The 2005 Detroit Lions...

[Fish Head]

The Kittens have never even been to the NFC Championship game.

[mnvikingsfreak]

when the vikings lost 41-0 is nothing compared to the whole Detroit lions franchise its a complete failure what have they done over the last 30 years since the vikes been in the league yes they were good back in the 30's and 40's when they had 6 teams and leather helmets its great they have the lions on thanksgiving every year when I'm full of turkey nothing makes me sleepy and want to take a nap more then watching the lions play

[mnvikingsfreak]

if you get cut by the tigers you must be really bad!!

[river rat316]

back her up your nuts......... nuff said

lions have neveer even had the chance to be emberassed in a championship game (not in my lifetime anyway) there whole orginization is made up of failure after pathetic failure get a clue! and no there is no room on the vikings bandwagon for you when we are on our way to the SB in your pathetic city!

[buzzsaw]

Mnvikingsfreak, I thought both of your posts were great! very funny stuff!

I can't wait til backherup comes back with some bullets from that pee shooter.

[mnvikingsfreak]

thanks buzzsaw see I'm not brainwashed! I tell it how it is....FYI I'm playing a season with the twins in MVP baseball 2005 and guess what? I have swept the tigers 2 times I'm in first place and another surprise Detroit is in last place I was thinking about dropping Sanchez and creating a player I will call him "backherup" j/k

[Willy]

You wanna talk embarrassing, here are some facts for you to chew on....

In the last 4 years the Lions set an NFL record with 24 straight road losses. And over the past four seasons, the Lions have the worse record in the NFL at 16-48.

The worse NFL teams from 2001-2003 and their (2004 record)

Detroit Lions 10-38 (6-10)

Arizona Cardinals 16-32, (6-10)

Cincinnati Bengals 16-32 (8-8)

Buffalo Bills 17-31 (9-7)

Jacksonville Jaguars 17-31 (9-7)

San Diego Chargers 17-31 (12-4)

Carolina Panthers 19-29, (7-9)

At least you are at the top of someone's list.

[james_walleye]

Well here is a statement that has all the merit in the world. The vikings were clearly better than the kittys last year and have made better moves in this offseason than the kittys have. So its not rocket science too assume the vikings will be better than the lions this year. Oh yeah, i think the vikings STILL have about half their money too spend yet this offseason. Lets not forget about 7th and 18th picks in the 1st round of the draft. The vikes were a playoff team last year and the moves they have made have clearly made the team much better. Your statement about the vikings new defensive players not being able too gel quick enough this season is as big of a stretch as i've ever heard. Thats purely your hopes and dreams.

[buzzsaw]

Oops, I forgot our friend who is M.I.A. already statrted his championship thread.

[SledNeck]

Everytime I think of the Lions I think of Matt Millen sitting in the luxury box slumped over with his hands over his face. There are three things you can count on in this world...the sun will rise, the sun will set and the lions will $uck...every year.

[SledNeck]

And did I read this correctly...doesnt doesnt barfitup's profile indicate that he is in Monticello, MN ??? Whats up with all this Detroit yadda yadda? Its got to be REALLY depressing to be a Lions fan, the highlights of the season are the 5 minutes before opening day kick off and chances to spoil near the end of the season. Its true Joey Harrington is the worst qb in the NFL, his WRs have got to feel insulted. Too bad about Garcia...but then again tough breaks are nothing new for the lions. Ford Field is awfully nice, it'll host the first post season game in its history and possibly its last this year. When people wearing vikes and packers jersey meet in public they have a heated discussion. When a guy walks by wearing a lions jersey, he just gets snickered at!

How bout them Tigers?

[buzzsaw]

More good news... really just updated news.

The News

Jeff Garcia's broken left leg is just part of his problem. "His ankle is sprained, and that is as much or more of a concern than his fibula," head coach Steve Mariucci told the Detroit News Saturday. "We don't know enough today to determine how many weeks it's going to be. It appears that six weeks will be probably unrealistic. We're hoping for the best, but he's got a pretty good ankle sprain." Further tests will be taken once the swelling goes down to determine the extent of the ligament damage in his ankle. Surgery is a possibility. Garcia suffered the injury in the Lions preseason finale against the Bills on Friday night.

Our View

Garcia will avoid injured reserve if at all possible because Mooch wants to have him for the stretch run of the season. That being said, the team is not comfortable entering the season with the inexperienced Dan Orlovsky backing up Joey Harrington, so look for them to scan the waiver wires and free agency pool for a veteran backup.

[buzzsaw]

ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- Detroit Lions backup quarterback Jeff Garcia won't need surgery on his broken left leg.

Garcia

The decision was made Tuesday after a leg and ankle specialist confirmed the initial diagnosis. Garcia is expected to be out six to eight weeks, and the Lions have no immediate plans to sign another quarterback. They will open the season Sunday against Green Bay with starter Joey Harrington and backup Dan Orlovsky, a rookie out of Connecticut.

"This is the best news we could've received," Lions coach Steve Mariucci said. "He called right after he got the results. Jeff was very upbeat and said he hopes to be ready sooner. He is on his way back to Michigan and will begin his rehab this afternoon."

Wide receiver Kevin Johnson will serve as the emergency quarterback. Johnson, who started his college career as Donovan McNabb's backup at Syracuse, played quarterback for four snaps with the Cleveland Browns in 2000

[genegodawa]

Better get your earplugs ready guys.

[buzzsaw]

They looked horrible!! I know they won but pleeeeze! Harrington is horrible!

[Down to Earth]

I gotta agree with you on that Buzzsaw. I was not really that impressed with the Lions. To only put up 17 points was a bit of surprise to me, more so than Green Bay only putting up 3. I think yesterday's games really show how sorry shape the NFC North is going to be this year. Come season's end, they probably won't deserve 1 playoff spot, but will get one as the champ(if you want to call them that) has to go.

[buzzsaw]

Lions starting right cornerback Fernando Bryant likely will miss the rest of the season after suffering a dislocated left clavicle in the Detroit's lopsided defeat to the Chicago Bears on Sunday.

The injury occurred when Bryant collided with Lions safety Kenoy Kennedy on a 28-yard touchdown catch by Chicago wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad in the second quarter of the 38-6 loss. There is a possibility that Bryant, whose left arm is in a sling, will require surgery to repair the injury.

Even without the surgery, Bryant will require a considerable rehabilitation period, for an injury that coach Steve Mariucci termed "pretty severe." Said Mariucci: "It's going to be a lengthy process."

Already thin in the secondary, the Lions will move fourth-year veteran André Goodman into Bryant's spot in the starting lineup. Bryant will be re-evaluated later in the week, but the early indications are that surgery will be necessary.

"I don't know what's going to happen," Bryant said. "Whatever they tell me is best, that's what I will do."

This marks the second straight season in which Bryant, signed to a six-year contract in March of 2004 as an unrestricted free agent after spending the first five seasons of his NFL career with the Jacksonville Jaguars, will miss significant playing time. He sat out six games in 2004, including the final four of the season, with an ankle injury.

Bryant, 28, is not a flashy, big-play cornerback, as evidenced by the fact he has recorded only five interceptions in 84 appearances. But he is a steady all-around defender, and an excellent complement to the Lions' other cornerback, Dré Bly, whose big-play mentality has been his trademark. In the first two games of the season, Bryant recorded 10 tackles.

In 2004, Goodman, a third-round draft choice in 2002, started four games and has 13 starts for his career.

A former Alabama standout, Bryant was the Jaguars' first-round choice in 1999. His resume includes 354 tackles, five interceptions and 55 passes defensed. He has played in 84 games and started all but one of them.

[buzzsaw]

Quote:

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are making yet another move to win the division, the NFC playoffs and go to the Super Bowl, which they host next season...and which has never been done before (host team in the Super Bowl).

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This was Backherups original take.... Nice take.

Quote:

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Blah blah blah, The Lions will do what they did last year, which if you forgot finished low in the division again. Why didn't they try and sign a better cornerback than the often flagged Kennedy?? I mean Fred Smoot was still available.... but not anymore! Pollard was a decent signing, but why not bring in a real QB that can get your current receivers the ball???

How 'bout them Packers?? They may really stink this next year!

---

WOW, I said that?! BINGO BANGO ON THE MONEY!!

Now they fire Marriucci, I mean isn't he the guy that was supposed to deliver them to the promise land? A local hero, a Michigan native! etc, etc...

I'd be curious to hear what Backherup has to say about his beloved Kitties these days. I must also admit that the Vikes have been dissapointing as well... just not as disappointing as Detroit.... again.

[Dotch]

Yah but I gotta give those kitties a lot of credit for the wonderful nap I took on Thanksgiving Day. With that trytophan and sparkling wine working in tandem while the Lionesses were getting thumped on TV, was nice to know I hadn't missed a thing when I woke up...

[Bobby Bass]

Will Detroit and MN trade Head coaches in the off season...Of course that would mean that MN would have to pay big bucks for a coach..

[buzzsaw]

Ahhhh, if only backherup had the Cajones to come out of hibernation... I'd love to hear what he has top say about his Lions... I wouldn't even want anybody to give the poor guy a hard time... I feel bad for the Lions and Tigers. He's just gotta remember that detroit is a Hockey & Basketball town....

Fans take aim again at Lions GM MillenAssociated Press

DETROIT -- During Chad Sweet's 33 years, the Detroit Lions have rarely given him anything to cheer about.

So on Sunday, he drove more than 60 miles from his home in Tecumseh to a downtown bar to join a pregame march demanding that the Lions fire president Matt Millen.

Like hundreds of others, he dressed in orange, like fans of the Cincinnati Bengals, who beat Detroit 41-17 in the Lions' final home game of the season.

And like the rest of the crowd, the bar and the rally became an outlet for watching years of lousy football.

"All of my life we haven't had a whole lot to root for," Sweet said. "We never really get over the hump. A lot of it seems to be ownership related or management related."

The march, sponsored by a local sports talk radio station, drew about 500 people at its start, but the crowd grew to about 1,000 as the fans walked the five blocks to Ford Field.

Along the way, they chanted "Fire Millen" and "Ho-ho-ho, Millen must go." Many wore "Fire Millen" T-shirts and orange hunting gear. They carried signs that said "Commitment to Ineptness," and "Fed Up." One wore a hat reading, "Blame Ford First," a twist on one of the automaker's slogans.

Many urged the Ford family to sell the team, but few thought the march would have an impact.

"I don't think this is going to change anything, not the way the Fords are," said Rich Lebert, 24, who carried a Millen doll hanging in effigy from a stick. "But we have to do something so that they know we care."

Lions chief operating officer Tom Lewand said before the game he wouldn't comment on the march. "I didn't see it, and it wasn't part of our gameday operations," he said.

Steven Beaton, 32, said he couldn't understand how Detroit's basketball and hockey teams can be so good, yet baseball and football languish near the cellar.

"We've got two good teams here and the other two are horrible," he said. "That's got to change."

The 19-3 Pistons have the NBA's best record this season, and the Red Wings are among the top teams in the NHL at 22-9-3. The Lions have the league's worst record during the past five seasons at 20-57. The Detroit Tigers finished 71-91 this year.

Beaton said the Lions have had a great fan base for the past five years, but he cautioned, "I don't know how long it's going to last."

At the previous home game, fans displayed "Fire Millen" signs and chanted for his dismissal. The scene turned into a circus of sorts when one fan ran from section to section, dodging security, with a "Fire Millen" sign, before he was tackled as he ran up steps toward the exits.

The anti-Millen signs and chants have surfaced at home and away games of the other Detroit sports teams, as well as at University of Michigan and Michigan State basketball games.

On Friday night at The Palace of Auburn Hills, Pistons forward Rasheed Wallace joined fans in the chant during a late timeout against the Chicago Bulls. Even when the Pistons played in Charlotte, N.C., on Saturday night, a fan in the upper deck held a "Fire Millen" sign.

Lions owner William Clay Ford gave Millen a five-year contract extension last offseason after four miserable seasons. Ford allowed the former linebacker to fire coach Steve Mariucci after two-plus seasons. Mariucci was fired just after Thanksgiving.

[buzzsaw]

One more thingee.....