It's picture perfect for the Lion fans. For people outside of the Lions fan base, last year was the worse NFL football year for any team in history. Well, for us Lion fans last year wasn't the worst year for the Lions. As a Lion fan of recent history (Super Bowl era) it's real hard to determine which year was the worst year, since there are so many. This year was like an addict hitting rock bottom, but nobody can really figure out the intervention.
For every horrible year we had there was the uplifting possibility of the draft, be quiet, every Millen intervention brought hope. This weekend is like the Super Bowl for Lions fans, yes Thanksgiving is a wonderful football experience but right now everyone outside of the Mitten is calling for the NFL to pull the plug on that tradition. This weekend we are usually calling each other discussing which player is going to take us to the next level, which player will make it okay. How right we were, the next level, WIN LESS! Millen Anonymous was not working.
Now, the night before this year draft I should be calling everyone in anticipation of the next great pick. I should be excited like Dolphin fans of last year. Instead I am discussing with my wife about buying Falcon tickets and pondering her theory about the Lions taking on the Vick Experience.
So why I am not calling you or you are not calling me figuring out this years intervention? Well, because, nobody cares! Detroit is split, the only thing they know is they don't want Sanchez. Hmmm, they might want Stafford but they don't want the second best QB possible a better QB then Stafford. If Lions don't take Stafford, he could go after Sanchez. It's not a debate about whose better right now, it's the fact that nobody else wants Stafford at number 1. This is what kills me!
I really don't care if Stafford turns into the next John Elway ( I really don't want to wait another 20 years before we win 2 super bowls). I don't care if ESPN shows all his great clips of arm strength. Hey, Detroit, I watched a lot of Georgia games on the Lincoln Financial, Detroit's equivalence to Channel 20. He does have a gun, but his gun was throwing way over receivers, he wasn't throwing over their heads, he over throw their routes. Watch those ESPN clips closely, look at the coverage he is throwing into double coverage and the receivers going UP and pulling the pass down. Stafford has good stats, but he doesn't find his rhythm until the second half, want proof, watch the last year's capital bowl. Stafford was MSU's best player in the first half, so MSU focused on the run game and opps Stafford found his receivers.
Stop, don't go there. The Lions will be so far behind in the first half that Stafford's second half magic won't help. Stafford took over in the second half because Knowshun would own the first half that the adjustments other teams made were to focus on the run game. So teams pulled their safeties and corner backs up, which allowed Stafford to go deep. I wish and hope Kevin Smith could create that, but he's a pounder. Stafford is 15 years too late, he'd be a great pick if we had Barry.
Even though it makes some sense to draft Stafford, why isn't any team trying to make a move with us. Why, less then 24 hours to the first pick we haven't signed him? Go ahead tell me the fact no team wants to pay that money for a first pick. Okay, hold on, so let me get this right, no team wants to pay that kind of money for the number one pick. Am I the only one that thinks that this is poetic justice for the Lions? Teams are willing to move up to get Sanchez, which could be 5 or 10 picks less then the Lions. If the Lions don't pick Stafford then it makes teams with lower picks us ponder who to take, but supposedly it's a no brainier for us? Shh, I'm not a Sanchez lover either. But someone explain to me why we are the only team that HAS to take him, when nobody else wants him.
Okay let's put this into perspective. We are going to prom and we got the in on asking the best date possible. Wouldn't you think it'd be a no brainier and all of the boys in our group would be jealous? They'd be in our ear talking about how the wished they could have our date and would do anything to switch. All we'd hear is man, how lucky we'll get and how much she'll put out!
Instead, its like our parents made the match for us with the family friends girl. Yeah she's cute and it could work out. After we announce our date all the other boys are fine with it, nobody is truly jealous or willing to switch dates. Then to make matters worse, all the boys are taking their dates to places that are fancy but fit high school guys budgets, were we have to take our date to a place that fits the budget of Tiger Woods and hot as the latest Lindsey Lohan binge!
Then after all that wine and dinning, she tells us or its announced she will not put out until next year prom. We look around and we don't see our bro's cause their dates are all on the 50 yard line getting down and dirty with them.
Since the NFL league is a copy cat league the Lions need to look at a few things.
1) passing on a pick might not hurt you, ask the Vikings
2) Titans took Vince and he's still sitting behind contract extended Kerry Collins. Ask Texans how Mario's world is
3) Matt Ryan started his career against the Lions, the Lions play the Saints in NO, if the Lions played themselves then maybe Stafford would be the right pick.
4) Last year was a stronger QB draft, Hoyer, out of MSU could be the 4th QB picked. So, the QB Stafford played in the Capitol Bowl Game could go 3 QB picks after him. Then again, Hoyer did play against Matt Ryan before he went to Atl.
ps: Lions take Stafford as of 12:11am.
