Blogs > Lions Lowdown

One thing you can count on with the Detroit Lions is that they are never, ever boring. Follow the latest news including injuries, roster moves and more here daily from Oakland Press beat writer Paula Pasche. Plus you'll find regular commentary about the team.

1/30/2007

Whoa, Billy

I've stuck up for Michigan State basketball all year. I projected the Spartans as a six seed before the season started because I liked what I saw in practice, I knew Drew Neitzel could score, and I was confident Tom Izzo would get the most out of his team. I even predicted here last week that MSU would beat Ohio State in Saturday's rematch at the Breslin Center.

But I sure do get a kick out of all the gum-flapping reserved for MSU now. One great half of basketball against a Buckeye team that has some issues (youth, inexperience, too reliant on the 3-point shot, for starters) has some people going over the top.

Look, MSU is a solid team, an NCAA tournament team, probably the third best team in the league when everything shakes out. But it's not a Final Four contender, as Jay Bilas suggested today on ESPN.com. Next year, definitely. But for now the Spartans have too many weaknesses (inconsistent post play, depth issues, no dependable second scoring option).

I'm anxious to see what happens in Champaign tonight. It'd be a big win if MSU could pull it off. Illinois is not nearly as bad as its Big Ten record, and Assembly Hall is one of the three toughest places to play in the conference. Win or lose though, the big game is Saturday. MSU gets another shot at Ohio State in a CBS game on a day when Mateen Cleaves' jersey will be retired. The Breslin Center should be crazy, and MSU should be able to sneak out a victory.

1/26/2007

Perfect 10

Ten games left in the regular season for both Michigan and Michigan State. Both teams have pretty gaudy records — 17-4 overall for MSU, 16-5 for Michigan, and both are 4-2 in the Big Ten — but neither is a lock for the NCAA tournament. Yet.

Who is? Well, Wisconsin and Ohio State for sure, and Indiana has a bid that just needs the stitching. I've said since the beginning I think the Big Ten is a solid five-bid league, which means three teams (Michigan, Michigan State and Illinois) are vying for the final two spots. I could see a sixth team squeaking in depending on the finish, and I guess it's too early to totally rule out Purdue (which can't win on the road) or Iowa (who's season may come down to next week's game in Ann Arbor).

But if I had to put my house on it today, I'd guess MSU and Illinois get the final two bids out of the Big Ten and Michigan heads to its home away from home, the NIT. The Wolverines just don't have enough quality wins (Illinois at Crisler is the best), and I see five sure losses on the rest of the schedule (at Indiana, Ohio State, Illinois, MSU and home against the Buckeyes) with one or two more mixed in (home games with MSU and Indiana and even a trip to Minnesota may be tricky).

MSU is playing pretty good ball now that Raymar Morgan is back in the lineup. The Spartans have a solid win against Texas and will get credit for beating two other potential tournament teams in BYU and Bradley. The rest of the way? I don't see the Spartans catching fire, but they play too hard not to pull off at least one surprise (next weekend's home game with Ohio State is my guess). Considering its rep, its early-season injury woes and its computer number, MSU needs just four wins the rest of the way to go dancing. They'd like more and just to be safe they'll get more, but that's all they need for a 10th straight bid.

I documented how I think Illinois (15-7, 3-4) will rebound in my Big Ten column last week (pick up our paper every Wednesday for that), and now that I've seen more of Wisconsin and Ohio State, Wisconsin is clearly the better team. The Buckeyes have more talent, but they rely too much on the 3-pointer. They'll beat MSU Saturday and may beat the Badgers in Columbus, but Wisconsin will win the league.

1/24/2007

Drew's draft buzz

Sounds like Drew Stanton is having a good week at the Senior Bowl, which couldn't be better news for his draft stock.

I got blasted by a few E-mailers throughout the football season when I continued to call Stanton a first-round pick as Michigan State struggled and Stanton put up so-so numbers. Then he signed with mega-agent Drew Rosenhaus and I all but guaranteed Stanton would go in the first round.

This wasn't me making stuff up, people. Talking to NFL talent evaluators, Stanton has the prototype quarterback build - about 6-3, 220-plus pounds - he's athletic, he can take a lick, he's a respected leader on the field and he made some defining plays throughout his career. His numbers as a senior weren't great - in fact, they were a little disappointing. But he played on a bad football team much like Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler (Vanderbilt; a first-rounder last year) and the mobile, aggressive quarterback (see: Romo, Tony) is here to stay.

Stanton won't go in the top 10 like some thought at the beginning of the year. He's been banged up throughout his career and JaMarcus Russell's early entry makes him the likely top QB on the board. But I still believe Stanton, buoyed by a great week at the Senior Bowl (so far at least; the game is Saturday, though that's the last thing the scouts worry about), will go in the bottom half of the first round, hopefully to a team like Kansas City (No. 24), Philadelphia (No. 27), Baltimore (No. 29) or even the Super Bowl-bound Bears, where he can learn for a year and step into a winning system.

1/22/2007

Finding my inner fan

Any sports writer will tell you that one of the biggest drawbacks to this job is you mostly become numb to the teams/sports you cover. Sure you want to see good games, the teams you cover go far and the people you get to know do well, but you never watch a sporting event the same again. No cheering, no stomach-churning sense of anticipation, and no deep-seeded admiration for any player. None of that exists.

Well, watching the Saints-Bears game yesterday I was genuinely sad, disappointed and bummed to see the Saints' storybook run come to an end one victory short of the Super Bowl. It's the first time I can remember feeling like that in a while. Now maybe this was different because I don't cover the team on any sort of basis and I had a personal rooting interest with the Saints (an old high school buddy plays for them), but it was nice to, at least for a while, feel like a fan again.

I rooted for the Saints outwardly. When my friend caught a pass, I woke my wife up and rewound the play on our DVR. And now that they've lost, the Super Bowl won't have a whole lot of meaning for me, despite the otherwise interesting storylines of Peyton Manning, Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith.

So I head to work today, up to East Lansing for my usual press conference and practice, wondering if this is how Michigan fans felt after the Ohio State game or how Michigan State fans felt after losing to George Mason in the tournament last year. If it is, than one bloodless, heartless sports writer can finally sympathize.

1/18/2007

The Oden-Durant debate

Had a pretty interesting discussion with an Ohio State friend of mine the other day about who is the best freshman in America, OSU big man Greg Oden or Texas' Kevin Durant. He said Oden, a 7-foot-1 shot-blocking monster; I said Durant, who's averaging 25 a game for a top-25 team.

Really, there is no wrong answer. These are two of the best players to grace college basketball in decades. We're only seeing glimpses of what Oden can do. He missed the first month of the season with a right wrist injury and still doesn't have full flexibility there. He shoots his free throws left-handed and most of his field-goal attempts are dunks, but is so strong and intimidating he reminds many of a young Pat Ewing.

Durant, a 6-foot-10 wing, is a national player of the year candidate. He's putting up monster numbers (11.1 rebounds and 1.9 blocks to go with his 25 points per game), hitting clutch shots, and looking like he could repeat Carmelo Anthony's feat and take Texas to the promised land as a freshman.

Either Oden or Durant will be the top pick in June's NBA draft. There's a small chance Oden could return for his sophomore season, but he's the best pure post player to come out of college since at least Tim Duncan, probably longer because of his paint presence. Durant, who's almost guaranteed to come out, is more the Kevin Garnett type, capable of doing anything and guarding almost anyone.

If I have the No. 1 pick, I think I'd take Durant. Fewer health questions for now, longer shelf life with his comparatively smaller body, and his game fits the up-tempo style that could mean marketing magic for him and his team. Either way, I'm looking forward to watching both men over the next two months and the impact they have on the college game.

1/15/2007

The week ahead

Michigan State couldn't have picked a better time for a bye. Coming off back-to-back wins that evened their Big Ten record but still dealing with nagging injuries (Maurice Joseph's ankle sprain), the Spartans have five days to get healthy and get re-acclimated with one another for what amounts to one of their biggest games of the season.

In the Big Ten basketball landscape, Penn State has never carried much cache. The Lions have two NCAA appearances - in 1996 and 2001 - and generally have been a lower-division team. But this year is different. They have one of the best 1-2 punches in the league in Geary Claxton and Jamelle Cornley, and they are legitimate tournament contenders (longshots because of some suspect early-season losses, but legitimate nonetheless).

MSU has very few winnable road games on its schedule. There are no trips to Northwestern or Minnesota, the worst two teams in the leagues. Winning at Ohio State, Wisconsin and even Illinois will be more than a chore. And with upcoming home dates against the Buckeyes and Badgers, two top-five teams, they're bound to need at least one road win to stay .500 and reach their 10th straight NCAA tournament. Along with February trips to Purdue and Michigan, Saturday's Penn State game is MSU's best chance.

Coincidentally, Penn State starts the week at Michigan for what's shaping up to be a very important game for the Wolverines. As expected, Michigan never really threatened in its first conference road game Saturday at Purdue. The Wolverines have a suspect  14-4 record, but two more get-confident games this week against Penn State and Purdue before getting into the meat of their schedule.

After this week, the Wolverines have just two sure-wins before the Big Ten tourney, home games with Iowa and Minnesota, and no doubt those teams are looking at the games as their best chance to steal one on the road. Tommy Amaker's team needs a bounce-back performance this week to stay within striking distance of the tournament.

1/12/2007

Grade A work?

Finally had a chance to look at the "Hiring Report Card" Michigan State submitted to the Black Coaches Association for its football coaching search this morning, and as president Lou Anna Simon suggested MSU received an "A" in all five components of the card.

In a letter from associate athletics director Mark Hollis to BCA executive director Floyd Keith, the university stated that it made six contacts with the Black Coaches Association and the NCAA's Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee. The BCA requires two for an "A."

MSU also surpassed the BCA's minimum "A" standard for number of minorities on the hiring committee (30 percent; using its entire seven-person hiring committee, MSU included three persons of color, though only one member of the four-person interview team was black) and in the candidate pool (30 percent; MSU officially interviewed eight people, including black coaches Charlie Strong, Charlie Baggett and Jimmy Raye), and earned a perfect score for following a reasonable time frame (the university took nearly double the two weeks the BCA recommends) and adhering to its affirmative action hiring policies.

Along with Strong, the defensive coordinator at Florida, and NFL assistants Baggett (Miami Dolphins) and Raye (New York Jets), LSU defensive coordinator Bo Pelini, ex-Central Michigan coach Brian Kelly, Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator Todd Grantham and Philadelphia Eagles quarterbacks coach Pat Shurmur were the only candidates to get official interviews before Mark Dantonio was hired as coach.

I give the school credit for its diligence and its final grade. According to the BCA, only four of 10 Division I schools who went through the hiring process last year scored an "A." (Three "F" grades were given to schools who did not submit paperwork to the BCA.)

But I can't help but wonder how token some of the interviews were. Raye never stood a shot at getting the job - he was interviewed to appease a group of former players - and Baggett, with a sketchy NCAA history, was a candidate only because he's friends with a prominent MSU trustee.

The BCA encourages a broad interview process as a way of getting more minority candidates head coaching opportunities. Theoretically, the more a worthy candidate like Strong goes through the process, the more his name is bandied about, the more viable a candidate he becomes in the future. As such, it would have been nice to see MSU think outside the box and give up-and-coming coaches like Randy Shannon, who eventually got the job at Miami, Notre Dame offensive coordinator Mike Haywood, UCLA defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker or even Michigan's Ron English an interview.

1/09/2007

Looking ahead to 07

Great championship game, huh? Really dispelled the myth that the SEC is the best conference in college football and the Big Ten is vastly overrated. I'd say both those truths are plenty plain to see now, though I really thought Ohio State and Michigan gave the Big Ten a Big Two.

Oh well. Looking ahead to next year, I can't see a remarkable turnaround for our once mighty conference, though the bottom tier of Indiana and Illinois will be appreciably better and quite possibly replaced by Minnesota and Northwestern. At the top, Michigan will be good - top five good in my opinion, more on that in a minute - but Ohio State will take a step back with juniors Ted Ginn and Antonio Pittman likely off to the NFL, and Wisconsin is bound to lose more than one game considering its road dates at Penn State and Ohio State.

As for the Wolverines, I don't believe they're as bad as they played against USC, especially on offense where their weapons are on par with anyone in the country. Michigan's Rose Bowl opponent, USC, will likely rank No. 1 in my preseason poll (again, they held the top spot last year as well) with an in-tact defense and a returning quarterback.

I'd put Michigan No. 2 for now and probably West Virginia three. Quarterback Pat White and running back Steve Slaton are back for the Mountaineers, and the Big East will be down a bit with Louisville breaking in a new coach and possibly a new quarterback. Florida and Virginia Tech would round out my top five, with Texas, Arkansas and Ohio State among the other candidates depending on who's coming back. If you're looking for Boise State-like longshots, Hawaii and South Florida are teams to keep on your radar.

Here's my preseason top 10, subject to change:
1. USC
2. Michigan
3. West Virginia
4. Florida
5. Virginia Tech
6. Texas
7. Arkansas
8. Ohio State
9. California
10. LSU

Looking ahead to 07

Great championship game, huh? Really dispelled the myth that the SEC is the best conference in college football and the Big Ten is vastly overrated. I'd say both those truths are plenty plain to see now, though I really thought Ohio State and Michigan gave the Big Ten a Big Two.

Oh well. Looking ahead to next year, I can't see a remarkable turnaround for our once mighty conference, though the bottom tier of Indiana and Illinois will be appreciably better and quite possibly replaced by Minnesota and Northwestern. At the top, Michigan will be good - top five good in my opinion, more on that in a minute - but Ohio State will take a step back with juniors Ted Ginn and Antonio Pittman likely off to the NFL, and Wisconsin is bound to lose more than one game considering its road dates at Penn State and Ohio State.

As for the Wolverines, I don't believe they're as bad as they played against USC, especially on offense where their weapons are on par with anyone in the country. Michigan's Rose Bowl opponent, USC, will likely rank No. 1 in my preseason poll (again, they held the top spot last year as well) with an in-tact defense and a returning quarterback.

I'd put Michigan No. 2 for now and probably West Virginia three. Quarterback Pat White and running back Steve Slaton are back for the Mountaineers, and the Big East will be down a bit with Louisville breaking in a new coach and possibly a new quarterback. Florida and Virginia Tech would round out my top five, with Texas, Arkansas and Ohio State among the other candidates depending on who's coming back. If you're looking for Boise State-like longshots, Hawaii and South Florida are teams to keep on your radar.

Here's my preseason top 10, subject to change:
1. USC
2. Michigan
3. West Virginia
4. Florida
5. Virginia Tech
6. Texas
7. Arkansas
8. Ohio State
9. California
10. LSU

1/07/2007

It's Week 1, people

We're a week into the Big Ten basketball season and already I can see the emails. Michigan State sucks. They're 0-2. What's going on? And from other parts of the state, Michigan's 2-0, they're tournament bound. You sold them short.

Two words for everyone: Chill out.

I watched MSU's game against Indiana today and there's no disputing the fact the Spartans were terrible. Regardless of the reason, there's no excuse for a performance like that. But that doesn't change my opinion that MSU is a tournament team.

The Spartans are 13-4 and should get healthy this week with two conference home games against Northwestern and Illinois. Then they travel to Penn State, a slippery but winnable game, and close January with what should be an easy home win against Minnesota and two tough road trips to Illinois and Ohio State. A 4-4 January - that's how things look to be shaking out - would keep MSU on track for eight or nine conference wins, and that's all the Spartans need to get in the dance. The selection committee will excuse Thursday's loss to Iowa (no Raymar Morgan and a hobbled Maurice Joseph), and MSU has a chance to impress with a strong finish that includes four straight home games and trips to Michigan and Wisconsin.

If you're a Michigan fan, let me be the first to warn you not to get too high on your team just yet. The Wolverines still have some serious questions in the backcourt. Dion Harris can run the point against Northwestern, but not Indiana or Ohio State or Purdue, who just happens to be next on the schedule.

Despite its 2-0 conference start, Michigan still has a long way to go to reach the NCAA tournament - longer than MSU, in fact. The Wolverines have no quality out-of-conference wins, no cache with the committee, and a brutal final six games against MSU (twice), OSU, Indiana and at Illinois and Minnesota, two tough places to play in the Big Ten.

I don't mean to rag on Michigan. Ekpe Udoh has been a bright spot so far this year and Lester Abram is showing signs of snapping out of his funk, but Saturday's trip to West Lafayette is an important test and one that'll give us a better read on the Wolverines.

1/04/2007

Raymar, MoJo updates

Blogging live courtside at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Michigan State guard Maurice Joseph will play tonight for the first time since suffering a stress reaction in his right foot in a Dec. 9 game at The Palace. Joseph did not practice Wednesday, but he took part in MSU's shootaround this morning.

Freshman wing Raymar Morgan, however, will miss his seventh straight game with a stress reaction in his right shin. Morgan is in warm-ups, but not in uniform.

Don't expect more than a few minutes per half from Joseph, but his presence should be enough to lift the Spartans (13-2) to a win in their Big Ten opener against Iowa (8-6).

1/02/2007

Boise and the BCS

Boise State's thrilling 43-42 Fiesta Bowl victory over Oklahoma last night was both the best and worst thing proponents of an NCAA playoff could ask for.

On the immediate level, I think it hurts our chances of getting a true national championship game by, say, next year. The next logical step was to transform the title game into a plus-one format, meaning the top four teams in the BCS (this year OSU, Florida, Michigan and LSU) play, in effect, two semifinal games (disguised as the Rose and Orange bowls for instance) with the winners squaring off for the title the following week. But after watching Boise State beat the Big 12 champ and Michigan struggled against USC, it's clear a four-team playoff just won't work. Too many contenders are left out of the mix.

What Boise's win Monday did, however, was open the door for an eight-team playoff, something that probably will have to wait until the next BCS contract. For years, non-BCS schools have subscribed to the theory that a playoff is not in their best interests because they'd be left out of the mix. Now that Boise State and Utah (against Pitt three years ago) have won BCS games, mid-major conference commissioners can rightfully argue they deserve a spot in a tournament format, too.

I still believe a 16-team playoff is the way to go - my foolproof plan is detailed here: http://davebirkett.blogspot.com/2006_10_01_davebirkett_archive.html - and hopefully we'll get there someday. But for now, the powers that be should hop on the Bronco bus and ride it all the way to the playoffs.