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Draft the reason Lions stink
At 0-9, the Detroit Lions are starting to look like a team that might not win a game this season.
Looking at the Lions' remaining schedule, there does not appear to be a winable game, though a meeting at Ford Field with Minnesota could be promising after the Vikings struggled to beat the Lions at home, 12-10.
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Of its nine first-round draft picks since 2000, only four - offensive tackle Jeff Backus (2001), linebacker Ernie Sims (2006), wide receiver Calvin Johnson (2007) and offensive tackle Gosder Cherlius (2008) - are still with the team.
That's a sure sign of disaster.
Gone are offensive tackle Stockar McDougle (2000), quarterback Joey Harrington (2002), wide receiver Charles Rogers (2003), wide receiver Roy Williams (2004), running back Kevin Jones (2004 in a trade with Kansas City) and wide receiver Mike Williams (2005), all former first-round picks.
That's an awful lot of misses.
Coming East is a beast
When the Steelers face San Diego at Heinz Field today, they will do so with what seems to be a big advantage.
The five teams that play games in the Pacific time zone - Seattle, San Francisco, Oakland, San Diego and Arizona - are 0-12 this season when playing in the Eastern time zone. And it's not a one-year trend. It has been well-documented that each of those teams struggle when playing in the east.
The Chargers were 11-5 last year but 0-3 in the Eastern time zone. Seattle, which was 10-6, was 1-5.
Would you like fries?
Players often take jobs after being released from NFL teams. But few take jobs like the one Miami safety Courtney Bryan had after the Dolphins released him in September.
Bryan, who is 11 credits short of earning his degree at New Mexico State, told the Orlando Sun-Sentinel that his job while waiting for the Dolphins to bring him back was working at an Arby's on the night shift.
"It's not like I was broke," said Bryan, who was on the Dolphins' roster last year. "I was just bored. I couldn't go to the movies every day. I like to work. I have to do something with my time."
Cable not able
Since he became interim head coach of the Oakland Raiders, things have not gone well for Tom Cable.
The Raiders have lost four of the five, getting outscored 70-13 in the first half of those games. Last week might have been the most embarrassing loss, as the Raiders were defeated by Carolina at home, 17-6, despite intercepting Jake Delhomme four times.
Cable has benched wide receiver Ronald Curry, safety Michael Huff and offensive tackle Kwame Harris, and cut cornerback DeAngelo Hall. He's also taken the playcalling away from offensive coordinator Greg Knapp.
Something tells me Cable better not get used to running the show in Oakland - not that any coach ever does with owner Al Davis.
Vick's wishes
According to his bankruptcy attorneys, Michael Vick expects to return to the NFL in 2009 after his release from prison on dog fighting charges.
It shows how much in denial Vick really is.
There won't be a team willing to put up with the public relations nightmare Vick would bring - not even the Raiders or Lions.
F. Dale Lolley can be reached at dlolley@observer-reporter.com
Raiders : 11/16/2008
The Raiders will take on Vick, watch and see. Al Davis is nuts.
Trade? : 11/20/2008
running back Kevin Jones 2004 in a trade with Kansas City? He was released in 2008!
