Comments on Armchair Linebacker: And . . . Curtain

Still waiting on a season wrap up. Where have you ...

2012-02-15T15:10:07.878-05:00

Still waiting on a season wrap up. Where have you been Neil.

"They definitely weren't afraid of the Sa...

2012-01-10T00:07:00.590-05:00

"They definitely weren't afraid of the Saints nor did they have any playoff stage fright; they just got beaten by a really good team that's doubly tough at home."

And in the end, I think this is the heart of the story right here.

This is the time of year when you're looking a...

2012-01-09T22:31:10.895-05:00

This is the time of year when you're looking at your team and the focus shifts from "how far have they come" to "how far do they still have to go".

The Lions are on the come. They're the opposite of that team analysts like to talk about "their window's almost closed". It seems like the Lions window hasn't even really been opened yet; they just pulled the drapes aside and have a spotless, streakless pane of glass in front of them waiting to be pulled open. They haven't gotten as good as they're going to get yet, and that's an exciting thing to see in your team.

They definitely weren't afraid of the Saints nor did they have any playoff stage fright; they just got beaten by a really good team that's doubly tough at home.

"I felt stupid for being so invested in it, b...

2012-01-09T15:25:04.093-05:00

"I felt stupid for being so invested in it, but I'll be damned if these Lions don't make for the greatest emotional roller-coaster ride I have ever climbed aboard. I am not ready to get off the ride."

Yes. Rooting for the Lions is like doing sports meth every week.

"Shit man, at least you get to be angry. All ...

2012-01-09T15:23:15.146-05:00

"Shit man, at least you get to be angry. All I get to be is embarrassed and humiliated, for I am a Falcons fan."

Oh man, that game was one giant facepalm. My deepest sympathies, dear anonymous.

Thanks for commenting, Marc. It's been good to...

2012-01-09T15:22:11.130-05:00

Thanks for commenting, Marc. It's been good to have you here.

And yeah, hopefully next year, the refs won't be as prominent members of our little play's supporting cast. They should just be the stagehands, dealing with all the technical bullshit, not actual cast members affecting the action.

Well said, noble DarkStar. Well said, indeed.

2012-01-09T15:18:30.181-05:00

Well said, noble DarkStar. Well said, indeed.

Jeremy, Yeah, it's always great when you can ...

2012-01-09T15:16:54.913-05:00

Jeremy,

Yeah, it's always great when you can find other people willing to put up with your bullshit or who understand the madness as well as you do. It's kind of liberating in a fucked up way.

And yeah, I hear you when it comes to the "Oh shit, that's it?" dismay. Now it's just months and months of dumb speculation.

I was sitting there, getting all fired up at the i...

2012-01-09T14:29:55.662-05:00

I was sitting there, getting all fired up at the inadvertent whistle taking six points off the board from the forced fumble by the Great Willie Young, when my wife said:

"It's not worth getting all worked up about. It's just a stupid game."

And I wasn't even ripping my shirt off and yelling at the top of my lungs (which would have gotten me in shit for waking up my three year-old).

Yeah, it IS a stupid game. Stupid mostly because of the rule book that you have so aptly equated with the Necronomicon. I felt stupid for being so invested in it, but I'll be damned if these Lions don't make for the greatest emotional roller-coaster ride I have ever climbed aboard. I am not ready to get off the ride.

One of my resolutions late last year (yeah- I was ahead of the new year curve!) was to honour the Sabbath. Not because I'm some religious whack-job, but strictly because it's good to rest and reset to start a week, and have some time for reflection and introspection. So I've started doing that. And funny, when the Lions were playing in recent weeks, Sunday would be the most nerve-wracking day of my week. Go figure.

So now at last I can experience some peaceful Sundays, in the same way that you say about a recently deceased "well now he can be at peace". I always hated that hackneyed sentiment. I kind of hate being "at peace" so far. During the season, I injected my mind with stuff like the weekly injury reports like some kind of junkie. Now it feels like I'm in that withdrawal phase. I'm still waiting for my symptoms to subside.

Some great strides were made this year: the Lions came out of the Bears shadow, Stafford exorcised that "made of glass" tag and made a mockery of Pro-Bowl voting, St. Calvin was otherworldly, and 10-6 > 6-10 > 2-14 > punchline. So while I still feel like I'm in that "what if, what if" mode you talked about, I realize that will run its course and, well, I sure as hell feel better than a Falcons or Steelers fan must right about now.

So glad to have found Neil and his motley crew of acolytes here on this blog.

Shit man, at least you get to be angry. All I get...

2012-01-09T10:16:36.975-05:00

Shit man, at least you get to be angry. All I get to be is embarrassed and humiliated, for I am a Falcons fan. Every single person in that organization owes every single one of their fans a personal apology for the travesty that they perpetrated on Sunday. I am also a Kansas Jayhawks fan, and I've never felt ashamed of myself for being a fan of theirs when they win 30 games in the regular season and then promptly choke like Ashley Blue blowing Mandingo in the tourney. I've never been embarrassed to be a fan of them.

I sit here today, head down, embarrassed to be a fan of the Falcons. I don't get to be mad. Anger is a lot better feeling than shame.

U guys summed up what I came to say.... Payton an...

2012-01-09T06:05:10.100-05:00

U guys summed up what I came to say....

Payton and Brees knew what they were dealin' with and had no other choice but to go all out. That shows a great deal of not only respect, but admission that The Lions can now be thought of as 1 of the few offensive powerhouses in the league....able to score at will, and in bunches. They hit The Saints with every type of play....from short to intermediate to long.

Fuckin' clown ass refs. *what else is new right?*

We watched our young Lion cubs take their lumps, make stupid mistakes, learn and grow....

Fill a couple spots in that secondary and O line, build more solid depth....we have a great deal to look forward to next season....and I know I won't be able to wait.

I wish all of U well....been a cool experience postin' with all of U. Until the OTA's every1.

Peace.

"For as much as it rankles me that Sean Payto...

2012-01-09T04:54:56.727-05:00

"For as much as it rankles me that Sean Payton went for the jugular every damn opportunity he got, I respect him like hell for it. That’s what a real coach does. That’s what a winner does. That’s what allows a team like the Saints to reach their full potential and I commend him for it. Besides, I take that jugular hunting as a sign of respect. He knew he had to do that in order to put the Lions away. That was his acknowledgment that the Lions are a real team, a dangerous team, a damn good team capable of beating his Saints in their own building."

My thoughts exactly, Neil. Sean Payton did what he did because he knew, he KNEW that he had to score in the 40 point range to put the Lions away for good. Payton and Brees are smart; they've seen the miracle comebacks the Lions have engineered this year, and they knew that going for it on fourth down three times (or 16, once on their own 33 yard line) was necessary.

Matthew Stafford and the Lions forced the Saints to put the throttle down like they only have done to legit contenderrs in huge games. Granted, the D played in the second half like they had gone out during halftime and downed a few Hurricanes with beer and heroin chasers, but, yeah. The Saints can make a D look like that.

The truth is, the Lions wish list of needs is a hell of a lot shorter that it has been in years past (i.e. LT to groom, or start if Backus's Bicep has been totally eaten by wolves, C to groom, CB or two or five...). Mostly they need to take care of their own players, i.e. Avril, Tulloch, Avril, St. Calvin, Avril, K.Smith, Avril, Backus, Avril. When has the Lions own players EVER been the most attractive option for filling holes? Mostly in the last decade they would fill holes with CFL rejects and undrafted free agents.

I felt like the game, while almost impossible to win, was winnable. That we were in the game against a team that will, in all likleihood, ne playing to go to the Super Bowl in two weeks, is incredible. So Sunday I wore my Lions shirt out to watch the Wild-Card games at the local sports dive with my head held high.

I am no longer ashamed. Thank you, Thank you Detroit (and Matthew Stafford, St. Calvin, Avril, KVB, and everybody else) for that. Thank you for letting me be a Lions fan again with pride. Thank you for a fantastic season and one helluva ride. And let's see you boys kick some major ass next season in January. Make all of those self-righteous Green Bay fans eat giant helpings of crow, humble pie, and shit.

First off, right there with you with your in-game ...

2012-01-09T02:14:38.838-05:00

First off, right there with you with your in-game madness. Luckily, I've found a small group of people who can put up with my shit (in fact, one of THEM punched a hole in the wall last night), because most of the people close to me can't deal with it.

Secondly, after this game I found myself in my typical post-loss rage. But not soon after, I found myself more sad than anything. Sad that I have to wait another eight months for the curtains to open up. This season was too damn fun, and I hate that it's over now. I hate that all we have for the next four months is stupid draft talk. No Stafford, no Calvin, no Suh. No 20-point comebacks, no crucifying of Tebow, no Alphonso Smith and Tony Scheffler touchdown dances. Just mindless, pointless draft talk. I absolutely hate it.

Oh shit Bubba, are you on the chemo? That's ro...

2012-01-08T23:48:51.370-05:00

Oh shit Bubba, are you on the chemo? That's rough. My dad went through that. If that's the case, get well soon, man.

2012-01-08T21:56:25.988-05:00

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A great many things to like and to hate..seeing Bi...

2012-01-08T21:56:07.754-05:00

A great many things to like and to hate..seeing Big Baby just fucking collecting Dom, St Calvin going big between about a dozen defenders, more blind refs.

Anyway its been real.. great posting.. a lot of real original opinions..even Neil with his Landsbury threesomes trying to talk like a Canuck.

Hope to be back next season still working the chemo Thanks to all you guys