The NFL Gives Back: Reaching Out To A Team In Need.

You know, the NFL is always reaching out to communities. You see the commercials with the Manning’s and others playing with kids; teaching them about staying fit, being active, and playing football.

It’s great to see the NFL so giving in these troubled times.

But what about their own? 

The Lions, for example, are a “community” in need. They went 0-16 last year. Sure, the Lions snapped a 19 game losing streak, but that’s the only real accomplishment so far. 

I’ve been picking out the positives of Detroit’s performances in most of my articles. And there is a reason Culpepper isn’t starting; anyone who watched that Bears game knows why.

Still, the Lions are lacking in the fundamentals like missing tackles. Kevin Smith is an emerging star—but he still has a ways to go.

As one fellow writer said, we Detroit fans need to be patient.

Sure, Detroit is moving up in the world; just check out the ESPN power rankings—we have five teams worse than us now. 

This is great news. Good, good stuff. 

What is our key to success? The NFL giving back. That’s right. Our secret is out—the Lions are staying in games because of the NFL’s generosity, and that of the player’s union.

Roger Goodell is a great man, and I get teary eyed thinking of all he’s done for us as Detroit fans. Providing us with real NFL players to help us- it’s really inspiring.

In this video, you’ll see what I’m talking about.

It warms my heart to see the NFL reaching out to teams in need.

I want to give a special shout out to Ahmed Bradshaw, Kyle Boller, and Torrence Holt for believing in the Lions, and giving us all some hope.

Thank you all so much! 

I look forward to a much improved year.

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As One Era Ends, A Brighter One Begins

We’ve seen Matt Millen canned, thank god. A new coaching staff is at the helm; a better (MUCH better) coaching staff.

There’s been some dramatic changes this offseason for Lions fans besides those listed above. We’ve left the old era of the Lions in the dust in nearly every way possible, besides relocating to Mexico.

New coaches, GM, uniforms, logo, and nearly an entirely new roster.

Hopefully the team’s playing will change as well. I’ll breakdown each area, and show just how much this team has changed, and improved over this past offseason. 

Some may think that the fact that the Detroit Lions have started a new era has been beaten to death, but here we go. 

 

Coaching/ Administrative Staff

General Manager: Matt Millen—Martin Meyhew

Head Coach: Rod Marinelli—Jim Schwartz

Offensive Coordinator: Jim Colletto—Scott Linehan

Defensive Coordinator: Joe Barry—Gunther Cunningham

In addition to the three main coaches, there were also several changes made throughout the individual position coaching staff. Our coaching staff is new, better, and looks very promising.

Not just from a Lions fan point of view…plenty of people notice the major changes going on in Detroit, starting with the staff.

Word is we also got a new ball boy; now that’s thorough.

 

Uniforms & Logo

A lot of people think it’s a rather minor change, and in truth, it is. But it’s been modernized. The “powder blue” on the old uniforms have been replaced by a darker “Hawaiian blue.” The text of “Detroit Lions” has been improved from a classic look, to a fiercer, cooler look.

Not to mention the logo, which received added detail as can be seen here, along with the uniforms and such merchandise.

This is really, really cool if you’re a Lions fan, and simply more proof of leaving the old Lions in the dust. More proof that a new, better era has begun.

 

Roster Changes

Perhaps the most noticeable, and most influential change, is the team itself. 31 of the 53 man roster were not part of the “perfect” season achieved by Detroit last year. 

This includes Stafford and other promising rookies, including Aaron Brown and Louis Delmas. Kalvin Pearson is the only one of the 10-man secondary that was part of the 2008 season with Detroit.

Only 13 players were drafted by Millen, 10 in the last two years. 

Stafford won a great battle at Quarterback against Culpepper, and hopefully will prove to be a good decision against New Orleans come Sunday. 

Schwartz hasn’t mentioned anything about last year to the team, nor has Meyhew. He’s focused on moving forward, making progress, and is determined to take the Lions to the playoffs in years to come.

“No offense to them,” Schwartz said. “Everyone here worked very hard. But part of what our whole gameplan was…to make sure we changed enough. We didn’t just rest on what happened last year. We went forward and said ‘Who can help us best in the future?'”

The work ethic, discipline, and aggressiveness of the team is overwhelming. It’s incredible the changes that they’ve gone through. I’m not saying they’re going to get a playoff berth this year, but in the next 2-3 years, I see them being a contender.

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Tom Brady: The Tortoise Who Conquered The Hare

Tom Brady. As you hear those words, what comes to mind? Dynasty? Champion? Super Bowl? 

Now think of the word underdog. Tom Brady is just about the last thing you think of. And yet, that’s just who he was. Brady was an underdog—a tortoise who conquered the hare.

After Brady was drafted by the Patriots, we all know (or at least most of us do) he had to sit behind Bledsoe for a while; waiting, watching, and learning before his opportunity came knocking.

But I’m talking beyond that. I mean in life, Brady was an underdog. A tortoise as it were. But one with a dream, and who through hard work, fulfilled that dream.

 

Brady loved sports all his life. He grew up around sports with three athletic older sisters and his parents who supported all of them. Tom also lived 30 minutes away from the 49ers stadium, and his beloved Joe Montana which probably had something to do with it.

Tom Brady actually attended the 1981 NFC Championship between the Cowboys and the 49ers. 

He had a passion for excellence, and a determination to win. He wasn’t the biggest, fastest, or strongest in his neighborhood. But he knew how to win. 

Tom would go around challenging any of the fast kids to a footrace. He got smoked every time. But afterwards, as if watching film after the game, he would analyze what went wrong. What made them so fast, and what needed to be done. In time, he could beat any kid in town.

With his intelligence and never say die attitude, he flourished in sports. Not football, but baseball. He could hit, run, and throw with the best of them.

Brady never actually played football until freshman year at an all-boys Catholic school in the town he grew up in, San Mateo. 

His Junior year he was starring in two sports: baseball and football. He was known for his incredible work ethic and actually devised the football workout and training schedule.

His hard work payed off. In 1994 both Blue Chip Illustrated and Prep Football Report regarded him as an All-American High-School Quarterback.

However, in the 1995 MLB draft, the Montreal Expos picked him in the 18th round. Brady had to make up his mind between Baseball and Football. 

After thinking (and perhaps meditating) over his choices, he choose football. Good choice. Although many closer schools were interested in Brady, he choose to go with a scholarship at the University of Michigan.

But he was redshirted his freshman year, and the next was still only a third string QB. Remember, though, this is Tom Brady. With his incredible hare conquering intelligence, he memorized the playbook and practiced with all the starters.

In 1997, he was still last place in the quarterback race at Michigan. As soon as he was starting to get snaps, his year ended due to his getting a surgical removal of his appendix. 

When Brian Griese finally graduated, and after a grueling camp, he was elected starter in 1998. 

It wasn’t a cakewalk to the NFL after that though, no sirree. 

They lost their first two games to Notre Dame and Syracuse. Still believing in Brady, Coach Carr kept him at the helm. That led to good results as Tom Brady turned the season around leading them on a winning streak all the way to the season finale—rival Ohio State.

Brady proved himself big time in that game, going 31-56 for 375 yards and a touchdown. He also set records in completions, attempts, and yardage. Remarkably, it wasn’t enough as the Buckeyes rolled on to victory in a 31-16 win.

He led the Wolverines to a 45-31 win over the Razerbacks in the Citris Bowl for a comeback victory.

Only Jim Harbaugh threw for more yards then him in a single season in all of Michigan’s history. 

Still, Brady wasn’t a shoe in for the starting job in 1999. That was sophomore Drew Henson’s fault. He was supposed to be a “once-in-a-lifetime” type talent. 

Although he shared time with Henson for the majority of the season, he still emerged as the solo starter for the last four games, wrapping it all up with an overtime victory over Alabama in the Orange Bowl 35-34.

So now he gets drafted and goes on to become a superstar and I need to end this article right? Wrong. However high your hopes may have just gotten…this gets better.

Scouts gave mixed reviews about Brady. While he had amazing work ethic, attitude, and drive there was something lacking. His durability.

He was 6-4 sure, but only just over 200 pounds. He wasn’t a mobile Quarterback, and eventually was pegged as a solid back up, not worthy of ever getting a starting job. 

Bill Belichick was one who saw something in him. And come 6th round of the 2000 draft, Tom Brady was a New England Patriot. 

What’s interesting is Brady actually lost his cool. During the draft, he had envisioned going during the first two rounds he recalls…and after the 4th or so round his parents said he grabbed a baseball bat and decided to do a little “landscaping” in their backyard.

He showed up for camp ready to play though. Once again, he was teased for being small. Once again, he showed them all that the tortoise does beat the hare. He committed the playbook to memory and began to be respected through his work ethic.

That year was a total disaster for the Pats. They went 5-11, and Brady’s only action came in a 34-9 beating to the Detroit Lions (one of our prouder moments).

Tom Brady trained harder than anyone else and added 15 pounds of muscle during the off season. He already had the playbook memorized and practiced footwork in his apartment. 

There wasn’t a single day he wasn’t preparing and practicing in some way. He was confident that come next year, he could lead the team to victory.

While most had seen the Pats additions to the team (ironically they included now stars Mike Vrabel, Richard Seymour, and Matt Light) and predicted another pathetic year.

In week two, he finally got his chance. If you look at it, he owes the start of his NFL career to Jets Linebacker Mo Lewis, who nearly killed Drew Bledsoe. Literally. 

He sheared a blood vessel in his chest. There was no way he was going to play again, and recovery was going to be long and painful. For better or worse, this was Tom’s shot.

The next week, by some miracle, they beat Manning and the Colts. After that they lost hard to Miami. His pro career was off to a rocky start, and the Pats were still without a clear leader.

Safety Lowyer Milloy took Brady aside after the game in Miami. He reminded him of his days in Michigan. Brady was a true leader there. It was time to be a leader for New England. Something tells me he took that to heart…

The next week the Pats made a comeback victory, winning it in overtime. Brady through a 91 yard pass to David Patten, the longest play from scrimmage in franchise history.

The next five games they went 4-1, including a victory over the heavily favored Rams. The next game though was key. They played the Jets. Bledsoe was healthy enough to play finally. It appeared Brady kept the seat warm, and it was time to turn things over.

Haha…no. He was allowed to stay in (much to Drew’s maddening, and disappointment) and won against New York that week. That made his record 6-3, far superior to Bledsoe’s job of 5-11 last season. The decision was clear, and Brady would stay starter.

He went on to win games against Cleveland, and the Bills to set up a showdown between division rivals Miami and New England.

He stayed cool under pressure and beat Miami 21-13. Next week Brady and co. crushed the Panthers securing home field advantage for the first week of the playoffs, and a guaranteed AFC East division title.

Here they were, in the first week of the playoffs. They were the underdogs against the Oakland Raiders despite being in Foxboro.

They led an exciting, snowy game into overtime with a field goal, and then won after Brady threw 8 complete passes in a row. The final score was 16-13.

In the AFC Conference Championship they beat the Steelers although Brady sprained an ankle. Believe it or not (and no one did) the Pats were going to the Super Bowl.

On paper, there was no contest. None, at all. The Rams were so overrated, the only question was how many points would they lose by.

Everyone was elated to hear Tom would start. Well…not Bledsoe, but that’s a different story.

Kurt Warner had an amazing receiveing corps, and all star Marshall Faulk. Tom Brady looked like a high school kid compared to the Rams. It seemed there was no way Tom and co. could possibly win.

Come halftime though, that sneaky tortoise did what he did best. He analyzed the strengths of his team, and concentrated on penetrating the Rams weaknesses. The Pats were more physical, and showed it.

Warner had an injured thumb, and the receiving corps looked like they’d been through World War 3. All of a sudden…the Rams appeared vulnerable.

It was now 17-17 with 90 seconds left. Tom Brady had the ball on his own 17 yardline. He drove the team down the field to the 30 yard line, with only seven seconds left.

Vinitari nailed the field goal and won the game 20-17. Brady won the MVP, and went into the locker room a hero. 

After that his life was a blur—parties, magazines, photo shoots, the whole shabang. 

The only key addition to the team for next season was Deion Branch. Something didn’t quite gell about the team, and they ended up not making the playoffs despite amazing effort.

Of course, the media ate it up. Is Tom Brady a fluke? Can he stay healthy? And on and on and on…

In the next season, with some help of course, Brady won another Super Bowl against Carolina 32-29. With two rings, and a pair of MVP trophies all rumors were put to rest.

Tom Brady established himself as a premier Quarterback of the NFL. He had amazing stats on paper, and had finally conquered all hares. He was the underdog, the tortoise, but won.

We all know how it goes from here, because Tom Brady became a household name. He went from being associated with words like “slow”, “underdog”, ” bench warmer”, and “wanna be” to “champion”, “Super Bowl”, “winner”, and eventually “dynasty”.

How did he do it? Determination, work ethic, and by applying himself to learning. I think we all learn a little something from Tom Brady’s story, fulfilling the timeless illustration of how that tortoise conquered the hare.

 

Detroit Lions Key Matchups: What To Watch For

So the Lions have a way better team this year, that’s obvious. So much upgrading and rebuilding going on its incredible. They’re a completely different team, and they have something to prove.

With no games on primetime, not many will be getting to see any of the new Lions in action. But if your like myself, you have Sunday Ticket with your DVR ready to record the good games.

Well my fellow sports fans…the Lions will be in some of those games. Here’s the four best match-up’s of the Lions season. And trust me, these are gonna be some games you won’t wanna miss whether you’re a Lions fan, or a football fan at all.

Mark your calenders people, the Lions are coming.

NFL AFC Conference Preview

Just like the proceeding article, the AFC Conference Preview will give you an outlook of the coming season—withen the AFC.

Once again I’ll be providing standing and playoff previews first, followed by trophy winners, coaching forecast, a free agent signing recap, and a schedule preview.

PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS 

WILD CARD: Titans over Chargers, Colts over Ravens.

DIVISIONAL ROUND: Patriots over Titans, Steelers over Colts.

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP: Steelers over Patriots.

SUPER BOWL XLIV: Steelers over Eagles.

 

PREDICTED STANDINGS

New England Patriots

Tom Brady’s back, and the world’s gonna know. While losing some players on defense, they also gained Leigh Bodden and Shawn Springs hopefully finding a starting CB. They also drafted rookie Patrick Chung at Safety, possibly getting a start. The Patriots are absolutely a Super Bowl contender once again.

 

Pittsburgh Steelers

Fresh off a Super Bowl victory, the Steelers intend to defend their title, hanging onto the Lombardi Trophy one more year. They didn’t lose any major talent not easily replaced, so it will basically be the same team from least year—just better.

Mike Tomlin has done an excellent job so far, and might just make a dynasty out of the Steelers…

 

Tennessee Titans

The Titans edge out the Colts for a few reasons. A) The Colts are getting old, and with a new coach things could go wrong. B) The Titans actually have two decent QB’s, not a lot of teams can say that. C) There schedule works in their favor. Count one loss to the Colts, a loss to New England, and maybe another in there…and it’s another 13-3 team. Look out, the Titans could contend for the Super Bowl this year…

 

Indianapolis Colts

Although they have a new coach, the players are getting old, the Colts still have major talent, and playoff experience. If Caldwell does a good job on his end, the Colts will once again be a playoff contender.

 

Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens should just barely make the playoffs. Joe Flacco has his weapons. The defense lost some depth, but kept the major stars. Matt Birk was a great addition, and should give Flacco more protection. All in all, they should be a playoff contender as last year.

 

San Diego Chargers

The Chargers edge out the Texans in the final playoff spot. Phillip Rivers is more experienced, he has weapons on offense. The defense is headed by Shawne Merriman once again. A wildcard victory would be huge, as this could be LT’s last good season before the Chargers realize his game has lost it’s edge.

 

Houston Texans

They have a lot of talent this year. Matt Schaub is getting better this off-season, they also have one of the best receivers in the league Andre Johnson. The defense also looks promising with Mario Williams, DeMeco Ryans, and some new additions. Next year the Texans will be looking at a playoff run, possibly getting a couple victories as well.

 

Miami Dolphins

The most impressive turnaround, possibly of all time, happened to Miami last year. Bill Parcels and Tony Sparano did an amazing job taking the 07 1-15 Dolphins, to a 11-5 team the next year.

This year I see Miami just losing out on the playoffs. The AFC is a tough place to play, and no one will underestimate the Dolphins this year. Next year though, with two years under his belt…Sparano just might lead the Dolphins to their first playoff victory since the 00-01 season.

 

Buffalo Bills

T.O. coming to Buffalo has brought them more publicity then four Super Bowl’s ever did…that being said, can he really be the savior for the Bills? Dick Jauron sucks lets face it. He sucked at Chicago, Detroit, and has a terrible record in Buffalo. I think that if they ever want to win a playoff game, they need to fire him.

They have the talent. That’s apparent in Evens, T.O., Lynch, Posluszny, McGee, and McKelvin among others. But changes must be made before they make it to the playoffs.

 

Jacksonville Jaguars

Maurice Jones-Drew can’t do it all. That just about sums it all up. They lost 10 players this off-season, five of which were key players including three wide receivers. They gained Torry Holt, and drafted two OT’s.

They also picked up veteran Tra Thomas. The team reversed their record last year going 5-11. I don’t see Jacksonville getting back in the playoffs anytime soon.

 

Denver Broncos

This is where the AFC starts to get ugly. Denver’s new coach Josh McDanials is off to a rocky start. With talent like Brandon Marshall, a killer O-line, rookie Knowshown Moreno, D.J. Williams, Champ Bailey, and two great safeties…its a wonder why they wouldn’t make the playoffs.

Two main reasons. 1) McDaniels has A LOT of work to do. He’s brand new. 2) Kyle Orton sucks, and the backup isn’t good either. I think they should’ve drafted a QB sooner. But in any case, I think they’re a 9-7 team a best this year.

 

New York Jets

While the Jets may be last in the AFC East, they do have some good prospects. This team is my wildcard. They could jump up to number seven or eight if new coach Rex Ryan impresses and USC rookie Mark Sanchez performs up to par. Of course all I see is another bust like Matt Lienert so I guess we’ll wait and see.

 

Cleveland Browns

They got coach Eric Mangini, who looks promising to me. In a few years, they could be on the top half of the league. Derek Anderson was a huge part of Cleveland’s offense, and I can’t see why they’d put Quinn as their starter. With Braylon Edwards, some powerful linemen, Jamal Lewis, Shaun Rogers, and D’Qwell Jackson it’s a wonder they suck so bad. I see them winning about 4 games.

They play in a tough league, simply because of the Steelers. They added 19 players with draft picks, and lost six this off-season. Maybe, just maybe, they can be back in the running in a few years.

 

Kansas City Chiefs

Todd Haley is yet another rookie coach in the AFC. The Chiefs are really sucking it up right now. After a 2-14 season last year, their schedule has some major potholes. They travel to Philly, they play San Diego twice, and they play the Steelers. Matt Cassel adds some depth at QB, but nothing else looks promising as I predict the Chiefs stay at the bottom.

 

Cincinnati Bengals

Marvin Lewis has one winning season under his belt. One lousy season. He also has two years on his contract to make a miracle happen. He has addition Laveranues Coles, Ochocinco, Cedric Benson, Antwan Odom, and new safety Roy Williams. The team isn’t going anywhere fast and if I were the GM, I’d fire Lewis fast.

 

Oakland Raiders

The worst. Simply, the worst team in the AFC, and possibly the NFL. Even the Lions could beat the team this year. They suck, simply put. It’s time to give up on JaMarcus Russell. And who would they turn to? Oh, great…washout Jeff Garcia. Tom Cable is in a deep load of you know what, and isn’t climbing out any time soon.

They have a few good players, but not near enough for even five games in my eyes. And yet, their fans are as crazy as ever. “Just wait till next year” or something like that…

 

AFC TROPHY WINNERS:

Offensive Player Of The Year: Randy Moss, WR, New England

Moss and Brady is a dangerous duo. Last time they played together a lot of NFL records went out the window. 

Runner up: Tom Brady, Andre Johnson

 

Defensive Player Of The Year: Troy Polamalu, S, Steelers

He’ll lead the Steelers defense to a second straight Super Bowl win. He’s the star of the Pittsburgh defense, and don’t forget it.

Runner up: Mario Williams, Bob Sanders

 

Comeback Player Of The Year: Tom Brady, QB, Patriots

Cassel kept his seat warm, but defenses will tremble in fear once again at the sight of Brady and co.

 

Offensive Rookie Of The Year: Knowshon Moreno, RB, Broncos

He’ll hopefull change the game in Denver, and take some pressure off of Kyle Orton.

Runner up: Michael Crabtree

 

Defensive Rookie Of The Year: Brian Cushing, LB, Houston

With Cushing, DeMeco Ryans, and former Pro Bowler Cato June, the Texans could have a fearsome Linebacker corps.

Runner up: Tyson Jackson, Robert Ayers

 

Coach Of The Year: Mike Tomlin, Steelers

He’s only been here two seasons, and could end up giving Pittsburgh two Super Bowl victories. Definitely a huge accomplishment. 

Runner up: Jim Caldwell, Jeff Fisher, Bill Belichick

 

COACHING FORECAST:

On The Hot Seat

There’s two main coaches on the Hot Seat for me. Gary Kubiak, Houston is one of them. The Texans still don’t have a playoff victory. If he doesn’t produce this year, I’d fire him if they ever want to move up in the world.

Another is Norv Turner, San Diego. He’s underachieved. True, he has some playoff wins, but they just can’t seem to get past the Wildcard. I blame Turner. True, Tomlinson is on the decline but every year I expect good things to come. They have such potential. And with that kinda talent, there’s only one person to blame. The Coach.

 

Easiest Debut: Todd Haley, Chiefs

The Chiefs are going nowhere fast, but how hard can it be to improve? Win three games and you’ll be a hero. Especially in a week division like the AFC West.

 

Hardest Debut: Josh McDaniels, Broncos. Jim Caldwell, Colts

McDaniels handled the Cutler event poorly. He’ll have a tough time following two-time Super Bowl champion Mike Shanahan. 

Caldwell also will have big shoes to fill. He may have only won one Super Bowl, but Tony Dungy was an amazing coach, and an amazing person. He led the team to a lot of playoff victories, and the players all loved that guy. Good luck Caldwell, you’ll need it.

 

Coach Most Missed: Tony Dungy, Colts

As said before, people loved this guy. The team, the fans, even I’m gonna miss him even though I don’t care for the Colts. It was more then great coaching with Dungy. 

 

Key Addition: Mike Nolan, Broncos

The new defensive coordinator, he has to fix a broken unit that, had it been good last season, could’ve prevented the termination of Shanahan, and Cutler leaving.

 

FREE AGENCY RECAP

Best Signing: Bart Scott, LB, Jets

Ryan knows Scott well, and he should prove to be a key addition to a rebuilding offense.

 

Best Re-Signing: Nnamdi Asomugha, CB, Raiders

If the Raiders will ever come around, they needed to hang on the only quality defensive player on the roster.

 

Biggest Question: Tank Johnson, DT, Bengals

So they finally clear the team of players with character issues, and this is who they sign? 

 

Riskiest Signing: Terrell Owens, WR, Bills

Without a doubt, TO has some issues. He has talent of course, but his off the field reputation could catch up to him. The Bills may have made a bad move, but only time will tell.

 

Best Overhaul: Broncos

The defense needs some work, and they sure improved it. Signing Linebacker Andra Davis, Safeties Brian Dawkins and Renaldo Hill, and Cornerback Andre Goodman will be great additions to a rebuilding defense.

 

SCHEDULE PREVIEW

Toughest Schedule: Miami Dolphins

Miami faces a full plate this year as their opposition posts a .601 win percentage. The schedule includes games against Atlanta, the Colts, and on the road to San Diego, finishing off with Pittsburgh.

 

Easiest Schedule: Pittsburgh Steelers

Sure they’re defending champs, but really. The two Cleveland and Cincinnati games are a given, they’ll beat the Ravens at least once, and with the Lions, Chiefs, and Raiders there that’s like half a season of gimmies. 

 

Easiest Run: Baltimore Ravens

They also play Oakland and Detroit, and only the Steelers have made the playoffs among their opposition.

 

Hardest Run: Buffalo Bills

If TO and co. somehow look good coming into December, they won’t come January. They play Atlanta, New England, and Indianapolis to finish off the season.

 

There ya go, the NFC and AFC season previews. I personally am very excited and can’t wait to see what happens. It promises to be a great one!

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