Evan Tanner Found Dead in the Desert

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight champion Evan Tanner was found dead in the desert near Palo Verde, Calif. on Monday. He was 37 years old. Tanner had ventured into the desert on a journey to "cleanse" himself, according to his blog. These "cleansing" trips were nothing new to him as he had done them several times over the passed few years. Tanner was thought to have just succumbed to the deadly 115 degree heat after his motorcycle had run out of gas. One of his last entries on his blog was an ominous one. Evan had made mention that for this trip he wanted to purchase the best gear he could buy, as he planned on trekking deeper into the desert then ever before and one faulty piece of equipment could prove fatal.

The Earth Rotates on its Axis & The Lions Lose a Football Game

Your Detroit Lions opened up the 8th edition of the Millen era with a loss. In other news, water is essential for the existence of life.

The Lions came out and laid an egg in Atlanta as the Falcons ran the ball down the Lions' throats. Newcomer and career backup, Michael Turner, led the way with 220 yards and two scores. Rookie quarterback Matt Ryan threw a long TD pass on his first career pass attempt. He went on to play a conservative, mistake-free game. The Lions rarely got to him, therefore couldn't rattle him. The Lions defense couldn't wrap up the runners or make a tackle.

The offense isn't off the hook either. At times the offense was out of sync. Routes being cut off (leading to interceptions), the offensive line not blocking anybody, and Jon Kitna arguing with anybody in a coach's headset that he could find.

Nobody on this team was prepared for yesterday. Funny, because Rod Marinelli keeps preaching repeatedly how prepared and fundamentally sound this team is. "Pound the Rock." "Work Hard." "Be Prepared." Didn't see any of that yesterday.

And where are the draft picks. 2007 2nd round pick Alama-Francis - deactivated. 2008 First rounder Gosder Cherillus - didn't play. 2008 2nd round pick Jordon Dizon - played sparingly. What does that tell you about the talent and draft prowess of this team?

With any luck the home opener will be blacked out this Sunday and we can all enjoy a late summer weekend, before it's too late.

What a disaster of a football organization.

Haskins Broke Down Cultural Barriers

Don Haskins, the Hall of Fame collegiate coach who broke down athletic color barriers died Sunday at the age of 78. Haskins was best remembered for leading the Texas Western basketball team to a national basketball championship by starting five black players against an all-white, heavily favored Kentucky team coached by Adolph Rupp. The story was later made into the 2006 movie Glory Road.

Same S**** Different Day

Well once again the Detroit Lions have put us in awe of just how low a franchise can sink. They lose their season opener to arguably the least talented team in the NFL, the Atlanta Falcons. There are no excuses for this loss, this should have been an easy "W".

Year after year us as fans some how get sucked into how the Lions have supposedly improved in the off season, how they are going to pound the rock this year, how Mike Martz was holding them back, how the defense will be better once Marinelli has his Tampa 2 personnel, how once they get all the negative attitudes out of the lockeroom things will improve....

Well here we are again at the beginning of a new year and the Lions come out and look like garbage in the first game. Not only do they look like they lack talent all over the field, but it looks like they have the same exact problems as last year. The O-line sucks, the linebackers can't tackle, the D-line looks like they belong on the practice squad and now Jon Kitna seems even fed up with the coaching, as he was caught in a shouting match with the recievers coach during the game. I wonder if this has anything to do with the majority of our off season signings coming via players who left/were released from Tampa Bay??

Not since the Washington Generals, the lovable losers that could never beat the Harlem Globetrotters, has a professional franchise looked so incomprehensibly inept. I'm tired of Marinelli's excuses for this team and if I have to see that stupid Lions commercial asking "Do you believe in now?" one more time I'm going to hurl.

Jobs that Tatum Bell Would Be Great At

Now that Tatum Bell, formerly of the Detroit Lions is seeking new employment after being caught stealing Rudi Johnson's bags from Detroit Lions Offices, I've assembled a list of jobs he would be great at and should consider for future employment.

1. Bell Hop
2. Pizza Hut Table Clearer
3. Litter Picker Upper
4. Airport Luggage Handler
5. CFL Running Back

UofM Lands Big QB Recruit

From Detroit News.com

Tate Forcier, rated the nation's No. 6 dual-threat quarterback, committed to the Wolverines on Sunday, according to Rivals.com and Scout.com.

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Forcier visited Michigan on Saturday to observe the Wolverines' 25-23 loss to Utah. Forcier chose Michigan over Arizona State, Penn State, Oregon and Texas A&M, among others.

The Wolverines also received commitments over the weekend from running back Vincent Smith and linebacker Brandin Hawthorne, both from Pahokee, Fla. They were high school teammates of current U-M freshman receiver Martavious Odoms, who started Saturday.

Lions sign Rudi Johnson

The Detroit Lions have signed free agent running back Rudi Johnson formerly of the Cincinnati Bengals and have agreed to terms with him on a one-year deal. Johnson will replace Tatum Bell as the No. 2 running back on the depth chart and is expected to split time with starter Kevin Smith. Tatum Bell will most likely be released this week by the Lions with the addition of Johnson.