No More Rogers For Lions, Please

It's a good thing wide receiver Calvin Johnson's last name isn't Rogers. For if it was, I would have advised the Lions against selecting the high-class player from Georgia Tech with the #2 overall pick in April's NFL Draft -- no matter how much of a sure-thing he appears to be.

The Lions have never gotten much out of the Rogers name. Their current Rogers -- "Big Baby" Shaun -- is again trying management's patience, this time combining his here-today/gone-tomorrow desire to play with criminal charges that he groped an exotic dancer against her will.

It began in 1985, when the Lions established yet another mark for ineptitude by hiring coach Darryl Rogers away from Arizona State University. Rogers never had the credentials to be a successful pro coach -- mainly because he'd only coached in college, which has rarely been the resume of a winning NFL leader. Then Rogers compounded the problem by essentially bringing his entire ASU staff over to the Lions -- and none of THEM had had any NFL experience. The result? A lame duck coach who counted pigeons on the Silverdome ceiling, wondering aloud, "What does it take to get fired around here?"

Then there was Reggie Rogers -- that potentially-dynamo of a defensive lineman. This Rogers had all the tools, physically: he was strong, fast, and reckless. Unfortunately, he combined the last two of those in his automobile, and was tagged with vehicular manslaughter, ending his playing career before it really got started.

And, of course, Charlie Rogers -- draft bust extraordinaire.

Four Rogers, four headaches -- in their own way.

The first-name Rogers haven't been that bad. Roger Zatkoff -- ornery, mean lineman from the 1950s. Roger Brown -- a very competent DL from the 1960s.

Well, at least the Tigers have Kenny Rogers. He seems to have done quite well with that surname.

Maybe we can get "Big Baby" to change his last name to Merriman? Then at least we can pretend.