Dominic Raiola, who is best known for being the worst center in NFL history, reportedly flipped off a bunch of fans at a Detroit Lions home game for booing the team that they paid to see. They don't keep stats for individual offensive linemen like they do in Madden video games, but Raiola, simply put, cannot block. To make matters worse, he pretty much hates the people who enable the Ford family to pay his salary.
You know, if you're not happy, why are you coming to the game? I understand that they haven't seen a winner in eight years, so don't come. Don't come until we turn it around.
He also said that he would like to fight fans who picked on him, but couldn't because people don't fight with fists, "they pack metal."
As a life long Detroit Lions fan who gets to attend one game a year, I go out to the games because I love my team. They break my heart, every year. No matter how well the team seems to be doing (last year, we seemed to be awesome. Ah, 6-2 starts), something comes along and fucks it up. This happens at both macro and micro levels.
Macro: Matt Millen may actually still be with the team, calling shots.
Micro: Putting together a decent drive, getting into scoring range, and having it taken all back because the offensive line likes to hold jerseys instead of block. Or hey, settling for a field goal because, with the game on the line, Dominic Raiola "forgot how to win."
At the Macro level, you get things like the Millen Man March, Fire Millen chants at Detroit Pistons games, and Keep Millen signs in Green Bay.
At the Micro level, if a player fucks up on the field and there's a crowd there to see it, they're going to boo. Not only are they going to boo, but if they realize who is at fault, they're going to boo specifically at you.
Now, I don't know if Dominic has been paying attention. Enough people have been following his advise that the Lions haven't been on local TV in three weeks. When a stadium empties out and there's less than 10,000 people in a space designed to admit 73,000, you're going to hear people in the stands. Words carry in open air. Angry words shouted at high volume carry faster.
Dominic Raiola insinuated that the group of people who he flipped off called him out and insulted his family. I highly doubt that. At this point, after eight years of failure and futility, we don't give a flying fuck about your personal life, Dominic. At 0-13, we want a fucking win.
So go ahead, please...give out your personal address. Nobody is going to show up to your house, and nobody who sees you on the street will be packing any heat. You practice in Allen Park, you hang out in Dearborn, and you're treated with the utmost respect because you're a private resident, a paying customer, and the fat fuck from the Fairlane Ford ads.
On the football field? You're doing a job. You're getting paid to do a job. And the money that the Ford family pays you with comes from us, the people who show up to watch you play. In a competent franchise, we'd pretty much act as your boss. As it stands, that $7,500 fine the Lions levied will probably be the last of it.
My hope is this: When whoever the coach is and whoever the GM is are evaluating tape and looking at who wants to play football next year, I hope they notice all the sacks the line gives up, all the holes you fail to open, and the few goal line attempts we've had fail, because then you're out of a job, Dominic, and the reality is this: You're not good enough to make most of the league's practice squads.
"Walks like a woman and talks like a man."
- Chris Berman
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