Comments on Armchair Linebacker: Beaten But Not Defeated

"The Lions lost today, but my heart still soa...

2012-01-03T22:42:52.064-05:00

"The Lions lost today, but my heart still soared, even while it raged, and it raged because it knows, for the first time really, that it’s finally alive."

Truer words were never spoke.

Wow, thanks man.

2012-01-02T23:03:28.953-05:00

Wow, thanks man.

This is the best thing I have ever read. I have th...

2012-01-02T20:00:24.764-05:00

This is the best thing I have ever read. I have the feeling like, "How did I write this? I don't even have a blog..." Preach on.

This is the best thing I have ever read. I have th...

2012-01-02T19:58:28.625-05:00

This is the best thing I have ever read. I have the feeling like, "How did I write this? I don't even have a blog..." Preach on.

"Jets, Dolphins, Bills, Chargers, Raiders, Ch...

2012-01-02T15:34:33.057-05:00

"Jets, Dolphins, Bills, Chargers, Raiders, Chiefs, Browns, Titans, Jaguars, Colts, Eagles, Cowboys, Redskins, Cardinals, Seahawks, Rams, Bears, Vikings, Panthers, Buccaneers.

Oh, don't mind me, I'm just starting a list of teams whose fans I don't want to hear any shit from for the next 8 months."

Goddamn right.

Bubba, Ha ha, thanks man. "Beignets and Blow...

2012-01-02T15:33:37.746-05:00

Bubba,

Ha ha, thanks man. "Beignets and Blowjobs" - the Armchair Linebacker experience.

"Man, the apocalyptic decay of Chris Harris m...

2012-01-02T15:32:22.181-05:00

"Man, the apocalyptic decay of Chris Harris might have been the saddest thing for me in a terrible, terrible football season."

Holy shit, man, he's fucking awful.

Marc, Yeah, that's the thing. They've onl...

2012-01-02T15:31:42.292-05:00

Marc,

Yeah, that's the thing. They've only just begun and one day this whole thing will snap together and these tantalizing parts will become one big killing machine.

"This is a great read, Neil! Really enjoy all...

2012-01-02T15:30:06.324-05:00

"This is a great read, Neil! Really enjoy all your blog posts!"

Thanks, Thomas. You're a prince.

"Maybe the Lions draw sucks, but you can'...

2012-01-02T15:29:31.454-05:00

"Maybe the Lions draw sucks, but you can't be afraid. Goddamnit, we've been afraid for so long that many of us can't remember what it feels like to be not afraid. Fuck that. Go the the Superdome and give the Saints the Stafford-to-CJ sunday punch."

Yeah, it is what it is, and now it's time to smile a bloody smile and laugh in the face of death and start throwing bombs.

Lord Anonymous, Yeah, pretty much. Especially the...

2012-01-02T15:27:57.514-05:00

Lord Anonymous,

Yeah, pretty much. Especially the part about how all the bullshit wouldn't have mattered had the defense just shown up. But they didn't and, well, it did.

Also, yeah, I was thinking about that Tale of Two Teams earlier myself and it's kind of maddening, isn't it? Still, if this team can get its shit together on both sides of the ball at the same time, they can - and will - beat anybody.

Jets, Dolphins, Bills, Chargers, Raiders, Chiefs, ...

2012-01-02T14:42:25.993-05:00

Jets, Dolphins, Bills, Chargers, Raiders, Chiefs, Browns, Titans, Jaguars, Colts, Eagles, Cowboys, Redskins, Cardinals, Seahawks, Rams, Bears, Vikings, Panthers, Buccaneers.

Oh, don't mind me, I'm just starting a list of teams whose fans I don't want to hear any shit from for the next 8 months. I've got "Saints" penciled in, but I don't want to be a poor sport. Don't people usually get sainthood after being eaten alive by lions in a crowded coliseum-style venue?

Neil, Great post once again you are our shakespe...

2012-01-02T14:00:54.784-05:00

Neil, Great post once again you are our shakespeare

I guess I'll settle for beignets and blowjobs

Man, the apocalyptic decay of Chris Harris might h...

2012-01-02T10:31:37.656-05:00

Man, the apocalyptic decay of Chris Harris might have been the saddest thing for me in a terrible, terrible football season.

*guess I finally figured out how to change from Au...

2012-01-02T10:03:01.963-05:00

*guess I finally figured out how to change from AutoSpeed to my name....LOL*

Matthew Stafford. Underestimated. Overlooked. Quietly destroyin' defenses with an arm like a Howitzer with laser guidance. I think deep down that "the outsiders" do see what we as Lions fans know....they're just very afraid and far too nervous to admit it....Detroit has a legitimate, elite QB. Same thing with Calvin....U can't stop me or limit my catchin' range of 2 car garage Johnson.

What I see happenin' and what I believe has The NFL powers that be so very afraid is that The Lions have become a force....not quite elite as a whole....but at the precipice....and that elite team status as merely a matter of time.

The offense led by our young field general needed time to adjust....to becomin' 1 of dominance. And that was part of the inconsistency I saw happen this season....another part of the process....*man I hate even usin' that word after the infamous....well, U all know....*

In other words, we have watched our offense....our team, struggle with its Identity, and somewhere in there, while it struggled with "are we defense or offense....?, conundrum....our team realized, accepted and then embraced the fact that it is a juggernaut....but still has unrealized potential on both sides of the ball.

And that....this young juggernaut, for that very youthful reason, should be feared by all who face it in games to come....because it has shown time and again what it is capable of....and it hasn't even really started.

In closin', my point is simple....I couldn't help but think of the years to come with this core of young players we have on both sides of the ball....and all the peices are not yet in place, be it due to injury or not yet on the team....and not to look past next week against N.O., but I believe The NFL teams facin' this team should truly be afraid....very afraid....becuz that caged Lion is out of its cage, and its roamin' freely about the plains and hills, markin' its territory, seekin' to devour....

This is a great read, Neil! Really enjoy all your ...

2012-01-02T07:55:39.326-05:00

This is a great read, Neil! Really enjoy all your blog posts!

Well said, Anonymous. I think the loss of Delmas h...

2012-01-02T07:48:03.070-05:00

Well said, Anonymous. I think the loss of Delmas has been more painful than anyone realized. The pass D has gone from Shutdown City to escorting opposing WR's to the end zone like a police escort for visiting dignitaries.

I can't believe that I'm saying this, but I think the Lions need to take a page from Green Bay's book. The Pack was in the same situation last year that the Lions are, and instead of worrying about seeding or matchups, they just said: "Let's just go win the whole fucking thing."

Maybe the Lions draw sucks, but you can't be afraid. Goddamnit, we've been afraid for so long that many of us can't remember what it feels like to be not afraid. Fuck that. Go the the Superdome and give the Saints the Stafford-to-CJ sunday punch.

One of your best articles, Neil! Yes, the refs CL...

2012-01-02T06:05:26.755-05:00

One of your best articles, Neil!

Yes, the refs CLEARLY blew two calls (the TD to Young and the muffed fair catch on the punt by Green Bay) and there were a few others that were certainly debatable, if nothing else. However, if the Defence had shown up, it wouldn't have mattered.

Now that the season is over, I see it as a Tale of Two Teams. The first half, it seemed like it was all about the Defence. It was exciting to watch them apply that pressure to the QB and force turnovers. In contrast, the offence did well enough to put up a great (but lucky) 5-0 start but didn't seem to have a finished identity.

Second half, the team flipped. Stafford is on fire, they get Calvin going BIG TIME by setting him loose in the middle instead of on the outside. The new offence has an identity and it is led by the young God Stafford and CJ (and Titus Young, to some degree) making big plays all over the place. But where is the D? Not enough pressure by this famous "Silver Crush" D-Line on opposing QB's, and the DB's suddenly turn to shit. Houston regresses to his old self and can't get his head around to anticipate the throw, Eric Wright looks mediocre at best, Harris looks lost most of the time...and generally the DB's look like the keystone cops. Is it possible some of this is due to the loss of Delmas? If so, let's hope he's back for the game in New Orleans.

Speaking of...Dudes and Dudettes, that game in New Orleans looks grim. It is winnable...but really? Seriously? With that shit defence? On top of that, NO was "one and done" last year and have been kicking the dog in frustration and regret on their way out the door these past 365.

Beast Mode, indeed. The Leos' Defence had better transform from a shit sandwich into caviar.

They have one week to do so.

Lord Anonymous

Yeah, I was thinking about it during the game and ...

2012-01-02T00:16:35.204-05:00

Yeah, I was thinking about it during the game and that was my conclusion too. I was trying to figure out where he fit right now, wondering if I was getting carried away with myself and I realized that he's in that elite company and that the difference between him and the number 5 guy is pretty damn big right now.

It's fucking crazy (absurd, terrible, borderline criminal, whatever you wanna call it) that he JUST PASSED FOR OVER 5,000 FUCKING YARDS and nobody seems to care. HE JUST PASSED FOR OVER 5,000 YARDS. I mean ... what the fuck?

He's Top 4 - and pretty much without argument in my opinion - and he's still only 23 years old. When was the last time anybody - anybody at all - was THIS good, THIS young? The only other guy in history is Marino. That's it.

Well, glasss is half full or empty, guys? I'...

2012-01-01T23:58:05.250-05:00

Well, glasss is half full or empty, guys?

I'm going with glass is half full. Matthew Stafford is the best QB in football that nobody is talking about. This is beacuse, of course, the NFL is run by and reported on by a bunch of pants-on-head fucktards that simply cannot accept that any player from the Lions is top-5 at his position. And Stafford is better than that. He is top-4, right now, at 23 years old. Top QB's IMHO:

1: Rodgers (really no arguing it)
2: Brees: (Just amazing how consistently good he is)
3: Brady (points off for being a pretty-boy that the refs protect, shield, mollycoddle, and probably fellate after the game)
4: Matthew FUCKIN' Stafford, and his T-rex Sue.

How blatant is it that Stafford has become the fourth QB EVER to throw for 5,000 yards in a season, and the only articles I can find online involve Matt Flynn "outdueling" Stafford and some bullshit articles about how Ndamukong Suh was immature for copying Rodgers' title belt motion after his sack of Flynn.

Give. Me. A. Fucking. Break.

The things that Stafford has done this year are just unbelievable. And I don't even want to hear from the New York Propaganda Machine, er, ESPN, about Eli Manning. If Stafford played in New York and Surfer-dude Manning was in Detroit, there would be no argument. At all. Manning is a slightly above average QB in the prime of his career, while Stafford is just scratching the surface of what he can do. Tony Choko is just a joke, and Cam Newton will be Stafford's rival for best QB in the NFC for the next decade, but not this year.

Of course, the Lions are going to N'Oleans to play the current "hottest team in the NFL," the Saints. Not to take anything away from the Saints, but why should the Lions be walking into this game scared? The same things were being said about playing the Chargers, and the Lions dismantled them. The Raiders game was described as a "trap" game, and we all saw what Stafford did in that game. Glory be, we all saw that.

So in conclusion, I think that the Lions must take their lumps from this game and learn from it. Then go to New Orleans with their heads held high and beat the Saints like a cheap hooker. Because who's gonna stand in the way of Stafford and Sue, motherfuckers? Who? (and St. Calvin, of course)

P.S. to all Jets fans out there: How's that Sanchez guy panning out for you, since he was sooooooo much better than Stafford?

Thanks as always, CJ. I am humbled. As for the de...

2012-01-01T21:55:56.003-05:00

Thanks as always, CJ. I am humbled.

As for the defensive line, well ... it has had an odd tendency to just disappear for entire games at a time this season. At this point, I kind of feel like their reputation is bigger than their actual performance. That said, I think they did a few good things today. They caused a fumble, got a few sacks, etc. The biggest problem right now is that the secondary doesn't seem like they can cover anybody, which means that the line isn't getting a ton of time to actually get to the QB. A disturbing regression to be sure. I'm hoping and praying that a faith healer or Mr. Miyagi or someone can bring Louis Delmas back to life before next week because Chris Harris, uh, well, there's a reason the Bears told him to get the fuck out. But yeah, the "dominant" defensive line hasn't exactly been dominant outside of a handful of games.

You have written many things that are completely w...

2012-01-01T21:25:03.454-05:00

You have written many things that are completely wonderful and on point and to an infinitely perfect degree sum up being a Lions fan...but I personally don't think you've ever done anything as great as this. To me, you are Shakespeare and Matthew Stafford is Henry V and St. Crispin's day is coming.

Billick's trying to jump on the Stafford train but it's too late. It was too late when Peter King ranked Staff as the 17th best quarterback or whatever. It's too late when I have to hear about Tony Romo's and Eli Manning's 4th quarter comebacks like it's something the Lions could never aspire to (how many Elway-esque drives has Stafford done now? 15?)It's too late when Stafford passes 5000 yards, a feat that was met with much fawning and praising only a week or so before...and it's not even mentioned in the game. As you said, Stafford is our God, and they tried to kill him twice with late hits and the commentators washed their hands and equivocated. Blasphemers. He's ours. If any Lions fan would trade him for anyone, I think they're crazy.

That he played like that in the snow and wind and cold, his very first time? He was already my all-time fave...but I would never have predicted that. I was all ready to clench my teeth about the hand wringing about warm-weather quarterback, etc. He is amazing. Cold, hostile environment...man, guess it was a good thing Mike Pereira and crew weren't at Agincourt.

Sorry just to reiterate things you said better the first time...but we have waited so long for our QB, and he's here, and he is better than we deserve, as you said.

Uh, I get what's up with the secondary, but...I am growing concerned about the D-line for some time. Is it something I'm not seeing, or is something really wrong?

Great post, Neil.

Thanks, Lord Anonymous.

2012-01-01T21:24:19.806-05:00

Thanks, Lord Anonymous.

Loved this article...see you in the padded room......

2012-01-01T20:45:58.475-05:00

Loved this article...see you in the padded room....