I’m not going to be the first one to say how bad of
an offseason this was for your Detroit Lions.
Two players, two different positions and two arrests each this offseason
may have sealed the fate for both Mikel Leshoure and Nick Fairley. Adding to this laundry list, Johnny Culbreath
also was arrested for a dope charge. It’s
really sad to see these young promising players show their true maturity levels
in their childish acts this offseason.
These guys are professional football players. They are paid to perform, not to smoke pot or
drink and drive. Add these arrests to
the issues with Titus Young in the past couple of weeks and you’ve got some
high draft picks turning into an unmitigated disaster.
There will ultimately be suspensions for these
players. Leshoure and Fairley for sure
will receive suspension, although there is no telling the amount. My guess is at least four games for Leshoure
and maybe eight for Fairley. Commissioner
Goodell has been playing Conan the Barbarian lately, dropping the hammer on the
participants in “Bounty-Gate”. I wouldn’t
be surprised if the penalty for the Lions wasn’t a bit stiffer than what we
anticipate.
I don’t mind if this team has the reputation of
being the “bad boys” of the NFL. Play
hard, hit harder is just fine with me, but do I want this team to be the
Bengals 2.0? Absolutely not.
This team needs players on the field in order to win
games. The Lions gave this fan base ten
wins last year. The benchmark has been
set now and there has to be improvement on last year for this team to trend
upwards. Anything less will be
considered a failure. The Lions will be
without these players for part of the season and it will hurt them. How does management steer this ship and right
the course? Does the team lack leadership? Does Jim Schwartz change the game
plan? Any way you look at it, this offseason has definitely cast doubt on the
hopes for this upcoming season.
Let me know how you think this offseason has gone
for the Lions. Are they the Bengals 2.0?
Leave a comment, hit my Facebook page http://on.fb.me/INlTqF or get at me on
twitter @sportsinthe313
