Detroit Lions Weblog

Hey Tommie Harris, Scoreboard!!!

In a game that effectively ended the Bears season Sunday, Tommie Harris’ pre-game guarantee of a victory seemed to have little or no impact on the play of his teammates.  In fact, the Bears, even with all of their success in recent seasons, are about as lost as any team in the NFL right now, in my opinion.

However, in Sunday’s game, the demise of the Bears was far from the most significant occurrence.   The Lions near-inconceivable emergence as legitimate playoff contenders, in a parity-saturated league where mediocrity is king, was bolstered mightily. 

The Lions certainly don’t provide their fans with much cause for relaxation (a games final outcome is never completely in hand) and they certainly don’t garner many style points for the methods they utilize in achieving victory.   That being said, Rod Marinelli’s Robert Duvall in “Apocalypse Now”-demeanor and Robert Bly-style male power affirmations seemed to have a taken a firm hold, and potentially have begun to transform the pathetic Lions franchise. 

As the season takes shape for the Lions, they seem to be developing a previously non-eixstent intangible for ekeing out narrow victories, where previously they would have been more inclined to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.    The Lions defense, warts and all, has developed into a physically imposing, opportunistic bunch in spite of the relative success their opponents have enjoyed in moving the ball against them.

Offensively, the emergence of Kevin Jones, better play from their offensive line, and Jon Kitna’s recent ability to manage the game more effectively, and dial offensive turnovers down a notch, have all led to the very distinct possibility that this team will play meaningful games throughout the month of November. Unfathomable.

It’s surprising to me that the Lions are halfway to the seemingly premature prognostication of 10 victories by QB Jon Kitna. A 5-4 finish will get the Lions to those fabled 10 wins.   There still will be difficulties along the way, but as a Lions fan, all I really want to see is the continued tell-tale signs that a Lions season is not a complete exercise in futility.