1
Dec
2011
Pure Michigan Ad Parody: Lions Fans Redux (VIDEO)
Last year, we posted this spoof of those “Pure Michigan” TV ads that have been running around the country, which examined the sheer insanity of being a Lions fan.Well, they’re back with the 2011 edition of “Pure Michigan: Detroit Lions”, which focuses on the newfound bad-boy image of this year’s club.
With Jim Schwartz (“a madman who can barely stay on the sidelines”) and Ndamukong Suh (“wanted for murder in 11 states”) leading the charge, the Lions and their fans have discovered a brand new swagger … one that just may transcend winning and losing:
To be honest, I’m not sure that highlighting murders in Detroit is going to have the desired effect of boosting tourism in the state … ya know, since they’ve had a bit of a problem with that, and all.
2
Nov
2011
Ndamukong Suh speaks with Roger Goodell to clarify rules against his awesomeness
Suh was fined $20k for this hit on Andy Dalton during the preseason (Photo: BleacherReport.com)
Detroit Lions’ DT Ndamukong Suh sat down with commissioner Roger Goodell yesterday in New York, to help gain a better understanding of the NFL’s rules as it relates to Suh’s particularly physical style of play. Suh initiated the meeting himself, having been flagged for three personal fouls already this season, and fined three times (for a total of $42,000) for over-zealous hits since entering the league in 2009. As a result, Suh has started to gain a reputation as a dirty player, and was looking for some clarity during Detroit’s bye week as to exactly what he’s doing wrong.
This preseason, Suh hypothesized that he “put refs in a tough situation because of his strength” … in other words, he’s just too much of a beast for the pro game, and referees have no choice but to throw a flag when faced with his awesomeness. And there’s probably a bit of truth to that statement, since it often seems as though Suh simply overpowers opposing lineman on his way into the backfield and destroys anything that gets in his path. So, Suh understandably wanted to know if the issue can really be fixed by adjusting his technique, or if it’s an unavoidable result of the way he plays the game.
16
Oct
2011
Jim Harbaugh celebration sparks confrontation with Jim Schwartz (VIDEO)
Jim vs Jim (Photo via Imgur.com)
Today’s marquee matchup (that nobody saw coming) saw the 49ers edge out Detroit 29-24 and hand the Lions their first loss of the season, moving both teams to 5-1. Following the game, 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh was understandably excited, but his enthusiasm rubbed Jim Schwartz the wrong way, leading to a confrontation between the two coaches and both teams as they headed toward the tunnel.
As the clock hit zero, Harbaugh jumped and celebrated across the field en route to the traditional post-game coaches handshake. The first-year Niners coach bounded toward Schwartz, grabbing his hand and delivering a hearty smack to the back of the Lions coach before continuing his celebration and running toward the locker room. Schwartz took exception to Harbaugh’s over-exuberance and chased him down, delivering a shoulder blow and saying something in Harbaugh’s ear before 49ers players and personell got between the two (Harbaugh can be seen simply saying “Get out of my face”). More players then rushed to their coaches’ defense, nearly igniting a much-larger brawl between both teams that never really escalated.
WATCH THE VIDEO OF THE SKIRMISH AFTER THE JUMP
7
Nov
2010
VIDEO: Ndamukong Suh and Wes Welker step in for injured kickers
300-lb Ndamukong Suh tees one up against the Jets (AP Photo/The Detroit News, Daniel Mears)
Today was an interesting day in the NFL for kickers. Lions DT Ndamukong Suh is the early favorite for defensive rookie of the year, having made his impact felt on the league with 6-1/2 sacks already this year. Suh’s combination of size, quickness and super-human strength make him nearly impossible to block, and barring injury, he immediately gives Detroit a solid foundation for their defense for years to come. Not to mention a nice & easy chant for the fans after every good defensive play.
But we saw a new side of Suh this afternoon, when he was called upon to fill in for injured Lions K Jason Hanson to attempt an extra point. Unfortunately, the kick bounced off the right upright, and the miss would end up haunting Detroit:
The Lions really could have used that point, eventually losing 23-20 in OT to the Jets. According to Head Coach Jim Schwartz, Suh, who played soccer growing up, is apparently officially the Lions back-up kicker. From the Washington Post:
“There’s no question that Ndamukong is our backup field goal kicker” … “He’s done it in practice. We have a lot of confidence that he could kick it. It put him in a difficult situation because he went out without any warmups. … Probably should have called a timeout, given him time to get ready.”
WATCH VIDEO OF WELKER’S PAT AFTER THE JUMP
23
Nov
2009
Game of the Week Highlights: Lions vs Browns – Stafford shoulders the win
Matt Stafford breaks away from a member of the Lions training staff to re-enter the game against the Browns (Photo: JULIAN H. GONZALEZ/DFP)
Heading into week 11 of the NFL season, one game stood out as the match-up that nobody wanted to see – the 1-8 Detroit Lions vs the 1-8 Cleveland Browns. The worst teams from both conferences squaring off in a game that was barely even broadcast on TV in their home markets. Feel the power. But by Sunday evening, this clash of the basement-dwellers stood out from the pack as the most competitive, action-packed game of the week. And the ending was certainly the most memorable!
The Browns jumped out to a lead on the arm of Brady Quinn, who threw for three 1st quarter TDs, and had Cleveland feeling good early. But rookie #1 pick Matt Stafford led the Lions on a gutsy comeback with 4 TDs of his own, giving them one last shot to win the game as time expired.
If you don’t know what happened by now, you can watch the complete game highlights below … or fast forward to around 5:10 to see the big finish (game recap here):
Peter King describes exactly what happened on those final two plays , including what went down after Stafford seemingly threw a pick to end the game as time ran out. But a pass interference penalty – along with an unnecessary timeout by Eric Mangini – allowed Stafford to re-enter the game after injuring his shoulder to throw the go-ahead score. Against the wishes of Lions team doctors.
UPDATE: Stafford suffered an AC joint separation in his non-throwing (left) shoulder. He is likely to miss Thursday’s Lions game against the Packers, but it doesn’t look like a long-term injury.
And while it’s yet another brutal loss for Cleveland and their fans (and TheDarkHorse may kill me for this post), the win marks the coming out party for Matt Stafford as a QB who now has earned the respect of his teammates, along with the city of Detroit. Head Coach Jim Schwartz summed it up best after the game:
“His best play wasn’t the last play, or the second-to-last,” Schwartz told me. “His best play was eluding four of our medical guys to get back onto the field.”
By playing through the pain and carrying the team on his shoulders (literally), Stafford has given hope to a franchise that hasn’t felt that emotion since Barry Sanders left town. And that’s a pretty big accomplishment in and of itself.
