wayne Fontes and Barry Sanders were in town? Hardly.
In summation, Mr. Millen should be sent out to pasture; I wouldn't even give him his old job at Fox after this disaster. Fire Mr. Millen, and at the very least hire some competent football people. Or, if you don't want to, sell the team. The lame efforts this team has given the suffering fans must come to an end, or else we'll call Clay Bennett and ask "Think Oklahoma City can support football?".
Sincerely, long suffering Lions fans and their supporters at Fox blogs
(See, bloggers? You can make a difference!)
From “Thank You, Captain Obvious”: Yesterday: With that Donald Sterling-esque resume (William Clay Ford’s), you legitimately question his desire to win. As so many Lions bashers from Detroit have said (and to all those bashers, I'm with you 100%, so don't blaze me!), the Lions have become a business. In the NBA, Sterling figured this out years ago; he said "Hey, why invest in a winner? If I can keep costs low and incompetence high, I can rake in the cash and go home!". The common thread with these teams; neither owner ever wants to fire the GM. Sterling needs Elgin Baylor to carry out his master plan, and Ford needs Millen to do the same.
(More Ford and Millen bashing. Little did I know this would be the final bash with Millen in charge)
There's my tribute. A poignant commentary to a sad sack loser o####M. Now the Lions need to find a real football man to run this team. And I emphasize "man", because the 'boys' who have run this team into the ground must go. While I don't believe they'll hire the right kind of guy, change is necessary, and Millen was just taking the life out of the Lions. Now, all together now:
"nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah nah, oh hell yeah, gooodbyeee!"
Yesterday, the fans of Detroit Lions football (all three of them; Matt Millen, Rod Marinelli and William Clay Ford) listened to a statement that is all too apparent to everyone but themselves. Bill Ford Jr., the son of the owner, said in the Detroit Free Press that, if he were in charge of the Lions, he would have fired Millen a long time ago, and criticized the lack of change in the organization. A ringing endorsement of how things are going with the 0-3 Lions, huh?
To be fair, I have been one of the most vocal critics of the Lions on these blogs. The team is so comically inept that the MNF crew last night called them an 'embarassment', and I agreed with them! But it's pretty sad that the owner's son comes and basically rakes his dad over the hot coals. That's when you know things aren't harmonious in the family; when your wealthy son (made wealthy by association) calls you a ####. But is this an attempted wake up call to the sleeping Lions? Hardly.
And before you think it could be, consider that Jr. has no stake in the Lions; Sr. is still in charge. And as long as Sr. has owned the team (this will be 44 years since he acquired ownership), look at the results:
zero championships and zero appearences in the Super Bowl/NFL Championship one playoff win three division titles nine playoff berths so many coaching changes, you lose count
With that Donald Sterling-esque resume, you legitimately question his desire to win. As so many Lions bashers from Detroit have said (and to all those bashers, I'm with you 100%, so don't blaze me!), the Lions have become a business. In the NBA, Sterling figured this out years ago; he said "Hey, why invest in a winner? If I can keep costs low and incompetence high, I can rake in the cash and go home!". The common thread with these teams; neither owner ever wants to fire the GM. Sterling needs Elgin Baylor to carry out his master plan, and Ford needs Millen to do the same.
So, after all is said and done, the Lions will still be the Lions; a team perennially doomed to fail, and a team that will never win until the Ford stench is removed from it. It's really unfair to the fans who stuck by this team that Ford wipes his feet on them, but until fans stop feeding the beast, the beast will dominate.
The following is a petition appealing to all Fox bloggers to help restore common sense to a team that epitomizes a lack of sense. That's right, I'm talking about the Detroit Lions, and the following is my petition to remove the most inept GM in sports history from his less than lofty perch:
Dear William Clay Ford,
This is a request to remove Matt "He Falls Splat" Millen as the general manager of the Lions. Mr. Millen has been found guilty of many high crimes while in charge of the Lions, such as;
1) Willingly engaging in unrelenting losing, and then blaming everyone else for his own failures.
2) Making mind-numbingly bad draft pick one after another (Charles Rogers, Mike Williams, Kevin Jones, etc.) and bad reaches when desperate (Gosder Cherlius).
3) Having an obsession with coaches who start with "m" (Marty Morhinweg (whatever his name was), Steve Mariucci, Rod "Gutless" Marinelli) and who shouldn't be head men in the first place.
4) Impersonating an NFL GM. Do I really need to say more?
5) And even you, Mr. Ford, are guilty of high crimes; you allowed all of this to occur without any attempt to stop it.
The most recent disaster occured Sunday at Ford Field against the Packers. Following the embarassment in Atlanta, the team continued to stink, as the Packers rolled to a 21-0 lead. Your offense was inept, the defense even worse, and the crowd began to serenade them with the "Fire Millen" chant. Things looked grim.
Then, in the 3rd quarter, the team had new life. Jon Kitna hit Calvin Johnson for two TDs, and the Lions led 25-24. Alas, they soon realized they were run by Mr. Millen, and the Pack rolled to 24 unanswered points to win 48-25, as Kitna threw 3 INTs (two returned for TDs) in the final five drives of the game. One of the fans even cursed out linebacker Alex Lewis after the game ended.
If you want to avoid having your team treated with antipathy and apathy, you must wake up and realize Mr. Millen isn't good as his job at all. Your team is a laughing stock of the NFL, and has the worst record in the league since Millen took over before the 2001 season. Even Al Davis is laughing at you. Do you honestly think that perennial losing will placate fans who haven't seen a winner since Wayne Fontes and Barry Sanders were in town? Hardly.
In summation, Mr. Millen should be sent out to pasture; I wouldn't even give him his old job at Fox after this disaster. Fire Mr. Millen, and at the very least hire some competent football people. Or, if you don't want to, sell the team. The lame efforts this team has given the suffering fans must come to an end, or else we'll call Clay Bennett and ask "Think Oklahoma City can support football?".
Sincerely, long suffering Lions fans and their supporters at Fox blogs
Come on, people! Let's get some support (or at least three people)! Matt Millen must rid the Lions of his stench so people like me can breathe!
