Detroit Lions finally make a statement with more than words

Rookies report to training camp today and not a minute too soon. The Detroit Lions finally made the playoffs for the first time in a decade and the fans are pumped up for the start of the 2012 season. The fans have plenty of…. DATELINE-JANUARY 23 2012, JOHNNY CULBREATH IS ARRESTED FOR SIMPLE POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA… reasons to expect the Lions to make the playoffs again.

The Lions main reason for optimism is that they possess the most… DATELINE-FEBRUARY 18 2012, MIKEL LESHOURE IS ARRESTED FOR SPEEDING AND POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA… dynamic quarterback-wide receiver combination in the league with Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson. That duo sends chills down the spines of defensive coordinators just thinking about stopping that pair. The Lions on Defense… DATELINE-MARCH 12 2012, MIKEL LESHOURE IS ARRESTED AGAIN FOR SPEEDING AND POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA–THIS TIME HE TRIED TO EAT THE EVIDENCE… are another matter. They need to get more push from the defensive line, they need more from Nick Fairley… DATELINE-APRIL 3 2012, NICK FAIRLEY IS ARRESTED FOR SPEEDING AND 2ND DEGREE POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA… who spent most of his rookie year injured. The Lions plan on Fairley’s contribution to be much HIGHER than his rookie season.

The plan to rotate Ndumakong Suh and the rest of the defensive lineman will help… DATELINE-MAY 27 2012, NICK FAIRLEY IS ARRESTED AGAIN FOR BASICALLY DOING THE SAME THING, ADDING UNDER THE INFLUENCE AND RECKLESS DRIVING TO HIS RESUME…the Lions pass rush because the defensive backfield in the weakest position on the team and needs all the help it can get. The Lions are statring Chris Houston on one end and Aaron Berry on the…DATELINE-JUNE 23 2012, AARON BERRY IS ARRESTED FOR DRIVING DRUNK INTO PARKED CARS AND TRY TO LEAVE THE SCENE OF AN ACCIDENT…other. The Lions were so nervous about the performance of their DB’s they drafted…DATELINE-JULY 22 2012, AARON BERRY IS ARRESTED AGAIN FOR BRANDISHING A GUN…three cornerbacks to fill their biggest need on the team. That decision is looking real smart now.

I hope I got my point across about the bizarre off season the Lions had. On one hand, the Lions were the darlings of the offseason evaluators, who are saying they could be the next great dynasty in the NFL. Couple that with 4 players being arrested a total of 7 times since the season ended, and you can see why training camp CAN’T get here fast enough.

Let’s admit that the Lions cut Aaron Berry because they needed to make an example of someone who was replaceable. If Fairley or Leshoure weren’t so critical to the Lions success they would have been the one made an example of. To the rest of the league, they were looking like a pirate ship that had committed mutiny on the captain. The Lions finally had a expendable player have a total meltdown, one that could be cut.

Now that the offseason is officially over, lets hope that’s the last we hear of things not related to the Lions making the Super Bowl.