Blow it up: Final thoughts on Lions-Packers

First, linkage to the final Detroit Lions live blog of the year. I hope I'm a better man for suffering through the pain that is watching the Lions...

Only 4 torturous quarters left in the season: 1st quarter Lions-Packers thoughts

Is the season over yet? 2nd quarter Lions-Packers thoughts

Just end the season already! 3rd quarter Lions-Packers thoughts

I hate the Lions: 4th quarter Lions-Packers thoughts

1. What else is there to say? We all saw this game. The Packers reserves beat the Lions best, their 1st string. They could have pulled some cheese eating fans off the street corners of Green Bay, and they would have beaten the Lions 1st string. It was THAT bad. The Packers clearly outclassed the Lions in every phase of the game. Remember, I'm talking about the Packers 2nd and 3rd string outclassing the Lions starters.

The Lions are a team that is sorely lacking in talent on both sides of the ball. Yet the same bozo who "built" this team will be in charge of upgrading the roster this offseason. I'm not at all confident that the Lions be able to make any significant changes for 2008. How could you, if you go by Matt Millen's track record in the draft? The Lions 2007 draft class was awful. So was 2006, 2005, 2004...

2. Amazingly, this season is the HIGH WATER mark of the Matt Millen era. 7 wins, with 1 one those wins coming in the final 8 games. Even with that 7-9 record, Millen is now 31-81 as Lions GM. We all know Millen will sell that 7-9 record to William Clay Ford as progress, and the senile old coot will buy it. Ford believes every word that comers out of Millen's porn 'stache covered mouth, and we fans are the worse for it.

The only cure to what ails the Lions is also the most painful one. The team, from ownership on down, through the front office, the coaching staff, and the roster, needs to be blown up. Sky fucking high. Nuked to high heaven. Blown up good, real good. Bombed back into the stone age, where the team can be rebuilt correctly, from scratch. Unfortunately, it'll never happen.

All the names have changed over all these long years, but one. I hate to go there, but nothing will ever change till William Clay Ford passes on. We all know it's true. I know it's horrible to think in those terms, but do you know of any other way the Lions culture of losing will change? It's awful to think that the only chance the team you grew up loving has to win is for the owner to go towards the proverbial light.

3. I said in the final sentences of my live blog that I had more hope at the end of last season than I do now, despite the Lions winning 4 more games. Why?

Rod Marinelli has not impressed me at all. He still commits major gaffes in his in game decision making. He let Mike Martz do whatever he wanted, which was pass the ball 90% of the time, even though Marinelli claimed that the Lions would run the ball more. He then used Martz as a scapegoat. Marinelli talks a good game, and looks like a football coach, but results speak volumes louder than his "pound the rock" words. And his results suck.

The starting QB will be 36 years old in 2008. I'll admit that Kitna is a leader. But he led the Lions to all of 10 wins in 2 seasons. Kitna proved over the final 8 games of 2007 that the only things he's good at is putting up empty stats, and turning the ball over. He's definitely not good enough to take the Lions anywhere other than to hovering around .500.

The backup situation at QB is a joke. No one knows is Drew Stanton will be any good. Even if he is, Stanton is a long way from being NFL ready. From what little we did see him play, we do know that JT O'Sullivan isn't any good. Dan Orlovsky sucks by proxy, as he can't beat out O'Sullivan.

The offensive line needs to be rebuilt, as Kitna ran for his life all season, and Kevin Jones ran nowhere. Speaking of which, Jones had a career threatening, season ending injury for the 2nd time in 2 seasons. He's a question mark for 2008. His backup, TJ Duckett is a free agent, and unlikely to come back. In other words, the running game is in shambles.

The Lions have a solid wide receiving core, but they didn't come close to living up to the pre-season hype. But they are the best unit on the team. Thank goodness for small favors, there's one unit that doesn't need help!

The defensive line, once again, as they are most every season in recent memory, was overrated. Especially Shaun "Buffet destroyer" Rogers, who was nowhere to be found, other than in an all you can eat diner, over the last 8 games. Rogers is so out of shape, the defense literally rests when he's in the game. Ernie Sims is the only linebacker who can make plays on a consistent basis. The rest are mediocre, at best. The defensive backfield is a bigger joke than the backup QB situation.

You look at the Lions' roster, then review the last 8 games, and you come up with the following...

Lions aren't very good, and are likely to get worse. Much worse.

That's why I have less hope than ever.