Special thanks to Andy Ajer for the help and inspiration for the list of nations.

(Click to expand)

Just wanted to clarify to my readers that I am not the person who sent the blogosphere and sports writing worlds spinning with those god-awful concepts. Most of mine were created to pose sort of a “what if” scenario for people, if you will.

It had a bit of a scolding undertone, and I wanted to clarify that I would never put work like that on the internet. I mean, who uses Copperplate Gothic on a uniform, really?

Keep your eyes open, I’m getting the football itch again. I’ll release more details in the coming weeks.

What I came up with surprised me. I like the feel of it, it’s very aggressive, and a lot less cartoon-ish than the previous iteration. I stayed with the same general colors, and made the jersey patterns a little more classic looking– as an homage to the team that used to reside there before moving to Phoenix. I kept the Atlanta Thrashers’ font as well, I felt it meshed well with the logos.

You may also notice that the home jersey is white. That’s right. Winnipeg wears white at home. I don’t care what you say, Gary Bettman.

Have a look:

Thoughts? Ideas? Concerns? Comment.

The topic seems to come up far too often– is Stafford a bust? There are stats that, to the outside observer, seem to suggest so. 13 games played in 32 potential starting opportunities. 21 interceptions to 19 touchdowns. 67.1 passer rating.

To those of you who suggested drafting a QB high in the draft this year, shame on you. For a couple of reasons– Stafford hasn’t been able to prove himself in this system, and Shaun Hill/Drew Stanton proved last year they were more than capable of taking the reigns.

On a medical note, the human shoulder is not really capable of handling a 250-300 lb lateral blow (not including force) when you’re laying on the ground. So, if you want to call Stafford injury-prone, then go ahead. Anyone who gets hit by a car and injured from now on is also “injury-prone”.

So, is Matt really a bust? My belief: Hell no. You want proof? Okay, let’s dig deeper.

It’s no question that Matt Stafford came to a Lions team that needed major help. He had one player to throw to– Calvin Johnson– and no one to run the ball, unless you consider Kevin Smith a great running back. Statistically, Stafford had one of the worst supporting casts of our rookie starting QB’s since 2003. Here’s proof:

Green means favorable or leading. Red means unfavorable or worst. Stafford’s team had the worst win-loss, and the worst defense. For all intents and purposes, it’s obvious that Batch had a great rookie campaign because of Sanders. Harrington was a nice guy, but to play that poorly with only 8 sacks against, I don’t know what else to blame it on. In simple terms, Matt Stafford had 4 reds and no greens. Even Harrington had two greens.

Let’s look at his performance relative to a legend and some rookies that started for their teams and had successful years:

Right off the bat, you see that Stafford had the most weight on his shoulders. Aside from Peyton Manning, he had 10 more attempts per game than the next guy– quite a bit to expect of a rookie. You may also notice that all QB’s on this list that made the playoffs had top-10 (11 in ATL’s defense’s case) units on defense and rushing attacks. Stafford and Manning, however, did not.

It is a bit ironic though that I can easily compare Stafford’s and Manning’s rookie seasons fairly easily, though. They both were expected to turn entire franchises around in one year– and it shows in their attempts per game, as well as touchdowns and interceptions per game. They were throwing a lot.

Look at the breakdown per-game. Of these QB’s, Stafford had the second highest touchdown per game, and was hit the most out of these guys as well. Stands to reason that he got hurt– it was only a matter of time.

Sure, Stafford had a rough rookie season– it’s Detroit. What do you expect? So he started his second season with a bang– posting ungodly numbers in the preseason, only to have his season destroyed by one fateful hit from Julius Peppers. It does make you wonder though, what could have been last year, had he kept the same pace?

The team helped a lot more, and his completion percentage was up. To put these numbers in perspective:

• 32 TD’s ranks behind only Drew Brees, Tom Brady, and Peyton Manning.
• 91.3 passer rating is .2 points behind Peyton Manning (in 10th statistically).

Not too shabby. And it really makes you wonder, what could have been last year? The winning streak was nice, but having our franchise QB at the helm would have made it all the more easy.

So really, is Matthew Stafford a bust? There’s a simple answer after all this analysis: we’ll see. I personally see the swagger, courage, and toughness as very redeeming qualities in the “face of the franchise,” so I’m hanging on to him as long as I can. It’s hard to argue either way, because we saw in the preseason and throughout last season what this team is capable of with a healthy Stafford and weapons around him. I, for one, know the addition of Mikel Leshoure and Titus Young only made this offense even tougher to cover.

Let’s hope for a healthy season from Matt this year, because I think he has the potential to be something great. Remember, Peyton Manning had less-than-ideal seasons before he came out into the spotlight. No, I’m not comparing the two QB’s. Why? Because with the weapons he has, I think Stafford has the potential to be better. Yes, I said it.

Now get out there and make me look like a genius, Matthew. I know that comeback against the Browns wasn’t a one-time deal.

There was a general consensus on a lot of players we should have taken. I myself am guilty of assuming that the Lions thought Amakumara or Jimmy Smith would be the next Champ Bailey. I saw a lot of grumbling about the final two picks, and passing on Brandon Harris/Da’Quan Bowers as well. Here’s my thought process: Martin Mayhew played cornerback, both in college and the NFL. I think he knows a good prospect when he sees it.

Lions fans have to relax their criticisms of Mayhew because, let’s be honest, he’s making the non-sexy picks that Millen refused to make that would help the team. I think we saw that this year, Mayhew saw a few areas to “finalize” in a way, and he did that. It makes sense from a personnel perspective in my opinion, because it rounds out the parts of the team that are already good– which would ideally compensate for the lacking areas. What do I mean? Bulk up the D-line to stop the run at the point of attack to make up for lack of LBs, add an every-down back to complement Best’s speed, etc. Using this strategy, you’re putting a lot less stress on drafted players (something Millen did all-too-often), and that allows for better development of our picks. We don’t have to play these guys week one, and that expectation allows them to stress less about impressing coaches on the field by gambling, and spend more time adjusting to the NFL.

I assume the Lions will look at safeties and corners in free agency, in all honesty this was not a deep class in the slightest for CB’s past the first 3 taken. Houston and Smith are decent enough to hold us over a year if we can land one solid corner through free agency.

So let’s get to grading.

Round 1: Nick Fairley (13th overall)

Grade: A

Analysis: Initially, I hated the pick. I’ll own up to that. I figured, why would we do this, we just got Suh last year? Then I started thinking about how amazing our defensive line can get. And this is what I’m talking about with “filling gaps” as Mayhew’s strategy. We had a lot of solid play on the line last year, but Suh got double-teamed a lot. Now who will they double team? Fairley and Suh are both great athletes, and I think Cunningham will use that to his advantage to create some mismatches. I mean really, who wants to play QB with KVB, Suh, Fairley, and Avril bearing down on you? Not many people. When asked about being a part of this unit:

“Aww man, playing with Suh is going to be an honor. That guy was the defensive rookie of the year, so to be able to play next to him… I can’t wait to get in and pick his brain for the things he did his rookie year.”

More humble than that? He was asked today if he had any lasting memories from his dominant performance in the title game against Oregon. His answer was probably one of the best things he could have said, and Tom Kowalski agrees:

“When Wes (Byrum) kicked it. When Wes kicked that field goal … I knew if it was up, it was good. Once it was up, I knew it was good.”

Have to like having two humble, hard-working, emotional, athletic freaks anchoring the defensive line. It’s a beautiful sight to behold.

Round 2: Titus Young (44th overall)

Grade: B+

Analysis: B+ because the spot we drafted him at was a good one, but I felt we could have gone for a more immediate need. I can’t complain though, because having a solid #3 slot receiver will help the offense move much more efficiently. Young is a great athlete as well, which should allow for a lot of Linehan’s “funky” plays to work better– like WR screens and end-arounds. Young was also a returner in college, which might make for a deadly tandem of Logan and Young on kickoffs. I like Young’s hands, and playing for a vertical team allows all of us Lions fans to see how explosive he really is. I think he’s a great fit with our current scheme, and now our offense is even more frightening. Young loves this city as well, which gives him extra points in my book. His family is from Detroit. When asked about why he was so emotional about being picked by the Lions:

“It comes from family. My roots are in Detroit, like I said. Just the emotion of actually being able to be back in the family’s town. Like, that’s my home now; we’ll take care of Detroit and I know they’ll take care of me.”

Round 2: Mikel Leshoure (57th overall)

Grade: A

Analysis: I’ve been screaming for this pick since January. Love his competitive drive, and he’s a hell of a runner. He’s drawn comparisons to Mendenhall (most likely because of the uniform), which I don’t expect from him, but I think a steady diet of smash-and-dash between Leshoure and Best will help the Lions’ run game immensely. What’s better than one solid running back? Two. Leshoure on splitting carries with Best:

“They definitely said they plan on getting us both the ball and splitting carries. Whether he’s the starter, I’m the starter, whoever’s the starter, I plan on coming in and working hard and playing my role – whatever role that may be.”

Round 5: Doug Hogue (157th overall)

Grade: B

Analysis: I saw the TV and my immediate reaction was “HUH?” But after doing some research on the kid, I like his upside. He played running back at Syracuse for a little bit before switching to linebacker. He’s quick, is a pretty good size, and will likely contribute in a few years. I don’t think he’s a first-year starter by any means. Coach Schwartz on Hogue:

“Inexperienced at the position, but he’s got a lot of potential and he’s shown a lot of things when he’s played linebacker at Syracuse. A little bit of a work in progress, but we think a guy that we can work with that fits exactly what we’re looking for in a linebacker and has a chance to really develop for us; can be a special teams player and has the possibility to develop into a linebacker role also.”

Hogue was asked what he knows about the Lions and how much they may need him:

“When I came in, I see at the linebacker position, they have some good players and whatnot, but they need help when it comes to special teams and things like that. I’m just ready to come in and contribute and work hard and earn everything I’m going to get.”

Round 7: Johnny Culbreath (209th overall)

Grade: B

Analysis: As most Lions fans did, I wondered what was going on with this pick. After doing some digging, he’s not a bad choice at all. According to Schwartz, he’s an athletic big guy who ran really well at the pro day workout they went to. He has a wrestling background, which is also a bonus in the balance department. To emphasize Schwartz’s “running well” comment, he ran a 4.94 40-yard dash– this guy is 6’5″, 321 lbs. I’d say he’s a bit of an athlete. As with most later picks, he’s a work-in-progress, but he’s got the potential to be great for this team. What I like is his attitude– he had to change his college plans to attend SCSU instead of FSU. He sounds like he was humbled by it, and matured a lot through the process:

“At first it was a little setback – it was a disappointment. But I think it was a good step for me. It was a good road – a good path – because it was a real humbling experience for me. I had to get my mind together knowing I had to be a complete athlete with being a student and an athlete. I had to be an all-around guy – not just be an athlete. It was just a real humbling experience – it was good. A good road for me to the NFL.”

Overall Final Grade: A-

This is one of the better drafts I remember the Lions having. Like I said before, not a lot of “sexy” picks, but a lot of gap-fillers that will round out some of our better areas, as well as make the difference that will bump those so-so areas to solid. Sure, we got no cornerbacks or secondary help, but that’s what undrafted free agents are for, whenever we can get them.

Undrafted free agents that are worth a look? I’ve got a few:

• Kendric Burney (DB)
• Deunta Williams (CB)
• Lee Ziemba (OT)
• DeAndre McDaniel (SS)
• Mark Herzlich (LB)
• Scott Lutrus (LB)
• Zachary Hurd (OT, G potential)
• John Clay (RB)
• Jeff Maehl (WR) (Bit of a homer pick, but I like his abilities in the slot in a 4 WR set)

A few tidbits about our 5th round selection:

• Converted from running back– tells you he’s athletic, quick, and could definitely use that experience in the NFL.
• Ran a 4.63 officially at the combine– not too shabby for a linebacker.
• 26.5 TFL’s in 25 games on defense for Syracuse.
• 2 INT’s and 10 tackles against West Virginia this year.
• Named to 1st team all Big East in 2010.
• 7th in the Big East with 7.4 tackles per game.

I’ve been calling for him for a while now, but apparently some Lions fans are upset with the selection of Titus Young. I like it for a few reasons:

• Depth. You have Matt Stafford healthy, holy hell this is a threatening WR corps.
• Insurance. CJ or Burleson goes down? We’re not relying on Bryant Johnson to pull corners away from CJ. You could put a lineman on Bryant Johnson.
• Versatility. Kick returns, punt returns, runs, big catches. He’s drawn (overly optimistic, in my opinion) parallels to DeSean Jackson. While he’s a bit slower, he has the same type of potential
• “The Catch.” Remember Johnson’s “The Catch“? Titus had one too. Sheer determination and body control to make a play like this, and super clutch. Sure, it’s one play, but it shows you what he’s capable of.

Cue the puns. The Detroit Lions now have the most overly-punned defensive line in the NFL. SuhPer Bowl? Fairley Suh-n.

Credit goes to the random RT I saw earlier today.

Initially, I was furious at the pick– given we had some solid corners on the board, and offensive linemen as well. After some careful thought though, I realized Fairley is going to be a great fit in the Lions’ NFL-leading front four. Maybe I’m getting ahead of myself there, but just watch. Give it a year, and we’ll be the best front four in the NFL.

Fairley has speed, and he plays with emotion that can only be characterized by one other player– Ndamukong Suh. The parallels between the two are almost frightening to me. Both are quick, and slightly lighter than most DTs. Both play with high intensity and emotion. Both won the Lombardi Award. Both are freakishly athletic for their position.

I have one slight concern, though, and that’s Fairley’s work ethic. It makes sense that on a team like Auburn– where there was clearly a lack of discipline (cough cough Cam Newton)– but I think coming into the Lions’ system will whip him into shape fairly quickly. You take a play off? KVB and Suh will be down your throat. Don’t buy into that take? Look at Cliff Avril’s play last year. He was a wishy-washy player prior to KVB’s arrival, and now he’s a legitimate threat on the outside.

The Lions are finally doing things right– from the line and out.

Tomorrow’s going to be an interesting day, I’m curious to see where the Lions go with their 2nd pick. I have a few wishes/interesting points (granted, they are just wishes and speculation):

• Aaron Williams falling to our spot would be amazing.
• Lions worked out Ras-I Dowling, were they planning on skipping Amukamara and Smith all along?
• Brandon Harris is another interesting name at corner that could make quite an impact.
• There’s a steep drop-off in talent on the offensive line end of things, I’d be shocked if we went tackle in the 2nd.
• Perhaps we look at a game-breaker? Titus Young is intriguing to look at, given our need at WR #3.
• I’m a Mikel Leshoure fan, it would be great to see him in Honolulu Blue.
• OLB shopping? Akeem Ayers has fallen far since initial mocks, how far will he fall?

On another note, I was recently thinking about designing an entire leagues-worth of uniforms for a fictional league– be it hockey, baseball, or football. I started thinking about it and it hit me: American football is fairly rare across the globe, but I think it would pick up in time. Even more interesting was that aside from the poorly-documented IFAF, there really is not a major international competition for this sport.

Then it hit me, why not combine the two questions/wonders into one monster-project? The creative wheels started turning, and I shared the idea with a few friends on Twitter. Andy from At the Speed of Helm was instrumental in compiling my list. I knew a lot of the countries on my side of the world that should have teams represented in the Olympics, but Andy helped me a lot with the European side of things. Here’s my criteria:

• Large, or sizable population and
• A population that loves rugby, hockey, and/or soccer or
• Is considered to be one of the “world leaders” in terms of economic power or
• Already house an American football league or team.

With those criteria, and our creative minds, we came up with a list of 24 nations that would ideally have a sustainable team with a moderate to large fan base. This is number five in the set:

A country with every primary color, green, black, and white in their flag is quite the endeavor. I felt that using all those colors would be a bit overwhelming, so I dug a bit deeper– and I came across their coat of arms. Not only is it cool-looking and edgy, but it is exceptionally representative of the country itself. This uniform was created using elements from that coat of arms. The helmet features the wings of the Secretarybird, and the pants feature the spear. On the shoulder, I moved some elements around to make a type of “secondary logo” that features the knobkierie/spear and the rising sun from the coat of arms. I enjoy how this uniform turned out, because it is not blatantly “South Africa.” It has a deeper meaning than just the colors of the flag, and that is entirely fitting for a country with so much culture and history.