Guest Blog; Spring Has Sprung

Here is a guest blog on FA and the beginnings of spring from our very own Nubsnobber. As usual, my meaningless additions are in [bracketed italics].

Gentlemen Today feels like the first day of Spring up here in Northern Michigan and is finding chipmunks popping out of their trees. After a warm weekend, today is about 50F, and is seeing the snow melt hard. The weekend started with 28-32 inches on the level in my yard (yeah, still) and it is now compressed to about 4 inches. A nice, warm rain tonight would insure grass poking through by morning. [Kind of like new life for the Lions Franchise if all goes well the next couple of Ifseasons. Otherwise they'll be paying the nice fellow who drives around with a winch and a credit card machine in his truck 150 bukcs to get them out of the ditch on a Sunday at 2 am - again - and hoping this time the trusty old blind deaf mechanic can figure it out -- he's "almost got it nailed down this time for sure."]

I've heard the Capital City already has green-bite me insurance dude. And a second bite for trumping my team the last game of the season and sneaking past into the playoffs. I was surprised by the "no smack talk" for floudering down the stretch. [I was trying not to rub it in. Especially since in the Annual ReDraft League I folded like the 2007 Lions down the stretch and faded into the playoffs like an 80 year old man with a 20 year old who just can't get it done. No magic blue helpers for me down the stretch there. Oh, and I still have snow where it piled up next to my driveway after I dug myself out time and again. I miss the UP and my front-end loader for a winter like this year was.]

The first day of free agency cuts shows that most teams are keeping the cards closer to their vests than the Lions' telegraphed moves. Only two (2) teams acted like the Lions in cutting salary for FA cash. [I didn't mind the telegraphing in this case - teams knew the Lions would cut them, so trade values were nil on the guys they cut. It showed a classy move, and at least let some info out of Allen Park.] The other teams cutting players, cut an obvious player for obvious reasons. The wake has barely been noticed in the pool. Adam "PacMan" Jones was cut by the Dallas Cowboys. Our Hometown Hairballs cut WR Mike Furrey, TE Dan Campbell, OT Jon Dunn, OG Edwin Mulitalo, CB Leigh Bodden, and FS Dwight Smith. [They also have a very impressive Lionel Train Collection for sale on Ebay.] The Cleveland Browns cut QB's Ken Dorsey and Bruce Gradkowski, OT Eric Young, LB Antwan Peek, CB Terry Cousin, P Mike Dragosovich, and K Jason Reda. The New York (Football) Giants cut RB Rueben Droughns, CB Sam Madison, and SS Sam Knight.

Ineundo exists about several players including Matt Cassel being traded and Edgerrin James getting cut and being re-signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but 1) I like fact over fiction and it hasn't happened yet. and 2) think (in James' case that Tampa probably won't do something like that as they already have a re-tread in Warrick Dunn still on the roster. It just wouldn't make sense. Which is why I prefer going with option #1, believe it when I see it.

Many rumors will pop on the tread mill. So many so, it will be like Curves the week after New Year's. I don't see the new staff wanting to splurge. The problem is...the owner. Always wanting to put a face on things, generate buzz, and make things look new and improved-you may see the QB drafted #1 overall. I think it a huge and tragic mistake unless he is as good as advertised, and I do feel that Linehan is capable of being trusted to make that decision. [Agree]

But Ford forces decisions on people just for the sake of marketing, not necessarily what is best for the team and it's needs. In a down economy, how can you put seats in the stands. Especially when, you are coming off a year that saw your team no sell out 50% of its home games. It's almost as bad as Al Davis coveting the fastest person in the draft, or Millen wanting that perfect choo-choo train for his Lionel set. [Should have read this through before instering additional Lionel joke above -- had no idea you were saving the best for last.] I'm not ruling anything out. Period.

-nubsnobber

[I do think, for whatever optimistic deluded reasoning, that Lewand has the hypnotic power over Ford to convince him that whatever Mr. Lewand is thinking was oringinally WCF's idea -- which makes it brilliance, of course -- in a very Rasputin-like way. Thus will he gain true power fo the franchise and help turn it around with the ideas gleaned from his cohorts (Schwartz and Mayhew). I also think the Scouts were happy to hear that this year, they would not be presenting their reports to the brick wall at the rear of the Allen Park training facility as they have the past 8 years under that assurance that "yes fellows, of course it's getting through. What was chuck's 40 time again?"]