A Close one, but the Lions Pull it Out.

The NFL is a funny league, in this up and down season for a very unready team, the Lions held on to win a not so very impressive nail biter fashion. This year of the 2011 Lions will be know for many things but you can never stop watching this team until the final whistle.

It was a blow out waiting to happen, a division rival with a horrid record. The Vikings came into town and were supposed to be crushed. This Vikings team has had way more downs than ups, they came into today without a real QB, the best RB in the game hurt and more questions than answers.

As an added bonus Jared Allen the all - pro Defensive lineman for the Vikings made an effort to heat things up by running his way to rich mouth about Detroit as a city where its geographically located. This led to the Lions Defensive Coordinator saying, Allen wasn't tough enough to live in Detroit. I'm guessing the bulletin board was full of things to add extra motivation.

One thing was truly certain,  the Lions needed to win this game to stay in the playoff chase.

The game was sloppy, choppy and the Vikings did everything in their power to try and give them the game. Six total turnovers and bad play allowed the Lions to get a big lead at the half. The second half started out the same way but only three points, bad play calling and bad route running watched the Lions not do what they normally do on in the second half. Score.

Ponder was pulled, enter Webb and away goes my nails. Three straight 3rd and longs seen the Lions lose contain and seen a running QB carve them up. One run was for over 60 yards.

The next few series seen the Lions get chewed up in yardage and the score get closer.

Look the Lions aren't a bad team, not great either. This was way closer than it should have but the Lions have also comeback and won a few they shouldn't. This is what a team that doesn't really know where they stand does. They don't know how to win nor can they understand that being down by 20 points in a game mean you lose. This team is still not ready for "prime" time and needs to grow up and get a leader.

The final drive was like having a sore thumb and lots of small nails to hammer, you were just waiting to hit that injury. Chunks of yards were disappearing and time wasn't running fast enough. They Vikings had a back up who wasn't super accurate throwing the ball and running wild.

Nine seconds left in the game....Vikings run  to spike the ball to kill the clock and Avril jumps offsides...He is a pro NFL player right? Why on earth would you ever do that? Why would you stomp a player lying on the turn? This team still has issues.

Last play of the game, we all know as Lions followers they will lose this game. They always do. The Lions don't win games like this. This is the team that had a kicker with half a foot and non soccer style  kick the (still) record distance for field goals. They just don't win games like this.

Well they did. Say it was a break, say the Refs screwed the Vikings or whatever you want. Fact is they won. Sure it was ugly, horrid and way to close...they won.

Savor the day and know know at the very least we have a .500 football team and a team that is closer to being good than we've seen in years.

Yes the ref's probably blew that call but those calls go both ways and any team that turns the ball over six times doesn't deserve to be in that close of a game.

Stafford Receives Typical Lions Fan Response.

The position is a revolving door, the names that have come through are more generic than the shelf's of a dollar store. The Lions as a team have looked for 50 years to come up with a solid #1 guy to start, the fans have dreamed of the day when they could see a guy be an on field leader, make the throws and just do the job that every team asks of its quarterback. Detroit as a whole is also brutal on its signal callers (and goalies too) but of course after seeing some of the guys the Lions have put in uniform it can be understood. The snowball of contention is slowly gaining steam to roll over the current QB, Matt Stafford.

Only 23 starts in his career, Stafford is on pace to break most of the Lions passing records. He is second in the league in TD's, ranks in the top 10 in attempts, yards and rating. Stafford has lead his team to a 7 -3 record not even three years after this same team went 0-16. Most of all, he is staying on the field, playing the games and slowly becoming what Detroit has wanted and needed. He is doing this with a O line that needs a bit of work and until this week virtually no run game to speak of.

Why all the Stafford hate? I hear it more and more, the callers to 97.1 and 1130 are saying Stafford sucks, he needs to be replaced, he won't get the job done. Some of the national media were on that road as well after the "wind" situation in Chicago. The best was "Stafford BLOWS PUT IN HILL". How is it a city so in need of a QB, bashes their QB? How can it be a city that hasn't seen a legitimate starting QB have a guy who is 7-3 this season be asking for a career back up to take his place?

I get it! As a person who has lived in this area for all my life, I understand what is happening. Detroit is an impatient fan base, they want all the athletes to be blue collar type guys who just do the job.

If you Google "Matt Stafford Sucks" a lot of pages come up. He has two Facebook pages that allow you to join so you can tell the 200 or so others how bad you think he is. Countless other forums and questions about his skills and the "trolls" have threads that say he is no good, that the Lions should just cut him now. What do people expect a 2nd year QB to be, what do they think a QB of the Lions should be three years after losing EVERY game?

Stop being stupid! Really people, Lions fans and "trolls", You gave Joey Harrington more time than Stafford has had. You the same fan base that almost booed Mike Vernon out of town. You the same fan base that thought Scott Mitchell was the answer...Take a deep breath, and look at the bigger picture here. Putting in Hill won't make this situation better, replacing Stafford all together will set this franchise back even further. The calls for him to sit or cutting him is way to soon and an uneducated sports "FANS" uneducated view.

Stafford can make almost any throw on the field. No he isn't the most accurate passer but that was never his game. He has a HUGE arm and can make the deep throw. The team has his trust and respect, so does the coaching staff. He is tough and plays hurt (I know, I know he has missed so much time) and wants to win. His stats show this. Why the hell can't the average or even the uneducated fan accept that if the guys who make money to do this say Stafford is good, why can't you? This isn't the Matt Millen era any longer. This regime has prove they have a clue.

Lions fans, take a step back and relax a bit. Two years ago you all wanted a 7-3 record, hell 7 wins in two seasons would have been a feat. Stafford is going to be fine, he will never be Montana, Elway or Marino but he will be something fans can know that the revolving door of Lions QB's is over for a bit if he can continue to stay healthy and play within himself.

Stafford; a non typical Lions QB, getting the typical response.

A Dirty Team in our Backyard?

This is crazy, the first post I ever write on my blog is about a team I have almost no feelings for. I've never been a Lions fan. They have smashed my hopes just about every year of my life. This team has had only one player I've ever rooted for that played for them. Until now...

This current group of Lions gives everyone in our area a person to root for. A team with a bit of edge, which we love here in Detroit, a team that hits hard, even after the whistle and plays with a take no prisoners attitude. Sadly the rest of the league has taken notice. This isn't going over well...

Recent History -
Sadly the Lions recent history has in a way lead to the bashing this team is getting. The Lions in 2008 went 0-16 the only team to ever do so. They seen their franchise player walk away from them the day training camp started. They had a GM that felt it was his job to draft WR's who were bound to go bust and a owner base that was far to loyal. On top of this, their division sported some of the best teams in football. Leading the Lions to the doormat of the NFC Central.

This current group of Lions is going out of its way to erase the stigma attached with the Lions over the last decade and half century. Are they going to far?

A man named SUH -
We might be witnessing the arrival of a superstar to which the NFL has never really seen. A man who is stronger and faster than anyone who has ever played the position before. Suh might very well be the Shaq of the NFL, to big and to fast! From what everyone says, he is the nicest guy off the field you could meet. On the field he has a thing about him that says, "I'm going to meet your QB today and it won't be nice". I'm excited for this player, I'm happy the Lions picked Suh to play on a side of the ball where we haven't had a star since 1971. He is mean, strong and young, how good will he be when he learns? Suh and the rest of this young D get to learn from a solid coaching staff and maybe the hardest working player to ever play in the NFL, Kyle Vanden Bosch is a machine and never stops.

So with the recent history and group we have on defense, the rest of the league (including writers and media) have now witnessed whirlwind of brashness and attitude coming from a team that is tired of being stepped all over and "that team" that every team wants to play during the year. The Lions in the last few weeks haven't played well but they have sent the message to the league "we aren't going to take the crap any longer". Do they deserve respect yet? Probably not but they are telling everyone that regardless of what you thought about the Lions, that's gone. Get ready, you now have a fight on your hands and if you bring out the cheap tactics you will get it right back.

I read a column from a Chicago reporter (not sure if he watched the game, his article sure says he didn't or he doesn't know football well) who say the Lions are bully's who can't back it up. I don't see it this way, going into the game, the Bears seemed to be doing the majority of the talking and none seemed to be respectful. No matter, its adding to the rivalry that has been dormant to long. I love what this game is going to do for future games.

The Lions are young, hungry and learning how to be competitive again. Bad days are going to happen even to the best NFL teams. Are they dirty? Not sure, after all this is football and I've watch teams dance into Ford Field for years and beat the snot out of Lions. I hope the teams of the league get the message I believe is being set....the Lions are no longer the doormat!