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MalFunkShun
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This is just something I posted on the Packers board the other day when I was extremely bored and they were being level headed about the Lions. Kind of weird to see some of the fan base worried about playing the Lions (at home). Figured I typed something decent so I figured I'd share and get some opinions about my writing.
In any given point over the past five years or so, if an opponent got up by so much as 10 points, the Lions fans knew that the game was over. Even if the Lions were lucky enough to claw their way to a 10 point lead, no fan felt safe. Games would be thrown away or lost in the 4th quarter. The Lions didn't know how to win. Through injuries, bad drafts, bad FA pickups, coaching, you name it; Detroit was a perennial laughing stock of the league. Heck, even the fans wore paper bags over their heads, and I can't blame them.
Exit Matt Millen, enter Martin Mayhew.
Mayhew is quickly becoming Detroit's Man in the Sky. One of his first moves, if I remember correctly, was trading Roy Williams to Dallas for a 1st and 3rd round pick. A new era began in Detroit. The Lions selected, to many fans chagrin, Matthew Stafford with their first pick. No doubt memories of Harrington popped into everyone's head. NOTHING had been done to protect the QB for years. So the Lions began building up their team through the draft, and stop-gap solutions via 1 year deals in free agency.
The 2010 season was viewed by most to see Detroit either showing their potential, or by showing that they're still the same ol' Lions. While many had the season pegged as a six win season, there was much drub as Stafford was injured in the first game by a vicious hit and the Lions were 2-10 entering week 14. A lot of talk around Detroit was that Stafford was soft, and the team could only rely on two players: Calvin Johnson and Ndamukong Suh. They showed glimpses of being on the verge of winning by losing by 7 points or less in 6 of their 12 games.
Then Green Bay came into town. The Lions, who hadn't beaten an NFCN rival in 19 consecutive games, were projected to be blown out by the struggling, yet consistent Packers. Something happened during that first half. The Lions had been holding the Packers offense down. Going into half-time, it was already a moral victory for Detroit. Aaron Rodgers was taken out with a concussion, so the Lions had to do something productive. After putting absolutely no offense up, the Lions were down by three entering the fourth quarter. Stanton connected with Will Heller to give the Lions a 7-3 victory, which they held on to win the game. A monkey was lifted off Detroit's back.
Another skid was broken the following week by beating Tampa Bay on the road. Detroit finally had something going for them: they were learning how to win games. Their consistency was finally starting to come together. They won four in a row go from talk of the first overall pick to outside of the top 10. Lions fans, for once, felt good about heading into the off-season.
With the lockout taking up much of the talk and threatening a season, the fans in Detroit felt ill. Could it be that as soon as they showed promise that the league shuts down? A promising draft made the wait for the lockout to end seem like an eternity. Thankfully, order was restored. The Lions had many gaps to fill, and not much money to do it. Linebackers, cornerbacks, safety would be in high demand. The Lions came in and signed Durant, Tulloch, and Wright to try and manage what they didn't in the draft. There was plenty of talk around town about the Lions finally breaking out.
The 2011 preseason saw the Lions go 4-0. What many people didn't notice is that the Lions weren't winning the games with backups, but their starters. Memories flashed back to the 2008 season where they posted a 4-0 record by coming back after the starters had given up beau coup points. Fans were more excited than ever for the season to begin. Could this be the year Stafford stays healthy? Will he finally show why he was selected first overall? Could the defense actually be productive this year? These were the questions being thrown around.
While the 2011 regular season has been short lived thus far, the Lions are doing something they're not used to doing: winning. A strong opening statement in a road opener against Tampa showed a glimmer of what may be expected from Detroit. The following weekend against a banged-up Kansas City showed even more impressive offense from the Matt Stafford led Lions.
Then, just as the hype really began to kick in, they went back to the road and struggled against the Vikings. While the Vikings were 0-2, they came out of the gates firing. A 20-0 half-time lead was built, and it seemed like the Lions would finally come back to Earth. Nothing was working for them. Then, Matt Stafford connected with Calvin Johnson to drop the deficit to 13. Who were these Lions? Typically they would be the ones giving up points, not scoring them. The next two quarters saw them come to life, tying the game at 20-20. There was still time for the Lions to have their usual moment to give up a touchdown to lose it. But they grabbed a 23-20 lead late. The prevent defense came in and led to overtime. Much rejoice came from the Lions winning the coin flip. Many memories from deferring as well, even if they were playing in a dome. While the Lions got to around mid-field, it still wasn't enough. A blitz came from the Vikings and looked to be a guaranteed sack. Stafford's throw off his back foot resulted in approximately 2.5 million people collectively holding their breaths. Calvin Johnson made a remarkable 40 yard catch to setup a field goal. The Lions snapped another skid: they won at Minnesota.
There's much cautious optimism around the league concerning the Lions, and rightfully so. 2007 saw the Lions start off 6-2, only to collapse and finish 7-9. Detroit heads out to Dallas next week for their third away game of the season. There's much hype surrounding the team, and its up to them to not let the pressure get the best of them. I, personally, had the Lions pegged at 9-7 this year. I'm hoping they prove me wrong on a positive note.
In any given point over the past five years or so, if an opponent got up by so much as 10 points, the Lions fans knew that the game was over. Even if the Lions were lucky enough to claw their way to a 10 point lead, no fan felt safe. Games would be thrown away or lost in the 4th quarter. The Lions didn't know how to win. Through injuries, bad drafts, bad FA pickups, coaching, you name it; Detroit was a perennial laughing stock of the league. Heck, even the fans wore paper bags over their heads, and I can't blame them.
Exit Matt Millen, enter Martin Mayhew.
Mayhew is quickly becoming Detroit's Man in the Sky. One of his first moves, if I remember correctly, was trading Roy Williams to Dallas for a 1st and 3rd round pick. A new era began in Detroit. The Lions selected, to many fans chagrin, Matthew Stafford with their first pick. No doubt memories of Harrington popped into everyone's head. NOTHING had been done to protect the QB for years. So the Lions began building up their team through the draft, and stop-gap solutions via 1 year deals in free agency.
The 2010 season was viewed by most to see Detroit either showing their potential, or by showing that they're still the same ol' Lions. While many had the season pegged as a six win season, there was much drub as Stafford was injured in the first game by a vicious hit and the Lions were 2-10 entering week 14. A lot of talk around Detroit was that Stafford was soft, and the team could only rely on two players: Calvin Johnson and Ndamukong Suh. They showed glimpses of being on the verge of winning by losing by 7 points or less in 6 of their 12 games.
Then Green Bay came into town. The Lions, who hadn't beaten an NFCN rival in 19 consecutive games, were projected to be blown out by the struggling, yet consistent Packers. Something happened during that first half. The Lions had been holding the Packers offense down. Going into half-time, it was already a moral victory for Detroit. Aaron Rodgers was taken out with a concussion, so the Lions had to do something productive. After putting absolutely no offense up, the Lions were down by three entering the fourth quarter. Stanton connected with Will Heller to give the Lions a 7-3 victory, which they held on to win the game. A monkey was lifted off Detroit's back.
Another skid was broken the following week by beating Tampa Bay on the road. Detroit finally had something going for them: they were learning how to win games. Their consistency was finally starting to come together. They won four in a row go from talk of the first overall pick to outside of the top 10. Lions fans, for once, felt good about heading into the off-season.
With the lockout taking up much of the talk and threatening a season, the fans in Detroit felt ill. Could it be that as soon as they showed promise that the league shuts down? A promising draft made the wait for the lockout to end seem like an eternity. Thankfully, order was restored. The Lions had many gaps to fill, and not much money to do it. Linebackers, cornerbacks, safety would be in high demand. The Lions came in and signed Durant, Tulloch, and Wright to try and manage what they didn't in the draft. There was plenty of talk around town about the Lions finally breaking out.
The 2011 preseason saw the Lions go 4-0. What many people didn't notice is that the Lions weren't winning the games with backups, but their starters. Memories flashed back to the 2008 season where they posted a 4-0 record by coming back after the starters had given up beau coup points. Fans were more excited than ever for the season to begin. Could this be the year Stafford stays healthy? Will he finally show why he was selected first overall? Could the defense actually be productive this year? These were the questions being thrown around.
While the 2011 regular season has been short lived thus far, the Lions are doing something they're not used to doing: winning. A strong opening statement in a road opener against Tampa showed a glimmer of what may be expected from Detroit. The following weekend against a banged-up Kansas City showed even more impressive offense from the Matt Stafford led Lions.
Then, just as the hype really began to kick in, they went back to the road and struggled against the Vikings. While the Vikings were 0-2, they came out of the gates firing. A 20-0 half-time lead was built, and it seemed like the Lions would finally come back to Earth. Nothing was working for them. Then, Matt Stafford connected with Calvin Johnson to drop the deficit to 13. Who were these Lions? Typically they would be the ones giving up points, not scoring them. The next two quarters saw them come to life, tying the game at 20-20. There was still time for the Lions to have their usual moment to give up a touchdown to lose it. But they grabbed a 23-20 lead late. The prevent defense came in and led to overtime. Much rejoice came from the Lions winning the coin flip. Many memories from deferring as well, even if they were playing in a dome. While the Lions got to around mid-field, it still wasn't enough. A blitz came from the Vikings and looked to be a guaranteed sack. Stafford's throw off his back foot resulted in approximately 2.5 million people collectively holding their breaths. Calvin Johnson made a remarkable 40 yard catch to setup a field goal. The Lions snapped another skid: they won at Minnesota.
There's much cautious optimism around the league concerning the Lions, and rightfully so. 2007 saw the Lions start off 6-2, only to collapse and finish 7-9. Detroit heads out to Dallas next week for their third away game of the season. There's much hype surrounding the team, and its up to them to not let the pressure get the best of them. I, personally, had the Lions pegged at 9-7 this year. I'm hoping they prove me wrong on a positive note.
