Bob Wojnowski

Latest loss an embarrassment, even by Lions' standards

Even by the Lions' lowly standards, this was ridiculous. Apparently, anytime the Lions and Rams hook up, you throw out the record books and the playbooks, and hope they don't clunk innocent bystanders on the head.

This was the lamest yet, and when talking about the Lions, that says a lot. Oh, it wasn't the biggest blowout or the most shocking loss, but what the Lions showed (and didn't show) in their 17-10 loss to the previously winless Rams was staggering.

They showed they still might be the worst team in the league. And almost as disturbing, they confirmed their debilitating dependence on one player, Calvin Johnson. He was out for the second straight game with a knee injury, and I'm sorry, if one receiver -- even one of the best in football -- means that much to your offense, you're in bigger trouble than originally feared.

Pointless

Matthew Stafford, obviously rusty after missing two games, was lost without Johnson. He completed 14 of 33 passes, and when he wasn't misfiring badly, receivers were batting the ball as if they were wearing boxing gloves.

"Toothless" is the word Jim Schwartz used, and honestly, I can't think of a better way to describe that offense. Against one of the NFL's weakest defenses, against a St. Louis team that had lost 17 straight, the Lions had two points through three quarters.

This game lived down to its billing, that's for sure. It was the Lions against the Rams but it deserved to be spelled backward -- the Snoil against the Smar. And when it ended on fourth-and-20 from their own 10, a pathetic final drive that featured two holding calls on Jon Jansen and four incompletions by Stafford, the 1-6 Lions were serenaded by the small, spirited crowd.

Center Dominic Raiola took particular exception to what he considered unnecessary heckling of Stafford. When he explained his ire afterward, it was the most interesting thing I saw or heard all day.

"I understand the frustration, I respect the money they're paying and I love the fans here, but if you say something about my teammates, I'm gonna say something back," Raiola said. "It's not all on (Stafford), but you got three or four guys yelling at him -- 'Hey Matt, throw it to me, I'm open, I'm open.' It's his first year here, you want to run him out of town already? I've been through that with Joey (Harrington) and they sent him packing quick. And they're not gonna do it to this guy."

Embarrassing

Raiola has been here eight-plus seasons, so I appreciate his roiling emotions. But no one's sending Stafford anywhere, unless the Lions end up sending him to football insanity, which is where Harrington ended up.

This always was the short-term danger in drafting a quarterback No. 1 and plopping him into the middle of a disaster. It's not that Stafford can't take the beating -- I think he can. He brushes things off much better than Harrington and his arm is only about 38,000 times stronger.

He needs time. He needs more protection. And he needs Johnson so badly, it's not funny, or fair. Receivers Bryant Johnson and Dennis Northcutt combined to catch a mere two passes, both by Johnson. On the game's first drive, Bryant Johnson appeared to make a nice sprawling grab of a long pass, but couldn't hang on.

After that, the Lions ran the ball adequately, but stripped of any deep threat, Stafford mostly dinked and dunked and ducked. I swear, if Calvin Johnson isn't healthy for the next game in Seattle, the Lions should punt on third down to take advantage of secret weapon Nick Harris. In two full games without their star, they've scored 10 points.

"Calvin makes big plays for us, and we were toothless (Sunday)," Schwartz said. "We took shots down the field, and we didn't make those plays. Calvin's a guy who makes those plays."

Schwartz wasn't even making an excuse. It's really that simple, and again shows how far the Lions have to go. I've said it before and I'll say it again: As long as Calvin Johnson is their undisputed best player, they won't be any good.

That's not a knock on him at all. It's a knock on the rest of the roster, and further evidence why no consistently good NFL team ever builds around a receiver. Theoretically, the Lions are building around Stafford, but he's too inexperienced to be their best player now, and he can't show much without his primary weapon.

"He's definitely a big part of our offense, and he's doing everything he can to get back," Stafford said. "I wasn't hitting guys, and we had some trouble catching it. It goes on everybody's shoulders."

For the longest time in this game, the only touchdown pass was thrown by Rams kicker Josh Brown on a fake field goal that duped the Lions so badly, they should be embarrassed, if they're still capable of it. Really, there's nothing tricky about this mess. When it comes to real football teeth, the Lions remain as dentally challenged as anyone.

bob.wojnowski@detnews.com