Terp's Take *hearts* Caleb Campbell

It's true, I like the Detroit Lions' 7th-round draft choice. He's a great story, and coming from a family that has plenty of veterans in it, I like when the Armed Forces get some nice PR (even if it was a little manufactured by ESPN).

Either way, the kid certainly doesn't deserve some of the negative press he's been getting. Wait, let me correct that, the ONLY negative press he's been getting.

Funny it would come from our show's competition, the same competition that had my show banned from Mlive because Sports Talk supposedly wasn't on the same level as this. You know what? He's right. Thank goodness I'm nowhere near that level of stupidity.

Also, even though I disagree with him on certain issues, Jim Carty writes everything you need to know about the author of that article. Read it here. I'll personally vouch for everything he has to say.

Here's my Take on the subject:

Tigers breakdown with Mario Impemba

Our good friend Mario Impemba, the man with the best goat-tee in the business, dropped by Sports Talk yesterday to chat Tigers. We talked Verlander, Sheffield, and the Cabrera/Guillen flip-flop at 1st and 3rd. Here's what Mario had to say:

Knee-jerk reactions to 2008 Detroit Lions draft class

How long does it take to fully evaluate a draft class? Two years? Three? Well, 48 hours later I can't help myself. Here's my take on each pick the Lions made over the weekend:

Round 1, Pick #17: Gosder Cherilus (RT, Boston College)

• Measurables: Good size, supposed mean streak, solid run blocker
• Expected Contribution: Starter at RT.
• My Spin: The Lions had a chance at the versatile Brandon Albert at 15, and decided to trade down for a guy I assume they had rated fairly close to Albert. With the rush on Offensive Line in the first round, probably a smart pick. All he has to do is not jump offsides and he's already a large improvement over False Start Foster.

Round 2, Pick #45: Jordon Dizon (ILB, Colorado)

• Measurables: Nice quickness, brings the wood, racked up eigth most tackles in NCAA history in his college career.
• Expected Contribution: Starter at MLB as soon as he learns the Tampa Two.
• My Spin: The kid is a tackling machine, but it's not as easy to bring down NFL players as it is some shmuck from Baylor. Plus, the real key to playing linebacker in The League is shedding blocks, and the kid is pretty small. He's a Marinelli type player, let's hope he puts on about 15 pounds and doesn't lose his speed (which is very hard to do).

Round 3, Pick #64: Kevin Smith (HB, Central Florida)

• Measurables: Rushed for over 2,500 yards last year. Powerful, explosive.
• Expected Contribution: Shares the load with Tatum Bell at Running Back.
• My Spin: Smith was a great pickup, one of the best of the second group of running backs in the draft. The Lions made a solid choice here, and Smith should be the #1 back by Week 3 of the season if not sooner.

Round 3, Pick #87: Andre Fluellen (DT, Florida State)

• Measurables: Stops the run, loves Bobby Bowden
• Expected Contribution: Add depth to D-line
• My Spin: This guy was hurt much of the year but is billed as a run-stopper. The Lions need depth after trading Shaun Rogers. Fluellen will spell Shaun Cody and Cory Redding.

Round 3, Pick #92: Cliff Avril (DE, Purdue)

• Measurables: Rushes the passer (what else do you do in practice at Purdue?).
• Expected Contribution: Rush the passer (duh).
• My Spin: Kalimba Edwards, let's hope he's not. Avril was brought in to put pressure on the Quarterback. We'll see if he actually can do it.

Round 5, Pick #136: Kenneth Moore (WR, Wake Forest)

• Measurables: Great special teams player, valuable in the return game
• Expected Contribution: Return specialist, #5 receiver
• My Spin: Tom Kowalski (Lions Beat Writer) told me Detroit would draft a receiver to help in the return game, so Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you...Kenneth Moore! All he will have to do is beat out incumbent Avieon Cason. Good luck Ken!

Round 5, Pick #146: Jerome Felton (FB, Furman)

• Measurables: Scored a bunch in college, big, bruising back
• Expected Contribution: Goal-line touchdown specialist
• My Spin: He's T.J. Duckett-Lite. Or perhaps Duckett-Lite-Ice. Either way, he'll get the rock inside of 4 yards.

Round 7, Pick #216: Landon Cohen (DT, Ohio)

• Measurables: Another body on defensive side of ball
• Expected Contribution: Enjoying three-week stay in training camp.
• My Spin: He was brought in for depth, is a long shot to stick. With some good performances in practice and preseason games he could make the practice squad.

Round 7, Pick #218: Caleb Campbell (S/LB, Army)

• Measurables: High character, work ethic, ability to disarm a bomb.
• Expected Contribution: Special teams, listening to Marinelli tell old war stories.
• My Spin: I love the kid, I think he'll be a hard worker. If he can put on a little more weight, he could be an effective special teamer. Don't ever discount a serviceman, because you know he's going to put in twice as much effort as 90% of the team despite his meager salary. He's the kind of guy the coaches want around.

Terp's Final Take:

• The Lions addressed their positions of need. Which is good. The players they drafted have big question marks, which is bad. I think Kevin Smith was a great pick, and so were Fluellen, Avril, and Moore. That's the kind of depth you build in the later rounds. But Cherilus and Dizon HAVE to be starters, and there's some issues with both.

• For example. With Dizon (6'0, 229), Paris Lennon (6'2, 235), and Ernie Sims (6'0, 225), the Lions now have a trio of starting linebackers who are all as big as backup quarterback Drew Stanton (6'3, 230). Doesn't exactly strike fear into opponents' hearts.

• Cherilus will struggle early, but Right Tackle is easier to learn than LT. Dizon will not be a starter until mid-way through the season because of his inability to shed blocks (Paris Lennon's problem last year), Smith will enjoy a big year because of Roy Williams and Megatron. Moore upgrades the return game a bit, while Fluellen and Avril have their moments.

Well...the draft is over. For Lions fans, it was like Super Bowl Week. Except we were actually participating.

Dropping the Bomb...

Wow, talk about a rant. I make some cheeky comments about the Cowboys trading for Pacman Jones in yesterday's Terp's Take, but Dallas Sportscaster Dale Hansen shows me up. I'm willing to admit when I'm beat. Touche Dale. Check it out:

Terp's Take! Ocho Cinco...

Every once in a while I do a Take that I particularly enjoy for whatever reason, and this is one of those times. Special Thanks to Chad Johnson for being so crazy, and the Cincinnati Bengals for suddenly deciding they're going to try to be a respectable franchise. Enjoy:

NFL Draft Breakdown with Killer!

It's every Detroit Lions fan's favorite day of the year! It's draft day! Hooray! One of the only times of the year that Lions fans can acutally sit back, enjoy themselves, and feel like they are actually doing better than some of the other teams in the league.

And Terp's Take is here to get you pumped up for Draft Day with an interview with Tom Kowalski, the Detroit Lions beat writer for Mlive.com and Booth Newspapers.

Killer is one of the best in the business, and we always have a good time, so take a listen:

And, just for kicks, Emmit Smith also has a mock draft up. Check it out, trust me!

"The Battle Ground" Spring Game Installment

In our first "Battle Ground" discussion, we talked about the battle for football recruits between Michigan and MSU. Now, in this one we hear from opposing insiders as they each give a report on the Spring Football Game for each school.

First Up is Josh Helmholdt from The Wolverine:

Next, take a listen to Spartan Mag's Paul Konyndyk talking about MSU's Spring Game:

It's Ernie!

I can't believe it took this long, but I have finally uploaded the Ernie Harwell interview that we had on the show earlier this month. As always, Ernie was a class act, a pleasure to have, and I can't tell you how much I enjoyed it. Interview is broken down into two pieces, with another seperate section in which he recites his famous essay "Baseball- A Game for All America". Awesome stuff.

Ernie called the show a few minutes late because he got hung up at the gym, so that's where we begin:

Now, Ernie recites his essay "Baseball - A Game For All America"

NHL/Entertainment Look-a-likes

In honor of the Red Wings beginning their postseason play, I present to you...Guys Who Look Like Other Guys!

No need to question anyone's orientation here, just have some fun. I think the Nik Lidstrom comparison is rather hilarious.

Check it out HERE

The Tigers are...terrible?

Brandon Inge is a pretty honest guy. He made it known that he wasn't pleased this offseason with the possibility of his diminished role. He's upfront about his belief that he's an everyday Major League third baseman. And on Saturday, while surrounded by a group of media that included yours truly, he let it be known that the Tigers aren't really this bad.

Now, if only it were a little easier to believe him.

Inge pointed out on Saturday that he was here in 2003, the last time Detroit started a season this poorly. They ended up finishing that season pretty poorly too, with a club-record 119 losses. Brandon pointed out that the reason that team played so bad to start the year was because they were, well...bad.

"Those teams were just not very good teams, and we were battling just to even win a game or two here or there, and this is not a team like that," said Inge on Saturday. "We're just going through a little low stretch right now, and everything get's compounded because it's the beginning of the season, but we just got to sit back, relax, and have fun. We're all one family here...and it will get accomplished."

Comforting words for Tigers fans, and certainly an attitude that fans and players alike still believe; but the numbers so far this season are pretty disheartening:

The Tigers are last in runs scored in AL. Their pitching has the highest ERA of any AL team. Magglio Ordonez has yet to drive in a run, while Miguel Cabrera's only RBI came off a solo homer on Opening Day.

The stats aren't good, that's for sure, and the old adage about a lineup being good on paper but not translating to the field is certainly ringing in Tiger's fan's heads right now.

After that 13-2 embarrassment last night on national television, Jim Leyland said he was not going to close the doors and yell at his team, and that a players-only meeting probably wasn't necessary either. I agree. This is a veteran ball club with plenty of guys with proven track records. They know what the score is; what they have to do to get a win in the big leagues. The perplexing part is right now no one is doing what they're expected to do.

Except for Brandon Inge. Right now, the guy who was supposed to be a super-sub for this team leads them in Home Runs and RBI's. Nothing like your job getting threatened to pull some performance out of a guy who everyone, including him, knew could've done better last year.

I'm not calling for anyone to be benched yet, and I'm not saying the sky is falling either. Like every other Tiger's fan, I'm concerned about the team right now, but still hopeful for the rest of the season. But what I can say is that only six teams in MLB history have started this poorly and still made the playoffs, and the Tigers have a hole to crawl out of to be lucky number seven.

Apparently $138 million dollars doesn't buy you as much as it used to.