For years, seriously more than a decade, I was the main driver of the Lions bandwagon.  People would come to me and ask me questions about the team...and I would give them answers tinged with a Honolulu blue light...my blood ran so blue that I loved the hiring of Matt "I can run your team into the ground in less than four notes" Millen.  I remember the arguments about how he had absolutely no experience...but he had five super bowl rings and "knew" what it took to be a winner....

Yeah, I was pretty damned stupid back then...

But Millen eventually wore me down...he battered and bludgeoned me with his incompetence and arrogance and when the Ford's were so "wise" as to give him a four year extension after posting the worst four year run in NFL history...I held my heart like Sanford..."Oh my Lord!  I'm comin' to see ya, Elizabeth!"

And I handed over the reigns to the bandwagon to the other faithful...

It's been 54 years since 1957...and the Lions have shown us a thousand new ways to lose and crush your spirit...

Which is why...I am so excited about this team...and so incredibly scared.

Yes, the Lions are 2-0...and they've won each game rather impressively.  (The Bucs score was a lot closer than the game was.)

A 48-3 emasculation of the Chiefs...the biggest regular season win in franchise history...is being tempered by my Lions experience.  I can see why the whole world is excited by this year's success...but I can still see reasons to be scared...to be cautious.

Yes, Best and Stafford have both looked impressive...but I'm still holding my breath on every play that they'll get back up after the whistle.

The Bucs win was supposed to be impressive, a victory over a team that was 10-6 last season with an up and coming young quarterback and defense...a lot like the Lions...

But this week, the Bucs almost lost to the Vikings....so maybe that team was a little overrated.

And this week, they beat up the Chiefs...but in the first half the Chiefs were running the ball at will on the Lions defense...and it really, really had me worried until Jamaal Charles went out with a knee injury.

If the Lions can't stop Charles, how are they going to do next week against Adrian Peterson?

You see, even with a 48-3 victory...I'm a Lions fan....I've still got something to be scared about.

This is Ndamukong Suh's second year in the league--and it hasn't even really started yet.  He's already been fined by the league on three different occasions for "overly aggressive" behavior.

 

Last year, in the Cleveland Browns preseason game, he actually tried to physically rip Jake Delhomme's head from his shoulders...I could see that fine...that made sense.  Quarterbacks need their heads.

 

The second time, Suh pushed---seriously, he just PUSHED--Jay Cutler out of bounds and he got a fine...This I completely did not understand...now, if a quarterback is running away from you, you can't do anything to stop them?  He wasn't out of bounds...this was stupid.  Now, granted, Suh works out by bench pressing automobiles so when he nudged Mr. Cutler, he actually FLEW out of bounds...but that's still football.  There are no rules about how hard you can push.

 

This last time, Suh was fined $20K for pushing Andy Dalton down to hard on the field of play...so hard his helmet popped off.

 

More than anything, I am worried that the NFL is now watching Suh all the time.  He is a target, like Rodney Harrison and Mark Carrier used to be labeled as "dirty players" and routinely collected fines and penalties.

 

And that's the real problem with me as a fan....not the fines...he's getting $60 million...he can afford them...it's the penalties that hurt.  The fifteen extra yards at inopportune times that the team cannot afford to give up.

 

Don't get me wrong, I don't want to see Suh lose any of his determination and aggressiveness...I just don't want to see any more yellow flags...

 

Football is a young man's game.  It is played by brutes of astounding strength and speed with lightning quick reflexes and cold steel determination.

Coaching is not necessarily a young man's game.  It's been coached by lots and lots of really old guys.  Marv Levy coached into his 70's.  Ted Marchibroda coached until he was 75+.  I think Joe Pa is 200 years old...but I'm not sure.  I don't know how to work a calculator.

Jim Schwartz isn't even 45 yet.  That's not a whole lot older than me...and look at him.

 

What's with the gray streak?  I mean...he's not that old man!  He looks like a cross between Jensen Ackles and a skunk. 

Schwartz has always portrayed himself as the young, cool rock and roll guy...this skunk look is not doing it for him.  He may be putting together a playoff team...but he apparently isn't looking in a mirror that often.

This is a young team, with a young energetic coach who listens to heavy metal and has an economics degree from Georgetown.  He has learned at the right side of Bill Belichek and Jeff Fisher....you know, Jeff Fisher the cool guy with the great coiffed hair...and sun glasses.  Belichek may rock the hoodie...but he ain't gray...

What's happening here, Jim?  We all know you're better than this.  Heck, we've seen it on the field.  You're a smart dude who demands respect and yet...is starting to look like a skunk...please Jim. 

A little "Just for Men"?  Do it for the fans.

 

For the most part the NFL world has acknowledged that the Detroit Lions are "on the verge" of becoming a playoff team.  This excitement was based primarily on two factors, first, the four game winning streak the Leos put together to end the season and, second, a very strong draft class in 2011....

Now the first three picks in that class, the three that are actually supposed to really contribute, are all injured.  Leshoure, the hard hitting bruiser of a back that everybody was excited about in training camp, popped an achilles tendon and will be gone for the season.  Nick Fairly broke his foot on one of the first days of camp...he'll miss the entire preseason.  Titus Young, the fleet footed WR who was supposed to stretch the field, pulled a hammy...stretching for the first practice, I think...nobody's seen him on the field since.

So the draft class to this point is a total bust.

But I'll still hold out hope...and no, not just because I'm stupid.

No last year's four game winning streak to end the season wasn't even piloted by Matthew Stafford...and Stafford is coming back strong.  The defensive back seven has been retooled.  They've brought in CB Erik Wright and MLB Stephen Tulloch and S Eric Coleman...these are upgrades to a defense that was starting to gel pretty nice at the end of the year.

All is not lost yet....give it a few days...

Future blog containing news and updates about the Lions