Hondo Answers some of your Lions Email!!

Hondo,
All off-season you seemed so excited about the Lions, and to your credit you told us that they would win games. Now however you seem down on them, did the Detroit media ruin you?
Gary-Idaho

Hello Gary!
No all the negative media have not swayed me and for the record not everyone in Detroit is that way. I was upbeat and excited and I did tell you that the team would win. That said I also reported that you had to temper your enthusiasm until pads were on. I am a Lions fan. I admit it. I like Marinelli and I want them to win. It does not replace however that there are some real issues and I am pointing them out. This team is 3-1 and the wins came against 2 marginal teams and one good team that was struggling at the most important position: QB. Now never apologize for a win. The Lions had injuries also. I am however holding this team to the 10 win standard that they set. If you feel like they have played thus far as a ten-win team you should disagree with all I have said. If you are a realist and you look at the upcoming schedule, you will know that there is a lot of improvement needed to get to that plateau. I am not a hater. As a fan I am really excited with being 3-1. I also think that for them to get where they have to get (10 wins) they have to get better fast.

Hondo,
What don’t you like about Martz?
Cary-Michigan

Hi Cary!
I think that Mike Martz is the best offensive mind in the NFL presently. He is a genius when it comes to his system. I also think that Martz wants to be a head coach so bad that he will make decisions that benefit his offense and offensive numbers before the Lions. Teams will not judge him by the Lions win loss total. They will judge his offense because that is what he controls. One quick example where all the wasted time outs last season that the Lions needed late in games but he wasted early. That is one of many. I was critical last week because he thought he could do something (run the ball) and had the Lions not had an NFL record for points in the fourth quarter the Lions would have lost. Are some of you so delirious with kool aid that you don’t recognize that it took an NFL record to save us from losing a game we could have won handily? Even Kitna came out after the game and declared, “We are a pass first team.” The Lions let him run the offense on his own, but he has to be kept in check. I trust Marinelli; I don’t Martz with the Lions future. He was his most successful under the thumb of Vermeil and was let go essentially of St. Louis. My dad always taught that only trust people that have as much to lose as you. If his offense does well he looks good, regardless of the Lions record.

Hondo
Do you think that your Green and White lenses may hurt your objectivity when it comes to Stanton and Duckett?
Carlos-Michigan

Hi Carlos!
Not at all. My argument of putting Stanton in IR has nothing to do with Drew. I would say that no matter what QB they picked with their first 2nd round pick, that they followed up by calling their guy of the future. As far as Duckett, I think they could use him to get those close yards, but lets be frank. The OL is so bad that how far can anyone get when getting nailed in the backfield. KJ is the Lions best bet since Tatum has shown he isn’t the answer and Duckett is more of an attack runner who can’t attack when being attacked behind the line of scrimmage. Some people who don’t like my arguments and show their ignorance by attacking my love of MSU when they can’t refute an argument intelligently.

Hondo,
I sure hope that Scott stays in and Foster sits out! To many mistakes, let the youngster play.
Pete

Pete,
I told you in the off-season that Foster was not the answer. Teams don’t let tackles go that can play. I said he was a prototype of Stockar McDougle and he has shown that.

Hondo
I am really surprised that Kitna has proven to be as good as he is. Are you surprised that he is this good? I know that you have defended him since he got here, but aren’t you a little surprised?
Jim-Florida

Thanks Jim.
No way. Jon was a victim of the circumstances. When he got to Detroit and had a team tell him this is your team and you are our guy, he flourished. I was having lunch with a former NLF player this week and we where laughing about how success in the NFL has more to do with the circumstances. Jon is a good QB. I don’t think he is elite, but he is very good. That is why you hate to roll the dice, but you can’t have fiascos like Sunday (first three quarters) and you have to go out and be what you are. Jon is tough and Jon is the Lions only hope.

Hondo
Marinelli says that this team can be elite. Do you buy that?
Nelson

Hi Nelson!
I sure do. That is why I have been so critical of them with non-elite performances. This team can be special. I predicted 9 wins and they threw out 10. I don’t see anything wrong with expecting them to play at that level. This is a good football team. The fans can’t just be giddy after a few wins. It has been 50 years since Lions fans have had a champion. This is not a championship team, but Marinelli has done a very good job of improving this team and fans should expect them to become elite under his watch.

Thanks everyone. If your email wasn’t answered here, you will hear from me. Let’s all hope for a 4-1 start with a win over the Skins.