Bad Move

Let's get one thing straight: Steve Mariucci should NOT have been fired. Unfortunately, because he was a head coach, actions that are not his responsiblity tend to appear within his realm... at least for those simple-minded. The media knows that a lot of the Lions' faults didn't fall upon Mooch, but for the sake of sensationalism they badgered the organization to drop him. Under heavy pressure, the Lions decided to release him, but I still think that's clearly the wrong decision.

This was supposed to be the year. When we'd turn things around and get our asses up from the articifial turf. We had a killer offseason, drafting the hard-hitting Kenoy Kennedy and the all-pro tight end Marcus Pollard. We took the most hyped up receiver in the draft, rival-ing our aerial attack with the Colts. We drafted Shaun Cody, the defensive leader of #1 national champion USC. We made the right moves, but somehow things didn't turn out right.

Matt Millen receieved praise for his draft, which was actually pretty good, yet people are now busting him for not pulling through. You're all idiots if you switch your opinions; Millen is the GM, not the coach; all he does is pick the talent. You can't first say he had a good draft, then bash him for not doing his job when you contradictively just said he did a great one. So shut the fuck up.

There was one simple solution to making us a powerhouse team. Easy as shit. Might be considered cheating by some, but in the realm of professional sports, every advantage is a huge one. All we had to do to win the NFC North and get a playoff berth was to copy and run the Indianapolis Colts' offense. A single back, single tight end, three receiver set. We have the three receivers, we have the tight end, and we have the runningback. Any quarterback in that system would excel, just take a look at Jim Sorgi as a backup. Because he's in that system he looks efficient as hell, and he might be fortunate enough to get a bigger contract by some desperate team because of it. Joey and Garcia would both have seemed like all-stars. If you look at the Colts, their main scoring attack is running seam routes, splitting the safties and creating mismatches. Even then, the pass is so quick that the receiver will have more than ample time to blow by the safety or make a move. Compound that with Kevin Jones as a threat, as he's good enough to make the linebackers bite on the play action. I kept saying all summer that's what we should've done, but the Lions stuck with their base West Coast shit. We all know the results. That, if anything, is Mooch's fault, but the rest lies on the shoulders of others.

For one, the trainers. Every good football team should have two extra-curricular things: Olympic sprint coaches and tennis ball guns. Michigan State, despite the fact their team was never the same after losing to the Maizenblue, hired Olympic sprint coaches to teach them speed. Yes, it can be learned. We've seen how fast they can be, just take a look at Agim Shabaj, Kyle Brown and Javon Ringer, not to mention Stanton himself. Speed is the key in the NFL, not power, and not a combination of the two. The fastest usually wins, with the only exception being those who are a true team, a la Brady's crew. If the receivers worked on their speed, enough to cut a tenth off of their 40s, they'd blow past any CB, from Champ Bailey to Fred Smoot. The second thing: tennis ball guns. These are ESSENTIAL to any passing offense, and most especially to a West Coast, pass-heavy offense. Firing tennis balls at high velocities to receivers forces them to react and catch, simply out of survivalist instinct. The size of the ball doesn't make a difference, because the cone of the ball is about the same. Building this reaction will prevent those seemingly limitless dropped balls we've had. The bottom line is, the trainers and assistant coaches haven't prepared the players enough for the fundamentals, the basics. Instead they shoot endless jargon of formations and play calling into the minds of the players, focusing on the complex over the simple. You can't do this.

Next, the quarterback. I don't know how you fools are pouting that Dre Bly was wrong for saying Mooch's firing was Joey's fault. It CLEARLY was. THE PLAYERS' PERFORMANCE REFLECTS THE JOB SECURITY OF A HEAD COACH. The players' actions affect the coaches, duh. If a team sucks because of players' underperformances, it's pretty damn obvious a coach is going to come under fire. Joey Harrington doesn't have what it takes to be a star in this league, but people somehow keep hoping he'll do well consistently just because he always has great pre-seasons and shows some flash in two games. I don't know how peoples' expectations can be so high after a confounding game, but it just goes to show how on-and-off the bandwagon the Lions are.

If Joey Harrington can't get the balls to his receivers, how is that Mooch's fault? How about if the receivers don't catch the rare good balls Joey throws? Sure, you can run drills and such, but each and every player is limited by his own personal potential and talent. That's why logically, some players are better than others. In the end, it comes down to Joey making good throws and our highly-touted receivers making catches. But our players aren't doing it. It's not the head coach, but the players. I can't emphasize that enough.

Mooch calls the plays, and the players either do or don't execute them. But since all you fake fans out there like to pretend you know what you're talking about, you're all glad he's gone. Who's going to take over? Dick Jauron? A man who is a failure of an NFL head coach? Mike Martz? Not only does he want to stay with the Rams, but he's more of a walking heart attack liability than Larry Brown. The Lions should've kept Mooch until the end of the season, because honestly, what left is there to salvage? Five games where two (Cincy and Pitt) are guaranteed losses? Even if we hypothetically happen to win out, our record would stand at winning a meager 56% of our games. Our goal now should be to LOSE OUT, trade up, and draft Vince Young. I'm writing an article on that after this.

All you people who say Mooch should've been fired should be fired in the face with a sack of hot doorknobs. If the Lions happen to do well under this even more raggedy ass ragtag management, you can quote me wrong, but the chances of that are slim to none.