The NFL has put in a number of drug policies over the years to alleviate players from potentially having an unfair advantage over another player.
2007-06-29
The NFL has put in a number of drug policies over the years to alleviate players from potentially having an unfair advantage over another player. While Commissioner Roger Goodell tries to keep everything under wraps, one element he cannot control is the apparent tainted water in the Detroit area. Last week starting quarterback Jon Kitna went on a local Detroit sport talk radio show and said the Lions would win 10 games in 2007.
This led to going back and checking with Sportsbook.com early futures wagers that show Detroit was indeed pegged for six wins this upcoming season. While not a big fan of the much traveled Kitna, the next idea was to check the NFL schedule and see if a development occurred that I somehow had missed. With Kitna’s bold prediction, it left me bewildered to see despite what the oddsmakers believe that Detroit will win 37.5 percent of their games, they are still playing just 16 contests. I thought for sure the Lions might play a number of Canadien Football League games, since if you use simple math logic of approximately 38 percent in the win column and figure 10 victories for Detroit, this would mean they would have to play 26 games this season. Plus, the Lions being so close to the Canadien border, it sort of made sense.
Evidently coach Rod Marinelli mini-camps and OTA’s must have included Tony Robbins among the speakers, as wide receiver Mike Furrey told the June 27 edition of the Detroit Free Press, echoing the sentiments of the starting QB, that yes indeed Detroit should make the playoffs with 10-12 wins. Let’s examine the various elements that lead to such speculation.
The biggest news was the draft of potentially the best receiver in several years in Calvin Johnson of Georgia Tech as the second overall pick. Be it any other GM than Matt Millen, with his history of number one draft choices at that position, this would be hailed as what the Seattle Supersonics will have as consolation prize with Kevin Durant as the second overall pick in the NBA draft. Evil offensive genius Mike Martz will be in year two indoctrinating his potentially lethal offense with this group, which is a positive. Detroit was 21st in points scored and the offensive line looks remarkably unimproved. The running backs are a collection of underachievers in T.J. Duckett, Kevin Jones and Tatum Bell. With this collection of wannabe’s and mediocre O-line, how far can the Lions go after having the worst rushing game in the NFL last season at 70.4 yards a game?
Head coach Marinelli has a tough guy approach, actually having wrestled a bear in high school, at a promotion for a car dealership in Pasadena, CA. The Lions best defensive player Shaun Rogers has not been all too fond of the coach’s ways and has had his share off the field situations. LB Ernie Sims is a star in the making and the other outside LB Boss Bailey is a good player. How much can they improve after being 30th in points allowed (24.9) in 2006 to take them to at least 10 victories?
Another area that caused optimism for couple of Detroit players was by their own accounts, the upcoming schedule. Here is a very optimistic look at the Lions 2007 regular season schedule.
Week 1 - @Oakland – Winnable, yet a lot of enthusiasm in the Bay Area also.
Week 2 – Minnesota – At least the Lions have a quarterback. Win
Week 3 - @ Philadelphia – Not a chance in ****.
Week 4 – Chicago – Big effort comes up just short against Da Bears.
Week 5 - @Washington – Upset potential, with cover all but assured.
Week 6 – Bye Week- Not losing is not considered a win.
Week 7 – Tampa Bay – Lions show Bucs why even they couldn’t use Jeff Garcia.
Week 8 - @Chicago – Long history of failure continues in Windy City.
Week 9 – Denver – Broncos not having played road game in a month gives Lions chance.
Week 10 - @ Arizona – Cardinals deliver bad news in the desert.
Week 11 – N.Y. Giants – Lions fired up at home to beat G-Men after loss.
Week 12 – Green Bay – Lions lose on Thanksgiving Day to Packers, please.
Week 13 - @ Minnesota – Even extra rest won’t help in tight Central showdown.
Week 14 – Dallas – If the glass is half full, Detroit is a winner.
Week 15 - @ San Diego – The back of the jersey says L. Tomlinson.
Week 16 – Kansas City – Close home portion of season a winner.
Week 17 - @ Green Bay – Potentially Brett Favre’s last game, Lions caged.
The absolute best case scenario has the Motor City team finishing 8-8. The last time the Detroit had a winning season was at the beginning of the decade in 2000 and the last time they won 10 games was 1995, when the great Wayne Fontes was patrolling the sidelines. Detroit is 8-1 to win the NFC Central, which is a near lock according to some Lions players. If the Lions manage to win 10 games this season it might be time for Agent Mulder to visit the Detroit area and solve this X-File.
