Schwartz Rocks...

Wherever you are, what ever you're doing, stop and listen to this Jim Schwartz interview from the Mike in the Morning radio show in Detroit. Possibly the greatest coaching interview I've ever heard. He shows he has a sense of humor, and isn't afraid to answer the less-than-flattering questions. Rock on.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

ESPN sucks.

It appears that after having to watch "Fire" Matt Millen run my beloved Lions into the ground, I'm now going to have to watch him every time I turn on the got-darn television.
Although, to be fair, Millen was great in the broadcast booth. So smitten were the Ford family by his commentating progress that they decided to pluck him from the analyst's ranks and put him up in the front office, despite the fact that HE HAD NEVER DONE THAT BEFORE IN HIS MISERABLE MUSTACHIOED LIFE!!!!
So, in closing, I hope he enjoys a return to the broadcast booth...
And then dies in a fire.

The Right Foote

Okay, so NOW some of those draft moves are beginning to make sense...
The Lions signed ex-Steeler linebacker Larry Foote to 1-year contract on Wednesday, in a move that should solidify the Lion's linebackers along with Ernie Sims and Julian Peterson.
This had been rumored for several days, even from as far back as the draft. In fact, it rumored that the Lion's downright refusal to draft a middle linebacker, namely USC's Rey Maualuga, was because Foote was so adamant about playing for his hometown team.
I didn't think it was a good idea to pass up Maualuga not once, but twice, in the draft, and even now after Foote signed I still don't.
It's apparent by how far Maualuga fell, all the way to the Bengals with pick #38, well past some teams that needed the help at the MLB spot, that Maualuga had some red flags sticking out his butt. While I'm not sure what those were, I don't think that those offenses were egregious enough not to pick him up in the second round, especially if the Lions knew they were going to get Foote before the draft as had been reported by some news outlets.
If that was the case, then draft Maualuga anyway. Have him sit behind Foote for a year and learn some stuff, and when Foote moves on to another team, or retires, or gets his soul sucked out of his body like so many other former Lions players, Maualuga can move up to the starting spot and combined with Sims and Peterson make another solid year at the linebacker spot.
And you heard me right when I said that Foote will not be long with the Lions.
For one, he's kind of old, and I hear losses get to you in your old age. Secondly, he won't have to do much to look like the best player on the Lion's defense, and his one-year deal means essentially that this would be his second consecutive contract year. He's said that he would like a longer-term deal with the Lions after the season, but if reports are true that he turned down a two-year deal, he may just jump ship after this year for somebody in a better position.
We'll have to wait and see, but this gets me even more excited about the Lion's season.

Late Draft Thoughts

The 2009 NFL Draft came to a close a week ago, and I watched a lot of it, knocking back beers and wearing my Lions t-shirt (sans the new logo) that I got for Christmas. I watched the entire first round, as I try to do every year, and an hour or two of the second round, which I try to watch but usually end up sleeping through rounds 3-5.
Here follows my analysis of some of the more noted of Detroit's picks, and my opinions of them. I'm just doing the first two rounds, as I didn't watch any of the other picks.

Round 1, Pick 1: Matthew Stafford: Quarterback, Georgia
Not a surprise pick, considering they agreed to a contract the night beforehand. Stafford was one of the three players I would have been satisfied with the Lions drafting, the others being Jason Smith, the offensive lineman out of Baylor or Aaron Curry, the linebacker from Wake Forest. I actually would have preferred Smith given that a quarterback, no matter how good he is, can't not throw off of his back and sacks and lack of protection have been a problem in recent seasons, going so far as to cause quarterbacks to run out of the back of their own endzone on their own volition, an act that will go down in infamy.
I didn't think Curry was an ideal first pick either due to his playing out of position, going from a outside linebacker to a middle linebacker spot.
Stafford and Sanchez were the two top quarterbacks vying for this spot. I thought Stafford was right for it due to his howitzer of a throwing arm, his pocket-presence, and the simple fact that while Sanchez was a great QB for USC, no Southern California quarterback in recent memory has been that productive in the NFL.
I'm sure there's plenty of position-jockeying to be waged yet, but I don't think Stafford should start right away. Barring injury, Daunte Culpepper is a serviceable filler for the position, and the Lions shouldn't look at Stafford unless they haven't won by week nine or ten, then they should feel free to throw his butt in there, if only to just win ONE GAME.

Round 1, Pick 20: Brandon Pettigrew, Tight End, Oklahoma State
This picked really irked me when it was announced, and still does only less so. At this point in the draft we still had gaping holes in the offensive line and the middle linebacker positions and darn good prospects with which to fill them in Michael "Blind Side" Oher of Old Miss and Rey "Beluga" Maualugaof USC, respectively. While we did need a tight end, the importance of the TE position pales in comparison to that of a good offensive lineman or middle linebacker.
Still, Pettigrew was the best TE available, has great blocking ability, and should provide another option in the passing game, and shows a marked divergence from the offensive schemes of Mike Martz's regime two years ago.

Round 2, Pick 1: Louis Delma: Safety, Western Michigan
Another time I was half tempted to chuck something heavy at my TV. Rey Maualugawas still on the board, and while we needed to more secondary support, the safety position wasn't exactly a top priority. However, all I've seen and read states that he's a dynamic playmaker in the secondary and should be a good fit in the system.

White Streaks of Ferocity: The Lions New Logo

This may be the most important week in the history of my beloved 0-0 Lions. For last the week they had to prove that they haven't been sitting on their hands (paws?) all during the offseason, and provide a comprehensive plan for their NOT being the worst football team in the history of everything.
They started things off with a brand-spanking new logo, a logo that clearly defined the Lion's new vision and purpose, a logo that made fans like me forget about recent troubles, a logo that looked nothing...like...the last...*sigh*
I think the Lions dropped the logo ball on this one. While I'm sure that several hundred thousand dollars were spent on it's design and conception, in the end the new logo and the old logo just looks like the subject of one of those Sesame Street "One of these things is not like the other" skits. It's like somebody just took the old logo and put random streaks of white-out on it.
But hey, at least this explain why the hell the Lions were sitting on their freaking hands during the freaking free agency period...
I personally don't think the old Lion needed a redo, that logo had carried us through decades of suck. And if they had to change the logo, I wouldn't have done what they did with all of those fierce...stripes.
So what if the lion on the logo doesn't have eyes? You don't need eyes to make a good logo, nor do you need waves in the mane and fur and more pronouned claws. I say that if you wanted a to make a fierce, manly type of NFL logo, you slap a big penis on that leaping lion, and some hubcap-sized nuts to go with it. Becuase nothing says FIERCE like a lion-sized meatstick. I want a "Ghost in the Darkness" lion on my logo, not thay pussy cowardly lion from the Wizard of Oz.
Filed under something new I learned today was the fact that the logo was of a "leaping" lion. Now that I look at it I guess it makes sense. But the philisophical side of me has a couple of questions. Is the Lion leaping to or away from something?
No, I think a better choice for the Lions logo would have been something like a Lion running out of the back of the endzone for a safety, the Lion ripping Matt Millen's throat out, or maybe just Matt Millen's head on a stick...

The Albatross Rises From the Ashes...

Hello to all my dear and faithful readers. I have heard your cries and am descending from on high to bestow upon you a renewed covenant for more insightful sports comment...Hello? Anyone there?
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Anyhoo, I post for the first time in half an eternity to let you know of some DRAMATIC NEW CHANGES coming to The Weather. First, I'll be changing the lightning picture behind the blog title. It's too damn big and it's bugged me forever. Second, I may change a COLOR or two! Aren't you excited?
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Well, are ya?
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You guys suck.
Probably the main alteration I'm gonna make to the blog is to open it up to a wider variety of subjects, not just sports. Don't you fret, sports will still be the primary focus. But in an attempt to give the Weather a wider audience, and also to provide some extra motivation for me to ACTUALLY WRITE FOR THIS THING, I'll be covering more topics. So don't be shocked if you see movie, music, or game reviews, social and political commentary, and the occasional rant or two.
And as always, input is always appreciated.
I sincerely apologize for not returning to y'all sooner, and will do my best to update weekly. More often if I can find the time. I hope you'll enjoy some of the upcoming things I have planned.
Thanks and, as always
THE TALL DUDE ABIDES