Texas A&M's Kennedy Diagnosed With Parkinson's Disease

Texas A&M men's basketball coach Billy Kennedy has been diagnosed with early-stage Parkinson's disease and is leaving the team to undergo treatment, Kennedy said in a news release issued by the school.

Kennedy said he had been experiencing neck and shoulder pain for several months, affecting his ability to sleep and leading to exhaustion. He took a leave of absence earlier this month to restore his strength and determine the cause of the problem.

"Through testing, it has been discovered that I am dealing with an early stage of Parkinson's disease. At this time, I am heeding the advice of my doctors and addressing the disease and its symptoms," Kennedy said.



"We have a good prognosis," Kennedy said. "My intention is to return to the court as soon as it is prudent. Until my return, I have great confidence in (associate) coach (Glynn) Cyprien and the staff I have assembled to lead this great group of young men and this basketball program."

The Aggies hired Kennedy from Murray State and are expected to contend for the Big 12 championship this season. This could be a distraction to the team or a rallying point. From what I've seen from past A&M teams, I would expect the latter. They are a tough group of kids and won't want to disappoint their coach. I fully expect it to be business as usual in College Station.

Giving Credit To The Wind

Apparently Michigan's Denard Robinson can't be stopped. The forces of nature is the only thing that can put the kibosh on Robinson. That's if you ask Nebraska's Taylor Martinez.

Martinez gave Michigan State's defense no credit when speaking with reporters, when asked was he impressed with how the Spartans stopped Denard Robinson.

Martinez told reporters Monday: "I really don't think they slowed him down. I think the key factor was the wind kind of slowed him down. The wind with his passing game and stuff. Hopefully we can exploit what Denard Robinson didn't do."

Asked why MSU's defense is good, Martinez said: "Any school in the Big Ten has a good defense. I think they'll just be another good defense that we face."

Really I didn't know every Big Ten school had a good defense. Minnesota, Indiana, and Northwestern would be glad you gave them props for saying such things.

Martinez does present a challenge for the Spartan defense, but if he looked a little closely that's two years in a row Michigan State has limited Robinson. And last year there was no wind, in a road game no less. This year Robinson had the wind for a half, so what Martinez says is pretty lame.

I'm sure the Spartans weren't too thrilled, but Michigan State's Jerel Worthy refused to get into a war of words with the Nebraska quarterback.

“We play football how we play football, no matter what the weather is,” MSU defensive tackle Jerel Worthy said. “We go out in the rain, sleet, snow or sun.



“Hopefully there’s no wind so he can make no excuses when we go out there and do our thing.”

According to weather reports it'll be sunny and 61 degrees, so if Martinez falters I'll wonder if he finally gives the Spartan defense some respect.

Brandon Meriweather Trying To Reinvent Himself

After two more fines from the NFL and a benching, Chicago Bears safety Brandon Meriweather is trying to reinvent himself. Instead of the big hittting, head leading tackles he's used to making, he might be willing to change to keep a job.

Meriweather told the Chicago Tribune that he vows to reform the way he plays. That remains to be seen, but after being nailed for fines and being benched, the message might be actually sinking in.

"Apparently I need to fix something if (the NFL) is concerned about my hits," Meriweather told the Tribune. "I have to change it, or else I'm going to keep getting fined. Eventually if you get enough fines, you're going to end up getting kicked out the league. For me to continue to do something I love, I just have to change the way I play."

If the Bears' coaches have been telling you that, a buzzer should've went off in your head. I'm sure the Patriots coaches told you the same thing.

"Everybody told me that," he said. "It's not necessarily what they said, but how they said it. People have told me before that I had to change my ways. I've been trying. It's just something you can't do overnight."

No it won't happen overnight, but you've had plenty of time to change. Maybe you should've seen what Pittsburgh's James Harrison has been going through and taken a cue.

Meriweather, in his fifth season, was fined $20,000 for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Panthers receiver Steve Smith in Week 4. He appealed the fine because he thought it was a legal hit. Then Meriweather was fined $25,000 last week for a late hit on Lions receiver Nate Burleson.

On the Burleson hit he said "he didn't hear the whistle".

Last year while a starter for the Patriots, Meriweather was fined $50,000 for a pair of hits on Ravens tight end Todd Heap in the same game. The fine later was reduced to $40,000.

Meriweather's career is in jeopardy but not because of the way he hits. His bigger problem is that he can't cover very well and in the new rules NFL all defensive backs have to be able to stay with receivers, even the safeties. Meriweather's problem is that he's a man who was born too late. He's an old-time, big-hitting safety in a new world where safeties have to be as nimble as corners. And that he won't be able to change. The Patriots finally realized that and the Bears are in the process of learning that as well. If Meriweather could cover, he wouldn't have been benched, penalties be damned. Meriweather's being benched because receivers are blowing by him way too often.























  

Dombrowski Might Be A Candidate To Replace Bud Selig

Major League Baseball’s current commissioner Bud Selig is scheduled to step down from the league’s top office a year from now and according to Lynn Henning of the Detroit News there’s growing speculation that Tigers president and GM Dave Dombrowski could be a candidate for the job.


Henning writes that although there is no clear favorite to replace Selig, he (Henning) highlights Dombrowski’s 33 years in baseball and his experience being a general manager in both the American and National Leagues. Henning also goes on to say that Dombrowski has a CEO aura — “a regal style,” says Jim Bowden, formerly a general manager with the Reds and Nationals — that with his broad executive experience, could assist in making him a serious contender.

Dombrowski also sounds as though this is something he’s thought about before…

“It’s not one of those things I spend much time thinking about,” Dombrowski said Friday, when asked if he might be interested in the commissioner’s job. “I’m in a situation where I’m very happy where I am and with what I do, and I’m pleased with all of that.

“I have never really thought about it,” Dombrowski said of his potential candidacy. “When I’ve been in any job I’ve had, I haven’t thought about other jobs. That’s just how I work.”

Furthermore, given the city’s financial struggles the past several years, ESPN baseball analyst Tim Kurkjian believes that Dombrowski would be a good candidate as well for the position…

“I think he would be an excellent candidate to be commissioner,” said Tim Kurkjian, the longtime ESPN baseball analyst. “He is really smart, he has been around for a long time, he has done virtually every job in baseball, meaning he knows how the game works from the inside, and he also knows how the game works on the field, not only because of having assembled teams, but because he’s done the contracts and has worked with owners as well as with players.

“I’m not sure there’s a more qualified guy to run the game than him.”

In the end, Dombrowski says he’s happy in Detroit but you would have to suspect that if that job comes calling, Dombrowski will certainly listen.

Sandy Alderson and Andy McPhail are also said to be in line for the commisioner's job.

Norv's Reply

Rex Ryan told the press that he would have two rings if he would've been named coach of the San Diego Chargers in 2007. We all know hindsight is 20/20 and Ryan might've been the man to get the job done in San Diego.

The man who coached the Chargers, Norv Turner, had a reply for Ryan after he called and apologized for his "mistaken" comments.

“It really was between he and I. I think we’ve had enough coaching drama in the league the last few days and we don’t need any more,” Turner said.



“I hadn’t seen his quote and I was a little bit surprised by the call,” Turner said. “And then after I saw the quote, I didn’t have a chance to ask him this, but I was wondering if he had those rings with the ones he’s guaranteed the last couple of years.”


That's what long suffering Jets fans are asking.



  

Lions Trade For Ronnie Brown Is Voided

It looked good at the time. What I'm talking about is the trade the Detroit Lions made with the Philadelphia Eagles for running back Ronnie Brown.

The Lions sent Jerome Harrison and a seventh round pick to the Eagles for Brown. Well, Brown will be returning to Philly after Harrison failed his physical due to "health issues", per ESPN's Adam Schefter, so the trade was voided. 

Like I said, it looked good at the time.  

Rex Ryan Is Full Of Himself

It's old news that New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan is full of bluster. Normally he's talking up his team and predicting Super Bowl wins. Now he's crsoosed the line.

With the Jets getting ready for a key AFC matchup against the San Diego Chargers, Ryan thought it would be a good idea to open his trap and stir up the hornets nest again.

Ryan said that if he were hired by the Chargers back in 2007, he'd have a couple of Super Bowl rings.

“Well, I think I would have had a couple rings," Ryan told San Diego reporters today when asked about how things would have unfolded if he were hired by GM A.J. Smith. "I'm telling you, those teams were loaded. There's no question about it. But things happen for a reason. Obviously, Norv Turner has done a great job there. And A.J. (Smith) and everybody. That's a great franchise. He was probably the best guy for the job at that time."


Now that is a slap in the face. I know he tried to cover for it at the end of the quote, but the indictment he levied against Norv Turner was that he's not a good enough coach to lead a team to a Super Bowl. Now I think that Turner isn't the greatest coach in the world, but let the fans spit that knid of venom.

Of course Ryan said the comments were a "testament to what the Chargers have built" and not a slight against Turner and made a call to Turner to clarify his statement.

Rex knew he was in deep and needed to clear it up. He needs to concentrate on his own team and live up to the expectations that he has bestowed upon them. Yes Rex it's time to deliver a championship that you've benn promising the past two years.

Oakley Not Impressed With The Current Edition Of The Knicks

One of the tough guys from years past, Charles Oakley isn't afraid to let his opinion known about anything. That would include the current make up of the New York Knicks and how they treated him and Patrick Ewing, Isiah Thomas' role with the team, and whether Amar'e Stoudemire is the man to lead the Knicks back to the promised land.

While he was in New York to launch his clothing collection at the K1X store in SoHo, he didn't have too many kind words to say about the Knicks organization.

He doesn't think too highly of Stoudemire's game and thinks he's too West Coast to play in New York.

“Amar’e’s good, he’s good in his way,” Oakley said yesterday at the launch of his clothing collection at K1X’s store in SoHo. “He’s a West Coast player trying to translate to the East Coast. And the longer he plays in the East, the more his body’s gonna get damaged, because he’s got to take a beating now.”

Gotta disagree with Oak here. The East isn't the physical beast that it was when he played. Also the league is more athletic than it was back then which suits Stoudemire's game a whole lot better than it would've been back in the 80's and 90's. The players are more multiskilled than they were back then.It's an ongoing debate, but you must agree that the players of today are more athletic than years past.

Stoudemire might not be the player to get the Knicks to the promised land but stranger things have happened. I won't say he is and I won't say he won't lead them there, but he did seem to take more of a leadership role on the team when things started going south early in the season.

I do agree with what he said about head coach Mike D'Antoni. The Knicks will tease and excite you, but when it's time to play halfcourt ball and get grimy, the Knicks fall short. Don't believe me, watch the first two games of the series against the Boston Celtics and tell me why they lost. They can't play in the halfcourt.


“I don’t think [it can be successful], but that’s his coaching style,” Oakley said. “They knew when they signed him. ... When you go buy a Bentley, you know it’s not a Volkswagen. When they signed him, they knew what they were getting.



“That conversation should be dead, because it’s a West Coast offense playing in a hard-nosed city.


“You always give somebody a chance to prove themselves. I mean, this is his fourth year. He’s had a lot of time. ... I think it’s just more half-court offense, and they need the big, tough guy. He don’t want to play that way, but finesse, it’s not gonna work.”

“I mean, they’ve got hype,” he said. “But hype don’t win nothing.”

That should've been known when the Phoenix Suns couldn't get past the Spurs when D'Antoni coached them. Run and gun doesn't win in playoff time. Check and see how many titles Doug Moe won when he was coaching.

About the Knicks organization as a whole, he still has love for them but feels disrespected by them for not offering him a job in any capacity.

“[The Knicks] don’t want nothing to do with me,” said Oakley, who played for the Knicks from 1988-98. “I don’t know why. I tried to deal with them on several occasions. I’m not gonna keep trying.


“They don’t like Patrick, either. They won’t give Patrick a job, so I know they won’t give me a job. Patrick should have a job before anyone. He’s probably the best guy since [Walt] Frazier, [Earl] Monroe ... he’s the main guy on the list.”

“My door is always open to the Knicks,” he said. “I tell them all the time. They said something about I told LeBron to go to Miami. I was like, ‘You all have to be one of the craziest organizations in the world.’


“Y’all should have tried to call me and talk to me, and maybe we could have gotten LeBron to New York. You went to Isiah [Thomas], and some of these other guys that don’t know the guy.”

True indeed. Patrick Ewing shouldn't have to go anywhere else to be an assistant or have his name mentioned with other coaching jobs. As for Oakley, I don't think anyone would be asking you to court free agents for their team anytime soon, considering your disdain for today's players.

Last but not least was the aforementioned Isiah Thomas. He doesn't like him and I doubt he ever will. Oakley gave him a piece of his mind since he happened to bring him up.


“I don’t understand how he even got a job with management,” said Oakley, 47. “He had nothing to do with the Knicks, then he talked bad about the Knicks ... If I see him, he’d better turn around and go the other way.”

Well Charles, last time I checked Isiah Thomas never ran from anyone and never will. He was one of the toughest "little guys" to ever play the game, and considering his track record I don't think he'd be turning the othere way when he saw you. He still has that Chicago swagger in him and won't back down from anyone.

Like Father, Like Son

Fred Taylor had a highly productive NFL career. If it weren't for injuries I'd say he would've been one of the best running backs ever. It's highly debatable, but if you look at the numbers there would be a case for him. And the numbers don't lie.

His son Kelvin is aiming to carry on the legacy of his father. Taylor, who is a high school running back for Glades Day in Broward County, Florida, had a crazy game against Village Academy. He rushed for 426 yards in a 35-24 win. That isn't his career high though. He had 437 yards against Jupiter Christian in a state playoff game last November. That puts Taylor a mere 655 yards away from the high school career rushing mark held by the NFL's all time leading rusher Emmitt Smith. And Taylor's only a junior, so that mark is sure to be broken, unless he is derailed by injury.

Taylor still has a shot at the all time record held by Ken Hall of Sugar Land, Texas who holds the record with 11,232 yards. Glades Day still has four games left this season plus possible playoff games. Add in he still has his senior season to play and he has a pretty good shot at breaking the record.  

For Kelvin's sake let's hope that he doesn't suffer the same kind of injuries that cut short some of his father's seasons.      

Leach And Shannon Mentioned As Possible Replacements At Florida Atlantic

With Howard Schellenberger getting out of college coaching, Florida Atlantic has been looking for a replacement to take over the football program. A few names that have been thrown into the mix are Randy Shannon, Mike Leach, and former South Florida coach Jim Leavitt.

Athletic Director Craig Angelos told the Miami Herald he would consider Shannon or Leach as candidates for the job.


"Randy is a man of integrity, a first-class guy and first-class coach,” said FAU athletic director Craig Angelos, who worked at UM when Shannon was an assistant there. “I want to see if he’s interested.”

Angelos also has a good relationship with Leach: “I would consider Mike,” he said

He also said he would give a call to Jim Leavitt, who put South Florida football on the map and is now the linebackers coach for the San Francisco 49ers.

Leach does plan to coach again and has been mentioned with a few jobs since being fired by Texas Tech. That's if a school can get past the "issues" he had with Texas Tech. Apparently Maryland couldn't and that's why he's not coaching there now.

Shannon is rumored to be seeking a high profile west coast job and might be interested in the Arizona opening.   

The best bet for the job would be Leach, who has been linked to the job at New Mexico and recently UCLA if they happen to get rid of Rick Neuheisel. But I think they will land neither since I think Shannon prefers a bigger job and Leach might find a landing spot at Arizona. Just my opinion.

 

Ex- Bear Waddle Lashes Out At Meriweather For Dirty Play

I remember when Tom Waddle played in the NFL. He was like the annoying kid you couldn't catch in a game of tag, only because it seems like he caught everything thrown his way and took some big hits for it. Yet he still held on to the ball. The guy was like a human pinata.

During an interview on ESPN 1000 on the Waddle & Silvy show which he co-hosts, Waddle took the time to lash out at Chicago Bears safety Brandon Meriweather for being a dirty player.

"I don't approve of the way he plays the game," Waddle said. "And you can call me a sissy all you want. OK? I was on the receiving end of a lot of head-to-head hits. And maybe it's the reason I act the way I do. But in football there are going to be moments when a guy is trying to make a tackle and his helmet hits yours. It's going to happen, and in today's game you're going to get flagged for it. And that's the way it is.

"Intent, to me, means a lot. If you make helmet-to-helmet contact and you're just trying to play good, solid NFL football and you get flagged I'll give you a pass. You have to be aware of it, maybe you need to work on your tackling technique, get the head to the side and wrap your arms, but I can give you a pass. When I interpret the way you go about your job that you have the intent to hurt somebody, I've got no time for you. I've got no place for you. The game's got no place for you."

"He's going to hurt himself, and he's going to hurt someone else because of the intent," said Waddle, who played for the Bears from 1989-94. "And maybe that intent is not in his heart. I don't know Brandon. I haven't had a discussion with him. But it sure looks by the way he plays the game that the intent isn't to put a big hit on someone and legally knock them out, it's to hurt someone."

"I didn't watch Brandon Meriweather on a week-to-week basis in New England," said Waddle, who also is an analyst for the NFL Network. "I thought the signing of Brandon Meriweather was a good idea. You were weak at safety, had some issues, you had some injuries. [Bears general manager Jerry Angelo] gave him over $3 million to come in.



"I did not realize how undisciplined a player Brandon Meriweather was. He comes with two Pro Bowls. And he came with a lot of interceptions. But ... red flag goes up when a guy like Bill Belichick decides to let you go."

"I'm giving [Meriweather] a shorter leash because I don't approve of the way he plays the game," Waddle said. "The game is vicious enough. If you're a player whose intent is to hurt another member of your football fraternity ... the Brian Urlacher hit on Tony Scheffler yesterday was clean. It was a clean hit, he led with his shoulder. I've got no problem with Brian Urlacher. I thought that hit was legit. Brian Urlacher -- if his intent was to hurt or maim -- he would have dropped his head and led with his head.



"What Brandon does is he leads with his helmet all the time. There's no place in the game, brother, at this particular time for that. It's vicious enough. And when your intent, in my humble opinion, is to hurt or maim, I've got no time for you, and I don't think the game's got any place for you."

I guess Meriweather gives him flashbacks of Andre Waters trying to take out someone's knees.

Seriously, Waddle took his share of hits so I would think he'd be somewhat of an authority on what is a clean shot and a dirty play. He definitely said a mouthful and shouldn't have flamed Meriweather this bad, but if the shoe fits, you know the rest. Maybe that was something Bill Belichick knew already and quickly jettisoned Meriweather much to everyone's surprise.

If you ask Patriots fans they would tell you that they're glad he's gone and would agree with Waddle's assessment of Meriweather. They would also say that he's a detriment to his own teammates when going for the big hit.

Memphis' AD Is Ambitious

University of Memphis Athletic Director, R.C. Johnson is awfully ambitious. There's nothing wrong with that, you want to do what's best for you and yours when you're in the the position to do so. Thing is, Memphis' athletic program isn't in the best position, save for the basketball program.

In an interview with WMC-TV, Johnson sent signals that he wants in on the realignment train, namely trying to hitch on with the mighty SEC.

"We want to try to get ourselves in the best possible place," Johnson said. "Ultimately we would like to be in the SEC. That's where we think we belong geographically. We think we deserve to be."

Not so fast R.C. From a basketball standpoint the program can compete on an SEC level. But conference realignment is driven by football and money. Something Memphis isn't very good in and doesn't have a lot of support. Why would Johnson want to send his football team there. They're not even a good mid-major. The only significant thing that came from the football program was DeAngelo Williams. So while it may be a geographical fit, it's not a fit for their football program.

"We're turning over every stone possible because we want to make this a bright future for Tiger Athletics, and conference realignment I think is part of that," Johnson said.


I can understand trying to do what's best, but set your sights a little lower, like the unstable Big East. Right now that may not even be a lock. Memphis Commercial Appeal columnist Geoff Calkins thought of the notion as borderline hilarious.

"He can't be serious, in the sense of, they deserve to be in the SEC, like I deserve to be Mr. Universe. It's just so beyond the realm of reality in terms of where they are that you almost have to assume that he hadn't had his morning coffee or something," Caulkins said. "Why get up at five in the morning to go on a TV program to say you should be in SEC, when there is as much chance that you will be transported to Mars today as there is be in the SEC."



While Johnson has done great things for the Memphis basketball program, Caulkins said, he has failed to put Memphis in an advantageous position to get into the Big East, much less the SEC.


"Very recently the Big East has said they are going to expand by as many as six football teams," he said. "Shockingly, Memphis may not even be one of those six."

There's also the matter of a "gentleman's agreement" that says SEC schools will not admit members located in existing SEC states. Unless Clemson, Florida State, or Miami wants to leave the ACC. Johnson has to remember they're Memphis and they're not on an SEC level. If they were they would've been there a long time ago.
  

Chicago's DJ Moore Has A Plan To Slow Down Calvin Johnson

The Chicago Bears have opted not to go the Rob Ryan route and will admit that Calvin Johnson is a damn good receiver.  Earlier this week Bears corneback Charles Tillman called Johnson the best receiver in the NFL.

That doesn't mean that the Bears defense will concede anything to Johnson. They figure Johnson will get his catches, but he will pay the price. Nickelback DJ Moore has a plan to slow down Megatron. Just hit him.

As far as the key to defending a huge, talented wideout like Johnson, “Make sure you hit him,” nickel back D.J. Moore told CSNChicago.com. “Hit him.”

“I don’t think people should be thinking somebody is too good, have somebody come in and you give them too much credit, over-think about what you’re doing,” Moore said. “I think we’ll be fine.”

“When you’re big and fast like that, you’re going to catch balls,” Moore said. “Jump balls, he’s probably going to win those. But timing routes, you can still break on the ball like you would any other ball.”


It's easier said than done since the Dallas Cowboys' Terrence Newman tried to take Johnson's head off on his two touchdown catches. Johnson better be prepared to pay the price when the ball comes his way.     

Delmon Young Out For The ALCS

The Detroit Tigers will be missing one of their major factors when they start the ALCS tonight against the Texas Rangers.

Delmon Young has been taken off the roster for the ALCS due to an oblique injury he suufered late in Game 5 against the New York Yankees. Young will be replaced on the roster by Danny Worth and the Tigers will likely with a platoon of Don Kelly and Ryan Raburn in leftfield.

I'm kind of surprised that they didn't replace him with Andy Dirks, but I figure they will need Worth to play a little second base and pinch run. The loss of Young is a major blow to the Tigers as he has thrived hitting third in front of Miguel Cabrera. Also the way the offense performed against the Yankees in the ALDS, they were going to have to step it to beat the Rangers.

I know pitching wins championships but having an offense to compliment the pitching makes a team a complete threat. 

OU's Lewis Knocks Nebraska

When Nebraska joined the Big Ten, there were some that figured they would be the new bully on the block. Wisconsin took care of that notion with a 48-17 beatdown Saturday night.

Nebraska helped start the exodus of schools in the Big 12 along with Colorado and there is no love lost between some of their old rivals.

Oklahoma linebacker Travis Lewis had some not so kind words directed at the Cornhuskers after the Wisconsin meltdown.

The strange part about it is that you couldn't find Lewis' Twitter account. I wonder if any Huskers will have any words for the Sooners if they drop a game.  

   

Rob Ryan Disses Calvin Johnson

One of the marquee NFL games this Sunday will be the Detroit Lions taking on the Dallas Cowboys. The Lions are off to a 3-0 start and the talk of the NFL. This will be a big road test for the Lions as they try to extend their winning streak to eight after winning their last four last season.

The main weapon on the Lions offense is receiver Calvin Johnson. Johnson has caught two touchdown passes in each of the Lions three games, yet he isn't mentioned as one of the elite receivers in the NFL. ESPN analyst Cris Carter left him out of his top six and Cowboys defensive coordinator Rob Ryan isn't thinking too highly of Johnson either.

“We work against better receivers with Miles Austin and Dez Bryant,” Ryan told the Dallas Morning News. They are probably two of the premier receivers in football, but this guy is right there," Ryan said. "He's almost that good. He's excellent.




"We're going to get after him. I know he's on some touchdown thing like that, whatever. [Lions offensive coordinator] Scott Linehan has done this before with great receivers with Randy Moss. If the guy is as good as Randy Moss I'm going to go in there and hide. Thank God he's not, but he's a pretty [expletive] good player."

Well Rob I will agree with Cris Carter, but i can't agree with you. Although Miles Austin has proven himself to be one of the better receivers in the league I would think most GMs would jettison him in favor of Johnson. For all of Bryant's talent, he's still immature and hasn't proven anything in the league. Johnson still isn't there with the likes of Andre Johnson but he's been hampered playing for what was once a horrible football team. And Ryan is saying he's no better than number three on Dallas' roster. Yeah right.

Not to slight Austin or Bryant, but name me one person that would give up Johnson for Austin or Bryant. Not many and I'd question them about it. Ryan you're gonna have your hands full tomorrow. I'm sure Johnson and the Lions will use that as some extra motivation.