Bleacher Report - Ann Arbor

Imagine If the Detroit Pistons Had Decided to Draft Carmelo Anthony

Mike B. — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 02:20:01 -0500

Each and every morning, Detroit Pistons president Joe Dumars probably wakes up and bangs his head against the wall a couple of times.

He then stares at a giant portrait of Denver Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony hanging over his fireplace and asks himself, "Why did I ever draft Darko Milicic?"

Okay, I'm sure that doesn't happen, but you never know. I've seen stranger things in my day.

The decision to use the second overall pick of the 2003 NBA Draft on Milicic, the mysterious seven-foot Serbian instead of Anthony, the freshman who led Syracuse to a national championship, was perhaps the worst move of Dumars' executive career.

Darko turned out to be a major bust while Anthony quickly blossomed into one of the league's brightest stars after he was selected by the Nuggets with the third overall pick.

But who could blame Dumars, though. Milicic was widely considered the best big man prospect in the entire draft and was said to possess the skills to score inside and out which was just what the Pistons needed.

So what if Dumars and co. had selected Anthony instead of Milicic?

Sure, the Pistons won a championship in 2004 over the highly favored Lakers with Milicic on the bench, but just imagine how many rings they may have won with 'Melo in the lineup.

With a ridiculous starting lineup of Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace, and Rip Hamilton, the Pistons could've beaten San Antonio in the 2005 finals and Dallas in 2006. Yes, they could've become a dynasty.

But then on the other hand, Anthony could've totally ruined the team's chemistry since he wasn't exactly known for his defense like everyone else on the squad. Head coach Larry Brown could've helped him, though, with that aspect of his game.

It's uncertain what would've happened with Tayshaun Prince. He wouldn't have ever cracked the starting five with Anthony around so he likely would've become the sixth man or been traded for frontcourt help to back up the Wallaces.

Oh well, no one will ever know exactly what may have happened if Carmelo ended up in Detroit. We'll just have to wonder, "what could have been," just like Joe D does everyday, right before he looks at his other portraits of Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

Just kidding, Joe.

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For Detroit Red Wings, December Games Could Put Season on the Line

Matt Hutter — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:41:02 -0500

So, it's around this time every year that people start looking forward to the holidays, spending time with friends and family, and winding down the year that was.

Work slows down, holiday parties and Secret Santa gifts begin popping up, and diets and spending budgets start getting tossed out the window.

In short, we start slacking off.

Here's hoping the Detroit Red Wings don't start taking the same attitude towards work in December that most of us do.

Detroit's December games, which begin in earnest on Thursday against the Edmonton Oilers, may very well dictate the Wings' chances for doing well the rest of the season.

With key players like Nicklas Kronwall, Valtteri Filppula, and Jason Williams out until the end of the month (at the earliest), winning games in December will not be easy.

Added to the difficulty is the mixed bag of opponents Detroit will face in the final month of 2009.

Tilts against Edmonton, New Jersey, New York (Rangers), St. Louis, Anaheim, Nashville, Phoenix, Columbus (twice), Chicago (twice), Tampa Bay, Dallas, and Colorado aren't exactly easy to handicap.

Since starting off as the two hottest teams in the Western Conference, Colorado and Phoenix have started to run hot and cold, but which teams will the Wings end up facing?

Nashville has been the hottest team in the NHL of late, but will they be cooled off again when they meet the Wings in a few weeks?

Most teams wet the bed when they see Chicago on the schedule, but Detroit's beaten them in the only meeting so far this season. Does this bode well for their chances against them in December?

Eastern Conference teams are always a bit of a mystery, so there's really no way to predict how those three games will go.

Facing this much ambiguity in the schedule, the key for the Red Wings' success (if they are indeed determined to have it) will be consistency.

Through 26 games so far this season, the Red Wings have largely been inconsistent in their effort and execution.

However, when Detroit plays as a five-man unit and executes on playing a patient, up-tempo game, they've shown that, regardless of who's in the lineup, they're as good as any team in the league.

Starting now, Detroit must recognize this pattern and look to apply it game in and game out.

Unlike years past, Detroit simply can't recover from an off night.

Their decrease in depth, made even more shallow by injuries, means that if they start off on the wrong foot, next to nothing is going to stop them from falling flat on their face.

The Red Wings have 14 games on the schedule for December. If they can win nine of them, they'd likely put themselves in good position in the ultra-competitive, yet still close, Central Division.

Speaking of divisional play, Detroit will face all of their divisional rivals at least once this month.

One can bet that, regardless of the opponent, Detroit will be facing a determined and tenacious team aiming to beat two points out of them.

The Red Wings must consistently match this ferocity if they have any chance of doing the same to the other team.

This focus will go a long way towards not only improving their position in the standings, but also ensuring that the return of Kronwall, Filppula, Williams, and eventually Franzen, is but more fuel to their fire rather than the spark they hope will ignite it.

Again, now's the time to lock into a mode of playing a consistent team game. But, that being said, December would also be a great time for some players to step up and contribute.

The first of these players is forward Ville Leino.

Leino was signed to a two-year deal in the offseason and was, at the time, considered to be a steal given his performance with limited action last season (9 pts, +5 in 13 games).

Leino's first NHL goal seemed to suggest that, like Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg before him, he was yet another diamond plucked from the proverbial rough by GM Ken Holland.

However, to this point, Leino has been an absolute bust.

He's on pace for 16 points this season, has already been benched once, and looks, at times, utterly lost on the ice.

Additionally, Leino consistently elects not to shoot when given the option.

His 38 shots on net is dead last among Detroit players who've played in 25 games or more this season.

Leino's limited physical upside has also proved problematic, as he's been absolutely plastered several times by opponents.

Ville Leino was signed for one purpose: offense.

With Johan Franzen and Valtteri Filppula out of the lineup, Leino must immediately start to pick up his game if he has any hope of remaining a regular roster player upon their return.

There is another Red Wing that could really use a shot in the arm: Nicklas Lidstrom.

While it is difficult to criticize one of the all-time greatest players in NHL history, one does have to look at Lidstrom's projected season point total of 25 as nothing less than alarming.

Lidstrom has two assists and a minus-six rating over his past 10 games.

Granted, not many Wings were scoring with any consistency during this time, however, when your team captain and No. 1 defenseman is playing like this, it doesn't exactly inspire confidence amongst the rest of the team.

Some would point to Lidstrom's age as a contributing factor, and, while he's definitely lost a step, he still appears more than capable of keeping up with the speed of the game.

Lidstrom's problem, like the team he captains, is a lack of sustained, offensive consistency.

One has to believe that if he can start to play with the same skill, drive, and effectiveness that has defined his career, the rest of the team will follow suit.

So, with many of us glazing over at the thought of gift-giving, vacation time, and all the welcome distractions that accompany the holidays, the Detroit Red Wings need to apply a laser focus to the work ahead of them in December.

If they continue to limp along through December with inconsistent play and unfocused execution, they might very well have ample time to enjoy the company of friends and family come April.

For, like us, they too will be watching Game One of the 2009-10 playoffs from the comfort of their homes.

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Michigan State Football Suspends Eight Players; More Than Bowl Game at Stake

Nick Mordowanec — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 13:08:55 -0500

Michigan State’s football program endured a tumultuous season full of disappointments and shortcomings. Now, the team is facing bigger issues off the field.

Michigan State has suspended eight players following a widely publicized altercation at a campus residence hall. The events stem from a Nov. 22 incident with a fraternity, as well as a fight at a local nightclub a night earlier.

Last week, coach Mark Dantonio dismissed sophomore running back Glenn Winston from the team, along with junior safety Roderick Jenrette—two players present at the residence hall incident.

Other players suspended are wide receiver Mark Dell, wide receiver B.J. Cunningham, wide receiver Fred Smith, running back Ashton Leggett, cornerback Chris L. Rucker, linebacker Brynden Trawick, nose tackle Ishmyl Johnson, and defensive end Jamiihr Williams. Five more players may also be suspended when identified by police.

The incident is a PR nightmare for the Spartans, becoming a national story and putting a big black eye on the program and its players. Although not all players were involved, it included many big-name players who have started games, such as Rucker, Dell, Cunningham, and Leggett.

This is not what the team and the university should be talking about a few short weeks before a bowl game is played, which will be Dantonio’s third bowl game appearance in his three seasons at the helm at Michigan State. Whether it will be playing in the Alamo Bowl or the Insight Bowl, the Spartans will be heavily undermanned.

Look, I have defended Dantonio time and time again. I defended his decision to go with a dual-quarterback system, I supported him after the team’s porous 1-3 start, and I have said that he will one day get to the ultimate point of being at the top of the Big Ten.

But when it comes to the suspensions of key players and dismissing other guys off the team for good, it’s just gone too far. Dantonio’s goal as the head honcho of the program is to make sure incidents like these don’t happen, and establishing precedent is something most Spartan fans thought he had done in his first couple years here.

Dantonio has been mum on the incident, as has athletic director Mark Hollis. It is a situation which must be handled with care, but these players have made their coach and their university look like thug central.

The one player I look at most obtusely is Glenn Winston.

Winston is no longer a member of the football team, but before he was officially dismissed he had received a second chance.

Winston was convicted of assault and battery after being front and center in an altercation with the Spartans’ hockey team, receiving a 180-day jail sentence. When he was released, Dantonio gave him another chance, another opportunity to redeem himself on and off the field.

It looked as if Winston had learned his lesson. He was running hard, following team rules, and acting as the team’s workhorse tailback prior to getting injured. Nobody could have said anything bad about Winston—until now.

He was one of the first two names to be announced, and many more have come out of the woodwork since then.

Dantonio needs to address the media soon and make a strong statement regarding the state of the program, although I don’t think his job is in jeopardy. He can only control so much, and what his players do on their own time reflects on him but more so on themselves.

Winning a bowl game has just become increasingly more difficult, but the state of the program and how these issues will be resolved is what is more important in the long run.

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Resurgent Tomas Holmstrom Key to Detroit Red Wings' Staying Above Water

Greg Eno — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 12:30:30 -0500

For 13 years, Tomas Holmstrom has been the NHL's Redwood. He's been chopped and hacked, and if they could have taken a chainsaw to him, they would have done that too.

In last spring's playoffs, it looked as if the lumberjacks in the NHL masquerading as defensemen were finally about to be able to cry "Timber!"

Holmstrom, the league's premier disruptor of enemy goal creases and netminders' vision, shrunk last season. He scored a mere 14 goals.

That's OK, the optimists said. Holmstrom is a playoff guy. A player who rises to the occasion at a time where goals are uglier than Keith Richards. A time where you don't need skates, you need work boots. When there are more scrums in the crease than in a rugby match.

You don't score goals in the playoffs, you will them in. And Tomas Holmstrom was the unmovable pillar, the giant Redwood in front of the opposing goal. He took more whacks than the losing family in a Mafia war.

But it all seemed to finally be catching up to him last spring. The deeper the Red Wings burrowed into the playoffs, the less visible Holmstrom was. He was the Incredible Shrinking Hockey Player.

His age---he'll be 37 in January---and his lack of production caused know-it-all bloggers and bottom-feeding sports writers to fear that Holmstrom was at the end of the line.

Yes, I'm confessing. I was among those who whispered that maybe it was Olly Olly Oxen Free for Holmstrom's NHL career.

Who could have blamed him had he retired, anyway? It's no fun being a human pinata for 13 years.

But look who is among the Red Wings' scoring leaders as the first third of the season is nearing its close.

Tomas Holmstrom, with 10 goals.

Holmstrom looks to be no more finished than a playing of "Hey Jude" on the radio.

He's on pace to deflect, nudge, carom, knee, head-butt---whatever it takes---30 pucks across enemy goal lines this season. He's only done that once---when he tallied 30 goals in 2006-07.

Holmstrom has picked a wonderful time to regain his mojo.

The Red Wings have been so decimated by injuries and free agent losses that they barely resemble, today, the team that took the ice against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. And that wasn't even six months ago.

So what better time for an oldie-but-goodie like Holmstrom to rediscover himself and put all thoughts of retirement and accusations of being washed up to rest?

You think Holmstrom's goals are just ugly and nothing else? The Red Wings are 7-2 when Holmstrom scores.

Though he's on a bit of a cold streak now---just one goal in his past nine games---Holmstrom is nonetheless having a surprisingly good season, doing his part to somewhat neutralize the team's losses up front.

And yes, he's still in front of the goal crease, setting up camp and making life miserable for opposing netminders, flashing his big No. 96 square in their peepers. Still taking hacks and chops.

The NHL's almost-37-year-old Redwood is still standing, after all.

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Michigan State Exposed in Loss To North Carolina...Again

Daniel Muth — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 01:27:12 -0500

Clang.

If the sound was a musical note, then the Michigan State Spartans where writing somewhat of a symphony in their 89-82 loss to the young North Carolina Tar Heels in the marquee matchup of the Big 10/ACC Challenge.

Chris Allen led the band with a 0-6 night from beyond the arc, while first chairs Kalin Lucas and Korie Lucious added 0-3 and 0-5 performances to complete the brick-fest sonata.

All told, the Spartans went 2-20 from beyond the arc, a measly 10 percent, with the two makes belonging to Durrell Summers, who showed some spirit in the second half to bring the Spartans back within striking distance despite their dismal night shooting.

Carolina started the game hot behind the inside presence of Deon Thompson, Ed Davis, and a litany of other big bodies, exposing Michigan State's inability to guard the interior that also plagued them in their close affair with Gonzaga.

More and more it appears that the loss of Goran Suton from last year's Final Four squad is something they are ill-prepared to handle, particularly on the defensive end, where the Spartans were simply unable to contest shots and unable to win the battle of the boards.

Though few teams in the nation can boast the type of size and skill that Carolina can, coach Tom Izzo is going to have to find a way to shut down the interior play of the longer teams in the league if these Spartans are going to make any noise in the NCAA tournament this year.

Though he's a coach that prides himself on tough man-to-man defense, this particular Spartan team will almost certainly have to play some zone, as the Tar Heels shot an impressive 58 percent, largely on the strength of their interior game.

Carolina forward Ed Davis went 8-10 from the field for 22 points, and his counterpart Deon Thompson added 14. They also caused enough havoc inside to foul out both Delvon Roe and Draymond Green, which left MSU's short-handed front line even shorter.

Though North Carolina only marginally won the rebounding battle 36-34, they seemed to out-compete the Spartans on the boards at key moments, particularly late in the game after missed free-throws and errant shots. It often fell to guard Durrell Summers to try to box out players over half of a foot taller.

Surprisingly, though this was touted as a matchup of MSU's great backcourt vs. UNC's great frontcourt, the best guard on the floor was clearly Carolina's Larry Drew Jr., who scored 18 points on excellent 6-7 shooting while handing out six assists.

Michigan State's Kalin Lucas finished with a 6-17 night with four assists, scoring most of his points late when Carolina was guarding the three and allowing penetration. During the first half and early second, Lucas found dribble penetration against the tough Carolina defense to be slow-going, and was challenged by their length when he actually made it to the basket.

All this said, Michigan State had their chances in this game.

After an initial shooting clinic put on by the Tar Heels that allowed them to enter halftime with a 16-point lead, Carolina cooled off from the field and started turning the ball over.

As far down as 19 and facing a hostile crowd, the Spartans chipped away at the lead, getting their fast break offense in gear and scoring some easy layups as a result.

Unfortunately, when left in their half-court sets they were startlingly inept.

They played with little urgency, often using the entire shot clock just to get a poor shot, passing up open looks for contested ones, and more or less seeming confused about were to go with the basketball at times.

Credit North Carolina's defense for much of this, as their length on the exterior also caused troubles for the Spartans who appeared to doubt their ability to get off a shot.

Typical of a Tom Izzo-coached team, the Spartans never gave up, and it's a testament to their resilience that they lost by only single digits in a game that they were mostly dominated. If a couple of the wide-open threes had gone down late, they may have actually stolen this one.

In that sense this can be a valuable loss for the Spartans if they take some positives away from it and learn how they need to play.

They are not going to win many games against good teams with the type of shooting performance that they put up tonight, and we can only hope that this trend gets righted over the course of the season.

So far, shooting has been their Achilles heal.

The one bright spot against North Carolina was Raymar Morgan, who shot 7-10 from the field for a solid 18 points.

Still, they need to see a vast improvement in their interior defense.

Delvon Roe needs to improve his positioning and not go for every head fake, 6'10" freshman Garrick Sherman needs to improve his footwork and stay between his man and the basket, and Draymond Green needs to keep up his great body position without slapping down at the ball.

He and Roe both picked up some cheap fouls in this game.

So the Spartans are a work in progress, which to me is not particularly surprising as, unlike many Sparty fans, I thought they were ranked a little high and wondered how they were going to replace Suton in the middle.

Honestly, their shooting should improve, and their interior defense will undoubtedly get better.

Carolina is a very good team stacked with a lot of young talent that made for a great early season test for the Spartans.

Only time will tell if they learned their lesson, but hopefully they are quick studies.

Because if they sing that "chorus of clang" as a Christmas carol against No. 2 Texas later in the month, they'll probably be given the hook.

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I Still Like Michigan State Over North Carolina

Paul Swaney — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:50:33 -0500

After watching tonight's Michigan State/North Carolina clash, it may be easy to jump to the conclusion that the Tar Heels have once again demonstrated their superiority over Tom Izzo's squad. Yet, I am still left with the feeling that Michigan State would win a best-of-seven series.

In a performance that conjured images of Villanova's miracle 1985 championship shooting clip of 78.6 percent, North Carolina came out hitting on all cylinders. Led by Larry Drew, Carolina shot nearly 70 percent from the field in the first half, taking a 16-point lead into the locker room.

Michigan State shot 10 percent from three-point range, a performance that is unlikely to be duplicated for the entire remainder of its season. Additionally, Kalin Lucas had a miserable game on the offensive end, scoring a quiet 15 points on 6-17 shooting.

But this is less about re-capping the game, and more about the potential seen out of this athletic Michigan State team. What this team lacks in size, it more than compensates for with its athleticism, shooting, and depth.

Look for Michigan State to trounce a decent Wofford team this Friday, and if there is another re-match against Carolina in March or April, I like the Spartans chances to prevail.

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Michigan State Football Suspends Eight Players

Bret Feddern — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:38:12 -0500

Michigan State University has suspended eight football players in the aftermath of a campus brawl.

Details of the brawl still remain unclear. According to reports, a fight broke out during a fraternity function at a residence hall on campus about an hour and a half after the Spartans season-ending team banquet.

Witnesses reported that 15 to 20 men stormed into a potluck dinner in a lounge at Rather Hall, where some of the men assaulted and injured a few of the dinner attendees.

Wide receivers Mark Dell, B.J. Cunningham, and Fred Smith, running back Ashton Leggett, cornerback Chris L. Rucker, linebacker Brynden Trawick, nose tackle Ishmyl Johnson, and defensive end Jamiihr Williams have been suspended from all team activities, head coach Mark Dantonio announced Tuesday.

Six of the 10 players have started games this season.

The news release on the incident states that "the 10 suspects were identified following interviews with victims, witnesses, and a review of on-site video."

This comes on the heels of two player suspensions last week, when Dantonio dismissed Glenn Winston and Roderick Jenrette for violating team rules. Michigan State confirmed Tuesday that both players were present during the incident at the residence hall.

The Michigan State Police investigation is ongoing. They hope to identify five more suspects. It is unknown what charges, if any, the players could face.

The Spartans will learn their bowl assignment on Sunday, but predictions have them headed to either the Alamo Bowl or Insight Bowl. It is uncertain whether this situation will have any impact on MSU's bowl selection, or whether any of the suspended players would be able to play in one if selected.

Regardless, Mark Dantonio might have bigger fish to fry than a bowl game.

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The Worst NFL Franchises of the 2000s

Joe Gerrity — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 21:47:05 -0500

With the 00's all but wrapped up, it's appropriate that we look back and evaluate the winners and losers of the decade. As part of an ongoing series of best/worst of the decade, I'll be judging which NFL franchises had the worst ten years. For some teams the 00's were a fruitful time. Both the Steelers (2) and the Patriots (3) won multiple titles. We came one amazing David Tyree catch away from witnessing what would have only been the second undefeated season ever. In total there were fourteen total teams that played in a Super Bowl. The problem some fans have is that their team watched not only the Super Bowl every single year, but the playoffs too. While your team might not have won a Superbowl or even a conference title, at least you don't root for the guys on this list. If you do, get out your flask (you obviously have one) and don't waste a drop. It was a tough decade.

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Michigan Football: Where Are the Wolverines Headed?

Charles Welch — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 20:42:11 -0500

To say Michigan Football has struggled over the last two seasons is an under-statement if ever there was such a thing.

They are 8-16 under Head Coach Rich Rodriguez in his first two years, and a lot of questions are being asked about this coaching staff, and many are legitimate.

Does this Head Coach understand what it takes to win in the conference he is currently competing in? Will his style of play and philosophy work against Big Ten opposition, both offensively and defensively?

Does Rich Rodriguez truly understand The Game, and the traditions of the University and the football program? If the answers to the prior questions is no, then how should the school respond?

In the meantime what should the reaction of the fan base be heading in to the 2010 season? There are so many questions, and so many reasons for doubt right now within the Michigan Football program, and we need to examine these items one by one.

Let's recap the past two seasons. We fans have seen a lot of bad records set under Coach Rod. Back to back losing seasons. Missing a bowl for the first time in decades, as well as setting records for poor defense. There have been losses to Toledo, Illinois, etc. and we've seen an embarrassing 3-13 conference record posted.

Second half breakdowns have become a regular occurrence, and a Michigan defense that was once known for being stout cannot defend against a power rushing attack nor can they defend the pass well at all. Multiple negative issues like this aren't acceptable.

Their has been a lack of discipline that has been disappointing, and guys are out of position, soft and missing tackles constantly. Multiple individual records have been set by opposing offensive players (see Juice Williams), and frequently we allow mediocre players become the conference player of the week.

In a day and age where Michigan has become a game opposing offensive coordinators post on their calendar as a day to pad stats, there really is only one important question. Can we reconcile our support for the coaching staff?

I do think certainly to a degree we can. Rarely is anything strictly black and white, and this situation is no different. However, there are still questions left unanswered. Now, let's examine the positives.

One positive to take from 2009 is that the overall production of the offense was markedly improved. Certainly there was very marginal improvement by the offense in big games and conference games, but progress was made nonetheless.

Michigan averaged 20.3 points per game in 2008, and managed to improve to 29.5 points per game in 2009 despite having a brand new freshman quarterback. Michigan is one of a few Big Ten teams that managed to record both 2,000 yards rushing and passing as a team.

To give a more detailed scoring comparison between the two teams, 2008 Michigan scored 42 versus Purdue and then their next best offensive performance was 29 points against Minnesota.

This past season Michigan exceeded 30 points to the tune of six games as opposed to only one. Their next highest point total was 28 at Iowa, then 24 at Wisconsin. Including MSU, the Wolverines scored 20 points or more in nine games.

Illinois, Penn State and Ohio State held them to 13 points or under. However, nine of their 12 games (75 percent) they were able to score 20 points or more. Again in 2008, Michigan scored with a lower frequency.

Then there next highest totals were in order 29, 27, 23, 21, 20, 17, 17, 16, 14, 10 and seven. They scored 20 points or more six times (50 percent) in 2008. So, this 2009 team scored 30 points six times more than 2008's squad and exceeded/reached 20 points half again as many times!

They also reached/exceeded 28 points seven times as opposed to two, and reached/exceeded 24 points eight times as opposed to three.

In 2009, the scores for Michigan were as follows: 63, 45, 38, 36, 36, 31, 28, 24, 20, 13, 10 and 10. No matter how you slice it, Michigan scored more, moved the ball more consistently and was a noticeably more efficient team passing and running the ball.

Even in games versus Ohio State and Illinois where Michigan only scored a combined 23 points, they at least moved the ball respectably. In addition to these things, Michigan didn't have nearly as many negative yardage plays, and looked far more competent in most games.

They had big problems though, when it came to turnovers and finishing drives in the Red Zone. This can most likely be pinpointed on having only freshmen running the offense so far. There haven't been any scholarship quarterbacks taking snaps under Coach Rodriguez thus far, who aren't freshman! That's big.

In fact not only will I say that we haven't seen the best of the spread offense at Michigan, I will say it has been a recipe for disaster so far. We have seen the worst this system can do in the Big Ten, certainly not the best. ANY person who can't see this fact is blind, or just being plain ignorant.

Although I'm confident the offense will get significantly better where the time is given, the jury is still out on the defense in my opinion. They have to get better depth and size, and that is a big reason for their problem right now. My main issue is the Big East-esque defense they ran in 2009.

This team has to be tougher physically in the future. To recap:

1) I do believe that Rich Rod's offense will work in the Big Ten if it is given time to achieve continuity. This is happening now, and this off-season will propel the young offense into a stronger 2010.

2) This defensive style concerns me for 2010 in particular. I see a lot of room for improvement, and so that improvement will probably come against bad offenses, but there is a LOT of room for improvement because they were bad in 2009.

Lastly, I do believe that if Rich Rodriguez didn't understand the traditions before he arrived in Ann Arbor, then he does now. The Ohio State proved that, because his team fought very hard for the second straight season, and definitely has gained ground on the Buckeyes compared to 2008.

Conclusively, Michigan is probably headed in the right direction under the current coaching staff, but they need to get there quickly. For Rich Rodriguez's sake and the sake of the entire Wolverine fan base, serious progress needs to start this off-season and show up on Saturdays or some other coach could be on the sideline in 2011.

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Detroit Lions' Future May Rest with a "Magic" Grand Rapids Family

Michael Schottey — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:15:40 -0500

William Clay Ford has done enough.

Is so many ways, Ford has done enough for Detroit Lions fans. Since he became sole owner of the Lions in 1964, the franchise has only had four seasons with 10 or more wins.

Since 1964, the Detroit Lions have not won a championship, either. The Lions have only made the playoffs in nine of the 45 years (20 percent) of Ford's ownership.

The Lions have seen the careers of Barry Sanders, Billy Sims, Johnny Morton, Herman Moore, Lem Barney, Charlie Sanders, Robert Porcher, "Bubba" Baker, and so many others.

Put another way, for a 27-year-old man who read the news that Ford bought the Detroit Lions in 1964, the life expectancy is up. During that lifetime, that 27-year-old grew up in the Lions heyday and had bubblegum cards of Bobby Layne stuffed in his pocket.

That same man was born two years after the Detroit Lions' first championship. The Lions would go on to win three more championships while he was in high school and college.

For that man, representative of many Lions fans, William Clay Ford has done enough.

Recently, Richard DeVos put to rest "rumors" that he might pursue the Detroit Lions franchise.

Rumors? What rumors?

Apparently, the only people who knew about this were DeVos and his children—who want to buy the team.

DeVos is already in the pro sports world. His Orlando Magic are on the up and up. The DeVos family have even more sports connections. Richard's son, Dan DeVos, has a history of buying failed sports teams—he bought the Massachusetts Marauders (formerly the Detroit Drive) and brought them back to Michigan as the Grand Rapids Rampage.

The Rampage won a title in 2001, three years after moving to the Van Andel arena—named after Richard's longtime business partner.

Dan also owns the Grand Rapids Griffins, a minor league hockey team, and the Wichita Stealth, a football team playing in the Arena Football League 2.

The DeVos family name is also connected to a sports management program at the University of Central Florida.

Whether you blame Ford for the Detroit Lions' failures or not is inconsequential. More and more, a time is coming when the Ford Motor Company will be unable to support the Detroit Lions.

Ford was the world's 363rd richest man in the world in 2001. In 2006, he ranked 698th. Now, in 2009...Ford is unranked.

The Detroit Lions aren't exactly making the Ford family a bunch of money, either. The Lions are worth an estimated $917 million and lose $3 million a year. For Ford, that is a burden becoming increasingly hard to bear.

For Richard DeVos, the 119th richest man in the world (61st in the United State), $3 million is a pittance. His company, Alticore, is the 31st most valuable company in the world and makes over $8 billion a year.

If the NFL scraps the salary cap, the Detroit Lions are going to have a hard time luring free agents to a city with such a long rap sheet. Money will have to be spent—money Ford doesn't have.

A partnership could be the perfect option. The DeVos family could buy a majority share of the Detroit Lions, leaving the Ford name on the brand and Bill Ford Jr. as a vice chairman. Dan DeVos can step in as chairman and provide a fresh point of view for many of the personnel and front office decisions that have occurred under the Fords' unsuccessful eyes.

Under that partnership, capital shouldn't be a problem for the Lions.

Even if it were, a franchise owned by partners is usually far more conducive to bringing on more partners than a single family-owned business. If George Argyros, Michael Ilitch, or Manuel Moroun wanted to buy a small percentage of the Lions in a revenue-sharing (or advertising) deal, it is easier to negotiate with partners than a single family.

If the Detroit Lions are going to survive, the reign of a Detroit family, the Fords, needs to be over. A Grand Rapids family—Richard DeVos and his sons, Dan and Doug—is a perfect option.

Michael Schottey is a Detroit Lions Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and the producer and host of The Average Joe Sports Show on 860AM KNUJ (New Ulm, MN). He is also an NFL Analyst and Senior Writer for DraftTek.com. Follow Him on Twitter.

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Miguel Cabrera On The Market: Can Anyone Afford Him?

Matt Trueblood — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:52:58 -0500

The Detroit Tigers are looking to deal, and in order to save themselves from financial ruin, they are willing to part with superstar first baseman Miguel Cabrera.

According to a Tigers'-core-players-fit-in?" title="Where might these Tigers' c..." target="_blank">foxsports.com report , Cabrera is available if a buyer can be found. Detroit GM Dave Dembrowski, though careful to avoid openly shopping, has been using back channels to contact potential suitors for not only Cabrera, but highly paid stars Curtis Granderson and Edwin Jackson as well.

Though either of the other two could be the missing piece for a good team, Cabrera would instantly improve any offense into which he could be inserted. The 25-year-old has a career batting line of .311/.383/.542, numbers unmatched at such a young age by any current players not named Pujols. His 209 home runs put him among the 10 best men in history through age 25, and he won his first home run title in 2008 after being traded from one home run-suppressing environment (Florida) to another in Detroit.

Cabrera has been fourth or better in batting average in his league three times, most recently this season (he hit .324). He has cracked top 10 leaderboards in on-base percentage three times and slugging average five times, all in six-and-a-half seasons of Major League work.

If money were no object, Detroit would hang onto its slugging savant. Unfortunately, that's not the case, and with Cabrera due an astronomical $126 million over the next six seasons, Dembrowski must either move Cabrera or face complete financial paralysis for the next half-decade.

The FOX Sports story lists the Mets, Red Sox, Mariners, and Angels as potential destinations for Cabrera. Though the Yankees have an incumbent first baseman in MVP runner-up Mark Teixeira, they might be coaxed into looking at Cabrera as a DH who could occasionally spell Teixeira at first. Certainly, to say the least, they have the money to make the deal work.

Understanding that New York will prioritize Teixeira, however, I will stipulate that the aforementioned four franchises are the primary contenders to bag Cabrera, if he moves. The question, then, is which one has the best shot.

Realistically, any one of these four could afford and assimilate Cabrera. Boston has been searching for a slugging first baseman, operates in a huge market, and has a modicum of talented youngsters, which would be all it takes to land Cabrera unless Detroit decides to eat some of his mega-deal. Ditto for the Mets.

The Angels, despite having switch-hitting first baseman and top five 2009 MVP vote-getter Kendry Morales already on board, might consider moving one or the other of Morales and Cabrera to DH, and have prospects aplenty with which to entice Dembrowski. The Mariners, a perpetual dark horse, could choose to pursue Cabrera only if they cannot lure Jason Bay or Matt Holliday to the Pacific Northwest.

For my money, Boston is the best fit. Cabrera could rotate into the DH role whenever the Sox face a tough left-hander, allowing them to sit lefty slugger David Ortiz and get switch-hitting catcher Jason Varitek into the lineup in his stead (Victor Martinez, Boston's big-ticket 2009 trade deadline acquisition, would slide to first). Besides, while all four clubs have financial flexibility, Boston's is greatest.

New York falls next in line, but with holes in their outfield, could as easily choose to chase the less-expensive Bay or Holliday. They could look to free agent options like Nick Johnson to fill their first base void, or try trading for an Adrian Gonzalez or Joey Votto-caliber replacement for the aging Carlos Delgado.

If Detroit were to demonstrate a willingness to pay some of Cabrera's salary, the pool of suitors could expand dramatically. The story suggests they offer to pay as much as $5 million annually for the balance of the deal. That seems unrealistically high to me, and anyway, there are teams that could jump in if Detroit merely offered to help offset short-term costs.

Primarily, this could mean the Chicago Cubs. Chicago will have serious money coming off the books after 2010 and 2011, and could afford to offer a very solid package in return if Detroit would assume some of Cabrera's 2010 salary. It would even be that the two could swap first basemen, with the Cubs sending All-Star Derrek Lee and his $13 million one-year price tag to the Tigers for Cabrera and perhaps $2 million more. Alternatively, Chicago GM Jim Hendry could send Lee to the Mets, and then add whatever prospects he received in return to a potential Cabrera package.

Wherever this prodigious young slugger lands, he will make a tremendous impact in 2010. Teams will pick up the phone for as long as Dembrowski continues to dial it. Detroit's management will simply have to be creative in order to move Cabrera in whatever way best suits the long-term goals of one of the American League's most storied franchises.

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Michigan's Christmas List: Five Things Santa Should Bring Ann Arbor

Jay Nicols — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 01:42:30 -0500

The Holiday season is here and Christmas lists are being sent to Santa from all over the globe. Every Michigan fan has a wish list for their football team. Here is a list of five items I would love to see Santa deliver to Schembechler Hall in Ann Arbor.

1 - Consistency

The "golden ticket" item on my Christmas list for Santa is consistency.

It was really odd to watch the Wolverines falter late in the season due to lack of progression and consistency. Tate Forcier became a regular Joe come the end of the season.

Forcier has the intangibles, but lacked the awareness that comes with experience. He will get that as he grows as a college quarterback. You can't discredit the injury factor, but that is no excuse to make poor choices with the ball in game 12 of the season.

The defense also showed it had signs of poor consistency, giving up more points late in the season.

The Michigan teams you grew to love and watch became fierce and hungry as the season wore on. This defensive squad showed no heart until it was too late.

The Ohio State game was probably one of the better games, but still wasn't enough in the end.

And that was the story for the entire season.

2 - Coaching

Consistency and coaching go hand in hand. This season, it looked like the coaching staff hit a wall with the kids. The quarterback position stuck out like a sore thumb in that respect, as did the entire defensive team.

Coach Robinson will need to work on discipline, tackling, and coverage. On too many occasions it seemed the secondary was lost in space with blown coverage happening way too often.

I know Rod Smith can coach quarterbacks, but he was inable to calm Forcier down and give him the tools to succeed with a playbook that he was comfortable with. I'm not a man of x's and o's, but I can tell when a QB is lost, and that's what Forcier looked like.

I include everyone, Rodriguez and Magee, with this mismanagement of talent. At what point do the coaches decide to implement a playbook that the talent can manage? I don't understand why the coaching staff can't make the subtle halftime adjustments that are necessary to get the offense going in the second half.

It seemed as if a different team came out in the second half of the games late in the season. I know that it is necessary to stick to a game plan, but when you stop scoring in the second half, that is a major concern.

As an observer, you can only wonder what is going on.

3 - Route Running

I was less than impressed with the route running of some of the position players on offense. It seemed that the quarterback and the receivers or tight ends were often on different pages.

You often saw Forcier take three seconds, make a few reads, not see anything, and semi-tuck the ball and run. I don't mind that if he was playing like he did in the first half of the season, but as the year went on, he was turning to the run faster and faster.

He needs to trust his athletes as he said during the ND game or the Indiana game. He didn't seem to trust them as the season went on.

4 - Ball Control/Handling

The mishandling of the rock at Michigan was appalling this year.

Forcier, in particular, had an issue with holding on to the ball, as did Robinson. Michigan had 29 fumbles, 13 resulting in a turnover.

The Ohio State game makes this a huge issue, but overall, they did a decent job of holding on to the ball. Costly fumbles and interceptions hurt them throughout the season, but only with minimal concern. Forcier almost doubled his picks in that game.

Time of possession is another issue with this team. Michigan, as evident, needs the defense to get off the field on third downs. It was shocking to see that Michigan held the ball 20 minutes less than their opponents in the second half.

5 - Play 60 Minutes

Michigan was great at playing one half of football this year.

Some games it would be the first, others would be the second, but it was rarely both. This coaching staff is capable of getting them to play a full game, it just seems they fall flat way too often.

In respect to the offense, they would play a great first half and lay an egg in the second half, or vice versa. The defense would often play the same way. Good one half, poor the second, or just downright awful the entire game. This is something that the coaching staff needs to address this offseason.

Just a few things I would ask Santa for, being a Michigan fan and all. I look forward to the off-season and for the recruiting to heat up. Michigan looks to gain on both sides of the ball with the 2010 class.

As the Voice said in Field of Dreams , "If you build it, he will come."

Rodriguez is putting together pieces, and if he shows them enough, his recruits will come through in the end.

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Michigan State-North Carolina: A Different Kind of Rematch

Nick Mordowanec — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 01:14:29 -0500

It was just over seven months ago when the North Carolina Tar Heels played the Michigan State Spartans in the Final Four in Detroit.

It was deemed a massive home-court advantage for the Spartans, a team which defeated the likes of Connecticut, Kansas, and Louisville, but the results were less than favorable. North Carolina had a team full of future NBA players, while Michigan State had a relatively young team just learning how to win. North Carolina’s win was inevitable.

And while the two teams clash again Tuesday evening, it will be a lot different in terms of the personnel—at least for the Tar Heels.

North Carolina has lost players like Tyler Hansbrough, Danny Green, and Ty Lawson to the professional ranks. On the other sideline, Michigan State has essentially the same players and added a couple of big guys down low.

I’m not one of those guys who seeks out big games early in the season, and while this game will be great in terms of gauging where both teams are on physical and mental levels, it still means very little in the end.

I mean, look at last season. The Tar Heels had a stellar regular season and accomplished most of what they wanted to accomplish, and the Spartans took the road less traveled. It took big wins over big-time programs just for the Spartans to meet with North Carolina in the title game.

A game in November is not as crucial to a team’s well-being as one in January or February. I say this because teams are still gelling with one another early in the year, where as the system should be finely tuned by the time the season is drawing to a close.

This game will be looked at as a national championship rematch, or maybe how the Spartans want revenge, but, at the end of the day, it is just another game on the schedule.

The Spartans should come out on top, considering the amount of big-game experience they have as opposed to the Tar Heels’ younger players, but poor starts have been an unlikely trend plaguing Michigan State the past couple of weeks. If MSU comes out without showing any urgency or acting as if it is playing some cupcake, they will get beat.

However, even if the Spartans come up short against the Tar Heels, I think Coach Tom Izzo will momentarily accept that. Any loss in November can only help make your team better, especially when that loss doesn’t occur in the national championship game.

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Lioness In Repose: The Legacy Of Stefanie Spielman.

Daniel Muth — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:28:40 -0500

Too often in the realm of sport we talk about fortitude, courage, and toughness as if the participants aren't just playing a kids game, as if there's really anything meaningful on the line, as if (win or lose) they aren't going to collect a ludicrous paycheck, hop into an Escalade, and cruise to a plush estate at the end of the day.

True fortitude is composed of something else.

True courage is born when everything is on the line.

True toughness arises amidst years of trial and turmoil.

These things we could attribute all to Stefanie Spielman, who went toe to toe with cancer on five separate occasions, and who passed recently at the age of 42 having battled the disease for well over a decade.

But that's hardly the whole tale.

It began as an All-American love story, when in high school, a young Stefanie Belcher observed a beefy young lad by the name of Chris Spielman at a teen dance. And in the traditions of the best fairy tales and romance stories it was destined to last.

The two dated throughout their time at Ohio State University, where Stefanie majored in journalism and Chris forged one of the more impressive football careers ever realized at the school, receiving All-American honors twice and receiving the Lombardi trophy as the nations best linebacker.

They graduated together and Chris was selected with the 29th pick in the NFL draft by the Detroit Lions, a position that alowed them to be close to home while living the American dream.

The fairytale seemed unbreakable.

"It was the most solid relationship I've ever seen," said a friend "They were the envy of every married couple on the planet."

The Spielman's were married in 1989 and proceeded to have four children together: Madison, Noah, Macy, and Audrey.

All the while Chris was busy proving the pundits wrong, as he had slid further in the draft than expected, largely because of the criticisms of Mel Kiper who thought he didn't have the speed to play at the NFL level.

He played eight great seasons with the Detroit Lions, leading the team in tackles every year, and garnering four pro-bowl selections, though in 1996 he was lost in free-agency to the Buffalo Bills where he promptly set team and personal reconds with an unbelievable 206 tackles.

Chris was acheiving great things in the NFL, Stefanie was the mother of four beautiful children, and the Spielman's seemed destined for a long and happy life together.

But unfortunately it was not to be.

At the young age of 30, Stephanie discovered a lump in her breast while performing a self-examination which was later determined to be cancer.

She had a masectomy and started her first round of chemotheropy, the start of a journey that would in some ways elevate her out of the shadow of her husband and show a strength of spirit that can only be attributed to a handful of individuals.

Chris, the ever doting husband, cut short his football career to be with his family, and at his wife's insistence he told the media why.

"Tell them I have breast cancer. It may make one guy go home and say: 'Honey, my favorite football player's wife has breast cancer. You got to remember to make that mammogram appointment,' " said Stefanie even as she endured the poison of the chemo, watched her beautiful hair disappear, and miscarried their fifth child.

When her hair was gone, Chris shaved his head too.

And somewhere in the midst of the despair a juggernaut was born.

Somewhere in the midst of the strife a crusader took up her sword.

Somewhere admist the stack of woe, Stefanie became the face of the fight against breast cancer.

She started the Stefanie Spielman fund for Breast Cancer Reasearch immediately after her initial diagnosis stating that, "I know there's a reason God gave me breast cancer, and I'm supposed to do something with it."

In the first six months, she had raised over one million dollars.

But that's hardly where the story ends.

Over the next ten years Stefanie would become a force, raising millions and millions of dollars, givng talks to inspired women all over the nation, even while continuing to battle the malignancy that spread inside her.

She endured the remission and reappearance of the disease on five separate occasions, and with each battle held out the hope that it would be the last.

Years later, and still fighting she professed, "I do not feel sorry for myself. I do not wish this would have happened to anyone else. I pray I grow stronger with each passing day."

"I cannot let this get the best of me, and I will not let this ruin the rest of my life -- no matter how long it is."

And as is so common with the truly courageous she died all too young.

In March, Stefanie's cancer returned forcing her to miss Stefanie's Champions, one of the many events she sponsored to help raise cancer awareness and to channel money into research.

On an unseasonably mild November day, Stefanie passed surrounded by family and friends, while having changed the lives of so many.

But that's hardly where the story ends.

Because when you give of yourself so thoroughly you never truly die. When your efforts on earth produce institutes, and memories, and inspiration for the millions of people battling cancer then your legacy will endure.

Stefanie always talked about "paying it forward" a phrase that personified her belief that while you may never be able to truly repay the kindnesses you've received in this life, you can keep the cycle going with acts of compassion to others.

And like a line of dominoes circled to infinity, the legacy of Stefanie Spielman will continue in perpetual motion, and forever in the hearts and minds of the Detroit Lions faithful she will shine as a beacon.

Our Lioness in repose.

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Detroit Lions Need To Copy the Minnesota Vikings

Seattle Lion Fan — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 03:38:53 -0500

As I watched the Minnesota Vikings tear up the Chicago Bears, my wife leaned over to me and asked why the Vikings defense was so good.

I summed it up by telling her that because the Viking offense is so methodical and time-consuming, the defense is able to play at a high level for the whole game. By having such a clock-killing offense, it keeps the opposing offense off of the field.

The Bears defense, once considered the marquee defense in the NFL, was worn down to the tune of a 36-10 defeat.

The Vikings also have a front four that is the envy of most teams. Still, even with a talent level that high, if they had to be out on the field for as long as the Lions defense needed to be, they wouldn't be as effective.

As good as Calvin Johnson is (and the scary part is we don't know how good he's going to be), he still needs a partner in crime to take some of the coverage away from him. Dennis Northcut and Bryant Johnson have not stepped up to the plate, with too many dropped passes and bad route-running.

The Lions might want to take a look at the free-agent market, with perhaps Antonio Bryant or Steve Breaston. If Miles Austin isn't re-signed by the Cowboys, the Lions should make a strong run at him.

One more playmaker is what the Lions need to give Stafford.

Consider Calvin Johnson and Miles Austin on the wings, Brandon Pettigrew as TE, with Kevin Smith and Aaron Brown coming out of the backfield. All would be great options to throw to.

The best friend to a defense is a time-killing offense. If there is anything I want to see the Lions improve on it's to cut down on the number of three-and-outs that occur.

With that being said, the Lions do need to beef up the defense. I feel like the lone voice suggesting to get an elite left tackle, since so many people think that Jeff Backus is serviceable.

It wouldn't break my heart if the Lions got a huge defensive tackle with their first pick.

They will draft somewhere between four and eight for the 2010 draft so we can forget about Ndamukong Suh of Nebraska. The 6'4" 305 lb. tackle will be snapped up by Tampa Bay.

The best that the Lions can hope for is either Gerald McCoy (if he declares) from Oklahoma or Terence Cody from Alabama.

That is, if they don't go for an elite left tackle with the first pick.

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Struggling Red Wings Can Look To Unlikely Source for Inspiration

Jim Balint — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 23:28:54 -0500

Sitting near the bottom of the division is certainly not where the Red Wings expected to be at this point in the season. Now is not the time to panic, however. They can look to a familiar foe for proof of that.

The off-season losses of Marian Hossa, Jiri Hudler, Mikael Samuelsson, Tomas Kopecky and Ty Conklin in addition to injuries to Johan Franzen, Valteri Filppula, Jason Williams and Niklas Kronwall certainly stung, and the Wings got off to a slow start. They are now playing about .500 hockey.

They got hot in late October and early November, winning seven of nine games and closing the gap on first place Chicago to one point. However, it was a pace they just couldn’t keep up. They have now lost five of their last seven and are three points ahead of the St. Louis Blues for last place in the division.

Things certainly don’t look good for the team, but that doesn’t mean all is lost.

Just last season the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Wings’ opponents in the last two Stanley Cup Finals, experienced a similar start to their 2008-09 season.

After losing to the Red Wings in six games in the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals, Pittsburgh’s trade-deadline addition Marian Hossa left in free agency, and signed with the Wings. The Penguins also lost gritty forwards Ryan Malone, Gary Roberts and Jarkko Ruutu. To top it all off, top defenseman Sergei Gonchar was injured in the pre-season, missing half the regular season.

Like the Red Wings this season, the Penguins opened the season in Sweden, where they split two games. The Penguins limped through the season, posting a 27-25-5 record, and on Feb. 14, they found themselves in tenth place in the conference, five points out of a playoff spot.

Gonchar finally returned in mid-February, bolstering the defensive corps, but GM Ray Shero knew the team needed more tweaks. On Feb 15, Shero fired then-coach Michel Therrien and promoted AHL coach Dan Bylsma.

Shero wasn’t done shaking things up. On Feb. 26, he traded Ryan Whitney to Anaheim for Chris Kunitz, essentially giving star center Sidney Crosby a new winger to help shoulder the offensive load.

From there, the Penguins went 18-7 to finish the season. They claimed the four seed in the playoffs, and went on to win the Stanley Cup.

The moral of the story, Wings fans, is to not get too uptight about this early-season funk.

No, it’s not the typical Red Wings team we're used to. But there's a good reason for that.

The Wings haven’t seen the injury bug bite this bad in years. Keeping in mind that key players are on the IR coupled with the fact that the team’s depth isn’t what it used to be, being in the Wings’ position at this point in the season really isn’t so bad.

Franzen coming back from injury is perhaps the most important piece. He was both a physical presence in the lineup and a very potent offensive threat. He also makes the other players who stay on the perimeter better.

Kronwall would be the next integral part to get back. The Wings have precious few physical players as it is, so losing one of them hurts that much more, especially along the blue line. The team has done a decent job without him, but having him back would put a second thought into the minds of forwards coming down the wing.

Filppula added a nice bit of scoring depth to the third and fourth lines, but the Wings can certainly make do without him.

The Wings are better off with Williams out of the lineup. It gives younger players like Justin Abdelkader, Darren Helm and Drew Miller much needed experience and that will only help the team’s depth come playoff time. While there may be growing pains along the way, the end result will be worth it.

Top defensemen Nicklas Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski need to look to create more offense and help the new forwards. Both were much more involved in the offense last season, and the team could use their help now more than ever

The Wings won’t have to be quite as drastic as the Penguins last year in order to turn things around.

After players return from the IR, they really only need to address two areas. Adding some depth to the blue line would allow Lidstrom and Rafalski to take more chances offensively. If both Jimmy Howard and Chris Osgood continue their inconsistent play, adding another goaltender would restore some confidence in the crease.

This team is certainly capable of going on a run similar to Pittsburgh’s to end the season. They’ve proven it already this season. Once fully healthy and playing together as a cohesive unit, they have the talent and experience to rattle off wins and make that run to the playoffs.

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Joe Dumars: How the Detroit GM Can Solve the Pistons' Problems

alex jung — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 23:16:53 -0500

Alright Pistons Fans—get ready because putting the Detroit team together is really simple.

I think if I were on the Pistons staff, I would construct this team to Joe Dumars' liking. As far as I know, Joe D likes to make his team with cast- offs. He doesn't really like having a big name player like Dwayne Wade or Lebron James.

Dumars likes his team to have teamwork, chemistry, and tough players. Throughout the Pistons' history, they always won with those things I've mentioned. So if your a Pistons fan, don't expect for Joe Dumars to get a superstar player.

This is what the organization needs to do.

The Pistons need a point guard who can shoot and pass the ball and a big man who can get rebounds block shots and score when he needs to. As far as I know, Rodney Stuckey has not been getting the job done for the team. He has a score-first mentality; he really doesn't make his team better, and he can't shoot the basketball.

So how to solve this problem? If I were Joe Dumars I would trade him.

If this is the solution, who do you get for Stuckey? I would trade him for Jose Calderon from the Toronto Raptors. I would give Stuckey and Jason Maxiell, another player who is a disappointment, to get this guy. Calderon is a much better shooter than Stuckey and can make his team better.

With Calderon at the point, now you need a two guard who also can shoot and defend other guards. I think the Pistons offense is way too much involved around Richard Hamilton. I've noticed that if he plays with a point guard he doesn't like, he plays horribly and it messes up team chemistry.

The Pistons need to seriously trade Hamilton.

I would trade him for Raja Bell and Ronny Turiaf. Bell is a perfect—I mean perfect—two guard for the Pistons. He is a veteran, can shoot and can also defend at a high level.

Ronny Turiaf brings spark off the bench and is much better than any other big man on the Pistons bench right now.

The Pistons have Colderon and Bell in the backcourt. For Ben Gordan fans, he needs to come off the bench to make the team deeper.

Now you need frontcourt players who plays good defense, rebound the ball, and can score. I would keep Tayshaun Prince—he is a good leader for the young players and is a good small forward on the team so no problems there.

Charlie Villanueva is pretty good at the PF. He can score, but just needs to rebound and play defense better. I think he will learn that as the season goes by, so no problems at the four spot.

Now to look at the center position. Ben Wallace is a great center for the team, but he is getting old and will probably retire soon.

Joe Dumars, why are you keeping Kwame Brown? This guy is just horrible— nothing more needs to be said. Drop Kwame Brown immediately. At the center position I would get Chris Kaman from the Clippers. He is an underrated player, but he is a big man who can score, rebound, and defend.

That is how I would construct the Pistons. I think that with the right parts, this team can compete in the Eastern Conference and eventually for the NBA title.

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Michigan Stinks Up the Old Spice Classic

Big House Bob — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 19:59:00 -0500

I was lucky enough to be in Orlando this weekend to watch the Wolverines live in the Old Spice Classic. I saw Michigan's first two games but missed the Alabama game Sunday.

I am not a basketball expert by any means, and I'm sure Coach Beilein has a plan for Michigan's problems, but I will give you my two cents on the Wolverines' 1-2 performance in the Old Spice Classic this past weekend.

The Michigan basketball team has a little bit of "Jordan Syndrome." Early in his career for the Chicago Bulls, most of Jordan's teammates would sit back and wait for Jordon to win or lose the game.

I believe Michigan has a similar situation with Manny Harris—and no. I'm not comparing Manny to Jordan.

On the offensive side of the ball, I don't see a lot of movement, and I don't see plays for Stu Douglass or Zack Novak to get open shots. It seems Michigan has two options on offense: get the ball to DeShawn Sims in the low post or let Manny create something.

Manny is clearly not 100 percent back from his hamstring injury and is not shooting the ball well from the outside, but is still an incredible player nearly putting up triple doubles every night.

Sims is getting double-teamed on the low post and not finding a shooter for an open three. DeShawn is also taking way too many outside shots, and when he does that Michigan has zero shot at getting any boards.

These problems in Michigan's game became clear in the Old Spice Classic this past weekend, especially in its matchup against Marquette.

Michigan clearly still has trouble rebounding on offense and defense, but Marquette basically scored every time on the offensive side of the ball. With the lack of free throw shooting, Michigan is firing on one of six cylinders right now.

The other thing that I noticed was that Michigan seemed to be a little fatigued against Marquette. Before this tournament Michigan had played two games in two weeks, and playing three games in three days seemed to catch up with them.

This tournament showed that Michigan is still pretty rusty and hasn't found the right momentum that lead them into the NCAA tourney last year.

There is a ton of talent on the Michigan roster, and picking up the pressure on the defensive side of the ball will lead to more easy baskets. Stu did struggle with his shot during the tournament.

Zack Gibson always plays hard. Zack Novak, a great "scrappy player," is working sedulously on the defensive side of the ball but is not getting many good looks on the offensive side of the court. I can't remember him looking at a three pointer during the Marquette game.

Michigan needs to find a way to score when the opponents try to take Manny and DeShawn away because everyone is going to try to do that. I would like to see Matt Vogrich get some more time when Stu and Zack are struggling from the outside, but I expect he is a liability on defense since he is still learning the Beilein system.

The schedule doesn't get easier with Boston College coming to Crisler on Wednesday and upcoming trips to Utah and Kansas in December. I also expect Michigan to drop from the rankings this week.

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Trader Joe: Some Possible Moves Pistons GM Joe Dumars Should Consider

Jay Wierenga — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 19:05:16 -0500

It is an ominous time to be a Detroit Pistons fan.

Not only are you dealing with the first season in recent memory in which the playoffs seem like a difficult endeavor, but you are watching an entirely different team take the court this season.

In fact, due to injury, you are seeing a different team every night!

The season is still in its early stages and injuries have robbed this team of a clear way of judging the effectiveness of the roster.

However, teams are always measured by wins and losses and unless NBA commissioner David Stern steps in and gives the league a mulligan, this team is going to have to play with the hand they were dealt.

What We Know

As presently constructed, this team can not compete for a title.

You may be saying "thanks for the update, captain obvious! Any chance the Lions miss the playoffs too?", however, this is an important realization. Namely, because it means Pistons president Joe Dumars likely sees this too.

As we have seen in the past, Dumars is not shy about making big splashes, and there is no reason to think that has changed.

Also, the Pistons are not drawing as many fans as last year. While the economy of Michigan (especially Detroit) is a factor, that has never stopped Dumars before from bringing in fans.

Add to that the fact that Dumars' new boss, the late William Davidson's family, is probably not making the profits they are used to, and you have a recipe for action.

Perhaps I am wrong and they are a patient bunch. However, it seems like any new boss is looking to make their mark, and it never feels good to be at the helm when the ship starts taking in water.

We also know that this Pistons team has holes in it. Rodney Stuckey is trying hard to become the point guard that Dumars needs him to be, but with varying levels of success.

The fact is that this team is second to last in the league in assists, and that is a direct reflection of the team's point guard play.

So why does Stuckey need to be this team's point guard?

In all honesty, he doesn't, but it would be easiest if he was the "one". More on this in a second.

The front court also has holes in it, although the Ben Wallace renaissance has helped mask this fact.

Power forward Charlie Villanueva has been just about what most people expected, a scorer with limited skill at defense and on the boards (however, he has shown a willingness to at least try to defend, which has been a pleasant surprise for yours truly).

But behind these two, the front court is woefully weak. Kwame Brown is, well, Kwame Brown. He is big and he can rebound and defend a little, so he is worth keeping around, but he is not the center of the future for this team.

Chris Wilcox has been a bust so far, which is probably what most people expected. That leaves Jason Maxiell who has been, to be generous, rather inconsistent over the course of his tenure in Detroit and is likely on the trading block.

We also know that this team has a huge logjam on the wings. This has been less obvious lately with all the injuries, but I am sure this is on Dumars' mind quite often.

Currently, this Pistons team has essentially seven guys competing for minutes at two positions that should be, at most, five players deep.

Also, the three most expensive salaries on the team, by far, are among those seven, and this is also a factor. More on that as well.

A Bright Side?

The good news is that this team is not barren of talent. If you look around the league, you will see some situations that are far more dire than Detroit's.

The New York Knicks have a worse record, less talent and some terrible salaries on hand that essentially tie the hands of their general manager, Donnie Walsh.

The New Jersey Nets have yet to win a game, yet they have some likewise terrible contracts (anybody want Bobby Simmons at $11 million per season?).

New Orleans may have a stud in Chris Paul, but the Hornets have to slash salaries and they are faced with the prospect of having to trade their once untouchable star.

Detroit has no such toxic salaries. The three most expensive players, Ben Gordon, Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince, are all still in their prime and still reasonably priced in the $10 to $11.5 million a year range.

This team is also very young. Aside from Wallace and Chucky Atkins (who each make the veteran's minimum), only Hamilton is over 30.

Given Rip's reputation for physical fitness, most people would agree that he should be able to play well into his late 30's (ala former Indiana Pacer Reggie Miller).

This gives Dumars what every general manager craves ... flexibility.

With that flexibility, youth and talent, Dumars will be operating from a position of strength when other GM's start calling.

The Players

While some Detroit fans have bemoaned the injuries to Prince and Hamilton, I am sure Dumars would recognize the silver lining brought forth as a result.

Rookies Jonas Jerebko, Austin Daye and even Dajuan Summers have been forced into duty much earlier than is usually the case with Detroit rookies.

The results have been surprisingly good. Jerebko is becoming a revelation, someone that some fans are comparing to a young Dennis Rodman (insert Rodman joke here) and is easily another of Dumars' late round steals.

Daye has likewise shown flashes of brilliance, although he is likely another year and 30 pounds away from being a consistent minutes man.

The same can not be said about Summers whose name has become synonymous with "NBA body". He may be raw, but he is talented.

Additionally, Will Bynum has continued to make NBA execs salivate. With his amazing scoring ability and solid passing, he figures to be a factor in whatever moves Dumars makes.

So what might Dumars be thinking?

Well, for one, he needs to figure out his point guard situation. Given the fact that Gordon figures to be the shooting guard of the future for Detroit, he needs to be paired with a big point guard.

Call it the Allen Iverson principle; if you have an undersized shooting guard, you need a big point guard that can help defend bigger shooting guards.

The good news for Detroit is that Gordon can shoot from distance, something Iverson was inconsistent at and, as a result, forced his bosses to add "three point shooter" to the big point guard's resume.

Therefore, the Pistons' point guard of the future does not necessarily need to be able to shoot from distance.

Stuckey is big and he doesn't shoot too well from distance, but he has yet to consistently play like a point guard. As of Sunday, Stuckey is averaging a pathetic 3.9 assists per game. That is fine for a shooting guard, but terrible for a point guard.

Bynum is the only other option at point guard, but is not likely a real one considering the fact that he is so small. You could, then, pair him with Hamilton and bring Gordon off the bench, but then you leave either Gordon or Hamilton playing point guard when Bynum gets tired. Besides, Bynum is not a solid three point shooter.

So is Stuckey still the point guard of the future for Detroit? That really is the million dollar question for Dumars, and something that could create a surprise move.

Possible Moves

Likely, there are four players that Dumars is looking to possibly trade: Prince, Hamilton, Stuckey and Maxiell.

This is not to say that he is trying to get rid of any of these players, but they are the players that will be the center pieces in his next big trade due to the depth at their positions, their talent and their salaries.

Two of them will be paired together in a trade due to salaries, with a high priced player like Hamilton being paired with a low priced player like Stuckey to create a perfect mix of talent and salary matching (remember, in the NBA, salaries need to be very close in order to make a trade...you can't trade a $15 million player for a $2 million player).

Therefore, you could be looking at two different moves to bring back a point guard and a big forward or center.

Looking around the NBA, Dumars likely will be targeting two different types of teams; those that are looking to bolster their back courts for the playoff push, and those that are trying to trade potential free agents that they have no hope of re-signing.

In sticking with the latter, one name screams out ... Chris Bosh.

Think about it. Toronto is likely not in the running for Bosh's services next year when he becomes a free agent. That is part of the reason that they drafted Andrea Bargnani.

However, Dumars would only pull the trigger on this deal if he could be assured of Bosh re-signing with Detroit, and that is anything but a strong possibility.

Also, Toronto will likely have a long list of suitors for Bosh, but this trade is a possibility.

Another move that has been mentioned is a potential Carlos Boozer deal. A deal for Rip Hamilton straight up would technically work financially. It would also make Utah a serious contender.

The only question would be whether or not Boozer would fit with Detroit. A Boozer deal would definitely put Villanueva on the bench, although that might not be a bad thing. But would Boozer re-sign with Detroit? I think he might.

This would also allow Dumars the flexibility of being able to package Prince, Maxiell and Stuckey for a point guard. Would they be enough to pry Paul away from the cash-strapped Hornets? Probably not. But it could be enough to snag Monta Ellis from Golden State.

They could also elect to keep those three and draft a point guard, ensuring that their bench would be amongst the deepest in the league.

Other players that Detroit might take a long look at if they are unable to land Bosh or Boozer up front would include Tyson Chandler, Luis Scola, Hakim Warrick, Amare Stoudemire and Joel Pryzbilla. All of whom are free agents after this year and each are big men that are still in their prime.

Obviously there will be some time before Dumars pulls the trigger on a deal; injured players can not be traded, and Hamilton and Prince are still likely a few weeks away from playing.

Bet on Dumars giving his team, as constructed, a couple weeks to play once everyone gets healthy before he decides on a plan.

But the smart money is on a deal being made by the All Star break.

Read more Ann Arbor news on BleacherReport.com

Izzo Sets Wins Mark, Validates Career in East Lansing

Nick Mordowanec — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 15:43:48 -0500

Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo has come a long way.

He used to be an assistant coach under one Jud Heathcoate, a coach who was victorious in the infamous 1979 NCAA championship game in which Earvin “Magic” Johnson defeated Indiana State’s Larry Bird.

After seeing the nuances of the game in a different light, Izzo became Heathcoate’s successor. He was young, determined and still had some of his vocal cords remaining.

It did not take long for Izzo to establish his presence on the huge campus when he started in 1995.

He took the program and the nation by storm. His achievements as the Spartans’ coach include five regular-season Big Ten championships, two Big Ten Tournament titles, five NCAA Final Four appearances and one national championship in 2000. His five Final Four appearances in 10 years were not matched by any other team in the nation—and he graduates over 80 percent of his players.

But since Izzo stepped into the starring role at Michigan State, he has always been associated with Heathcoate, and rightfully so. Izzo was his successor, his guinea pig when it came to learning the subtleties of being a head coach at a big Division-I program.

Now, fifteen years later, Izzo has surpassed his mentor in victories as well.

With Michigan State’s 106-68 win over Massachusetts on Saturday, Izzo achieved his 341st victory—the most in school history. And while Izzo owed plenty of gratitude to Heathcoate after the game, he deserves all the praise he has gotten throughout his tenure and then some.

He has made MSU the perennial power in the Big Ten. His toughness and stressing of defense and rebounding is unparalleled by most coaches in the country. The school’s student section—The Izzone—just goes to show how much the university and its students appreciate the man.

And the great thing for Spartan fans everywhere is that Izzo is still relatively young and has many good years left ahead of him. His team is currently ranked as the number two team in the country, and besides a misstep against Florida, they have all the talent to go back to the national championship for a second straight year.

Izzo’s god-like status in East Lansing did not occur overnight, but one thing is for certain: it will not go away any time soon.

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Let The Detroit Lions Keep Their Thanksgiving Game

Samantha Cooke — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 13:50:24 -0500

Yes, this is another article begging NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to let the Detroit Lions keep their Thanksgiving game. I have heard several NFL Commentators talk about getting rid of Detroit on Thanksgiving.

Once again, I have to defend Detroit.

Yes, the Lions suck. They have two wins this season against two of the worst teams in the NFL.

No, maybe it is not that fun to watch the Lions on Thanksgiving. The Lions on Thanksgiving is as traditional as eating turkey. Here are a few reasons the Lions should keep the "Thanksgiving Classic."

Reason Number One: Tradition

The Detroit Lions began the Thanksgiving game tradition in 1934. The Lions' first owner, G.A. Richards, started the tradition as a way to get people to come to the games.

Since then, the Dallas Cowboys started the tradition in 1966. The two teams have hosted a Thanksgiving game ever since.

To please the fans, the NFL Network added a third game. This allows for a competition game as well as keeping the tradition alive.

Reason Number Two: Let Detroit Have Something to Celebrate

You do not truly understand how bad Detroit really is unless you live there. I moved away in May and came to visit in October. In the six months I was gone, Detroit had depleted so much more.

There are former CEO's that have lost their houses, cars, and jobs. There are houses that have a rent payment of $99 per month gone vacant because even that is too expensive.

The unemployment rate in Detroit is 22%, almost three times the national average.

As for their sports teams, the Lions obviously suck. The Detroit Tigers only had to win a few games in September to get into the playoffs. Instead, they lost a play-in game.

The Detroit Pistons are struggling. The pride of Detroit, the Red Wings, lost the Stanley Cup last year and have started this hockey season 12-9-4.

The Thanksgiving game is something Detroit fans are truly proud of. They love tailgating and heading over to the game with their families who are in town. Then, they head home and have a nice dinner.

Leave Detroit alone. They have few things to be proud of right now. Do not take away their tradition.

Reason Number Three: It Is Only One Game

There are 17 weeks in the season. Each week has a nationally televised Sunday Night and Monday Night Football Game.

Starting in November, the NFL Network also broadcasts a nationally televised Thursday Night Football Game.

After college football ends in December, there are a few more nationally televised Saturday games.

Add the three Thanksgiving games and that is almost 50 nationally televised games.

Detroit is asking for one measly nationally televised game.

The Lions have not appeared on Monday Night Football since October 8, 2001 when they hosted the St. Louis Rams.

They have not appeared on Sunday Night Football since December 11, 2005 when they travelled to Green Bay to face the Packers.

Let Detroit have their one nationally televised game. There are flex games so we can watch great match-ups towards the end of the season.

Monday Night Football usually has great match-ups with playoff implications. Detroit having a Thanksgiving game is as traditional as Dallas having one and the New York Giants having their home Saturday game in December.

Roger Goodell, leave the Lions alone and let them have their one game. If you don't want to watch it, plan to eat dinner at one.

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Detroit Red Wings Win a Game; They Rally To Beat Blues 4-3 in Shootout

Matt Hutter — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 00:39:22 -0500

It wasn't all that long ago that a win by the Detroit Red Wings was hardly headline material.

However, given their record of late, scoring a goal would be worthy of a story; so a win definitely warrants some attention.

Coming into Saturday's action against the St. Louis Blues, the Red Wings had lost five of their last six games, were in the midst of their longest goal scoring drought since 1977, and were coming off another frustrating home loss the night before.

By the end of the first period Saturday, the Wings looked as if they were well on their way to extending their losing streak to four games as the Blues went into the first intermission with a 2-0 lead.

However, the Red Wings came out determined in the second period and did exactly what head coach Mike Babcock told them to do: stick to the plan and don't get frustrated.

At 2:35 into the second period, the Red Wings did something they hadn't done in over eight periods of hockey, score a goal (well, a goal that counts at least).

So rare was this feat that Detroit's play-by-play announcer, Ken Daniels, was a bit hesitant in even announcing the goal.

After all, Detroit putting the puck into the net hasn't exactly been synonymous with scoring a goal of late.

It was nice that this one was allowed to count.

Thus began Detroit's come from behind effort that saw them tie the game twice before eventually winning in the shootout.

It would be foolhardy to extrapolate much beyond the obvious from this game.

It is, after all, a single island of a win in a sea of losses.

Still, something can be said for Detroit's ability to rally from a 2-0 deficit and maintain enough composure to hold on for the shootout win.

There were some noteworthy performances on this night.

The line of Darren Helm, Kris Draper and Patrick Eaves was easily the best on either team.

The trio combined for nine shots on goal, three points and a plus-three rating.

Rookie goalie Jimmy Howard also had a particularly strong night stopping 32 of 35 shots, including a point-blank chance by Blues sniper Paul Kariya during the overtime session.

And, perhaps most heartening, there is now recent video evidence that Detroit forward Todd Bertuzzi can, in fact, score a goal.

The much maligned forward ended the game with a beautiful back-hander in the fourth round of the shootout.

The veteran forward who was once considered by many to be one of the greatest power-forwards in the NHL is pointless in his last six games and has a paltry three goals in 24 games played this season.

Though the shootout goal won't count towards his totals, it may provide a much needed boost to a player whose point totals deserve to be much better given his effort.

Bertuzzi trails only Henrik Zetterberg in shots on goal with 69.

Again, it's tough to make much out of this win.

The Wings haven't won in regulation in two weeks and the Blues aren't exactly world-beaters.

Nevertheless, even a 3-2 regulation loss would be welcome news given Detroit's recent goal-scoring impotence.

So, a shootout win, which may or may not be a spring board to more, is definitely worthy of a headline.

Man, that's depressing.

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RichRod on the Way Up, Charlie Weis on the Way Out

Jim Balint — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 20:42:26 -0500

Michigan hired Rich Rodriguez to help rebuild their storied football team, much in the same manner that Charlie Weis was expected to at Notre Dame. With both struggling, many are calling for the coaches’ jobs. The reality is that these two programs are on very different paths.

Weis’ first year at Notre Dame, he inherited a fantastically talented team, including NFL draftees Anthony Fasano, Maurice Stovall, Brady Quinn, Tom Zbikowski, and Second-Team All-American Jeff Samardzija. That season, the team went 9-3 and went to the Fiesta Bowl. They went 10-2 the next season with much of that squad still intact. A 41-14 beating at the hands of LSU in the Sugar Bowl signaled the downward spiral for Weis.

Since becoming head coach at Notre Dame, Weis has recruited very well. According to Rivals.com, Notre Dame had a top-10 recruiting class each year from 2006-2008. Having such talent brought into the school, expectations were very high. Notre Dame’s record since bringing in those high recruits is 16-20. When looking at a team with such great talent that performs at such a low level, the blame has to be placed on the head coach.

When Weis was hired, he inherited a talented, seasoned team. Rodriguez wasn’t so lucky. Before he even had a chance to call his first practice, Rodriguez lost most of his offense to the NFL. Jake Long, Chad Henne, Mike Hart, and Mario Manningham were all drafted, leaving the offensive cupboard all but bare.

Compounding that, several players bolted for fear that their playing style simply wouldn’t mesh with the spread offense. QB Ryan Mallett transferred to Arkansas, which boasted a much more traditional offense that suited the 6’7” sophomore.

RB Sam McGuffie transferred to Rice, where the spread offense was already instituted and well established, not to mention closer to home. OL Justin Boren found the transition to be so jarring, he decided to transfer to arch-rival Ohio State.

While Rodriguez’s tenure certainly hasn’t been a rousing success to this point, take a look at what the program looked like upon his arrival.

Losing so many talented players to the draft, coupled with the task of instituting a new offensive scheme using only the players who were still on the team from Lloyd Carr’s regime is similar to trying to win a NASCAR race with an SUV. Looking at that initial 3-9 season, seven of those nine weren’t as bad as initially thought.

The opening “shocker” against Utah turned out to be an acceptable loss, considering five months later, Utah would be beating down mighty Alabama 31-17 in the Sugar Bowl. Penn State and Ohio State were co-Big 10 champs, and Michigan State went 9-4, as did Northwestern.

The losses to Notre Dame and Illinois were disappointing. And while losing to Toledo and Purdue seemed inexcusable, those feelings lessen given the personnel Rodriguez had to work within his system.

The merits of that system have been questioned as well. What kind of success could be expected of the spread offense in the Big 10? Just ask Ohio State.

In the 2007 BCS title game a heavily favored Ohio State team faced off against a Florida Gators team featuring a spread offense. At the end of the night, OSU had no answer for Florida’s speed and ended up getting throttled 41-14.

A year later, Ohio State faced LSU in the title game. LSU’s spread offense ripped the vaunted Ohio State defense for over 300 yards and 38 points. When up and running smoothly, the spread offense has proven it can be successful, even against some of the top defenses in the nation.

This past season, Rodriguez has improved the win total, if only modestly, and he did so with his first full recruiting class. There is only upside to freshmen Tate Forcier and Vincent Smith.

This past season, Michigan ranked fourth in the Big 10 in both scoring and rushing yards. With Rodriguez’s own recruits in place, the offense is starting to develop. The real challenge will be for Rodriguez to improve a defense that gave up the third most passing yards and second most rushing yards in the Big 10 this year.

The improvement in record, however mild, shows that Rodriguez has his team moving in the right direction heading into his third season. Even your harshest naysayer will agree that in order to give a fair appraisal of a college program, the coach needs at least five years to recruit his own players and develop that talent.

That time has been afforded Weis, and after working with several full recruiting classes, the results have been less than glorious.

At the very least, Rodriguez is continuing his high recruiting classes. Rivals.com ranked Michigan’s past two recruiting classes in the top ten nationally. He also has a top 20 class coming in next year.

While all this shines some sun on the beleaguered program, it also helps to protect Rodriguez. The team is now two years deep with recruits he picked. Firing him now and replacing him with someone like alum and number one candidate Jim Harbaugh of Stanford would set the program back at least another three years.

Harbaugh’s offensive system centers around power running, utilizing running back Toby Gerhart and making use of larger, slower offensive linemen in the running game, and big wide receivers. Rodriguez has been recruiting smaller, faster linemen and receivers to utilize in his spread offense.

Hiring Harbaugh would signal another 180 degree turn in philosophy, possibly leading to yet another mass exodus of players. That would leave the roster bare until the next recruiting class came in, and potentially create the same embarrassment that exists now with Rodriguez.

In the last year, Weis hasn’t received a single word of support from anyone of note at Notre Dame. Rodriguez, on the other hand, has recently been supported by both the university president and one of the school’s most successful graduates. When asked whether Rodriguez would return next season, Mary Sue Coleman said she was supportive, and not in favor of creating a coaching carousel.

Alum and Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross essentially gave him until the end of next season to show significant improvement: “If he has a bad year next year, he’ll have a lot more pressure.” While Ross doesn’t directly affect the decision either, being the school’s biggest donor in recent years has certainly helped him gain influence.

Rodriguez is showing signs of progress and his team is much improved from that 3-9 disaster. He’s finally seeing his first series of recruits understand the system and execute it. Weis had five years to turn his team into a contender and failed. Rodriguez deserves the same amount to prove that he can get the job done.

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Red Wing Ted Lindsay's Legend Endures

Warren Shaw — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 15:37:40 -0500

Recently the Detroit Red Wings played the Calgary Flames at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit and spotted sitting in the audience was a neatly dressed elderly man with a rough appearance and a crooked smile on his face. That man was NHL Hall of Famer Ted Lindsay now 84 years old .

Detroit is no longer a Stanley Cup contender and the city has had more than its share of economic problems, but unlike some Lindsay is still a strong supporter of the team and the city. Ted Lindsay has always been first and foremost a loyal Detroit Red Wing.

There is also no doubt that Theodore (Ted) Lindsay had a lasting impact while playing for the Wings. Although Lindsay played with Gordie Howe and Sid Abel on the legendary Production Line , he was never overshadowed.

Lindsay’s famed linemate Gordie Howe was one of the most talented and productive players ever to skate in the NHL. Despite Howe’s immense popularity Terrible Ted literally carved out a name for himself as the fierce and passionate captain and leader of the champion Detroit Red Wings.

In Ted’s era a hockey game was serious business and losing a game could not be easily reconciled by excuses such as an off night or the long season or even a nagging injury. Today it is not uncommon for opposing players to pal around together in the off season. Lindsay hated the players on other teams with a passion and for the most part they also hated him with good reason. “Lindsay would not give an inch, regardless of what size anyone was,” teammate Marcel Pronovost said.

At 5’8" and 160 pounds Lindsay was pound for pound one of the fiercest competitors ever to play the game. The NHL rules committee was forced to deal with infractions like elbowing and kneeing as result of Lindsay’s spirited play. Lindsay also had his share of brutal stick fights.

From 1947 till he ended his career in 1965 Ted averaged over 100 penalty minutes and finished his career with 1808 minutes in the box.

What made Lindsay special was not just his pugilistic ability. Lindsay could skate, make plays and score goals just as well as he could dish out a body check. He won the Art Ross trophy as the league’s top scorer and finished his career with 379 goals and 472 assists for 851 points. Eight times, he was picked to the NHL’s First All-Star Team. He captained Detroit to consecutive Stanley Cups in 1953-54 and 1954-55 and began a playoff tradition following that 1955 triumph, lifting the Cup over his head and leading a victory lap around the ice. “Everyone’s emotions were on high and I guess mine were a little higher,” Lindsay said. “It was an impulsive sort of thing.” Lindsay’s impulse started a tradition still celebrated today.

Maurice”The Rocket” Richard one of Ted’s most hated foes during their playing days gave Lindsay the ultimate compliment. “It was Ted Lindsay not Gordie Howe that caused us the most problem.”

Ted Lindsay arrived to the NHL wars in 1944 with a single-minded goal. “I had the idea that I should beat up every player I tangled with, and nothing ever convinced me it wasn't a good idea,” said Terrible Ted.

Today it would be difficult to explain the tensions between English Canadiens and French Canadiens but those tensions sold tickets. In the 1950’s Detroit and Montreal had a warlike rivalry that many times could have easily escalated into off the ice violence. The rivalry resulted in epic matchups and an electric atmosphere pitting the Wings Howe, Lindsay, Abel, Sawchuck and Kelly against Richard, Beliveau, Geoffrion, Harvey and Plante.

“I hated everyone on the Montreal Canadians” said Lindsay.

After leading his team to league dominance Lindsay was taken off guard by what he discovered as a player representative. He found that on many occasions the team owners would renege on their promises and leave retired players who gave their all to the franchise to fend for themselves. Players were not even allowed knowledge of how much money was in their own pension fund.

Lindsay and Montreal rival Doug Harvey joined forces to secretly form a players’ union to address issues benefiting the leagues players. When team owners found out about Lindsay and Harvey’s roles both players were traded. Lindsay was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks and Harvey to the New York Rangers, “I liked playing in Chicago, and I gave them everything I had, but I knew in my heart I was a Red Wing. My penalty for rocking the boat was being traded” said Lindsay.

Despite pressures by the owners Lindsay and Harvey were successful in forming the first NHLPA.” We filed a $3-million lawsuit against the league and its member clubs in an attempt to win increased pension benefits and a larger share of television revenues.

In the 1970’s when Detroit had gone from Stanley Cup playoff participants to cellar dwellers Lindsay was again called upon b y the Red Wings organization. Lindsay was appointed the General Manager of the Red Wings and successfully retooled the team. His motto was” Aggressive Hockey is Back in Town . Lindsay was awarded NHL Executive of the Year for his efforts in bringing the team out of obscurity.

He retired again and formed The Ted Lindsay Foundation . He established the foundation in 2001 with John Czarnecki, the father of a nine-year-old boy with autism. Funds are raised through golf outings and other events, as well as through sales of autographed sports memorabilia. Since its inception in 2001, the Ted Lindsay Foundation has raised over $1,500,000 for research into the cause and cure of autism.

Throughout his career Ted Lindsay has played hockey with his heart and has proven to be a Hall of Famer both on and off the ice.

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Who Are These Detroit Pistons? They Arent Your Daddy's, But Are They Yours?

Jay Wierenga — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 15:32:14 -0500

A funny thing happened the other day in the Wierenga household, something that undoubtedly has played out (and will play out) over the course of this NBA basketball season.

I was sitting down to watch the Detroit Pistons take on the Phoenix Suns in the early evening. While I am always excited to watch the Pistons, on this occasion I was a little more excited because it would be the first time my girlfriend would have a chance to watch the team this year.

Sara is not your typical girlfriend. She is a die hard sports fan which, coupled with her gorgeous looks, makes her quite simply the greatest woman in the world.

When we met, she was not really into sports. She had an interest in Peyton Manning (and still does), but that mainly stemmed from the fact that she is from Indiana and Manning gives that state a sort of favorite son.

She and I got together in 2003, right as the Pistons were getting swept by New Jersey in the Eastern Conference Finals. Therefore, she was with me throughout the entire magical 2004 that culminated in the Pistons first title in 14 years.

She saw the team shake off a terrible start to come together as the season moved forward.

She also saw the change in the team once Rasheed Wallace and Mike James were added.

And she was right by my side throughout the playoffs, from Tayshaun Prince's block on Reggie Miller, to the Pistons engineering their finishing touches on a great season by essentially sweeping the Lakers in five games.

She had become emotionally invested in the team, and their success became one of the building blocks of our young relationship.

The Pistons were our team, and to commemorate the season, Sara put together a poster made up of press clippings from throughout the playoffs, a poster that has hung on one of our walls in all of our adventures around the country.

As the years went on, she was there with me through all of the tough playoff losses, her zeal for the team diminishing slightly with each exit at the hands of (to us) inferior adversaries.

Last year was the breaking point. Due to our relocation to the west coast and the fact that most games were on while she was still at work, she lost track of the team.

So when she was finally able to watch a game with me this year, she asked me "who are these guys?"

Since I have been so focused on all of the Pistons moves throughout the years, I have gotten used to seeing new faces.

But to Sara, this was a whole new team. She saw Jonas Jerebko from a distance and feared that Darko Milicic had returned to Detroit. She kept looking for Rip, hoping to see at least someone familiar, but to no avail.

When she finally saw a familiar player, she got excited.

"At least Tayshaun is still there." To which I had to reply, "that's Austin Daye."

The only guy she knew was Ben Wallace, which confused her since the last time she had seen him he was Bull.

This seems to be a common occurrence. Most Pistons fans are keeping their distance from this team, fearing a Moses-like wandering through the desert of basketball mediocrity for the foreseeable future.

Critics of this team will say that they have finally fallen, and that there is a long way to go before they compete again.

Pistons apologists will no doubt smack back at these prognostications that this team has not been healthy all season and is a lot better than their record would show.

The truth is probably somewhere in the middle, although I will not get into that here (in my next article, I will discuss this in depth).

The fact of the matter is that the Pistons have endured a perfect storm of bad luck so far, and it is a terrible situation for everyone involved, from the economically challenged state of Michigan to the economically gifted Davidson family.

The Davidson family is easy to forget these days considering they do not share the same problems that most of their customers endure. However, they are dealing with a tough time as well.

Not only has the patriarch of their family, the always irascible William, passed away, but they are watching his pride and joy wallow among the dregs of the league.

This league would be a shocking sight to the man that built this franchise. The Atlanta Hawks are tied for the second best record in the league, and the Milwaukee Bucks suddenly look like a team on the rise.

The economy of Michigan is continuing to crash, and the City of Detroit just doesn't have enough money to go out and watch the Pistons. One could make the argument that even if this team was good, the fans would be forced to stay away.

Personally, I believe the fans will come back, even if the economy does not. But they have to make a connection to this team, and they still don't know what they are seeing.

They hear commentators like myself telling them that the young guys are going to be good and this team has a future. But nobody wants to wait to see talent exist in a vacuum; this is why minor league baseball games don't sell out.

And in the eyes of Pistons fans, that is essentially what they have in their town. They may go to a few games, but probably only because their is a talented individual on the other team, or because there was nothing else to do on a Tuesday night.

However, there is an opportunity here to be a part of something special. When the Pistons began their last quest for glory, they were comprised of castoffs and overachievers. There was not a flashy star that would bring in the fair-weather fans.

Instead, they were developed and cultivated and with a lot of hard work, they sprouted into a champion that was beloved in Michigan. As a result, they led the league in attendance six of the last seven years despite not having a single MVP candidate on their roster.

It was a team that allowed the fans to buy in at the ground floor and take ownership of a great franchise.

Today, the Pistons are offering that same chance. But the question is whether or not the fans buy that this team can develop into a winner.

Until the Pistons can start to put together some wins, the fans will likely continue to stay away.

And when they catch a glimpse of this team, they will ask, "who are these guys".

In order for the Pistons to answer that question, they likely are going to have to figure it out for themselves.

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Hey NFL! Leave Detroit's Thanksgiving Day Game Alone

Greg Eno — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 10:06:32 -0500

I’m going to make a preemptive strike here. An end-around, if you will, to head them off at the pass.

I’m getting my own iron hot. Not enough time to wait for others to reach the proper temp.

This is for NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and those who would petition him on their behalf.

Keep your stinking paws off our Thanksgiving Day game in Detroit.

Maybe the rumblings have already started. Maybe I’m not the early bird that I think I am.

The Lions lost, 34-12, on Thursday to the Green Bay Packers. That’s what the Lions do anymore on Thanksgiving—they lose by scores like 34-12. It’s been so bad lately that 34-12 is actually one of the better ones, truth be told.

That’s six straight losses on Turkey Day. And those outside of our fair city are crying fowl.

It began a few years ago, when the Lions were starting a new tradition of getting the stuffing beat out of them on Thanksgiving.

“Take the Thanksgiving Day away from the Lions and give it to a team more deserving—or at least one that’s easier on the stomach.”

One of the biggest instigators was the late Lamar Hunt, the erstwhile owner of the Kansas City Chiefs, who whined yearly about the Lions and their Thanksgiving tradition.

Rotate the game, Lamar said. Let other teams get in on the fun. Other teams like his, for example.

The movement gained momentum. Hunt garnered more and more support, until it was forgotten by many that it was Hunt’s idea in the first place. You could almost see the pitchforks and torches gathering in front of the league office.

Hunt, among other things, thought that the quick turnaround from Sunday to Thursday benefited the Lions, who were used to doing it, so therefore they must have some sort of an advantage.

HA!

The Lions, after their latest Thanksgiving Day turkey, are now 33-35-2 on the holiday. Yeah—that’s some advantage, alright. They really clean up on Thanksgiving, don’t they?

The NFL went out and started scheduling its own Thanksgiving Night game on its own network, but that still hasn’t stopped the moaning about the 12:30 kickoff in Detroit.

At issue is the Lions as a team, not a franchise. It’s nothing personal, the pitchforkers and torchers say. They’d just rather see a better brand of football at 12:30.

Well join the club!

So here’s my scientific, heavily-researched, highly analytical response to that argument.

Tough cookies!

We have precious few football traditions in Detroit. If we didn’t host a couple of Super Bowls, the Vince Lombardi Trophy wouldn’t have even crossed the state line.

Hell, we don’t even have Matt Millen to rip anymore, so there goes one of our pastimes, right there.

Yeah, the Lions are bad—been bad for this entire century, so far. The Lions wear bad like rice wears white. No argument there.

So you don’t like them soiling your television set from 12:30-4:00 p.m. eastern time every Thanksgiving Day? Then turn the channel, or turn the TV off and talk with your family—until the Cowboys come on. Or plan the meal for that time slot. I’m sure you can manage.

There’s this, too: WE have to watch them, so why should YOU be any different? Who died and made you Kings of Football?

You don’t seem to understand. This is all we have here in Detroit when it comes to the Lions. Every year, when the new NFL schedule is released, the first thing we do is ask, “Who’s the Thanksgiving opponent this year?” The second thing we do is get our magnifying glasses out and look for possible wins for the Lions on the team’s agenda—and squint realllllly hard.

That’s pretty much it—for now.

I don’t care that the Lions stink. I don’t care that they’ve been the Washington Generals to the other team’s Harlem Globetrotters for the past six years. I don’t care that the game starts at 12:30 and the outcome is usually decided by 1:00.

The game is ours. Period. The ritual started in 1934, so that means we’re now in our second great economic depression of providing pro football on Thanksgiving Day.

Besides, you have your precious rotating game on the NFL Network during prime time, so shutty.

You think the Green Bay Packers want to take the game away from the Lions? Thursday’s stinker makes two shellackings they’ve laid on the Lions in the past three years. I’m surprised they haven’t called dibs on it by now.

Thanksgiving Day is special in Detroit. It’s enjoying the parade in the morning, then traipsing to Ford Field to watch the Lions get whacked in the afternoon. Then it’s back home to have dinner in the evening and bitch about how the Lions got whacked in the afternoon.

And you’d take that away from us?

Look, all I know is that I don’t recall any blubbering about this game until Millen took over the Lions and turned them into a punch line. Talk about kicking a team’s fan base while it’s down.

Finally, as much as I hate to invoke Bill Ford Sr. as a heroic figure, the truth is that the NFL owes a whole lot to the Ford family. They pumped big time advertising dollars, via Ford Motor Company, into the league in the 1960s and ‘70s, when it was sorely needed.

So quit your moaning and get your grubby hands away from our Thanksgiving Day game.

We wouldn’t even know what to do with ourselves at 12:30. If you met some of our families, you’d see how attractive the Lions look, too.

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Matthew Stafford's Thanksgiving Shows the Folly of the "Statement Game"

Dean Holden — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 07:04:10 -0500

Matthew Stafford has arrived, and his legend has begun.

As of Monday, Nov. 23, that legend depicted Stafford as a child of the football gods, a immortal savior delivered unto the wretch of the Detroit Lions.

After setting an NFL rookie record with five touchdown passes, including a game-winner after a play in which he separated his non-throwing shoulder, the consensus was to declare him a wildly successful draft choice, destined for the Hall of Fame.

Then Thanksgiving came along, and the legend began a new chapter, as Stafford started the game injured after not practicing during the short week.

At the conclusion of that chapter, the legend reads quite differently.

Matthew Stafford is human.

More than that, he's a rookie, and any attempts to anoint him after one good game are fallacious at best.

Why? Because for rookies, the "statement game" doesn't exist.

Rookies don't need a statement game. It means nothing. What it means is that they have enough talent on a given day to perform well in the National Football League.

What that doesn't mean is that they have enough talent to perform consistently .

And consistency is ultimately the deciding factor when determining whether rookies are going to work out. A quick flash and fizzle of talent means far less in the NFL than a moderately good consistent player.

For example, Joey Harrington threw for 300 yards and two touchdowns in his fifth career NFL game. How did that one work out?

In the case of Stafford, a string of games with pedestrian-but-solid numbers would be far more exciting for his future than one great game followed by two mediocre games and an abysmal one.

Yes, Stafford had as many touchdown passes in four quarters as Andre Ware did in his four-season career, and that is certainly reason to get excited.

But a better reason to get excited is to find out Stafford is playing with consistency.

Consistency means he really has the stuff. If the great games and solid performances become the norm, rather than the exception, then we have ourselves an NFL quarterback, and likely a good one.

But don't be fooled, Stafford is still a rookie quarterback who has yet to determine whether he will reach his potential.

The Cleveland game shows only that the potential exists.

The Green Bay game shows us that he has not achieved it yet.

And future games will show us which direction he is heading, but not by themselves.

Because Stafford, as we have seen, has nothing to gain from a statement game.

When he puts up a statement season, we'll talk about building him a pedestal.

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Shut Out Twice in a Row at Home, Red Wings Have Nowhere to Go But Up

Matt Hutter — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 01:01:26 -0500

The Detroit Red Wings have out-shot their last two opponents 80-42 combined.

They've been outscored 5-0.

The last time the Wings were shut out twice in a row at home was 32 years ago.

Yes, I believe this is what addicts refer to as "rock bottom."

A strange thing happened to me as I watched the Wings' latest exercise in futility against the visiting Calgary Flames Friday night.

After reeling from witnessing yet another goal against during the first minute of the game, another terrible no-goal call from an official, and yet another first-minute goal against to start the third period, a strange calm washed over me.

Watching the Wings skate around with limited purpose in the late stages of the third period, I suddenly realized, things can't get any worse for this team.

Sure, they could lose another key player to injury, but really, that would only be incrementally worse at this point.

They might get shut-out the next two games, but, they're likely to lose these games anyway, so what does it matter how?

Their goal-tending could continue to struggle, but who cares if Osgood lets in two or 10 if the team in front of him can't score one?

Suspect officiating and hot goalies aside, the Detroit Red Wings have lost the confidence that once defined them.

As a result, their season is starting to slip away.

At their current pace (26 points in 24 games), the Detroit Red Wings will end the 2009-10 season with 83 points.

This is eight points shy of what it took the Anaheim Ducks to get into the eighth playoff spot last season.

Now, one would be foolish to not recognize that the long-term losses of players like Andreas Lilja, Johan Franzen, Valtteri Filppula, Jason Williams, and Nicklas Kronwall have played a significant role in Detroit's decline this season.

But, as their shot totals indicate, they still have plenty of guys capable of getting into a position to score.

The problem is, they just don't have the ability to finish once they get there.

This is a classic example of what happens when you have the skill, but not the confidence to do what it takes to win.

Watching Detroit play over the past ten games (4-5-1), one can see that players are passing when they should shoot, shooting when they should pass, or simply not doing anything with the puck when they have it.

Vile Leino, Todd Bertuzzi, and Daren Helm have been most guilty of this behavior.

But, even players like Pavel Datsyuk and Brian Rafalski are playing with a hesitancy and lack of confidence that has defined Detroit's play of late.

Shots on net are great, they're necessary for scoring goals.

But, weak wrist shots into the goalie's belly and quick shovel-in attempts jammed repeatedly into his pads do not constitute what most would call "quality shots." It increases your shot totals, but not your chances of winning.

Add to this the overall weak defensive play that starts in the goal-crease and radiates outward and you've got a recipe for an early vacation in April.

The good news is, things can only get better.

If Detroit can (quickly) find a way to start winning games while they await the return of one-quarter of their regular line-up, they have a shot at turning their season around.

However, this cannot be done until they rediscover the collective confidence to play the game the way they know they can.

They can only achieve this by winning games.

Thus, the Red Wings face not only the challenge of turning their season around but discovering exactly which came first, the chicken or the egg.

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Detroit Red Wings: Another 'No Goal' Call Controversy at Joe Louis Arena

Matt Hutter — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 00:07:17 -0500

There were a lot of familiar things about Friday's game at Joe Louis Arena.

For the fifth time this season, the Detroit Red Wings gave up a goal less than one minute into the game.

For the eighth time this season, the Detroit Red Wings out-shot their opponent but lost the game.

For the second game in a row, the Detroit Red Wings were shut out.

And, for the second time in as many weeks, the Detroit Red Wings had a perfectly good goal denied by an NHL on-ice official.

All of these trends are disturbing, and all of these have contributed to what is now, officially, the Red Wings' worst start in 20 years.

However, its that last one that is just a bit more troubling than the others.

Playing poorly and beating yourselves is one thing. That's actually something you can control.

But, the added pressure of having to not only score goals, but then hope that they count is something no team should have to endure.

Nine nights ago, with the Wings facing the Dallas Stars at the Joe Louis Arena, referee Dennis LaRue decided that a goal by Red Wings forward Brad May was, in fact, not a goal.

Ostensibly, he "intended" to blow the play dead though video review shows the puck clearly in the net for two-seconds prior to the whistle actually being blown.

The Red Wings were down 2-1 at the time. Had the goal counted, the complexion of the game would have been dramatically changed.

On Friday night, the Detroit Red Wings are down by one goal to the visiting Calgary Flames and on the power play.

Detroit forward Dan Cleary tipped in a shot from the blue line from defenseman Brad Stuart.

A set play, perfectly executed.

However, referee Brad Meier immediately calls the goal back due to goalie interference.

Once again, upon viewing the replay, one does see Dan Cleary's heels in the crease and he is in close proximity to Calgary goaltender Miika Kiprusoff, but, there is no contact made and there appears to be no effort on Cleary's part to impede his progress.

Of course, these calls aren't allowed to be reviewed, so the referee has no responsibility to ensure that the call he made was the right one.

Still, even without video replay, it is perplexing to understand exactly what Meier saw as goalie interference.

Kiprusoff didn't fall.

Cleary didn't fall on him.

Kiprusoff wasn't stopped short of making a slide across to make the save (both players were stationary at the time).

Kiprusoff's reaction after the puck went in the net (which, in Detroit anyway is no longer synonymous with being a goal) was hardly one of outrage at being interfered with in the crease.

And, most importantly, there was no penalty called on the play .

If Meier truly felt Kiprusoff was being interfered with, it seems strange that he didn't affirm this ruling by calling a penalty on Cleary.

Goals have been scored (and allowed to count, which, in Detroit anyway should no longer be presupposed) under much more difficult circumstances with much more goalie contact than what was displayed here.

However, on this night, just like the one nine nights back, the Red Wings fell victim to what can only be one of two things: incompetent officiating or deliberate injustice.

I tend to believe the former to be true, however, either option is unacceptable.

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Red Wings Blanked For 2nd Straight Game, Kiprusoff Stops 40 Shots

Isaac Smith — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 23:16:53 -0500

Detroit fans shouldn't be surprised by anything anymore.

This season alone, the Tigers blew a seven game division lead in the AL Central race and then lost in the play-in game. Then the Wolverines and their second straight season not going to a bowl game.

But back-to-back shutout losses for the Detroit Red Wings? What is going on? What is this world coming to these days?

Yes, the very same Detroit Red Wings who led the league last year with 3.52 goals per game now have a goal-scoring problem. This year, they sit 17th in the league with 2.75 goals a game. Even in 2007-08 with 3.07 goals against, they were still only allowing 2.18 goals per game.

Alright I will admit it, those two waved off goals should have been goals. But regardless, the Wings need goals, not just shots. 40 shots is not going to do the job when none light the lamp.

Now, suddenly out of the blue, the Red Wings are looking for players to step up and score. Scoring problems have been rare among the Red Wing teams in years past, but for some reason the last three games have been a stretch. After a 3-1 loss to Nashville last week, the Red Wings were shut out by Atlanta and Calgary at home.

What is most puzzling is that Detroit has been phenomenally good at home over the past decade. Posting a 27-9-5 record at home last year, 29-9-3 in 2007-08 and 29-4-8 in 2006-07, the Red Wings have been almost unbeatable at the Joe over the past few years.

Now with back-to-back home shutout losses, this team is in trouble.

Sitting at fourth in the Central Division with a 7-4-2 record at home, the Wings are in desperate need of a winning streak.

But hold on—forget the win streak. Forget the wins. How about some goals that count!

Put the puck in the other team's net where it belongs.

The Wings have not been shut out twice in a row at home since 1977. That streak is gone. They had not been shut out in consecutive games since 2001. That streak is gone as well.

Break the streak of 153 minutes and 22 seconds without a goal.

Win a game or two; but start by turning on the red light. No excuses whether it be injuries or referees. Just score.

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