So, moving, moving, moving and more moving. This would've been far simpler had we rented a truck and moved all our crap at one time. Unfortunately, moving trucks cost money and being that we were already hemorhaging money at an alarming rate it seemed an unneccesary expense.
Anyway, we've already got most of our stuff moved in and I believe our first official night there will be Friday (also rent day). Saturday I'm going to a bar or brewery with my friend Amanda to catch a band and then Sunday I'm off to Pretty Lake Vacation Camp for counselor training.
Funny moving story: The parking lot outside our building has a tree stump in it, right in the center of two spaces, seriously. My sister parked right in front of the afformentioned stump yesterday. When we left, instead of backing up, she forgot about the stump and tried to pull through (I also forgot about the stump but as I wasn't the one driving I refuse to take credit for her hitting it) and 'whammo!', hi meestah stump! Luckilly, no damage was done save that to Melissa's pride.
I'm gonna have to get a picture of our bookshelf. It's like post-modern white trash decor. Cinderblocks and 2x4's, but we stained the boards so they more resemble oak than the pine they actually are. I'm sure some of you are saying, "Well Phil, that's kind of like spraying air freshener after you use the toilet but not actually flushing it- it's still cement blocks and boards.", and you would be entirely correct, but I still like it. It also cast the sheer volume of books we have into a new light. I filled up 2 47-inch shelves and one 58-inch shelf and only managed to kill 3 and a half of my 5 boxes of books. I suppose would could add to it but I fear adding another shelf or two and we'd be in danger of having the whole thing tip over.
The rest of the appartment is pretty interesting too. For a dining room table we have a card table and undersized metal folding chairs. We have a spiffy circa 1950's diner wall clock but nowhere to hang it. Our microwave sits on top of the fridge because there only place that has an outlet and a suitable amount of counter-space is right next to the sink and that just seemed like a bad idea. Whoever designed our cupboards needs to be severely beaten. There's like 6-thousand of them and only a few can actually accomadate more than 4 boxes of hamburger helper. It's like the guy who designed them used a case of Ramen Noodles as his basis of how large they needed to be and that's utterly ignoring that half of them are over 7 feet high and Melissa can't even reach them. What I'm really saying is: Stop on by and experience the weirdness for yourself!
This blog won't be updated much once Sunday gets here but I'll try to update it during my breaks. Keep it rockin' for the kids!
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Fearless Ferret Foils Fiendish Foe
Joss Whedon speaks out against the culture of misogyny.
There's not really anything I can add to that. I do not suffer from delusion of grandeur to the extent that I think I could say it any better than Joss. What I do want is to encourage you to take his advice. Donate some time or some money or, if you're broke and very busy, at least speak out. We can't eradicate gender prejudice any more than we've been able to eradicate racial prejudice or any other insane ideology out there, but that doesn't mean we should be okay with it and it sure as hell doesn't mean we shouldn't fight it.
There's not really anything I can add to that. I do not suffer from delusion of grandeur to the extent that I think I could say it any better than Joss. What I do want is to encourage you to take his advice. Donate some time or some money or, if you're broke and very busy, at least speak out. We can't eradicate gender prejudice any more than we've been able to eradicate racial prejudice or any other insane ideology out there, but that doesn't mean we should be okay with it and it sure as hell doesn't mean we shouldn't fight it.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Logic now declared "stupid person's fiction"
So, moving out on Saturday. Well I'm not entirely moving out on Saturday, just starting the process. If anyone knows where I can scored a cheap bedframe in the Kalamazoo area, you give me a holler, okay?
Coming up on the move has causes a certain degree of nostalgia, various floods of old memories and, inexplicably, some introspection. Taken as a whole, I don't think I could've asked for a better quarter-century... well I could've but it seems to me that things worked out for the best despite me still lacking a college degree (oh how I wish I had a framed piece of smart-paper to hang next to me at the next retail store or fast food joint I'll inevitably become employed at). Anyway, my bitterness about the post-secondary education system aside, I do have something I'd like to discuss, a memory I thought long lost that came back, I believe, as a product of the VT shootings and my introspection.
About 6 years ago now I lead a youth group lesson on bullying as a result of an article I'd read in one of the Detroit papers. The article told the story of Tempest Smith, a 12-year old wiccan girl who had been bullied by her classmates because of her religious beliefs. They would literally form a circle around her and sing "Jesus loves me". Tempest hung herself on February 20th, 2001. For whatever reason, the story stuck with me. Likely it's because I was bullied when I was younger. 4th through 8th grades were not happy years for me and it certainly felt like hell at the time. But this really isn't about me. I've neither gone on a shooting rampage and as you can tell by me typing this, I haven't killed myself either.
In truth, this article isn't even really about bullying or those who snap due to it. It's about the fundamental belief behind the bullying. The fundamental belief that Ayn Rand claimed as the fundamental evil of all human-kind. The belief that the lives of others aren't as valuable as your own. Even the golden rule is an off-shoot of this notion. You should not treat others well because "it's the right thing to do" but because you realize that every other person you come in contact with has a life equal in value to your own.
Unfortunately folks have made the golden rule the basis for their broken morality instead of the virtue of valuing life that the golden rule is founded upon. It's been one longass time since anyone considered the meaning of "All men are created equal". Think I'm exagerating? Think I've finally lost the plot? Check your local TV schedules. See all the reality TV? It's misery on parade.
Now don't misunderstand me. I'm not trying to blame the victims of any of the school shooting over the last decade. The shooters made a choice and for that they are responsible. However, it should be noted that the shooters were, in all the cases I've heard, vicitims first in their own right. What it comes down to then, is the idea that we should treat others as though their lives hold value equal to our own. It is my belief that if we do, similar tragedies will be avoided in the future.
Coming up on the move has causes a certain degree of nostalgia, various floods of old memories and, inexplicably, some introspection. Taken as a whole, I don't think I could've asked for a better quarter-century... well I could've but it seems to me that things worked out for the best despite me still lacking a college degree (oh how I wish I had a framed piece of smart-paper to hang next to me at the next retail store or fast food joint I'll inevitably become employed at). Anyway, my bitterness about the post-secondary education system aside, I do have something I'd like to discuss, a memory I thought long lost that came back, I believe, as a product of the VT shootings and my introspection.
About 6 years ago now I lead a youth group lesson on bullying as a result of an article I'd read in one of the Detroit papers. The article told the story of Tempest Smith, a 12-year old wiccan girl who had been bullied by her classmates because of her religious beliefs. They would literally form a circle around her and sing "Jesus loves me". Tempest hung herself on February 20th, 2001. For whatever reason, the story stuck with me. Likely it's because I was bullied when I was younger. 4th through 8th grades were not happy years for me and it certainly felt like hell at the time. But this really isn't about me. I've neither gone on a shooting rampage and as you can tell by me typing this, I haven't killed myself either.
In truth, this article isn't even really about bullying or those who snap due to it. It's about the fundamental belief behind the bullying. The fundamental belief that Ayn Rand claimed as the fundamental evil of all human-kind. The belief that the lives of others aren't as valuable as your own. Even the golden rule is an off-shoot of this notion. You should not treat others well because "it's the right thing to do" but because you realize that every other person you come in contact with has a life equal in value to your own.
Unfortunately folks have made the golden rule the basis for their broken morality instead of the virtue of valuing life that the golden rule is founded upon. It's been one longass time since anyone considered the meaning of "All men are created equal". Think I'm exagerating? Think I've finally lost the plot? Check your local TV schedules. See all the reality TV? It's misery on parade.
Now don't misunderstand me. I'm not trying to blame the victims of any of the school shooting over the last decade. The shooters made a choice and for that they are responsible. However, it should be noted that the shooters were, in all the cases I've heard, vicitims first in their own right. What it comes down to then, is the idea that we should treat others as though their lives hold value equal to our own. It is my belief that if we do, similar tragedies will be avoided in the future.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Read this post, or the terrorists win
Okay, this should be my last Lions post until August (preseason) so be thankful and enjoy.
Defense, defense, defense.
Bit of a shakeup on the defensive line over the last year. Dan "Big Daddy" Wilkinson left the team before the start of last year leaving Shaun Rogers and Shaun Cody to man the DT/UT positions while James Hall and Cory Redding played DE. A few games into the '06 season James Hall hurt his shoulder and was subsequently traded to St. Louis for a 5th round pick at the end of the season. Shaun Rogers played in the first 6 games of the '06 season and got suspended for a violation of the NFL's substance abuse policy, went in for surgery during his suspension and more was wrong than they thought so he was moved from the 'Suspended' category directly to 'Injured/Reserve'. Shaun Cody dislocated a toe 6 games into the '06 season and promptly joined Rogers and Hall 'Injured/Reserve' list. This prompted Cory Redding to be moved from the DE position to DT where he thrived. This year he's expected to start alongside Shaun Rogers with Shaun Cody working in on a rotation in what could well be one of the best DT/UT combinations in the NFL. As of right now Dewayne White will be starting on one side but the other position remains in limbo. Ikaika '5-0' Alama-Francis will certainly be a contender but unless he learns at very rapid rate I wouldn't expect him to start right off the bat though I do expect him to work in on a rotation until he does, likely 4-8 games into the '07 season. Until then I expect Kalimba Edwards and/or Jared Devries to carry the bulk of the load.
Linebacker in Detroit has been.. how to put this? It's like a really bad running joke. Seriously, Mike Cofer was our lone leftover from the Lions' "Silver Rush" defense of the 80's and since that group retired all we've had has been Chris Spielman and Stephen Boyd. Reggie Brown could've been in that group had he not suffered a career-ending neck injury. Since then it's been a bunch of injured under-achievers... until last year. Ernie Sims came in last year and as a rookie and lead the team in tackles, a feat last accomplished in 1988 by Spielman. It's a foregone conclusion that he'll retain his starting job at the Will position (Will, Mike, Sam - Defense speak for Weakside, Middle and Strongside). It's likely that Boss Bailey will return as the starter at the Sam position. Bailey showed some promise last year recording 85 tackles with only 12 starts, though his ability to remain injury free is still questionable. In the middle Teddy Lehman, Paris Lenon and rookie Johnny Baldwin will vie for the starting role. Lehman started every game his rookie season, recording 120 tackles but has only managed to play in 9 games over the last 2 seasons. Reports say he's healthy and if he can return to his form of 2 years ago it's likely the starting job is his. Lenon had a good season in '06 starting every game and had 97 tackles, which is a bit misleading as he lacks aggression which translates into him getting the tackles after the opposing RB has already gained 5 yards. Johnny Baldwin is an utterly unknown quantity out of Alabama A&M but Rod Marinelli gushes about the kid, so if his talent translates well into the NFL game he could emerge as a starter this year though I suspect that won't happen until at next season at the earliest.
The only bigger joke on the Lions' team other than LB over the past few years has been their CBs. Dre Bly is gone and Fernando Bryant is back from yet another injury (Ernie Sims accidentally knocked him out briefly and gave him a concussion causing him to miss the final 4 games of the season) which brings his grand total to 22 games played in the last 3 years. Starting opposite him is anyone's guess, and mine is Travis Fisher who, on average, breaks his arm every other year or so. When these two go down the Lions have no shortage of backups with Stanley Wilson, Keith Smith and Dee McCann all returning from last year in addition to 2 rookie draft picks from this year and 3 other FA signings. While the talent is questionable, one thing is certain... there's a lot of them.
We're actually sitting nicely at Safety this year for the first time since Bennie Blades and William White played (Ron Rice had a few good years and so did Mark Carrier but I'm talking 2 competent safeties) with Kennoy Kennedy and Daniel Bullocks starting. Rookie draft pick Gerald Alexander is quite likely Kennedy's replacement but probably not this year and FA signing Idrees Bashir was only brought in to add depth.
We're sitting pretty at Specialist this year with both Jason Hanson and Nick Harris returning. Hanson enters his 16th season as only the 13th player in NFL history to break the 1,500 point barrier (which is really saying something when you play for Detroit) and is currently 5th in points among active NFL players and I think he's 13th or so all-time. Harris didn't duplicate his punting brilliance of '05 but still had a good year in '06 ranking 5th in the NFL for punting average. Shout-out here to longsnapper Don Mulbach who remained virtually invisible last year by not screwing up, which is the only time anyone notices a LS.
Defense, defense, defense.
Bit of a shakeup on the defensive line over the last year. Dan "Big Daddy" Wilkinson left the team before the start of last year leaving Shaun Rogers and Shaun Cody to man the DT/UT positions while James Hall and Cory Redding played DE. A few games into the '06 season James Hall hurt his shoulder and was subsequently traded to St. Louis for a 5th round pick at the end of the season. Shaun Rogers played in the first 6 games of the '06 season and got suspended for a violation of the NFL's substance abuse policy, went in for surgery during his suspension and more was wrong than they thought so he was moved from the 'Suspended' category directly to 'Injured/Reserve'. Shaun Cody dislocated a toe 6 games into the '06 season and promptly joined Rogers and Hall 'Injured/Reserve' list. This prompted Cory Redding to be moved from the DE position to DT where he thrived. This year he's expected to start alongside Shaun Rogers with Shaun Cody working in on a rotation in what could well be one of the best DT/UT combinations in the NFL. As of right now Dewayne White will be starting on one side but the other position remains in limbo. Ikaika '5-0' Alama-Francis will certainly be a contender but unless he learns at very rapid rate I wouldn't expect him to start right off the bat though I do expect him to work in on a rotation until he does, likely 4-8 games into the '07 season. Until then I expect Kalimba Edwards and/or Jared Devries to carry the bulk of the load.
Linebacker in Detroit has been.. how to put this? It's like a really bad running joke. Seriously, Mike Cofer was our lone leftover from the Lions' "Silver Rush" defense of the 80's and since that group retired all we've had has been Chris Spielman and Stephen Boyd. Reggie Brown could've been in that group had he not suffered a career-ending neck injury. Since then it's been a bunch of injured under-achievers... until last year. Ernie Sims came in last year and as a rookie and lead the team in tackles, a feat last accomplished in 1988 by Spielman. It's a foregone conclusion that he'll retain his starting job at the Will position (Will, Mike, Sam - Defense speak for Weakside, Middle and Strongside). It's likely that Boss Bailey will return as the starter at the Sam position. Bailey showed some promise last year recording 85 tackles with only 12 starts, though his ability to remain injury free is still questionable. In the middle Teddy Lehman, Paris Lenon and rookie Johnny Baldwin will vie for the starting role. Lehman started every game his rookie season, recording 120 tackles but has only managed to play in 9 games over the last 2 seasons. Reports say he's healthy and if he can return to his form of 2 years ago it's likely the starting job is his. Lenon had a good season in '06 starting every game and had 97 tackles, which is a bit misleading as he lacks aggression which translates into him getting the tackles after the opposing RB has already gained 5 yards. Johnny Baldwin is an utterly unknown quantity out of Alabama A&M but Rod Marinelli gushes about the kid, so if his talent translates well into the NFL game he could emerge as a starter this year though I suspect that won't happen until at next season at the earliest.
The only bigger joke on the Lions' team other than LB over the past few years has been their CBs. Dre Bly is gone and Fernando Bryant is back from yet another injury (Ernie Sims accidentally knocked him out briefly and gave him a concussion causing him to miss the final 4 games of the season) which brings his grand total to 22 games played in the last 3 years. Starting opposite him is anyone's guess, and mine is Travis Fisher who, on average, breaks his arm every other year or so. When these two go down the Lions have no shortage of backups with Stanley Wilson, Keith Smith and Dee McCann all returning from last year in addition to 2 rookie draft picks from this year and 3 other FA signings. While the talent is questionable, one thing is certain... there's a lot of them.
We're actually sitting nicely at Safety this year for the first time since Bennie Blades and William White played (Ron Rice had a few good years and so did Mark Carrier but I'm talking 2 competent safeties) with Kennoy Kennedy and Daniel Bullocks starting. Rookie draft pick Gerald Alexander is quite likely Kennedy's replacement but probably not this year and FA signing Idrees Bashir was only brought in to add depth.
We're sitting pretty at Specialist this year with both Jason Hanson and Nick Harris returning. Hanson enters his 16th season as only the 13th player in NFL history to break the 1,500 point barrier (which is really saying something when you play for Detroit) and is currently 5th in points among active NFL players and I think he's 13th or so all-time. Harris didn't duplicate his punting brilliance of '05 but still had a good year in '06 ranking 5th in the NFL for punting average. Shout-out here to longsnapper Don Mulbach who remained virtually invisible last year by not screwing up, which is the only time anyone notices a LS.
Pleated skirt reportedly transformed into kilt when a man put it on
Back to back Detroit Lions posts, scary, no?
Yesterday I covered who we've added since the off-season began, today I'll cover how it should, theoretically, all work once the season begins. Please note that all theoretical starters are subject to injury.
On offense, Jon Kitna will remain the starting QB and Dan Orlovsky will move into the 2nd string role at least the first half of the season while Stanton will fill the role of 3rd string emergency QB. Stanton is reportedly having his entire technique stripped down (literally, he was on the radio the other day talking about how Martz is changing everything he does, from how he drops back to the way he grips the ball) so I think it's unlikely he'll see any time this year in between re-learning how to play QB and learning one of the more complex offenses in football. Last year Kitna was sacked 63 times, threw 22 interceptions and lost 9 fumbles. For those of you out there who lack an affinity with math, that nearly 4 sacks and almost 2 turnovers per game on average. Still, he did manage to throw for over 4,200 yards and 21 TDs. Personally I'm hoping the reduction in QB pressure the team seems to be shooting for also translates into a turnover reduction, otherwise Dan or Drew might be stepping under center.
In front of Kitna we should see a far healthier and sturdier offensive line with G Damien Woody returning from injury, C Dominic Raiola returns for his 7th season as he nears in on 100 consecutive games played, new addition G Edwin Mulitalo joins the crew from the Ravens, Jeff Backus, also back for his 7th season at Left Tackle, has never missed a game and is 4 shy of the century mark himself. Right Tackle is still anyone's guess at this point but I suspect George Foster from Denver will land the job unless Jonathan Scott makes some truly impressive strides during traning camp.
If Kevin Jones is at 100% I think we can expect to see him starting and sharing time with T.J. Duckett coming in for short yardage situations. If that's the case I expect the Lions to trade Tatum Bell, likely for a backup caliber CB or possibly a 3rd, 4th or 5th round pick in next year's draft. Simply put, Bell can start in this league and therefore demands a certain amount of money that Detroit won't want to spend if Jones is healthy. Brian Calhoun was initially brought in as a 3rd down back last year before Martz learned how good Kevin Jones's hand were. His future is in question given that Jones has proven that he can be an every down back from an ability standpoint, though Martz loves Calhoun's versatility given that he has the hands and speed to line up as a WR and work as return-man. Shawn Bryson's job is virtually secured given that he can line up as a RB, TB or FB so as long as he has developed his catching ability since last season his job should be secure. Will Matthews has vanished from the Lions depth chart, while no official news has come down the pipe I think we can assume he's been cut and I expect Aveion Cason to join him if Kevin Jones is healthy.
If you think the people lining up to get cut at RB is impressive you should see the WR corps. Roy Williams and Mike Furrey return as the only Lions receiving duo to each break the 1,000 yard mark in a season this millenia. Calvin Johnson joins the NFC leader in receptions (Furrey) and yards (Williams) in hopes of making this particular group the most dynamic Detroit has had since Herman Moore, Brett Perriman and Johnnie Morton caught a combined 275 passes in 1995 (Moore and Perriman breaking the NFL tandem receiving record with 231 receptions). Mention this to any Lions fan and you'll likely see a glimmer of hope, maybe a tear and possibly some weeping. The 4th spot still hangs in limbo although it seems likely that the spot will go to Shaun McDonald who inked a long-term deal a few weeks ago. Eddie Drumond figures to remain on the roster due to his prowess as a return-man despite his less than breath-taking performance the last 2 seasons. Devale Ellis remains on the roster, the only rookie WR from last year to survive this long. An undersized speedy receiver (Martz loves these guys, God knows why) out of Hofstra, if he's made some progress from a year ago it's likely he won't get cut. I could list the other WRs (5 in all) but all I could really tell you is that one of them is from St. Louis and we cut him last year, how he's back on the roster is a bit of a mystery to me.
Finally, time to address the tight ends. Casey FitzSimmons was the projected starter going into the '06 season but broke his wrist in the first preseason game; while still managing to play in 11 games he never appeared to be at 100%. He was replaced by veteran and first year Lion Dan Campbell who played in every game, catching 21 passes for 308 yards and 4 TDs which may not sound like much until you know that the Lions picked Campbell up for his blocking ability. Which one will start? It's hard to say, really. If FitzSimmons is back at 100% this year I suspect the two will split time. FitzSimmons, if healthy, is faster than Campbell and is just as sure-handed while Campbell is the superior blocker. 3rd-stringer Sean McHugh didn't see much time at TE last season but did get put in at FB occasionally. Given that the Lions don't have a FB on the roster currently it would come as no surprise if McHugh reprised that roll a second season.
Plan on seeing a post covering the Lions defense sometime later this week.
I move out on May 19th. It's creeping up and freaking me out. Comforting correspondence and furniture offers may be directed to my email.
Yesterday I covered who we've added since the off-season began, today I'll cover how it should, theoretically, all work once the season begins. Please note that all theoretical starters are subject to injury.
On offense, Jon Kitna will remain the starting QB and Dan Orlovsky will move into the 2nd string role at least the first half of the season while Stanton will fill the role of 3rd string emergency QB. Stanton is reportedly having his entire technique stripped down (literally, he was on the radio the other day talking about how Martz is changing everything he does, from how he drops back to the way he grips the ball) so I think it's unlikely he'll see any time this year in between re-learning how to play QB and learning one of the more complex offenses in football. Last year Kitna was sacked 63 times, threw 22 interceptions and lost 9 fumbles. For those of you out there who lack an affinity with math, that nearly 4 sacks and almost 2 turnovers per game on average. Still, he did manage to throw for over 4,200 yards and 21 TDs. Personally I'm hoping the reduction in QB pressure the team seems to be shooting for also translates into a turnover reduction, otherwise Dan or Drew might be stepping under center.
In front of Kitna we should see a far healthier and sturdier offensive line with G Damien Woody returning from injury, C Dominic Raiola returns for his 7th season as he nears in on 100 consecutive games played, new addition G Edwin Mulitalo joins the crew from the Ravens, Jeff Backus, also back for his 7th season at Left Tackle, has never missed a game and is 4 shy of the century mark himself. Right Tackle is still anyone's guess at this point but I suspect George Foster from Denver will land the job unless Jonathan Scott makes some truly impressive strides during traning camp.
If Kevin Jones is at 100% I think we can expect to see him starting and sharing time with T.J. Duckett coming in for short yardage situations. If that's the case I expect the Lions to trade Tatum Bell, likely for a backup caliber CB or possibly a 3rd, 4th or 5th round pick in next year's draft. Simply put, Bell can start in this league and therefore demands a certain amount of money that Detroit won't want to spend if Jones is healthy. Brian Calhoun was initially brought in as a 3rd down back last year before Martz learned how good Kevin Jones's hand were. His future is in question given that Jones has proven that he can be an every down back from an ability standpoint, though Martz loves Calhoun's versatility given that he has the hands and speed to line up as a WR and work as return-man. Shawn Bryson's job is virtually secured given that he can line up as a RB, TB or FB so as long as he has developed his catching ability since last season his job should be secure. Will Matthews has vanished from the Lions depth chart, while no official news has come down the pipe I think we can assume he's been cut and I expect Aveion Cason to join him if Kevin Jones is healthy.
If you think the people lining up to get cut at RB is impressive you should see the WR corps. Roy Williams and Mike Furrey return as the only Lions receiving duo to each break the 1,000 yard mark in a season this millenia. Calvin Johnson joins the NFC leader in receptions (Furrey) and yards (Williams) in hopes of making this particular group the most dynamic Detroit has had since Herman Moore, Brett Perriman and Johnnie Morton caught a combined 275 passes in 1995 (Moore and Perriman breaking the NFL tandem receiving record with 231 receptions). Mention this to any Lions fan and you'll likely see a glimmer of hope, maybe a tear and possibly some weeping. The 4th spot still hangs in limbo although it seems likely that the spot will go to Shaun McDonald who inked a long-term deal a few weeks ago. Eddie Drumond figures to remain on the roster due to his prowess as a return-man despite his less than breath-taking performance the last 2 seasons. Devale Ellis remains on the roster, the only rookie WR from last year to survive this long. An undersized speedy receiver (Martz loves these guys, God knows why) out of Hofstra, if he's made some progress from a year ago it's likely he won't get cut. I could list the other WRs (5 in all) but all I could really tell you is that one of them is from St. Louis and we cut him last year, how he's back on the roster is a bit of a mystery to me.
Finally, time to address the tight ends. Casey FitzSimmons was the projected starter going into the '06 season but broke his wrist in the first preseason game; while still managing to play in 11 games he never appeared to be at 100%. He was replaced by veteran and first year Lion Dan Campbell who played in every game, catching 21 passes for 308 yards and 4 TDs which may not sound like much until you know that the Lions picked Campbell up for his blocking ability. Which one will start? It's hard to say, really. If FitzSimmons is back at 100% this year I suspect the two will split time. FitzSimmons, if healthy, is faster than Campbell and is just as sure-handed while Campbell is the superior blocker. 3rd-stringer Sean McHugh didn't see much time at TE last season but did get put in at FB occasionally. Given that the Lions don't have a FB on the roster currently it would come as no surprise if McHugh reprised that roll a second season.
Plan on seeing a post covering the Lions defense sometime later this week.
I move out on May 19th. It's creeping up and freaking me out. Comforting correspondence and furniture offers may be directed to my email.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Psychometrist claims ability to hack into computer by touching its case
Let's talk some Detroit Lions football.
Why Detroit? Well that's who I'm a fan of and every other hack out there is writing a review of his or her favorite team, so I feel that in the spirit of being a well-rounded hack I should also take my blunt axe to this particular topic.
Covering their free-agency moves first, let's look at their noisiest move: Trading CB Dre Bly to the Denver Broncos for RB Tatum Bell, T George Foster and a 5th round draft pick. A lot of folks didn't like this move. On the surface it seems absurd to trade away the only defensive back we've had in the last 30 years to appear in multiple pro-bowls (a big shout out here to Lem Barney) but when you just look at the surface you miss most of the story. Dre Bly is a cover corner and the Lions run a 'Tampa 2' style defense, which relies on physical CBs who jam the receivers at the line of scrimmage and then drop back to play zone coverage, not man to man, and are also responsible for 'run-support' which in essence means forcing ball-carriers back to the center of the field. Dre Bly is simply not made to play in a Tampa 2 system, throw that in with the fact he's a malcontent and all of a sudden this trade makes perfect sense.
In return the Lions got Tatum Bell, a good addition to a Lions' backfield which finished the season featuring two RBs that didn't even start the '06 season on the roster while all those that did finished the season on Injured/Reserve. There are a lot of questions surrounding Bell given that Denver RBs tend to succeed in Mike Shannahan's running system for a few years and then generally quietly retire. They also got OT George Foster who I have listed as the projected starter at Left Tackle for the '07 season.
The Lions also traded away DE James Hall to St. Louis for a 5th round draft pick. To fill this void the Lions signed DE Dewayne White from Tampa Bay. Little is known about White, who in his 4 previous seasons has played mainly a reserve role backing up Simeon Rice. When Rice went down with an injury last season White stepped in and played very well, prompting the Lions to ink him to a long-term deal when he hit the free-agency market this year.
A few other notable acquisitions: RB T.J. Duckett was signed in what appears to be an attempt to alleviate stress on Kevin Jones (or Tatum Bell if Jones isn't fully recovered from his lis-franc injury suffered at the end of last season) in short yardage situations. Considering that each of the 4 teams that played in the AFC and NFC championship games last year featured a 'two-back attack' this move makes all kinds of sense. G Edwin Mulitalo was signed from the Ravens in order to bolster the pathetic offensive line play from last year which allowed a league high 63 sacks. Mulitalo's credentials include paving the way for former Ravens RB Jamal Lewis in his 2,000 yard season. The Lions also signed CB Travis Fisher who, in addition to have broken his arm twice in his career, is expected to compete with a whole bunch of other guys I either haven't heard of or wish I could forget to see who will take Dre Bly's spot and also to see who gets to come in when Fernando Bryant gets hurt. AGAIN. A whole slew of WR's were signed to short term deals (I count 6 names that weren't on the roster last year) in what will likely be a vain attempt to find a competent number 4 receiver. I believe Shaun McDonald is the only one who got a deal lasting over 1 year, meaning I expect most of these guys to be cut shortly after training camp.
The draft this year was quite interesting. Taking WR Calvin Johnson with the number 2 overall selection was pretty much a foregone conclusion unless the Lions could get a blockbuster trade from another team to move up into their spot. At 6'4 with great hands, a 4.35 40 time and a work ethic worthy of Jerry Rice, we expect Calvin to make an immediate impact on the offense which last year was, at best, spotty. With their second pick the Lions traded down to take QB Drew Stanton out of Michigan State. Stanton played on a horrible MSU team last year and still managed to play well. Mike Martz loves him and he's expected to be tutored under John Kitna for the next year or two and eventually take over. With their 2nd-2nd-round pick the Lions added DE Ikaika Alama-Francis who Rod Marinelli refers to as '5-0' since Ikaika came out of Hawaii and Marinelli can't pronounce his first name. Alama-Francis is probably the most intriguing prospect of the Lions entire draft given his raw athleticism and the fact he didn't start playing football until 2003. With their 3rd-2nd-round selection the Lions picked up S Gerald Alexander out of Boise State. A converted corner with solid speed and great aggression make him a natural to play in Marinelli's Tamp 2 scheme, though, barring injuries, I don't expect him to start until the latter half of the season if at all given that Kennoy Kennedy and Daniel Bullocks are both solid safeties. With our 3rd round pick we added CB Usama Young out of Kent State. A ball-hawk with great speed and aggression he figures to become a solid corner in the Tampa 2 system, but probably not this year.
Keep an eye on: Manuel Ramirez, an overlooked guard who had an awesome senior bowl and Jonny Baldwin, a LB out of Alabama A&M that virtually no one had heard of, both drafted by the Lions in the 4th and 5th rounds respectively.
Why Detroit? Well that's who I'm a fan of and every other hack out there is writing a review of his or her favorite team, so I feel that in the spirit of being a well-rounded hack I should also take my blunt axe to this particular topic.
Covering their free-agency moves first, let's look at their noisiest move: Trading CB Dre Bly to the Denver Broncos for RB Tatum Bell, T George Foster and a 5th round draft pick. A lot of folks didn't like this move. On the surface it seems absurd to trade away the only defensive back we've had in the last 30 years to appear in multiple pro-bowls (a big shout out here to Lem Barney) but when you just look at the surface you miss most of the story. Dre Bly is a cover corner and the Lions run a 'Tampa 2' style defense, which relies on physical CBs who jam the receivers at the line of scrimmage and then drop back to play zone coverage, not man to man, and are also responsible for 'run-support' which in essence means forcing ball-carriers back to the center of the field. Dre Bly is simply not made to play in a Tampa 2 system, throw that in with the fact he's a malcontent and all of a sudden this trade makes perfect sense.
In return the Lions got Tatum Bell, a good addition to a Lions' backfield which finished the season featuring two RBs that didn't even start the '06 season on the roster while all those that did finished the season on Injured/Reserve. There are a lot of questions surrounding Bell given that Denver RBs tend to succeed in Mike Shannahan's running system for a few years and then generally quietly retire. They also got OT George Foster who I have listed as the projected starter at Left Tackle for the '07 season.
The Lions also traded away DE James Hall to St. Louis for a 5th round draft pick. To fill this void the Lions signed DE Dewayne White from Tampa Bay. Little is known about White, who in his 4 previous seasons has played mainly a reserve role backing up Simeon Rice. When Rice went down with an injury last season White stepped in and played very well, prompting the Lions to ink him to a long-term deal when he hit the free-agency market this year.
A few other notable acquisitions: RB T.J. Duckett was signed in what appears to be an attempt to alleviate stress on Kevin Jones (or Tatum Bell if Jones isn't fully recovered from his lis-franc injury suffered at the end of last season) in short yardage situations. Considering that each of the 4 teams that played in the AFC and NFC championship games last year featured a 'two-back attack' this move makes all kinds of sense. G Edwin Mulitalo was signed from the Ravens in order to bolster the pathetic offensive line play from last year which allowed a league high 63 sacks. Mulitalo's credentials include paving the way for former Ravens RB Jamal Lewis in his 2,000 yard season. The Lions also signed CB Travis Fisher who, in addition to have broken his arm twice in his career, is expected to compete with a whole bunch of other guys I either haven't heard of or wish I could forget to see who will take Dre Bly's spot and also to see who gets to come in when Fernando Bryant gets hurt. AGAIN. A whole slew of WR's were signed to short term deals (I count 6 names that weren't on the roster last year) in what will likely be a vain attempt to find a competent number 4 receiver. I believe Shaun McDonald is the only one who got a deal lasting over 1 year, meaning I expect most of these guys to be cut shortly after training camp.
The draft this year was quite interesting. Taking WR Calvin Johnson with the number 2 overall selection was pretty much a foregone conclusion unless the Lions could get a blockbuster trade from another team to move up into their spot. At 6'4 with great hands, a 4.35 40 time and a work ethic worthy of Jerry Rice, we expect Calvin to make an immediate impact on the offense which last year was, at best, spotty. With their second pick the Lions traded down to take QB Drew Stanton out of Michigan State. Stanton played on a horrible MSU team last year and still managed to play well. Mike Martz loves him and he's expected to be tutored under John Kitna for the next year or two and eventually take over. With their 2nd-2nd-round pick the Lions added DE Ikaika Alama-Francis who Rod Marinelli refers to as '5-0' since Ikaika came out of Hawaii and Marinelli can't pronounce his first name. Alama-Francis is probably the most intriguing prospect of the Lions entire draft given his raw athleticism and the fact he didn't start playing football until 2003. With their 3rd-2nd-round selection the Lions picked up S Gerald Alexander out of Boise State. A converted corner with solid speed and great aggression make him a natural to play in Marinelli's Tamp 2 scheme, though, barring injuries, I don't expect him to start until the latter half of the season if at all given that Kennoy Kennedy and Daniel Bullocks are both solid safeties. With our 3rd round pick we added CB Usama Young out of Kent State. A ball-hawk with great speed and aggression he figures to become a solid corner in the Tampa 2 system, but probably not this year.
Keep an eye on: Manuel Ramirez, an overlooked guard who had an awesome senior bowl and Jonny Baldwin, a LB out of Alabama A&M that virtually no one had heard of, both drafted by the Lions in the 4th and 5th rounds respectively.
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Divining the true nature of Qi
Moving to a true post-industrial
I sure hope not. In this post industrial economy education is more important than ever. Most service professions (in name, not actual persons filling those jobs) require some form of schooling. Teachers, lawyers, social workers, and even clergy require at least a 4-year degree and post-secondary education is becoming more expensive by the minute and presently many of our states are near the breaking point just trying to pay for No Child Left Behind. You see my concern? We can barely pay to get our kids through grade 12 when in all reality, unless they want to live the Wal-Mart life (a respectable choice, I guess, but not one we dream of when we imagine our children’s future I suspect), they’ll need at least 4 additional years of schooling. The average 4-year public school in the ’06-’07 school year charged approximately $5,800 per year in between tuition and fees (I suspect “and fees” here refers to textbooks, meals plans and housing) which adds up to $23,200 over the course of 4 years just in “Tuition and fees” and utterly ignoring the cost of living those 4 years (source). Most of this our new graduates will start out with this in brand new shiny debt upon graduation. If our new graduate opts to get a teaching job in
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