Lions game is ony an hour away..  and Big Al is getting geared up for another demoralizing Lions game..   from TWE :

Game Information

From reading their game preview, From The Midway is not expecting much of a game...not that I blame them. They have this to say about the Lions:

If possible, the Lions are actually a worse team than they were just a few weeks ago when the Bears visited the Motor City and left tread marks all over Ford Field in a 34-7 blowout win. Since then the Lions have traded star receiver Roy Williams to the Dallas Cowboys and lost Jon Kitna to injury, leaving inexperienced Dan Orlovsky running the show. Orlovsky may be Detroit's quarterback of the future, but he's not much of a quarterback of the present, and I suspect the Chicago defense is licking its chops at the prospect of facing such an impotent offense lead by an inexperienced quarterback.

If Dan Orlovsky is the Detroit Lions QB of the future, shoot me now. And yes, I wholly expect the Chicago D to inflict plenty of damage.

As for a prediction?

The Bears need to perform well in all phases of the game on Sunday, as undefeated Tennessee is looming on the horizon. Look for the Bears to dominate this game from wire to wire, winning handily 38-10.

No arguments from me, other than to beat the Lions, the Bears don't need to "perform well." They just need to show up.

My prediction? As former heavyweight champion Clubber Lang once said, "PAIN!"

With offensive coordinator Jim Colletto suffering from foot-in-mouth disease, I'm sure Rod Marinelli and the rest of the Detroit Lions are more than ready to hit their field and put the "Stanton would be embarrassing" controversy behindd them. That should be easy enough, as by 4:15PM Sunday, I'd think we'll be bitching and moaning over another loss.

The 5 things I'm watching!

(Why only 5? Thinking about the Lions give me a severe headache. You should be thanking me for hanging in there!)

Kyle Orton: What are the odds the former Boilermaker, once buried behind Rex Grossman, now the toast of Chicago, will set a career passing mark of some sort? Damn good. Hell, it's practically a sure thing. Be it in QB rating, yardage, completion %, TD's, or all of the above, the Detroit defense has been allowing NFL QB's of all types, be they good, bad or merely mediocre, to put up career best numbers. I see no reason why Orton, who has come into his own in '08, won't do the same. (Plus, Orton is starting for me in my fantasy football money league. I need a big game, Kyle!)

Calvin Johnson: Megatron is 2nd overall in receiving TD's in the NFL (with 5), despite rarely touching the damn ball. Johnson is the Lions' best, and maybe only, offensive weapon. Colletto needs to get the ball in his hands, by any and all means possible. Looking at Colletto's track record, getting the ball to Johnson is beyond his capabilities. So is being a competent coordinator.

Drew Stanton: Yo, Colletto! Just a suggestion. If you don't want your young QB to be "embarrassed," how about getting him some garbage time snaps? There's likely to be plenty of it Sunday. Seriously, it's time to get Stanton some snaps, and see what he can do under live fire. No better time than a blowout, right?

Dan Orlovsky: Make a play more than 10 yards downfield. Any play. I'm waiting... //taps foot, looks at watch//

Which, if any, young players see the field: For a team that's 0-7, you'd think they'd be a young team. But the Lions have managed to stink up the joint with an old roster, while sitting, or limiting the playing time of, most of their recent draft picks. It's time, Rod. It's time. The season is over. If you want to generate any goodwill with the fanbase (what little there may be left), then PLAY THE GOD DAMN DRAFT PICKS! Is that too much to ask from a winless team?

I expect to do my normal live blogging. But if all goes according to plan, I anticipate being interrupted sometime in the 1st half by a phone call from Barry Sanders. So please bear with me.

See you at 1PM sharp.