It's among the greatest, yet saddest of ironies.
The Detroit Lions, no strangers to quarterback controversies. Graduates of the school of hard knocks when it comes to running quarterbacks out of town and finding out, always the hard way, that what they have isn't good enough, so let's turn to the guy with the baseball cap and clipboard. That organization now finds itself sans a controversy, just when it could use one. Yes, that's irony, for all you budding drama and literature students.
It all started with the trade of Bobby Layne, you know.
You might say, "There goes Eno again, with the history and nostalgia." Fair enough. But isn't it funny that the Lions haven't been able to find a suitable replacement for Layne, and he was traded 50 years ago?
Literally, 50 years ago.
Alex Karras wrote about it, both in his book, Even Big Guys Cry, and in a collaborative effort with the late George Puscas of the Detroit Free Press. DT Karras was a rookie in '58, and thus had the distinction of being Layne's "puppy dog" (Layne's words, echoed by Karras); meaning, Karras was to drive Bobby into town every evening after practice during training camp, so Layne could throw down some serious liquor.
"I thought I was going to be cut, because I was drunk every night and hungover every morning," Karras wrote. "I played terribly."
Karras had some grand stories about Layne's alcohol consumption, and the QB's ability to get by on one or two hours of sleep, and STILL be an All-Pro quarterback in practice.
But then Layne, after only a couple games, was traded by the Lions, to the Steelers. It's still a mystery to the oldtimers as to why Layne was REALLY traded. Some say the team tired of Layne's off-the-field antics. There were rumors of debts owed to some unsavory folks. Whatever. But who trades their starting quarterback, just a couple games into defending a world championship? The Detroit Lions, apparently.
So Layne was gone, and the Lions began struggling at the QB position almost immediately. They didn't come close to defending their '57 championship. It was the defense that carried them throughout the 1960s, the offense always a plodding group under the likes of Milt Plum and Karl Sweetan.
Only once -- ONCE -- have the Lions managed to get a quarterback into the Pro Bowl since Layne left: Greg Landry, after the 1972 season. That's stunning, and telling.
The Lions could use a quarterback controversy right about now, but, alas, there isn't anyone who is a serious threat to Jon Kitna's job.
I've been spitting into the wind on this one, but no one can say I didn't warn them.
For years I've begged the Lions to secure a veteran, capable backup -- first for Joey Harrington, then for Kitna. Don't come at me with Jeff Garcia, who was here in 2005. Garcia was a Steve Mariucci hire, one suited for a West Toast Offense that didn't have the personnel in place to run it successfully. Besides, Garcia wasn't so much insurance as he was a mean-spirited threat. There's a difference.
It hasn't been since 1994, when Dave Krieg turned this town on, that the Lions have employed someone who they could turn to in times of duress.
It's not mean-spirited or a bully move to have someone with a number like "8" or "11" under the NFL Exp. column on your roster sheet at quarterback. Most teams around the league have such a person. Someone who's run an NFL team in games played beyond August. Some even have dudes who've played a few games in January.
But not the Lions.
They are left with Dan Orlovsky and Drew Stanton. That's not a quarterback controversy; that's a quarterback travesty. And don't come at me with Aaron Rodgers, either. Rodgers apprenticed under Brett Favre. And shame on you if you don't see the difference there.
It's only two games into the season, yet it feels like it's careening out of control. This might be the time, though very early, to consider a switch under center. Only, the Lions really can't, because there's really no one to turn to. A switch to Stanton, as some have called for, is still a few weeks away from being realistic, due to Stanton's recovery from a thumb injury. And to do so, anyhow, would be a throwing-in-the-towel move, which you hate to see in mid-September, even by the Lions.
There are far more problems with the Detroit Lions than just their quarterback. On that, we can all agree. But with such an important position as quarterback, that the Lions have no one to turn to who has any NFL experience is unconscionable. And, worse, just plain dumb.
The names of the past might not be Hall of Famers (Landry, Bill Munson, Gary Danielson, Eric Hipple, Rodney Peete, Erik Kramer), but many of them had some degree of NFL experience under their belts by the time they were embroiled in their little tug-of-wars in Detroit.
You think Jon Kitna feels pushed by Orlovsky and Stanton?
Where's Steve DeBerg when you need him?
No comments:
Post a Comment