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Why Detroit Lions’ Fnas Shuold Trsut Jim Schwartz
Published: May 23, 2009
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Tehre is not a tpyo in the tltie of tihs atrclie.
Or in tihs snetecne ethier.
You may not blveiee taht you cluod acluaclty uesdnatnrd waht tihs atrclie syas, but jsut raed on bcusaee you rlealy can.
Tusrt me, as wlel as Jim Swratchz. We btoh konw waht we are diong…eevn if you tnihk we are btoh czary.
I haer ya’ luod and celar.
The Dteriot Loins pkcied Mtat Sfftarod and Bnrdaon Pttgeriw!
Waht was Swchtraz tiknhnig? We nedeed dfsenfe! Our dsfesne skcued! Two ofnefvise plyares in runod one?
Aollow me to epixalin.
The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to Cmabrigde Uinervtisy rsceeacrh, syas it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the fsirt and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae.
The rset can be a taotl mses and you wlil sltil raed it wouthit a porbelm.
This is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter, but the wrod as a wlohe.
Amzanig huh?
Trust the Schwartz
Now hear me out and you’ll see that what the Lions’ did at Radio City Music Hall is even more amazing than this simple language trick.
Lions’ fans have been burned for over 50 years! They’re leery. I get it. I’m one of them.
Although there is plenty of skepticism out there in the Lions’ pride right now, I think this parlor trick illustrates perfectly why Jim Schwartz deserves our trust.
What he did makes perfect sense, even if not at first glance to us outside of the NFL.
Trust me, like you just did with the mixed up words. He understands this crazy football “language” too!
We may not get every move he’s done so far, but he’s putting together a team that will make sense. Take a deep breath and trust him.
I know. It looks crazy. Just read on and you’ll see it as clear as the messed up words above.
Winnerese Spoken in Latrobe
The NFL Draft is a good place to see this crazy “language” that the good coaches speak so fluently. It’s called Winnerese.
Consider the established winner in the NFL—the Pittsburgh Steelers. If you analyze what they do, you’ll see that Coach Schwartz did the same thing. Take the best talent on the board.
I can hear you as I type.
“We didn’t need a quarterback, a tight end, and a safety. We needed help on the lines, especially our defense that ranked dead last!”
Let’s consider the defending champions and what they did in the draft with their first three picks.
The Steelers picked talent first when they chose defense with Ziggy Hood. Do they need defense now? No! Do they need talent? Yes! He was the best guy on the board.
Then they grabbed Kraig Urbik, an offensive lineman. A giant at 6’5″ and over 320 pounds! Do they need him now? No. Was he the most talented on the board? Yes!
Next they chose Mike Wallace, the fastest WR on the board for returns at a sizzling 4.28! He may be a stretch, but that speed is too much to pass up for receiver routes or returns. Imagine Devin Hester shot out of a cannon?
The first three picks are where you get your starters, statistically speaking. The next five or so picks are for depth, development, or special team players.
All other holes not addressed at the draft get filled via free agency (don’t kid yourself, these coaches all know each other very well and they know who will be available). Lots of good players will get cut or capped over the summer.
The Summer Draft
Schwartz has those guys in mind. He has a “draft board” right now for summer cuts. Trust me, er…him. This ain’t voodoo.
Now if you stink like the Motown Kitties, then you may have to overpay free agents, make “starting” promises, or agree to lengthy contracts to old veterans. It has to begin somewhere.
The next year, however, you need less free agents as those previous year’s top picks become legitimate starters. The next year even less free agents are needed when those three guys start, and so on.
After five or so years, your team is loaded with talent. You can actually trade away draft picks (as Bill “the stockpiler” Belichick did this year, dropping out of the first round) and top flight free agents start calling you!
Why? Because they want to win. They see your coach knows what he’s doing and they want to win a championship. All athletes know Winnerese when they hear it.
The Red Wing’s GM, Ken Holland, is fluent in Winnerese. Just ask Marion Hossa!
So taking the best quarterback, the best tight end, and the best safety makes perfect sense…if you’re listening.
Deos it mkae snsee to you now? It deos to me…and to Jim Stchawrz.
Wlcoeme to the czray lngaguae of how to bilud a wniner in the NFL.
Tsrut the Shrtwacz.
He kwons waht he’s dinog.
Waht do you hvae to lsoe, but lsonig istlef?
My First-Place NFL Team: The Depression Lions of ’34
Published: May 20, 2009
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What can $7,952.08 buy you these days?
Certainly not an NFL franchise, that’s for sure (although a lot of Lions’ fans would have certainly considered selling after last year’s depressing numbers).
In 1934, however, that was the price of the Portsmouth Spartans who were purchased by Dick Richards and moved from Ohio to Detroit—your very own Detroit Lions were born!
Although 12,000 fans watched their very first game, somewhat of a sellout for the fledgling sport, the real story in Detroit in 1934 was the Tigers. They ended up going to the World Series and losing in game seven to Dizzy Dean’s Cardinals.
Bet I’m the only surviving fan of that Lions team left in Michigan. Double or nothing says you didn’t even know they had seven straight shutouts that year.
Uh huh. Knew it.
Well, meet my Detroit Lions! A team of firsts.
They started the Thanksgiving Day tradition that we still watch, but rarely enjoy. Although it was a 19-16 loss to Halas’ Bears, thanks to Bronko Nagurski’s touchdown, they still finished the season with a 10-3 record.
And it was played on almost 100 radio stations across the country. Another first.
The Lions could have tied the game with a field goal from the 20, but opted to go for the win with a touchdown.
What a team! Gutsy stuff!
Who could forget the Ox, Mule, Clare, Tarzan, Fleckenstein, Dutch, Buster, Ace, and Lumpkin?
Well, apparently everyone since no one talks about these Lions anymore. All we hear about is the 0-16 Lions.
Enough already. Let’s not dwell in the past, Motown…unless it’s waaaay in the past.
And why do we Lions’ fans live in 2008 and not 1934? Ya’ got me. I say let’s hear more about the ’34 Lions.
These guys played with a real pigskin for a football and wore those leather “hats” they called a helmet. Think movie star George Clooney here.
Glenn Presnell was our leather-headed star back then. He’s responsible for our Honolulu blue and silver colors too. Well, actually he and his wife chose that ensemble when Mr. Richards spread out several uniforms to choose from for the Lions’ trademark look.
Be thankful. They passed up orange and black. (No offense Cincy, but those Halloween duds are pretty scary.)
And Presnell, just like all these Depression-era players, was rugged. How tough? He lived to be almost 100 years old…in a town called Ironton!
What made these guys so steely? Hard to say since none of them are around anymore, but maybe it was their diet.
For their Thanksgiving dinner before playing the Bears, Richards, the owner of WJR radio, had a real Michigan bear brought in for the players to eat!
Grrrreat stuff, eh?
So why is this team my favorite?
C’mon now. Think about the NFL headlines these days. These guys were sturdy dudes with an attitude. They embraced the Motor City’s blue collar ethic with both paws and played with flair.
And did I mention they won?
Presnell’s winning kick of 54 yards against the Packers stood for 61 years until a kid named Jason Hanson finally beat it. Another first.
Oh yeah. Their coach’s name? And this must be a first too.
Potsy…Potsy Clark.
Ya’ just can’t make this stuff up, folks. Even Richie Cunningham couldn’t write this script!
Happy Days are here again…the skies above are (Honolulu) blue again!
Go Lions!
