Detroit teams need wins, not style points, plus a Tigers media gripe

We are all geared up for another weekend of football here in the Motor City

I'm Dustin Fiocco with Detroit Sports Nation. It is time for your daily rundown on this Friday

getting you prepped for everything you need to know going into this weekend. And we are going to start off talking about our college football teams

Big weekends for both Michigan and Michigan State. You rewind back to last weekend

Last weekend, it was all about style points for both squads. You wanted to see MSU look competent against Notre Dame

I'd say job well done. Michigan, it was all about blowing out UTEP

I'll say job done. I don't know if I can say it was done well, but you look at the first half, it was an ugly first half

The second half, that was the Michigan football team we have been dying to see all season long

They ended up getting the win in blowout fashion, but the first half was not pretty

Now this weekend is a totally different narrative for both teams. When it comes to Michigan State, when it comes to Michigan, the objective is simple

Win your games. MSU against Nebraska. Michigan has got Iowa. A couple of respectable challenges for both teams

MSU and Nebraska, a little bit of a pick-em. If Michigan State can win that game in any capacity, doesn't need to be pretty

It can be ugly. Doesn't matter to me whatsoever. However, if when it's all said and done, Michigan State gets the win over Nebraska, job well done

That's all MSU has to do, and I'll actually be impressed. I'll give kudos to Sparty if they can get that win against Nebraska

As for Michigan, same objective. You have to win the game. I don't give a monkey scrotum if it's pretty or not

You don't need to dominate them. You don't need to completely annihilate them

You can squeak by like you did against Oklahoma. Iowa's a solid team

They are a ranked team They are right by you in the standings If Michigan can get this win if they can do so in dominance I be thrilled But if they can get this win in any capacity I think that gives this Wolverines team an absolute jolt I think that a confidence boost for our quarterback Bryce Underwood

We saw Carr get some play in time. I know fans love seeing that against UTEP

He looks pretty solid in that role. But Michigan this weekend has to win

If they can win against ranked Iowa, that is two wins against two ranked opponents

If you can start off your season 4-0 with a couple of ranked victories

then I think the nation can really start to look at Michigan as a potential threat to win the Big Ten

and a potential threat to actually make it into the expanded college football playoffs

That's my take when it comes to our college football teams. I do want to talk about our professional team though because it's a chance for some redemption for the Lions

They are going to be taking on a former Lion in Aaron Glenn

It is Lions and Jets this Sunday, and I don't know what we have when it comes to the New York Jets

Much like the rest of this league, it is very hard to gauge what teams are really good and what teams are really bad

I'll tell you one team that I can gauge is really bad. I'll go on far record in saying the Packers are a bad team

That bodes well for us in the division. You look at the Packers, they completely collapsed when they played Minnesota Week 1

You look at Week 2, the team that we're playing this weekend, the Jets, took the Packers to overtime

Is that because the Jets are good? Is it because the Packers are bad

Well, we kind of got a little bit of an answer yesterday because the Packers looked horrid

They looked terrible. They looked like the contents of a baby diaper when they played the Falcons on Thursday Night Football

Falcons 0-2 on the year. Yes, they got their quarterback in pennics

Yes, B. John Robinson's a beast. But the Falcons aren't a good team, and they made the Packers look like chumps

So if the Jets made it competitive against the Packers, I can't tell you whether the Jets are great or not

I going to lean more towards it the Packers that are back Meanwhile though the Lions again just like our college teams I don care if it pretty It be nice if it was a convincing double lead

It'd be nice if they looked really strong against the Jets. They squeaked by with their win in overtime against the Saints

But as long as they start off their season 2-1, that's all I can ask of this team

Go out there on Sunday. Win your game. Improve to 2-1. Many of us have this team going 4-1 to start the year through 5

That one loss coming against Buffalo, that's exactly where we're at right now in week three

I have us now going 5-1 to start the year because the Packers, that's that sixth game of the season

I can't see the Lions losing that game. But let's get this job done against our former D.C

Let's beat Aaron Glenn. Let's beat the Jets. Let's get back to a winning record

And Lions, let's gear away because I think we can take the Packers out of the conversation to winning the North

Right now it's between Lions, Bears, and surprisingly, the leading Vikings. And one more team I do want to talk about

I want to talk about these Tigers because lots of news stories being broken throughout this past week when it comes to this team

But not really with the product we're seeing on the field. More so our end when it comes to the media and the Detroit Tigers

We've got all the articles posted on both of these stories. First, I want to talk about one of my former co-workers, Mike Valeni, making headlines

saying he wants to see Justin Verlander in his final start as a Tiger

in his final start as a Major League Baseball pitcher, he wants to see Verlander completely collapse

Throw out one inning of ball, give up 11 runs, be humiliated

That's Mike's point of view. I used to work with the guy. I have nothing but respect for him

I think he's the most talented guy in the biz. I have nothing but positive things to say on him on a professional and personal level

You may disagree with his stances. A lot of people have when it comes to his stance on Justin Verlander

So if Belletti doesn't want to see a feel-good moment for JV to end his career at Comerica Park

close the door on the Comerica Park era for Tigers history a chapter that he played a very big role in that fine That his prerogative I think most of us Tiger fans want to see JV end his career on a high note If he does

wonderful. If not, oh well. We still have nothing but love for JV. If you're offended or rubbed

wrong about Valenny's opinions, that's on you. I'm sorry. Nothing but respect for the dude. You can

dislike his stances, but he's a talented guy. Meanwhile, also within the Tigers media, Tigers

broadcaster, somebody else I've worked with, Dan Dickerson, also Jason Benetti, not as much of a

working relationship on the TV side, but both of those guys will remain with the Tigers organization

providing their voices and their talents, calling the games moving forward. I'm fine with it. I think

both guys do a fantastic job. Dan Dickerson, many regard him as one of the best play-by-play

callers in the sport of baseball, in sports in general. We are very fortunate to have him here

in Detroit. I think Jason Benetti does a wonderful job too. Personal gripe with him on this season

though, and it's not necessarily towards him, but I can't watch him call games. I can't listen to

him call games for this season because I look back to last weekend when we were playing the

White Sox. He was trying to make it seem like the Tigers were actually in a playoff chase

I get that's not him, but I can't hear this Tigers broadcast team try and spin this 2026

season like a positive, it was a complete failure. It was disgusting. It was horrible. It wasn't fun

Right from the get-go, it was a letdown of a year. So it doesn't fall on Benetti. It doesn't fall on

Dickerson, but hearing our broadcasters try and turn this season into a narrative, I get it. I get

that it's their job to be positive. It doesn't fall on them personally. I just can't hear it because

boy, it grinds my gears. This Tiger season should not have unfolded the way it did. Those are my

thoughts I want to hear from you, so drop them in the comments. As always, we encourage you to like

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to get you all the Detroit sports news that you need to know. So for Detroit Sports Nation

I'm Dustin Fiocco, and this has been your Daily Rundown