Anybody who's interested in purchasing this entire site with the forum included, send an e-mail to service@allinpicks.com.

Adam Schefter of NFL.com reports: "The Lions have traded WR Roy Williams to the Cowboys for a first, third and sixth round pick."

http://blogs.nfl.com/2008/10/14/cowboys-acquire-wr-williams-from-detroit/

If the Detroit Lions trade Roy Williams, I am officially cancelling my season tickets. Screw you Detroit Lions.

The Dallas Cowboys are close to a deal to acquire wide receiver Roy Williams from the Detroit Lions, a source told ESPN.com Tuesday. The trade would involve multiple draft picks but would not involve the Cowboys' first-round pick.

The Cowboys are also trying to negotitate a long-term deal with Williams before completing the deal. Williams has expressed unhappiness playing for the winless Lions and can become a free agent after the season unless the team places the franchise tag on him. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones believes Williams is a game-breaker who provides an immediate boost to a faltering offense without quarterback Tony Romo and views him as a potential long-term solution as the eventual replacement for aging Terrell Owens, according to another high-ranking Cowboys source.

The source said the Cowboys are willing to make the deal, but the Lions seem hesitant because they are operating without a general manager. Former GM Matt Millen had discussed the possibility of trading Williams with the Cowboys frequently before he was fired. The Lions had been demanding a first-round draft choice just to consider a deal. The Cowboys could offer a second- and third-round pick, since they have multiple choices in the third round.

ESPN's Chris Mortensen, attending the meeting of league owners, reported that the Cowboys' NFC East rivals the Philadelphia Eagles have also made inquiries about Williams' availability. However, Philadelphia is believed to be more interested in Kansas City Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez. The New York Giants and Green Bay Packers are also pursuing a deal with the Chiefs.

However, sources told ESPN's Michael Smith on Tuesday that it appeared very unlikely Gonzalez would be traded. In Dallas, Jones is known for a failed deal in which he traded two No. 1 draft picks to the Seattle Seahawks for wide receiver Joey Galloway in an attempt to provide Troy Aikman one more chance at the Super Bowl. The Cowboys would like to find a way to avoid the two- to three-season span it seems to take to develop a young receiver for that role. But the Cowboys are concerned about how Owens would react to the addition of another prominent receiver and the possibility it would diminish his role rather than provide him occasional single coverage. The potential negative effect on the overall offensive chemistry is also a concern and some in the organization prefer to wait until the offseason to make such a move.

Either way, Jones definitely wants him and there have been very few times in his two decades of ownership that the Cowboys have failed to acquire a player Jones covets like he does Williams.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3643295

"While there aren't a lot of personnel decisions to be made in-season for new Detroit Lions general manager Martin Mayhew, one of them is considering deals before the Oct. 14 trade deadline.

Mayhew said that he has no plans to open trade talks involving receiver Roy Williams, who will become an unrestricted free agent after this season. Like every GM in the league, Mayhew said he would listen to any offers but he doesn't expect to make any calls concerning Williams and doesn't expect to receive any." ~ Tom Kowalski

In other news, MLive created a list of the top 75 Detroit Lions players to commemorate the Lions' 75th anniversary. Roy is modestly ranked 70th. Not bad, Roy!

• Quick links
• Lions' don't plan on trading Roy!
• Detroit Lions top 75 players of all time
• Roy Williams & philosphy <---- funny!

Matt Millen is finally gone. I apologize for the lack of updates, I will update the crap out of this later.

HE'S FINALLY GONE

Posted by ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert

Calvin Johnson nodded his head vigorously. Roy Williams brought up the subject before we could ask. Yes, in a twist of intuitive irony, the Detroit Lions' big-time receivers couldn't be happier about the team's decision to re-emphasize the running game this season.

More than anything, Lions coach Rod Marinelli envisions the shift as a vehicle for toughening his team. But a natural by-product, both receivers said, should be more opportunities for big plays in the passing game. If all goes well, Williams figures the change will help he and Johnson form one of the top-three receiving duos in the NFL.

"My thing this whole preseason is just for us to run the football," Williams said by phone this week. "I just want us to get that ground game established so we can finally pull the safeties down into the box and give us some chances. In recent years, nobody has ever done that because we couldn't run the ball. That wears on you."

Yes, Williams faced more than his share of double teams in two years under former offensive coordinator Mike Martz. Things fell far out of balance last season, when the Lions attempted the fewest number of running plays (324) in the NFL while throwing the fourth-most passes (587). That combination made them easy to defend despite the gaudy passing numbers Martz's offense produced.

Even with 4,216 passing yards last season, the Lions ranked 16th among NFL teams in points per game (21.6) and 19th in total yards per game (322.9) Neither Williams nor Johnson so much as led the team in receiving, as opponents paid them premium attention while taking their chances with Shaun McDonald (79 receptions) and Mike Furrey (61).

Williams believes that something will have to give if new coordinator Jim Colletto can install a legitimate running game in one summer. Although he almost will certainly see fewer passes than last season, Williams hopes to get a higher percentage of them against favorable coverage -- a formula that elevates his chance to make a big play rather than simply a catch.

In reality, all Williams needs is the threat of a running game -- a balance achieved by the big-play offenses in Indianapolis and Cincinnati, for example.

"I'm not saying we're Marvin [Harrison] and Reggie [Wayne] of the Colts or anything," Williams said. "But I think Calvin and I can be pretty good on the outside if we get a chance. If this thing works the way we hope, I think we're looking at a breakout season. To me, we'll be the third-best duo in the league."

Behind?

Johnson	Williams

"Well, Marvin and Reggie are at the top," Williams said. "And then there's T.J. [Houshmandzadeh] and Chad [Johnson] in Cincinnati. That's about it."

The Lions have been nothing if not vigilant about the transition this summer. They have run the ball 96 times in three preseason games, the fifth-highest total in the league, and thrown only 82 passes. If they keep that pace during the 16-game season, they'll finish 2008 with nearly 200 more running plays than they produced last season.

The running game remains a work in progress, having averaged only 3.4 yards per carry this summer as the Lions mix and match personnel in the backfield. But whether it's coincidence or otherwise, the Lions' passing game has been sharper than ever during the preseason.

To the minimal extent that preseason games serve as a regular-season template, it's worth pointing out that Lions quarterbacks Jon Kitna and Drew Stanton share the preseason league lead in quarterback efficiency. Both have a 150.5 rating, and Kitna has proved exceptionally sharp by completing 18 of 21 passes for 280 yards and two touchdowns.

Johnson has caught nine passes for 170 yards, including four for at least 20 yards, while Williams has five receptions for 87 yards. Both have caught one touchdown in minimal playing time.

"I can't say I've seen an adjustment from defenses so far in the preseason," Johnson said. "After all, it's the preseason. ... But overall, there's no question. If the running game can be effective this year, they'll have to bring an extra man down into the box. That will only help us on the outside."

Effectiveness would be nice, but the mere commitment to run will be important in determining coverage on Johnson and Williams this season. Even if they draw safeties one step closer to the line of scrimmage than those defenders were last season, the Lions will have taken an important step.

Even if it produces below-average numbers, a dedicated ground attack can't be ignored the same way the Lions' running game was last season. An extra step could mean the difference between a 12-yard catch and a 40-yard touchdown. That's all Roy Williams and Calvin Johnson want -- and need.

Bobby Flay, Emeril Lagasse -- and Roy Williams?

They're contributors to NBC's "Sunday Night Football Cookbook," which benefits hunger relief.

Says the book of Williams' Creamy Seafood and Mushroom Pasta: "Roy says he's a penne pasta kind of guy, and what he loves most with his pasta is seafood, lots of it. Add mushrooms and cook it all in a light cream sauce and he's a happy man." The $27.95 book will be in stores Tuesday.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080831/SPORTS01/808310494/1049/rss14

by Tom Kowalski

A fan attending the Detroit Lions open training camp practice on Monday morning was booted out for behaving in an "unruly and disruptive manner.''

Mike Lazzara, a 42-year-old man from Novi, repeatedly shouted at Lions receiver Roy Williams to "quit taking plays off.''

Williams heard the comments while walking back to the huddle and then turned and walked toward the fan in the stands. Lazarra continued to tell Williams not to take plays off.

"Everybody's entitled their own opinion and he voiced his opinion. And I voiced my opinion and that was that,'' said Williams, adding that he was surprised by the outburst. "I don't know where that came from. And I'm like 'Huh?' and he said it again. I just wanted to know where he's getting that from and he said 'You take plays off during the season.' So I said 'OK, why don't you come do my job and I'll do your job and we'll see how it works.' He said it again and I said 'Yes sir, you're right,' and I walked off.''

Williams, one of the most fan-friendly players on the team, said there were a lot of children around and he didn't want the situation to escalate. He said nobody used profanity and he wanted to keep it that way.

"I had no problem with the dude,'' Williams said. "If I had had a problem, I would've climbed over the fence and climbed into the stands. I didn't have a problem with him. I like to interact with the fans and he had a little problem with me. I didn't have a problem with him, I just wanted to hear his opinion. It wasn't a big deal to me. I'm sorry the guy got kicked out. But he did that, not me.''

What happened after that is a little fuzzy.

Lazzara contends that he was told he was getting kicked out of practice.

"They said 'You're out.' I said 'I'll stand here like a mouse in church, I won't say a word. Let me stay.' They no, "No, Coach has already made his decision, you're gone,''' Lazzara said.

Lazzara also said he wouldn't have had a problem with the Lions asking him to keep his "constructive'' comments down.

"I understand it, I'm not oblivious to it ... but to kick me out of the whole thing?'' Lazzara said.

The Lions, though, say they did ask Lazzara to refrain from being disruptive and he refused. Here is a portion of the statement they released:

"A situation occurred during today's morning session involving one fan who behaved in an unruly and disruptive manner. Following complaints from fans in the immediate area, members of our security team discussed the situation with the gentleman and explained the appropriate expected fan code of conduct, as set forth by our organization and the NFL. The gentleman declined to modify his behavior and was asked to leave the morning session. He was invited back to any of the remaining open training camp practice sessions provided his behavior is consistent with a positive experience for all fans in attendance.''

*Said WR Roy Williams, “You know what? I am not bad at blocking. Blocking is a want-to. So I think any receiver can block if they wanted to, but the good ones – you really don’t hear about them blocking.”

*"Speaking of Roy Williams ... At camp, he's really a sight to see. After an offseason during which he -- and the team, for that matter -- waffled about his departure, Williams makes sure he's always center stage. On most days, he dons what have become his trademark pants, a pair of sweats that he cut and frayed at the knees, evoking The Incredible Hulk. Last week, he stripped out of a similar, sweaty pair and tossed them to the crowd after practice. On other days, he goes with a pair of gray biker short-shorts, thus mocking center Dominic Raiola's identical ones. He walks alone and mumbles to himself plenty. And he's not above plopping himself down to rest at any moment. On other days, you could get the sense he's on the verge of becoming an elite receiver. In one individual workout session, Jon Kitna hung up a deep ball out for Williams, who turned on the jets and managed to bring it in on his fingertips while at full speed. Truly amazing concentration. As the crowd erupted, Williams paused and basked in the excitement -- and then he punted the ball in no particular direction. Why, Roy?"

Roy being Roy? Roy Williams is officialy the Lions' Manny Ramirez.

"Detroit Lions receiver Roy Williams was mad at somebody or something, but he wouldn't say what it was.

Early in a team blitz period, Williams was yelling and receivers coach Shawn Jefferson was yelling, but Williams said he wasn't yelling at Jefferson. "I just wanted the practice to go smoother,'' Williams said.

Early in the period, the defense was clobbering the offense but that all changed when the quarterbacks started throwing the ball to Williams, who caught everything in sight and couldn't be stopped.

"We just had the right plays at the right time - and I had a fire lit under my tail,'' Williams said, refusing to admit whether he was serious or not. "Really, I just wanted to get practice going.''

Maybe, but after that drill Jefferson brought a group of receivers to the sideline and they had a small huddle. The group included Williams, Calvin Johnson, Mike Furrey, Devale Ellis and Ron Bellamy and Jefferson had his arms linked with the receivers on each side of him. Jefferson was talking and was pretty animated about whatever he was saying. After they broke it up, peace appeared to be restored.

• One other thing about Roy Williams. You already know that he takes a little boy or girl out of the stands during each practice to be his personal towel and waterboy. Today, Williams grabbed a pair of young girls out of the crowd and put them to work. Williams usually picks a child who is wearing his No. 11 jersey, but not all the time. Today, one girl had a No. 11 jersey and the other didn't.

When Williams picks a child who doesn't have his jersey, after practice he takes them over the small souvenir stand and buys them a No. 11 jersey."

by Tom Kowalski.

What a classy guy.

MICHAEL ROSENBERG of the Detroit Free Press writes:

"I've heard a lot of excuses for an NFL player missing voluntary off-season workouts, but none as hilarious as Roy Williams'. Williams missed the Lions' organized team activities two weeks ago. He said he missed Monday's workouts because he accidentally booked his flight a day late. He missed Tuesday's workout because of bad weather. And then he figured, why come for one day? So he skipped Wednesday.

For those scoring at home: that brings Williams to a total of three excuses. But don't worry, everybody! Williams pinky-swears he isn't bothered by his contract. Williams is in the last year of his deal and has not been offered an extension.

Of course he must be irritated, and you know what? It doesn't matter. Williams has no leverage. All he can do is try to play well and sign a deal after the season. The Lions will have the upper hand then, because they can slap the franchise tag on him.

It will be interesting to see what happens if Williams has a pretty good but not great year and the Lions are bad. Will he want out? Will they overpay him, as they have done with others?

These are legitimate and fair questions for the future. Meanwhile, Williams will remain a Lion, and probably a good one."

Apparently, Shaun Rogers did the Detroit Lions' organization a huge favor by negotiating with the Cleveland Browns to put his $1 million bonus on hold so the Lions could trade for Bodden and the 3rd round pick with the Browns rather than foregoing the trade with Cincinatti (for a 3rd & 5th round pick). Since the trade, the Lions have officially acquired Dwight Smith, Bryan Kelly, and Michael Gaines. The Lions are obviously trying to fill the holes at the cornerback position. I'll update this later.

• Brett Favre officially retires... or does he?
• Teams interested in Roy Williams?
• Up-to-the-minute Lions updates

"DETROIT -- The Detroit Lions on Friday traded Shaun Rogers to the Cincinnati Bengals for third- and fifth-round selections in the NFL draft.

Detroit had been fielding offers for the talented but inconsistent defensive tackle. On Friday, the Lions settled on the Bengals' offer of two picks in the middle of the NFL draft in April.

Rogers is often among the most dominant defensive players in the league. But he failed to live up to expectations at times because of weight and off-the-field problems.

The Bengals, meanwhile, agreed to terms on a three-year contract with linebacker Dhani Jones.

Jones and linebacker Landon Johnson were two of the team's priorities to re-sign once free agency started Friday morning. Jones, who signed with the Bengals during the 2007 season after a number of linebacker injuries, was the first to reach an agreement. Talks continue with Johnson, who is an unrestricted free agent.

The Bengals lost safety Madieu Williams to the Vikings early Friday morning when he agreed to a six-year, $33 million contract.

Information from ESPN.com senior writer John Clayton and The Associated Press was used in this report."

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3271113

*Again, I extremely apologize for the lack of updates for I have been extremely busy with midterms, but my spring break just started, so I'll have time to update the page more often.

'I'm very confident he's here. Very confident', were the words from Rod Marinelli on Roy Williams' future in Detroit. Detroit has been in the news since the free agency period officially started a couple hours ago. It all started a couple days ago when it was known that Detroit was willing to shop Shaun Rogers around. Shaun Rogers was then quoted saying that he would be happy to change teams. Since then, there have been trade rumors between Detroit, Denver, and the N.Y. Jets. The Lions were interested in Jonathan Vilma (who's already signed with the New Orleans Saints), Marcus Stroud from the Jacksonville Jaguars, and L.J. Shelton from the Miami Dolphins.

ESPN.com reports that a trade is imminent involving Shaun Rogers, it's just a matter of time. The Lions already signed former-Buc, Brian Kelly and Dwight Smith from Minnesota. Earlier this week, Detroit dropped CB Fernando Bryant. It's been reported that Detroit is shopping Shaun McDonald: "One possible destination for McDonald would be San Francisco, where he'd be reunited with Mike Martz, who drafted him in 2003 and now leads an offense lacking depth at receiver." Rotoworld reports, "The Lions extended tenders to restricted free agent QB Dan Orlovsky, DT Langston Moore, G Stephen Peterman, and CB Stanley Wilson."

I'm positive the Lions will come up with some deal involving Shaun Rogers within the next day, so stay tuned because this blog will be constantly updated.

• MICHAEL ROSENBERG Should the Lions keep Kitna, Roy Williams and Shaun Rogers?

• NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA'S BLOG Marinelli: Kitna to face competition, Williams to stay

• LIONS OFF-SEASON Marinelli expects Roy Williams back next year: 'I'm very confident he's here. Very confident'

Offensive Report Card for the 2007 NFL Season

Quarterbacks

Jon Kitna: Kitna started out with fire and passion throughout the first half of the season. He set three personal records in 2 games with most yards in a game (446 at Phi 9/23/07), best completion percentage (83.3 vs. Chi 9/30/07) and longest pass (91t at Phi 9/23/07). His numbers unexpectedly and surprisingly dropped from last year as he finished with a total of 4068 passing yards, 18 touchdowns and 20 interceptions. Kitna was praised early in the season for his heart and compassion during gameplay, especially when he sufferred a concussion in week 2 at home against Minnesota. Kitna heroically layed his body on the line during some key third down conversions. Players and fans gained a newfound respect for Jon as he led the Lions to a 6-2 start. From that point on, everything declined and Kitna did little to nothing to help his team win more games. With a 7-9 finishing record, the best Kitna can hope for is one more year, otherwise he is done as a starting quarterback for the Detroit Lions and quite possibly for the NFL.

Final grade: C-

J.T. O'Sullivan: He came in at the right time (Kitna's revelation game) and helped secure the win against Minnesota. Besides that, he was given little time to prove himself. We don't know much about him as Martz and the coaching staff have little faith in him and Orlovsky.

Final Grade: Incomplete

Dan Orlovsky, Drew Stanton: Did not play.

Final Grade Incomplete

Running Backs

Kevin Jones: KJ was inactive for the first two weeks of the season and didn't really start playing until Week 4 at home against Chicago. He finished with 581 rushing yards (780 total) and 8 touchdowns in 13 games. Ever since his "explosive" rookie season, Kevin Jones has not amounted to much in his stay here in Detroit. Jones only rushed for 100+ once this season (@ Chi) and averaged more than 5 yards/carry once (TB). He got injured again the final home game of the season against the Chiefs. Many critics were saying that Kevin Jones, along with other offensive weapons on the Lions (we'll get to that later), was not being utilized enough receiving minimal carries in all their losses. KJ believers refuse to acknowledge his faults and weaknesses and contiunally blame the offensive line. We can all agree that our offensive line has its issues, but that's for another day. To sum it all up, Kevin Jones can absolutely not block, he can not play on third down (normally a throwing down), he can not catch and run with the ball, he dances around too much in the backfield, he is injury prone, can not break off long runs (34 yard run vs Chicago was his longest of the season), and he is a liability in the red zone. Do I think KJ has some talent? Yes, definitely. Do I think KJ belongs in Detroit? No.

Final Grade: D

T.J. Duckett: Everytime I saw him run, it would seem like he would guarantee the offense a 5 yard play. There were stretches during a game where he would run the ball consecutively, maybe 3 or 4 plays, and he would pick up at least 2 first downs. Duckett is by no means an elusive, first-string running back. He is a pure power RB, comparable to Najeh Davenport/Jerome Bettis of the Pittsburgh Steelers. He's a great compliment to any offense. T.J. rushed for half the yards that Kevin Jones did with only 1/3 of the amount of KJ's carries. He finished the season strong with 335 yards and 3 touchdowns only on 65 carries! His average yards/carry was 5.2. yes, 5.2. Why did he not get the ball more often? He had a monster game against the Kansas City Chiefs with 102 rushing yards on 15 carries. T.J. has heart and fits perfectly with the Lions organization, in his home state.

Final Grade: B

Tatum Bell: So the Lions get ANOTHER 1000 yard product from the Denver Broncos. A mediocre running back will only run for 1000 yards with a good system, a good coach, and a good offensive line. The Lions have none of those, so they should look elsewhere for a running back. Bell had a great first game against Oakland with 87 yards on 15 carries, but he fumbled near the goal line in week 2 against Minnesota (seems like everything happened in that game, eh?) and Marinelli lost all confidence in him. The special thing about Bell is his elusiveness and speed after catching the ball. He is comparable to Westbrook of the Eagles. Bell demanded a trade, but the Lions thought it would be better to just put him on the inactive list instead of trading him or getting any value for him whatsoever. +1 to Millen! In reality, we were placed our best defensive player, Dre Bly, on the inactive list. D'oh!

Final Grade: Incomplete

Aveion Cason: We didn't see much of him running the ball, but he started to return the ball on kickoffs. He did a great job towards the end of the season, but it was too late anyways. Expect to see him back next year returning kicks.

Final Grade: Incomplete

Fullbacks

Jon Bradley: He showed some strength as a rare 300 lb. fullback. Like T.J., he was a short yardage go-to guy who can pretty much guarantee the offense a first down on a third and short. The coaching staff forgot they had him and failed to properly utilize him. He finished the season with 5 carries.

Final Grade: Incomplete

Casey FitzSimmons: Casey is a bit reminiscent to Cory Schlesinger with his hard work and determination. If anyone remembers, FitzSimmons returned an onside kick for a touchdown to seal the icing on the cake in the huge come-from-behind win against the Chicago Bears. If you were at the games, you would see him doing all the little things. He was all over the field, unfortunately, he's an enegry-type guy and not a playmaker. He is one of my favorite players, but I refuse to give anyone on this team an A.

Final Grade: B+

Wide Receivers

Roy Williams: Roy's numbers were skyrocketing in the beginning of the year but started to decline as Kitna played worse. Roy finished with 838 yards and only 5 touchdowns, being the lowest of his young career. He did not play the final 4 games of the season, so he obviously would have had bigger numbers. Roy dropped the ball several times in key situations but my motto is, "someone has to get the ball to him before he can catch it". He was not being thrown to enough. Rumors are flying about his preferred, future destinations being somewhere in or near Texas, closer to his hometown. Like I've said millions of times before, Roy is the leader of this team and if he left, the Lions would lose many, many fans.

Final Grade: B

Calvin Johnson: Like Roy, Calvin was unhappy because the ball wasn't coming his way enough. Calvin made some absolutely spectacular catches throughout the season, even though he was battling a back injury. It always seemed like his amazing catches came low rather than high. He is 6'5'', 235, and runs a 4.x in the 40. Throw the ball high and let him go get it! He is a monster, let him do the work. He finished with 756 yards and 4 touchdowns in 15 games. Many critics and analysts are saying that he was a huge disappointment this year, at least compared to other rookie phenoms, like Adrian Peterson and Marshawn Lynch. Calvin finished with the 2nd best statistics for all rookie wide receivers, behind Kansas City Chiefs', Dwayne Bowe.

Final Grade: B-

Shaun McDonald: McDonald led the team in total yards, being only 57 short of 1000. He finished with 6 receiving touchdowns. McDonald basically took Furrey's place and became a key addition to our offense. He was the darkhorse in the offense as he always seemed to be open. Sometimes, his "open-ness" caused many fans to moan at the playcall; McDonald would often become the go-to guy in key situations and failed to convert the big play. Why throw the jump ball to him when you have Roy and Calvin single covered?

Final Grade: B+

Mike Furrey: With the addition of Calvin Johnson and Shaun McDonald, Mike Furrey's numbers dropped significantly. He went from 1086 yards and 6 touchdowns to 664 total receiving yards and only 1 touchdown this season. Kitna and Martz favored McDonald over him and Furrey tended to catch the ball when it really didn't matter. Do not expect him to return next year.

Final Grade: C

Troy Walters, Brandon Middleton: Did not have enough gametime.

Final Grade: Incomplete

Offensive Line

Final Grade: F

Just kidding. I have to go for now, but I'll grade the offensive line, the defense, the special teams, the coaching staff, the management, and the ownership sometime later this week.

Here are final, overall grades by position:

• Quarterbacks: C-
• Running Backs: D+
• Wide Receivers: B
• Fullbacks: Inc.

If you have any questions or comments, drop me a line or leave a comment.

Kitna out.

Again, I extremely apologize for the lack of updates. The biggest news coming out Detroit so far is the reporting of the Lions supposedly wanting to fire Mike Martz regardless of last Sunday's outcome, despite gaining praise and acclaim from quarterback, Jon Kitna. Things became quite eerie when Rod Marinelli refused to comment on Mike Martz's "future" in the Detroit Lions organization. It's obvious that Martz's offensive schemes do not coincide with Marinelli's philosophies. Marinelli favors the run before the pass and Martz was highly criticized after the Lions put up 7, 8 & 9 rushing attempts during their losing kid. Although Mike Martz seems like he definitely wants out, Kitna has been quoted saying, "From everything he's [Martz] told me, he wanted to continue coaching me."

While the coaching seems like the least of Detroit's problems, questions are starting to arise regarding the quarterback, running back, offensive live, wide receivers, defense... hell that's the entire team. ESPN Insider has reported that 3 of Detroit's top players, Kevin Jones, Roy Williams, and Shaun Rogers all seem like they will not return to Detroit next year. So, the Lions finish 7-9 and miss out on the playoffs after a surprising 6-2 start. Should this be considered improvement? Should Millen get another contract extension? Does Detroit start over... again?

This is just the beginning. To sucess, you may ask? Naw. Tom Brady and LT on the Detroit Lions wouldn't even excite me at this point. I'll update again within the next few days with a grade report on all the Detroit Lions' players.

Happy Holidays.

Links 'n Things:

• Report: Mike Martz fired from Detroit?
• Marinelli's stance on Martz's future.
• Drew Sharp: Blow 'em up; Forget 7-9, Lions need to start over.

If things couldn't get any worse for the Lions, Roy Williams has suffered an injury to the PCL of his right knee. Supposedly, Stanley Wilson suffered a similar injury and was put on the IR. Although things aren't looking good for Roy, he is optimistic for his return, stating that he should be ready for the season finale at Lambeau Field. Though he may be outspoken, Roy is the definite leader of this Detroit offense and without him, who will step up? Calvin Johnson? Calvin is still learning the playbook to Martz's complex offense, running wrong routes and angering Kitna in the process. One thing is for certain, if the Lions want to keep any aspirations alive for the playoffs, they will need Roy Williams to play...

• Detroit Free Press
• ESPN Injury Updates

Hello everyone. The site's logistics are now completed. Content, including a forum, should be up within the next couple days, or so. Expect brand new wallpapers with Roy Williams and other Detroit Lions' players. Expect highlight videos, pictures, interviews and alot more. Come back soon!

Leave a comment with suggestions, comments, concerns, and questions. If anyone else wants to trade links, leave a comment here.