(No caption)
It’s time for America’s favorite new game show!!
“Is He a Current Detroit Lion or Turn-of-the-Century Detroit Tiger?”
You see a player’s name and then have to figure out whether he is a member of today’s Detroit Lions or the 1900s-era Detroit Tigers. Don’t bother looking for this game on TV -- it's exclusively on Deadline Detroit.
All names below are somewhat peculiar, so making the “Lion or Tiger” determination can be difficult.
Thurston Armbrister (LION!)
Believe it or not, he’s a real Detroit Lion linebacker. Whether or not that’s a good thing remains to be seen. Armbrister joined up with the Leos just a few days ago after getting pink-slipped by the Jacksonville Jaguars, perennially one of the worst teams in the league. So while you’d like to fantasize that ol’ Thurston will be a diamond in the rough for GM Bob Quinn, the fact that he’s coming from NFL Siberia (and being exiled from there, to boot) remains a most troubling sign.
Roscoe Miller (TIGER!)
You’d think "Roscoe Miller" would be a present day Lion, but in fact he was the ace of the Detroit Tigers staff in 1901. Roscoe did some heavy lifting that summer, winning 23 games while churning out 332 innings of work. Amazingly, in the old-time American League, that total was barely good enough to crack the top ten. Now when a young pitcher approaches 150, the entire organization rallies around him in support. (See: Fulmer, Michael)
Johnson Bademosi (LION!)
I’m not telling this special teams ace how to cover a punt or break up a return wedge; but I will ask that he flip-flop his first and last names. Doesn’t “Bademosi Johnson” seem to make a lot more sense than the current version? I’d say so.
The undrafted scrapper was a key cog in the Stanford defense during Jim Harbaugh’s final year on the Farm. That Cardinal team was nearly flawless, going 12-1 and finishing the season ranked #4 in the country.
Adairius Barnes (LION!)
You have to be really anonymous to be an NFL player without a dedicated Wikipedia page. Such is life for the Lions' newest rookie cornerback.
I’m sure once he starts Bryant Westbrook-ing his way through the schedule (that means collecting three or more pass interference penalties during one series), he’ll get his own personal Wiki in no time flat.
Frosty Thomas (TIGER!)
This guy definitely sounds more like modern-day NFL than old-school MLB. But nevertheless, Frosty was indeed a good-for-nothing right hander that had a cup of coffee with the Tigers in 1905.
He was like that era’s Mark Lowe; only the front office guys 100+ years ago gave Frosty the axe after just two appearances. Lowe has been given nine lives in 2016, and is currently on number 41.
Wallace Gilberry (LION!)
The name makes him sound like a character from Braveheart, or one of the Robin Hood movies. But alas, Mr. Gilberry is a seasoned nine-year pro at defensive end entering his first campaign as a Lion.
If you’re looking for big things from free agent Gilberry in 2016, you might want to pump the brakes. He’ll turn 32 in December, and on top of that, the Bengals blog Cincy Jungle said that last season he “struggled to generate pressure via the pass rush.” That’s kind of a key element for a defensive end, no? Anybody got Robert Porcher’s cell number handy?
Boss Schmidt (TIGER!)
At first glance, you’d think, “The guy’s name is Boss -- NFL player for sure.” But you would be incorrect. Boss was the primary catcher for three straight pennant-winning teams in Detroit from 1907-1909. Unfortunately, the Tigers would get clocked in all three World Series, twice by the Cubs and once by the Pirates.
It brings to mind Boss Bailey, a promising linebacker that drew comparisons to Lawrence Taylor coming out of college. Unfortunately, Bailey never really turned the corner for the Lions and he petered out of the league after a handful of seasons. On the other hand, it’s probably a good thing those comparisons never truly came to fruition; Taylor was recently picked up for a DUI, which means he now has more career arrests than sacks. (He had 132.5 sacks.)
Cole Wick (LION!)
There was an article on the Lions website over the summer titled, “Cole Wick Not Paying Attention to the Hype.” Maybe I’m missing something, but was the rookie tight end from the University of the Incarnate World really amassing so much hype that it required a Herculean effort not to become affected by it?
Cole Wick the Hype Machine will begin the year backing up Eric Ebron. And just so we’re all on the same page, this is the year Ebron transforms into that “Jimmy Graham-type threat” he was drafted to be, correct? Here’s some unsolicited advice to general manager Quinn; resist any and all temptation to select a tight end in the first round. It’s been sort of an obsession -- and not a good one -- for this franchise.
Miles Killebrew (LION!)
You hear the name Killebrew and you think baseball. But this is Miles, not Harmon, and I’m not sure the Hall of Fame is around the corner, either.
The Lions could use a little thump in the secondary even if league rules basically prohibit such physicality nowadays. Killebrew has obviously earned the moniker of “Killa,” just like how anyone with the last name Goldberg automatically becomes “Goldy.” The fourth-rounder from Southern Utah is the only member of the Lions’ secondary to stand more than six feet tall -- not that this team has been susceptible to the Hail Mary at all in the past.
