Jim Schwartz is really starting to piss me off.

[pbmax]

I hope he keeps talking and distracting his own team. Even Suh said recently they have to be more accountable but Jim doesn't seem to operate with that in mind.

[MJZiggy]

Even Suh said recently they have to be more accountable but Jim doesn't seem to operate with that in mind.

And that's ok with me...

[pbmax]

They REALLY need to go skeet shooting soon.

Lion's Aaron Berry Arrested on Assault Charge

There has to be a typo somewhere in their study material for camp.

"Make sure you arrest any bad habits before camp..."

[denverYooper]

They REALLY need to go skeet shooting soon.

Lion's Aaron Berry Arrested on Assault Charge

There has to be a typo somewhere in their study material for camp.

"Make sure you arrest any bad habits before camp..."

The Lions are responsible for 7 out of 29 offseason arrests. Schwartz might want to re-think his managerial approach.

[Joemailman]

Lions are starting to remind me a bit of the Gregg Packers. When you teach aggression but don't stress discipline, you end up with trouble both on and off the field. When Schwartz was the DC at Tennessee, I often thought they were on the edge between aggressive and undisciplined on defense. Maybe Fisher was able to rein that in just enough. The head coach sets the tone, and right now the Lions have to wrong tone.

[RashanGary]

I'm not so certain Schwartz is going to continue on his current path. I heard an interview from an assistant coach who worked with McCarthy. He said he's surprised MM made it as well as he did with the temper he used to have. Said MM was a real hot head. MM cooled down, and became a great coach.

Schwartz is a young guy. He deserves a chance to grow. And the Lions can easily learn from their character draft mistakes. . . .

Stafford is good, maybe more. They have some real talent. They can go one way, the other or stay the same. I kind of have my money on them, but not quiet yet. I think they have a couple lessons to learn before they can be great.

And for the record, I like Schwartz too. He was asked about the Packers minicamp approach. He doesn't want to hear about the Packers. He just said what came to his mind, needed a little bit of a filter there. AS good of a coach Schwartz is, I like his chances of cleaning up some of the rough edges.

MM was probably sick of hearing about Favre, but they had a media manipulation expert teach them how to handle tough situations. They've really taken that with them and been on point with their media relations. . . . These guys are competitive, they're mans men. They're scrappers, they have tempers, they have a ruthless edge to them. Just have to hide it, and they'll avoid the drama.

[VegasPackFan]

The Lions have a discipline and character problem. It starts with the coach. Look at Calvin Johnson - that guy is a model NFL citizen, great player and you NEVER hear about him off the field. He apparently has no influence over the rest of the team though. That is a problem.

Everyone that plays the Lions has a strategy to "take them out of their game". Keep goading and egging them on until they snap and do something stupid.

These arrests certainly show that the lions do not consider character when drafting/signing players and that Schwartz and his staff have no attention to helping these guys become men and use their status for something positive.

[Lurker64]

I think the Lions discipline problems starts with the GM. It's not a surprise that guys like LeShoure, Fairley, and Titus Young are problem children. I think some of the culpability has to fall on the guy who drafted those guys (in a single draft!). It's not like the "we'll ignore character and focus on talent" approach to personnel management has a long, successful track record.

[pbmax]

PR and hiding a temper only explain the coach's public comments. They don't tell you much about what the players are up to. Is it a matter of scouting and evaluation or do they actively encourage this inside the Lions offices and practice fields? I would say the Lions player acquisitions and public demonstrations show that Schwartz lack of experience in controlling himself is augmented in two ways. He clearly sides with a branch of the coaching tree that pushes violence on field to a level not matched by many outifts (Ryan/Fisher/Williams). And don't forget Gunther Cunningham, who has his own out of control defense in Kansas City with Marty Schottenheimer. Remember the game when Wayne Simmons and Derrick Thomas both got ejected?

As for player acquisition, they brought Cortland Finnegan in*. I am less familiar with the Lions drafting of marginal behavior, but I would not be surprised if they were not at all afraid of college trouble (Nick Fairley).

McCarthy did have to master that temper to advance, as he has said on numerous times. Schwartz have never addressed mastering his anger (publicly, anyway). Tough to change in the spotlight. He has the money, motivation and resources now to avoid the consequences until they cost him his job.

Ari Fleischer and an unknown therapist have their work cut out for them.


* EDIT: Wrong. I thought they pursued him, but they don't appear even to have done much of that. So toss out that example.

[Patler]

I don't think Schwartz is the young, wet-behind-the-ears coach that some try to make him out to be. If he was going to mature, he should have done it a long, long time ago. He is 46 years old. He has been a head coach for three seasons, was an NFL d-coordinator for 8 years, and an NFL scout and assistant for 6 years before that.

McCarthy is only 2+ years older at 48, (49 in November). He has 6 years as a head coach, and was an NFL coordinator for five seasons. Seven years of NFL experience before that.

They are at virtually the same stages of their careers, and their lives. Both have 11 years as a HC or coordinator. MM has one more year of NFL experience than Schwartz does.

I don't expect Schwartz to change anymore than Forrest Gregg did. Gregg was 42 when he became a HC and the issues and attitudes that plagued him early were the same as he brought to the Packers in his early 50s.

[King Friday]

McCarthy may have been a hot head, but I can't see him EVER allowing a player to play dirty like Schwartz clearly allowed from Suh.

I don't see some kind career resurrection from Schwartz. I actually see things going the other way, because he STILL clearly hasn't learned to control himself or his players.

[Joemailman]

Detroit has too much talent for Schwartz to fail completely. Jerry Glanville might be a good comparison.

[sheepshead]

What Schwartz doesnt understand is he is an executive of a $500 million enterprise. That Harbaugh stuff was sophomoric. Coordinators can get away with certain things, NFL head coaches cannot. We have seen lots of guys that get promoted only to realize they are better life long coordinators for whatever reason. Schwartz is one of those guys IMO.

[MJZiggy]

Oh guys! You're just all so full of preseason feel-good kool-aid. But don't stop on my account. I'm loving this. And my thoughts are that the HC is supposed to be the example of class of the players to follow. I guess in this case, they follow his lead well. I wonder how many suspensions they'll be looking at this season with the reputation they're getting...

[Bretsky]

Stepping into the Kool Aide with muddy shoes, Bretsky would like to point out that the GB and Detroit teams were the same spot when the final game was played. This drivel means little to me; just go win the Big Show like you did two years ago and then as all you have to say is Scoreboard