Detroit Lions get smoked in Chicago, on national TV

Embarrassing.

Pitiful.

Disheartening.

Oct 22, 2012; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears cornerback Charles Tillman (33) tackles Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson (81) during the fourth quarter at Soldier Field. The Bears won 13-7. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-US PRESSWIRE

These are the words running through the minds of Detroit Lions fans this morning. We had one good season, not even really. We had one good start to a season. Our Lions started 2011 5-0. That is all the satisfaction Lions fans are likely to get. Simply put this team is not that good. The head coach is not that good. The offensive coordinator is especially not that good. The General manger is not that good, and the owner is one of the worst owners to ever own a football team. One playoff win for this team since William Clay Ford bought the Lions outright in 1964.

Six Fumbles, three lost and three trips to the red zone without any points. If not for a late TD by rookie WR Ryan Broyles the Lions would have been shut out 13-0 on Monday Night Football. The sad thing is that game wasn’t that close. The final score was 13-7 and the game certainly wasn’t that close. The Lions defense did its job, without question but this offense is a joke.

Simply put the Bears gained just 296 yards. The Lions offense with Calvin Johnson, and far to many first round picks to count could not over come that rather pedestrian number. In fact I have not seen a team in 2012 that beat the Lions. I have seen the Lions continually beat themselves and in my mind that speaks to bad coaching. In fact we see the Lions make the same mistakes each and every week and if Head Coach Jim Schwartz cannot get his players to correct those mistakes he should be fired immediately. Offensive Coordinator Scott Linehan has failed to come up with a game plan that can be executed effectively and needs to be fired as well.

Sure, it is the players on the field who ultimately have to make the plays and QB Matthew Stafford (and his receivers) has done a poor job of executing this offense. However, the Lions seem to not have plays ready for key situations (especially in the red zone) and that speaks to bad offensive coaching. Yes, the Lions players make a ton of mistakes, but those mistakes do not seem to be getting fixed.

On top of that the Lions players do not seem to be focused on the correct things. Since Brandon Marshall called out Ndamukong Suh on Twitter last night we can safely bet that this week will be full of Suh defending himself and other Lions players talking about their swagger. With almost no attention being paid to how this team can go out and beat the Seattle Seahawks next Sunday at home.

That seems to indicate that the coaches of this team have done a poor job. Given the struggles on the field by the offense we can argue that the front office has done a poor job acquiring talent for this team. Martin Mayhew has that nasty habit (obviously inherited from Matt Millen) of using far too many high round draft picks on offensive players. If he is being directed to do so by the ownership (as we here at DJC suspect) then the problem is really the fault of the owner.

Over the year all the pieces have changed, management, coaches, QB’s, RB’s, and defensive players. The only constant is the owner, and the disappointment. I am a little ashamed to wear my Honolulu blue and silver today.