The More Things Change...

It seems the more things change with the Detroit Lions, the more they stay the same. I know the season hasn't even started yet, but after three preseason games, my beloved team doesn't look any better than it has the last few years.

I was looking forward to watching the delayed broadcast of Detroit's Friday night exhibition against the Oakland Raiders. But I knew it wouldn't be an enjoyable experience when I looked up the score last night before heading to a late night birthday gathering for a friend. Midway through the second quarter-- DET 0 - OAK 21. Not good.
The next time I check the score, it's midway through the third quarter-- DET 0 - OAK 21. Still not good, but no worse. The final score-- DET 3 - OAK 21. Pathetic. After defeating the Denver Broncos 20-13 in the preseason opener and losing to the Cleveland Browns 16-20, the Lions have managed just 39 points in three games from an offense that should be the Greatest Show on Turf II.

Why can't this team win? Why can't the offense produce more than 3 points? Why can't the defense keep opponents from producing points? For 2006, the Lions have a new head coach in Rod Marinelli; a new offensive coordinator in former St. Louis Rams head coach Mike Martz who was the archetecht of the Greatest Show on Turf I; and a new defensive coordinator in Donnie Henderson who, last year, held the same position with the New York Jets. In the last four years, Detroit has exercised several first round draft picks to select quarterback Joey Harrington (2002), wide receivers Charles Rogers (2003), Roy Williams (2004), and Mike Williams (2005), running back Kevin Jones (2004), and linebacker Ernie Sims (2006). That's five offensive players and one defensive player, all first rounders selected in the last four years. Rookie Ernie Sims is having a good preseason and looks promising. We'll give him the benefit of the doubt here. But the rest of them?

Let's break things down:

• Joey Harrington: The Harrington Project didn't work. Joey is now backing up Daunte Culpepper with the Miami Dolphins.
• Charles Rogers: The former Michigan State star showed promise in his first four games in 2003 before breaking his collar bone in Week 5 and missing the rest of the season. He broke the same bone in Week 1 (Chicago) in 2004, again missing the rest of the season. In 2005, he was suspended for four games for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. (Which actually means he tested positive multiple times because the league issues warnings before actually suspending a player.) He played in nine games, starting just three.
• Roy Williams: Shows great promise. Roy has the potential to be the best receiver the Lions have had since Herman Moore. He just has to stay healthy and stop dropping balls.
• Mike Williams: Played in 14 games his rookie season, starting four times. Has great size (some say too much size) and based on his years at Southern California, great potential. We just didn't see that potential materialize into great plays last year. It seems he needs to check his ego and get his head in the game.
• Kevin Jones: This guy really blossomed in the second half of his rookie season. It was great to see the Lions have a real running game again. Jones was finding holes and making moves like Hall of Fame great Barry Sanders. He was even named a Pro Bowl alternate as a rookie. Then came season two and the dreaded Sophomore Slump. (Not to mention a case of the "big head.") We're hoping for a rebound this year.

With the departure of Harrington, the Lions signed two quarterbacks in free agency: Jon Kitna formerly with the Seattle Seahawks and Cincinnati Bengals; and Josh McCown formerly with the Arizona Cardinals. Kitna has earned the number spot on the depth chart and has started each of Detroit's preseason games. With his experience, a potent receiver corps, and legs to run, Detroit's offense should be running like a Corvette Z06 engine! I'm sorry. I forgot to mention, the offensive line still sucks! Oh, well.

Metro Detroit is on an athletic high in 2006. The Red Wings (NHL) finished with the best record in hockey. The Pistons (NBA) finished with the best record in basketball. The Tigers (MLB) have the best record in baseball. The only downer has been the failure of the Red Wings and Pistons to win their respective league championships. (We'll see how the Tigers do in the playoffs for the first time in years.) The way things are shaping up in the preseason, it doesn't look like the Lions will even come close to joining that club.

The Lions have hosted two Super Bowl games (XVI in 1982 and XL in 2006) but have never played in one. Detroit won NFL championships in 1952, 1953, and 1957. The Super Bowl wasn't created as the championship game until 1967, three years after my birth. It would be nice to see Detroit play in a Super Bowl in my lifetime. But, I'm not holding my breath.

Oh, Good Evening.