Posts tagged JoeCullen at FanHouse

You hear that, Drew Sharp? All wrong about assuming Joe Cullen would have taken offense to Jon Kitna's Halloween costume. You remember that saying about assuming?

"Joe didn't have a problem with it, it doesn't seem," Kitna said. "The first question out of his mouth was, 'Did you win?' I don't think it's really an issue."

In a statement, the Lions said they asked Cullen whether he was bothered by Kitna's costume. His response: "No, not at all. It's in the past."

Kitna was trying to win a costume contest at Mike Furrey's charity event, and would have given the prize -- a car -- to Cullen had he won. Even Rod Marinelli and Cory Redding supported the "everyone knew it was all in good fun" defense, though Kitna admitted he had no idea the vitriol it would produce in the media.

And, for all of those who think that Kitna might be able to dish it out without taking it:

Kitna, a devout Christian, laughed as he recalled how he was lampooned by a couple who dressed up as him and his wife, Jennifer, and thumped Bibles.

More people should take themselves as seriously as Cullen and Kitna.

After The Free Press added a little tidbit on their website about Jon Kitna dressing up as embattled Lions assistant coach Joe Cullen for Halloween, I should have known that some crabby columnist was in the midst of climbing up on his soapbox, ready to ruin the fun for everyone. My guess would have been Mitch Albom. Nope -- Drew Sharp.

Cullen exists exclusively in the background with the Lions. I'm sure he doesn't want any more attention directed at what happened that night.

Perhaps public levity marked with the Lions' signature has found a place in Cullen's daily recovery.

But that's his call to make. Not Kitna's.

OK, yes, the incident stems from serious issues in Cullen's life. But does anyone really believe Kitna, the most visible member of the Lions and team leader, would be seen in public mocking a coach or doing anything that could disrupt the balance of a team finally showing signs of life, without the coach knowing beforehand? Seems dubious to me.

My advice to Sharp: why don't you ask Kitna or Cullen about it before jumping to conclusions in a scathing column? I know columnists don't have to slum it in the locker rooms like beat writers, but maybe a phone call or two would have been helpful here. The fall from that horse is pretty steep, after all.

Remember Joe Cullen? He's the Lions assistant coach that was arrested for driving drunk and naked through a Wendy's drive-thru. I think it's safe to say that we, the community that comprises the sports corner of the tubes, all had a really good laugh at Cullen. Apparently, Jon Kitna's still chuckling -- he and his wife teamed for Halloween costumes paying tribute to Cullen.

Kitna dressed as a naked man (with a Lions visor), while his wife appeared as a Wendy's employee, perhaps as a humorous nod to defensive line coach Joe Cullen's incident of a year before.

Well played, Kitnas. I guess devout Christians can have a sense of humor about this sort of thing, after all. I wonder what Cullen's reaction looked like gazing upon the Kitnas for the first time. Not that it matters, really, because when you do something so outrageous you pretty much deserve the ridicule for the rest of your life. You can see a waist-up image of the pair here.

Lions G Ross Verba, while still with Cleveland, made a calculated gamble by holding out for one complete season in an attempt to get paid a salary on par with OT's Walter Jones and Orlando Pace. The Lions signed him this past off-season, which was also a roll of the dice, in hopes that Verba could upgrade the Lions offensive front. Apparently, Verba's luck has crapped out. He was arrested Tuesday night for speeding in Wisconsin. As a consequence of writing bad checks for a line of credit he was extended in a Las Vegas casino, he was also forced to repay the casino $50,000.

Verba never panned out for the Lions. He was injured for almost the entire season. The Lions offensive line was mostly pathetic and the only brief promise it exhibited was when young players like Frank Davis, Clint Stickdorn, and Jonathan Scott had replaced injured veterans like Ross Verba and Rex Tucker. During past seasons, the Lions seemed to be able to hang their hats on the fact that they were not hampered by the off-season issues that most other NFL teams were. The 2006 season not only represented disappointment on the field, but also off the field for the Lions organization.

It is unreasonable to expect NFL players to be model citizens off the field. That being said, Matt Millen's personnel failings are highlighted even more by this season's off-season troubles. Let's recap: 1 arrests for drunk driving (Kenoy Kennedy), 1 coach arrested for lewd conduct (Defensive Line Coach Joe Cullen's "Naked Drive-Thru" escapade), 1 player arrested for resisting arrest (Kalimba Edwards), 2 players failing league administered drug tests (Shaun and Charles Rogers), 1 player arrested for harassment and stalking (G Damien Woody), and now Verba for writing bad checks. The Lions probably don't have anymore off the field issues than any other franchise, but considering their circumstances, the Lions should probably hold their players to a higher standard of conduct.

Entering the 2007 season, the Lions have to place a stronger emphasis on players who have the character necessary to turn around this franchise. The Lions continued personnel struggles can ill-afford to weather the continued embarrassment and missed playing time that comes as result of these types of poor judgment.