Hunter Wolf's blog

March 22, 2006

There is no question in my mind that Matt Millen is committed to bringing an explosive offense to the Detroit Lions. Millen has drafted for offense in the first round of the draft for the previous four years. Five first round offensive (some of them very offensive) talents; one quarterback, one running back, and three gazelles. Not one lineman! Apparently the Lions are incapable of developing any semblance of an offensive line. It baffles me that the Lions refuse to draft offensive lineman in the first or second rounds of the draft. Yes, sure we did draft Jeff Backus in the first round and he is a very solid player who will continue to be so. However, one thing Backus is definitely not is a dominant lineman. Besides, you can’t have just one blocker with a bunch of has-beens or blue market specials. The entire line has to be able to do the job. Having said that; I do see that the Lions are very close to actually getting the job done up front. Backus, Raiola, and Woody are very good lineman. Millen just needs to find two more GOOD linemen. Seems simple really, which is why I pound my head against the wall after every awful Lions game. More often awful than not these days. So hear we are, only a month away from the Mel Kiper Football Bonanza also know as the NFL Draft.

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Saturday, January 28, 2006

So Long as Ford is Owner, Millen Remains Best Option for the Detroit Lions.

Another issue, involving the Detroit Lions organization, which has occupied my thoughts since the firing of Mariucci as head coach, is the media and fan bombardment of President/GM Matt Millen. It may not be very popular around Detroit, especially from a fan’s point-of-view, to say that Millen is a good thing for Detroit Lions’ football. But, from my perspective, it has been a very good thing for Detroit Lions’ football. Bare with me here.

My long-standing, deep-seeded disgust for Willie Ford has endured for the last 25 years. Always we were saddled with GMs that were all about the bottom-line and less about the on-field product. Sure, we regularly fielded middle-of-the-pack teams that either barely made or barely missed the playoffs. But we never fielded a team that furthered the belief that we would make it over the hump and get into the Super Bowl. Whether or not Willie Ford ever verbalized it, this was obviously perfectly fine with ownership because it meant that they could still turn a profit without ever having to pay for that extra player or players to put the team over the top. Well, age must have caught up with Willie, because he finally decided to hire someone with a higher degree of football acumen then business sense to run his operation, Matt Millen.

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Friday, January 27, 2006

Marinelli Told Lions Fans What They Needed to Hear.

Lately I have been reading a great deal about the Detroit Lions new head coaching hire, Rod Marinelli. Being a Detroit fan I expect that there are going to always be serious detractors to what the Lions are doing during the offseason, whether that’s a new coaching hire, a free agent acquisition, or the NFL draft. And, to be honest, I am usually the one in the bunch that is scrutinizing the Lions more harshly than anyone else. But I almost always take an objective view of the situation and look at it from more than one angle. Which brings me to a recent article by Detroit News sports columnist Rob Parker, “New Lions Coach Told Us Nothing We Wanted to Hear� written January 20, 2006. Now, before I rant I want to clarify that I do understand that sports columnists are often asked to write an opposing view article by editors and such; so as to provide a broader spectrum of copy for readers to consume. Even so, this does nothing to change my belief that Rob Parker is nothing but a complete boob! What a jackass.

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Thursday, January 19, 2006.

For the Detroit Lions it's Not About The Coach, it's About Philosophy.

Lions in limbo again. Same story different decade. Even after naming former Tampa Bay Assoc. Head Coach and Defensive Line coach, Rod Marinelli as the new Head Coach of the Lions organization; the Lions are no closer to ascending from the all-encompassing purgatory that is the Ford ownership.

No, it is not "Hell" in Detroit. If the Devil had come to Detroit, Lions fans would be better off for two reasons. First, Detroit would be a winter hot-spot that would rival Miami. Who would mind trading cold and cloudy for hot and sunny? Not too many people, I don't think. Second, at least the loyal fans of Detroit would be able to move on knowing that things will always be bad. Putting their passion for sports into the two Detroit organizations that deserve fan loyalty, the Pistons and Wings. Even the Tigers are not without hope (they have won a couple of World Championships, AND in the fairly modern era too!). The Lions however will never be anything but just good enough to barely miss or make the playoffs, and always bad enough to lose all their playoff games.

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