This week's Mlive column covers the Detroit Lions and quantum mechanics. I contemplate how the Many Worlds Interpretation ties in with Lions fandom. Seriously...sorta.

The Knee Jerks have finished holding our weekly meeting of the minds. As we both had busy weeks (mine health related, Eno's job related), we were unable to schedule a guest for tonight, so the podcast was just Greg Eno and I talking sports.

We gave our takes on the Super Bowl, Peyton Manning's big game bonifides, Sean Payton's balls of steel, new Pro Football Hall of Fame member Dick Labeau and his campaingn to have Alex Karras and Wayne Walker inducted, the uselessness of Tayshaun Prince, Justin Verlander earning his money, and Johnny Damon filling a need. We also had Eno calling out the LA Clippers and my hatred for Comcast.

We have a winner of TWFE's Axe Hair Action Challenge giveaway!

The giveaway, courtesy of Axe, contains an Axe dopp kit with hair grooming products, along with a Flip Ultra camcorder.

And the winner is...

LVS, who is a writer at "The Only Colors", which covers Michigan State sports.

LVS and Derek F both predicted Drew Brees as MVP, but LVS hit the Saints score on the button, with 31 points.

Congratulations, LVS! You can now groom your hair, and take a video of yourself doing so!

I'll get the swag to him later this week, oncoming DeathStorm 2010 permitting.

A thank you also goes out to all those who entered!

Stay on the lookout for more TWFE giveaways!

Thanks to Axe, I had the opportunity to speak with Detroit Lions quarterback Mattew Stafford. I have to say they went above and beyond, as we had to reschedule a a few times thanks to my being waylaid by health problems this week. (The lack of  clear vision in my left eye is driving me nuts, thank you very much!)

But we finally connected late Friday afternoon. I was able to chat with the Lions QB  for about 10 minutes, until my internet connection crapped out. I was talking to Matthew via Skype, so I could record the conversation. My original plan was to upload an MP3 of the interview, but Comcast's sudden lack of bandwidth shot those plans to Hell. (I guess having $100 a month TV/internet bill guarantees you jack. Thanks for nothing, Comcast.)

The Lions' main man in Miami seems to be enjoying himself...

Anyway, enough of my bitching. Lets see what the Lions wunderkind QB had to say...

Big Al: Thank you for taking the time! First off Matthew, how are your shoulder and knee? How has the rehab been going?

Matthew Stafford: It’s doing good! I had surgery on the knee about a month and a half ago, it’s a lot better. The shoulder just needed some rehab and rest, I’m doing good.

(Coming up, the plug for Axe. I’m such a sellout!)

BA: Nice to hear! But going by the Axe ad I’ve seen, you must be doing really well!

MS: (Laughs) Yeah!

BA: Since you brought up Axe, and as they are the reason you’re hanging in Miami and talking to me, why don’t you tell my readers about your involvement with the Axe Hair Action Challenge, and just what the promotion entails?

MS: I’ve actually been working with Axe for a while now, ever since I’ve been using their products. I’ve been getting a ton of hair action, when girls are getting their fingers all up in your hair, smelling it, having a good time with it…

BA: Of course…

MS: I put a challenge out there, 4 videos of me getting hair action; I’m challenging all the guys out there to get their videos and their pictures to the Axe hair website. If they can beat me getting hair action, or get it better than I do, Axe is giving away a bunch of great free prizes. Every day they are giving away some product from Axe, and every 2 weeks the winner of every contest is going to get 2 tickets to a sporting event in 2010. You can check it Facebook.com/Axe or search “Axe hair” in any search engine. I’m encouraging guys out there to submit their videos, see what they got!

BA: Let me ask you about your acting, does it come natural to you? Do you enjoy doing commercials?

MS: (Laughs) Yeah, it’s a fun thing! We work really hard during the season, and are really serious about football. But it’s great to get out there, have a little bit of fun, get in front of the camera, and see what we have.

BA: How did your girlfriend take your getting manhandled by models in the ads?

MS: Well, she was a little skeptical at first, but she’s grown to understand its part of the business.

BA: But you’re a star getting star treatment, correct?!

MS: (Laughs) I guess…

BA: With the plug out the way, let’s get back to football. Now that you’ve finished your first season in the NFL, looking back, was there a big difference in the physicality between playing in the SEC and in the NFL? Is there that big a difference between college and pro ball?

MS: I think there’s some. These guys get to work out all day, they’re a little bit stronger, a little bit faster, and they hit harder, that’s for sure.

BA: What other differences did you see, football-wise, between playing at Georgia and playing with the Lions?

MS: The defenses are so much more complex in the pros. They have all day, all week, to prepare for you, and they do a great job of it. As a quarterback, there’s watching tons of film and making sure you take care of your business, in order to keep pace with defensive coordinators these days. It’s gotten the Saints into the Super Bowl with Greg Williams of the Saints. He’s doing a great job calling plays for his defense, really attacking.

BA: Anything truly surprise you while playing other NFC North teams?

MS: Competition-wise, the NFC North is similar to the SEC, but obviously the NFL is ratcheted up a notch. The NFC North has a group of really great defenses, and explosive offenses. The Green Bay Packers have an unbelievable defense, with the defensive player of the year (Charles Woodson), and Aaron Rodgers slinging the ball around on the other side, playing great. Then you have the Vikings, with Favre and his offense, and we all know about their defense with that great defensive line and secondary. Chicago is always going to be there, they have an up and coming QB in Jay Cutler and a defense which traditionally has been very good. The North is very competitive, that’s for sure.

BA: To say the very least. In regard to your rookie season, looking back, is there anything you’d do differently?

MS: Stay healthy!

BA: (Laughs) No kidding!

MS: That was something which frustrated me throughout the year. I feel like I played only 3 games healthy this year. I hurt the knee in the 4th game. That kind of set me back, then the shoulder in week 11 pretty much ended the season for me. I wish I could have played in all 16 instead of 10, but I had a great time while I was out there!

BA: You’re a Detroiter now, but did you know much about the city or the Detroit Lions beforehand?

MS: I knew about the Lions, but not much about the city. I grew up a Dallas Cowboys fan, and always watch Detroit and Dallas play on Thanksgiving. I loved watching those 2 teams play, and I was a big fan of Barry Sanders. So I did know a little about the Lions, but I’m still learning the city of Detroit. This off season will give me the opportunity to get out and get into the city. I’d like to get to know the area better.

BA: Speaking of Thanksgiving, I want to ask you about that game and the shoulder separation you tried to play through. You looked to be in an awful lot of pain.

MS: It was tough. I was in a sling till Tuesday or Wednesday, and didn’t throw a ball all week. I felt like I could get out there and play. I took a shot in the shoulder before the game. It wore off late in the game, so it was tough. I hurt more after the game than during the game, but it was rough!

We had hit the 10 minute mark, and I had more questions (I wanted to know what he's learned from Scott Linehan, his thoughts on Jim Schwartz, amongst other things). But as I was asking Matthew about the dynamic between Daunte Culpepper, Drew Stanton and him, if Culpepper was of any help learning the league during the year, my connection fell off a cliff and went to total crap.

The next couple of minutes were full of “I can’t hear you”, and “Can you hear me?” As he was working off a tight schedule, we just  didn’t have time to work through the issues. So I had to call it an interview at this point...

MS: I’m sorry, but the connection isn’t working. I really hope you got enough to work with. I appreciate it and I hope we can talk again soon.

BA: I did, and thank you. (Of course, he still had trouble hearing me)

I'd like to thank Matthew Stafford for taking the time to talk to this piss any blogger, and Axe for setting up the interview and the prize packages they sent me. Comcast? They can go to Hell.

Update: The half ended at 7:50PM. Good luck to all those entered!

It's Super Bowl Sunday! A national holiday, even for we fans of the Detroit Lions! In honor of this great day, I think it's time for a contest, and give you  long suffering readers something nice!

I have an Axe Hair Action Challege leather dopp (that's what we old folks call it) kit burning a giant hole in my pocket. It needs a new home!

The dopp kit contains:

• 1 Flip Ultra camcorder (White & silver, 4GB memory, 120 minute recording time, H.264 video with AAC audio, 640x480 resolution)
  
• AXE shampoo
• AXE hair putty
• AXE hair paste

Nice, but you'll have to earn it!

So here's today's contest!

In the comments to this post, I want you to pick the Super Bowl MVP. As a tiebreaker, I'd like you to also give the final score, such as Colts 41, Saints 40. Closest to the final score wins the tie-breaker. If there's still a tie at that point, I'll pick the winner out of a hat from those who qualify.

I'm going to be generous time-wise, so you'll have till halftime of today's game to make your selection, then I'm closing the comment thread.

PLEASE make sure you insert your email address when commenting, so I have a way to contact you and get your kit shipped.

Good luck!

I appreciate the kind words and everyone letting vent in regard to my latest health crisis on TWFE. More on that shortly.

First, a Lions related matter regarding one certain young quarterback.

Tthe Matthew Stafford interview took place around 4PM this afternoon. It went well...for about 10 minutes. At that point, the bandwidth went to Hell (I was using Skype, as I was recording the conversation), and I started to break up to the point where Stafford couldn't hear me. As he put it, hearing every 8th word! (F'n Comcast! My web connection had to sputter at 4 in the freaking afternoon? It's not exactly a high demand time of day!) So we had to end the interview early. When I played it back, some of my recording isn't very legible. (Stafford you could hear fine. As for me? Oh Hell no. Plus there was lots of "I can't hear you" and "Can you hear me?" in the final few minutes. Fucking Comcast!)

I did get enough to have a decent post, but I'll have to transcribe it.

I have to say, Stafford is very personable, and it was a genuine pleasure to speak to him. I have a feeling he's going to have his pick of endorsement opportunities when his football career takes off...as we all hope it will.

Check out Ty's The Lions in Winter blog as well, as he also snagged an interview with the Lions' wunderkind QB. He already has his interview up. To learn more about the Axe Hair Action Challenge, which started all this rigamarole, go to Axe's Facebook page for all the details...

OK, here's the health scoop.

First, good news! The ophthalmologist was very encouraged by the improvement in the eye pressure yesterday. The change in his demeanor was clear, as he was obviously relieved. Thanks to the regimen of hourly steroidal eyes drops (there's so much in the way of drops here at TWFE HQ, I could swim in it!), the pressure in my left eye had lowered from dangerous levels to a more manageable area. It remains high (28, when normal is under 20), but no longer eye damaging.

Also on the good side of things, tests show my right eye is normal, and there is no sign of glaucoma. Thank goodness for small favors!

But there was plenty of...lets call it discouraging...news.

The uveitis is still present, and likely to be a chronic problem thanks to my AS. Even worse, this most recent flareup has allowed a cataract to form in my left eye, which is causing the loss of vision. The cataract will have to be removed...eventually.

Unfortunatley, my doctor can't do a thing about the blurry/cloudy vision and the floaters I "see" (term used loosely) till the pressure is at an acceptable level, then stays there, and there is no sign of the uveitis for 3+ months.

Meaning my current condition could last up to a year.

Wonderful.

It sucks, but what are you going to do? I guess I'll just have to deal...like I have with everything else my body tries to do to me!

I'll have to go by the seat of my pants to see if my vision issues cut into my time in front of a computer screen, affecting my posting at TWFE, Bless You Boys, Mlive, and The Knee Jerks long-term. So far, it's been bearable. A PITFA, and tiring to my good eye, but bearable.

You can now consider yourselves in the loop.

I'll have more in the way of football as the weekend progresses, including the Stafford interview.

Note from Al: I'll give you all an update as to my health a little later. Suffice it to say, I'm going to be dealing with eyesight issues for quite some time to come. Now let's move on to more important things, like football!

I'm working on a project with Axe body and hair products, involving their “Axe Hair Action Challenge”. I'm sure you're asking, "Why should I care? What's in it for me?"

Well, you should, and there is something. Axe has given me some quite nice prize packages to giveaway (which includes Axe grooming products and a Flip video camera), and an interview with Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford! (Which should be happening later this afternoon, as we suffered Skype bandwidth issues on Thursday, so I couldn't record)

For your first taste of the promo, here's a styling Matthew Stafford meeting hot chicks and driving a Honolulu blue Mustang drop top.

Not a bad way to make a living, huh?

Here's the scoop on the promotion, via my contacts at Axe:

Matthew and AXE Hair have joined up to challenge guys (and girls) to show how they get (or give) Hair Action. In a nutshell, “Hair Action” is when a girl can’t resist getting into a guy’s hair. Girls like giving it, guys like receiving it.  So, Matthew is challenging guys to get their own “Hair Action” and demonstrating how and where he gets it through a series of amusing online videos.  The videos are set to be released starting in early February. Every two weeks, Stafford will issue another challenge and prizes will be given out every day. Grand prizes are also given every two weeks, and all who enter have the chance to win a trip to a major college or professional sporting event of their choice in 2010.

I'll have more details as things go on, and have the Stafford interview posted in the next day or so. (again, depending upon how the tech works out. It'll be posted soon, if I can record. If not, worse comes to worse, I'll post a text version later...I hope).

Keep reading TWFE, you might actually win something.

I don't use TWFE as a personal forum all that often. This blog is my baby and my refuge from real life, so to speak. But I also want you all to know what's going on with me, and why updating TWFE has been sporadic the last couple of weeks (and for that matter, why my contributions at Bless You Boys as of late have been just short, breaking news fan shots).

About 3 weeks ago, I went to check the mail. Being a bonehead, I slipped on ice and fell...right on on my surgically repaired back. Luckily, I landed in a snowbank, which cushioned the fall.

I still managed to do some damage, as swelling developed in the area where the surgeons did their magic. The swelling refused to go away, so I had to schedule a visit to my doctors at the University of Michigan. The swelling was diagnosed as a hematoma, and I finally had to have the area drained of blood by my rheumatologist last Monday.

So far, so good on that front. Though I have an appointment with my surgeons on Friday, but it's more as a precaution than anything else.

But something else related to my ankylosing spondylitis flared up in the meantime. I developed uveitis (also known as iritis) in my left eye.

AS, along with doing nasty things to my spine, can also attack soft tissue, such as your heart and eyes. I've dodged the bullet in regard to soft tissue for years. Lamentably, my luck ran out. During my recovery from surgery, I developed a bad case of uveitis. It was painful, but it went away right after I went back on my normal arthritis meds.

But it returned with a vengance a week ago.

Thankfully, my right eye remains unaffected. But my left eye is angry looking, red and bloodshot. Even worse, the vision in the eye has gone in the tank. My sight in the bad eye is comparable to looking through a very cloudy and blurry plexiglass window, or as if someone went at a camera lens with an abrasive pad. I put myself within a few inches of my laptop screen, and I still can't read a damn thing. Action on the big TV is just a blur. In the dark, it's even worse.

Uh...that's not good.

I was examined by a U of M opthamologist on Wednesday. He wasn't happy. The eye is badly inflamed, scar tissue has formed, and the pressure inside the eye is twice the normal amount (which is known as ocular hypertension). There's the possibility of glaucoma as well. But he can't do anything about the vision in the eye until the inflammation and pressure are reduced.

So the opthamologist gave me 3 different types of eye drops in hopes of reducing the eye pressure. I'm literally swimming in eye meds, and I've been pounding them since early yesterday afternoon.

If the drops are ineffective, the next option may be a laser procedure to drill a hole in the eye to reduce the pressure. Uh...YIKES!

I'm going back to see my doctor today, and I find out if the drops did their job, and what we'll do next.

To top things off, I was supposed to interview Matthew Stafford this morning. I was all set to record my conversation with the Lions quarterback to post here at TWFE, but the phone connection was so bad, they had to bail.

This entire week has been one big facepalm...

I have no idea if we'll be able to reschedule. My spider sense tells me they won't.

So it seems I can't win for losing the past few weeks...just like the team I write about!

I'll keep you all in the loop as to what's up with my eye. As they say, you'll be the first to know.

Keep your fingers crossed!

Remember when Larry Foote said he wanted to end his career as a Detroit Lion?

Things change.

John Niyo of the Detroit News is reporting contract talks between the Lions and their incumbent starting middle linebacker, Larry Foote, are going nowhere. The Detroit native believes the Lions are not interested in retaining his services, so he's gong to entertain free agent contract offers starting March 5th.

"We're just going to free agency and see from there," said Foote, citing unproductive talks between his agent, Brian Levy, and Lions general manager Martin Mayhew. "I mean, obviously, I'm not a big priority for them. So that's just how I'm taking it."

As well as Foote played for the Lions in 2009, their defense remained at the bottom of the NFL. Foote's performance also tailed off as the season went on, after making an impact early in the year. So instead of bringing back a declining player looking to get paid, I'm guessing the Lions believe they already have their middle linebacker of the future on the roster. A player who's younger, cheaper and under team control for 2 more years, DeAndre Levy.

Gimme my money!

Levy was drafted as a middle linebacker out of Wisconsin in the '09 draft, but played out of position, and played well, on the outside after Ernie Sims was injured.  The Lions obviously don't feel they need to bring Foote back, at least not at his current asking price, with Levy in the fold.

I'm not at all thrilled by the prospect of the Lions allowing a legit NFL player in Foote to walk, or losing what little depth they do have on defense. But I can understand why Martin Mayhew doesn't want to give a long-term deal to a linebacker who faded late, and is going to be 30 years old when the 2010 season starts.

Foote did give the Lions a hometown discount last year, turning down their 2 year offer in order to sign a 1 year contract, in the hope of landing a big money, long-term deal the following season.

Unfortunately for Foote, that deal is not going to come from the team he rooted for as a child. In fact, it may not come from any NFL team at all, even in what's looking to be an uncapped season, which is why I'm not fully ruling out Foote returning to the Lions.

As I said, things change.

My latest column at Mlive has hit the internets! I give my thoughts on the evil which is NFL mock drafts, and give my Facepalm of the week to the most irrelevant game on the face of the planet, the Pro Bowl.

The Knee Jerks have moved to a new time. We now broadcast every Monday at 7PM. I've just finished recording this weeks podcast, and it's a fun one. Greg Eno and I interviewed the architect of the Bad Boys, the legendary General Manager of the Detroit Pistons from 1979-1992, "Trader" Jack McCloskey. We covered the gamut of the Pistons' first championship era, from the drafting of Isiah Thomas, the trade of Kelly Tripuka, losing Rick Mahorn in the expansion draft, to the Pistons walking off the court against the Chicago Bulls. We even talk a little William Bedford!

The show is now available for both streaming and download!

We already know who the Hair at ESPN believes the Lions will target in April's draft. Now Don Banks of Sports Illustrated has his say with his first of what I'm sure is going to be dozens of his mock drafts.

So who is Banks banking on the Lions selecting?

DT Gerald McCoy, Oklahoma  Jr. 6'4" 298

The Lions really can't lose, and when's the last time we were able to use those words to describe Detroit? Being in position to take either Suh or McCoy adds another major cog to the defense Jim Schwartz is rebuilding in Motown. McCoy is known for his ability to penetrate the backfield, while still holding up against the run.

Not a bad consolation prize, huh?

It's a done deal. Gerald McCoy is going be a Detroit Lion, because 2 sports reporting juggernauts coming up with the same conclusion makes for a consensus, right? Hell, we may as well just call it now, and not bother with anymore mocks.

I wish. The guessing game won't stop for the next 3 months.

There will be mock drafts projecting S Eric Berry or OT Russell Okung going 2nd overall, just to be different, even though the Lions already have the blossoming Louis Delmas at safety, and Jeff Backus and Gosder Churilus making a king's ransom as the starting tackles.

It's beyond obvious the most educated of guesses have the Lions taking either Ndamukong Suh or Gerald McCoy, depending upon which of the pair the St. Louis Rams decide to take 1st overall. And no, I don't see the Rams selecting a quarterback...though Steven Jackson's legal troubles are worth watching closely, as anything which affects the Rams decision making will very likely affect what the Lions do.

Of course, Sam Bradford and/or Jimmy Clausen could blow every scout away at the combine and during their respective college workout days, throwing the whole upper portion of the  draft into a uproar.

A quarterback or 2 blowing up would make the Lions' 1st round pick that much more valuable as trade bait. It would be huge fun to watch possible trades materialize, and give the Lions options they don't currently have, but I honestly doubt it happens.

The News' John Niyo, who also believes the Lions are eyeing Suh and McCoy, asked The Schwartz about the difficulty of finding a DT who can give an inside pass rush.

What he said was quite telling:

"Probably a little bit harder to find 'em inside," Schwartz said. "Because ... if you're big enough to be a run stopper, generally you're not much of a pass rusher. if you're a really good pass rusher, you're not a big enough guy to stop the run. But I think that when you find one of those guys, they're extremely valuable. If you can combine the size and the strength to be able to stop the run, and also the ability to rush ... The shortest distance to the quarterback is a straight line -- the people that are closest are the defensive tackles. And they can affect the rush.

I agree with Niyo's conclusion. Though the Lions would never admit it, as anything draft related will be considered top secret and hush hush for the next 3 months, Schwartz's statement sure sounds like he endorses the selection of either Suh or McCoy.