The Lions' Return to the Playoffs: A Running Diary of Detroit Lions vs. New Orleans Saints

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This was the first year I've watching football actively (I used to only watch the Superbowl) so naturally I had to choose a team to follow. I asked my friends which team is young and has a lot of potential, kind of like the "OKC Thunder" of football. One of the teams they mentioned was the Detroit Lions. After watching their first game I instantly fell in love with Calvin Johnson’s game. He’s probably one of the most complete athletes in all of sports and it shows through his dominance at the wide receiver position. With their dominant offense (when Stafford plays well) and tough defense this team is great on paper. The problem with them, and this made me lose a few years of my life, is their astounding ability at making the most bone-headed penalties. Hopefully today they will be disciplined and focused on trying to stop Brees and his receivers while minimizing penalties, as well as executing on offense. If they manage to bother Brees and Stafford pulls off a great performance I could see the Lions winning, otherwise the Saints could destroy them.

Quarter 1

15:00 Kickoff!!!!

13:05 A typical Detroit penalty, c’mon Schwartz control your team.

12:26 Nice find by Stafford. Titus Young has been great this year as a rookie. Watch for him to be one of the better receivers in the future.

10:58 Touchdown by Hanson! (who is this guy?). What a great way to start the game.

10:54 Alright defense, it’s time to do your end of the job

10:47 Brees is one of the most precise passers I’ve watched. What a great throw.

8:16 Fumble!!!!!! Huge defensive stop by the Lions, great job by Durant forcing that fumble.

7:27 Burleson spins to the 1^st down line. Keep it going Lions!

5:35 Stafford and Pettigrew with a nice 22 yard connection. The Lion’s O-line is doing a great job so far.

4:20 Good defense the Saints, that would have been a huge play if Johnson managed to catch it. The defense has to keep applying pressure to Brees since I can’t see them winning any other way.

0:00 That was an entertaining 1^st quarter. I’m expecting more of the same high powered offense in the next 3 quarters.

Quarter 2

14:01 Good effort by the Lions but it wasn’t enough this time. Good running play by the Saints.

13:54 I was about to say how great of a run that was by Logan…but of course the Lions get a penalty call. No more, I just ask for no more stupid penalties.

10:47 Stafford is on point today. Good pass to Scheffler to keep the drive alive. I always get nervous with Stafford on 3^rd downs.

9:11 TOUCHDOWNNN!!! Johnson completes the catch from Stafford using his leaping ability. I love how the offense is playing today.

6:45 A nice floating pass by Brees. The Lions defense is letting the Saints get anything they want on this drive. And on cue, they force a fumble by sacking Brees.

5:11 Stafford gifts the ball back to the Saints with some poor decision making. I hate how he takes random drives off and decides to just throw the ball away.

1:43 Big blitz by the Lions. This is the pressure I wanted Suh to put on Brees. Unfortunately, the Saints easily run to a 1^st down on the next play.

0:48 Lovely, an offside penalty. They cannot allow the Saints to score a TD right now, the advantage after half is very important for their confidence.

0:16 And there’s the touchdown by the Saints. I don’t think the Lions can respond positively to this in the 2^nd half. The play is under review and the TD overturned. Lions need to play great defense for 16 seconds now.

0:00 Great defense to finish the half by the Lions, forcing the Saints to go for a field goal. It’s great that the Lions are up heading into half time since this will give them extra confidence to finish the game off strong. On a side note, Brees is amazing at avoiding getting sacked.

Quarter 3

13:09 Excellent throw by Brees for a touchdown, really not too much the Lions could have done there. It’s time to focus back on offense.

10:45 Another great example of how the Lions’ penalties have killed them. Instead of being 3^rd and 1, they were 2^nd and 19 and obviously didn’t manage to get the 1^st down. The Lions’ defense needs to stop the Saints from scoring on this play since a TD would be very hard to overcome right now.

6:32 4^th and inches can will they get it? They do, great play by Brees. The Lions defense is doing great during this Saints drive but Brees manages to come up with a huge play when they need it.

4:22 Huge throw and catch by Holston, leading to a TD by Graham. Lions need to get a TD on this next drive otherwise this game is as good as done.

2:32 What a huge catch by Johnson. He pulled off 3 great catches on this drive, saving the Lions.

1:44 Stafford needs to make smarter decisions than throwing it into traffic. Now they are at 3^rd and goal and need to get a TD.

1:08 Stafford fakes and runs in for a TD but it might end up being overruled since it looks like he was down before he hit the pylon. Ruling is confirmed, Stafford gets the TD!!

Quarter 4

11:46 Lions coming up with some big stops but the Saints get the 1^st down on 4^th and 2.

9:53 Sproles waltzes through the Lions D and scores a TD. He’s been having an great game so far.

9:43 Stafford makes a poor decision by throwing a hail mary…resulting in a turnover. I don’t understand why this was necessary since there is still plenty of time left to come back in the game.

7:40 Brees just raped the entire Lions defense and threw to Meachem for another TD.

6:14 Johnson with a nice catch and stiff arm gaining the first down. He has been the Lions’ best player by far tonight.

4:45 Johnson with his 2^nd touchdown of the night from a great play call that led to him being isolated.

4:39 Onside kick is unsuccessful. This play is always really risky and it puts Brees in a good position to throw a TD.

3:45 Brees throws another beautiful pass to the Detroit 1.

3:36 Touchdown by Thomas. This game is finished, unless they could make a trade for Tebow.

Summary: Good first half by the Lions where they were attacking offensively and were good on defense. The second half was the complete opposite. Offensively, Stafford made some poor plays and their defense was picked apart by Brees. Congrats to the Saints for a good win and a great job by their coach with crucial half time adjustments. I’m happy that the Lions made the playoffs and am excited to watch them as a more mature team next year. The rest of the playoffs should be fun to watch, especially tomorrow’s playoff debut for Tim Tebow.

And then there were 5...

Tweet Ladies and Gentlemen, I have arrived! I'm going by the alias of Cabrock Jones and I'm amped to be contributing with my opinions on this year's NFL season. 3 of the other guys will be following their favourite teams, so amongst other random rants, I will be covering the New Orleans Saints.

So, let's get down to business! Everybody is acting like Thursday night's opener was absolutely spectacular and that Aaron Rodgers should be handed the MVP immediately....why? Sure the game between the Saints and the Packers was high scoring and really entertaining, but in reality, neither team can be even remotely happy with their performance. If there was one thing to be learned for the 2011 season opener, it's that the lockout has deteriorated the league's defences. Why did both quarterbacks have amazing performances, with a combined 6 TDs, 0 INTs and over 700 yards of passing? Because throwing is throwing!

In the offseason, teams couldn't train at their facilities, they weren't allowed contact with their coaches, and they had no access to game film or team playbooks. Though this affects both sides of the ball, player-run workouts would be MUCH more beneficial to the offensive players because running routes and practicing concepts is pretty similar year-to-year. Drew Brees held training camps during the summer and, though he didn't have the 2011 Saints playbook, he led the offense through basic concepts and many of the plays that the team ran in 2010.

Though the defence ran their own version of training camp, the lack of game film and availability of actual coaching proved to be devastating. Practicing your defensive schemes against a half-assed offence in the middle of the summer heat is completely different than kicking off the NFL season against a Super bowl-winning head coach and a top 5 quarterback.

Luka already covered the game in an earlier post, so I won’t talk too much about it. I will admit that the Saints had one of the worst defensive outings that I've ever seen, but even still, Drew Brees and the offense showed that they're still volatile and capable of scoring at any given moment.

Here's how my report card of the New Orleans Saints looks:
Offense - A
Defence - C+
Special Teams - B+
Coaching - A-
Overall - A-

Since I missed most of the Week 1 games, I'll end my introduction here. It's gonna be fun talking with these guys about their thoughts on opening weekend, the upcoming games, and the NFL season in general. Who knows, maybe if Jovan posts some stupid entertainment pieces I'll get involved in that too.

2011 NFL Season Preview: Told Through Hip-Hop

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Well so much for any sort of a “lockout hangover”. The 2011 NFL regular season kicked off Thursday night at Lambeau Field with the defending champion Green Bay Packers defeating the 2009 Super bowl champion New Orleans Saints in a thrilling 42-34 game (at no point in the game did my friends and I flip over to Jersey Shore, that should tell you how good it was). Both of the last two Super bowl MVP’s did not disappoint as Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees combined to throw for 731 yards with 6 touchdowns and 0 interceptions (makes me sad to think that we’ll be getting the complete opposite of this when Tarvaris Jackson goes up against Alex Smith on Sunday). The game ended with Drew Brees marching his team down from their own 20 with no timeouts left to the Packers 9 yard line. An incomplete pass across the middle intended for Darren Sproles looked to be the end of the game until an iffy pass interference call gave the Saints one more chance at the 1 yard line. The Saints tried to run it up the middle with rookie Mark Ingram and got stuffed, I didn’t and still don’t understand the play call by Saints coach Sean Payton. Why not throw it there? Because your QB just marched down the field with ease and was picking apart the other team’s D? Strange play calling. It was a great way to signal the return of football that made me even more excited for the upcoming season and because I’ve grown tired of reading the same season preview on every other site I thought I’d try something new. So here is the 2011 NFL season preview as told by Hip-Hop.

Hah, what the fuck you boys talking about? I know it’s us cause we the only thing you talk about.

To the 2011 Philadelphia Eagles. A team that undoubtedly won the offseason by adding pro bowlers Ronnie Brown, Cullen Jenkins and the best cornerback in football, Nnamdi Asomugha. They have been dubbed among other things: the dream team and “the Miami Heat” of the NFL (I find this particularly upsetting since I have been an Eagles fan since the tender age of 9). However, there are several differences between the Eagles and the Heat, in basketball there are 5 players on the court at one time and Miami had three top 20 players (including two in the top 5) making up 60% of their starting lineup. In football this is simply not the case so even with all of the talent the Eagles have amassed, it will not be as direct of an impact. Secondly, the Eagles did not have a pre-season celebratory parade/show (I still don’t know what to call this) and have downplayed the dream team talk. The main thing to know is like last year the Eagles will only go as far as their star QB, Michael Vick will take them. If Vick gets injured early (and if you watched the O-line in the preseason then it is a possibility) it will be a long season in Philadelphia (although if this happens I will be the first guy to talk myself into Vince Young). If he manages to stay healthy, look out. I will be writing weekly updates on Philadelphia’s season so expect more on the Eagles this year.

I never met a bitch that didn’t need a little guidance. So I dismiss her past until she disappoints your highness.

To what seems to be Bill Belichick and the Patriots organization way of looking at free agency. This year’s off-season led to the acquisitions of Chad Ochocinco, the former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver who has been in some trouble over the past but nothing too serious. Chad has definitely been a distraction in the past to his QB and the whole team, something that Belichick and the Patriots believe that they can keep out of Foxborough and squeeze whatever is left out of the 33 year old (Btw, am I the only one who finds it insanely stupid that we have to call this guy Chad 85? I feel as if you change your name to something fucking stupid then don’t expect people to always call you by it. And yes I’m also talking about you Ron Artest). The Patriots also took a chance with Albert Haynesworth. An extremely talented defensive lineman who basically committed robbery on the Washington Redskins organization with his play last year. Haynesworth is a proven commodity in the NFL when he is properly motivated and so far he has said all the right things about the Patriots team-first mentality. But what is said off the field and done on it are two completely different things and maybe giving a guy whose nickname was Fat Albert the benefit of the doubt isn’t such a smart thing to do. For more on the Pats, go here.

It’s not about the money, money, money. We don’t need your money, money, money.

Unless you’re Chris Johnson. Then it is all about the money.

But get it while you here boy. Cuz all that hype don’t feel the same next year boy

To the St. Louis Rams and the Detroit Lions as being this year’s unquestionable public favourites to match the hype and take the next step into becoming playoff teams. Both teams have very talented, young but injury prone QB’s in Matt Stafford (Lions) and Sam Bradford (Rams) who are surrounded by talented supporting casts. Both teams even have their own game changers in Calvin Johnson, Ndamukong Suh for the Lions and Stephen Jackson for the Rams. So which team do I think will live up to the hype this season? I’m picking the Rams based on the fact that the rest of the NFC West teams look like NFL Europe teams, in other words, terrible.

Now go to sleep bitch! Die, motherfucker, die! Ugh, time’s up, bitch, close your eyes. Go to sleep bitch! (what?) Why are you still alive? How many times I gotta say, close your eyes?

What every Raiders fan thinks of when he remembers Al Davis is still running the team.

Oooohh, I love you so, but why I love you I’ll never know. Oooohh, I love you so, but why I love you I’ll never know.

To the San Francisco 49ers and their QB Alex Smith who for some bizarre reason will be the team’s starting QB when the season kicks off. In 5 years as a quarterback in the NFL, Smith has piled up these statistics; 51 TD’s, 53 interceptions, a completion percentage of 57.1% and a QB rating of 72.1. George Lopez had a better run as a late-night talk show host. Of course the niners might realize their team sucks this year and are throwing Smith out there to have a better shot at getting Andrew Luck next year.

Fuck the media, I got some suggestions. Fuck Marshall, ask us some questions. Like who is D12, how we get started, (but what about Eminem?) bitch are you retarded?

To the 2011 Indianapolis Colts who are probably getting sick and tired of being called one of the worst teams in football now that their star QB Peyton Manning is out for at least 2-3 months with a neck injury. The Colts will start the season off against the Houston Texans who are now everyone’s pick to win the AFC South. The Colts will begin the season with Kerry Collins under center and even though replacing Manning with Collins is like replacing Leonardo Dicaprio with Billy Zane, Collins is still a solid veteran QB (not the same can be said for Billy and his acting abilities) who can manage a team fine. This Colts team and the way their season turns out will be a very interesting subplot this year.

You don’t know what’s in store. But you know what you’re here for.

To me, you, and the rest of the fans. We have no idea what this season will bring but we do know why we watch. Enjoy the season.

Luka Milanovic

@Luka_M91 on twitter