Dominic Raiola has played all nine of his NFL seasons in Detroit, never finishing with better than a 7-9 record -- and that streak isn't ending this season. So he's allowed to have some pent-up frustration.He let some of it out Sunday during the Lions' 17-10 home loss to the previously winless Rams, firing off some choice words at a group of Detroit fans who were heckling rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford. Detroit's final possession of the game consisted of four Stafford incompletions (plus two more pass attempts wiped out by penalties).
After the final misfire landed well wide of its intended target, a few rowdy patrons let Stafford have it -- yelling "Hey Matt, throw it to me, I'm open, I'm open," according to Raiola, who quickly came to his QB's defense.
The veteran center let fly with a few obscenities, according to MLive's Tom Kowalski, then spent a postgame interview defending his actions.
"You want to pick on [Stafford]? I'm going to say something," Raiola said. "I understand the frustrations, I do. I've been here for 8 1/2 years. I love these fans, I love these people and I love it here. I'm just saying that I'm sorry if I was offensive to anybody, but I'm just being loyal to my teammate, one of my guys.
"It did strike a chord. You've got three or four guys yelling at him ... did they see what happened on the last drive? I don't think so. If you're going to call a guy out, know what you're talking about. He just got here. You want to run him out of town already? You know what I'm saying? That just hit home with me. Because I've been through it with Joey [Harrington]. I've been through it. They sent him packing and they're not going to do it to this guy.
"I'm going to be right here next to him.''
To some extent, you have to commend Raiola for sticking up for Stafford, though cussing out a handful of the measly 38,000 or so fans that made it to Ford Field on Sunday might not have been the best strategy.
This isn't Raiola's first rodeo, either. Last year, when some fans booed the Lions as they fell to 0-13 -- en route to an 0-16 record -- Raiola flicked them off, then said that he'd fight those fans if he were allowed.
But despite his sometimes-rocky relationship with the Motor City faithful, Raiola remains committed to the Lions. He signed a four-year contract extension in the offseason that could keep him in Detroit through the 2013 season.
Detroit has every intention of still having Stafford as its starting QB at that time; part of the reason Stafford is playing in the first place this season is so he can learn on the go, in hopes that he'll progress faster. Of course, that was also the plan with Harrington, who, as Raiola vividly remembers, earned the Lions' starting job just three games into his rookie season in 2002, then was sent packing by the Detroit organization after 2005.
If Raiola's ever going to play on a winner in Detroit, he needs Stafford's career path to hit a much more upward progression than Harrington's did.
And if he has to drop a few obscenities to make that happen, then so be it.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
11-02-2009 @ 6:40AM
Capps said...
I agree with Raiola, go get 'em big guy. Dumb*** fans sit in the stands riding one rookie because of the situation surrounding an entire organization.
Years ago, Atlanta couldn't win with Brett Favre so they sent him packing. You detroit have heard of Brett Favre, haven't you?
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11-02-2009 @ 8:51PM
jceasars911 said...
I think brett only played in 2or 3 games for the falcons. lol That is definitely not a career! He was more of a bench warmer in atlanta than anything else! One of his first football cards showed him sitting on the bench lol! His bench warmer for a bit in green bay was mark brunell! Neither was drafted to be a starter right away!
Stafford's under a lot more pressure because he was drafted as the "it" quarterback! Kind of like "here's the ball son, now go win!!" Given some time he'll be probably okay!
11-02-2009 @ 8:51PM
MR.RICK said...
what a joke. "go get'em big guy." if he was black he would be called a thug, criminal, ghetto, animal, loser. since he's not black, now its "go get'em big guy."
it never shocks me how you people hide behind an article to mask your racism, yet its nowhere to be found when the person isnt black!
11-02-2009 @ 11:24PM
wingsvvavr said...
Big deal... Raiola has no room to talk back to anyone. He's never won anything. He's part of the so-called offensive line, and he's part of the problem.
11-02-2009 @ 8:36AM
bpaadarling said...
They should be yelling at the line who tries to protect Stafford.
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11-02-2009 @ 6:46PM
THOMAS said...
hey, he could play for the cleveland clowns !
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11-02-2009 @ 7:01PM
RockDad50 said...
What else is there to do at a Lion's (game)loss but to get hammered! Why these idiot fans continue to pay to see this so called professional team is beyond me. I haven't watched or attended a game since Barry Sanders got out of this town.
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11-02-2009 @ 10:48PM
gobluespartyon said...
At least there loyal there only idiots for bashing Stafford right now. I will always root for Lions I watch every week there my team I will keep buy the gear. You don't know what being loyal is RockDad50
11-02-2009 @ 7:04PM
moshiem6 said...
detroit knows how he played at ga he suck there too
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11-02-2009 @ 8:49PM
pscratch72 said...
THEY ARE LOSERS AND THEIR FANS ARE LOSERS .j-e-t-s SUCK!
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11-02-2009 @ 8:50PM
jwfoust said...
Good for him. It's the people to know the least that end up making an Axx of themselves.
Detroit has a long ways to go. They've made progress. It's the not result of the play as much as it is the effort. Their, the team,is working to improve. Raiola is part of a team. He did the right thing.
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11-02-2009 @ 9:23PM
Terry said...
He should have been critisizing the owners. Those fans pay the Ford family good money to watch trash. Though I have to say the Lions are not as inept as they used to be. Stafford is going to be a good pro, spend money on linemen Ford family, you scored a good quarter recently. Jeez is this rocket science or are the Fords just that stupid?
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11-02-2009 @ 9:37PM
jonproch said...
Hey the dolphins own you J-E-T-S...what is your division record? we may be 3-4,but we are 3-0 in the division!!! Have you won a division game?...That will come back to haunt you!!!
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11-02-2009 @ 9:51PM
mikey said...
Hey Rick get a life get off the ononuts bandwagon and quit using the race card.
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11-02-2009 @ 9:54PM
janetloff said...
I'm a Philly fan - Dallas owner Jerry Jones flipped us the bird.
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11-02-2009 @ 10:07PM
semperfi7x said...
What would you expect from fans in a city with a former crooked, lying and (alleged)murdering mayor like Kwame Kilpatrick and those similarly wretched commissioners like Wells and Conyers?
If the team was smart, they'd move out of that hell-hole called Detroit. Any place that elects such scum to represent them doesn't deserve an NFL team, but rather, a new sewer system to keep up with the riff raff.
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11-02-2009 @ 10:23PM
twoglides said...
LIONS FANS HAVE SUFFERED ENOUGH.STAFFORD WAS A GREAT PICK.HE FITS IN WITH THE REST OF THE LOSER DRAFT PICKS THE LIONS HAVE MADE IN RESENT YEARS INCLUDING THAT BIG MOUTH RAIOLA.MAYBE RAIOLA SHOULD SPEND MORE TIME THINKING ABOUT DOING HIS JOB AND LESS TIME COMPLAINING ABOUT THE FANS WHO PAY GOOD MONEY TO SEE THE WORST TEAM IN FOOTBALL YEAR IN AND YEAR OUT.THE LIONS HAVE WON JUST 1 PLAYOFF GAME SINCE 1957.THATS 53 YEARS WHAT A BUNCH OF NO TALENT LOSERS.THEY DONT DESERVE TO BE IN THE N.F.L.AND RAIOLA NEEDS TO SHUT UP BEFORE HIS DUMB ASS GETS RUN OUT OF TOWN TOO.
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11-02-2009 @ 10:48PM
cometcoach2004 said...
The best thing the Ford family can do for the city of Detroit is to sell the team to someone that will try to have a winner. They may know cars, but they are losers in the football world.
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11-02-2009 @ 11:37PM
greasyeggman842 said...
Just to clarify, the owner, William Clay Ford, has nothing to do with making cars. This is two separate businesses. But I agree, he doesn't know football. All that matters to him is filling the stadium and selling # 9 and 81 jerseys. He should have broomed Matt Millen a long time ago and not put up with his ineptness for 8 long years. Millen is responsible for the lack of talent left in his wake and unfortunately it will take time to recover.
We fans are doing our part by showing our lack of support for such a lousy product on the field by not selling out the games.
11-02-2009 @ 10:52PM
gobluespartyon said...
Dom is right that Fans need to lay off on Matt Stafford a lot of his passes were on the money if WR wouldn't have dropped the balls that were right to them. So it wasn't Stafford fault it was WR they need to stop droping the damn balls a lot them they should have catched.
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