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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.

6/08/2009

It wasn't really that long ago ...

   When I tell people I covered the Lions for The Oakland Press when they actually were in the playoffs, the initial reaction is that I must be really, really old.
 “When was that, the ’70s?” I was recently asked.
  No. It was 1993 (lost at home to Packers), 1994 (lost at Green Bay), 1995 (lost at Philadelphia), 1997 (lost at Tampa Bay) and 1999 (lost at Washington).
  Really, it wasn’t that long ago. (See, I’m not that old.)
  I’m back covering the Lions now and looking forward to the challenge.
  Have I missed anything?
  Just kidding.
  The last game I covered at the Silverdome was on Dec. 24, 2000, when the Lions lost a chance to advance to the playoffs by losing 23-20 to the Chicago Bears. The Lions held a 17-13 lead with 11:14 remaining, then lost on a 54-yard field goal with two seconds left. Gary Moeller finished the last seven games of the season as head coach after Bobby Ross had left due to health reasons. The game was a nightmarish end to 9-7 season.
 At that point the Fords were ready to blow up the team. They wanted not just to make it to the playoffs, they wanted to win a playoff game which they hadn’t done since the 1991 season.
 They hired Matt Millen to take the team to the next step.
 We all know how that worked out.
 (I still say that Millen’s first mistake was not keeping Moeller on as head coach. The players responded well to him, even though he was a more of a taskmaster than Ross. Had Millen kept him for the next season, my hunch is that the Lions would have won more than two games. Remember in 2001 they were 2-14 under Marty Mornhinweg. Plus, if Moeller had not worked out, Millen wouldn’t have looked bad since he just gave the guy a chance. But I digress ...)
 So I missed the whole Millen era.
 Now it’s time for a fresh start with general manager Martin Mayhew.
  It should be interesting to see the team grow with Mayhew and new coach Jim Schwartz.
 Perhaps now there is hope that one day they’ll get back to the playoffs.  We’ll see ...
— PAULA PASCHE


 
 
 

7 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

This left me at a loss for words, and not in a good way.

9:50 AM 
Blogger Jesse said...

Paula, I appreciate you taking over. Dave set a pretty high bar, as he was the only reporter who seemed to have a real "in" with the Lions...somehow he was always the first one (or only one) to receive certain information about the team.

10:32 AM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

WOW this place really sucks now!!! this blog used to offer a fresh and accurate view of whats going on in Allen Park ... I understand that this is a slow period but So far i've read 2 crappy unappealing articles ... C'mon guys

Cortez

10:33 AM 
Blogger Bret said...

Jesse - I couldn't agree more. You summed up the situation perfectly.

Paula - I appreciate the attempt, but as Jesse stated you do have very big shoes to fill. I (and I imagine others) will give you the opportunity to shine. Dave did have a knack for getting tidbits of info others could not, as well as sooner than others. I believe one of his most unique traits was that he would respond to us here when we would ask questions. He really spoiled us. I (we?) felt like I had a "man on the inside" when it came to the Detroit Lions. Others in the local media seem to think they are semi-celebrities and don't bother to respond to the fan base the way Dave did.
So, when I say 'Good luck' I really mean it. I hope you can continue on where Dave left off. If you can't I (we) won't hesitate to glean our information from other sources and not look back.

Thanks for your time and Good luck, Paula.

11:10 AM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I have to agree with Bret there Paula.....I have followed Dave for years and will continue to do so as he covers my wolverines.....I hope the same can be said about you some day when you leave this blog.....they aren't just big shoes to fill they are HUGE shoes to fill, Dave had insight most other "reporters" didn't and the ability to update us when other wouldn't. I will give this some time, but please don't make me regret it......oh and do yourself a favor.....respond plentiful and have fun with the posters.....that way we stay around and talk about you...in a good way....in the Mlive blog....lol....BullMichael

7:41 PM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Welcome Paula! I'm glad that you took over and wish you well! Looking forward to some great inside stuff!!!

I hope you'll read our comments and comment yourself on occasion.

Again, Welcome!

9:49 PM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

haha what is this. deleting this off my bookmarks, anyone know where dave is going?

6:03 PM 

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