Restore The Roar

Hey everyone...when Eric first started this site, he and I were ex-members of the famed FireMillen.com site that Bear made such an outstading place to post opinions about our beloved Lions.

I discovered the Bleaher Report and was impressed by the audience and people that were there...it seemed like a natural fit for what I wanted to say and be able to reach a wider audience...I had become one of the top writers for the Lions section of Bleacher Report.

Sad to say, Bleacher Report changed and not for the better.  It has become so much more a corporate web site and all of the people that now submit articles are all striving to be wanna be Mitch Alboms or worse yet, a Peter King og Sports Illustrated.

All I wanted to do was write about the Lions and not worry so much how professional my articles looked nor be worried about my status, number of reads or how many fans I had.

If you guys will have me, I'd love to contribute to this site more than Bleacher Report...I see that Blue in Greer has made his presence known...nice to see that I'm not the only one that may feel Bleacher Report has sold out.

Eric, if it's OK with you, I'd like to come back...you were gracious enough to make me a moderator of your site...but I would understand if you want that to change.

And hey, what can I say...but GO LIONS!

Seattle Lion Fan.

Why is it the Leo's choose to totally disregard TE's, any and all, in goal line situations? Blown coverage is one thing, but "NO" coverage makes my hair roots hurt, all 8 of them!!!!!!!!!!

Please read my blog of Aug. 24 for some background.

If at the end of the working day on Monday, Oct.5, Stan the Klown Kwan still is employed as the ST Coach, my regard for Schwartz drops many fold. How in the hell can you put people on the D ST's who don't know how or unwilling to tackle?

There were many disappointments Sunday, many obvious and a few not so obvious. Among the obvious was Stafford's inaccuracy, the lack of any semblence of a running game, and most importantly the total melt-down of the D.

Among the not so obvious, at least to me were:

 * The total absence of the aggressiveness on the D side that we had heard about from Gunther, i.e., a minimum blitz rate of 60% or more, considerring our DL and DB woes....

 * The invisibilty of Julian Peterson, er, read above.....

 * The invisibility of Ernie Sims, other than a stupid penalty, who had said this was D that suited him and his talents to a "T".....

 * Their disdain to use Felton in short yardage situations. After using him successfuly early in the game, and after it became painfully obvious that KS wasn't getting it done in short yardage, Felton never saw the ball again! A home run is always utopia, but they had several, three I believe, situations where a 1st down would have been money, and they lost yards on all three attempts!

 * The invisibilty of the tight-ends, especially a 1st round choice, although when you're playing from behind with a 21 year old QB, that might be forgiven, although Stafford has to recognize that CJ and Pettigrew must become his two very best friends.

Just my thoughts, though there were some surprises as well. Kudos to the special teams, in spite of Stan Kwan, and especially to Brown. I know it's early, but the kid looks good and Northcutt was serviceable on the P returns. Delmas looks like he's going to be solid and Henry was the MVP on D.

I thought the Schwartz handled himself well in his first game, his intensity was great, but controlled, at least he didn't look like a lost ball in tall weeds, as have many of his predecessors. Put a fire under Gunther's ass, and we'll see even greater progress. We can't hope to fix the mess that Midred built in 8 years..........

I'm guardedly optomistic, at least for a while longer.

If we look at the NFC overall last year we see an East Coast flavor to it, all eight teams in the NFC East and NFC South were 8-8 or better while the other two divisions had a total of 3 winning teams. I think we will see that change, maybe not drastically but at least the winner and losers will be spread a little more evenly.

Why?

Look at the schedules.

Last year the NFC South played the NFC North and AFC West, two of the weaker divisions that not only include the usual doormats like theLions, Raiders and Chiefs even the top teams struggled last year. The best team is probably San Diego and they went 8-8 and the Packers won 6 games, the best record out of those two divisions was Minnesota with 10 wins.

The NFC East played the NFC West and the AFC North and besides Pittsburg, Baltimore and Cardinals the other 5 teams went 21 and 59 last year. Basically an NFC East team should have been at least 5 and 3 for those three games, that's half your schedule, split the rest and you're at 9 and 7.

So what about this year? To start the NFC East and South play each other so that's four games that overall just got tougher. For AFC opponents the NFC South has the AFC East while the NFC East gets the AFC West. That's advantage NFC East but its also two west coast road trips for every NFC East team, sometimes those trips can linger with a team for a couple of games.

So with that in mind what are looking at this season?

Let's start out west. The Cardinals had a nice run to theSuper Bowl last year and we sure can't deny the talent on that team but remember they were 9 and 7 last year so it's not like they dominated. They were able to keep most of the team together but the question is that defense and running game that magically appeared in the playoffs carry over to this year? First round pick Bennie Wells should help the running game; however the defense will be the biggest question for me, this team was ranked 28th last year so I have a hard time believing they will be a top ten defense this year without any changes to personnel.

The long time division leader before last year is the Seahawks who suffered with injuries last year and plummeted to a 4 and 12 record. Most of the injured players are back including the QB Matt Hasselback though the continued knee problems with pro bowl LT Walter Jones is a big concern. The two big additions are LB Aaron Curry and WR Houshmandzadeh; however Curry is replacing a pro bowl LB in Julian Peterson so I can't call that an upgrade for this season. This team was 25th in points scored and points given up last year and while the offense should be better if Hasselback can stay healthy, and that's no given either with back problems, I don't see a lot of potential for defensive improvement, other then their Super Bowl run in 2005 their defense was best described as middle of the road, this team needs some more playmakers on defense.

The 49ers are getting some props from a few analysts but I don't see it. Their defense did improve a little last year under Singletary but they still have a ways to go before they can be a top defense and the offense will be led by Shaun Hill at QB. The theory seems to be the offense will be better because they got rid of Mike Martz and they are going to a simpler offense; ask the Lions how well that plan worked for them last year.

The Rams? I would love to see Mark Bulger play for a contending team, are you listening Panthers. He's been an excellent QB when he could stay healthy but I just don't see how that's going to happen in St Louis this year. This team is going to be behind a lot so Stephen Jackson and the running game will be non-existent by the third quarter and the OL is in transition. Right now the Rams look like the leading contender in the Sam Bradford sweepstakes.

Prediction for the NFC West

ArizonaCardinals       10 and 6

SeattleSeahawks        7 and 9

San Francisco49ers  5 and 11

St LouisRams             2 and 14

NFC South

The Panthers won this division last year at 12 and 4 and looked like serious contenders for the Super Bowl until bad Jake surfaced against the Cardinals and there in lies the problem. The Panthers play the smash mouth style that usually does well in the playoffs with a hard hitting defense built around Julius Peppers and a downhill running scheme on offense. Even have two of the best weapons in the NFL with WR Steve Smith and RB DeAngelo Williams. DeAngelo is overlooked by most fans but if you gave me a choice of all the RBs in the league, I'm taking Williams. This guy is really something special, every bit as good as Adrian Peterson and more durable.

The only question with this team is the QB Jake Delhomme. I recently moved into the Panthers market and all year long I would watch this team dominate but I couldn't understand why the fans weren't more excited, I'm thinking Super Bowl but all the fans are say well see, wait for bad Jake to appear. Now Jake is a real gamer and he has an excellent arm, seems like the perfect QB for this team, not real accurate but he could hit Steve Smith who is somehow always open and that running game kept the chains moving. But it was hard to believe what I saw in that playoff game, I suffered through that Scott Mitchell and the Eagles playoff game but this was worse, much worse. So how did the fans react? I told you that bad Jake would show up, always does.

What I don't understand why he is still the only option at QB. The Panthers have never brought in a young guy to develop or any serious back-up QBs and they continued that tradition with Josh McCown this year and passed on drafting any QB prospect to develop; instead they extend Delhommes' contract, the guy is 35 years old people. I wonder what Julius Peppers is thinking; maybe a hall of fame DE and he can't get paid while bad Jake does? This has got to take a toll on the rest of the team too; you could see it in the playoff game. Jake started out slow and the whole team seemed to say here we go again, by midway through the 2nd quarter the whole team quit. I'm thinking the team won't wait that long this year, if they get off to a slow start and their first three games are Eagles at home, at the Falcons then at the Cowboys on a Monday night followed by the bye week. They could play well and still go 0 and 3 and using the bye week to regroup. But with the Redskins up first any hope could be crushed and this team could fall hard.

Atlanta was the surprise team in the NFC last year, rookie QB and rookie head coach, no one expected an 11 and 5 record. The questions with them are; did they improve the defense enough, will Ryan have a sophomore slump and will Micheal Turner continue to be one of the top backs in the league? I'm thinking the answers are a little mixed on that and with the tougher schedule they take a step back this year, nothing major, but out of the playoffs.

The Bucs went 9 and 7 last year but they have completely redone this team. Gruden is out and Raheem Morris is in and not only did he bring a new QB or two he is reworking the one thing Tampa Bay could hand their hat on, the defense. This is going to take awhile people and I applaud Glazer and GM Domink for not making their fans go through a long decent into mediocrity, I'm all for ripping the band-aid off and getting it over with.

The Saints were in last place last year at 8 and 8 and I think they continue the tradition of last place NFC South teams making the playoffs the next year. This is one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL with Drew Brees and a nice supply of weapons and the question remains can their defense step up. I don't see major improvements but in a suddenly mediocre division it should be enough to take the title.

NFC South

New OrleansSaints     11 and 5

AtlantaFalcons               9 and 7

CarolinaPanthers         6 and 10

Tampa BayBucs           4 and 12

NFC East

The Giants took this with a 12 and 4 record and seemed to be the best team in the NFC last year but when Plexico reached into his pocket he turned the Giants whole season around. Eli struggled down the stretch without his #1 guy and when he threw a couple of INTs in the playoff game their old friends the Eagles were more then happy to walk away with the win. Now the Giants may be the deepest team in the NFC, especially that defense, I stilldon't understand why they didn't trade for Edwards or Boldin. Eli isn't the type of QB who makes your WRs better, he needs a #1 guy out there and bringing in a couple of rookie WRs is not going to get it done this year.

The popular pick this year seems to be the Eagles and it's easy to understand why. The question with them has always been do they have enough weapons and didn't they add Maclin and McCoy and shored up their OL with Jason Peters. Then they top it off with the Vick signing and everybody is diagramming the wild cat on TV. I wonder though, can they count on a couple of rookies enough to keep Westbrook healthy and how much does Vick really help.The whole Vick and McNabb dynamic could get interesting too, but the biggest question to me is how much will they miss their old DC Johnson?

America's team finished out of the play offs last year when they imploded against the Eagles in the last game of the season, or one game before they were scheduled to implode. Their whole improvement seems to be they got rid of the bad characters, see TO and Pac Man, so there star QB can assume the throne as king. I don't buy it; can you imagine Peyton Manning or Bret Favre simply bowing toTO? Leaders don't lead because you remove all of their obstacles; players become leaders because they overcome obstacles. I'm not even going into the whole Jerry Jones, Wade Phillips and Jason Garrett mess.

The team under the radar is the Redskins. This is a top ten defense that added maybe the best defensive player in the NFL with Albert Haynesworth while the offense should improve in Zorns' second year. There was a lot of talk about getting rid of QB Jason Campbell but he really might be alright, this is his second year in the West Coast offense so there could be a big jump for the whole offense and having Clinton Portis in the backfield doesn't hurt.

NFC East

WashingtonRedskins   11 -5

New YorkGiants              10 - 6

PhiladelphiaEagles         9 - 7

DallasCowboys                7 - 9

NFC North

This was Viking territory last year and all they did was add Bret Favre and Percy Harvin. We will see how much they help but the same team other then them is back so I don't see how they could drop any. With a dominating running game and defense if Favre and Harvin work out as planned they could easily win it all this year.

We forget that the Bears were 9 and 7 last year. What might surprise you the most is their offense ranked higher, 14th by points, then the defense who finished 16th in points allowed. The questions are who will Cutler throw too and did they get their franchise QB too late, is this defense getting old. While I don't expect any pro bowl WRs, Cutler is the type of QB who can make a WR better, someone will emerge and I hope it's not Hester; he is hard enough to handle now. I am more concerned with the defense, this team has gotten worse for a couple of years now and they really haven't brought in much fresh blood.

Seeing a lot of Packers in the Super Bowl predictions and there are plenty of reasons to see why. Aaron Rogers could be the next star in this league and this is a very deep team. But the defense is a little questionable when they are making wholesale changes to the 3-4, this team might be a year or two away from truly contending for the Super Bowl and we really don't know how Rodgers or for that matter the head coach Mike McCarthy will react in the playoffs. Still they take advantage of a weak schedule and make the playoffs.

The one thing I will guarantee is the Lions will not lose more games then they did last year, okay, that's my one and only shot at 0 and16. This team will be better and they appear to be headed in the right direction, especially if they actually win the NFL lottery with Stafford. But this team still needs a couple of defensive stars before they can contend.

NFC North

Minnesota Vikings      12 - 4

Green BayPackers      10 - 6

DetroitLions                   7 - 9

Chicago Bears             6 - 10

That leaves us with the Redskins 11 - 5, Vikings 12 - 4, Saints 11 - 5 and Cardinals 10 - 6 as division winners with the Wild Cards the Packers 11 - 5 and Giants 10 - 6.

I have the road teams winning the first round but losing to the home teams in the second round.

In the championship game I have the Vikings beating the Redskins and going to the Super Bowl as Bret Favre adds to his legend and finally retires.

Okay, that last part about Favre retiring is a little hard to predict, I am taking that part back, but I am sticking with the Vikings in the Super Bowl.

Been looking at possible cuts and wondering what we might be able to pick up. I think we can all agree that we need to get some more WRs in here and I don't care if we have to cut every DT and safety on the team to do it.

Okay I'm kidding, we obviously need a pass rusher and another CB would be nice. Unfortunately those are two things that are hard to find. It's not unusual for a team to keep 6 CBs and 5 DEs if they have that many good ones and it's not unheard of for a team to keep 7 CBs or 6 DEs if the don't want to let talent go.

So that means to find a CB you have to have a team where the 7th or 8th best CB can help the Lions. Clearly we might be able to find someone who is better then James or Robertson as that 5th or 6th CB but can we find someone who can crack into the top 3 or 4 and help us out this year?

The two teams that seem to be stocked at CB are the Jets and Giants.

Jets:The Jets have Revis and Sheppard as starters while last year starter Lowry is battling with Strickland over the nickle and dime spots. They also have Carroll, the ex-Packer, who is a special team leader so that's five spots taken.

The other three CBs are:

Drew Coleman, a 4th year player. Drafted in the 6th round in 2006 out of TCU. I show him at 5-8, 173 pounds with 4.5 speed. Actually played 16 games with 3 starts in 2006, played 11 games in 2007 and 9 games last year with no starts. Doesn't seem to be an injury problem so the decline in playing time says something.

Marquice Cole, who went undrafted out of Northwestern in 2007. Spent the last two years on the practice squads for Raiders, Titans and Saints. Has decent numbers with 5-10.5 185 pounds and 4.47 speed. Supposedly playing well but I wonder, Schwartz had him in Tenn and even brought him back over the off season but they let him go to the Saints and he wasn't able to get on the field with that secondary?

Rashad Barksdale, who was drafted in the 6th round by the Eagles in 2007 out of Albany. Can't find any 40 times on him but he is 6-0 and 208 pounds. Chiefs took him off the practice squad that year and he played some special teams for 6 games. Late cut by Chiefs in 2008 and Giants kept him on the practice squad until they activated him late in year when there were injuries but never played. Jets picked him up off waivers in June and he is supposed to be playing well.

Now looking at those three players I don't see much to get excited about but I am hoping that Rob Ryan is. My scenario would be Strickland beating out Lowry because he is a 6 year veteran with 22 starts. Now if one or two of those other guys catch Ryan's eye they might be willing to move Lowry for a late draft pick. I realize that the Lions would have first crack on waivers because he is in his second year but I believe other teams would be willing to offer a draft pick for him so we may never get the shot if we wait.

So who is Lowry? Lowry was a 4th round pick in 2008 out of San Jose State.  I show numbers of 5-11, 201 and a rather slow 4.57 40. This is what Sports Illustrated said about him pre draft.

Bio

Junior-college transfer who made an immediate impact at San Jose State upon his arrival two years ago. All-Conference selection as a junior and senior totaling 44/4/7 last year after 48/9/16 the previous campaign. Earned All-American honors as a junior.

 

Positives

Opportunistic cornerback with a good head for the game. Fluid pedaling in reverse, quick transitioning to run with opponents, and has quarterbacks purposely throwing away from him. Displays a good degree of awareness on the field, effectively reads the action, and diagnoses plays. Possesses a great sense of timing and anticipation as well as terrific hands for the interception.

 

Negatives

Not a strong, sturdy defender. Struggles against the run and physically defeated by opponents. Prefers to side-shuffle down the field. Was benched in the middle of his senior campaign for poor play.

 

Analysis

Lowery is a talented cover corner with top ball skills and abilities for the next level. He would fit well in a cover two system or a scheme where he's backed off the line of scrimmage. Lowery should see playing time as a rookie in dime or nickel situations.

Okay, that whole Tampa Two thing just scared the hell out of you and I hear you, we don't want another square peg for a round hole. But I read that profile a little differently, I see a talented kid who has been coasting through life. They talk about his ball skills being NFL caliber but then say he struggles against the run, does that sound like a Tampa Two corner? I think they are looking at that 40 time and think Tampa Two.

Last year for the Jets he played in all 16 games and started 10 with 54 tackles and 1 INT while the 5 forced fumbles are interesting.  That's not bad stats for a rookie 4th round pick but I feel like Ryan will favor the vets this year so he might be buried in the depth chart.

I look at things like fluid in the hips who transitions well, displays an awareness for the game, great sense of timing, good hands and it makes me think those are god given talents that you want in a CB. I wonder if Gunther can't get in there and light a fire under his ass and the Lions couldn't end up with a pretty good CB. Being as he is not a Ryan draft pick the Lions might be able to get him for a 5th round pick.

Giants: Another team that is over stocked at CB. The starters are Aaron Ross and Corey Webster with Kevin Dockery in the nickel. The 4th CB is probably Terrell Thomas, a 2nd round pick in 2008. But those four players are being pushed by:

Travonti Johnson, 6-2 190 pounds out of Central Florida. Some places have him listed at safety but he has been playing a lot of CB for the Giants. He spent the 2007 season on the practice squad and made the active squad last year.

DeAndre Wright, a 6th round pick this year out of New Mexico who they like.

Bruce Johnson, an undrafted rookie out of Miami who has played real well in camp.

Stoney Woodson, a 7th round pick in 2009 out of South Carolina who is also looking good.

That's four good looking young corners challenging four very good corners. Both Ross and Webster have been resting with some minor injuries this off season and the other six had an opportunity to shine and if we can believe what we are hearing they have all shined.

Now there is no way the Giants can keep 8 CBs, their whole roster is too deep for that and any of those CBs they waive would be claimed by someone so the practice squad is out. What I wonder is if one or two of those young guys are taking a run at the 4th CB spot, maybe the Giants might be looking to create a little space by trading one of the top CBs. I don't see them moving one of the starters but I wonder about Dockery or Thomas.

Terrell Thomas was a 2nd round pick in 2008 out of USC. The numbers are 6-0, 202 and a 4.52 40 time. Sports Illustrated said;

Bio

Two-year starter awarded All-Conference honors since his junior campaign. Senior-year totals included 45/4/7 after 50/2/12 as a junior. Has an injury history, which includes a dislocated right shoulder and torn ligaments in his right knee.

 

Positives

Nice-sized cornerback who's at his best facing the action. Plays with a physical nature against receivers, quickly breaks to the throw, and has a burst of closing speed. Quick pedaling in reverse, plays with a savvy nature, and uses his frame to gain positioning on opponents.

 

Negatives

Quickout of his back-pedal, lacks top-end speed, and struggles making plays with his back to the ball. Does a lot of face-guarding and rarely gets his head back around to locate the pass in the air.

 

Analysis

Thomas offers outstanding size and has a physical nature to his game, yet he must be put in a system where the action is kept in front of him. He offers possibilities as a nickel back in a zone system.

He played in 12 games with 2 starts last year and supposedly looking very good in the off-season, maybe he has played himself into the nickel spot because that is the type of corner the Giants like.

That would mean Kevin Dockery might be available.

Wait, didn't he start some games in 2007 and 2008 and isn't he one of the best nickel backs out there?

The answer is yes, Dockery would easily be our best CB.

So why would the Giants let him go?

Two words, free agency. This is his 4th year so he will be a FA after this season and Drew Rosenhaus is his agent. He was tendered by the Giants at the 2nd round pick level and they eventually signed him for the 1.54 mil. Now Dockery is not going to sign with the Giants for anything near 1.54 mil next year and he probably wants a starting job where he can make 3 times that much. I just don't see the Giants paying the nickel back 4 or 5 mil a year, especially when they have so many good looking young corners in camp right now. I can easily see the Giants trading him if they think the other players are ready to contribute.

So do the Lions want him?

Seems like a no brainer but are the Lions ready to give up what it would take to get him, say a 2nd round pick or maybe a 3rd and a 6th or something like that. Maybe we better take a closer look here, after all the Lions would have to sign him after this year too. Let's don't just say no thanks because it is a one year rental. What if he is worth it?

First he is only 25 so he sure fits building for the future; I would have no problem signing him for a 5 year contract at starting CB level of pay if he is starting CB quality. So the question becomes can he be that shutdown corner the Lions need?

The knock the Giants have against him, besides the contract, is his size. They prefer bigger corners in their scheme with Webster at 6-0, 204 and Ross at 6-1, 193 while Dockery is 5-8, 188. Even all of the other Giant hopefuls are big guys. But we know Schwartz had small corners in Tennessee so I don't think it's a big concern. Schwartz likes corners who can cover and with all the man to man we could see if Gunther goes blitz crazy I think good cover skills might be a good idea.

So what about those cover skills?

I certainly am no expert so I have to use some profound knowledge here and I refer to an article from January by Tony Pisaro. Tony Pisaro is a well known ex-scout who is working for a web site I cannot remember right now but I will give you his preamble to his article and his assessment of Dockery.

Top 50 Cornerback Rankings

By: Tony Pisano

January 12, 2009 5:29pm CST

In this article I will breakdown over 50 NFL CBs individually. I watched all 256 NFL regular season games and made extensive notes on almost every CB in the league. Based on the statistics I created, and the eyes with which I watched the games, I have created a list of the top 50 CBs, and a few extras.

30. Kevin Dockery, New York Giants

Season Totals: 40 attempts, 5.53 YPA, 32.50 Forced INC%, 0 TDs, 1 INT

 

My two cents: Why is Aaron Ross starting over this guy? Not only did Dockery post impressive numbers, but Ross posted arguably the worst numbers in the league. Here they are side by side.

 

Dockery: 40 attempts, 5.53 YPA, 32.50 Forced INC%, 0 TDs, 1 INT

Ross: 81 attempts, 9.11 YPA, 19.75 Forced INC%, 4 TDs, 3 INTs

It's not even necessary to break these numbers down, they speak for themselves. Dockery is a better CB than Aaron Ross, it's that simple. Ross is young and could still develop into a quality CB, but it he shouldn't be starting for anyone, especially the defending Super Bowl champions.

While Tony got the defending Super Bowl Champion thing wrong those are some very good numbers by Dockery.

If you suffered through this blog this far and you haven't seen that top 50 CB article before, check it out, it's pretty interesting.

So do the Lions want Dockery?

I say yes. What are we hoping the Lions take next year in the 2nd round if not a cornerback who can be our cover guy? Why not go for a young guy who has already shown he can do the job right now. We have seen him playing and playing well in big games while being in an organization like the Giants for three years has got to be a plus for the Lions clubhouse.

So based on these two teams what does it look like the Lions options are at picking up a corner back after the cuts?

Most likely it will be a young guy like Marquez Cole who Schwartz had for a while on his practice squad or one of those young Giants like Wright or Woodson. In other words a young guy who has some promise, not much help now but maybe down the road a piece. Now that is not a bad thing, lord knows we need more young talent and if there is someone the Lions like they should pick him up; however, if we want help now they will have to trade for it or take some over priced, probably injury prone veteran CB who has most likely lost a step or three.

As far as the trade prospects I mentioned I guess I wouldn't mind if they traded a 4th round pick for Lowery, he has some promise and still have 3 years of exclusive rights so it makes sense and I might throw in another low pick if we are getting Terrell from the Giants but my overwhelming first choice is Dockery.

I say trade the 2nd round pick (shoot, I'd throw in a 5th), sign him for the next 5 years and make him the #1 CB. That moves Buchannon to #2, Henry to safety where he can mentor Delmas and King is the nickel back. That's not a bad secondary at all and with some youth, this could actually be a strength by next year.

P.S. Hey Giants, you want to throw in a pass rusher in somehow like Dave Tollefson and we might sweeten the pot a little, say a 2nd a 4th and a 7th?

What a shock!!!!!!!!!!! They suck again!!!!!!

For the most part, I have bought into the Schwantz deal, but his retention of Stanley the Klown Kwan as special teams coach is absurd. This Klown held the position for 2 years under Rod Bufferooni, and how did that work out for you? Stanley is a lost ball in tall weeds who ascended to his position via the retirement of Chuck Preifer. How this bozo ever got where he is, is beyond baffling.

Stanley's resume is less than sparkling, and has huge questions  relative to time gaps.

His NFL experience reads:

 Lions

    Special Teams  2007-Present

    Assistant Special Teams  2006

    Assistant Special Teams & Offensive Assistant 2004 & 2005

Cardinals

    Special Teams Assistant/ Defensive Quality Control 2002-2003

Lions

    Offense and Special Teams Assistant 1997-2000

Chargers

    Offense Assistant 1996

    Offense & Special Teams 1993- 1995

    Coaching Staff Assistant 1992

Now that's some impressive credentials right there. But when you go back further, the only mention of football was in high school when he set a record at Phoenix Camelback H.S. for single game passing yards. Everything else is baseball. After playing baseball one year at South Mountain CC he played baseball at SDSU for 3 years and earned a degree in criminal justice.

As I have so often asked of Eric, what the hell is this slug doing coaching one of the most important units on this football team? Same slug, same results. Broom this Klown and take over the S.T.'s yourself Schwantzi until you can find/hire a qualified individual. This joke/imposter has made all eight of my hair roots hurt badly for far too many years. His presence continues the ineptitude that has graced this organization for far too many decades.

First thing tomorrow morning, call a cab to Allen Park and throw Kwan and Cason's asses in there, never to see or hear from their sorry asses again, ever...........

So one week into training camp where and are the Lions at? What are the surprises and disappointments so far?

Let's start with the Secondary. There have been some encouraging signs and maybe some disappointments too.

The player most of us wanted to see was the rookie Delmas, he shined in the OTAs and we wondered if it would continue. The recent injury is certainly a disappointment, let's hope it's only camp bruises but we are reminded that durability was a question with him to begin with and this is not what the Lions wanted to see. Before the injury he seemed to be doing well, lot of reports of him defending passes and hitting people; however, if the injury is a sign of things to come it will be a huge letdown to the whole team. Still at this point he is a starter at safety with only the injury causing concern.

Ray Buchannon is looking like a good pick-up at CB. When we hear that he is holding his own against Calvin Johnson it can only be a good thing. It seems there is little doubt that he is the Lions #1 CB and while nobody is making travel plans to Hawaii for the Pro Bowl, he at least looks like a legitimate CB.

The other CB spot seems to be down to Anthony Henry and Eric King. Both players have been making plays so far and this battle could go right to the end of camp and beyond. Seeing as the loser is likely to see plenty of playing time as the nickel and all the talk of running a lot of 3-3-5 we have to be happy that both players are playing well.

So that's four of the top five positions looking pretty good so far, what about that open safety position?

It appears to be between Bullocks, Pearson and Manuel with Pearson probably leading at this point. Bullocks missed some practices with a knee injury and his name hasn't popped up much when he did play while there has been little word of Manuel breaking up a pass. With all the passing drills we are getting reports on we should hear their name mentioned once in a while, something that Pearson has done frequently. The loser of the trio is probably cut with Henry being an option to play safety if needed and I wouldn't be surprised if Henry ends up starting here.

What about that 4th CB? William James was brought in at the beginning of camp and from what we've heard has not impressed, when Keary Colbert is making double moves on you there might be a problem. The bigger problem is Keith Smith hasn't played much with a leg or groin injury. There was a hope that he would step it up in a defense that fits his skills more then schemes he has played in the past. Right now both players could very well be cut if a better option pops up.

One better option might come from the trio of Ramzee Robinson, Chris Roberson and Dexter Wynn who all have had their moments in camp. If one of them can put enough of those moments together they might not only make the team they might see some playing time as the 6th DB.

The other option is the waiver wire or trade, I believe we can expect to see at least one, maybe two players added as players are cut off other teams. Now they are most likely not going to come in as a starter but we should consider that to be a good thing, good teams aren't hoping to add a CB from the waiver wire. Maybe it's possible that he could crack that top five but the best thing that could happen is for someone like Bullocks to earn that spot and any additions would be fighting over the 4th CB position for now.

One option I hope we don't hear is the veteran Free Agent. We hear names like Ty Law and Chris McCalister and it sounds good; however, this would be a move of desperation to me. If the Lions were a contending team right now it might make sense to bring one of them in; but this is not a contending team and they are better served giving playing time to younger players who might help down the road a little. Only way they would want a 35 year old CB is if they felt one of their top five cannot get the job done at all. So far that doesn't seem to be the case.

Overall I am very encouraged by what I am hearing. If Delmas is healthy the Lions might have four legitimate DBs and while Delmas might be the only one with star potential having four decent players will be a welcome change. Last year Brian Kelly, Travis Fisher and Dwight Smith started 25 of the 64 starts at DB and at this point none of those three is in a training camp. Think about that, there must be an average of ten DBs per team in camps right now and 39% of last years starters can't crack the top 300 or so DBs this year. I don't know how anyone can say they haven't upgraded their secondary already.

In - Delmas, Buchannon, Henry and King

Probably - Pearson

Better get busy - Manuel, Bullocks, James and K Smith

Could steal a spot - Roberson, Robinson or Wynn

Better be a special team stud - Stuart Schweigert

Additions - This is probably #2 on the late cut down additions, right behind the DL. Just a nice thought that is mostly for depth and they will have to work their way into playing time.

Overall grade B-. That might seem like a high grade and it might be based on a curve off the last few years but we have to be encouraged that Buchannon and King are making plays. These two are the key to the whole season in the secondary, maybe the whole defense. If they can give the Lions some good CB play the whole defensive play book can open up a little more. Oh yeah, get healthy Delmas or this grade could become a D quickly.

Conspiracy Theory

Our story all starts with a phone call, minutes after firing Millen....

"Mr. Ford, it's the commissioner on the phone."

WCF: "Hello Paul, long time no hear."

Goodell: "Ah, this is Roger Goodell, I've been the commissioner for close to three years now."

WCF: "You don't say, what did you say your name was again?"

Goodell: "You can call me Roger. But Mr. Ford I am calling with a list of very good general manager candidates for you."

WCF: "What would I need that for?"

Goodell: "Didn't you fire Millen and go 0-16, I, actually the entire civilized world felt you could use a little help with your search for a new president."

WCF: "Son, I don't know how you were raised but where I come from someone doesn't stick there nose in other people's business. Leave your number with the receptionist and I'll call you if I need your advice."

WCF hangs up and looks at his phone. There it is on the speed dial, right below pizza delivery, President of Operations. Now if that pushy kid was right and I need one, no one will answer when I call on the hotline. WCF pushes the button.

Mayhew: "Hello Mr. Ford, is it time for another foot massage?"

WCF: "No, I was just checking something. Did you know that Paul isn't the commissioner anymore, some kid named Rodney or something. He's not going to take our Thanksgiving game away is he?"

Mayhew: "It's Roger Mr. Ford and the Thanksgiving game is safe, for now."

WCF: "That's good to hear; you know my mother-in-law would kill me if we had to travel for Thanksgiving. Now about that foot massage?"

Mayhew hangs up and breaths a sigh of relief, great idea to take over Millen's old office, no way he wanted to give up this job. As low as the bar is set around here the Lions would have to go winless to get fired and how often can that happen. Better get to work on a Head Coach again, as soon as he gets back from giving the old goat his foot massage.

Fast forward to early January

Mayhew: "Well we dodged a bullet Tom, WCF doesn't even remember promoting us but we better hurry up and get a coach in here."

Lewand: "I agree, just don't hire that Cowher guy. He scares the hell out of me and I bet he would want to make a bunch of changes."

Mayhew: "I agree, why fix what ain't broke. I think I'm going with this gym shorts guy, all he does is watch film and he used to crack me up on the radio."

Mid February

(Mayhew, Schwartz and Lewand are meeting about Free Agency.)

Mayhew: "I thought we should get together and make sure we are all on the same page here."

Schwartz: "Good idea, well I want to really concentrate on the lines, we need to get bigger."

Lewand: "My research says bigger costs more. They eat more food and we have to pay for extra seats when we fly coach, plus the whole extra cost of fabric for the uniforms and do you have any idea what a football shoes costs in a 22DDD."

Mayhew: "Good point Tom, and doesn't bigger usually mean more wins, we might even make the playoffs. Remember WCF said his wife always goes crazy shopping when they traveled for the playoffs. I had to promise him that it would never happen again."

Schwartz: "You could have mentioned that before I signed that contract."

Mayhew: "Well it's all water under the bridge now, besides I always take a cruise in January, playoffs would just screw that up and they don't refund deposits."

Lewand: "Didn't you go to the Azores last year, where are you going this time?"

Mayhew: "Madagascar, and my wife will kill me if I have to cancel- so we need to get rid of anyone any good."

Schwartz: "Well that shouldn't take long but can we keep Megatron?"

Mayhew: "I guess so, if you really think it would help. He sells a lot of jerseys and it's not like we are going to win many games with this defense."

Schwartz: "Thanks, we might be able to use him somehow. I'm a little worried though. If we get rid of everybody we can't fill all the positions so we might go 0-16 again."

Mayhew: "I've been thinking about that. If we keep the whole offensive line we can blame the whole thing on Millen for another year."

Lewand: "Brilliant plan, but it might take a little longer then a year. I better make sure we keep that OL together for a little while longer. I'll offer Peterman three times what he's worth and get to work on signing Raiola."

Mayhew: "Schwartz, I want you to tell me who the best players are, we need to get rid of them now. That way we will have a good six years to turn this thing around when everybody sees what Millen left us with."

Schwartz leaves the meeting wondering what he has gotten himself into.

(Schwartz calls in Linehan and Cunningham to figure out a plan).

Schwartz: "Okay guys, we need to figure out  who we need to get rid of."

Linehan: "About time, I can't wait to cut Sackus and the midget and, how about I write down on this sticky note everybody I want to keep. Here, Calvin Johnson and that RB might be alright. Oh yeah, I want to keep Fumblepepper, he always laughed at my jokes in Minnesota and he said he would take me out in his boat this time."

Cunningham: "F this, except for that b@$t@rd Redding F*#!ing get rid of all of the sons of a b!tche$. " (He then goes off in a incoherent and cuss-laced rant)

Schwartz: "Well ... Let me explain what they want they want to do."

After twenty minutes of crying and whining and Gunther teaching everybody about 43 new cuss words reality sets in and all three realize that they will never work in the NFL again.

They start making their list.

Cunningham: "WTF, Scotty boy gets to keep his glorious MFing WR and he gets a f*#%ing brand new golden boy? Just what the hell do I f*@#ing get to keep?"

Schwartz: "I'll tell you what; if you keep Sims I'll let you keep Avril."

Cunningham: "F*@#ing great, I keep a lazy a$$, clueless f*#~ing LB and I can keep a F^%#ing undersized one trick pony, suppose I have to keep that f#@%ing pint sized LB Dizon too."

Schwartz: "Good idea Gunther, let's keep Dizon too. But you have to promise that if Avril puts on a little weight you will make him back up some loser at DE."

Cunningham: "#%#^!!@&*!!~%"

Linehan: "What about me, you stuck me with the worst OL in history and a rookie QB?"

Schwartz: "You get to bring in as many players as you want, as long as they're WRs."

Linehan: "#%#^!!@&*!!~%"

The next day Schwartz brings the list to Mayhew and Lewand.

Schwartz: "Man, I'm getting killed on the internet around here, can't we do something?"

Mayhew: "What do you want me to do? You know my plan; if we get good it'll mean no more Madagascar in January for me."

Schwartz: "We can't have that (Schwartz is hoping Mayhew is kidnapped by pirates). Look, I said something like we would add some beef around here, why don't we find some over the hill fat guy and maybe a back-up player and pawn them off as proof we are fixing the lines."

Mayhew: "I like that idea, how about I add a couple of lousy CBs too. I'll even throw in a TE who can't catch and a RB that never did anything. I want the big money spent on WR."

Schwartz: "I know the perfect lousy CB too. He is young and he played for me in Tennessee, so the fans will actually think that he has potential cause I brought him in!"

Lewand: "Already working on it, I took what Bryant Johnson's agent wanted and doubled it; I think we have a pretty good shot to sign him."

Mayhew: "By the way, I finally got rid of the only decent DT we have for some over the hill LB. Local guy so I bet we sell 10,000 jerseys."

Sometime in early March WCF called Mayhew, Lewand and Schwartz together.

WCF: "We only have about 3 days until the draft and you know it's the only time the wife lets me out of the house. I want to make sure everybody is ready."

Schwartz: "Mr. Ford, the draft is in the end of April, we have a good 7 weeks yet."

WCF: "Who said that? ??? Didn't the groundhog see his shadow?"

Mayhew: "I believe that means 6 weeks of winter sir, not six weeks until the draft."

WCF: "Oh, okay. Guess I didn't need to come out of hibernation yet. Oh well, never too soon to start printing Stafford jerseys."

Schwartz: "But Mr. Ford we were leaning towards fixing the defense or maybe the OL."

WCF: "You're new around here aren't you son? Like I said, it's never too soon to start the Stafford merchandise."

Mayhew: "Don't worry Mr. Ford, like you said, he's new. You will get your cash cow, I mean QB Mr. Ford."

WCF: "Okay, but make a big show about it. Pretend you are looking at somebody else and then do a big deal of going down to see his workout. That way all the NFL will be watching us when we bring him in for a visit. Only way we will ever get that cute little Suzy Kobbler here."

Lewand: "Do you want me to pretend to play hard ball with the contract and then at the last minute give him half the franchise?"

WCF: "I like that idea; I'll bet even Mort follows my tweets then."

Mayhew: "Schwartz, excuse me, the new guy, has been watching a lot of film on Stafford and he had some problems with Florida last year."

WCF: "Well tell him to watch more film; I don't care if you have to go back to high school. Find something he won somewhere damn it."

Mayhew: "What about the rest of the draft sir?"

WCF: "Rest of the draft? The last guy always said the rest of the draft was for losers and that's one thing we don't want to be called around here, I told them just to go with the guy's with the coolest names or if they went to a college around here they are more likely to sell jerseys"

Mayhew: "Actually we have an extra 1st round pick this year."

WCF "Really, well take a WR; we could always use another one of those. As far as the rest of the draft, me and the last guy used to just pull names out of a hat, even made a little drinking game out of it, every time ESPN said WTF we took a drink. I sure got s**t faced a lot, lots of fun."

Draft Day 

It's finally draft day and WCF and Mayhew are media darlings for signing Stafford.

Mayhew: "Well I'm going to a press conference so Schwartz, you got the next pick. Just remember to take a WR."

They wait for Mayhew to leave then Linehan turns to Schwartz, "What are we going to do; Stafford will get killed behind Sackus and another WR ain't going to help?"

Schwartz: "Don't worry, I have a plan. Just follow along when I explain it to Mayhew."

"With the 20th pick the Detroit Lions take .... Brandon Pettigrew TE Oklahoma State."

It takes Mayhew about three seconds to barge through the door.

Mayhew: "WTF, I said a WR."

Schwartz: "No need to go all Gunther on us sir, I thought he was a WR, I saw all those receptions in college and I didn't realize that he was 275#s until I heard it on ESPN."

Mayhew: "Well okay, Millen used to draft people all the time without checking them out first. But I want you to promise to take some undersized defensive player in the 2nd round, make it a local player; the fans eat that stuff up."

"With the 33rd pick the Detroit Lions take ....Louis Delmas S from Western Michigan."

Day two of the draft.

Schwartz: "We got lucky, there are some great players left. Check out this you tube video of this guy jumping out of a swimming pool."

Mayhew: "I just traded our pick, WCF has been partying all night and he wants to play the drinking game he played with Millen but he is going to be late so I traded down a little."

Schwartz: "Huh, okay, I'm sure we can get somebody good at 76 and we can use a 4th round pick."

Pick 71, then 72 go by, three more picks to until the Lions pick.

Linehan in a whisper to Schwartz: "Check out those linemen, Caldwell, Vasquez, Urbik." Cunningham: "F that, I want the g@% D@&# DT from Texas."

Schwartz whispers back: "Quiet, just keep your fingers crossed, only divine intervention could ruin this now."

WCF: "Hi guys, I brought the scotch and a hat, where's Matt?"

Like the teenager who was stood up on prom night Schwartz wipes a tear from his eye, this can't be good.

Mayhew, realizing that the old man is two sheets to the wind: "Ah, Millen is taking a nap Mr. Ford."

WCF: "Don't wake him up; I'm lucky if I can get one decent drink with him around." (You didn't think Millen was sober for the draft did you.)

WCF: "So what do we got going? I want a big WTF out of ESPN on this one."

Schwartz: "Well we were looking at a couple of linemen."

WCF: "How long have you been around here son?"

Mayhew: "Its okay Mr. Ford, I got it, let me see that hat. Let's see, we are taking a Wisconsin LB."

Schwartz whispers to Cunningham: "Guess it could be worse, at least Casillas did something in college, about two rounds too early but it's not like he's the twentieth best LB or something."

 "With the 76th pick the Detroit Lions take .... DeAndre Levy, LB from Wisconsin."

WCF: "Wow look at those faces at ESPN, that's worth two shots. Let's see two shots for me and I might as well drink Matt's too."

Mayhew avoids all eye contact with Schwartz while Cunningham runs to the bathroom, just not right to see a grown man cry like that.

Mayhew knows he better suck up to WCF because he rode with Schwartz to the draft and he's going to need a ride home now.

Mayhew: "Mr. Ford, we get to pick again, do you want to take a WR?"

"With the 82nd pick the Detroit Lions take ....Derrick Williams, WR from Penn State."

Linehan joins Cunningham in the bathroom, even if he can get D Will to catch the ball he'll just fumble it away.

WCF: "Woow we, this is fun, when are we up again?"

Mayhew: "We have a couple of minutes, I see you're out of scotch if you want to go down to the liquor store and get some more."

WCF: "Good idea, I'll be right back." The door closes behind him as he leaves.

Schwartz: "What is going on Mayhew?"

Mayhew: "Quiet, he has spies everywhere. Look, I know he might be a little out of touch but he still signs my checks. Give him this next pick and I'll try to get him to pass out by the late rounds and you can take anyone you want."

Schwartz goes out to his car and cranks up some heavy metal. Sees WCF staggering through the parking lot and a thought goes through his head but just as he is about to stomp on the gas he realizes that they probably have security cams in the parking lot so instead he helps the old fart back to the draftroom.

WCF: "I was just talking to this cute young thing in the liquor store (actually she was 350#s and 57 years old, alcohol will make you see strange things) and she said she had a nephew who goes to a college in Alabama and he told her about this big football player there. I can tell she likes me because she double bagged my bottle, I think if I take her nephew's friend I might get a little action."

Schwartz is thinking, well at least it's a SEC player and a big guy too, lets see, no big Alabama players left, maybe she means Auburn, don't they have that 300# guard Green. At least it's some help for the OL.

Mayhew: "Mr. Ford, did you get his name?"

WCF; "Yeah, but I forgot, I think I remember the college, do they have a football team at Hillman college, I know the Huxtebals went there so it should be pretty good."

Mayhew: "I think Hillman is in New England or something, was it Stillman?"

WCF: "Didn't I just say that? Matt would never talk to me like that." (Probably right about that, Millen would have drafted Bill Cosby). Hold on, let me look up Stillman, hey! This guy has a pretty cool you tube video! Look at that guy jump! The fans will like that!

"With the 115th pick the Detroit Lions take ...Sammie Hill, DT from Stillman University."

Schwartz grabs the bottle out of WCF's hands and drains it in one gulp hoping for an alcohol induced coma. No luck, nothing is going right today. Damn, now the old geezer is looking at him like Sarah Palin looks at a moose.

Schwartz: "I'm sorry Mr. Ford; I don't know what came over me. I'll go buy you another bottle."

WCF: "Make sure it doesn't happen again son, pick up my Viagra prescription and some condoms and I'll forget it. Got to be ready for my date tonight and don't go trying to hit on my girl after I got her all set up to go."

As Schwartz is starting his car he seriously considers finding a nice big tree to plow into while going 75. Fortunately his wife calls right then, wants to know how his day is going when she should put dinner on. Fifteen minutes later Mrs. Schwartz hung up and called her mother-in-law, she had never heard her husband cry before.

Schwartz is walking through the liquor store trying to figure out what that smell was when he seen her behind, and a little around and a lot over the counter. No reason to question where the smell was coming from, a whole shelf of douche behind her and she, well, less said the better.

Clerk: "Hey is that a Lions jacket? Do you work for them? Did they take my nephews friend?"

Schwartz: "Ma'am, I'll never admit to working for them again. But if your nephew goes to Stillman then yes they did." Schwartz thinks to himself, well I guess it would be hard to chew a breath mint with no teeth. "I need a fifth of cheap scotch and a pack of condoms."

Clerk: "Sure, actually you get a free pack of condoms with two bottles of scotch."

Schwartz: "Set me up, I could use an extra fifth. By the way, leave your phone number with the old man; I may be looking for a DT in September." (See, they got a back-up plan if Jackson is suspended.)

Schwartz sits in the parking lot and pokes pin holes in all the condoms. Serves you right you old fart, have another heir. Damn, is it that late already, we have an early 6th round pick. Schwartz starts jogging towards the draft room.

Schwartz: "Is it the 192nd pick already? Who did we pick?"

Mayhew: "I traded it, the old man was out of liquor and he said he wasn't going to play until he could take a shot. You got here just in time though; we just turned our pick in."

"With the 192nd pick the Detroit Lions take ....Aaron Brown, RB from TCU."

WCF: "Wow, look at them ESPN guys, we got em again. Give me that bottle son and don't worry about that RB tag, I checked him out, he's small but fast, he should make a good WR."

Light bulb goes off in Schwartz' head: "Mr. Ford, that clerk is smoking hot but she said she was about to end her shift, you better get down there quick."

WCF: "Maybe you're right, hand me those condoms son, I got some real drafting to do."

Schwartz: "Don't forget the booze; you don't want to sober up before you drop her off."

WCF stumbles out the door and Schwartz turns to Mayhew, "You promised me the late round picks and I'm taking them."

Mayhew: "No problem, how much are a few 7th rounders going to help. I think I'm going to call my travel agent, looks like I will have plenty of free time in January next year too, it's cheaper if you book over a year ahead."

Mayhew leaves and Schwartz goes looking for his coordinators, he finds them in a bathroom stall looking like two four year old twins girls who just found out that Santa is fake, clutching each other while sucking their thumbs in the fetal position.

Schwartz: "Come on, you each get one pick, take anybody you want."

Linehan, as he tries to calm the shudders: "Cccccan I hhhave an OT, a great big guy, somebody who can block out the sun?"

Schwartz: "Yes, anything you want."

Cunningham: "F#@%ing A, I want a g#% d@7# slobber knocker."

"With the 228th pick the Detroit Lions take .....Lydon Murtha, T Nebraska."

"With the 235th pick the Detroit Lions take .....Zack Follett, LB California."

Phone rings, it's Mayhew: "What the hell are you doing? I just saw it on ESPN. You better take another WR with the last pick."

Schwartz smiles and thinks to himself; it worked before, why not try it again.

"With the 255th pick the Detroit Lions take .....Dan Gronkowski, TE Maryland."

Schwartz goes home to cry like a baby in his wife's arms.

Three weeks later the rookie OTA is over and Schwartz is feeling a little better, some of these rookies might be alright after all. Shoot, Cunningham said he thinks Levy looks like Peterson, of course Cunningham is getting pretty old and he thinks the water boy is Derrick Thomas.

Still, the veterans are in the last day of the OTAs and they have been working out, even that Cohen guy is bigger. Just might get a decent player or two out of this mess yet. Schwartz sees Cunningham motioning him over.

Cunningham: "F#@%ing A, that Mother F@%$ing Alexander is knocking the F@&% out of everyone."

Schwartz: "That's good to hear Gunther, you still hearing those voices? Never mind, here comes Linehan."

Cunningham: "I F#@%ing thought that was Vince Lombardi.

Linehan: "Hey coach, how the h3ll can every other player in here be a WR and the only one who can catch a ball is Calvin Johnson."

Schwartz: "I can't figure it out either Scott. Why the fishing hat?"

Linehan: "Fumblepepper said it was my turn to go out on his boat. He said we were going to get a lot of bass."

Schwartz: "Are you sure he said bass? ... Never mind, make sure you wear a life jacket if you catch my drift."

As Schwartz walks away he realizes that his assistant coaches are about two steps away from an embarrassing late night drive through Wendys. He turns off his cell phone as he walks toward Mayhew; no way is he getting his picture in the paper while bailing anybody out.

Mayhew: "How's it going Jim? I noticed a WR dropped a pass. I'll get about six more in here if we have to."

Schwartz: "Let me check out the three dozen we have in camp first. That Gerald Alexander is looking good at safety, he might beat out the rookie."

Mayhew: "Really, that was Gerald Alexander. Wasn't he a Millen pick? I don't know if I want people thinking a Millen pick was better then mine."

Schwartz: "What was that, I didn't catch what you said?" But Mayhew was on the phone already so Schwartz walked over to the players.

Schwartz: "Hey Bryant, I want you to be careful between now and training camp. Besides Calvin you are the only guy I got who another team would even bother to cover,"

Johnson: "No problem coach, just going to play a little golf."

Schwartz: "Sounds good to me, never heard of anybody getting hurt on a golf course."

Schwartz sees Mayhew hanging up his cell phone and walking his way.

Mayhew: "I just traded Alexander, if he starts it's going to kill Dumas' jersey sales and we already sold a bunch of Alexander jerseys. Don't worry though I got us"

Schwartz cuts him off: "I know. another F@#$ing WR."

Schwartz walks away with a tear in his eye; it's going to be a long year.

I know that not a meaningful down of football has yet to be played, but after 50+ years of pain, I have guarded optimism as it relates to the new Coach.

Schwartz is far more articulate than any of the last however many predecessors, i.e., you can actually understand what the hell he is saying! How refreshing....

In an interview wth Valenti & Foster last Thursday, he was very impressive, while being contrite recognizing how piss poor they were. He appears to have a solid long range plan, and a road map as to how to get there. He further indicated that he is flexible, thank God there no more "scheme" plans, be they on O or D!!! He said they would be looking for the opponents weakness, on either side of the ball.

I find his approach, including the no-nonsense policy on reporting in condition and ready to go, very refreshing. Add to that the fact he doesn't mumble, or ride a Harley to practice, nor does he plan to hire his son-in-law and plan to keep at least a dozen DL's

so that he has something to do?

The Coach is articulate, savy, and extremely intelligent. When was the last time the word intelligence and the Leo's head Coach were mentioned in the same breath? His resume, that includes a Georgetown education/playing career, coupled with a fine NFL resume including many years observing and participating in Jeff Fisher's system adds

credence to his potential.

To this totally scared, perhaps totally cerifiable Leo's fan, I view the new Coach as..........

"A Breathof Fresh Air"