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Detroit Lions all-time tight ends in the ‘Tecmo Bowl’ era

By James F. Puzzuoli

LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 07: Crowds line up to view the new Nintendo game console Wii U at the Nintendo booth during the Electronic Entertainment Expo on June 7, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. The Wii U will have HD graphics, a controller with a 6.2 inch touchscreen and be compatible with all other Wii accessories. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 07: Crowds line up to view the new Nintendo game console Wii U at the Nintendo booth during the Electronic Entertainment Expo on June 7, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. The Wii U will have HD graphics, a controller with a 6.2 inch touchscreen and be compatible with all other Wii accessories. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /
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DETROIT, MI – SEPTEMBER 08: Joseph Fauria #80 of the Detroit Lions celebrates a third quarter first down catch in front of Jacquian Williams #57 of the New York Giants at Ford Field on September 8, 2014 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI – SEPTEMBER 08: Joseph Fauria #80 of the Detroit Lions celebrates a third quarter first down catch in front of Jacquian Williams #57 of the New York Giants at Ford Field on September 8, 2014 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

A FEW NAMES MORE

In the seventh round of the 2009 draft (second from last pick actually), the Detroit Lions selected the first “Gronk.” This was tight end Dan Gronkowski. Dan is the older brother of all-pro New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, who was drafted the following year (2010).

Dan never put up the numbers of his younger brother. Basically, his entire career (9 receptions, 69 yards) is less than what is expected of Rob from game-to-game.

If drafting the elder Gronkowski would have given the Lions insight on drafting the younger one, it would have been a nice thing. Dan never scored an NFL touchdown, but Rob has 76 touchdowns in eight seasons.

Speaking of familial ties, there was also tight end Joseph Fauria, who was the nephew of tight end Christian Fauria. 2013 was very promising for Joseph as he collected seven touchdowns. The following year only produced one touchdown, and he never played beyond those two years. Still, for that first year, it looked like Detroit had found an undrafted gem.

One more name worth a mention is tight end Casey Fitzsimmons. Fitzsimmons was part of the Millen era, and never put up any significant stats. What I remember about Fitzsimmons is all the talk about playing “8 on 8” football in high school because his team didn’t have enough players.

That story fits perfectly with someone drafted by general manager Matt Millen. To his credit, Casey played six seasons in Detroit and helped on special teams. It was the absolute worst era of Lions football, but it still surprised me that he played for that long.

Next: Are the Lions only treading water in the NFC North?

The tight end position as it sits now makes me wonder what the position will be this upcoming season. Tight ends Michael Roberts and Luke Willson have their work cut out for them.

Perhaps the position will be more about blocking this year. Blocking won’t get them on the all-time ‘Tecmo’ team. But if it helps the Lions get playoff wins, I certainly won’t complain.

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