!snoiL oG- The Lions Blog

Lions Season Ends With Loss to Saints 45-28

2012-01-07T23:28:00.001-05:00

We had a lot of momentum going in to halftime, but the Saints came out in the second half and were impossible to stop.

We had trouble tackling all night long, which I feel is the main reason for the result. Too many times it looked like we had one of those slippery running backs stopped in the backfield, and too many times they bounced off for an extra few yards.

We did well to stop the deep threat in the first half, but Brees showed that the Saints have too many weapons to just focus on one threat. When we tried to stop the underneath plays and the running game, they came out and beat us deep.

It's hard to win a game when the other team keeps their offense on the field. The Saints never punted. They only missed three third downs, but followed each one up with a fourth down conversion. None of them were really blowouts either. We were always half a second late to a stop before they made the first down.

Despite the positive first half outcome, we failed to take advantage of the two fumble recoveries. Scores off those turnovers would have been big momentum swings.

We also dropped three sure interceptions. Aaron Berry had a pick in the second quarter go through his hands, plus another one in the fourth. Eric Wright had one go through his hands as well.

The offense played well while the game was close. I think Stafford's playoff debut is nothing to be ashamed of. His first interception was costly, and a result of him trying to force a deep ball to Titus Young. He was quite accurate throughout the game. I'll take 28 for 43, 380 yards, and three touchdowns any day of the week.

Calvin Johnson was simply unstoppable. His 211 yards receiving was an NFL record for a receiver making his postseason debut.

The defense was clearly the problem tonight. If we could have gotten a couple stops in the second half than this would have been a very different game. The past couple weeks have caused me to reevaluate my offseason plan for this team, but more on that in the third part of the season review.

Overall, as Lions fans, we have no reason to be sad after tonight's game. We won 10 games for the first time in forever, we made the playoffs for the first time in 12 years, and we gave a really good team a great fight for most of the playoff game. A couple more pieces are all this team needs to join the ranks of the NFL's elite. Let's just say I am looking forward to the 2012 season.

Wild Card Preview: Lions at Saints

2012-01-06T20:12:00.002-05:00

For the first time in the history of this blog, I am writing a seventeenth preview of the season. That's right the playoffs are back and we couldn't be more excited.

Or pessimistic, it seems.

There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of people giving the Lions a chance at this game. Whether it's the media, fans, the opposition, or even Jim Harbaugh, we are solid underdogs heading into our first postseason game since 1999.

But despite the seemingly long odds, nothing about tomorrow night's game makes it impossible to come away with a victory. For evidence, let's look back to the regular season clash at the Superdome. We lost by 14 points, but it was only a seven point deficit heading into the fourth quarter. We were without two of our top defensive players, Louis Delmas and Ndamukong Suh, both of whom are playing tomorrow. Chris Houston also missed that game and he is 100% and ready to go. We hope to have Nick Fairley and Kevin Smith for the entire game, too.

Aside from the rampant injury plague we came down with before that prime time clash, we played easily our dumbest game of the season.

So, with the entire defense alive and with a steadier head about us we should be able to compete this time around.

Our success will mostly depend on our defensive line. If they can harass Drew Brees enough to disrupt his timing, maybe even get a few sacks, our weak secondary's job becomes a lot easier. If Gunther Cunningham learned from the last game in the Big Easy, he will know that sending a blitz on Brees is a bad idea. He will simply pick it up and dump a pass off to Jimmy Graham, or whoever, in the vacated area for a big gain.

If the front four can pressure the passer on their own, it allows more resources to cover the Saints many receiving threats. Leaving seven guys to cover four or five receivers could cause Brees to come off from his first read, giving the line an extra quarter of a second to penetrate the pocket, possibly causing him to scramble or even get sacked.

Our offense simply needs to pick up where it left off. Remember, the Lions have a 5,000 yard passer of their own. Had it not been for the likes of Brees and Brady also hitting that barrier, we would be talking about Stafford having one of the greatest seasons in NFL history.

The Saints will do everything in their power to limit Calvin Johnson's impact tomorrow. We need to get Calvin involved anyway. It's possible that there is no pair, or trio, of defensive backs that can truly cover our all-pro receiver, so throw him the ball anyway. If New Orleans does stack their coverage on Calvin, remind them that we also have Nate Burleson, Titus Young, Brandon Pettigrew, and Tony Scheffler on the field.

I don't expect to see Stafford throw for 500 yards and five scores tomorrow, but I do think we will see one of his better games. He simply needs to be efficient with his throws and not turn the ball over.

Speaking of that, here are three keys to the game.

Don't blitz. I covered this above, but in the first game against the Saints, their biggest plays came from us sending too much of our defense into the backfield. The same went for last week against Green Bay. We have to keep the blitzing to obvious run situations and give the secondary as many resources as they need to slow down this super fast passing attack.
Win the turnover battle. One turnover can force the entire game to change tomorrow night. If the Lions are the one causing New Orleans to turn it over it can go a long way. We also have to protect the ball.
Play our game. We don't need to bother setting up any kind of running attack, we only need to do enough to let the Saints know that it's there. We are a passing team with a quarterback having an amazing season. So, please, throw early and throw often.

This is the first time in NFL history that two 5,000 yard passers will be on the same field, so there should be plenty of offensive fireworks to attract the casual fan. It will probably be a race to 35, or even 40, points. Those are numbers that we are capable of putting up for ourselves and allowing to our opponents. We just need to get there faster than they do.

So, here it is, the biggest game of our Lions' fandom so far. Win or lose, our season will be considered a success, perhaps ahead of our planned rebuilding schedule. But, you know what, it's so much more fun to win. So let's go out and take this one so we can book a trip back to the Frozen Tundra to do it all again.

Ugly Defensive Showing Costs Lions in 45-41 Loss

2012-01-01T17:01:00.000-05:00

The defense was never pretty today and that is what cost us a win today. You can blame the refs for terrible calls, but in the end it was the fact that we could not stop Matt Flynn and the Green Bay offense. I mean, any time you set a record for the most combined passing yards in NFL history, it is more than just good offense.

Today was also proof that Green Bay is more than just Aaron Rodgers. He is a product of a great offensive system and a great supporting cast. Matt Flynn's success shows that you could take a superstar like Rodgers, put him on the Cleveland Browns, and he would probably play terribly.

So, I doubt the outcome would have been any different had Aaron Rodgers and his crew been in the game. Sure, Flynn isn't what anyone would call a good quarterback, but I don't think the passing numbers can get any more inflated than they did today. Flynn didn't do anything special, the Lions gave him everything he took. Aaron Rodgers would have thrown for six touchdowns today, probably no more.

Take away his interception and Alfonso Smith had a terrible game. I don't know whether his cleats were too short or if he just wasn't right in the head today, but he got burned all day long. Amari Spievey also had a poor showing. He bit hard on a route fake by Donald Jones on Green Bay's final scoring drive that really killed us.

Tactically, Gunther Cunnigham really needs to stop blitzing. Every time we send more than five people any quarterback simply throws to the vacated space of the field. Drew Brees ripped us apart with that in our meeting earlier this year and he will do it again if we let him. Today, we got better pressure on Flynn with just the defensive line rushing.

The offense, however, was fantastic. Stafford had a great game, except for his final pass. Calvin Johnson continued to exceed our expectations of him. Tony Scheffler made plenty of huge catches. Brandon Pettigrew showed how good his hands can be. Kevin Smith, while nothing special running the ball, was a great force as a receiver out of the backfield.

New Orleans doesn't have as many holes in their defense that Green Bay had today, but we can still light up the scoreboard against them.

After today, we know where the hole in this team is. We need to fix this defense in a hurry. if we are going to have a chance at the Saints. That means a great deal less blitzing than we did today and a lot more responsible coverage. I hope today was a wake up call for what we need to change in order to win our first playoff game since 1991.

It is comforting to know that this isn't the last Lions game of the season. My season recap will wait a week, hopefully more.

Week Seventeen Preview: Lions at Packers

2012-01-01T12:13:00.001-05:00

The last game of the season is mostly meaningless, but it still can have a large effect on how the Lions do in the playoffs. A win means we face the eventual NFC East champions as opposed to the red hot New Orleans Saints in the Wild Card round. I think we can march in to Dallas or New York and come away with a win, while a trip to Bourbon Street would be a difficult afternoon.

Green Bay has literally nothing to play for and seems to be mailing it in. They are sitting Aaron Rodgers, Greg Jennings, James Starks, Randall Cobb, Clay Mathews, and Charles Woodson. Basically anyone who matters to Green Bay is going to watch from the sidelines in warm street clothes.The highest scoring offense in the league will be a little out of whack, and the second worst passing defense will be losing two of their best players.

With the likes of Matt Flynn playing, the Lions stand a good chance today, and Vegas agrees. I am seeing that the Lions are favored by 6 1/2 points.

Indeed, the biggest thing working against us this afternoon could be the weather. It is 31 degrees in Green Bay with winds gusting to 45 mph. That isn't conducive to our high passing attack. The run game might have to make an appearance today, for better or worse.

Here are three keys to winning this game:

Keep the passes short. I know we probably won't run the ball well, or very often. The pass will be difficult to execute due to the harsh winds, so keep things short and high percentage.
Pressure Matt Flynn. Flynn is no Aaron Rodgers and he is plenty prone to making mistakes. If we sent our defensive line at him aggressively, we can not only get a few sacks, but force plenty of errant throws.
Don't get hurt. It may seem difficult to list this as a key to the game, but we don't need Stafford, Johnson, or anyone else getting injured for the playoffs. Everyone will start the game, but if things start getting out of hand, one way or the other, we should sit the stars to keep them healthy for next weekend.

Not much riding on the game, but we seem to have a great shot at our first win in Green Bay since 1991. I don't care if it is against the Packers' B-Squad, a win in Green Bay is still a win in Green Bay, and it won't come easy.

Manning Over Stafford in the Pro Bowl Makes Me Sick

2011-12-27T20:18:00.001-05:00

And here I was thinking that we were watching our first Pro Bowl quarterback since Greg Landry.

I know the Pro Bowl is the most pointless of all major all-star contests, but it is still an honorable recognition worthy to be proud of. Matthew Stafford had a Pro Bowl caliber season and he got robbed by Eli Manning.

Eli Manning, the often ridiculed quarterback of the average New York Giants football team. A team that will only make the playoffs because they play in a division with equally hapless opponents.

Let's compare Stafford and Eli head to head.

	G	GS	Comp	Att	Pct	Yds	Avg	TD	Int	Sck	SckY	Rate	Att	Yds	Avg	TD	FUM	Lost
Matthew Stafford	15	15	385	604	63.7	4518	7.5	36	14	34	239	96.6	22	78	3.5	0	5	1
Eli Manning	15	15	335	556	60.3	4587	8.3	26	16	26	184	90.3	29	1	0	1	8	4

Stafford has a higher completion percentage, more touchdowns, fewer interceptions, fewer fumbles, and a higher quarterback rating. Sure, Manning has more yards, but take away a 99 yard touchdown, one that was mostly caused by the Jets inability to tackle, and Stafford has him beat. Stafford has even shown the ability to use his legs in a pinch, look at that 3.5 yards per carry.

Stafford plays for a ten win team that will finish second in the toughest division in the NFL. Stafford has led a 98 yard game winning touchdown drive, and three other double digit comebacks. Manning has probably blown as many games as Stafford has helped save.

Other than the three game stretch where he played with a broken finger, he has been a superstar quarterback. Time and time again Magic Matt #9 has taken a beating, gotten back up, and led his team into the end zone.

To make thing worse, the only Lion in the game will be Calvin Johnson. Yeah, the guy is the best receiver in the NFL so he deserves it. I'm sure Ndamukong Suh missed out due to dirty reputaion, but what about Cliff Avril? The guy has had a career year for us. He has a career high 11 sacks (7th in the NFC), six forced fumbles (tied for most in the NFL), and one of the most amazing looking pick sixes I've ever seen.

I'm sure it all comes down to Eli plays in glamorous New York and Stafford plays in dirty Detroit. The Pro Bowl is a popularity contest after all. I know that Stafford's day will come where he gets honored for his talents, but this year he got robbed by an inferior quarterback in 2011.

Hey, maybe we will get a chance to prove that Stafford is the better in the Wild Card round. If both the Lions and Giants win next week they are set for a date in the playoffs.

Lions Roll Into Playoffs with 38-10 Win Over Chargers

2011-12-24T20:31:00.000-05:00

Three years ago it was 0-16, and now we're in the playoffs. The Lions are back to relevancy for the first time in twelve years.

On a day where the Lions could clinch a playoff birth we perhaps played our best game of the season. How about some of these numbers:

The Lions were 9 for 13 on third down for an unheard of 69% success rate.
We only had three penalties for eight yards. I don't need to say any more.
We didn't punt in the first half and only punted three times overall.
We scored on five of our first six possessions.

Indeed, those are totals we have rarely seen from our football team.

Things started to look shaky in the third quarter when San Diego climbed on the scoreboard and followed up with an onside sneak. For once, Norv Turner made a smart coaching decision with that call. The Lions defense, however, held strong and held the Chargers to only a field goal.

The Lions showed their aggressiveness right from the start. The deep ball to Calvin Johnson showed that we were not messing around in this one. That led to an opening drive touchdown and we never looked back.

Stafford easily had his best game of the season. Sure, he has thrown for more yards and more touchdowns before, but he was surgical with his passing precision. He was 29 for 36 (80% completion percentage), 373 yards, and three touchdowns. He was quite literally flawless.

Brandon Pettigrew stepped it up in a big way after a poor showing in Oakland. He had a career day with nine catches and a touchdown. Calvin Johnson was stellar as ever, crossing the 100 yard barrier for the 20th time in his career. His touchdown catch almost looked too easy to be true.

The run game was modestly successful and helped us salt the game away in the waning moments.

Overall, this is the best Lions Christmas present we could have asked for.

Kind of a short post today, but it's Christmas Eve. It is time to spend with family and friends, not analyzing football. So, Merry Christmas, from !snoiL oG- The Lions Blog.

Week Sixteen Preview: Chargers at Lions

2011-12-23T17:28:00.000-05:00

This is the biggest game in the last twelve years. Sure, it isn't technically a do or die scenario, but if we win, we find ourselves in the playoffs for the first time in recent memory and we win our tenth game for the first time since 1993.

San Diego will not make this feat easy.

The Chargers are another team with an electric offense. They are lead by the esteemed Phillip Rivers at quarterback. Although he is having a sub par season by his standards, he is on a bit of a hot streak. He has back to back games with three touchdowns and he hasn't thrown an interception since the November 20 game against the Bears. Some may say, however, that he is due for a let down this week.

His number one target is Vincent Jackson, who expects to play despite a sore groin. He is a 1,000 yard plus receiver who has eight touchdowns on the year. The league's sixth best passing offense also finds a threat from Antonio Gates. He has long been one of the strongest pass catching tight ends out there. He is right behind Jackson as far as Rivers's favorite targets are concerned.

Our banged up secondary will once again be tested. We will likely be without Louis Delmas and Aaron Berry again, so that will hurt. However, Amari Spievey, Chris Houston, and Chris Harris are all listed as probable, so it could be worse. I think we can contain Rivers as long as we don't have to throw John Wendling or Rasheed Davis into the secondary again.

This team can also run the football, which doesn't look good for us. They have a nice speed-power combo brewing with Ryan Matthews and Mike Tolbert. Matthews is the little speed guy who racks up the yards. He has crossed the 1,000 yard threshold this season. Tolbert, however, is the bigger ground and pound guy who racks of touchdowns in short yardage situations.

We could have Nick Fairley and Corey Williams back for this one, so that should shore up the run defense a little bit, but I am not expecting it to be extremely sharp. We need to keep those guys human at worst if we are to win the battle when San Diego has the ball.

Our offense is going up against a strong pass coverage unit. Free safety Eric Weddle is having a career year with seven interceptions. He will likely be the man over the top of Calvin Johnson, keeping him from going deep. Magic Matt #9 is going to have to find success in short passes to guys like Nate Burleson and Titus Young. Our tight ends might even need to get into the mix. The number one priority in the passing game is for the receivers to hang onto the ball. Eight, nine, or ten drops will destroy our offense, as well as Stafford's fantasy numbers.

Our variety at receiver could be our greatest strength. Teams will try and take Calvin away, but we need to show that the other guys can do just as well.

As I said in last week's reap, I am giving up hope on our ground game. We should try it every now and then, especially with a lead. But if it isn't going anywhere then let's not waste time and downs with it. Let the air attack take us forward.

The three keys to the game are as follows:

We need to play our game and not allow San Diego to dictate our play. We need to use our air superiority and not force any kind of running game to come out if it isn't going anywhere.
We need to make Phillip Rivers look ordinary. The guy can make plays if we allow him to, so we need solid, but not overdone, pressure in the pocket to keep him from having it easy.
Finally, we can't let Matthews as Tolbert run wild. If San Diego finds themselves ahead, they will use these two to salt the game away. If we can keep their impact to a minimum, we can climb back from any deficit with our quick scoring offense.

The final intangible in this game will be the crowd. These fans have waited a long freakin' time to see their team make the playoffs. So expect Ford Field to be bananas, much like the Monday Night game against Chicago. The fan base seems very confident that their team will find a win tomorrow. Many seem to think that the best Christmas present the Lions have given them in a long time is right around the corner.

Johnson and Stafford Lead Miracle Comeback Win

2011-12-18T22:55:00.004-05:00

The defense struggled to get stops. The offense never seemed to be able to move. Even the punting game was struggling. But, in the end, it was Stafford to Johnson for the win.

I thought of a scene from The Blues Brothers, for some reason. Similar to Jake and Elwood, we were 98 yards from the end zone, down by six points, and we only had two minutes. Stafford looked at his offense and said, "Hit it." And hit it they did. The magic was in Calvin Johnson's 48 yard catch and in his game winning six yard touchdown. It was quite nerve racking, but it was a ton of fun at the same time.

The real play of the game came on the Raiders final attempt at victory. Cliff Avril's sack of Carson Palmer was the most important play. Not only did it set the Raiders back a few yards, but it forced them to use their final timeout prematurely, giving them very little time to set up a field goal. On the last scrimmage play, I told the people I watched with that anything under ten yards is okay to give up. Yet, when they only got six, I still half expected Janikowski to hit from 65 yards. Thankfully, Ndamukong Suh ended my fears.

Despite the story book ending, we are still going to look at this game and see the Lions' many flaws. We had a ton of trouble stopping the Raiders' run game. 132 yards rushing is way more than we ever want to give up. I thought that our coverage was way too soft all game. We routinely played our corners seven yards off the line of scrimmage and we routinely got burned by receivers sitting in soft zones. Carson Palmer proved on several occasions that he was unable to hit a wide open receiver deep, including with only 2:27 remaining on a play that would have won the game.

The offense also sputtered for much of the game. I am officially declaring the run game dead for the season. We only had 57 yards rushing against one of the worst rush defenses in the league. I no longer have faith in us to run against anyone, so I will stop hoping that we manage to break out with a huge rushing performance.

The other major issue was the eight dropped passes. Stafford laid many great passes into his receivers' hands only to see them flop to the ground. Stafford was 29 for 52 on the game, which is only 55%. If his pass catchers didn't have eight drops, he jumps to 71%. A much prettier number indeed.

I hope nobody ever question's Stafford's toughness ever again. The guy has taken a beating nearly every game this year and he has always managed to get right back up and stay in the game. He has lead this team to come back victories more than any Lions quarterback I can remember, and he is only in his third season. Today's 98 yard winning drive confirms that Magic Matt Number Nine has what it takes to lead my team any day.

To sum everything up, we have out first nine win season since 2000 and we are on the doorstep of our first playoff birth since 1999. A win next week clinches a playoff spot and our first 10 win campaign since the 1993 division championship. This season has been a success, regardless of how it finishes. We still have a ways to go, bu we have come a long way since 0-16. Now, let's go out on Christmas Eve and clinch ourselves a spot in the postseason party.

Week Fifteen Preview: Lions at Raiders

2011-12-17T17:11:00.000-05:00

The story of this game has been if we win, we're in the playoffs. While a victory certainly doesn't clinch a spot in the postseason, it really does give us the inside track.

Now, what do we have to be mindful of in order to come out on top against the Silver and Black?

The Raiders' most valuable offensive weapon is their ground game. They may be without superstar Darren McFadden, but the sixth ranked rushing attack in the league still has a man named Michael Bush. Bush is averaging 3.9 yards per carry with seven touchdowns on the ground. One key to the game will be containing him and/or making sure the Raiders aren't in a position where running can win them the game.

Oakland's passing attack is less stable. The picked up Carson Palmer midway through the season and he has been decidedly average since signing on. In his seven starts he averages only 247.4 yards per game. That may seem like a lot, but in today's pass oriented league it is right around the mean. He has nine touchdowns to 13 interceptions, clearly not a ratio you want to see from your starting quarterback.

Palmer has been without two of his main weapons in Jacoby Ford and Demarius Moore. Both have been sidelined with foot injuries, making throwing the ball difficult for Oakland. Darrius Heyward-Bey has been picking up the slack. He is their leading pass catcher with 43 catches and 620 yards.

Moore should be returning for this game, however.

The Lions have returning defensive weapons of their own. Ndamukong Suh is the first name that comes to mind. His presence will play a vital role in slowing down Oakland's rush first offense. Should Nick Fairley play, the defense becomes even more solid. Chris Houston figures to return to the secondary for the first time since Thanksgiving. This will make us more able to stop any type of passing attack that Oakland can construct. Louis Delmas, on the other hand, did not travel with the team and will sit out at least another week.

As for our offense, this is a game where the ground game can see some light. Kevin Smith was practicing and expects to start tomorrow afternoon. Couple that with the fact that Oakland is ranked 29th in the league against the run and they are mired in a bit of a slump. They have allowed 517 yards on the ground in the last three games. All of this means that it isn't a stretch to expect one of our better ground performances of the year.

Oakland's average secondary also provides a good chance for Matthew Stafford to have a solid game. He doesn't have to be amazing, just capable, in order for us to win this game. Either way, expect us to put some points on the board. Oakland has given up 30 or more points five times this season and has found themselves in a 34-0 hole in each of the last two weeks.

Here are three keys to tomorrow's game.

First, we need to score early. Oakland's uncanny ability to allow points of late could allow us to gain an important early lead. Plus, the Raiders probably won't be trotting out a running quarterback should Carson Palmer fail, so we should be able to hold on to a lead.
Second, should we get ahead, we need to run the ball on first down. Oakland's rush defense is terrible and our number two running back is returning. We can't fear the running game if we are to hold on to a lead.
Finally, we need to contain Michael Bush and/or make him a non factor. We can either stop him, or get on top of Oakland quickly and force Carson Palmer to throw the ball. Bush is their best weapon, but he can't help when his team is behind by a couple scores late in the game.

Much like last week, this game is make or break for our season. If we win, we are on the inside track for the playoffs by finishing 9-7 at worst. If we lost, we have to face a San Diego team that is capable of taking us down in order to secure that winning record. Oh, and, nobody expects us to march into Lambeau and come out with a win in the final week of the season. 10-6 is clearly within sight, but we need to be careful. 8-8 won't be good enough to get us in, but 9-7 just might.

Ndamukong Suh Fails During Weekly Interview on 97.1

2011-12-14T19:13:00.002-05:00

Ndamukong Suh talks with 97.1 The Ticket's Valenti and Foster every Wednesday during the 5 o'clock hour. This was the first time he has appeared on the show since the Thanksgiving Day stomping incident and the interview didn't exactly go well for number 90.

The hosts asked the questions that needed to be asked. They, and the fans, wanted to know Suh's reaction to the suspension, whether he was going to be able to control his on-field actions, and what happened with the car accident he got into during his suspension.

Suh, on the other hand, had no desire to answer any of those questions. In fact, answered all of them pretty much the same way. Each response was your typical spin doctored public relations crap that tells the listener absolutely nothing. The only thing he managed to make clear during this interview was that he wanted to move on from the stomp and the accident. No apology, no sense that he learned anything, no nothing.

It was rather frustrating to hear.

Hear the full interview here, and some audience reaction over at 97.1 The Ticket's podcast.

My favorite was when Suh was asked if he had spoken or apologized to his teammates. He responded with the whole "What I say to my teammates stays with my teammates" routine. Translation: "No."

Now, It's great that he wants to put this whole debacle behind him so he can get back to playing football. That's really what I would like him to do. But don't dodge questions during a planned weekly interview and respond with that bull crap. You should have known those questions were coming, if you didn't have the will power to answer them truthfully then cancel the appearance. Just don't answer questions with crap answers and then proceed to walk out on the interview.

If you ask me, all he needed to do to clear the air and allow Valenti and Foster to move on to the Oakland game was say that he made a mistake, he knows what he did was wrong, and that he is ready to move on and play smarter in the future. That would have made me happy.

Props to Valenti for asking hard hitting questions that many journalists wouldn't have the balls to ask. You knew what you and the fans wanted to know, great job following through.

Lions Hang On To Edge Vikings 34-28

2011-12-11T17:23:00.001-05:00

Well. This was as close as it gets to snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Our defense bent but didn't entirely break to finish the win.

However, there is a strong argument that the nail biting scenario should never have happened. Our defense was unable to adjust to the completely different skill set that Joe Webb brought to the table. We were unable to run the ball in the fourth quarter to put the game away. We were unable to finish a drive from the two yard line that could have put the game away.

After going up 21-0 after less than ten minutes, there was no reason to have a game come down to the wire.

Let's begin with the sighting of Joe Webb. Christian Ponder was nothing short of a nightmare. On his first two passing plays, he fumbled in the end zone and threw an interception. After the third interception, it was clear that Webb needed to come in for a change of pace. We failed to adjust to Webb's legs and allowed him to run 65 yards for a touchdown. Webb created several plays with his feet that sustained drives and even led to scores.

It wasn't until the final play that we were finally able to contain him. DeAndre Levy managed to hold on and make Webb fumble the ball. Obvious uncalled face mask aside, it was a clutch play at the most important time. The chance never would have even happened had it not been for outstanding coverage on the outside. Webb wanted to throw the fade, but Alphonso Smith had that covered, which forced the scramble.

Speaking of Smith, he had a fantastic game. He had two very athletic interceptions and several chances at a third. He was the clear player of the game.

Stafford had another solid game, He was 20 for 29 with 227 yards and a pair of scores. It wasn't anything spectacular, but was more than enough to get the job done.

It was the running game that caused the stall in the second half. Late in the game with a lead, a solid run game will end any hope of a comeback. If we were able to run the ball, the Vikings don't have a chance.

The talk of the game will be DeAndre Levy's very obvious face mask on Joe Webb on the final play. It was a failure of the officials that, for once, went in our favor. There is no way the play should have stood. But, as meaningless as it sounds, for all the bad calls against us, for all the unfortunate luck we have had, we finally have something extremely lucky for us. I certainly won't complain. I'll take the win and move on.

The win today helps our playoff chances immensely. We still need wins against Oakland and San Diego to truly have a chance.

Week Fourteen Preview: Vikings at Lions

2011-12-10T13:11:00.001-05:00

This is another one of those must win games against a bad football team. The Vikings are 2-10, they may be playing without their only star player, and they could also be playing with a third string also-ran quarterback. We really have no excuses for losing this week.

Christian Ponder, should he get the start, is a rookie and he will play like one. He has thrown eight interceptions to nine touchdowns and he has been sacked a whopping 21 times. His rookie play will be combined with his lingering hip injury that lists him as questionable for tomorrow. That is not a recipe for success if you're the Minnesota Vikings.

They might be better off throwing Joe Webb out there. In three starts, Webb hasn't thrown a touchdown and he has tossed three picks, but at least he is completely healthy. Last year, in the final game of the season, the Lions defeated Webb 20-13. He went 20 for 32 with 145 yards and one pick. Nothing spectacular, but that might be better than what Minnesota gets from Ponder.

The bigger issue for Minnesota will be the potential lack of Adrian Peterson. After suffering a high ankle sprain, he has missed the last two games and was limited in practice this week. He is clearly Minnesota's best player and would be the focal point of the offense. Even so, he is coming off an ankle injury. As Kevin Smith proved last week, those things are easy to aggravate for a running back. The Vikings might be better off resting him to limit the risk, however, without him, the Viking have no chance of winning.

The drop off from Peterson goes to former Stanford bruiser Toby Gerhart. Gerhart is a reminder of what Mike Alstott used to be in Tampa Bay. He is a straight downhill power runner who will run a few guys over. He is pretty much everything Adrian Peterson isn't.

As far as the Viking defense is concerned, they will allow some points. They are second to last in the league in points allowed with 27.5 points against per game. So we will have some chances to put some points on the board. They are also vulnerable to the passing attack, so this should be a good chance for Stafford to have another big game.

It goes without saying that we need to avoid costly unsportsmanlike penalties that destroyed our effort last week against the Saints. I just hope that we got all of that crap out of our system and we can focus on winning three of our last four and making the playoffs.

Our injuries are going to be a concern again this week. We will be without Louis Delmas and Chris Houston once again. Thankfully, Minnesota's lack of experience at quarterback should render this one moot. The bigger concern is the absence of Nick Fairley, who had a strong start against the Saints last week. We would love it if our defensive line could be at full strength against a running team like Minnesota, but that just isn't the case. Sammie Hill will have to step up in a big way.

Here are my three keys to the game.

Score early, score often. If we get on top early, Minnesota does not have the passing attack to get themselves back into the game. This is a team that relies on the running game to be successful, and that just doens't work once you get down by more than a couple scores. Once we get ahead, run the ball a lot. We don't want to get pass happy with a second half lead, that is how we came back against Minnesota in week three, and then Dallas the following game.
Put pressure on the kid quarterback, but be responsible in back. Gunther Cunningham played into Drew Brees's hand last week with third down blitzes. Webb or Ponder probably don't have the skill to take advantage of such opportunities. It is good to pressure a young passer, but we can't get too blitz happy and leave too many open areas in coverage.
Control your emotions. Minnesota will be trying to get the Lions to make a stupid decision after the whistle. They are going to give a few extra shoves after the play is over and we need to be cautious not to retaliate.

In the end, we need to win this game. A loss means we are really behind the eight ball in terms of the playoff race. A win won't be any sort of playoff guarantee, but it would be one step closer to some postseason play.

Sharing The Blame For The Lions' Problem With Team Discipline

2011-12-05T14:27:00.001-05:00

Discipline. It was the main thing that cost us a shot at winning last night's game. It has been the main focus of today's afternoon press conference, and it should be. Right now, it is the primary issue surrounding this team, and it needs to be fixed.

Discipline is something that many young people, and young football teams, struggle with. However, we expect these struggles to be resolved by the time we enter the professional world, both in working life and pro football.

The Lions clearly are not getting this message and it was clear right from week one. The opener against Tampa Bay seems like ancient history right now, but remember how, right before Tampa's final drive, Gosder Cherilus committed a post-play personal foul that cost some valuable field position and gave the Bucs thirty or so extra seconds to attempt a come back? That's right the issue has existed since day one, and it wasn't just with Ndamukong Suh.

The problem went to bed for a while and resurfaced just a week and a half ago, on Thanksgiving, and came to a culmination with last night's antics.

Now, who do we blame for our team's hotheadedness? And, significantly more important, how do we fix it?

The blame can mostly be placed on Suh, Cherilus, Titus Young, Brandon Pettigrew, Stefan Logan or anyone who has lost their temper during the game. They are the main offenders and should be able to control their actions throughout the course of a football game. After all, they are adults and need to act like them. However, they aren't the only ones involved.

Many people want to shift the blame to head coach Jim Schwartz. After all, he is the leader of the team. He has to be in control of his players. He should have installed a sense of team discipline at the beginning of the season, if not three years ago when he took the job over.

Some of the blame has to be thrown onto the captains, particularly the offensive ones as far as yesterday was concerned. Matthew Stafford had to feel helpless last night. He was out there having one of the better games of his career and his teammates were destroying his effort. Dominic Raiola was visibly angry at Titus Young after his extracurricular activity in the second quarter. More of that needs to be done if we want this team to get control of itself.

The solution, as a whole, is more difficult to find. The captains and the coach can yell, and scream, and punish all they want to, but coaches and captains aren't miracle workers. They cannot directly influence the actions of their guys. The coaching staff can only teach and advise their players on how they should behave on the field. The captains primarily lead by example. But lessons and demonstrations can only go so far. In the end, it is up to the players themselves to control their actions before, during, and after the play.

Teams are going to keep pushing our buttons in hopes that we implode. Green Bay did it, New Orleans did it, and you can bet Minnesota will egg us on next week. Our players, our captains, and our coaches need to collectively toughen up and take the high road with our opponents. There isn't one person to blame and there isn't a recipe for fixing this problem. The problem is entirely mental and we just need to strengthen our resolve so this problem doesn't persist.

Stupidity Leads to Lions Loss Against Saints

2011-12-04T23:31:00.001-05:00

This team played stupidly. We threw away opportunities with penalties. We failed to learn from our mistakes. We allowed a team to run all over us and push our buttons on the way to their victory.

First and foremost, this team clearly has a discipline problem. Three post-whistle penalties is clear evidence of that. This time it wasn't even the usual suspects. We don't usually see Titus Young, mild mannered Stefan Logan, and Brandon Pettigrew losing their cool. You would think that after last week's incident with Ndamukong Suh that this team would have been a little wiser after the play.

I'll elaborate on this with it's own post tomorrow afternoon, but I'll tease it by saying the blame isn't fully on The Schwartz, but he has a part in it.

Now, should the Lions have played with cooler heads and not committed dumb penalties, I still think we lose this game. New Orleans carved up our secondary when they had to. There were plenty of times that Drew Brees made marching down the field look much too easy. It was evident that we missed the likes of Chris Houston and Louis Delmas.

I think Gunther got a little over zealous with his blitz packages, particularly on third down. Every time we sent extra rushers the Saints threw to the vacated spot and picked up an easy first down. If we had stayed back in coverage Brees wouldn't have had as easy of a time finding a target and we may have had an extra stop or two.

Offensively, aside from Nate Burlesson's offensive pass interference calls, I really have nothing to complain about. Matthew Stafford's amazing effort will get mostly overlooked by the final score and the post-play penalties. People will look past the fact that he completed 70% of his passes for 408 yards.

We ran the ball well, too. We were averaging almost four yards per carry.

Speaking of those pass interference penalties, you think Nate would have learned that what he was doing was being perceived as a push off. All three of his interference calls were for the exact same thing. He approached a defender with his arms out and he extended them. He wasn't really getting a shove in on the defender, but at NFL speed, the official will see it as a push. You think he would have learned after a couple flags not to do that.

In the end it was a blocked field goal, a missed field goal, and a really stupid move by Titus Young that left ten points on the board. Those ten points could have made a huge difference in how this game played out.

In the end, it was stupid penalties and the failure to contain Drew Brees and the Saints' offense that cost is this game. Look back some time tomorrow for more on our lack of team discipline.

For now, this loss isn't damaging. Because the Bears, Falcons, and Giants all fell today, we are in a three way deadlock for two wild card spots. With the Bears in a free fall, we still have a legitimate chance at some post season football, as long as we take care of business in the next couple weeks.

Week Thirteen Preview: Lions at Saints

2011-12-03T20:08:00.001-05:00

This game is being met with a great deal of hopelessness amongst the Lions' faithful. Between the suspension of Ndamukong Suh, the loss of our top two defensive backs, and our recent form most of it is warranted. However, not all is lost, or will be lost, in this game. Believe it or not, we do have a chance to win.

The main concern is not the absence of Suh. The bigger issue is the lack of Louis Delmas and Chris Houston against the league's number one passing offense. Last week, Aaron Rodgers managed to tear us apart, and this week things don't really get better for us. Drew Brees is right up there with Rodgers as far as elite quarterbacks are concerned. Without our two best players in the secondary, he will prove to be quite a handful.

The Saints are also a threat on the ground. Mark Ingram and Pierre Thomas have each carried the ball more than 80 times and a responsible for 823 yards of rushing between the two of them. The Saints may beat you in the air, but they put you away on the ground. If we get behind early, like we did against Minnesota, Dallas, and Carolina, there is zero chance that we scratch and claw our way back into it.

The key to winning the game is going to be on offense. Much like Green Bay, New Orleans is nothing special on defense. They are 25th overall and 27th against the pass. This is the game for Stafford to get back on track, especially since he will not be wearing a glove for the first time in a month.

Again, we will win this game in the air, but we will have to finish New Orleans on the ground. Contrary to popular belief, our running game does not rely on Kevin Smith. Yes, he had an amazing game against the Panthers, and could very well play tomorrow, remember, we averaged more than six yards per attempt against Green Bay with Maurice Morris running the ball. The running game will find success in strong blocking from the offensive line, not a potentially explosive back.

We lose this game for sure if we turn the ball over the way we have over the past three games. If we give New Orleans chances they will certainly take advantage of them. Stafford cannot throw interceptions and we cannot fumble the football.

The other self-inflicted issue with us lately is stupid penalties. Whether it is a holding call that stalls a drive or a personal foul that negates a third down stop, we need to stop shooting ourselves and giving gifts to our opposition.

The three keys to the game are as follows:

Hold onto the football. We know we aren't going to stop the Saints with our defense, so we need to keep the ball out of their hands. This includes having long scoring drives, as well as not turning the ball over.
No stupid penalties. We can't kill drives with holding calls, and we can't give New Orleans free yards when they have the ball.
Play smart. Stafford can't force balls where he knows they won't fit. Scott Linehan needs to make smart calls, meaning no throwing deep on third and one. Most of all, we can't lose our cool after the whistle and commit unsportsmanlike penalties.

It sounds simple, but the Saints are a good football team. If we lose, it won't be a sign that the Lions are a bad team, but a sign that we still have work to do to play with the league's elite. We cannot go into this game seeing it as a must win situation. A loss will not be crushing, we still have three more winnable games ahead. However, a win will be beyond uplifting and I would be comfortable guaranteeing a playoff spot.

Ndamukong Suh Has Been Suspended for Two Games

2011-11-29T12:28:00.001-05:00

ProFootballTalk has the story and several other news outlets are confirming, but Suh has been suspended for two games by the league office.

This means, at the moment, that he will miss Sunday night against the Saints and the following week against Minnesota. However, Suh can appeal the suspension within the next three days. An appeal could allow Suh to take the field against New Orleans.

If he waits the full three days to file the appeal, I doubt the NFL will be able to set up a hearing in time to allow the suspension to take affect before Sunday. The appeal process can take up to ten days to complete, according to the PFT story.

Now, Suh deserves the two game suspension. He deserves every bit of it. But, I want him to appeal despite his lack of defense. I would rather have him out there for a huge game against the Saints and have him sit for a winnable road contest in Oakland instead of the other way around. The guy has no defense for his actions and will sit out two games, but this could help out the team.

My Thoughts Ndamukong Suh's Dirty Play

2011-11-25T18:34:00.001-05:00

I am normally one of Ndamukong Suh's biggest defenders. This time, as I said in yesterday's recap, he has gone too far. I can handle a roughing the passer penalty or an aggressive tackle that gets called a "non-football act," but when he literally kicks a man when he is down he has crossed the line.

I understand frustration. I understand the adrenaline rush that comes with heated competition. I can even understand that Green Bay, and other teams, try to push Suh's buttons hoping they get the reaction that they got yesterday. Regardless, Suh needs to control himself. He can't go around pounding a guy's face into the turf kicking them after the play.

Suh will get fined. Suh will get suspended. Suh certainly deserves both of those. The only real question is how long and how much. I expect the fine to be the $25,000 maximum allowed by the current CBA and I expect the suspension to be for no more than two games, starting with Sunday against the Saints. I am hoping for only one, but that is being optimistic.

This leaves no room for debate in the "Is Suh a dirty player?" discussion. I have no problem with the label as a whole, at least until it starts costing us games. While yesterday's game was hardly over when the infraction took place, it was the beginning to a steep downward tumble. Suh needs to understand that his actions affect the team, not just him and his victim. The Lions, also need to not let Suh's over aggression destroy them the way it did. We were still in the game down 14-0, but we seemed way to emotionally drained to truly sand a chance.

Although both extremes aren't exactly good, I would certainly rather have a player who is considered "dirty" than a player that is labeled as a softy. Suh, while pretty messed up at the moment, is still a massive threat to any offense's production. He just has to keep the frenzy between the snap and the whistle.

The real concern here is that we will likely have to play a game or two without our boy named Suh. We have plenty of depth on the line to cover for him, so I am hoping we will be alright. The real concern is in our beat up secondary. Louis Delmas is out for a few weeks, Chris Houston hurt his knee, Band randon McDonald also got hurt. We really don't want to use Rasheed Davis as an emergency corner again, but more on that in the days leading up to the Saints game.

Then there is the issue of his delusional apology. He says he saw the tape and he still thinks he did nothing wrong, or at least that's what he is saying. Okay, it's one thing to defend yourself, but it is another to deny that which is blatantly obvious. It was clear as day that Suh was in the wrong here and it would be nice for him to have actually owned up to it.

A little bit was made out of his apology to his team and "true fans" after the game. Some people were quite offended at his use of the term "true fans." Some acted as if there are people who are wholly devoted to Suh and there are others who are just on his side when things are rosy. I don't read as much into it as others do. I am someone who has used the wrong words many times when put on the spot, I can't realistically think that Suh is trying to put himself on a pedestal and alienating much of his, and the Lions', fanbase.

However, this whole situation has brought up a pretty big identity crisis for me. I have called Suh one of my favorite players. He is listed as one of my favorite athletes on Facebook. And yet, I have lived through seeing players like Albert Haynesworth and James Harrison earn the dirty label and I have had many a discussion about how I don't like their play. Now, here I am, seeing a star player on my own team get hated by the league for all the wrong reasons. I don't want to stop supporting Suh, and I certainly won't, but it feels a little off trying to defend a guy who is channeling players that I have spoke out against.

Regardless of what ultimately comes of this fiasco, Suh and the Lions both need to learn from it. We can't become a consistently winning football team with this hanging over us. The sooner he can serve his time, learn his lesson, and move along, the sooner the Lions can get back to focusing on becoming a playoff caliber team.

UPDATE: Ndamukong Suh has issued an apology to fans on his Facebook page:

In the past few hours, I have had time to reflect on yesterday’s game and I want to sincerely apologize for letting my teammates down, the organization, and especially to my fans who look to me for positive inspiration.

Playing professional sports is not a game. It is a profession with great responsibility, and where performance on and off the field should never be compromised. It requires a calm and determined demeanor, which cannot be derailed by the game, referee calls, fans or other players.

I want to reiterate my commitment to working to become a better player, and professional—on and off the field. My reaction on Thursday was unacceptable. I made a mistake, and have learned from it. I hope to direct the focus back to the task at hand — by winning.

Certainly more sincere than his poorly worded speech from yesterday. Still reeks of PR speak, though. It won't have an effect on his punishment, but, let's hope he means it nonetheless.

Turnovers Kill Lions as They Fall to Green Bay 27-15

2011-11-24T16:52:00.001-05:00

Okay, let's not panic and claim that this was a result of the "Same Old Lions." Believe it or not, I kind of expected to lose this game. Green Bay is, by leaps and bounds, the best team in the NFL. We are not on the same level as them, and we will not be on the same level as them this year. This team is two scores better than any team in the league right now, and I am starting to expect them to go undefeated.

Now that we have that out of the way, we can criticize how we went about losing this game.

Let's start with turnovers. Green Bay had 17 points off three Lions' turnovers. Two of them were brainless decisions by Matthew Stafford. It looks like the game might be moving too quickly for him right now. The first pick was a tipped ball and cannot really be blamed on Stafford. The second was a bad decision. He threw the ball right into Rob Francois's path. He leaped quite high to get it, but Stafford should never have thrown the ball. The third was just a result of Stafford not properly accounting for Charles Woodson.

We also let penalties kill us on both sides of the ball. We had three offensive possessions that went into Green Bay territory in the first half. All three of them we halted by penalties. Then there were several defensive plays that kept the Packer offense on the field. Whether it was pass interference or illegal hands to the face, we blew opportunities to get off the field.

Then there was Suh's ejection. I'll dedicate an entire post to it tomorrow, but I'll sum it up by saying that Suh deserved to get tossed, and he will deserve any impending fine and/or suspension. More on that tomorrow evening.

The defense was completely deflated by the loss of their leader. However, we were still in the game when Green Bay found the end zone after the incident. We allowed it to go to our heads and things snowballed out of control.

No, the game wasn't over until Stafford's third interception.

Injuries certainly played a role, as well. The loss of Delmas early weakened our secondary. Same thing went for Chris Houston. Aaron Berry was certainly not up to the task of covering any of Green Bay's receivers. He got toasted all day long by Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, and Jermichael Finley. It wasn't pretty.

If there was one good performance in this game it came from the offensive line. They did a fantastic job of run blocking today, leading to an average of 6.5 yards per carry. Stafford was reasonably well protected throughout. He was sacked once and forced to scramble a couple times, but for the most part he had a lot of time to throw the ball.

In the end, we were overwhelmed by a great football team. I doubt that we beat this team even with our full compliment of defensive players. A little more brains would have helped, but probably wouldn't have done the trick.

All we can do is put it past us and move along to next week's prime time showdown in New Orleans. This team can still go 10-6 and find themselves playing some postseason football.

The Top Five Greatest and Most Memorable Thanksgiving Classics

2011-11-23T12:10:00.001-05:00

Thanksgiving in Detroit has been filled with Lions football since 1934. In that time, there have been many a great and memorable Turkey Day game. Here are five of the best we can remember.

5. November 26, 1976- Lions 27, Bills 14
The game wasn't really close, but the Bills had a rather unique game. O.J. Simpson set the single game rushing record at the time with 273 yards on the ground. He added a pair of touchdowns to his fantastic performance. The Lions pass defense was the tale of the game though. Bills quarterback Gary Marangi was a putrid 4 for 21 passing with 29 yards and one pick. Greg Landry threw two touchdowns for the Lions and Dexter Bussey added a third.

4. November 27, 2003- Lions 22, Packers 14

It has been eight years since we won on Thanksgiving and his was the last time. The great Dre Bly intercepted Brett Favre twice and Green Bay had five turnovers overall. Jason Hanson hit five field goals and Shawn Bryson had a rushing touchdown on the way to the Lions' fourth victory of the season.

3. November 25, 1982- Giants 13, Lions 6
In the strike shortened 1982 season, the Lions and Giants met on week four of the season. The Lions got two field goals from Eddie Murray in the first quarter, but the lead wouldn't hold up. Lawrence Taylor sealed a Giants win by returning an interception of Gary Danielson 97 yards to pay turf.

2. November 22, 2001- Packers 29, Lions 27
In the final Thanksgiving game at the Silverdome, the Packers looked to have this one salted away at the two minute warning. Lamont Warren had a one yard touchdown run to put the Lions within eight points. We then recovered an onside kicked that was lobbed down the weak side of the formation, away from most of the Green Bay return team. After a brief scrum for the ball, the Lions recovered well in Packers territory. Mike McMahon threw a 29 yard touchdown to Scotty Anderson on 4th and 10 to get us within two. However, the two point conversion failed and the Lions dropped to 0-10 on the year.

1. November 26, 1998- Lions 19, Steelers 16 (OT)

As the first Thanksgiving game I had the privilege of attending, this one holds a special place in my heart. This was also the infamous coin flip game. Steelers kicker Norm Johnson nailed a last second field goal to tie the game. The overtime coin toss, called in the air by Jerome Bettis, was misunderstood by the referee, leading to the Lions winning the flip, and the football. Jason Hanson then nailed the winning field goal on our first drive. Because of that game, the coin toss was changed to have the team call the flip before the coin took to the sky.

Other great games include the Lions putting up 55 points on the Bears in 1997. That ties the most points put up by a team on Thanksgiving. Then there was the last time the Lions played a 10-0 packers team in 1962. The Lions won their ninth game of the season after jumping out to a 26-0 lead after three quarters, They fought off two Green Bay touchdowns in the fourth to hand the Pack their only loss of the season.

While recent Thanksgiving Classics have not been the greatest of Lions games, the game remains a local tradition that defines the holiday in Detroit. Many Detroiters could never imagine a Thanksgiving holiday without watching their Lions before sitting down to a fantastic meal. It is quite possible that this game finds itself in the top five with a comeptitive Lions team facing off against the best team in the NFL. Let's home we all have fun tomorrow while enjoying the game and the time spent with our families. Happy Thanksgiving from !snoiL oG.

Week Twelve Preview: Packers at Lions

2011-11-23T11:24:00.001-05:00

For once, the Lions are relevant on Thanksgivng. For once, we have the marquee Thanksgiving game. Okay, there's more sex appeal in the Harbaugh vs. Harbaugh match in the night game, but that has a much smaller impact on the playoff race. We are in the wild card lead, Green Bay is undefeated, and the Lions are probably their biggest obstacle towards going 16-0.

This one will be an abacus game. Both of these teams can score, and score a lot. Green Bay has scored more points than any other team, they have the third best passing offense (based on yards per game anyway), and the fourth best overall offense.

On defense, Green Bay isn't much tow rite home about. They are 30th in yards allowed and 31st against the pass. This cheesehead team kind of defies football logic. They are winning games with high octane offense, as opposed to ironclad defense.

Everyone and their mother knows that Aaron Rodgers is some kind of superhuman quarterback. He is having a dream season and stand out as Green Bay's biggest weapon. It certainly helps that he has amazing receivers like Western Michigan's Greg Jennings, white lightning Jordy Nelson, and prototype NFL tight end Jermichael Finley. Of Rodgers's 31 touchdown passes, these three have 21 of them.

Green Bay will likely not test us with the run game. James Starks is their leading rusher and, if he plays, he will be on a sprained knee, certainly not an injury a running back wants to deal with. Ryan Grant is his backup, and will probably get most of the carries.

Either way, Green Bay will throw early and throw often.

The Packers may have one of the worst pass defenses from a yardage standpoint, but they do lead the league in interceptions. Their 19 picks are four more than the Lions' 15, who are tied for second in the league. Charles Woodson continues to do what he does best, but its the two safeties that are the real threat. Morgan Burnett and Charlie Peprah had seven interceptions between them.

I don't think that this will be the game where you see us throw the ball deep. The safeties are a big threat and Stafford struggled with picks in the last couple weeks. I would rather see a high dosage of short high percentage passes as opposed to long high risk bombs.

Green Bay has a fantastic group of linebackers that have allowed their defense to remain competent up front. A.J. Hawk has been a thorn in Detroiters' sides since he was at Ohio State, and Clay Matthews is one of the best linebackers in the league. Expect these guys to keep Kevin Smith from having a game similar to the one he had on Sunday.

While everyone is calling this a race to 35 points, the real winner will be the one who plays better on defense. We know both sides have explosive power on offense, but whichever team can slow down the fireworks will be the one coming out on top.

We are more than capable of being that team. Statistically, the Lions are the better team on defense. We allow almost 100 fewer passing yards per game. We're the league's best defensive team on third down. And, not to mention, we have the crazy home field advantage of Ford Field.

It won't be easy, but it is well within our reach. We need to score early and score often. If we allow Green Bay to go up by anything more than one score, then we will have a steep uphill climb towards a win. If we can get ahead right from the start and get a couple stops then we can out run Green Bay and have ourselves a Happy Thanksgiving.

Kevin Smith Returns With a Bang as Lions Beat Panthers 49-35

2011-11-20T17:25:00.001-05:00

It was an ugly start for the boys today as we all shook our heads with three turnovers on the possessions. Both of the picks thrown by Stafford were not a result of his broken finger or the gloves on his hands. Unless you think with your fingers, anyway. He never should have thrown the ball where he did on either of them. On the first one, a linebacker came out of nowhere to snatch a nice, tight spiral. On the second one, he tried to force a pass into double coverage. Not much else to say there.

After those poor decisions were out of the, Stafford was brilliant. In the end, he only threw eight incomplete passes, netted 335 yards, and, for the fourth time in his career, and second time this year, Stafford threw four or more touchdown passes. His five touchdown tosses were to five different receivers.

Really, this is nothing we have never seen before.

Kevin Smith was the real story. After struggling with injuries for the past two years, and not having a job this year, Smith returned to the Lions by scoring three touchdowns this afternoon. Smith had just four carries in his re-debut last week, but this week he poured it on. He had 16 carries for 140 yards on the ground and he added four catches for 61 yards receiving. It was our second best rushing performance of the year and our highest total yardage output of the season. Welcome back Kevin, we missed you.

The defense played well, considering what they were given, but they allowed Cam Newton to make some big plays late in the game. I was really surprised to see so few planned runs from the Panthers quarterback. They ran a couple draw plays, including two of the touchdowns, and a couple option reads where he kept the ball.

We were unable to stop the run throughout most of the game. Carolina averaged 5.3 yards per carry, and it helped them stay in the game. It was a few big running plays that allowed them to tie the game in the fourth quarter, not the traditional big pass route. In fact, when Carolina was forced into a big passing game, they failed miserable. Cam Newton threw four interceptions, two of which came in the late game comeback attempt.

The Panthers really did remind me of the 2009 Lions. They got on top early and allowed a better team to snatch the victory away.

Unlike our prior comebacks against Minnesota and Dallas, this was less of a result of the other team giving us the game, and more of us taking it from the opponent. Carolina was more than capable of salting the game away with running plays, we were just able to stop them and grab the lead in four possessions in the second half.

Overall, we allowed 409 yards of offense, which is well more than we would like. If we play like that on Turkey Day, we lose by three touchdowns.

We also cannot, absolutely cannot, turn the ball over three times against Green Bay. If we do that, we lose by three touchdowns.

Green Bay is going to be a shootout, both teams will score lots and lots of points, and the only way to beat the Pack is to out run them. Thursday is a huge game and a real test of where this team really is. A win, and the team is back, a loss, and we prove that there is still some work to be done.

Week Eleven Preview: Panthers at Lions

2011-11-19T19:40:00.001-05:00

When I first perused the schedule looking for wins and losses, I penciled this one as a sure win. Carolina drafted an over-hyped quarterback in my opinion, and they had no real weapons anywhere else. Here we are, a day before the game, and I am actually a little worried.

Carloina reminds me a bit of the 2009 Lions. They just had the number one draft pick, they had a bright future, but it was obvious that there was still a long way to go. However, they played almost everyone tough, never letting anyone truly roll over with an easy win.

Carolina is doing just that. Of their seven losses, only two have been by more than a touchdown. This includes failures against Arizona, Minnesota, New Orleans, Chicago, and Green Bay. That's right, they have lost by all three of our division rivals by a grand total of 15 points. It seems, much of the time, that the Panthers do everything but finish the game.

Cam Newton is really their only offensive weapon, and what a weapon he can be. For someone who had questionable passing skills coming out of Auburn, he has done very well. He has competed 60% of his passes for 2,605 yards and 11 touchdowns. Like any rookie quarterback, however, he has thrown 10 interceptions.

It is also well documented that Newton is also a threat with his legs. While not quite the athlete that Michael Vick is, he still has ran for 374 yards, about one third of Carolina's total rushing output.

His number one target is, by far, Steve Smith. The original little guy receiver has caught 51 balls, 16 more than anyone else on the team. At only 5'9", and 32 years old, Smith remains a big play threat on just about any play. He can beat you through the middle like Wes Welker, but he also has the uncanny ability to beat you deep, something receivers of his size can rarely do. Expect Carolina to target him on most of their pass plays.

Our game plan for handling the Fighting Newtons should be similar to the way we took care of the Fighting Tebows. We need to let the lineman do most of the pass rushing and allow Carolina to come to us. A heavy blitz against a guy of Newton's speed will result in nothing but him outrunning the blitz and turning up field for a big gain. Stephen Tulluch will be key to keeping him contained. He was the main factor that kept Tebow from running wild on us, and he faces a similar threat with the same mission tomorrow afternoon.

Defensively, Carolina ranks near the bottom in the major categories. They are 30th in points scored, allowing 26.3 points per game. They are 26th in yards allowed, and 28th against the run. Carolina has given up 137.6 yards per game on the ground, so this might be one of our greatest chances to get the ground game off the ground. We averaged over four yards per carry last week, so I am hoping for more or better against a less talented defense.

As for Matthew Stafford, it is imperative that he make up for last week's poor showing. He needs to bounce back after what was the worst game of his career, and hopefully the worst he will ever play. He will be wearing the gloves again, so let's hope he has either learned to throw with them or he has his head more in the game than last week.

As always, we need to avoid turning the ball over. The primary reason we got creamed last week was six turnovers. There is no way any team wins when they turn the ball over that often.

Overall, I think we win this game by being patient with the run game, not forcing the pass to working, and containing Carolina's main weapon, Cam Newton. Although this game is not against a big time opponent, it is as close to a must win game as we have seen this year. If we lose tomorrow, the season is over. No playoffs, just some progression and a shot at a 9-7 season.

Thoughts on the Nastiness in the Fourth Quarter

2011-11-14T11:56:00.001-05:00

Everyone has seen the tape of the play, but in the fourth quarter there was a dust up when D.J. Moore was thrown down by Matthew Stafford during an interception return. Moore retaliated by charging at Stafford after the whistle, and was appropriately flagged and ejected from the game.

Now, Bears fans were none to happy with what went down, and there's no reason they should be. One of their guys did something pretty dumb and got punished for it.You can't have anyone on your team losing your cool like that, regardless of the score.

A couple of my Bears fans on Facebook felt that he should not have been tossed. If someone calls it Lions bias then fine, but Moore charged at a player after the play. He didn't just give him a shove in the heat of the moment. He bolted after him from five yards away, put his head down, and rammed into him. Thankfully, Stafford saw him coming and managed to cover himself. If you say that Stafford could have broken Moore's neck, well, Moore could have KO'd Stafford had he not been able to duck and cover.

Yeah, what Stafford did should have been a penalty, I won't debate that. He threw a guy down by the head, and that's quite illegal. But at least that was part of the game. Moore took exception to the hit and lost his cool. It was completely uncalled for.

Face it, Moore got what he deserved. In fact, he can expect to hear from the league office about a fine in the coming days.

The other thing I thought was a little sick was the way he ran off the field to the cheers of the crowd. Had the same thing happened in a closer game, he should have been booed adamantly, either him or the refs for tossing him. He would have received an earful from Lovie Smith, been screaming his head off as he sauntered into the tunnel, and he probably would have been throwing chairs in the locker room. Yesterday, it almost looked like D.J. Moore was enjoying it. It was like he thought what he did was somehow morally correct and even righteous.

I give props to the Lions rushing to defend their leader. I think of it like a hockey team swarming a player who just laid out their captain. It may look a bit dirty, and it certainly won't help our reputation, but I like how we reacted to it.

Finally, speaking of our dirty reputation, Bears fans said that we lost with little class and continued to show our "bad boy" image in humiliating defeat. How were we playing dirty all game? Okay, Nick Fairley had a roughing the passer penalty, but it was a hustle play made by a rookie who missed all of training camp. I'll forgive him for that. But if anyone thinks that the fight was a result of Lions dirty play, they need to take a look at the play and tell me that the Bears weren't involved as well. Stafford is probably the second least dirty player on the Lions. He was frustrated and what he did was wrong, but not a result of him intentionally trying to take out D.J. Moore.

Chicago played just as classless as the Lions did yesterday and there is nothing wrong with that. In fact, I have news for you: that is how divisional rivalries are. That is NFL football between two teams who have played each other twice a year for more than seventy seasons. Neither one of these teams is truly a "dirty" team, they were just two rivals playing a tough, hard nosed football game.

Turnovers Destroy Lions in 37-13 Loss

2011-11-13T23:58:00.001-05:00

Jay Cutler was 9 for 19 with only 123 yards. Matt Forte ran the ball for a mere 64 yards. The Bears as a whole were held to 216 yards of offense. Chicago was only 3 for 13 on third down. Only one Bear receiver had more than one catch, and it wasn't Forte. This sounds like a fantastic defensive stand in a triumphant Lions victory.

Because of six turnovers it wasn't.

The Bears scored 24 points from Lions turnovers, and the Lions lost by 24 points. We know Chicago is not 24 points better than we are. Despite the lopsided scoreline, the Lions really lost this game all by themselves. Take away our self inflicted mistakes and this is a tie game.

I suppose I can't fault Calvin Johnson for his fumble, that was a vicious, and barely legal, hit. Nate Burlesson needs to hang on to his, however. Finally, all four of Matthew Stafford's second half interceptions can be placed squarely on him. They weren't miraculous plays by defenders, they weren't tipped fluke passes, they were all results of terrible decisions by our quarterback.

Maybe it was the wind, maybe it was his injured finger, but he threw the first one five yards behind an open Will Heller. The other three were thrown into double and triple coverage. Stafford had no business trying to force those passes in there. He is better than that and we all know it. This was the worst game Matthew Stafford has ever played and, hopefully, ever will play.

It's not to say that the receivers didn't play a part on the defeat. We dropped three sure touchdown passes. One was in the second quarter when this was still a game. The other two came in second half garbage time.

I also fault the play calling for this one. We averaged 4.2 yards per carry today, and we only ran the ball 19 times. None of those plays even went for a loss. I know, much of the game was spent playing from behind, but we were never in a hurry while the game was still a contest. We could have ran the ball more and maybe cut back on a few of the turnovers.

Punt coverage is something that truly stunk in this one. Sure, they say you should never kick to Devin Hester, but I know he can be stopped. On his touchdown, he didn't even catch the punt, and the Lions failed to even lay a finger on him. Credit the Bears return blocking and the Lions' poor tackling just as much as Hester for that.

The defense really did their job. They only accounted for 16 of the Bears points. This is the first time all season we have failed to score 16 points, so when the defense does as well as they did today, we really should expect to win the game.

Overall, this is a game that everyone will just want to forget so we can move forward. The team will have to learn from its mistakes and get things back on track before next week against Carolina.

As far as the big picture is concerned, the season is hardly in the dumps. We still hold the fifth seed in the NFC playoffs, control our own playoff destiny, and we are certainly capable of winning four of our final seven games. We can't let today's awful performance allow us to think that the greatness that was the first half of our season cannot return. We need to bounce back with a win against the Panthers, however. If we don't we are staring a 2007 like second half collapse right in the face.

Week Ten Preview: Lions at Bears

2011-11-12T16:59:00.001-05:00

This is the biggest game the Lions have played in recent memory. Win, and we find ourselves at 7-2 and in the driver's seat towards our first playoff game since 1999. If we lose, we find ourselves suddenly tied with the Bears for third in the division and less confident towards playing football in January. The difference between 7-2 and 6-3 is much greater than one game in the standings.

Last time we played Chicago, I was pretty sure there was no way we could lose. It was Monday night, the crowd was insane, and the Lions were undefeated and on a roll. This time, it is almost as if the roles have been reversed. The Bears are currently hot and are coming home to what is sure to be a crazy Soldier Field audience. The Lions have since lost a pair of games and are looking to start another win streak after thrashing the Broncos two weeks ago.

The bye week allowed us to heal up a bit, but we somehow managed to have more injuries after the time off than we had before. Jason Hanson cut his leg while playing with his kids, but figures to play tomorrow. Ryan Donahue, however, is suffering from a sore quad and Robert Malone was signed to handle the punting duties. Jahvid Best will also miss his third straight game.

As was the story before week five, the key to stopping the Bears is stopping Matt Forte. He has 805 yards rushing and is, by far, Chicago's biggest threat. Jay Cutler, while not really incompetent, is really no more than an average NFL quarterback with no spectacular targets to throw to.

Not only is Forte the main man in the running game, he also has nearly twice as many catches as the Bears second leading receiver. Forte has caught 41 balls this year and Devin Hester, who may not play tomorrow, has 22. Again, all bets are on Forte leading the Bears in everything when they have the ball.

With the Bears relying to much on their running back, the key will be to get ahead early and force them to play from behind. Their inability to throw the ball, and the Lions surprising ability to stop the pass, means they will have some trouble coming back if we can score some early points and stay on top throughout the game.

The Bears have an average defense overall, but they struggle against the Lions' strength. The Bears have the 26th ranked pass defense in the league. Last time out Stafford had a solid, but not spectacular game. He was 19 for 26 with 219 yards, a pair of touchdowns, and one pick.

Expect the Lions to throw more than they did back then, even with the iffy looking weather conditions. It isn't supposed to rain around game time, but it is supposed to be quite windy, making passing a bit more of a challenge. On the plus side, the first game against them was the only one we really had a sense of a running game.

Still, with Best sitting out, I expect the pass to be the biggest part of our game plan.

A lot of people think that the Bears are going to win this huge contest. I think the Lions are more than capable of proving them wrong. I feel we are the better team, even on the road. We had an extra week to prepare, and the Bears played last Monday night, making for a short week. Chicago may be hot, but the Lions have what it takes to cool down the Monsters of the Midway.