Yes the title is true. The Detroit Lions have actually won their second game of the season. That is two wins in one year!
Down 37 to 31, Matthew Stafford dropped back in what was expected to be the Lions last play of the game. The Browns were flagged for a pass interference in the end-zone however, giving the Lions one more play from the one yard line. Rather than trying a run play, Stafford again dropped back and sent the ball into the hands of Brandon Pettigrew for his 5th touchdown pass of the game. Jason Hanson kicked the extra point for the win. The Lions won 38 to 37.
I am almost on the verge of saying I can see Stafford being a star quarterback in the future. After a decent game in last weeks loss, I said I needed to see him show accuracy in two or three games in a row before saying he can be an accurate quarterback. For now I will hold back my decision only because this five TD game came against the only team in the NFL that is actually worse than the Lions. I will say however, that he is leaning me toward believing.
On the radio the fans seemed to be split into two groups. Some called in filled with excitement because the Lions were down 24 to 3 and still came back to win. They were excited because Stafford had a Lions rookie record of five touchdown passes. Some were excited because the Lions won a second game which is two more than they had last year and that shows improvement.
The other group complained about those fans excitement. They were upset that so many fans would be so excited when the Lions are still one of the worst five teams in the NFL.
I am not excited and I am not upset with the excitement. It is easy to feel excited after winning in a shootout high scoring game. It is exciting to come from so far behind and walk away with a victory. If it would have come against a decent team, I might actually be excited too.
It is important to remember however that the Lions barely beat a very lousy team in the Cleveland Browns. Consider the fact that the last time the Browns had a touchdown pass go to a receiver was November 12, 2008. Today, against the Lions defense, the Browns had three TD passes to wide receivers in the first quarter. Consider that the Cleveland Browns set their season high in scoring against the Lions. Consider the fact their team record was broken in less than 13 minutes of play. Consider the fact that before this game, Brady Quinn had only 1 touchdown and 5 interceptions and a low 51.0 QB rating. Against the Lions he had 4 TD's and no picks for a 133.1 rating.
It is nice to see a victory again, but you cannot let yourself forget just how bad this team is still. Keep in mind that this was the Browns! And they only beat them by one point!
11/22/09
Lions vs Browns - Pregame Week-11
Could it be possible that the Lions are up against a team that is actually worse than they are? Both teams are currently 1-8 and at the bottom of the NFL. The Lions have a better offense than Cleveland does, but the Browns have a better defense than the Lions do.
The Browns have only faced two teams that are below .500 and one of those, Buffalo, they beat. The Lions have faced 4 teams under .500 and only beat one of them. The Rams only win for the season came against the Lions.
The Lions can pass the ball a little, sometimes, kind of. They sure can't run though. Doesn't it seem like it has been almost a decade since the Lions actually had a threat at running back? It has been about a dozen years since the Lions have had some semblance of a decent offensive line.
Seriously though, this is one game the Lions have to win. If they do not beat the Browns, they will probably not even get another chance at a victory this season. Cleveland is the last bad team the Lions will play this year. They need this win to be able to actually say they are improved over last season. If they lose to Cleveland, the win against Washington will be considered a complete fluke. If the Lions lose this week, they will very likely end the season at 1-15 which would make it 1-31 for the last two years.
Yet, a part of me hopes they lose. Outside of Stafford having a real bad injury, there is simply no way the Lions will draft a quarterback in the coming draft. From everything I could find, there are no true studs in running back coming out of college this next season. Does anyone think the Lions would dare to actually draft a receiver with their first round pick again? I would bet they do not draft a receiver in the first round so long as they have Calvin Johnson healthy. So they will not draft a quarterback, running back or receiver in the first round and likely will not take a tight end either. In other words, the way I see it, the Lions will actually be forced to draft a good offensive lineman or a great defensive player.
In most mock draft boards at this early stage, the #1 player is DT-Ndamukong Suh. This guy has size, athleticism, quickness and a non-stop motor. He is the type of defensive tackle who will draw a double team and still cause problems. This is a player the Lions absolutely need to have a good defense. If the Lions win against the Browns, they likely will not get him.
For once the Lions just might be forced to draft the positions they should have addressed a decade ago. The only way I think the Lions will mess that up is by beating the Browns. That reason alone is why I will pick the Lions to win.
Lions - 20
Browns - 17
The Browns have only faced two teams that are below .500 and one of those, Buffalo, they beat. The Lions have faced 4 teams under .500 and only beat one of them. The Rams only win for the season came against the Lions.
The Lions can pass the ball a little, sometimes, kind of. They sure can't run though. Doesn't it seem like it has been almost a decade since the Lions actually had a threat at running back? It has been about a dozen years since the Lions have had some semblance of a decent offensive line.
Seriously though, this is one game the Lions have to win. If they do not beat the Browns, they will probably not even get another chance at a victory this season. Cleveland is the last bad team the Lions will play this year. They need this win to be able to actually say they are improved over last season. If they lose to Cleveland, the win against Washington will be considered a complete fluke. If the Lions lose this week, they will very likely end the season at 1-15 which would make it 1-31 for the last two years.
Yet, a part of me hopes they lose. Outside of Stafford having a real bad injury, there is simply no way the Lions will draft a quarterback in the coming draft. From everything I could find, there are no true studs in running back coming out of college this next season. Does anyone think the Lions would dare to actually draft a receiver with their first round pick again? I would bet they do not draft a receiver in the first round so long as they have Calvin Johnson healthy. So they will not draft a quarterback, running back or receiver in the first round and likely will not take a tight end either. In other words, the way I see it, the Lions will actually be forced to draft a good offensive lineman or a great defensive player.
In most mock draft boards at this early stage, the #1 player is DT-Ndamukong Suh. This guy has size, athleticism, quickness and a non-stop motor. He is the type of defensive tackle who will draw a double team and still cause problems. This is a player the Lions absolutely need to have a good defense. If the Lions win against the Browns, they likely will not get him.
For once the Lions just might be forced to draft the positions they should have addressed a decade ago. The only way I think the Lions will mess that up is by beating the Browns. That reason alone is why I will pick the Lions to win.
Lions - 20
Browns - 17
11/19/09
A Letter to Mr. Ford
Dear Mr. Ford
There is a very common belief that you do not care about what the fans think. So writing this letter would be senseless. However, I am writing this letter anyway under the belief that if you actually do end up reading it, that act alone would show you do care and therefore be proving the fans wrong.
I have been a Detroit Lions fan for a long time now. I have lived and died through the Billy Simms era and the Barry Sanders era. I have agonized through the many losing seasons through the last few decades. During these times, I like any fan have always had my opinions on what the Lions need to do to become good. Unlike most fans, I have never seen my beliefs put into gear.
The closest I have ever come to seeing it was in 1997 when Barry Sanders ran for over 2000 yards. I remember a game when Sanders broke away for two touchdown runs of 80 yards each and both of those runs came behind Juan Roque. It was the only game I remember with or without Barry where the Lions offensive line opened up gaping holes for Barry to run through. Soon after however, Roque hurt his knee and was never the same. Thus ended the beginning of my vision for the Lions.
You see Mr. Ford, my vision for the Lions is to have a powerful offensive line and a great defense. Yet the Lions never seem to have either. When was the last time the Lions had a top five defense? When was the last time they had a great offensive line? Many have argued that the Lions had a good line with Barry Sanders because of how many yards he gained. I believe that Barry ran behind a terrible line. It was rare that Sanders had a huge hole to run through. I often saw Emmitt Smith run through holes that you could drive a freighter through, but rarely did Barry get anything close to that. Far, far more often, Barry was tackled for a one yard loss because he was hit as he took the hand-off. A good line would not have had that happen nearly so often.
With a great offensive line, a team can sustain drives far more often, keeping their defense off the field and fresh. It is rare that I see the Lion push for a first down in short yardage situations. A top offensive line will protect the quarterback and give him time to find receivers. We ran Scott Mitchell and Joey Harrington out of Detroit because they never had 2 seconds to throw. Will Stafford be next?
I have argued many times that if you gave me a great offensive line and a great defense with the worst quarterback in the NFL, I could beat a team with the best quarterback and a bad line and defense. Baltimore once won the Superbowl because they had a great offensive line and great running game as well as a great defense. They won the Superbowl with Trent Dilfer! Evidence that backs up my beliefs. Look at Green bay this season. Great quarterback with a lousy line and average defense. They are not going to make the play-offs.
Please Mr. Ford. I beg you to either hand the Lions off to your son, sell the team or finally address the team in a different way. Please do not draft anymore high profile position players. We do not need another quarterback. The Lions do not need to address the running back or wide receivers. They need offensive and defensive linemen!
Consider two very famous cliches in the NFL. "You build a team from the inside out" and "The games are won in the trenches". There are reasons these sayings are so famous. They are right! The best teams open holes for their running backs and protect their quarterback. The best teams can pressure the quarterbacks with just their defensive linemen. The best teams control the trenches.
I have heard many say the Lions need to address the cornerbacks and safety. This is a mistake. The only reason our defensive backs look so bad is because the line puts no pressure on the quarterbacks. The worst QB in the NFL will look like a star if he has all day to throw. As we have seen this year as most of the QB's have completed near 75% of their passes against the Lions.
Please MR. Ford, forget the rest of the team for one off-season and focus on the trenches. The only other position the Lions can truly upgrade would be running back. Only because Kevin Smith is not fast enough to be a real threat. But I would rather have him behind a great line than Adrian Peterson behind a bad line.
That is my vision for the Lions. A team that controls the trenches. That has been my vision my entire life as a Lions fan. It is a vision I have yet to see filled. Isn't it time to do things right?
There is a very common belief that you do not care about what the fans think. So writing this letter would be senseless. However, I am writing this letter anyway under the belief that if you actually do end up reading it, that act alone would show you do care and therefore be proving the fans wrong.
I have been a Detroit Lions fan for a long time now. I have lived and died through the Billy Simms era and the Barry Sanders era. I have agonized through the many losing seasons through the last few decades. During these times, I like any fan have always had my opinions on what the Lions need to do to become good. Unlike most fans, I have never seen my beliefs put into gear.
The closest I have ever come to seeing it was in 1997 when Barry Sanders ran for over 2000 yards. I remember a game when Sanders broke away for two touchdown runs of 80 yards each and both of those runs came behind Juan Roque. It was the only game I remember with or without Barry where the Lions offensive line opened up gaping holes for Barry to run through. Soon after however, Roque hurt his knee and was never the same. Thus ended the beginning of my vision for the Lions.
You see Mr. Ford, my vision for the Lions is to have a powerful offensive line and a great defense. Yet the Lions never seem to have either. When was the last time the Lions had a top five defense? When was the last time they had a great offensive line? Many have argued that the Lions had a good line with Barry Sanders because of how many yards he gained. I believe that Barry ran behind a terrible line. It was rare that Sanders had a huge hole to run through. I often saw Emmitt Smith run through holes that you could drive a freighter through, but rarely did Barry get anything close to that. Far, far more often, Barry was tackled for a one yard loss because he was hit as he took the hand-off. A good line would not have had that happen nearly so often.
With a great offensive line, a team can sustain drives far more often, keeping their defense off the field and fresh. It is rare that I see the Lion push for a first down in short yardage situations. A top offensive line will protect the quarterback and give him time to find receivers. We ran Scott Mitchell and Joey Harrington out of Detroit because they never had 2 seconds to throw. Will Stafford be next?
I have argued many times that if you gave me a great offensive line and a great defense with the worst quarterback in the NFL, I could beat a team with the best quarterback and a bad line and defense. Baltimore once won the Superbowl because they had a great offensive line and great running game as well as a great defense. They won the Superbowl with Trent Dilfer! Evidence that backs up my beliefs. Look at Green bay this season. Great quarterback with a lousy line and average defense. They are not going to make the play-offs.
Please Mr. Ford. I beg you to either hand the Lions off to your son, sell the team or finally address the team in a different way. Please do not draft anymore high profile position players. We do not need another quarterback. The Lions do not need to address the running back or wide receivers. They need offensive and defensive linemen!
Consider two very famous cliches in the NFL. "You build a team from the inside out" and "The games are won in the trenches". There are reasons these sayings are so famous. They are right! The best teams open holes for their running backs and protect their quarterback. The best teams can pressure the quarterbacks with just their defensive linemen. The best teams control the trenches.
I have heard many say the Lions need to address the cornerbacks and safety. This is a mistake. The only reason our defensive backs look so bad is because the line puts no pressure on the quarterbacks. The worst QB in the NFL will look like a star if he has all day to throw. As we have seen this year as most of the QB's have completed near 75% of their passes against the Lions.
Please MR. Ford, forget the rest of the team for one off-season and focus on the trenches. The only other position the Lions can truly upgrade would be running back. Only because Kevin Smith is not fast enough to be a real threat. But I would rather have him behind a great line than Adrian Peterson behind a bad line.
That is my vision for the Lions. A team that controls the trenches. That has been my vision my entire life as a Lions fan. It is a vision I have yet to see filled. Isn't it time to do things right?
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