| 03 September 2010
This week, the congregation takes on the Suh-Delhomme controversy, and determine if the Lions really are "different" post Matt Millen.
1. Richard D: What was with the media circus surrounding Suh's play on Delhomme? Would he really face suspension?
As we found out Friday afternoon, a suspension is not in the offing for Ndamukong Suh. The Lions' prize rookie tackle was levied a $7500 fine by the NFL for trying to unscrew Jake Delhomme's head from his shoulders. It's nothing more than a slap on the wrist for a player soon to have a net worth north of of $40M.
As to who to blame for the media fires being stoked, I'm pointing a finger directly at the Browns. The Browns' head coach, The Mangenius, confirmed in a presser with the ink stained wretches he asked for an NFL review. The Cleveland and national media were given more anti-Suh ammo thanks to backup quarterback Seneca Wallace bitching to the beat writers, saying Suh should be suspended...while secretly wishing Delhomme had been injured, so he could take over the Browns offense, such as it is.
Was it a smart play by Suh? Not at all. Suh has been proven to be a smart player, so his trying to pop Delhomme's head like a pimple was out of character. Jim Schwartz has called him out on it.
But if any good has come out of this, it's this: Suh has proven to have a mean streak, and placing the idea of his cracking quarterback skulls in the minds of the opposition. Quarterbacks now have reason to fear Suh...which is a very good thing for the Lions.
2. Dan F: I have only passingly watched/followed the Lions the last few years thanks to Matt Millen. They still only won two games last year, and Mayhew was Millen's guy. Other than lucking into Ndamukong Suh how are things really different than when We were adding "weapons for Joey"?
Dan, the Lions are once again worth watching. They aren't "good" just yet, but I can actually see a light at the end of a very long tunnel, much in thanks to the work of Martin Mayhew.
Here's a few things in mind when comparing the Matt Millen Lions to the Martin Mayhew Lions.
1. Millen thoroughly and completely screwed this franchise over, a eight year long, slow motion train wreck. He left a roster in worse shape than what you'd find on an expansion team. Mayhew had to start rebuilding the Lions literally from scratch. It's going to take much longer than two off seasons to "fix" the Lions.
2. Who was the one adding the "weapons for Joey"? It was one Matt Millen, who couldn't add 2+2, let alone add "weapons".
3. Mayhew may have been Millen's "guy", but its become obvious he learned what NOT to do while working under the worst GM in pro sports history. Mayhew snookered the Cowboys in trades...twice. Mayhew isn't giving iffy free agents big money, long-term contracts, his signings have been lower key, cheaper and for short terms. Millen was suckered in by glitzy skill players when drafting, while Mayhew has gone into his two drafts with the intention of selecting the best available player, regardless of position. Mayhew's first draft produced an NFL player in every single round, something Millen could never say in his eight drafts (Let's not even go into Millen's whiffing entirely on his draft picks from 02-06). In two years, Mayhew has done more to improve the Lions than Millen did in his entire, painfully long, tenure.
4. The Lions have begun to build a core of players, on both sides of the ball, who have a legitimate chance to become big time stars (Stafford, Suh, Delmas, Johnson, Best), others who are bona fide NFL players (Pettigrew, Levy, Scheffler, Heller, Burleson, Sims, Williams, Sammie Hill), while adding solid veterans who can still play, while mentoring the young players (Petertson, Vanden Bosch, Bly, Shaun Hill). The Lions, starting with Millen, to the front office, the coaching staff, the 53 man roster, and all the way down to the practice squad, used to be a mish-mash styles, schemes, and philosophies, all pulling in different directions. That's no longer the case under Mayhew. The Lions have a plan, and are sticking to it, instead of lurching from scheme to scheme, coach to coach, quarterback to quarterback.
In the end, I can answer your question, "What's different", with six words.
5. Millen was a moron. Mayhew isn't.
The Lions congregation answers your questions every week. So if you have a Lions query you'd like to see answered, you can email the congregation at lionscongregation@yahoo.com.
As always, to read the rest of the Lions blogosphere answering questions submitted to Joshua, aka DetFan79, head over to Roar of the Lions every weekend!
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