Mr.TaterSalad

First off, I know you aren't defending Chris Ilitch or the Ilitch family business practices. 🙂 I understand the District Detroit was not Chris' idea, but daddy's boy will gladly take all the corporate welfare through subsidies and tax abatement he can get. He will also not give back or refund to the taxpayers, in one of the poorest cities in America, those subsidies and abatements Ilitch Family Holdings has already received. He'll also come hat in hand asking for another $616 million in a brownfield redevelopment subsidy to finish the project. I think the city should explore using eminent domain to forcibly take away Ilitch-owned properties.

The Ilitches were doing the parking lot game long before the pandemic. They have been demolishing historic buildings to put up parking lots for decades. They have also been allowing their commercial and/or historic properties to sit vacant for decades and rot away. Compare the Ilitches and Ilitch Family Holdings to Dan Gilbert and Rock. Look at what Dan Gilbert and Rock did with the Campus Martius area and what they are now doing on the Hudson site project. The Ilitches would never turn their properties over that quickly and redevelop them. They certainly wouldn't do it without a huge tax abatement from the state or city. Back in 1994-1995 when the Comerica Park project was first bandied about Mike Ilitch proposed the Foxtown Development. What was Foxtown supposed to be? It was supposed to be an area around the Fox Theater and Comerica Park with apartments/condos/lofts, shopping and dining, office space, museums, and more. And what became of Foxtown? Nothing! Just like the District Detroit today, it was all a scam for the Ilitches to buy land on the cheap, get subsidies to demolish historic buildings, get a stadium built with taxpayer money, and build out none of the rest of the promised development. All the while, taking your taxpayer subsidies to the bank, in one of the poorest cities in America, laughing all the way while you count how much scratch you just made off the suckers. Sound familiar . . .

Karsch and Anderson were talking about this on The Ticket today and I thought I'd ask it here. Pick #6: Do you think it is more likely the Lions trade back, move up, or draft at #6? Pick #18: Do you think it is more likely the Lions trade back, move up, or draft at #18?

LOL! And they were behind schedule on even getting the glass pizza building done.

Detroit News: District Detroit: Inside the Ilitches' land of unfulfilled promises This is what they do. The Ilitches and Ilitch Family Holdings have made a career and lots of money out of operating this way. When they built Comerica Park they promised a Foxtown development, complete with a rendering, just like they did the District Detroit. Guess what happened to that promised Foxtown development, it never came to fruition.

The Ilitches have rehabbed one historic building in 30 years and still brag about the work they did over 35 years ago on The Fox Theater. They promised an entire arena district complete with bars, restaurants, unique shops, lofts/apartments, office space, and more. They have built none of that, sans the arena, in the District Detroit area. They have torn down and raised dozens of buildings to put up surface lots and charge $40+ a day to park there. All the while they got hundreds-of-millions in subsidies from one of the poorest cities in America. That's tricky alright, a tricky way for them to reap the rewards without having to put in any of the promised work from their business proposals and renderings. They are running a scam operation. Parking lots make you a lot of money and it is clear they won't develop anything without the taxpayers either footing the bill or taking care of a large portion of it. That's why they are now going back, hat in hand, asking for an additional $616 million in Brownfield money to start construction on the rest of the neglected District Detroit.

Great renderings of new developments or renovations that never deliver on the final concept are also uniquely Detroit and uniquely Ilitch.

They got hundreds-of-millions in subsidies and tax abatments from one of the poorest cities in America and built less than a quarter of what they promised initially with the District Detroit. It's an arena and then a bunch of parking lots. Next to none of the other retail, commercial, or office space development has even broken ground. They took the subsidies to build the arena and ran away laughing to the bank. Now according to the Detroit News they are coming back asking for another $616 MILLION in Brownfield Redevelopment subsidies for the District Detroit development from one of the poorest cities in America. Fuck them and their parking lots!!!

If you're on Facebook checkout the Terrible Ilitches Facebook page. They do a great job as anyone documenting the Ilitches destructive business practices. There are many, many terrible and destructive business practices that come from the Ilitches and Ilitch Family Holdings. Among them are the destruction of historic buildings to build parking lots and/or the neglect of historic buildings without renovation plans. Not to mention all of the taxpayer subsidies they get from one of the poorest cities in America to either demolish a building or rehab it. Note, they have rehabbed ONE BUILDING, the Eddystone Hotel, in 30 years. One building in 30 years! Click here for a full list of demolished/neglected historic buildings, and parking lots owned by the Ilitches. This is just a sampling of the destruction and neglect from the Ilitches of historic buildings downtown: The Alhambra building (neglected) Chin Tiki restaurant (demolished) Detroit Saturday Night building (demolished) Downtown Detroit YMCA (demolished) The Fine Arts building and Adams Theater (demolished) Hotel Vermont (demolished) Hotel Wolverine (demolished) Lafayette Building (demolished) Madison-Lenox Hotel (demolished) Park Plaza Motor Hotel (demolished) Temple Hotel (demolished) The Statler building (demolished) United Arts Theater (neglected)

Having too many parking lots in your downtown area is another thing that is uniquely Detroit thanks to organizations like the Ilitch Crime Family and other sleazy parking lot owners. Parking makes up 40% of all land parcels in downtown Detroit according to Detroiter's for Parking Reform. Hell, the parking lot situation is so uniquely bad in Detroit they even had to setup an organization to fight it. Ilitch Owned Parking Lots Map Free Press: Christopher Ilitch acknowledges delays, defends parking lots near arena Detroit Free Press: Surface parking lots spreading 'like a disease' in Detroit, group says Street Blog USA: Detroit Hurt by Too Much Parking WDIV: Are There Too Many Parking Lots in Detroit

I don't understand how Green Bay has the same odds at +2500 as we do. I also don't underrated Baltimore at +1600 with the likelihood that Lamar doesn't come back.

That's a horseshit holding call.

That's not a good call imo.

That's the thing, I don't think we have a guy on this defense that can cover a Kelce or Goddert over the middle. Maybe Rodrigo can, maybe Tracy Walker or Okudah. But I'm with you, it really feels like having a LB who can cover sideline to sideline, and not get crushed in open field over the middle, would be a huge boon for this defense.

Do you think we have the defense to contain a Hurts or Mahomes enough that if we get to 30-35 we can hold our own and win?

When you watch this game and think of what the Lions need to be able to beat one of these two teams, what do you think it is that we still need? I know we hung tight with the Eagles week 1 and almost won, but what else do we still need to matchup with elite teams like the Chiefs and Eagles?

I wish they'd do my boy Jason Isbell for halftime one year LOL. Isbell signing Cover Me Up at the Super Bowl would be the shit, but the crowd would hate it.

Gusty call in the QB Draw there. I would have punted there.

Vin Diesel is up there with John Travolta in my mind.

Would any of the recent officiating and instant replay changes have effected the Lions in a postitive manner anytime in recent memory when they were jobbed by the refs? The battled ball in Seattle, 10 second runoff against Atlanta, the Brandon Pettigrew picked up flag, Dez Bryant running onto the field to scream at an official without his helmet on, Calvin and the process of the catch, Devin Taylor's "facemask" on Aaron Rodgers resulting in a free play, Jim Schwartz errant use of the challenge flag, Demarius Thomas' fumble that was ruled down, Justin Forsett down by contact but scores a TD anyways?

I feel Kansas City was fortunate to win two weeks ago against Cincinnati. I feel they were outplayed for most of that game and down the stretch a few bad calls and a dumb mistakes cost Cincinnati the game. I actually feel the Eagles have more fire power on offense and a defense that can get after or containMahomes better than Cinnci could. I think Eagles by a TD to 10 points.

Setting: 2/12/2023 6:30pm EST on FOX Site: State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ Opening Spread: Eagles -1.5 versus Chiefs +1.5 All-Time Series Record: 4-5 Chiefs over the Eagles Last Meeting: 42-30 victory by Kansas City in October of 2021 Kansas City Chiefs Head Coach: Andy Reid (10th season as Head Coach, 117-45 record, 4th Super Bowl appearance) Franchise Super Appearances: 5 times (1967 (L), 1970 (W), 2020 (W), 2021 (L), 2023) Quarterback: Patrick Mahomes (3rd Super Bowl appearance) Philadelphia Eagles Head Coach: Nick Sirianni (2nd season as Head Coach, 23-11 record, 1st Super Bowl appearance) Franchise Super Appearances: 4 times (1981 (L), 2005(L), 2015 (W), 2023) Quarterback: Jalen Hurts (1st Super Bowl appearance)

Jaamal Williams averaged 4.1 YPC, 17 TDs and had a 1,000 yard season. He was only 73 total rushing yards behind Christian McCaffery and 55 total rushing yards behind Aaron Jones. McCaffery averaged .6 YPC more than Williams and Jones 1.2 YPC more. We consider them "obviously better" backs than Williams, but statistically speaking last year, he held his own and was respectable in comparison. I think for one more season, assuming the wheels don't fall off the bus, we can possibly rely on Williams as feature back. Doesn't mean I'm sold on the idea either, nor am I against a taking a back with out 2nd round pick. Hence why I drafted Gibbs in my mock yesterday. I don't think though that I want to burn our 1st round pick on Bijan Robinson though. That's a little too much of a reach when talented guys are typically found all over the draft.