Tuesday, November 29, 2005

We All Make Mistakes (And BAD Predictions)

I am man enough to admit it when I've shot way wide of an open net, when I've tossed an airball from the free throw line, when I've swung and missed at a floating knuckleball.

Back on July 12, I wrote this juicy little morsel:

In a flash, it seems, the Lions suddenly possess one of the youngest and potentially most exciting offenses in the entire NFL. No joke. Which team tops them, at the skill positions, when it comes to youth and talent?

And this:

But really, this Lions offense is primed for success and could be awfully fun to watch....defenses might have fits with this group.

The words are bright and mocking me as they stare at me thru my computer monitor. Unfortunately, you do not write a blog with invisible text.

It just goes to show you what kind of pep and optimism I, and others had when training camp was about to get into full swing. Everything, indeed, seemed in place for this Lions team to score some points and throw opposing defensive coordinators into a tizzy.

The fact that it didn't happen -- didn't come close to happening -- is a big part of why Steve Mariucci is no longer employed as the Lions head coach.

"Quite frankly," team president Matt Millen said, "we have not lived up to our expectations. I believe we've underachieved as a football team, and I also believe we have not developed our younger players,
and that's bothersome."

So it wasn't just delusional bloggers like yours truly. Even the boss says the Lions had the makings of a good football team, and instead they flushed it down the drain. Of course, the person who says that is also the one in charge of procuring the talent, so what else was he going to say?

"It wasn't me, it was HIM," Millen basically said of himself and Mariucci.

Just like in "Jerry Maguire," when evil agent Bob Sugar says, "It's not show 'friends,' it's show 'business.'"

1 comment:

mhofeld said...

I remember agreeing with you on the Lions. I really thought their offense would be explosive this year.