Lions = Disaster

Per the Associated Press, Lions G.M. Martin Mayhew will have final say for all football matters moving forward. At a press conference today GM Martin Mayhew and Team President Tom Lewand said that their 21 years combined experience with the Detroit Lions is what will be the difference in them turning this franchise around. Their reasoning for this rationale? Because both of them sat in the front office of Lions headquarters and watched Matt Millen make all his mistakes.

Ummmm, so let me get this straight. Because both of you knuckleheads sat around and watched Millen make mistake after mistake, NOW you two are the people who will right this ship??? Instead of watching Millen make mistakes shouldn't you have taken action then instead of picking your noses??

So basically because Mayhew and Lewand watched the Lions wander haplessly around the cellar of the NFC North for the last 8 years, thats what makes them the best candidates for the job??

Yep, that sounds about right for the Lions.

Jason Garrett to Interview with Lions

According to the Dallas Star-Telegram, the Detroit Lions have received permission from the Dallas Cowboys on to interview assistant head coach/offensive coordinator Jason Garrett for their head coaching vacancy.

Garrett was pegged as one of the up and coming coaching prospects last year, but that talk has quieted down a bit after this year's Dallas Cowboys offense failed to live up to expectations.

Lions Get Permission to Interview Spagnuolo

From ProFootballTalk.com

The Detroit Lions have received permission to interview Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo for their vacant head-coaching position.

Because the Giants have a first-round bye in the playoffs, Spagnuolo is available to be interviewed this week. Thereafter, he is off limits until the Giants’ season ends.

Spagnuolo cannot be offered a head-coaching job until his current team’s playoff run ends.

The Browns and Rams also are thought to be interested in interviewing Spagnuolo this week.

Marinelli Fired

The Detroit Lions have confirmed that head coach Rod Marinelli has been fired after going 0-16 after yesterday's loss to the Green Bay Packers. Rod had 10 wins and 38 losses in his three years as Lions coach.

William Clay Ford has promoted Tom Lewand to team president and Martin Mayhew was named the General Manager. Which snuffs out any possibilities of the Lions going after Cowher, Parcells or Pioli as GM candidates. Just another decision by William Clay Ford that makes no sense. They fire Millen, but promote the guys that worked under him. Way to clean house Ford after a disasterous season!

Most of Marinelli's assistants have also been fired except for Offensive Coordinator Jim Colletto, who has apparently been reassigned to Offensive Line Coach.

"Jingle Bells" as sung by The Detroit Pistons

Happy Holidays from Everyone at Detroit Game Face!!

Stuckey Nets 40 in Win over Bulls

Per usual the Detroit Pistons handed over ANOTHER lead in the 3rd quarter last night, luckily this time the second year man from Eastern Washington, Rodney Stuckey took over the game. Stuckey scored a career-high 40 points and carried the Pistons to victory over the Bulls after Allen Iverson left with a groin injury.

How did Stuckey pull off this feat?

"My teammates were finding me, I was hitting my shot, getting to the free-throw line and getting to the basket -- that's how you score 40 points,"

Stuckey is a great young guard, but if the Pistons are going to be at all relevant this year in the post season they better start figuring out how to keep motivated once they have a lead in the second half. Lately, it's been like clockwork where the Pistons will come out and take control of the game ...and then the mid-third quarter hits in which they promptly hand over the lead to the opposing team.

It would also be nice if Rasheed and Rip learned how to keep their mouths shut, all the technical fouls are NOT helping the cause either.

Detroit Debacle Must Be Stopped

From Yahoo.com - Dan Wetzel

William Clay Ford Sr. has done more damage to the NFL brand than Michael Vick, Adam “Pacman” Jones and Travis Henry could ever dream.

If you consider it in football terms and football terms only, it isn’t even close.

It’s time for the league’s image protecting commissioner, Roger Goodell, to get as tough with an increasingly incompetent owner as he would with a misbehaving player. If the hard line approach is about protecting the NFL, then what’s worse for the league right now than the chaos and carnage of the winless, hopeless, helpless Detroit Lions?

Ford, the owner of the Lions since 1963, may be a low key, law-abiding 83-year-old – a far cry from the troubled players Goodell has made examples out of with stiff suspensions and demands of accountability.

However, you never saw them destroy football in a major market. They didn’t mismanage a franchise for over four decades only to kill it lately. They didn’t reward failure, excuse ridiculousness and insult paying customers with season after season of non-competitive teams.

They didn’t put together the worst team in league history, 0-15 heading into Sunday’s season finale at Green Bay. They certainly didn’t declare the front office would return anyway or that the hiring a general manager with full control wasn’t a priority.

“Let’s see who’s available and what experience they have and see if they fit in any of our slots,” Ford Sr. told Booth Newspapers.

Slots? Just when you thought it couldn’t get worse in Detroit.

By forcing the new guy to accept limited power and holdovers from the pathetic Matt Millen era, Ford is assuring no quality candidate will look twice at the position. The Lions will again get a desperate candidate willing to work within the illogical confines of the confused owner.

It’s why football in Detroit is dead until there’s a change at the top.

Goodell is doing the league and its fans a disservice by allowing such mismanagement. The Lions do not have NFL-caliber players or NFL-caliber coaches. It isn’t an NFL organization.

He needs to step in and if not move Ford out, then at least demand he accepts league assistance to help the franchise become legitimate.

Ford Sr. is so delusional he thinks a tweak or two will do it. He isn’t even considering following the path of the Miami Dolphins, whose response to last year’s 1-15 season was to give Bill Parcells total authority. The Dolphins are now one victory from the playoffs.

If Goodell can get tough with players for off-field misbehavior, then why not an owner for prolonged on-field crimes against the sport?

The best case would be to get Ford Sr. to transfer power to his son, William Clay Ford Jr., who at least had the wherewithal to push for the firing of Millen earlier this season.

The Lions under Rod Marinelli in 2008 have been outscored 486-247 through 15 games.

(AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

If that’s not possible, then do what NBA commissioner David Stern did with the New York Knicks. He took self-destructive owner James Dolan (like Ford Sr. little more than a bumbling trust fund) and all but forced him to hire respected basketball executive Donnie Walsh. Half a season later the franchise has been stabilized.

Left to their own volition, guys like Ford Sr. or Dolan or Vick, Jones and Henry fall victim to arrogance and entitlement.

The players might break the law. The owner just breaks the will of the customers. Anger has been replaced by apathy for many in Detroit. Fans have given up on staging protest marches, wearing opposing colors to home games and screaming into talk radio lines.

In Ford’s 45 years as owner, the Lions have won just a single playoff game (1991 against Dallas). What was once a mostly mediocre franchise has lately produced historic futility.

The current team has lost 22 of its last 23 games and is actually worse than the record.

It lost all eight home games this season by an average 22 points. In a football mad area, the majority of the games were blacked out. Fans that did attend often spent most of the game booing.

Head coach Rod Marinelli spent the season shrugging off charges of nepotism for hiring his son-in-law as defensive coordinator. Even with a defense ranked last in the NFL, Marinelli said he never once thought of firing anyone or taking over the duties himself.

Why would he hold someone accountable? No one is ever accountable with the Lions.

“Loyalty is my strength,” Marinelli claimed.

This explanation came after a 42-7 defeat to New Orleans Sunday where the Lions didn’t make a single defensive stop. It’s little wonder plenty of irate fans thought local columnists should make more press conference jokes at Marinelli’s expense.

Yet Ford Sr. surveyed this toxic environment and deemed it unworthy of a front office housecleaning. He has no reasonable plan forward. He has no chance of getting proper help.

If earlier this season Ford Jr. hadn’t publicly ripped his father’s management, it stands to reason Millen, the bumbling broadcaster, might still be in charge. After all, he was in the middle of a five-year extension Ford Sr. gave him despite years of draft busts and losing seasons.

This is the worst run franchise in the league and the biggest black eye on Goodell’s operation. Ford Sr.’s actions have a far greater impact on the league than one player’s dog fighting ring.

If Goodell’s really so concerned about the health and image of the league, it’s time he held old men in suits as accountable as young players in strip clubs.

Ron English New EMU Head Coach

Former University of Michigan Defensive Coordinator and now most recently Former Louisville Defensive Coordinator, Ron English was named Head Coach at Eastern Michigan University. The eagles have struggled mightily in recent years with their football program, but should now have a good coach to help turning things around.

Rob Parker, Not the Sharpest Tool in the Shed

We all know the Detroit Lions are aweful as evidenced by their 0-15 season thus far with loss number 16 likely coming next week against the Green Bay Packers. We also know the Head Coach and most likely soon to be ex-Head Coach is Rod Marinelli who is well known locally for saying a whole lot of nothing in his post game press conferences. After all, what can you really say about a team that will go down in history as the worst of all-time?

However, things got personal after the Lions latest defeat at the hands of the New Orleans Saints. In Marinelli's post game conference, Detroit sports reporter Rob Parker was asking a series of questions relating to why Joe Barry (Lions Defensive Coordinator & Marinelli Son in Law) still has a job after creating the league's worst defense this year. Marinelli kept focusing on himself in his answers and taking all the blame, which isn't the answer Rob Parker wanted. After becoming frustrated that Rod kept talking about himself and not Joe Barry, Parker asked Marinelli "Do you ever wish your daughter married a better Defensive Coordinator?"

Wow, way to be a class act Rob Parker. All these years as a sports beat writer and that is best question you could come up with to take a dig at Marinelli? I'm all for having Marinelli fired as a Head Coach, but there was no need to get personal.

Another Great Decision by William Clay Ford

In another shockingly bad decision from Detroit Lions headquarters, Detroit Lions owner William Clay Ford said Sunday he will hire another person to upgrade the team's football operations, but it might not be a general manager and that he would like to keep current GM Martin Mayhew and team Chief Operating Officer Tom Lewand around.

Sooooo let me get this straight Mr. Ford. You may or may not hire another GM in addition to the two GM's you've already got AND if you do hire a third, you don't know what his responsibilities would be. Hmmmm, yea I'm not sure how this franchise got to be so bad???

I wonder if Ford, Mayhew and Lewand are going to draw straws to see who gets to make the draft selections? or maybe they'll just do paper, rocks, scissors?

Ford was also quoted as saying he has "talked to some people'' and still is putting together a list of GM candidates to be interviewed for the position. Umm what position is that Mr. Ford? You just said you don't even know what this new hire's responsibilities would be? It has to be pretty tough to put together a list of candidates for a position that you may or may not hire and have no clue as to what they would even do!!!

And for Ford's final ridiculous statement he said that he doesn't believe there is one "football genius'' that is available that can come in to fix the Lions franchise.

Well Mr. Ford, you are actually right about that one! I believe the "football genius" that you are refering to is Bill Parcells and no, he is not available because you chose not to interview him a year ago before he took the Miami Dolphins job. I mean Parcells only took a lousy one win team and now has them in a position to win their conference. Let's just put that on your ever growing list of bad decisions Mr. Ford.

Wolverines Down Grizzlies at the Palace

The first three minutes of this game looked like a 3 point contest between the two teams as Michigan's first four baskets of the game all were 3-pointers, including the first three by freshman Stu Douglass, and the Grizzlies countered with two in those opening minutes to make the teams a combined 6-of-6 from beyond the arc.

At the half, the Wolverines shot an outstanding 10-of-18 on 3-pointers (55.6 percent) in the first half, and although U of M couldn't keep up that pace in the second half, they did manage to take Oakland's best punch in the second half and beat Oakland 89-76.

After the game OU coach Greg Kampe was quoted as saying "I've coached 31 years, and I haven't seen too many things like that. I told the team, 'If they go 10-for-18 in the second half, we're going to pat them on the back and tell that that's the damndest thing we've ever seen.

DeShawn Sims led the Wolverines with 20 points. Manny Harris had 15 points and 13 assists, and in his first game as a wolverine, Arizona transferLaval Lucas-Perry scored 14.

The Golden Grizzlies were led by forward Keith Benson's 23 points and 11 rebounds. Sharp shooter Erik Kangas scored 15 and Johnathon Jones added 13.

The Wolverines took a 16 point lead in the second half, but a scrappy Grizzlies team wouldn't go away. They countered with a 17-7 run to cut the lead to 65-59 with 8:34 left when the Wolverines took a timeout. Two minutes later, Oakland had cut its deficit to four points.

"We got it down to four, and they made a backdoor layup and they hit two 3's in a row that opened it up," Kampe said. "They're a good team, and that's what good teams do. They didn't beat UCLA and Duke for no reason."

Oakland was still with out their leading scorer from last year, Derrick Nelson. Nelson has been out the entire season thus far with a broken foot. Oakland's next game will also be at the Palace on Saturday against Michigan State.

Tigers Ink Veteran Back Up Catcher Treanor

Dave Dombrowski's newest signing in the free agency period is veteran back up catcher Matt Treanor, a free agent after the Florida Marlins released him last week. Matt has signed a one year deal for $750,000 with the Tigers. He will back up recently-acquired catcher Gerald Laird

Treanor told the media he is "real happy to be a Tiger" and that "This is a great opportunity to play on a playoff contender. We sat around our clubhouse late last year and talked about how the season did not go the way they wanted. But look at their roster, and they look unbeatable."

Shafer out as Defensive Coordinator at UofM

Scott Shafer, the now former Michigan defensive coordinator was blamed for the majority of Michigan's defensive woes this year and I'd say it was deserved. Given the amount of talent they possessed on that side of the ball it was remarkable how inadequate the defense looked at times.

Before coming to Michigan, Shafer had credentials. He worked his way through a variety of Big Ten and Mid-American Conference programs on the usual career path a Midwestern coordinator might follow. He became known for aggressive defenses that scored high in sacks and turnovers. His Northern Illinois defense led the nation in interceptions during a 10-win season in 2003.

Once arriving in Ann Arbor though, he turned this defense into a complete and utter disaster.The defensive failures were well-documented. It was absolutely unbelievable how a team like Michigan who always prided itself on defense, suddenly couldn't stop a low ranking MAC team like Toledo.

The question now is was this a case of JUST a bad coordinator or is there a larger problem at hand with this team? Coach Rodriguez will get another chance to make this hire, but if he doesn't get this hire right, his days will be numbered.

Like Father Like Son

Barry Sanders Jr, a high school freshman and son of legendary running back Barry Sanders, made an amazing run for TD in the Oklahoma high school state playoffs.

Smoltz Coming Home to Detroit?

Video of John Smoltz, 41, throwing off a mound has recently been sent to various teams around the league by his agent in order to garner interest in John's pitching services.

Smoltz has had four elbow surgeries and most recently shoulder surgery. Smoltz has said he would prefer to be a starter, but in the right situation would consider closing. Of course look no further then the Detroit Tigers for a team in desperate need of a closer.

The Detroit Tiger originally traded John for Doyle Alexander back in '87 in order to chase a championship....and Tiger fans have been wondering since, WHAT IF we never traded away Smoltz???

If the Tigers actually aquired Smoltz, it would no doubt be a great coming home story and another big name on the Detroit roster. However, and I hate to say this.... I hope this aquistion doesn't happen. Reason being is he's 41, had multiple surgeries and could end up like Gary Sheffield... a broken shell of what he used to be. For the money that I would imagine Smoltz will command, I'm not sure its worth it.

Tigers Aquire New Catcher

From Foxsports.com

The Detroit Tigers have filled one of their prime offseason needs, acquiring catcher Gerald Laird from the Rangers for Double-A right-hander Guillermo Moscoso and a second prospect, according to a major-league source.

Laird, a strong defensive catcher, is a .255 career hitter with a .306 on-base percentage. He earned $1.6 million last season in his first year of arbitration, and is two years from free agency.

The Tigers also are seeking an inexpensive solution at shortstop, a position in which they are considering free agents Adam Everett and Nick Punto, with Everett the apparent preference.

No Surprise Here! 0-13

Jared Allen, defensive end of the Minnesota Vikings was quoted as saying "there is nothing scarier then facing a team with nothing to lose." However, the Detroit Lions did have something to lose, their 13th game. Maybe that's why there aren't scary or good. They are more like scarily bad.

The Minnesota Vikings tried to give the Detroit Lions their first win, but of course the Lions decided against it. The Vikings threw two interceptions, had three fumbles and six penalties for 35 yards. The Lions were in the red zone four times and could only come away with three field goals.

"Detroit had 10 days to get ready and prepare and we knew we would get their best shot here," Vikings coach Brad Childress said. Unfortunately for the Lions, their best shot couldn't beat a team of gingerbread men.

Big Blue is Back!

The Michigan Wolverines have recorded their second win against a top 5 ranked opponent this year with their 81-73 victory over the Duke Blue Devils on saturday. Deshawn Sims led the way for the Wolverines scoring a career-high 28 points.

"I still think it's a rebuilding year," Sims insisted. "Even though we've had two big wins, we've also lost two games. It definitely says we're executing what Coach wants us to do on both ends of the court."

The Wolverines made 13 of 14 free throws in the final 3 minutes to seal the upset, leading to hundreds of fans from the sold-out crowd rushing the court."I'm at a little bit of a loss for words," second-year Michigan coach John Beilein said. "That was a great atmosphere, wasn't it?"

The loss is just Duke's third in 48 games in the month of December since 1999-2000. The loss also snaps Duke's six-game win streak vs. Big Ten opponents. Michigan improved to 6-2; Last season, the Wolverines did not win their sixth game until Feb. 9.

Coach Beilein after the game did remind the media that this team is still a work in progress and that the Wolverines had barely survived against lowly Savannah State one week earlier.

But there is no denying that right now whispers of a top-25 ranking are floating through the NCAA.

Greg Kampe Wins 400th Game

From ougrizzlies.com

Redshirt sophomore Keith Benson scored a career-high 21 points, grabbed eight rebounds and blocked four shots, and senior Erik Kangas finished with a season-high 19 points, to lead Oakland University (4-5, 1-1 Summit) past UMKC (3-6, 0-1 Summit), 84-78, in men's basketball action on Thursday night in Municipal Auditorium. The win gives head coach Greg Kampe his 400th of his career.

"This is an unbelievable win for us," said Kampe. "From what we went through on Tuesday night and knowing the importance of tonight's game, to get in a 0-2 hole would just kill us. These kids deserve a lot of credit. I told them it was one of the gutsiest performances that I have ever been associated with."

After the Kangaroos' Dane Brumagin made a pair of free throws to give UMKC its first lead, 77-76, with just 1:11 remaining in the game, Oakland called a timeout. Kangas, who was 2-for-10 from behind the arc, was called upon one last time and he found the bottom of the net on a big 3-pointer to give the Golden Grizzlies the lead again, 79-77, with just 52 ticks on the clock.

"I was thinking every shot feels good and I'm going to make it sooner than later," said Kangas. "Coach was calling out my name so I knew that I had to knock it down."

The Kangaroos misfired at the other end on a 3-pointer and missed the tip in which allowed Kangas to grab the rebound and give the ball to junior Johnathon Jones who in turn was followed and sank both free throws. Jones finished the game with 12 points and six assists, while freshman Matt Samuels added a career-high 10 points for the Grizzlies.

UMKC's Brumagin scored a game-high 29 points, 19 of those coming in the first half, and grabbed 10 boards for a double-double. Spencer Johnson had a double-double for the Roos with 20 points and 13 rebounds.

Oakland had just nine turnovers in the game, while UMKC shot 39 treys, making 14 of them. OU was also outrebounded by the Kangaroos, 44-36.

Kampe becomes the 33rd active Division I coach to reach 400 wins, joining Tennessee's Bruce Pearl, who reached the plateau last night, and other greats like North Carolina's Roy Williams and Duke's Mike Krzyzewski to name a few.

"I've gone to ougrizzlies.com quit a bit and I had noticed that he got 399, so it was just good to get it on this road trip and get it out of the way," said redshirt senior Dan Waterstradt who ended the game with six points and five rebounds off the bench. "We were just thinking about UMKC and just trying to get after it."

The Golden Grizzlies will host Toledo in their home opener in the Athletics Center O'Rena on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. The game will air on OU's flagship station WDTW (1310 AM) and can also be followed on www.ougrizzlies.com.

OU Heads to SUU for Conference Opener

The Oakland University Golden Grizzlies head into their Summit League opener Tuesday night at Southern Utah University with a record of 3-4, this all without last year's top scorer Derrick Nelson.

OU endured a grueling road trip to open the season starting with Cleveland State and then criss-crossing the nation with stops at Oregon, Syracuse, Iowa, Kansas State and Las Vegas. During the road trip for the most part the Grizzlies won the games they were supposed to win and struggled against the stronger teams on the schedule. OU's highlight thus far is upsetting the Oregon Ducks for the second straight year, this time in Eugene, Oregon.

To have a successful conference record this year, the Grizzlies must first and foremost get a healthy Derrick Nelson back as soon as possible. Next, one of the men in the post must step forward. While Dan Waterstradt is a senior and the biggest body for the Grizz, he seems to blend into the background most games and for the most is just a role player. The guys I would like to see take it to the next level are Keith Benson, Will Hudson and Frosh Drew Maynard.

The top players in the early season so far have been Junior Jonathon Jones (16.6pts/game) and Senior sharpshooter Erik Kangas (15.2pts/game).

Can the Lions Go 0-16?

I thought this was an amusing and informative article from CNNSI's Joe Posnanski about the Detroit Lions' state of the union and the possibility of them going winless this season. This article was posted before the Lions embarrassing loss to Tennessee on Thanksgiving....

Do the 0-11 Detroit Lions have what it takes to go winless this season? I remained skeptical until last week when the Lions jumped to a 17-0 lead against Tampa Bay in the first quarter. Oh sure, lots of teams can blow a 17-0 lead. But what made me stop in admiration is that the Lions blew the lead BEFORE HALFTIME. That takes something special. And it makes me think that, hey, this might be the team.

The Lions, you probably know, have an amazing history. They have won one playoff game -- ONE -- since 1957. That team won the '57 championship with Bobby Layne and Tobin Rote and John Henry Johnson and Yale Lary and Dorne Dibble -- I'm hoping that from these names you can pick up that this was a long time ago.

The Lions' last winning season? That was 2000, when they went 9-7.

The last playoff win? That was 1991 against Dallas -- and they followed it up with a tight 41-10 loss to Washington in the NFC Championship Game.

The only Pro Bowl quarterback since Bobby Layne? Greg Landry, 1971.

Their most famous quarterback since Layne? George Plimpton.

The coach with the most wins? Wayne Fontes with 66 (to go with 67 losses).

And so on. The Lions have been consistent good humor for going on three decades, but they have only once before made a serious run at the Holy Grail of bad football -- the winless season. That was in 2001 under the lamentable Marty Mornhinweg*, and they started off 0-12. But the Lions won two of their last four, inspiring the team to bring back Mornhinweg for one more season (and the Lions went 3-13).

*I don't know why, but I get the biggest kick out of the fact that the last three people hired to coach the Lions are Marty Mornhinweg, Steve Mariucci and Rod Marinelli. They have some sort of crazy "M" thing going on in Detroit. You only wish that one-time Browns coach Dick Modzelewski was young enough to coach in the NFL again.

Does this Lions team have the magic to go winless? Well, maybe. They do have crucial three traits that I think a winless team needs to have:

1. An absolutely terrible defense. You want to hear an amazing statistic -- opposing quarterbacks have put up a 111.2 passer rating against the Lions. To give you an idea, only four quarterbacks in NFL HISTORY (Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Steve Young and Joe Montana) have ever put up that high a rating in a season. And, you might note, the Lions have not faced any of those four. They HAVE faced J.T. O'Sullivan, Kyle Orton, Gus Frerotte and Jeff Garcia. They do face Peyton Manning and the Colts in December, which could cause the earth to explode.

Even better news is the Lions also have the worst rushing defense in the NFL.

2. Utter confusion at the top. The Lions have that. They finally -- finally! -- fired general manager Matt Millen after seven of the most remarkably awful seasons imaginable. This pleased the Detroit masses -- who had become convinced that Millen had some sort of invisible force field that prevented anyone from firing him -- but it did have a negative effect on the blossoming Detroit business of trying to find unique domain names for "Fire Matt Millen" Web sites*.

*CanMattMillen.com? BootMillen.org? StepOnTheMatt.net?VillianMillin.edu?

The Lions did keep hard-nosed coach Rod Marinelli, though, which is good because seems sufficiently goofy enough to guide a team to a winless record. Marinelli spent this week saying that he was excited about the Lions getting into the spotlight -- they play Tennessee in front of the nation on Thanksgiving Day. When Detroit Free Press columnist Michael Rosenberg rather logically suggested to Marinelli that, you know, the spotlight might be a BAD thing for a team two-thirds of the way to a winless season, he responded with this:

"I guess if you're from Hostess Twinkies it would be."

Several of the CIA's best code breakers are working around the clock to try interpret what that means.

It should also be noted that the Lions defensive coordinator -- the man responsible for that amazing defense that gave up 48 points to Green Bay even though it was reported that Brett Favre gave the Lions various Packers team secrets -- is a man by the name of Joe Barry. He is, according to many, a bright young coach. He is also the son-in-law of Rod Marinelli.

3. Scheduling. The Lions have five games left. All five are against teams that still have playoff dreams. They face the Titans this week, and the Titans are coming off their first loss of the season. Then they play the Vikings at home, and the Vikings are tied for the division lead. They play at Indianapolis, and the Colts have won four in a row and look like the Colts again. They play New Orleans, the league's No. 1 offense in yards. Then they finish at Green Bay, where the Lions have not won in 17 years.

It's a good setup. This could really happen. Now it's just up to the Lions to try and finish off this disaster.

"I don't look for disaster," Marinelli said to reporters. "I look for disease." And I think these are comforting words this holiday season.

Detroit Lions Compiling List of GM Candidates

From ProFootballTalk.com

The Detroit Lions are compiling a list of candidates for the position of General Manager. Per a league source, the Lions currently are looking at a quintet of old-school candidates.

The list, we’re told, includes former Packers G.M. Ron Wolf, former Giants G.M. Ernie Accorsi, former Texans and Redskins G.M. Charley Casserly, former Bills G.M. Tom Donahoe, and Chiefs V.P. of player personnel Bill Kuharich, who previously served as G.M. of the Saints.

Wolf and Accorsi currently are retired, and Casserly has spent the past two years working as an on-air analyst for CBS. Donahoe hasn’t been heard from since being fired by the Bills earlier this decade.

The job currently is held by Martin Mayhew, who was promoted into the role after CEO Matt Millen was fired in September. It’s unknown whether he’ll be retained by the new regime.

In a recent item at SportingNews.com, we pondered the fact that Patriots V.P. of player personnel Scott Pioli doesn’t have a team of his own to run, and we pointed out that the turnaround of the Dolphins under his father-in-law Bill Parcells, the resurrection of the Falcons under Pioli’s protege Thomas Dimitroff, and Pioli’s role in the discovery of two of the best low-round quarterbacks in recent years if not ever (Tom Brady and Matt Cassel) should make him a candidate for any G.M. job that comes open this year.

Apparently, the Lions don’t feel the same way. Which isn’t all that surprising, since they’re the Lions.

Plaxico = Smartico

Ex-Michigan State Spartan and current NY Giant, Plaxico Burress accidentally shot himself in the right thigh and spent the night in the hospital. This is just another ridiculous event this year for Plaxico. Previous to this incident Burress was suspended for a game against Seattle on Oct. 5 and fined $117,500 for missing a team meeting and failing to notify the team of his absence. He also was fined $45,000 by the NFL for his conduct during an Oct. 19 game against 49ers in which he abused an official and tossed a ball into the stands.

Newsday reported Burress has a concealed weapon permit from the state of Florida that expired in May 2008. It is unclear if the permit was renewed; such a license can be renewed up to six months beyond the expiration date in accordance with section 790.06(11)(a) of Florida Statutes.

However, the states of New York and New Jersey do not recognize permits from Florida, so Burress could be charged in the incident. The NFL also is likely to investigate whether Burress violated its Personal Conduct Policy, which might lead to a suspension.

Kampe Records Win Number 399

From ougrizzlies.com

Oakland University had four players in double figures led by senior Erik Kangas' game-high 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting from long range, and junior Johnathon Jones dished out a season-high eight assists, scoring 13 points, to lead the Golden Grizzlies (3-4) to an 81-63 victory over Southeast Missouri State (2-4) in men's basketball action on Saturday at the Las Vegas Invitational in the Orleans Arena.

"Everybody scored in the first half, and that's what we are trying to get at," said OU coach Greg Kampe. "When you play like this, back to back nights and you've been on the trip that we have been on, you have to get contributions from more than just a couple guys. Early in the year that's what was happening, but now we're starting to get some guys that are comfortable."

The Golden Grizzlies win the lower bracket championship after defeating Delaware State (75-70) and SE Missouri State. Freshman Drew Maynard, who finished the game with 11 points, earned all-tournament honors after scoring a career-high 21 yesterday and averaging 16.5 for the tourney.

Also in double figures for the Grizzlies was freshman Blake Cushingberry, ending with 10 points including a career-high five points from the free throw line (5-7). Freshman Matt Samuels added eight points along with sophomore Will Hudson.

The game was never in doubt with the Golden Grizzlies leading by double digits for most of the game. The Redhawks crept within nine points on five occasions in the second half, with the last one coming with just under six minutes left in the game. Oakland responded with a 5-0 run over the next 50 seconds to take a commanding 14-point lead and never looked back.

SEMO was led by Jaycen Harning and Calvin Williams, each scoring 17 points for the Redhawks. The battle of the glass was close, with the Golden Grizzlies holding a 35-34 advantage. Oakland shot 53 percent (31-58) from the field in the game, going over 50 percent for the second consecutive game.

Coach Kampe now sits at 399 wins, hoping to get his 400th career victory at Southern Utah on Tuesday, Dec. 2, as Oakland begins Summit League action. Tip is slated for 9 p.m. ET in Cedar City and can be followed on via web streaming at ougrizzlies.com.

OU tops Delaware State Minus Grizzlies' Top Scorers

From ougrizzlies.com

The Oakland University men's basketball team placed five players in double figures, highlighted by freshman Drew Maynard's game-high 21 and redshirt sophomore Keith Benson's 15 points and six rebounds, as the Golden Grizzlies (2-4) completed a come-from-behind 75-70 victory over Delaware State (1-7) on Friday at the Las Vegas Invitational in the Orleans Arena.

"If I could give a game ball right now it would have to go to Strat (Dan Waterstradt)," said OU coach Greg Kampe. "He played with a lot of energy out there and got these guys going in the second half. It's tough when you don't have two of your leaders (Derick Nelson and Erik Kangas) on the floor and are playing all these freshmen now. But we did a better job in the second half with Drew (Maynard) and Cush (Blake Cushingberry) making shots."

Redshirt senior Dan Waterstradt had his best performance of the season so far, scoring a season-high 10 points and grabbed a season-high nine rebounds, just missing a double-double. Freshman Blake Cushingberry scored 11 points for the Grizzlies going 3-of-5 from behind the arc, while junior Johnathon Jones added 10 points.

The Hornets led most of the game, shooting 62 percent (16-26) from the floor in the first half and 57 percent (8-14) from three. The Golden Grizzlies then made an adjustment to guard the Hornets man-to-man and held them to 37 percent (10-27) in the second half.

"We have not even practiced that yet," said Kampe. "But we had to do something because they were getting open looks out there."


Oakland took its first lead of the game at the midway point of the second half on a layup by freshman Matt Samuels, 53-51, with 10:43 remaining in the game. Sophomore Will Hudson capped a 9-0 run by the Grizzlies on a layup as the lead grew to five points, 58-53, with just under 10 to go.

The Hornets fought back and got within one with just under three minutes in the game, but Cushingberry buried a big 3-pointer from the top of the circle to extend the Grizzlies' lead to four points and Jones completed an old fashioned three-point play to lead OU to victory.

Oakland will face Southeast Missouri State (2-3) on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. ET. SE Missouri defeated Longwood earlier 81-77.

Kansas State Beats Road Weary Grizzlies

From ougrizzlies.com

Junior Johnathon Jones scored 16 points, while senior Erik Kangas and freshman Drew Maynard each scored 11 points, but Kansas State (5-0) used 22 turnovers to score 27 points to defeat Oakland University (1-4), 83-64, on Tuesday night at the Bramlage Coliseum.

"I think we had tired legs tonight," said OU coach Greg Kampe. "They took advantage of that and went right after us and did a nice job on (Johnathon) Jones. We were not able to get the ball where we wanted to. A lot of it was their transition and forcing turnovers which was the story of the game. They were very good defensively. But, I think a lot of it was our legs as we traveled all the way across the country and now back across it."

The Grizzlies got within 10 points on a couple of occasions, but turnovers would lead to fast break points for KSU as the Wildcats led by 14 at the break, 39-25. Kansas State used a 16-7 run midway through the second half to extend the lead to 64-41 as OU fell by 19 points. Oakland will have two days off before taking on Delaware State (1-6) on Friday at the Las Vegas Invitational, Nov. 28-29. The games will be played at the Orleans Arena.

Miggity Miggity Mack Dyess will be Back!

Antonio McDyess, the instrumental 6-foot-9, 6th man told the Pistons on Sunday that he would be re-signing with them next month.

"I'm definitely relieved that we'll have him back," Head Coach Michael Curry said.

McDyess was part of the four-player trade with Denver that landed the Pistons Allen Iverson, and sent Chauncey Billups, McDyess and Cheikh Samb to Denver. McDyess didn't want to play for Denver, so his agent Andy Miller worked out a buyout with the Nuggets to make McDyess a free agent.

McDyess could have signed immediately with any team except Detroit if he choose to, he had such potential suitors as Cleveland and Boston. Thankfully enough, Antonio has decided to return to the only team he has a desire to play for, the Detroit Pistons. League rules stipulate that McDyess has to wait at least 30 days after the trade is finalized before he can re-sign with Detroit. The earliest he can be in uniform for the Pistons is Dec. 7 at New York.

Hawkeyes Edge Grizzlies

From ougrizzlies.com

Junior Johnathon Jones had a chance to tie the game with 2:34 remaining, but his jump shot from the top of the key rolled off the rim and Iowa's Anthony Tucker buried three of his 19 points immediately following that to lead the Hawkeyes (4-0) past Oakland University (1-3), 66-57, in men's basketball action on Sunday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Jones ended with a game-high 21 points, followed by senior Erik Kangas' 18-point effort.

"I'm very, very disappointed in how the game ended," said OU coach Greg Kampe. "We had the game exactly where we wanted it. Jones made a horrible decision when we had the ball with a chance to take the lead. We ran a set, and he refused the set and turned it down with a 6-6 guy on him and took a jump shot, when he should have taken that ball to the basket and let the referee make a decision, or maybe he makes it. He's great going to the hole and he settles for a jump shot.

"Then we come down and they are about to get a shot clock violation and they throw up some bomb, and (Anthony Tucker) gets an offensive rebound and we foul him. That was a huge play, because now they take it out and get another shot and make a three. We get that rebound, I call timeout, and we run something inside, and hopefully we make a basket. The game went from one point to nine, there was nothing we could do."

OU trailed the entire game and had several chances to take the lead halfway through the second half. Down by one on two occasions, 3-pointers by Kangas went in and out of the basket which would have given the Golden Grizzlies a two-point lead. Oakland shot just 54.5 percent from the free throw line (6-11), compared to Iowa's 66.7 percent (12-18).

The Grizzlies had only seven points from their front court line of sophomore Will Hudson (6), redshirt sophomore Keith Benson (1), freshman Ilija Milutinovic (0) and senior Dan Waterstradt (0). The Hawkeyes scored 24 points in the paint, thanks to 19 points from their big men underneath.

The Hawkeyes had three players in double figures along with Tucker, Jake Kelly had 16 points off the bench and Cyrus Tate scored 11 points. Iowa's bench outscored the Grizzlies 16-5 in the game.

Oakland will continue its long road trip this Tuesday night in Manhattan, Kan., as the Golden Grizzlies face the undefeated Kansas State Wildcats (4-0). Tip is slated for 8:08 p.m. ET and will be regionally televised on FSN Kansas City. The game will also air on OU's flagship station WDTW (1310 AM) with Mario Impemba.

Michigan Wolverines: Season Review

The Michigan Wolverines football team finished the 2008 season with its worst record in school history, 3-9. What word bests describes this year? Abysmal? Frustrating? Ridiculous? I'm not sure what the right word would be. What I am sure of is Rich Rodriguez's leash just got a lot shorter, he no longer has the luxury of slowly ushering in his systems.

If Michigan is going to be competitive next year, the Quarterback situation has to do a 180 in the talent department. Threet and Sheridan were not only a bad fit for this system, but didn't look like the right Quarterbacks for any system! Their passes were often wobbly, thrown way too far, thrown way too short and at times did not even come close to hitting a receiver. Incoming Freshman QB's Tate Forcier and Shandrovik Beaver HAVE to be 1 and 2 on the depth chart for next year. If Threet or Sheridan are even sniffing playing time in 2009 then the Wolverines are in deep trouble.

Next, Rich Rodriguez needs to take a long hard look at his coaching staff and decide if they are worthy of being part of a top notch collegiate football program, particularly his defensive coaches. While the offense didn't have anywhere near the talent they needed to execute Rich Rod's plans, this defense had talent. Tim Jamison, Terrance Taylor, Donovan Warren, Obi Ezeh, Will Johnson, Morgan Trent... there is absolutely no excuse for this not being a top 15 defense, instead they finished somewhere around 50th. The only pass I will give the defense is that the offense was so bad that it left the defense on the field for far too long in far too many games.

Do I have faith Coach Rodriguez will turn this ship around? Yes, I do. Will it be next year? No, but there better be a dramatic improvement in his second year and if they aren't competing for a Big Ten title in year 3 expect to see Rich leaving Ann Arbor. Coach Rodriguez's basketball coaching counterpart John Beilein is seemingly turning around his program after a dismal first year, lets hope Rodriguez will do the same.

Duke Downs Wolverines in Coaches vs. Cancer Tourney Final

Shooting struggles again haunted the University of Michigan basketball team and resulted in a 71-56 loss to the #10 Duke Blue Devils in the 2K Sports Classic tournament final. Timely clutch shots that led them to victory over UCLA in the previous round weren't falling for them this time and the Wolverines were fighting uphill against a quicker / stronger Duke team all game long.

However, the fact that they got to the tourney's final game, upset the Bruins a day previous and hung with a solid Blue Devil squad should serve as proof they have come into the 2008-2009 season a stronger team then last year.

To take another step forward though the Wolverines MUST start shooting better from the outside in this Princeton style offense that Coach Beilein has installed. Also, I'd like to see Deshawn Sims starting games instead of coming off the bench. He looks to me to be the best low post presence that the Wolverines have.

Orange Route Grizzlies

From Associated Press

Jonny Flynn scored 18 points, Arinze Onuaku had 14, and freshman Kris Joseph added 13 to help Syracuse beat Oakland 86-66 on Friday night.

Oakland (1-2), which opens with nine straight road games, fell behind 22-5 in the first 7 minutes and never recovered. Johnathon Jones finished with 16 points, Erik Kangas 15, and Will Hudson 13 for the Golden Grizzlies.

"One of the things we have done well all year is guard, and we didn't do that tonight," said OU coach Greg Kampe. "We did not have any hop in our step at all and that's what we talked about at halftime.

"When you come into a venue like this and you don't have it, you're going to get embarrassed, and we did in the first half. We just didn't have any effort or excitement in our step like we did in our first two games. They're going to beat some basketball teams in here that are great, so we can't think that we are going to compete with our `C' game."

Paul Harris had 11 points, nine rebounds and three blocks and Eric Devendorf finished with 10 points for Syracuse.

The Orange (3-0) used an aggressive man-to-man defense to post a solid comeback victory over Richmond on Tuesday night, and they kept it up against the Golden Grizzlies in a dominating first half.

Syracuse broke to an 11-2 lead in the first four minutes. Harris had four points, set up Devendorf for a 3, and passed to Onuaku for a two-handed slam dunk. Defensively, Syracuse held Oakland to 1-for-7 shooting and the Golden Grizzlies went 0-for-3 on 3-pointers.

Wolverines Upset #4 Bruins

The University of Michigan's basketball program hasn't had much to cheer about for the last several years. However, following Michigan's victory over the #4 UCLA Bruins last night, fans and the University have plenty to cheer about.

Led by a 1-3-1 trapping defense that gave the Bruins fits all night, the Wolverines pulled the biggest upset of the young season winning 55-52 in the semifinals of the 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer.

Michigan's next opponent will be the #8 Duke Blue Devils in tonight's final at 7:30 p.m. Coincidentally, this will be the first of two meetings between UofM and Duke this year. The two schools will also square off on December 6 in Ann Arbor.

Michigan will have to come with the same great defense against Coach K and the Dukies tonight, but will also have to elevate their shooting game and rebound a little better. Michigan shot very poorly in the first half from beyond the arc and looked to get pushed around in the blocks at times, but still managed to stick around until the second half when they could put away the Bruins.

McGuffie to Transfer out of Michigan?

New rumors are surfacing that U of M frosh running back Sam McGuffie will transfer after this year. Wolverines beat writer John Heuser says that there is nothing new with the story, and that McGuffie shouldn't be discouraged by his diminishing role this year.

"The coaches have confidence in him," Heuser points out during his weekly Q&A, "and he's been used much more this year than a typical freshman. I hope he stays, because I think he'll be a contributor throughout his career."

As of right now it's too early to say if Sam will be staying or transferring to a different school.

However Heuser also points out: "The fact that he pulled himself from the lineup last week is a bad sign. But I'm sure the coaches will really try to convince him that he'll benefit by staying, which I think it true."

Oh boy.... keep your fingers crossed that he stays Wolverines fans!

Golden Grizzlies Down Oregon Ducks

From ougrizzlies.com

On a night where it looked like Oakland was letting the game slip away, junior Johnathon Jones refused to let that happen, especially when he committed a foul with six seconds left in regulation to send Oregon's Tajuan Porter to the line for three shots, which he made to tie the game at 68-68. All Jones did is score 10 of his career-high 32 points in overtime to lead the Golden Grizzlies (1-1) past the Ducks (1-1) 82-79 (OT) on Monday night in McArthur Court.

"He can play anywhere in the country," said head coach Greg Kampe about Jones. "He proved it on a Pac-10 floor, and one of the hardest places to play in the country. JJ was the best player on the court tonight."

Senior Erik Kangas scored 18 points, 10 in the first half, and drilled three free throws in the final minute to give OU a 66-65 lead with just 33 seconds on the clock. After a miss by the Ducks, freshman Blake Cushingberry grabbed the rebound and was fouled. He then made both free throws to push the lead to three.

After the Ducks' Porter made his free throws to tie the game, Cushingberry had one last shot to end the game from the top of the key, a couple of feet behind the three-point line, but his shot sailed wide and the game went in to overtime.

Jones then took over once again. After Kangas made an old fashioned three-point play, Jones scored 10 of the next 11 points, including a fade-away from the corner with two seconds left to extend the lead to three points and give the Grizzlies their second straight win over Oregon.

With the win, the Golden Grizzlies snap a 16-game non-conference home winning streak for the Ducks.

"We had to learn how to win," said Kampe. "When Derick (Nelson) got hurt, we became a young team. We had two freshmen, three freshmen, four freshmen on the floor at one time, and they have to learn how to win. This is going to go a long way to make us a good team."

Redshirt sophomore Keith Benson fouled out of the game with 10 points and eight rebounds, coming close to his second straight double-double. Cushingberry ended the game with nine points and five rebounds.

Oregon's LeKendric Longmire poured in 18 points in the first half, but the Grizzlies kept him scoreless in the second half and overtime. Joevan Catron had a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds, along with Michael Dunigan's 15 points and 10 boards.

The Golden Grizzlies will return home for a couple of days before beginning a 13-day road trip. Oakland will face Syracuse on Friday night in the Carrier Dome. Tip is slated for 7 p.m. ET and can be heard on OU's flagship station WDTW (1310 AM) with Mario Impemba on the call.

Detroit Lions Defense = Not Good

When Detroit Lions rookie running back Kevin Smith was asked about get his first 100-rushing game on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers, Smith said, "Having 100 yards was OK but every back on the field had 100 yards."

While Smith had 112 yards in the 31-22 loss to the Panthers, Carolina had two backs hit the century mark: Jonathan Stewart (130 yards) and DeAngelo Williams (120 yards).

Wow, I'd hate to see how bad our defense would be if we didn't have a Defensive Coach like Rod Marinelli running the team.....or maybe we'd better?

Quitting Isn't Easy to do

After the most recent Lions defeat at the hands of the Carolina Panthers, Lions Head Coach Rod Marinelli was quoted as saying “Have we failed? Yes. Have I failed? Yes. Am I going to give up? No way. Am I discouraged? No way. I’m not, and you can ask me that until the cows come home. You’re going to get the exact same answer.”

My question is "Rod, if you aren't discouraged after winning exactly zero games in ten attempts, what are you? Happy? Hopeful? Retarded?" My guess would be the latter.

Alright who wants to start up the website FireRod.com?

2008 JSR POLLS

1. Alabama Crimson Tide
2. Texas Tech Red Raiders
3. OKlahoma Sooners
4. Florida Gators
5. USC Trojans
6. Texas Longhorns
7. Penn State Nittany Lions
8. Utah Utes
9. Missouri Tigers
10. Boise State Broncos
11. Georgia Bulldogs
12. Oklahoma State Cowboys
13. Ohio State Buckeyes
14. TCU Horned Frogs
15. Michigan State Spartans
16. BYU Cougars
17. Pittsburgh Panthers
18. Oregon State Beavers
19. Cincinnati Bearcats
20. Ball State Cardinals
21. Miami Hurricanes
22. Oregon Ducks
23. Maryland Terrapins
24. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
25. Boston College Eagles

OU Edged by Vikings

From The Oakland Press

Heartbreak Hotel was in Cleveland for Oakland’s men’s basketball team Saturday night. The Grizzlies led nearly the entire game and by as many 12, but couldn’t hold on. Oakland had a chance to force overtime, but a contested Johnathon Jones 3-pointer at the buzzer was no good.

“We’re disappointed we lost the game,” Oakland coach Greg Kampe said. “I was pleased with our team and it came down to a stretch in the second half when we didn’t get quality possessions and couldn’t extend the lead. They made some good, athletic plays on defense. We played pretty good and I like our defense. … We came in and competed against a good team in their gym, in front of their fans. And this is a learning curve and will make us a better basketball team.” The Golden Grizzlies also had to adjust to playing without leading scorer and rebounder Derick Nelson, who broke his foot in practice Thursday. The loss of Nelson hurt enough by itself, but also threw the team off because they only had one day to prepare.

Sophomore Keith Benson (Birmingham Detroit Country Day) led Oakland with 15 points and 11 rebounds and four blocks.

“We didn’t get him the ball enough.” Kampe said of Benson. “We got to get him the ball more. He still has to play in spurts though. He’s still just a sophomore, but he’s got to get stronger. He’s gotten way stronger than he was, but he still can’t play more than four or five minutes at a time. He gets winded. He’s 6-foot-11 and he’s got 10-foot long arms. That’s part of the maturing process.”

Erik Kangas added 11 points, Dan Waterstradt added seven points and six rebounds, Will Hudson finished with six points and six rebounds and Drew Maynard (Lake Orion) scored seven points in his Oakland debut before fouling out with 9:07 left.

The biggest surprise was Jones’ struggling offensively for Oakland. He finished 2-for-16 from the field with eight points, six rebounds and six turnovers in 38 minutes.

Oakland came out with a purpose and jumped out to a 17-7 lead highlighted by two Kangas 3-pointers and four quick points from Benson to start the game. The Grizzlies weathered the storm in the second half, but struggled to score down the stretch, scoring just five points in the final 6:30.

Billick to Coach Lions Next Year?

As the Detroit Lions get man handled week to week on the football field and head towards a win-less season, rumors have started swirling about potential replacements for Head Coach Rod Marinelli should he be fired at year's end.

The latest name to surface is former Baltimore Ravens Head Coach Brian Billick. When asked if interested in a Head Coaching position with the Detroit Lions, Billick responded with "no comment".

However, during many of Billick's recent NFL broadcasts he sure seems to LOVE talking about the Lions and all the ways he thinks they could turn it around.

Lebron Dunks from Free Throw Line

Rematch!

Well sort of. The Red Wings and Penguins aren't quite the same teams from last spring's Stanley Cup Finals, but they'll battle tonight for the first time since the Wings skated out of Mellon Arena with the Stanley Cup.

The Red Wings signed former Penguins star player, Marion Hossa, as well as their backup goalie, Ty Conklin, and kept the rest of the team in tact, while the Penguins lost their best player (Hossa) and a number of other players to free agency.

However, the core of the team is still there. Crosby, Malkin, Staal, and Fleury will all be in the lineup tonight when the Pens visit the Joe. It's a 7:00 start on Versus.

Dan Cleary will miss the game as he continues to battle problems with his left eye. But back in the lineup is Johan Franzen, who missed 5 games with a sprained MCL. Chris Osgood is expected to start in the net.

Other injury news: Chris Chelios had a set back at practice yesterday after experiencing pain in the same leg that he fractured in the pre season. He was originally hoping to be back in the lineup next week.

Marinelli Makes Random Statements at Press Conference

At the usual Monday afternoon Rod Marinelli press conference, Coach had some rather odd things to say. He used the following statements to describe what the Lions are going though...

“You’re in this dark tunnel and you’ve got no way out,” he said. “You’re waiting for light, and you see that light, what do you do? What do you do? You start digging and getting out. … I’ve always believed you stay in the tunnel and you keep digging when you expect no light.

“You have the same faith when you expect no light. You have the same belief in what you’re doing when you expect no light. … It’s dark and I’m going to dig through. My shovel is sharp and my pick is sharp and my will is outstanding.”

Following these descriptions of the Lions I would have liked to ask Marinelli the following questions:

"Coach, do you realize you've dug your team to the bottom of the NFL?"

"Coach, how did you get your team in this tunnel to begin with? Did your draft picks and free agent selections have anything to do with it?"

"Coach, perhaps instead of a sharp pick and shovel, what you really need is a map because no one knows where the Hell you are leading this team to."

DGF Poll: Tigers to be Successful Next Season?

You said it. Following a very disappointing season this past year, loyal DGF readers have voted the Detroit Tigers as the most likely local team to rebound for a successful season next year.

Voting results:

Detroit Tigers - 75%
Michigan Wolverines - 25%
Detroit Lions - 0%

Nuggets Buy Out McDyess' Contract

As many expected, the Denver Nuggets bought out the contract of the recently aquired Antonio McDyess, who came along with Chauncey Billups in the recent trade of Allen Iversion to Detroit.

McDyess will most likely clear waivers and then re-sign with another team. Previous to the trade Antonio was adamant about staying in Detroit and if traded he would simply either retire or ask to be bought out and then re-sign with the Pistons.

However, there are now rumors floating around that McDyess will not choose to sign with the Pistons, but instead choose to go to one of the Pistons' rivals; the Boston Celtics or Cleveland Cavaliers.

Detroit Lions All-Time Team

The Detroit Lions announced their all-time team to celebrate the franchise's 75 year anniversary as they hosted the Jacksonville Jaguars today at Ford Field today.

Detroit Lions 75th Season All-Time Team
• Jim Arnold, punter -- 1986-93
• Al Baker, defensive lineman -- 1978-82
• Lem Barney, defensive back -- 1967-77
• Bennie Blades, safety -- 1988-96
• Roger Brown, defensive lineman -- 1960-66
• Lomas Brown, offensive lineman -- 1985-95
• Jack Christiansen*, safety -- 1951-58
• Dutch Clark*, quarterback -- 1934-38
• Gail Cogdill, wide receiver -- 1960-68
• Lou Creekmur, offensive lineman -- 1950-59
• Jim David*, defensive back -- 1952-59
• Don Doll, safety -- 1949-52
• Doug English, defensive lineman -- 1975-79, 81-85
• Ed Flanagan, offensive lineman -- 1965-74
• Kevin Glover, offensive lineman -- 1985-97
• John Gordy, offensive lineman -- 1957, 59-67
• Mel Gray, kick returner -- 1989-94
• Jason Hanson, kicker -- 1992-present
• Alex Karras, defensive lineman -- 1958-62, 64-70
• Dick Lane*, defensive back -- 1960-65
• Yale Lary, safety -- 1952-53, 56-64
• Bobby Layne*, quarterback -- 1950-58
• Dick LeBeau, defensive back -- 1959-72
• Herman Moore, wide receiver -- 1991-2001
• Eddie Murray, kicker -- 1980-91
• Robert Porcher, defensive lineman -- 1992-2004
• Barry Sanders, running back -- 1989-98
• Charlie Sanders, tight end -- 1968-77
• Cory Schlesinger, fullback -- 1995-2006
• Joe Schmidt, linebacker -- 1953-65
• Harley Sewell, offensive lineman -- 1953-62
• Billy Sims, running back -- 1980-84
• Chris Spielman, linebacker -- 1988-95
• Doak Walker*, running back -- 1950-55
• Wayne Walker LB 15 1958-72
• Alex Wojciechowicz* OL 9 1938-46
*deceased

2008 JSR POLLS

1. Alabama Crimson Tide
2. Texas Tech Red Raiders
3. Oklahoma Sooners
4. USC Trojans
5. Florida Gators
6. Texas Longhorns
7. Penn State Nittany Lions
8. Utah Utes
9. Missouri Tigers
10. Boise State Broncos
11. Georgia Bulldogs
12. Oklahoma State Cowboys
13. Ohio State Buckeyes
14. Florida State Seminoles
15. North Carolina Tar Heels
16. TCU Horned Frogs
17. Michigan State Spartans
18. BYU Cougars
19. Pittsburgh Panthers
20. LSU Tigers
21. Ball State Cardinals
22. Cincinnati Bearcats
23. Oregon State Beavers
24. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
25. South Carolina Gamecocks

2008 JSR POLLS

1. Alabama Crimson Tide
2. Penn State Nittany Lions
3. Texas Tech Red Raiders
4. USC Trojans
5. Oklahoma Sooners
6. Florida Gators
7. Texas Longhorns
8. Oklahoma State Cowboys
9. Utah Utes
10. Missouri Tigers
11. TCU Horned Frogs
12. Boise State Broncos
13. Georgia Bulldogs
14. LSU Tigers
15. Florida State Seminoles
16. Ohio State Buckeyes
17. North Carolina Tar Heels
18. Michigan State Spartans
19. BYU Cougars
20. Pittsburgh Panthers
21. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
22. California Golden Bears
23. Ball State Cardinals
24. Maryland Terrapins
25. Cincinatti Bearcats

Allen Iverson Traded to Detroit Pistons

It's official, the Detroit Pistons and Denver Nuggets completed the young season's first blockbuster trade. The Pistons send Chauncey Billups, Antonio McDyess and Cheikh Samb to Denver for controversial superstar Allen Iverson.

Iverson will take a physical tomorrow in Detroit, with a press conference scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. He will then head to Toronto where he's expected to play against the Raptors on Wednesday.

Antonio McDyess is expected to work a buy-out with the Nuggets, and then re-sign with Detroit after he clears waivers.

Many people in the Detroit area aren't so sure this was the change the Detroit Pistons needed, given Iverson's past history of having a bad attitude, especially when paired with an already volatile Rasheed Wallace. However, after thinking about it, I do like this trade for three reasons:

1. Allen Iverson is a guy who can successfully drive to the basket, which the Pistons currently lack in their perimeter offense

2. Iverson can serve as the "go-to guy" that the Pistons also have arguably been with out when the game is on the line or to carry the team when in a shooting slump

3. Iverson is in the last year of his deal which pays $20.84 million this season. By trading away Billups and McDyess for Iverson, the Pistons will shave about $34 million off their books in salary over the next three seasons. Which will free up ALOT of money to use in a star studded free agent class in 2009 or 2010 Free agents such as Lebron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh will be available in 2010, while Carlos Boozer will be available in 2009.

DGF Poll: How Much Time Does Rich Rod have?

The hot topic on local sports radio in the last several weeks has been just how much longer do you give Head Coach of the Michigan Wolverines Rich Rodriguez? The Wolverines in recent history have never had a "down year" until this one and has many of the Wolverine faithful already calling for his head.

In the latest DGF poll, the readers have spoken... you said that Rich Rodriguez deserves at least two more years. I would tend to agree with that. This is a team that lost all of its offensive playmakers to the draft and are installing a brand new system with players that aren't built to play in it.

Let's not jump off the bandwagon yet Michigan fans, this guy has been a undisputed success everywhere he's coached. Its going to take a couple years, but the Wolverines will be back on top sooner then later.

Lions Sign Culpepper

Veteran free agent Daunte Culpepper has agreed on a two-year deal with the Detroit Lions after dissing the Kansas City Chiefs on what was supposed to be a signing day, to workout in Allen Park on what he said at the time was "a better opportunity". Terms of the deal haven't been disclosed, but the former Pro Bowl quarterback is expected to join his new team Monday. He will wear jersey No. 11 for the Lions.

This past spring, Daunte declined offers from the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers, who were looking for a backup QBs. The opportunity to start was the major reason Culpepper decided to sign with the Lions. The Lions starter Jon Kitna for the season when he was placed on the injured reserve three weeks ago. Current starter Dan Orlovsky has been adequate in his first three NFL starts, however has been criticized for being too conservative.

JSR FOOTBALL POLL

1. Texas Longhorns
2. Alabama Crimson Tide
3. Penn State Nittany Lions
4. USC Trojans
5. Oklahoma Sooners
6. Florida Gators
7. Georgia Bulldogs
8. Texas Tech Red Raiders
9. Oklahoma State Cowboys
10. Utah Utes
11. Missouri Tigers
12. TCU Horned Frogs
13. LSU Tigers
14. Boise State Broncos
15. Oregon Ducks
16. Florida State Seminoles
17. Minnesota Golden Gophers
18. Ohio State Buckeyes
19. Maryland Terrapins
20. Tulsa Golden Hurricanes
21. North Carolina Tar Heels
22. Michigan State Spartans
23. Pittsburgh Panthers
24. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
25. Ball State Cardinals

Take that Mr. Ford!!

For the first time ever a Detroit Lions football game at Ford Field will be blacked out. The Lions sold out 50 consecutive home games since moving to Ford Field in 2002, which seems like a miracle in itself considering how bad the Lions have been in those 6 years.
The Lions had about 5,000 tickets still remaining at the blackout deadline of 1 p.m. today. As a result the Detroit Lions' game against the Washington Redskins on Sunday will be blacked out on television locally. Ironically many fans are glad it will be blacked out as they view it as a statement to team owner William Clay Ford that the fans will no longer pay to seem a horrible team.

If the Lions now start a streak of non-sellouts will that force Ford to take action to make this team better? Only time will tell.

JSR COLLEGE FOOTBALL POLL

1. Texas Longhorns
2. Alabama Crimson Tide
3. Penn State Nittany Lions
4. USC Trojans
5. Oklahoma Sooners
6. Florida Gators
7. Oklahoma State Cowboys
8. Georgia Bulldogs
9. Texas Tech Red Raiders
10. LSU Tigers
11. Utah Utes
12. Ohio State Buckeyes
13. Pittsburgh Panthers
14. TCU Horned Frogs
15. Missouri Tigers
16. South Florida Bulls
17. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
18. Kansas Jayhawks
19. Boise State Broncos
20. Oregon Ducks
21. Boston College Eagles
22. Maryland Terrapins
23. Florida State Seminoles
24. Minnesota Golden Gophers
25. Tulsa Golden Hurricanes

Tim Rattay Works Out for the Lions

The Detroit Lions have confirmed that quarterback Tim Rattay was at Allen Park today for a workout. It's not unusual for NFL clubs to bring in free agents on Tuesdays to compile their "short list'' in case of future injuries. A signing is not imminent.

Ummm anyone want to take a stab at what off the wall logic the Lions had for bringing in this career third stringer and not Daunte Culpepper?

Oh wait, he played for Tampa Bay back in 2006. Mystery solved.

Back 2 Back Champs!

Last week may have marked the beginning of a dynasty in the annual Campbell-Ewald Bocce Charity Challenge. The team known as B.A.L.L.S. has won the Warren division championship for a second consecutive year, led by team captain Stuart Moutrie.

One moment of controversy did occur though during the championship match. BALLS team member Kevin Hock was seen apparently flipping the bird to a Mr. David Hoffman in the crowd after a totally not funny remark about the Michigan Wolverines. The league has not officially ruled if Mr. Hock will face a fine as of yet, but I say the spectator deserved it.