Dear Mr. Ford
There is a very common belief that you do not care about what the fans think. So writing this letter would be senseless. However, I am writing this letter anyway under the belief that if you actually do end up reading it, that act alone would show you do care and therefore be proving the fans wrong.
I have been a Detroit Lions fan for a long time now. I have lived and died through the Billy Simms era and the Barry Sanders era. I have agonized through the many losing seasons through the last few decades. During these times, I like any fan have always had my opinions on what the Lions need to do to become good. Unlike most fans, I have never seen my beliefs put into gear.
The closest I have ever come to seeing it was in 1997 when Barry Sanders ran for over 2000 yards. I remember a game when Sanders broke away for two touchdown runs of 80 yards each and both of those runs came behind Juan Roque. It was the only game I remember with or without Barry where the Lions offensive line opened up gaping holes for Barry to run through. Soon after however, Roque hurt his knee and was never the same. Thus ended the beginning of my vision for the Lions.
You see Mr. Ford, my vision for the Lions is to have a powerful offensive line and a great defense. Yet the Lions never seem to have either. When was the last time the Lions had a top five defense? When was the last time they had a great offensive line? Many have argued that the Lions had a good line with Barry Sanders because of how many yards he gained. I believe that Barry ran behind a terrible line. It was rare that Sanders had a huge hole to run through. I often saw Emmitt Smith run through holes that you could drive a freighter through, but rarely did Barry get anything close to that. Far, far more often, Barry was tackled for a one yard loss because he was hit as he took the hand-off. A good line would not have had that happen nearly so often.
With a great offensive line, a team can sustain drives far more often, keeping their defense off the field and fresh. It is rare that I see the Lion push for a first down in short yardage situations. A top offensive line will protect the quarterback and give him time to find receivers. We ran Scott Mitchell and Joey Harrington out of Detroit because they never had 2 seconds to throw. Will Stafford be next?
I have argued many times that if you gave me a great offensive line and a great defense with the worst quarterback in the NFL, I could beat a team with the best quarterback and a bad line and defense. Baltimore once won the Superbowl because they had a great offensive line and great running game as well as a great defense. They won the Superbowl with Trent Dilfer! Evidence that backs up my beliefs. Look at Green bay this season. Great quarterback with a lousy line and average defense. They are not going to make the play-offs.
Please Mr. Ford. I beg you to either hand the Lions off to your son, sell the team or finally address the team in a different way. Please do not draft anymore high profile position players. We do not need another quarterback. The Lions do not need to address the running back or wide receivers. They need offensive and defensive linemen!
Consider two very famous cliches in the NFL. "You build a team from the inside out" and "The games are won in the trenches". There are reasons these sayings are so famous. They are right! The best teams open holes for their running backs and protect their quarterback. The best teams can pressure the quarterbacks with just their defensive linemen. The best teams control the trenches.
I have heard many say the Lions need to address the cornerbacks and safety. This is a mistake. The only reason our defensive backs look so bad is because the line puts no pressure on the quarterbacks. The worst QB in the NFL will look like a star if he has all day to throw. As we have seen this year as most of the QB's have completed near 75% of their passes against the Lions.
Please MR. Ford, forget the rest of the team for one off-season and focus on the trenches. The only other position the Lions can truly upgrade would be running back. Only because Kevin Smith is not fast enough to be a real threat. But I would rather have him behind a great line than Adrian Peterson behind a bad line.
That is my vision for the Lions. A team that controls the trenches. That has been my vision my entire life as a Lions fan. It is a vision I have yet to see filled. Isn't it time to do things right?
Showing posts with label William Clay Ford. Show all posts
Showing posts with label William Clay Ford. Show all posts
11/19/09
11/1/09
Lions Lose to Rams in week-8
Disgusted! That is the word that describes what every Lions fan must be feeling today. The Lions who seem improved over their 0-16 season, lost 17-10 to the worst team in the NFL. Or would that now be the 2nd worst team in the NFL?
The Lions only scoring came from a safety, a quarterback scramble for a touchdown and a two point conversion. The safety came when Stafford's pass was intercepted in the end-zone. The Rams defender brought the ball out of the end zone than went back into the end zone before being tackled.
Matthew Stafford completed only 14 of 33 pass attempts. That is only 42%. According to the announcers there was as many as 8 or 9 dropped passes. In the last and final play for the Lions offense, Stafford showed just how green he still is. On 4th down and 20 yards to go for a first down, his pass went out of bounds with absolutely no receivers in the vicinity. That just cannot happen! You cannot throw the ball away on 4th and 20 on your final drive!
The fans have been in love with Jim Schwartz as the Lions coach. How long can that last? With so much of a turnover of player personnel. With so many 'better' players added to the defense, there is no excuse for the Lions playing at such a low level. When are players going to be held accountable for their bad play? Next week, Derrick Williams should get the start opposite of Calvin Johnson if he is ready to play. The constant drops by Bryant Johnson and Dennis Northcutt is inexcusable! If they are going to drop passes at this pace, they need to be sitting the bench and let others play. If the Lions cannot find a receiver who can actually catch the ball, they need to sign players from their practice squad.
First overall pick or not, if Stafford is having a bad game and he looks lost, sit him and use Culpepper or Stanton then bring Stafford back in the next week. He has not done anything to deserve to stay in the game if he is having a bad week. I don't care how many millions he is making.
If players cannot tackle, sit them and let other players have a chance! If a certain linebacker is not performing, let Zach Follett have a shot.
It is time to make players accountable for their level of play and that is up to Schwartz to make them accountable. If Northcutt and Bryant Johnson play next week, Schwartz is as much as saying to them that they don't have to catch the passes. Its not about playing well and it's not about winning.
This weeks game was disgusting! There is no excuse for losing to the Rams at home. We the fans have seen the Lions play like pansy ass bums for far too long now and it is time that changes! Ford needs to sell the team to an owner who will give them a chance!
People can love Stafford all they want to, but they cannot honestly say the Lions are playing better because they have him than if they did not pick him first overall. So far Pettigrew has shown very very little. If the Lions would have picked a good offensive tackle and moved Backus to guard where he belongs, they would have been much further along. If the Lions would have drafted a good defensive lineman with their second pick, instead of a Tight End, they would have been eons further along.
It is time for Ford to give up this team, even if the new owner moves them out of Michigan! It is time for the Lions to be put in the hands of someone who actually knows how to build a team! That is from the trenches out folks! Not with sexy picks like Stafford and Pettigrew who cannot play well if they do not have a good line in front of them!
This has gone on for far too long and it is time for it to stop! Give up the Lions Mr.Ford! To hell with your old man pride and finally do the right thing. Give the Lions up! Even if it is to your son.
The Lions only scoring came from a safety, a quarterback scramble for a touchdown and a two point conversion. The safety came when Stafford's pass was intercepted in the end-zone. The Rams defender brought the ball out of the end zone than went back into the end zone before being tackled.
Matthew Stafford completed only 14 of 33 pass attempts. That is only 42%. According to the announcers there was as many as 8 or 9 dropped passes. In the last and final play for the Lions offense, Stafford showed just how green he still is. On 4th down and 20 yards to go for a first down, his pass went out of bounds with absolutely no receivers in the vicinity. That just cannot happen! You cannot throw the ball away on 4th and 20 on your final drive!
The fans have been in love with Jim Schwartz as the Lions coach. How long can that last? With so much of a turnover of player personnel. With so many 'better' players added to the defense, there is no excuse for the Lions playing at such a low level. When are players going to be held accountable for their bad play? Next week, Derrick Williams should get the start opposite of Calvin Johnson if he is ready to play. The constant drops by Bryant Johnson and Dennis Northcutt is inexcusable! If they are going to drop passes at this pace, they need to be sitting the bench and let others play. If the Lions cannot find a receiver who can actually catch the ball, they need to sign players from their practice squad.
First overall pick or not, if Stafford is having a bad game and he looks lost, sit him and use Culpepper or Stanton then bring Stafford back in the next week. He has not done anything to deserve to stay in the game if he is having a bad week. I don't care how many millions he is making.
If players cannot tackle, sit them and let other players have a chance! If a certain linebacker is not performing, let Zach Follett have a shot.
It is time to make players accountable for their level of play and that is up to Schwartz to make them accountable. If Northcutt and Bryant Johnson play next week, Schwartz is as much as saying to them that they don't have to catch the passes. Its not about playing well and it's not about winning.
This weeks game was disgusting! There is no excuse for losing to the Rams at home. We the fans have seen the Lions play like pansy ass bums for far too long now and it is time that changes! Ford needs to sell the team to an owner who will give them a chance!
People can love Stafford all they want to, but they cannot honestly say the Lions are playing better because they have him than if they did not pick him first overall. So far Pettigrew has shown very very little. If the Lions would have picked a good offensive tackle and moved Backus to guard where he belongs, they would have been much further along. If the Lions would have drafted a good defensive lineman with their second pick, instead of a Tight End, they would have been eons further along.
It is time for Ford to give up this team, even if the new owner moves them out of Michigan! It is time for the Lions to be put in the hands of someone who actually knows how to build a team! That is from the trenches out folks! Not with sexy picks like Stafford and Pettigrew who cannot play well if they do not have a good line in front of them!
This has gone on for far too long and it is time for it to stop! Give up the Lions Mr.Ford! To hell with your old man pride and finally do the right thing. Give the Lions up! Even if it is to your son.
9/19/09
Gunther Cunningham Needs to Put Up or Shut Up
Gunther Cunningham, the Detroit Lions defensive coordinator said something interesting recently. He said that they tried blitzing in week-1 and it wasn't working so they decided to keep the ball in front of them.
Now, anyone who knows me, knows very well I am extremely pro-blitz. If I ran a team, there would be two rules I would implement. One is that almost every run play would be some form of a play-action. I believe that in doing this, the defenses can never be sure if it is a pass or a run. It makes them pay much closer attention and opens up the defense for more mistakes. Second, I would blitz almost every down. It might come from any one of the linebackers, cornerbacks or even safeties, but it will be coming and the QB will be worried about where it will be coming from. Hell, I might even blitz with the popcorn vendor once in a while.
Anyways, being such a pro-blitzing fan, I have always wanted the Lions to use the blitz much much more than they have. So when the coaches this off-season talked about how they would blitz 40% of the time, you can bet I was paying attention. In the first half, I saw one blitz.
So from what I am gathering from what Gunther said, is that after only one blitz in the first half, and it didn't work, he decided to keep the ball in front of him. So three touchdowns later, when it was obvious playing it safe would not work, instead of giving the blitz more chances, he stuck with the prevent for another three touchdowns!
As much as I hate to say it, I see "lie" all over his excuse. Now he says he plans on being more aggressive against Brett Favre. Should we believe him?
In years gone by, when Brett Favre used to come play in the Silverdome, the Lions actually won some games. In every game the Lions beat Brett Favre, they played aggressive defense and were in his face constantly. Yet, every time the Lions went to Green Bay, they would play passively and be destroyed by Favre. History has proven to me that Favre, like any other quarterback, will make mistakes and become less accurate when he is pressured a lot. So the question now is, will the Lions play aggressive or will the play prevent?
Through the last decade or more, the Lions have been through several defensive coordinators. Every time the Lions get someone new, I hear from others that he is an aggressive coordinator. Yet every one of them have played passive football. In the off-season when Schwartz brought in Gunther, I heard it again. I was told how aggressive Schwartz was and how much Gunther liked to blitz. I wasn't going to believe it. It was a story I have heard too many times and I was tiring of that rerun. Then the off-season came about and I actually began seeing the blitz. Then a few days before the first game against New Orleans, Schwartz said that they had only showed a very vanilla defense and planned to throw the whole book at Drew Brees. He said they were going to go after Brees. As I have already mentioned, they went after him with one blitz in the first half.
Now there is no reason the Lions should not blitz a lot against Minnesota. We have seen what happens when they don't blitz and it was ugly. Both coaches are supposed to favor aggressive schemes. Gunther has said he will be more aggressive against Favre. Now they need to come out of the gates aggressive or they will lose all credibility. If they come out and play the same old prevent defense yet again, there will be no doubt in my mind that it is Old man Ford who runs the team and not the coaches. This many coaches don't go to the same team with aggressive reputations and then play prevent football.
If the Lions do not blitz at least into the double digits, I will personally start the "Fire Ford" campaign. Yes I know he cant be fired, but it will get the point across and link him to Millen at the same time.
Now, anyone who knows me, knows very well I am extremely pro-blitz. If I ran a team, there would be two rules I would implement. One is that almost every run play would be some form of a play-action. I believe that in doing this, the defenses can never be sure if it is a pass or a run. It makes them pay much closer attention and opens up the defense for more mistakes. Second, I would blitz almost every down. It might come from any one of the linebackers, cornerbacks or even safeties, but it will be coming and the QB will be worried about where it will be coming from. Hell, I might even blitz with the popcorn vendor once in a while.
Anyways, being such a pro-blitzing fan, I have always wanted the Lions to use the blitz much much more than they have. So when the coaches this off-season talked about how they would blitz 40% of the time, you can bet I was paying attention. In the first half, I saw one blitz.
So from what I am gathering from what Gunther said, is that after only one blitz in the first half, and it didn't work, he decided to keep the ball in front of him. So three touchdowns later, when it was obvious playing it safe would not work, instead of giving the blitz more chances, he stuck with the prevent for another three touchdowns!
As much as I hate to say it, I see "lie" all over his excuse. Now he says he plans on being more aggressive against Brett Favre. Should we believe him?
In years gone by, when Brett Favre used to come play in the Silverdome, the Lions actually won some games. In every game the Lions beat Brett Favre, they played aggressive defense and were in his face constantly. Yet, every time the Lions went to Green Bay, they would play passively and be destroyed by Favre. History has proven to me that Favre, like any other quarterback, will make mistakes and become less accurate when he is pressured a lot. So the question now is, will the Lions play aggressive or will the play prevent?
Through the last decade or more, the Lions have been through several defensive coordinators. Every time the Lions get someone new, I hear from others that he is an aggressive coordinator. Yet every one of them have played passive football. In the off-season when Schwartz brought in Gunther, I heard it again. I was told how aggressive Schwartz was and how much Gunther liked to blitz. I wasn't going to believe it. It was a story I have heard too many times and I was tiring of that rerun. Then the off-season came about and I actually began seeing the blitz. Then a few days before the first game against New Orleans, Schwartz said that they had only showed a very vanilla defense and planned to throw the whole book at Drew Brees. He said they were going to go after Brees. As I have already mentioned, they went after him with one blitz in the first half.
Now there is no reason the Lions should not blitz a lot against Minnesota. We have seen what happens when they don't blitz and it was ugly. Both coaches are supposed to favor aggressive schemes. Gunther has said he will be more aggressive against Favre. Now they need to come out of the gates aggressive or they will lose all credibility. If they come out and play the same old prevent defense yet again, there will be no doubt in my mind that it is Old man Ford who runs the team and not the coaches. This many coaches don't go to the same team with aggressive reputations and then play prevent football.
If the Lions do not blitz at least into the double digits, I will personally start the "Fire Ford" campaign. Yes I know he cant be fired, but it will get the point across and link him to Millen at the same time.
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