Tracking former Lions

[Futureshock]

http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2018/03/ex-lions_offensive_line_coach.html#incart_river_index

Ex-Lions offensive line coach Ron Prince hired by Michigan

[Mainevent]

LOL, WTF Harbaugh????

[LightninBoy]

Offensive Analyst - my ass.

Isn't it a sign of deep systematic issues when a college football team can just make up roles so they can hire their buddies?

[dwt1]

Offensive Analyst - my ass.

Isn't it a sign of deep systematic issues when a college football team can just make up roles so they can hire their buddies?

make up a role? They've had offensive analysts for decades, there's defensive and special teams analyst too. Who do you think breaks down the "film" - the coaches?

He replaces Scott Turner, he left in January to take a position in the NFL.

[edindetroit]

Always wondered what peeing in the INSIDE of that house would feel like.

Just make sure you clean up after yourself.

[FCRhodes]

Looks like the Dolphins are about to release Suh.

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/report-dolphins-release-ndamukong-suh-144143923.html

[Malto Marko]

So, let's see here......

Lions lost out in the first Suh sweepstakes by a paltry difference except the State Income Tax Laws, which did make a difference on how much he would pocket.

Would the Lions be cutting Suh today had they signed him to his last contract?

Maybe there is something to security and loyalty, and not just "the business".

Will Suh end up being the big winner by shopping his services once again or would he have made out better signing in Detroit last time?

.....stay tuned to "As the NFL Wilts".

[Panoptes]

SUH doesn't give a hoot. His entire career has been an open book. He wants to be a billionaire like W Buffet and the NFL is simply an end to a means. He's going to receive heavy guaranteed money again as a FA and that's fine by him.

The Lions brass are the only ones to blame for their mishandling of the Suh contract situation. I saw it coming 3 years before they had no more room for themselves in that corner they painted themselves into.

[Masspartan]

[Forsh]

SUH doesn't give a hoot. His entire career has been an open book. He wants to be a billionaire like W Buffet and the NFL is simply an end to a means. He's going to receive heavy guaranteed money again as a FA and that's fine by him.

The Lions brass are the only ones to blame for their mishandling of the Suh contract situation. I saw it coming 3 years before they had no more room for themselves in that corner they painted themselves into.

Well, they?re all gone now, thankfully

[dwt1]

SUH doesn't give a hoot. His entire career has been an open book. He wants to be a billionaire like W Buffet and the NFL is simply an end to a means. He's going to receive heavy guaranteed money again as a FA and that's fine by him.

The Lions brass are the only ones to blame for their mishandling of the Suh contract situation. I saw it coming 3 years before they had no more room for themselves in that corner they painted themselves into.

Why shouldn't he.......it is a business first and foremost.

[Futureshock]

Judas Priest wants Jim Schwartz on stage tonight
Posted by Darin Gantt on March 13, 2018, 6:56 AM EDT

For all the legal tampering going on around the league, we didn’t expect Judas Priest to be involved in any of it.

But with the band kicking off a tour in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania tonight, lead singer Rob Halford wants Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz to be a part of it.

“Oh, I know he’s a massive Priest fan,” lead signer Rob Halford said, via A.D. Amorosi of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “I want to drag him out to the show and onto the stage. He doesn’t know that yet.”

Halford, one of the iconic voices of heavy metal for generations, is from England but admits a soft spot for American football. He wouldn’t declare himself an Eagles fan, but admitted he loved the sport.

“I’m not going to put myself there, but I love watching the challenge and human complexity of it,” Halford said. “To have all these players – who all have their own lives and things on their mind – come together in unison as the Eagles with that goal in sight – win that Super Bowl – that’s mind-boggling. All those physical and psychological mechanisms at work. . . .

“I’m happy they won, especially after all those years. It’s beautiful, man. That message goes beyond sports. That’s about never giving in and never giving up.”

Of course, the same could be said of English metal bands formed nearly 50 years ago and still going strong.

[Futureshock]

http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/armando-salguero/article204707034.html#storylink=rss

Is cap health the only reason the Dolphins plan to cut DT Ndamukong Suh?

The reasons the Miami Dolphins are expected to cut Ndamukong Suh go beyond cap savings
BY ARMANDO SALGUERO

asalguero@miamiherald.com Updated March 12, 2018 04:59 PM

The reason the Miami Dolphins are planning to cut Ndamukong Suh on Wednesday, signaling something of a reboot for this team when you consider the best offensive player is gone and now a very good defensive player is about to get axed, boils down to ...

... Team culture.

The Dolphins have decided that the way to build a team is to, well, build a team. It’s not about adding the most talented individuals with the biggest contracts and biggest egos. It’s not about adding players who are working on their brands.

It’s about the team.

And last year the Dolphins were broken as a team. Yes, they were 6-10. Everybody saw that. But within themselves the Dolphins, after a lot of self study and difficult, honest evaluation, have come to the conclusion they were simply not right as a team — as a group.

The chemistry was bad. Toxic even.

And part of that toxicity is being sucked out of the Dolphins locker room this offseason. Now “chemistry” and “team” have become a higher priority than just about everything — including sheer individual talent.

So the team wants to move on from Suh, yes, because there will be a significant salary cap windfall that can eventually be used to sign the 2018 draft class and improve cap room space in the coming years.

But it’s also because Suh was a fine individual player who was never really a team guy as far as the Dolphins were concerned.

That demands exploring because fans and even some NFL general managers love to add talent at all costs. That’s how they build a team, by stacking blue chip atop blue chip.

But have you seen how the New England Patriots have done it for years? How Bill Parcells did it years ago? How the San Francisco 49ers and Washington Redskins did it in their heyday? They went to the Super Bowls with some great leaders framed by players we never heard of until they got on the big stage.

Mark Rypien?

Tom Rathman?

Phil McConkey?

Obviously those teams had talent, too. But the talent worked within the framework of the team — except maybe Lawrence Taylor who was a freak on many levels and an exception.

This past year the Patriots went to the Super Bowl with a defense comprised mostly of guys we never heard of. They played well enough to get to the NFL’s grandest stage because those guys played together. They worked as a unit.

The Dolphins? They were seemingly more talented on defense last season and definitely more expensive for owner Stephen Ross. But they struggled because too often the individuals played for themselves instead of with each other.

And the most prominent individualist on the Dolphins defense? Ndamukong Suh.

It’s not right or fair to say Suh was a bad apple. Well, in 2015 he was a bad apple. No one in the Dolphins building liked him. In 2016, he got better. And in 2017 he worked toward being better still.

But at his core, Suh is about ... Suh.

So when something was not ideal for him, he checked into 2015 mode and left the better 2017 version Suh behind.

This wouldn’t have been a problem if the Dolphins had stronger leaders in their locker room. If Jason Taylor or Tim Bowens, who could force Suh to be about something greater than himself, were in there, things would be different.

But the Dolphins didn’t have anyone like that. And still don’t.

So that leadership vacuum made Suh the leader.

An individualist as the defense’s leader.

Defense, a unit that needs to work and play with one heartbeat, led by an individualist. That’s absolutely stupefying.

It didn’t work. It wouldn’t work going forward.

By the way, Suh is a good player. He’s very good at taking up space and blockers. But the Dolphins, who gave him an enormous contract in 2015, were nonetheless 14th against the run in 2017.

The Dolphins paid a defensive tackle so much money it told everyone he would change the course of games. But defensive tackles don’t change the course of games. He couldn’t even significantly change the course of the run defense.

The Dolphins should have known this when they paid (overpaid) Suh as if he was a quarterback in 2015.

They apparently know it now.

So barring weirdness, Suh will be cut on Wednesday at or after 4 p.m. The Dolphins will designate him a post-June 1 cut. They will save $17 million in cap space while carrying $9.1 million in dead money.

What does that mean? The cutting of Suh will not be a boon immediately. It won’t factor until after June 1, and the team will carry Suh’s $26 million cap charge until then.

But the Dolphins are certain they have enough salary cap space now to do business in free agency when it begins on Wednesday. And the Suh windfall will be used to sign the draft class after June 1 and carry the rest into the season.

So you have questions.

Why didn’t the Dolphins trade Suh? That’s the obvious one.

It’s as simple as this: If the Dolphins had traded Suh, a full $22 million of his scheduled $26 million cap figure would remain on the books this season. The team decided that’s too much to carry.

As it is, the Dolphins will carry $13 million in dead money from the Suh deal in 2019.

This signing, so beloved by fans and even owner Stephen Ross in 2015, proved misguided. It was a bad contract that set the player up for life but also set him up to fail because of who he is and the position he plays.

The Dolphins must be wiser as they build their team in the days ahead.

[dpatnod]

Judas Priest wants Jim Schwartz on stage tonight
Posted by Darin Gantt on March 13, 2018, 6:56 AM EDT

For all the legal tampering going on around the league, we didn?t expect Judas Priest to be involved in any of it.

But with the band kicking off a tour in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania tonight, lead singer Rob Halford wants Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz to be a part of it.

?Oh, I know he?s a massive Priest fan,? lead signer Rob Halford said, via A.D. Amorosi of the Philadelphia Inquirer. ?I want to drag him out to the show and onto the stage. He doesn?t know that yet.?

Halford, one of the iconic voices of heavy metal for generations, is from England but admits a soft spot for American football. He wouldn?t declare himself an Eagles fan, but admitted he loved the sport.

?I?m not going to put myself there, but I love watching the challenge and human complexity of it,? Halford said. ?To have all these players ? who all have their own lives and things on their mind ? come together in unison as the Eagles with that goal in sight ? win that Super Bowl ? that?s mind-boggling. All those physical and psychological mechanisms at work. . . .

?I?m happy they won, especially after all those years. It?s beautiful, man. That message goes beyond sports. That?s about never giving in and never giving up.?

Of course, the same could be said of English metal bands formed nearly 50 years ago and still going strong.

Meanwhile, Jim Bob Cooter is set for a guest appearance on Hee-Haw in April.

[Futureshock]

Safety James Ihedigbo announces retirement
Posted by Curtis Crabtree on March 19, 2018, 10:36 PM EDT

Veteran safety James Ihedigbo announced his retirement from in an instagram post on Monday night after 10 seasons in the NFL.

Ihedigbo played for five teams in his career and won a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens in 2012. He did not play for any team last season as a suspension for performance-enhancing drugs kept him sidelined for the first four games of the season. He was not signed after the suspension had elapsed.


An undrafted free agent out of UMass in 2007, Ihedigbo appeared in 117 career games with 55 starts for the New York Jets, New England Patriots, Ravens, Detroit Lions and Buffalo Bills.

His best season came with the Ravens in 2013 when he was a full-time starter. He recorded 101 tackles with three interceptions, two forced fumbles and 11 passes defended.