Links

You wouldn't be reading this without the help, support, encouragement, and linkage from my fellow Lions bloggers, so check them out (in no particular order):

• Highlight Reel - Phil Zaroo over at Mlive.com has been an incredible boon to me, and the rest of the Lions blogosphere. Phil reads just about every Lions blog there is, and regularly links the best of all of them (and me) in his blog, which has provided me with the lion’s share (ha ha) of my exposure and traffic. However, Phil's much more than a linking machine. He writes with his own voice, both frequently and well.
• Roar of the Lions - DetroitFan1979 started the way I did: with nothing but will and a Blogspot account. However, he recently joined forces with Fanball to present the same great material in some very shiny new digs. He’s knowledgeable and analytical—yet, he writes with personality and passion, much as I do. As a fellow young father of multiple kids, he and I both experienced the great joys of mixing family and fandom. DF79 and I share a love of coffee, and we’ve even been lucky enough to share Lions talk over lattes at our mutual favorite establishment.
  
• Blue and Silver Pride - Michael Schottey is a credentialed writer--but he's building up his audience through the grassroots, blogging about the Lions while freelancing about the NFL. He's a very bright, ballsy guy--and an excellent writer.
• NFL Draft Blogger - David M has all the college pigskin knowledge I lack, and he puts that to good work doing all the draft prep that I, at best, put off until February. He’s also a Lions fan, and both reads and comments here from time to time. Frequently, we pick each other’s brain over IM, and the result is better stuff for all you folks.
• Pride of Detroit - Sean Yuille, along with some others, keep this excellent blog up-to-the-second with all the lastest news, and original analysis thereof. In my early days, I tried to keep pace with him on that stuff--it only took a couple of weeks before I realized I was just parroting him and knocked it off. More than that, though, I admire the way Sean has built a massive community; plenty of people write their own mini-blogs and one-shot posts under the umbrella of PoD.  Check out user "DrewsLions" while you're there.
• Armchair Linebacker is a team blog, with writers for many NFL squads--but the man who runs the joint is Neil: a Lions man to the bitter, profane end. Neil and I are two sides of the same coin: I soar through my blue-sky optimism on patched and tattered wings, while he trudges through the marshes of the river Styx, protecting his blue-flamed candle from the muck and the mire.
• The Wayne Fontes Experience - Big Al Beaton, and his podcasting partner, journalist and blogger Greg Eno, put up some of the funniest, spot-on Lions analysis you'll see.  Their weekly Blog Talk Radio show/podcast, “The Knee Jerks”, is a whole lot of good talk, good interviews, and just plain good stuff on all the Detroit pro teams.  Big Al is a very smart, very funny guy who is unafraid to drop Star Trek, Life is Hell, Invader Zim, or The Three Stooges screenshots into his work—sometimes, all in the same post!  Greg's an outstanding freelance journalist who maintains several quality blogs, of sports and non-sports varieties.
• ESPN.com NFC North Blog - Kevin Seifert at  is technically an “NFC North” blogger. However, he not only has the regional knowledge of being a Vikings beat for years, has the sources and resources of the Worldwide Leader at his fingertips, he takes the time to do a genuinely awesome job with his Lions analysis. He also did me the amazing favor of writing about, and linking to, a TLIW post.
• It's Just Sports - Patrick Hayes is the sports channel editor of Technorati.com.  He, Big Al, and the rest of the It's Just Sports crew at Mlive.com consistently deliver the daily news about Michigan (and national) sports with a sly grin and a barbed stinger. They also did me the honor of a feature article and interview a little while ago.
• Detroit Lions Weblog - Steve Butts was an early inspiration.  His ability to write frequently and loquaciously about the Lions convinced me that there was a place in the world for intelligent, thoughtful Lions analysis.
  

I could go on and on; I know there are literally dozens of other Lions blogs out there.  These are some of the best and brightest, though--and they're all folks who've either been an inspiration, a direct help to me, or both.
 Beyond the blogs, of course, there are the forums--the Lions fan communities who help keep us all connected:

• The Den - Offical Lions forums of Scout.com, the Den is an extremely vibrant community with a ton of active members, and some really cool posters. EVERYTHING gets posted here, and dissected from every angle, within minutes.
• Lions Red Zone - Much less traffic than The Den, but the posters are rabid and outstanding. Lots of no-holds-barred fandom! One of my favorite communities.
• The Lions Fanatics - An old favorite of mine, TLF is smaller than the Den, but more measured and relaxed than LRZ.
• Lionbacker - Splitting the difference between The Den and TLF, Lionbacker has a healthy community and a great signal/noise ratio.

Read more...