2011 Detroit Lions

[Thruster315]

But the point is that Chi has a much softer schedule. Chicago plays Seattle, we play Oakland.Anyone else see us missing the Big Dance?

Absolutely no gimmes here.Oakland looked pretty pathetic against the Pack [[but then who doesn't?) and Seattle behind Marshawn Lynch looked pretty decent. Now is Lynch gonna be able to do that to Urlacher & Company? I'm not sure but seeing as how Tebow came back on Da Bears, it very well could be a wash there.For the upcoming Raiders tilt, I can't see Carson Palmer lighting us up for massive yards but I see us needing to stop Michael Bush [[Ndamukong Suh, you listening?) and any runs to the outside. We've looked softer than a down pillow there as of late.Just the idea that we're playing a meaningful game in December is pretty damn amazing but I can see us making it in [[2-1 for the final three games) and I can also see us dropping the final three games too. The reception in my Miss Cleo turbin's a bit fuzzy and lint filled at the moment; I can't get a good read as to our next three weeks. All I can do is hope.

[kenp]

I can't get a good read as to our next three weeks. All I can do is hope.

100% agree. What Oakland team shows up. What Detroit team shows up. We have to stop their run game and our line has to dominate. We cant give Carson Palmer time to pass or we are in deep poopoo. If we win this game I think we are in the cat bird seat [[with challanges) , if we lose we are probably cooked and would have to back into the playoffs.

[Thruster315]

If we win this game I think we are in the cat bird seat [[with challanges) , if we lose we are probably cooked and would have to back into the playoffs.

Now here's a question for the diehards out there... would you still be disappointed if we backed into the playoffs? Or is it not gonna be an issue as long as we're there?

I'm not so sure how I'm going to feel about this. For the long term development of this team it'd probably be good to get some playoff experience. But would a "near miss" fuel this team to achieve more next year? Your thoughts??

[kenp]

I wouldnt lose any sleep if we backed in. Anyway we get in would be great. I would much prefer being 10-6 or 11-5 but if we are 9-7 and sneek in I would take it.

[GOAT]

I'm still calling for Linehan's head. Sure we have a winning record and sure we have a crappy running back [[Kelin Williams really?). But why oh why do we consistently run on 2nd down?

Ever wonder why all of our backs but one are injured? Hmmm....O-line can't block possibly??

Also add to it that Schwartz didn't go for the 4th and half a foot at the middle of the field with 6 minutes left? I mean our offense isn't hurt but we had 3rd and 4th strings on defence.



We got lucky with the vikings and won't be lucky against Oakland. We better get our shit together because Atlanta has the tie-breaker.

BTW: We sure are missing Jerome Felton now aren't we?

[Thruster315]

I'm still calling for Linehan's head. Sure we have a winning record and sure we have a crappy running back [[Kelin Williams really?). But why oh why do we consistently run on 2nd down?

Ever wonder why all of our backs but one are injured? Hmmm....O-line can't block possibly??

I'm alright with you calling for Linehan's head because you don't adore his play calling at times but to blame the running backs' injuries on the offensive line? HUH? Let's see... LeShure got dinged in pre-season with a blown achilles tendon. Jahvid Best had a bit of a concussion history in college and got dinged in an open field tackle. Kevin Smith's got an ankle injury in the open field as well. So how is Backus, Sims, Raiola, Peterman or Cherilus responsible for any of these guys getting hurt? It wasn't like any of them missed an assignment, got bull rushed or beat and the opposing team got a free lick at the running backs. It wasn't like the Peppers beat Backus for a direct line at Stafford play last year. If anything running backs expect to get hit- so explain to me how the O-Line blew up and one of our RBs got hurt from it.

Also add to it that Schwartz didn't go for the 4th and half a foot at the middle of the field with 6 minutes left? I mean our offense isn't hurt but we had 3rd and 4th strings on defence.

That's fair criticism right there. I was perplexed as well but I'd be willing to defer that decision to Schwartz. Obviously he had to make that call from the sidelines based upon his gut & feel for the game. They get paid the big bucks to make those calls even though we as fans are in the midst of taking our shoes off and getting ready to heave them at the TV screen in disgust.

We got lucky with the vikings and won't be lucky against Oakland. We better get our shit together because Atlanta has the tie-breaker.

So we dodged a bullet with Minnesota. We were supposed to win that game handily too. At the end of the day, we still get the W. I'm sure Schwartz knows that we should've kicked Viking ass all day long and didn't play a complete game. The first 30 minutes were pretty damn impressive though and went to plan.

Not so worried about Atlanta getting in. They can go in with all of my blessings. They deserve it if they can do it. More worried about the likes of Dallas and Chicago right behind us BUT we have them beat on those tie breakers. Remember there are two wild card berths- not just one.

BTW: We sure are missing Jerome Felton now aren't we?

We're still missing Barry Sanders as well, but Jerome Felton? Was he really that much of an improvement over Keiland Williams? Career wise the guy's only had 42 rushes total for a total of 136 yards. He's been out of football; winless Indianapolis just recently signed him and he's only got one reception- which bumped his career total up to 33! Sure, if you want to talk about his durability and being a nice guy to have around- but Jerome Felton?

[firstandten]

Also add to it that Schwartz didn't go for the 4th and half a foot at the middle of the field with 6 minutes left? I mean our offense isn't hurt but we had 3rd and 4th strings on defence.

I support Schwartz on that one. If you don't get it on 4th down you put your 3rd and 4th strings on defense between a rock and a hard place. Worst case you make them drive 80 yards to score a touchdown [[which is the only way they can beat you).

If you want to get mad at somebody the D-coordinator would be a better choice for making Webb look like a 1st string QB rather than the 3rd string he really is.

[Thruster315]

I support Schwartz on that one. If you don't get it on 4th down you put your 3rd and 4th strings on defense between a rock and a hard place. Worst case you make them drive 80 yards to score a touchdown [[which is the only way they can beat you).

I think this very well could've been one of those situations where Schwartz looks out to his offensive line and sees that they may be a bit gassed [[I would be too if I had to fend off Jared Allen all game). And if the Lions could've pinned them back even further than the 20, it would've been the most prudent move at the time. It's a tactical call which could be debated but weighing the two options I'm okay with it too.

If you want to get mad at somebody the D-coordinator would be a better choice for making Webb look like a 1st string QB rather than the 3rd string he really is.

Cliff Avril afterwards did say that they practiced for Ponder all week long. Cunningham did adjust the D, albeit a little late perhaps, but he did drop Avril back to shadow Webb. I saw a few times where we also opted to put Tulloch in as a shadow much like the Tebow defense. So I do think they adjusted but a little late for my taste.

[kenp]

You could really see the depth issue we have on defense in the last game. Our strength by far is the d-line. We rotate 7 or 8 guys all game long. Even Suh sits a lot more then I would have ever thought. You could see the d-line wearing down against Minn even before Webb got in. Without Suh and Fairly and the other guys out we looked gassed. It really exposes our linebackers and to make matters worse our db and safties are hurt and even their replacements were getting hurt. Then to bring in a running QB, it was very bad mix.
When Suh is in and dominates it makes all the others around him better, we need to get back to that Sunday.

[firstandten]

What we are seeing now is the concern I had with the Lions all along. Whats going to happen when we get into week 12 and beyond when the injuries start piling up. We can't use it as an excuse because all the teams have the same type of situations.The difference with the great teams is that the dropoff in talent level from starters to reserves isn't as bad.


I do think with a couple more drafts and free agent signings we will have a more consistant talent level thru out the roster.

[gnome]

One of the biggest weaknesses we had coming into the season was the defensive backfield. We were skinny back there, now we're anorexic. We've had wide receivers back there on occasion to plug the dyke, and time is running out for those injuries to mend.

Running back too is an area where pre-season lack-of-depth is coming home to roost. MoMo has been fine if your bar was super low, and that high ankle to Kevin Smith has dimmed what was a pretty picture. Poor guy went from sitting on the couch to NFL speed in an eye-blink and we're seeing what an all-pass offense looks like.

In looking at some stats I noticed we now have 29 sacks on the season. Last year we had 27 after 16 games. Not the best, but we may be looking at the result of having a pure pocket passer combined with an average O-line. Last year Shaun Hill and Drew Stanton were a bit more mobile. Hill rushed 22 times for 130 yards , Drew 18 times for 113 yards and a TD. Thus far this year Stafford has 19 rushes for 68 yards and 2 fumbles.

This is not to say either Hill or Stanton were Tarkingtons, just that Stafford is a classic pro-style pocket denizen.

Of those 29 sacks, I'm thinking almost 10 of them came against the Vikes in two games. Jared Allen had 3 of 5 last week and they had another 5 or 6 in Week Two. Not sure where I'm going with this post, but as FirstandTen, pointed out: we're hurt and we're gassed. Having Suh back will help, having Delmas and Huston back would be a comfort.

According to this Detnews piece, Huston looks like he'll be in for Sunday.

http://www.detnews.com/article/20111...101/112150386/

---

I'm sure a lot of you listened to the 97.1 interview with Suh yesterday. It was a big mess. Suh spoke with platitudes ripped from the pages of, "There's No I in Team" while ignoring the larger truth he has been acting like solo diva with little regard for others.

At least that was my first take.

But I started thinking about it a bit more and I think Suh was intentionally picking a fight with the press as a motivational tactic.

Let me explain, I flashed back to Jerry Kramer's "Instant Replay" and Lombardi self-induced attitude alterations. In particular, - at least according to Kramer - when Vince wanted to get up for a big game or important practice he would pick a fight with his wife. Vince would pick a fight just to get himself into a bad mood so he could take that mood onto the field.

So for two weeks, young Suh has been a punching bag by the press. Suh been painted as WWF style villain for his Stomp. Then come the car accidents and the press takes him to task for poor driving skills. The local Portland press went so far as to state the Portland cops covered up the cause [[alcohol ) and the fact a lady was injured and threatened to keep her mouth shut.

In short, young Suh is picking a fight with a group he thinks is twisting reality to meet their own agenda. He's picking a fight - like Vince did - to motivate himself for Sunday.

That's my theory ...

[Thruster315]

One of the biggest weaknesses we had coming into the season was the defensive backfield. We were skinny back there, now we're anorexic. We've had wide receivers back there on occasion to plug the dyke, and time is running out for those injuries to mend.

Running back too is an area where pre-season lack-of-depth is coming home to roost. MoMo has been fine if your bar was super low, and that high ankle to Kevin Smith has dimmed what was a pretty picture. Poor guy went from sitting on the couch to NFL speed in an eye-blink and we're seeing what an all-pass offense looks like.

In looking at some stats I noticed we now have 29 sacks on the season. Last year we had 27 after 16 games. Not the best, but we may be looking at the result of having a pure pocket passer combined with an average O-line. Last year Shaun Hill and Drew Stanton were a bit more mobile. Hill rushed 22 times for 130 yards , Drew 18 times for 113 yards and a TD. Thus far this year Stafford has 19 rushes for 68 yards and 2 fumbles.

This is not to say either Hill or Stanton were Tarkingtons, just that Stafford is a classic pro-style pocket denizen.

Of those 29 sacks, I'm thinking almost 10 of them came against the Vikes in two games. Jared Allen had 3 of 5 last week and they had another 5 or 6 in Week Two. Not sure where I'm going with this post, but as FirstandTen, pointed out: we're hurt and we're gassed. Having Suh back will help, having Delmas and Huston back would be a comfort.

According to this Detnews piece, Huston looks like he'll be in for Sunday.

http://www.detnews.com/article/20111...101/112150386/

Depth will be an issue with any team. What blows for our squad it that it hit primarily with one group of the guys. It's not like one or two of the defensive line got dinged [[or suspended) and we had the depth to rotate in reasonably talented guys to fill the gap. Our secondary had to resort to Rashied Davis coming in to playing nickel; thank goodness they haven't been burned terribly at it and Davis has held his own. I'm hoping for a quick recovery from these guys as well. Houston's been playing well and the fact that none of them were put on IR means they'll be back at some point during the season.

I'm sure a lot of you listened to the 97.1 interview with Suh yesterday. It was a big mess. Suh spoke with platitudes ripped from the pages of, "There's No I in Team" while ignoring the larger truth he has been acting like solo diva with little regard for others.

At least that was my first take.

But I started thinking about it a bit more and I think Suh was intentionally picking a fight with the press as a motivational tactic.

Let me explain, I flashed back to Jerry Kramer's "Instant Replay" and Lombardi self-induced attitude alterations. In particular, - at least according to Kramer - when Vince wanted to get up for a big game or important practice he would pick a fight with his wife. Vince would pick a fight just to get himself into a bad mood so he could take that mood onto the field.

So for two weeks, young Suh has been a punching bag by the press. Suh been painted as WWF style villain for his Stomp. Then come the car accidents and the press takes him to task for poor driving skills. The local Portland press went so far as to state the Portland cops covered up the cause [[alcohol ) and the fact a lady was injured and threatened to keep her mouth shut.

In short, young Suh is picking a fight with a group he thinks is twisting reality to meet their own agenda. He's picking a fight - like Vince did - to motivate himself for Sunday.

That's my theory ...

I can't explain Suh. The boy's an enigma at best. He's an amazing talented guy I'm not so sure how many of us would really like to personally like to hang around. He just doesn't let people into his life- even at any level it seems. I get it that he's concerned about his image because that can be a huge financial gain for him, but I'm not so sure he's painting the world's best image for himself at the moment.

He had every opportunity with Valenti & Foster to come across as a sincere human being and I think he missed that mark with that interview. The questions that they lobbed his way were pretty much the sort of questions that any of us, his fan base would like to know. I don't recall any of those questions being leading, badgering or demeaning to Suh. If anything I really think those questions were asked in such a way it gave Suh a chance to explain his side of the story, to clear the air of sorts. Instead I felt not only were Valenti & Foster stonewalled but were admonished for having the gall to ask those questions.

Just come clean with us fans. Be honest and we'll build a temple to worship you in this town, man! Instead we get these politicky sort of replies that were more riddles within riddles. He dodged some of those questions like Muhammad Ali slipping a Gerry Cooney haymaker.

I was a little disappointed.

Great theory though, gnome. It gives me some hope that he's still a caring human being underneath some odd persona or shell. I hope you're right and he can still play up to his talent.

[Thruster315]

After some mulling over, I thought about Suh's position and how he approached some of this attention coming his way. He seems to genuinely want to move forward and ditch what's happened in the last few weeks. Is that wrong of him wanting to do so? I think if that's what his intent was with the quirky interview, then he's done so to a certain extent.

I can almost understand it now. Who would want to be constantly badgered for things done in their past? It's be like the Bill Murray Groundhog Day movie of having to constantly re-living those moments. Now maybe as fans we're still not sure if he gave us adequate answers but does he really owe us that? Are we wanting a piece of his hide for his gaffes? It seems as though the national press does. Are we really asking for an explanation and wanting some remorse from Suh? And what if he goes out and never has any more issues like what's happened in the past; do we really need to re-live this with him? He's moving forward [[not that he has a choice) with his team. Shouldn't we?

Now if he goes out and has more bone-headed moves I say we bust on him but until then- he and his team mates just need to go out and win us fans a few more football games.

[Thruster315]

Speaking of boneheaded plays, this Sunday is going to be the Battle of Penalty Filled Teams. Now I'm HOPING that our Lions don't take the bait and play an amazingly smooth, clean game. I'm also hoping that the NFL Penalty Microscope® will be on the Raiders just as much as it is on our team. If it's a penalty, call it- but be even handed about it. There's nothing that pisses off the players and us fans alike when the hankies are tossed one sided. Consistency is all we're asking for.

[gnome]

I have the flu, feel like hell has set up camp in my spine, with that as a basis this is what I see:

Torture.

I see mistake-free football in the face of a rogue band of miscreants. I see us walking away from 80,000 smack talk professionals. I see us classy and respectable. School marms in the company of a biker gang.

I see no interceptions by Stafford. A pocket tighter than a baby's fist, and coverage as heavy as a hooker's makeup. I see us 3 for 13 in third downs a couple of nationwide hook-ups between Stafford and wide outs, but less than nothing on the ground.

I see Carson Palmer looking like Carson Daily, up all night long with not meaningful talent and no supporting cast. Like Daily he defies logic and hangs on and on. I see Tulloch blowing tackles and what's left of the dbacks blowing coverage.

I see an afternoon of WTF and omg. An afternoon of fevered dreams dashed on the rocky shores Oakland's docks. A mugging. A stabbing. A how did we win 8 games looking this bad.

Torture.

[Kathleen]

Well, it was torturous at times...but the ending was oh, so sweet!!!! Way to go, Lions!!!

[Thruster315]

I have the flu, feel like hell has set up camp in my spine, with that as a basis this is what I see...

Hopefully the Lions victory made you at feel somewhat better, gnome.

I see mistake-free football in the face of a rogue band of miscreants. I see us walking away from 80,000 smack talk professionals. I see us classy and respectable. School marms in the company of a biker gang.

Alas your Miss Cleo turbin was a tad off with this one. Both teams came up with 19 penalties for a total of 158 yards going the wrong way. Nothing too heinous or criminal but some pretty untimely ones for Oakland as opposed to us for once.

I see no interceptions by Stafford. A pocket tighter than a baby's fist, and coverage as heavy as a hooker's makeup.

Bingo! No interceptions by Stafford. We should'a bet the house on this one.

I see us 3 for 13 in third downs a couple of nationwide hook-ups between Stafford and wide outs, but less than nothing on the ground.

8 out of 17 third down conversions by the Lions. None too shabby. And while the rushing was stellar, it kept the Raiders honest. Nice to see Kevin Smith running hard but it was a pisser to see Williams not get that 4th down conversion in the gutter.

I see Carson Palmer looking like Carson Daily, up all night long with not meaningful talent and no supporting cast. Like Daily he defies logic and hangs on and on. I see Tulloch blowing tackles and what's left of the dbacks blowing coverage.

It wasn't a great tackling game by any stretch, but we held when called upon especially late. We didn't implode and make Carson Palmer look like the second coming of Joe Montana.

I see an afternoon of WTF and omg. An afternoon of fevered dreams dashed on the rocky shores Oakland's docks. A mugging. A stabbing. A how did we win 8 games looking this bad.

Yeah, there's still plenty of WTF and OMGs but they were from the Detroit faithful. And the dreams that were dashed were the property of Raider Nation.

Torture.

That's what we expect as longstanding Lions fans, but not this week. We did alright and hopefully it'll add some confidence to this plucky bunch.

But what an odd ass week in the NFL:

-Colts win. Detroit will still own the 0-16 record
-Packers lose [[those bastards from the '72 Dolphins get to crack open a bottle of champagne in another team not matching their record) and this could have implications on the last game for us versus the Pack at Lambeau.
-Bears & Giants go south. Less competition for us and the wild card berth.
-and the Mighty Tebow is humbled. Hooray.

Someone hand me a towel. I'm still sweating from the excitement of our game. That 98 yard drive with Stafford and Johnson hooking up like long lost lovers constantly was a thing of beauty. Someone hand me a cigarette; I need to calm down from that Lions butter.

[Downriviera]

I'm seeing a trend here from the people that have spoken up with their far flung predictions:

smogboy 9-7
kenp 8-8 sober; possibly more with a hit to the bong
downriviera 10-6 with the caveat of a healthy Stafford
downriviera 8-8 without Stafford
gnome 11-5
firstandten 8-8
-and my call at 8-8

So far all of us have predicted at least a .500 season. What happened? All of the naysayers and bandwagon jumpers scramble off and have become Eagles fans alluva sudden?

I don't have an issue with someone if they think we'll be less than that but give me some evidence that this bunch will collapse like a house of wet toilet paper. The excuses that this team still sucks because they're owned by Old Man Ford are well... about as old as Old Man Ford himself. We can't flog on Millen's sorry ass any longer although we still have a few of his draft picks. The history of this franchise in our lifetime sucks and it's documented already. We get it. But let's enjoy the Lions butter for awhile. We finished strong last year. We've got stability. And I dare say we're trending up. If you disagree... bring it on.

With 2 game to go its coming right down to the wire. Who will win the DetroitYes Lion's prediction contest. Will the Lion's lose both games giving Smogboy the crown. Can they win them both with Gnome taking the spoils. Or will they split, and Downriviera is victorious. Good luck gentleman.

[gnome]

It is with humble joy I crawl back on scabby knees to beg forgiveness. Forgiveness for doubting the Blue and Silver will-to-win.

Tremendous 2:11. Outstanding play calling and execution.

The Turbin was off.

[smogboy]

With 2 game to go its coming right down to the wire. Who will win the DetroitYes Lion's prediction contest. Will the Lion's lose both games giving Smogboy the crown. Can they win them both with Gnome taking the spoils. Or will they split, and Downriviera is victorious. Good luck gentleman.

I'd be willing to be leapfrogged by Downriviera and his 10-6 prediction. And I'd be ecstatic to hand over the Prediction Crown to gnome and his 11-5. I don't need to be right with my 9-7 prediction.

This recent game versus the Raiders was a nail biter. Talk about excitement. Never once were we truly out of the game but we hardly looked as though we were going to steamroll the Raiders either. It could've been either team's for the taking. It was literally like watching a prize fight between two heavyweights- each one slugging it out, hoping for the other to make a mistake, and hoping to get in the last punch before it was all said and done. Matthew Stafford obviously brought in the knockout punch with his great last minute execution. His scramble to get the first down was gutsy and he found the right people to throw to when he had to. I thought he started off slow and the Raiders defense played pretty well against the pass. Beyond that one fumble where Curry took it in for the TD, I thought Stafford had pretty decent ball & clock management.

To see Calvin Johnson have a career game was might nice too. Especially after going silent for so long, it was nice to see him establish himself as the premier receiver in the league again. Kudos also need to go out to Nate Burleson and Titus Young for coming back as well; when Detroit can spread the offense around- I think this team can seriously put some big number up on the board. It's when we're only keying on one hot receiver and the others go cold is when this team falters. Brandon Pettigrew also played decent but I thought he still could've contributed a little more. He had far too many open looks and far too many dropped balls for a guy his size. When this team can't run, I've often looked to Pettigrew as the replacement for the running game. His short yardage grabs can be key to this team's long term success until we can get a solid dependable runner in the backfield.

Three sacks and numerous solid holds by the defense also kept us in the game. Our defense held up very well in third down situations [[Oakland went 1-7) and that kept us pushing back. I still wish we could somehow stop the over pursuit on the edges at times. Oakland and few other teams seem to gash us pretty well throughout the game. Other teams are starting to do a lot of that and using our aggressive front four's surge against them. How many times did we see Vanden Bosch's side lose containment tonight? Fortunately this year we've at least got some linebacker help to support it, but still I think Gunther Cunningham needs to counter that somehow, especially against the faster backs coming around. But quietly and effectively this linebacking group seems to have been one of the biggest improvements over the groups from the past.

And while many would predict a meltdown of epic proportions by both teams penalty wise, I didn't see anything too horrific beyond that one helmet-to-helmet hit on Carey on the return. It was a pretty clean hard hitting game. It didn't seem as though Detroit's penalties were of the drive killing variety that has often plagued them. It's not to say that we still shouldn't cut down on them but 9 penalties for 72 yards isn't bad.

An exciting win nevertheless. We just might have enough to get into the playoff with this but ideally let's seal the deal by beating San Diego next week and maybe even beat the Green Bay Packers, who really don't have anything to play for any more now that they've lost the perfect record. I wonder if they might even sandbag the last game and play more of the second stringers hoping to get themselves ready for the post season. And if this weekend's quirky scoreboard can attest to, anyone can win a game on any given weekend- let's get into the post season and add to some of that quirkiness!

[gnome]

That 11-5 prediction came before practices even started ... And well before LeShore became le sore with a blown Achilles. I believe I revised my prediction to 10 and 6 after preseason was completed.

Not being a welcher, just want to check with the old posts.

[Thruster315]

That 11-5 prediction came before practices even started ... And well before LeShore became le sore with a blown Achilles. I believe I revised my prediction to 10 and 6 after preseason was completed.

Not being a welcher, just want to check with the old posts.

Regardless whether you had the pre-season pick of 11-5 or the amended 10-6, you've been pretty ballsy with your pics and can discuss this team pretty intelligently. You bring it on strong and just don't rant for rant's sake. You're passionate for this team and why wouldn't you be if you're posting on this thread? Every week, win or lose you talk discuss this team intelligently; you're not some Johnny-Come-Lately fresh meat on the Bandwagon nor are you some hit-and-run with flippant weak comments.

I'm glad for guys like you and so many of the others here who have the Lions passion week after week. Regardless of what the Lions end up with at the end of the season for a record, playoffs or not- I think we can all agree they've made some pretty big Calvin Johnson-esque strides out of the box. They've improved drastically and they're not perfect but they're a helluva lot better than they've been. STFU and let's all savor it.

[Downriviera]

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Ndamukong Suh, for blocking Janikowski's field goal attempt. I've been tortured for years watching replays of Dempsey's kick beating the Lion's. To have to spend the rest of my life watching replays of Janikowski beating us would have been a living hell. All is forgiven in my book.

[kenp]

Two weeks in a row the fickle finger of fate was on our side. Maybe things are changing. In 1970 against New Orleans we had them beat and that f'ing Dempsey kicks a 63 yarder to beat us. It was the same thing Sunday, a 64 yarder for the win, wow what a great ending.
Our time management in the last minute was not great, we get the ball down to the 7 with a minute left and run willy nilly down the field in a panic and unorganized get a play off and get a holding call. Thankfully we scored but we left to much time on the clock. With their kicker they have a great shot at making a long field goal. And then the celebration after the TD, stupid.
Its all good though, great comeback and win. Thankfully Palmer missed a couple gimmie's and our lack of a run game didnt kill us. Lions played with heart, give them a lot of credit. Geez we were down to Wendling at safety.
San Diego game will be huge, lets get a win!!

[Thruster315]

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Ndamukong Suh, for blocking Janikowski's field goal attempt. I've been tortured for years watching replays of Dempsey's kick beating the Lion's. To have to spend the rest of my life watching replays of Janikowski beating us would have been a living hell. All is forgiven in my book.

Not wanting to spoil the good vibe going here about Suh getting a hand on the field goal attempt by any means, but even if Janikowski would've gotten the kick off cleanly- we'll never know if he would've made it or not.

Odds are he was going to have that kick blocked or missed though. The percentage of making it from that unreal distance would've been astronomical; it was going to be an NFL record. In order for him to get the distance, the trajectory would've been super low which is ideal for a guy like Suh to swat out of the air. I even read somewhere that they even had Calvin Johnson leaping up in the middle to block that kick. And even if he had gotten the kick through, what were the odds he was going to be accurate? It very well could've fell short, gone wide left, wide right or even hit the post.

We'll never know and quite frankly I don't want to know. What happened has happened and it will be forever in the NFL records as a W for our team.