As it stands right now the Detroit Lions have five quarterbacks on their roster.  Jon Kitna, Josh McCown, Dan Orlovsky, Shaun King, and Joey Harrington.  Some say that there is power in numbers, but not in this case.  They may just have five back up quarterbacks.

Joey Harrington is still a Lion after deals have fallen through on trades for him with several teams.  Most recently the Browns (on draft day) and the Miami Dolphins.  The Browns were willing to give up a 4th or 5th round pick this year and Miami was only willing to trade a 6th rounder in next year's draft.  Matt Millen thinks his quarterback is much more valuable than just a 6th round pick.  I actually will have to agree with him to a certain extent.  Joey did have his issues with Detroit but has starting experience and also has had times without almost every starting skill position players in place.  On the other hand they do need to cut ties with him and try to get something for him. They really don't need him around with the attitude change he has had since wanting to be traded.  He sure has high demands for a player who has not accomplished anything in his career.  Joey and Terrell Owens have something in common and it isn't being a great player.  They both had division in the locker room causing rifts between players (right or wrong). Terrell had to go and so does Joey,  Philadelphia didn't get anything for Owens though.  Besides, the Lions weren't winning with him so now they will most likely be winning without him.

Jon Kitna may be the starter when the season rolls around.  He will have the strongest competition from Josh McCown who they recently signed from the Arizona Cardinals.  Jon Kitna is not the answer this team needs to turn the corner, is he?  Kitna joins the Lions after spending the last four years with the Cincinnati Bengals. He signed a four year deal with Detroit.  While in Cincinnati he played a crucial role in the Bengals current success. After going 12 seasons with 11 seasons below .500 and one 8-8 season, Kitna engineered a run to compete for a playoff spot in 2003. That season, he posted career highs in completions (324), completion percentage (62.3), passing yards (3,591), touchdown passes (26) and passing rating (87.4) as he led the team to an 8-8 record while starting all 16 games. The year prior, the Bengals finished the season with a 2-14 record.  For his performance in 2003, Kitna was named the NFL Comeback Player of the Year by the associated Press and Pro football Weekly. He was the only quarterback in the NFL in ’03 to take every snap. He led the team to an NFL-best improvement from 2-14 in 2002 to 8-8 in 2003. Kitna also had a plus-11 differential in touchdown passes (26) to interceptions (15) that was the best by a Bengals passer with at least 20 passes since 1989.

Josh McCown the biggest competition to this point for Kitna was a starter and back up in Arizona.  He was drafted by Arizona in the third round (81st overall) of the 2002 draft and has played in 33 games with 22 starts, completing 498-of-862 passes for 5,431 yards and 25 touchdowns.  To me I always wonder why teams (especially teams like Arizona) give up on young players.  Sometimes players look good from a far but are far from good.  If Arizona was comfortable letting him go to hold on to Kurt Warner doesn't that raise a red flag?  At the time they didn't know that they would be drafting Matt Leinart.  Maybe Arizona just thought it would be smarter to pay a rookie than McCown to back up Warner.

Dan Orlovsky may be the teams no. three quarterback when the season rolls around but as far as this staff sees it they all have a shot at starting.  Shaun King is in the mix to possibly make the team but he didn't even play in 2005.  King and Orlovsky may just be battling just to make the team as the third qb. 

To a Lions fan like myself, I really don't see any of the quarterbacks making a big splash this season.  Really Detroit's best hope is that McCown or Orlovsky take over because of their ages.  It would be better off for them to have a young guy be good enough to take the job from Kitna as far as the future of the team is concerned.  As long as they are the best player it bodes well for Detroit.  That is what they need.  If someone is on the field it is because they are the best player, not the highest paid or been here the longest.  Personally though I am not sold on any of these guys and have a great deal of concern for this position.  The good news is that the Lions have put in place a offense coordinator and offensive line coach in place that should get the most out of what the team has.

coming soon: 

 Ty Law and Az Hakim Lions?

"Hurtin" Ernie Sims, Brian Calhoun, and Daniel Bullocks.  What impact are they going to have?

 

  Tuesday, The Governator said that he had a meeting with several NFL owners Tuesday and told them he was there to make sure "we're getting not only one NFL team to the Los Angeles area, Southern California, but to actually get two teams. That's why I came. Why limit it?"  I do have to say that I wasn't and do not support him as a governor, but it is hard to not root for a guy that would try to get me two NFL teams.  Besides it is a traveshamockery that there in no NFL football in L.A.

  Yes Arnold why not?  why limit it?  You are so business and pro sport savy anyway.  Actually I am guessing you don't know a very much about that fancy math that is put together when you are wanting to accomplish something that has never been done in pro sports.  Just expand the NFL by two or move two teams to L.A.  That makes a lot of sense considering how well the city handled two NFL teams in the past. (terrible)

    It is however rediculous that L.A. does not have a NFL team.    Two teams is not and should not happen ever again there.  But they do however deserve one team. Lets look at a couple options they may actually have eventually as ways to get a new NFL team(s) there.

1. Expansion - may be the best option, at least to get two teams in southern California.  They could put a team in Aneheim and one in Los Angeles.  That is the best chance to get two teams.  This is actually one of the proposals they are going to put together.

2. Move an existing franchise - (a) How about the Saints?  They still have the Superdome under renovation and is a possible reopening by next season.  This franchise has a lot of new talent and upside and just drafted Reggie Bush.  I think he would sell a lot of jerseys back in southern California.  (b) There are two teams that I would not have any personal issues with them moving.  One is the Baltimore Ravens, they lost a team to Indianapolis and stole the Browns from Cleveland, then won a Superbowl them and just digs the knife a little deeper.  The other team would be the Jacksonville Jaguars.  Florida does not need three NFL teams.  So by order of inception, they gotta go.

3. Move Oakland or St. Louis back.  Oakland is the better choice because that is best place for them anyway.  Renovate the L.A. Colesium into a brand new looking place and use the same field and outer layer to keep the original theme.  St. Louis (won a superbowl shotly after leaving as well) needs to stay put as they lost the Cardinals they took from Chicago to Arizona.

    Bush will go #1 to the Texans

     This year in the 2006 Nfl draft it appears that there are more safe picks in round 1 than in years past.  Even with the top five to ten players there seems to be more stability with some of these players.  Reggie Bush will go number one and Mario Williams will go number two.  That may be the way it goes down but, we may have someone other than the New Orleans Saints picking at two.  New Orleans hold a key piece to the puzzle of what will happen in the top ten. 

      The Vikings and Rams have both expressed interest in Detroits pick at number nine to move ahead of Arizona and take Jay Cutler from Vanderbilt.  Detroit is interested in Michael Huff and that will factor in what they will do with the no.9 pick.  They also like Ernie Sims the LB from Florida State.  He has had five concussions and that will be a risk factor for which ever team drafts him.  The upside is that he is compared to Derrick Brooks from Tampa Bay.

     The Jets are rumored to like Matt Leinart, but D'Brickshaw Ferguson may be the safest pick in the entire draft.  Besides the Jets just traded for Patrick Ramsey and already have Chad Pennington.  They need someone to block for these guys is what they really need.  Look for the Jets to take D'Brickshaw Ferguson with their first round pick.

     The Bills appear to be willing to trade out of number eight but maybe they should take Cutler.  I havent exactly seen a Buffalo quarterback light up the league since Jim Kelly.


     There are some good picks that are available outside the top 10 as well.  However the good news for NFL fans. This draft class appears that it will make an impact on tomorrows NFL for the better.  The question is who will be this years Andre Ware and who will be this years Tom Brady.