08-09 Lions: The season of defeats leads to the most interesting team in football

...It's hard to admit to being a Lions fan down here in Naples, Florida-especially with so many freaking Steelers fans around here. But I can admit to it at least-it is the first step after all...Now that the Lions have completed the greatest most pathetic season in the history of the NFL they have become down right interesting and I, for one, will be watching them closely the entire off season. Why, you ask? Do I have several screws loose? Are both of my brain cells still fighting? Sorry to disappoint, but everything is fine with my head (except the permanent 9 inch scar on it lol), no the Lions are interesting by virtue of the facts. At the end of the year, Tom Lewand and Martin Mayhew get moved to President and General Manager of the team, respectively. First order of business-firing head coach Rod Marinelli and most of his staff. With that done basically immediately (to no ones surprise) they then hire Jim Schwartz as head coach-the Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator, who in turn has hired Gunther Cunningham as his Defensive Coordinator and Scott Lineham as Offensive Coordinator...Now, I loved the hire of Scwartz (then again I liked Marenilli's hire 4 yrs ago too), the coordinator's he has chosen I am split on. Cunningham as more than 3 decades of experience at all levels of football and has a proven track record of improving team defenses that he comes too. Lineham has a similar, though briefer, track record of success, but has close ties to Dante "wide in the arse" Culpepper-who the Lions signed out of retirement last year in a desperation move hoping to win at least one game. That move backfired as Dante ended up hurt for the final 3 games of the season and didn't exactly look 'sharp' in the 4 or 5 games he actually started (still scratching my head as to how that worked). I don't like this past between Lineham and Culpepper, I'm afraid that he will start Culpepper next season and allow Orlovsky (who played pretty good in relief of Dante) slip away in free agency. Don't get me wrong, Orlovsky is not the Lions' answer at QB, but at least allowing him to play doesnt hold the team back any further than it already is. Culpepper is, for all intents and purposes, washed up. At 32 he is out of shape and out of football mind, and it was way too obvious last year. True, he was basically thrown to the wolves on the worst team in football, but he obviously didn't truely care to stay in shape for a come back. The guys ass would have made Oprah's look small during one of her eating binges and because of it he was slow, sloppy, and awkward on the field. So unless he sheds 30 pounds of ass and hips, I'd rather see Orlovsky or even Stanton start. But what about their #1 overall pick you may ask? The Lions would be effing stupid to use that pick on a QB. If they pick a QB with that pick I will NEVER care about the Lions again (thats right I said it and it's in print now). This is where the Lions become REAL interesting this offseason-their draft picks. As of now, they have 5 of the 1st 83 picks of the draft and they need every single one of them. IF the Lions are stupid enough to draft a QB (Stafford or Sanchez) it would do nothing but set the organization back another 6 years just like Harrington being drafted did. What the Lions need-as will ALL the great teams-is an O-Line that can keep their QB up right and not fearing for their life every play. No one needs to look any farther than the likes of Trent Dilfer and Brad Johnson-2 very average QB's who have rings because they had outstanding Offensive Lines. Therefore, if the Lions' new coaches intend to stick to their mantra of "building from the inside out" they will draft one of the 3 top Offensive Lineman with that first overall pick. Our only hope is that the idiot owner doesn't scream, bitch, cry and whine about having to pay an Offensive Lineman 5 mill a year because those positions arent "flashy" enough to be worth that kind of cash (what an moron)...I digress...If you've read this far you can tell I obviously think the Lions are interesting right now so I won't bore you with going through any more of their drafts picks (they better take defense with the next 2 picks though lol).