FanHouse GregLloyd

I don't know enough about Tom Lewand or Martin Mayhew to comment on whether Lions owner William Clay Ford was wise to promote from within the organization, but history suggests that no one would've complained if Ford blew up the whole operation and started over.

The franchise has just 40 wins this decade, which is slightly more impressive when you consider that the total includes the recently completed 0-for-'08 run. (Not really; it works out to 5 wins a season versus 4.4 wins a season. In the salary-cap era, that blows.) Perhaps predictably, Clay decided to, as they say, stay the course and give current team employees Lewand and Mayhew shiny new titles.

Not surprisingly, the 2009 Lions look very similar to the versions that preceded it. Which is to say: unimpressive and out of sorts. Via PFT, the first post-Rod Marinelli press conference provided plenty of unintentional hilarity. Because after all, laughter -- even if accidental -- is the best medicine. Or something.

I read MJD's headline at Shutdown Corner and just figured some enterprising soul had uploaded a video of Bill Belichick actually operating a video camera on the sidelines last season, or maybe we finally had visual proof that the Unabomber was in the stands during the Rams Super Bowl walkthrough, or perhaps someone uncovered more evidence that William the Great really gets off on pushing photographers.

No, no and ... no. This footage goes back to the '90s, when Belichick was coaching the Browns. And after an otherwise totally predictable throttling at the hands of division rival Pittsburgh, the Cleveland head coach, apparently fed up with it all, makes his way to the locker room after the game. But before he gets there, the Steelers' Greg Lloyd offers to shake his hand (as humans often do -- you know, as a common courtesy) and awkwardness ensues:



Shocking, I know. I mean, this is the same guy who LaDainain Tomlinson accused of "having no class", and who also left the field before Super Bowl XLII had ended, but well after the Patriots' fate had been decided.

Somebody get Senator Arlen Specter on the horn. I think we just found a reason to reopen the Spygate investigation.

[Shutdown Corner]
[KSK]

Greg Lloyd was once described by Jerry Glanville as "tougher than a Waffle House steak." He struck fear in quarterbacks throughout the NFL.

And now, Greg Lloyd is available for your next Steelers party, no matter where in the U.S. you live.

Now it will cost you, but for a bid of $10,000 on ebay, according to ebay seller steelman78, Greg Lloyd will come watch the Sept. 14 Steelers-Browns game at your house.

You don't have to feed Lloyd, although according to the ad, some bottled water or Red Bull would be appreciated. If you or your friends get drunk and rowdy, then Lloyd will get up and leave. When you consider that Lloyd is a martial arts master as well, the fact that he would leave instead off kicking butt and taking names seems like a pretty fair deal.

If the Browns game doesn't work with your schedule, there is a possibility of working things out for another game, but you better hurry, as there are limited dates available.

I guess this is where it would be traditional to be snarky about a former NFL player selling out for cash, but hell, if Lloyd can get someone to pay him $3,333 an hour just to sit and watch a game, congrats to him.

Hat Tip: Steel City Insider Forums

You may recall a disturbing story from early this year about former Steelers linebacker Greg Lloyd. His son, Greg Lloyd Jr., is a linebacker at UConn. And the Hartford Courant reported that Greg Jr. wanted nothing to do with his father.

Many blogs reported on the estranged Lloyds, including Can't Stop the Bleeding. And something rather extraordinary seems to have happened in the comments to that Can't Stop the Bleeding post: The Lloyds may have re-connected. Someone claiming to be Greg Lloyd Sr. left a comment saying he loves his son and wishes him well, and someone claiming to be Greg Lloyd Jr. left a comment indicating that he would be willing to get in touch.

These are blog comments after all, so it's possible that both are bogus. But Can't Stop the Bleeding seems to think they're legit, and if they're fake they're awfully believable. So, who knows? Maybe the Lloyds can put their troubled past behind them, all thanks to a sports blog.

To call Steelers linebacker Greg Lloyd a fierce competitor would be an understatement ... the man played football on the brink of murder. He was intense, hard-working, and prone to random outbursts of profanity. There was violence in his play. Fans and coaches loved him for it, and rightfully so.

But some guys lack that little switch in their brain that allows them to go from intense violence on the field, to being a normal guy off of it ... and the lack of that switch in his father is why Greg Lloyd Jr. is not excited about his 18th birthday.

In 2001, Greg Lloyd was accused of sticking a gun in his son's mouth over bad grades. In 2004, Lloyd pleaded no contest to pointing a gun at his wife's head. Greg Lloyd is a walking argument for gun control.

Greg Jr. has, until Saturday when he turns 18, a court-issued protective order that doesn't allow his father to have any contact with him. That arrangement's been just fine with him. He hasn't spoken to his father since 2002, likes how his life is without him, and just signed a letter of intent to play college football at UConn. He doesn't want to give his father a second chance.

"If he said he wanted to try again, I would say no," said Greg Jr., a 6-foot-2, 209-pound linebacker. "It's too late for that."

But he and his mother are concerned because that order runs out on his 18th birthday, two days from now. The court can no longer protect Greg Jr. from Greg Sr. They're both fearful of what that might mean.

For much more on this, check this excellent article from the Hartford Courtant.