Judge Crater and Amelia Earhart are joined by..........

[Kent A Bathurst]

....those poor souls drafted by the Detroit Lions. Never to be heard from again.

They sailed into the Bermuda Triangle of professional sports.

Cryin' shame. They seem like nice young men.

[Greg Peterson]

Lions are likely to be a disruptive presence in the division this year. They've talent a plenty but lacked discipline and focus. NFC North will likely be very competitive.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Greg, Greg, Greg..........

For almost 4 decades, I have been "rooting" for the Lions the same way I watched scary movies as a little kid: Cover my eyes with my hands, but peek through the fingers to catch the next horrific act.

Every November, I eat a turkey while I watch the Lions' opponent do the same thing on TV. It has become a tradition I never miss.

Very kind of you, though, sitting in the Manor House, to offer encouragement to us division serfs. The sentiment is appreciated.

[Greg Peterson]

Sorry, but from where I sit, the Lions are for real. Last seasons unbelievable implosion taught them a lesson or two. Watching Schwartz melt down on the sidelines, it was not hard to understand where the teams identity came from. I can not find fault in your histrionics, but I don't think the other division rivals are counting on business as usual.

Here is my assessment of the Black and Blue division, obviously biased:

Packers - Not broken, no need to fix it. Just stay healthier than last season.
Bears - Second season under Trestman, Cutler should do well with his Monsters of the Midway receiving corps.
Lions - Drafted a stellar TE and added another good receiver to complement Megatron. But talent has not been this teams problem. If they can keep their emotions in check, they will present a real challenge.
Vikings - Woefully out of synch. By the time they have a new stadium and quality QB, Peterson will either be on the downside of his career or out of the league. Perhaps their best move would be to trade him?

[Myk Rian]

Kinda harsh on the Lions don't you think?
We do have a chance, right?
Right?
A small one?

[Paul McGaha]

I think the Lions and the rest of the NFC North are going to be formidable. To me, The Bears, Packers and Lions are already playoff caliber and the Vikings are improving.

NFC West is similar, 3 great teams and the Rams are close.

Good luck this year Kent.

PHM

[Kent A Bathurst]

Kinda harsh on the Lions don't you think?
We do have a chance, right?
Right?
A small one?

1. No more harsh than the pain they have inflicted on me for 4 decades. Understand this, Myk: I would love to be wrong. But I have not been for nearly 40 years. I'm sticking with what works for me.
2. Yes - we do have a chance. Recognize this, of course:
> Creighton's "Dougie McBuckets" [Doug McDermott] poured in one hellacious number of points in his college career.
> Some clever guy said on Twitter that Doug could take over the all-time collegiate points leadership from Pistol Pete Maravich if he averaged 98 points per game [not making that up] throughout the NCAA Tournament.
> To which Dougie McBuckets replied via Twitter [again - not making this up]: "So you are saying I have a chance." ;) ;)

With a nod to Dougie McBuckets [for the best, funniest twit]: You bet. The Lions have a chance. They have ALWAYS had a "chance".

We have always had a chance. Rodney Peete. Chuck Long. Andre Ware. Joey Harrington. Any other "stellar" first-round picks I forgot?

Oh - WAIT - you want me to run down the head coaches or the GMs? How about I just short circuit all of that with this: Matt [nothing IS possible] Mcmillen. :eek:

In Detroit, the age-old saying still remains: "Bobby Layne never lost a game. He just ran out of time."

Yeah, well - the rest of them jokers woulda lost games if they had an extra quarter or three.

Again - I want them to win - that is why I peek through my fingers. But I know how to eat my turkey, which why I have my eyes covered in the first place.

I cannot wait to be proven wrong. I am, however. too far on the wrong side of history to reasonably expect to see that happen. I only have 20 - 25 years left to live.

Peeking through my fingers on Thanksgiving Day each year.

Call me when I am wrong, Myk. I sincerely would love to take that call. But - you don't really need my phone number, do you? :p

[Kent A Bathurst]

I think the Lions and the rest of the NFC North are going to be formidable. To me, The Bears, Packers and Lions are already playoff caliber and the Vikings are improving.

NFC West is similar, 3 great teams and the Rams are close.

Good luck this year Kent.

PHM

My very good friend Paul just will not let it rest. Every season for the past 5 years or so,, he tells me how competitive the Lions will be. Every season it does not happen - - - but it will happen next year.

And - so it goes.

Paul: I will bet you any one of my LN handplanes against any one of yours the that the Lions falter again this year. Depending on the steel/brass involved, I might even give you 2:1 odds. Except - I am not sure you got any I don't, nor do I got any you don't.

Hmmmmm ..................gotta think of something more elegant, then.................:D :D :D

[Greg Peterson]

I expect the Lions to be more challenging than the Bears this season. They've added more talent, replaced the coaching staff that was overtly emotional, unstable and undisciplined. They have a very formidable offense and their defense is pretty good too.

Last seasons meltdown was not for lack of talent, skill or injuries. It was immaturity and lack of focus. I don't expect that to e repeated this season.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Drew Sharp, long-time sports columnist for the Detroit Free Press, is well-known for his attack-dog attitude.

But - he also is entertaining, and he makes me laugh - a good writer overall.

In today's Freep, he grades the Lions' draft picks. I whole-heartedley endorse his last comment.

Me too - What do I know? No reason for skepticism that I can see. Heh-heh-heh............

Drew Sharp: C
I didn’t like taking Ebron with the 10th overall pick because they could have gotten comparable No. 3 receiver production out of the 45th overall pick and got much better value out of No. 10. But maybe the grade should really be IDK — for I don’t know. After all, what do I know? I’ve seen only one Lions playoff victory in my 54 years. That certainly isn’t reason for skepticism, right?

[Paul McGaha]

OK Kent, A friendly little bet between you and I re the Lions.

I'll PM you.

PHM