The Detroit Lions

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Detroit Lions vs New Orleans Saints preview

With a record of 6-7-1, you would think there isn't much cause for optimism in Detroit; but that record is good enough for first place in the NFC North! The Packers, still on their slide, are just behind them at 6-8 with a season-ending showdown with Detroit coming up next week... Green Bay faces the 1-13 Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football...

Detroit is almost completely healthy, but their confidence is no doubt shaken. Brian Griese and Byron Leftwich split reps at camp 50-50 this week; and rumors swirl that Brian is on a short leash with the season on the line. In related news: quarterback Chris Leak has been released and UDFA rookie Corey Parrish has been signed as the 4th qb. Parrish, 22, is a kid from Darmouth. He's got pretty standard size at 6-2, 208, although his arm strength has been questioned. He has shown good accuracy and anticipation, although whether he'll get a shot in some garbage time this year or maybe just being held on to for next preseason remains to be seen.

(WR Coach Shawn Jefferson took WR physical 4, his rating is now 20)

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Defense collapses as Lions miss out on upset!

Detroit came into this game as a huge underdog, but almost pulled off the upset. Leading late in the game, the Lions were unable to stop the Saints from marching down the field and taking the lead. They also couldn't stop consecutive 2-pt conversions either. There are definitely questions to be answered in the defensive meeting room this week.

Both teams moved the ball well, combining tough runs with quick strikes; and for the first time in a long time, Detroit didn't turn the ball over. Shaun Alexander left the game late with an arm injury - and the team is holding their breath he's ok for their season finale vs. Packers.

New Orleans Saints at Detroit Lions
Dec 21, 2008	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
New Orleans Saints (11-3)	7	7	3	16	33
Detroit Lions (6-7-1)	10	6	3	7	26

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		NOR	DET
13:50	(NOR) Marques Colston 70yd rec. (Brown PAT)	7	0
08:30	(DET) Garrett Wolfe 13yd rec (Hanson PAT)	7	7
01:20	(DET) Jason Hanson 29yd FG	7	10
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		NOR	DET
12:01	(NOR) Marques Colston 23yd rec (Brown PAT)	14	10
01:57	(DET) Jason Hanson 28yd FG	14	13
00:00	(DET) Jason Hanson 21yd FG	14	16
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		NOR	DET
09:27	(DET) Jason Hanson 53yd FG	14	19
06:34	(NOR) Josh Brown 50yd FG	17	19
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		NOR	DET
06:34	(NOR) Deuce McAllister 4 yd TD (Deuce 2pt run)	25	19
02:09	(DET) Roy Williams 24yd rec (Hanson PAT)	25	26
00:22	(NOR) Reggie Bush 1yd run (Colston 2pt rec)	33	26

New Orleans Saints PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Drew Brees 22/32 291 2 2 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Reggie Bush 11 42 1 Deuce McAllister 2 5 1 Drew Brees 1 -2 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Terrence Copper 8 64 0 Reggie Bush 5 41 0 Marques Colston 5 130 2 Mike Furrey 2 34 0 Desmond Clark 1 11 0 Lance Moore 1 11 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Charle Grant 7-5 4 0 0 Will Smith 3-1 1 0 0 Sedrick Ellis 3-1 1 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Josh Brown 1/1 2/2 5 50

Detroit Lions PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Brian Griese 16/28 225 2 0 Byron Leftwich 0/1 0 0 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Shaun Alexander 20 116 0 Brian Calhoun 8 7 0 Jerome Felton 2 5 0 Brian Griese 2 -2 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Roy Williams 7 131 1 Quinn Sypniewski 4 49 0 Bryant Johnson 2 35 0 Eddie Drummond 1 -1 0 Garrett Wolfe 1 13 1 Shaun Alexander 1 -2 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Matt Roth 4-4 3 0 0 Mike Patterson 2-1 1 0 0 Dominique Cromartie 3-0 0 1 0 Leigh Bodden 3-0 0 1 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Jason Hanson 4/4 2/2 14 54

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MILESTONES:
MAKING THEIR MARK ON HISTORY

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Edgerrin James has passed Tony Dorsett for 7th place all-time with 12,761 yards. He has also passed Priest Holmes for 14th most rushing touchdowns. He now has 88.

Ty Law has tied Darren Sharper and Aeneas Williams for 17th most interceptions all-time. He now has 55.

Our "SHOUT OUT" goes to Derrick Mason, who has just passed the 10,000 yard receiving mark.

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LIONS AT PACKERS PREVIEW
THE BATTLE FOR THE DIVISION CROWN

This Sunday, the NFC North will be decided when the Lions face the Packers. Neither team has the look of a division champion, as they are both on impressive losing streaks, guaranteeing the division will be won by a team with only 7 wins.

The Packers and Seahawks are both hurting - the Seahawks without Shaun Alexander, the NFL's leading rusher; and the Packers without their top running back, Ryan Grant - as well as cornerback Charles Woodson.

Daunte Culpepper will still be leading a dangerous Packers team, with one of the best young receiver groups in the NFC. The defense is also tough, as evidenced by the Packers earlier victory over the Lions, 7-6.

With the injury to Shaun Alexander, Coach Billick called up an old warhorse, RB Mike Anderson. Anderson, 34, was with the Ravens the last two years, and once rushed for 1500 yards with the Broncos. He'll be asked to do some of the heavy lifting for Brian Calhoun. Reserve C Dan Stevenson was released in a corresponding move.

This is the gut check of all gut checks... a December game on the road to decide the division... Can the Lions roar or will this be their new mascot?

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LIONS WIN THE NFC NORTH!!
TOUCHDOWN IN THE CLOSING SECONDS GIVES DETROIT THE WIN

On a frigid day in Wisconsin, the Lions and Packers battled for the NFC North crown. Both teams struggled all year, the Lions, at 6-8-1; and the Packers, at 6-9, both limped into this contest dealing with multiple key injuries.

Through it all, their veteran quarterbacks held the teams together as they established themselves as leaders despite their own struggles. Daunte Culpepper and Brian Griese had both been around the league, and hoped leading their respective teams into the playoffs would be enough to land them the security of a long-term contract. (and regain some respect)

The game, just like the first meeting between these two teams in week 2, was a knockdown-dragout defensive war. The only scoring through the first 59 minutes and 40 seconds was just a pair of field goals from Mason Crosby. The Lions eschewed a field goal attempt late when they tried to score on a 4th down pass; and it didn't seem like they would get another chance.

There were numerous mistakes by the Lions that seemed destined to help the Packers win - as the 3 of the Lions first 4 possessions ended with turnovers: 2 fumbles and an interception; but the defense kept the Packers out of the end zone.

Finally, with just a minute and ten seconds left in the game, the Packers punted to the Lions; and the most important drive of Brian Griese's career began.

Brian was able to complete several passes, and luckily a couple of them were to the sidelines where they could get the clock stopped, as they were out of timeouts. Finally, with only 20 seconds left in the Lions season, Brian Griese was able to hit Roy Williams as he got open in the middle of the end zone. The PAT sealed it, and the Lions, with a record of 7-8-1, had won the NFC North, ironically by the same score (reversed) they lost to the Packers with in week 2.

Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers
Dec 28, 2008	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Detroit Lions (6-8-1)	0	0	0	7	7
Green Bay Packers (6-9)	0	3	3	6	6

Scoring Summary
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		DET	GNB
11:23	(GNB) Mason Crosby 39yd FG	0	3
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		DET	GNB
10:58	(GNB) Mason Crosby 47yd FG	0	6
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		DET	GNB
00:20	(DET) Roy Williams 8yd rec (Hanson PAT)	7	6

Detroit Lions PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Brian Griese 17/29 180 1 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Brian Calhoun 16 63 0 Mike Anderson 8 47 0 Brian Griese 3 -6 0 David Kirtman 2 5 0 Jerome Felton 2 8 0 Byron Leftwich 1 2 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Quinn Sypniewski 5 68 0 Scott Chandler 3 38 0 Brian Calhoun 2 24 0 Bryant Johnson 2 17 0 Roy Williams 2 15 1 Garrett Wolfe 1 12 0 David Kirtman 1 5 0 Mike Anderson 1 1 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Jarrett Johnson 8-1 0 0 0 Ernie Sims 8-1 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Jason Hanson 0/0 1/1 1 -

Green Bay Packers PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Daunte Culpepper 15/20 118 0 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Vernand Morency 21 29 0 Daunte Culpepper 3 23 0 Kory Hall 1 5 0 James Jones 1 0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD David Lee 5 33 0 Greg Jennings 3 21 0 James Jones 3 21 0 Donald Driver 3 37 0 Angelo Holiday 1 6 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Dre Moore 2-1 1 0 0 Al Harris 5-0 0 1 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Mason Crosby 2/3 0/0 6 47

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2008 NFL Pro Bowl Rosters
AFC Offense	Pos	Votes	NFC Offense	Pos	Votes
Peyton Manning	QB	Colts	Donovan McNabb	QB	Eagles
Tom Brady	QB	Patriots	Eli Manning	QB	Giants
Derek Anderson	QB	Browns	Tony Romo	QB	Cowboys
Joseph Addai	HB	Colts	Brian Westbrook	HB	Eagles
Marshawn Lynch	HB	Bills	Reggie Bush	HB	Saints
Ronnie Brown	HB	Dolphins	Shaun Alexander	HB	Lions
Ahmard Hall	FB	Titans	Madison Hedgecock	FB	Giants
Lawrence Vickers	FB	Browns	Peyton Hillis - rookie	FB	Eagles
Braylon Edwards	WR	Browns	Reggie Brown	WR	Eagles
Reggie Wayne	WR	Colts	Marques Colston	WR	Saints
Marvin Harrison	WR	Colts	Plaxico Burress	WR	Giants
TJ Houshmandzadeh	WR	Bengals	Patrick Crayton	WR	Cowboys
Chad Johnson	WR	Bengals	Deion Branch	WR	Seattle
Brandon Marshall	WR	Broncos	Bobby Engram	WR	Seattle
Tony Gonzalez	TE	Chiefs	Kevin Boss	TE	Giants
Antonio Gates	TE	Chargers	Alge Crumpler	TE	Bucs
Ben Watson	TE	Patriots	Jason Witten	TE	Cowboys
Marcus McNeil	T	Chargers	Alex Barron	T	Rams
Jeromy Clary	T	Chargers	William Thomas	T	Eagles
David Stewart	T	Titans	Kareem McKenzie	T	Giants
Marvel Smith	T	Steelers	Zach Fitzgerald - rookie	T	Rams
Kris Dielman	G	Chargers	Stacy Andrews	G	Panthers
Vince Manuwai	G	Jaguars	Matt Setterstrom	G	Rams
Ryan Lilja	G	Colts	Chris Snee	G	Giants
Alan Fanaca	G	Broncos	Brandon Albert - rookie	G	Cardinals
Nick Hardwick	C	Chargers	Jeff Faine	C	Bucs
Tom Nalen	C	Broncos	Andre Gurode	C	Cowboys
AFC Defense	Pos	Votes	NFC Defense	Pos	Votes
Mario Williams	DE	Texans	Charles Grant	DE	Saints
Ty Warren	DE	Patriots	Gaines Adams	DE	Bucs
Robert Mathis	DE	Colts	Aaron Kampman	DE	Packers
Derrick Harvey - rookie	DE	Bills	Patrick Kerney	DE	Seatlle
Amobi Okoye	DT	Texans	Rod Coleman	DT	Bucs
Anttaj Hawthorne	DT	Titans	Sedrick Ellis - rookie	DT	Saints
Athya Rubin	DT	Jaguars	Chris Hovan	DT	Bucs
Keith Bullock	OLB	Titans	Lance Briggs	OLB	Bears
Donnie Edwards	OLB	Chiefs	DeMarcus Ware	OLB	Cowboys
Kamerian Wimbley	OLB	Browns	Thomas Davis	OLB	Panthers
Jerod Mayo - rookie	OLB	Jaguars	Ernie Sims	OLB	Lions
Adalius Thomas	MLB	Patriots	Jon Beason	MLB	Panthers
Stephen Cooper	MLB	Chargers	Brian Urlacher	MLB	Bears
Randall Gay	CB	Bills	Chris Houston	CB	Falcons
Marlin Jackson	CB	Colts	Cedric Tillman	CB	Bears
Aqib Talib - rookie	CB	Titans	Lito Sheppard	CB	Eagles
Will Allen	CB	Dolphins	Sam Madison	CB	Giants
Eric Weddle	FS	Chargers	OJ Atogwe	FS	Giants
Ken Hamlin	FS	Bills	Eugene Wilson	FS	Saints
Donte Whitner	SS	Bills	Michael Boulware	SS	Giants
Troy Polamalu	SS	Steelers	Adrian Wilson	SS	Cardinals
AFC Special Teams	Pos	Votes	NFC Special Teams	Pos	Votes
Adam Vinatieri	K	Colts	Josh Brown	K	Saints
Craig Hentrich	P	Titans	Michael Koenen	P	Seattle

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Congratulations to Shaun Alexander and Ernie Sims on being selected to the Pro Bowl!

( #TBT Here's a pic of each from college, Shaun from Alabama and Ernie from Florida State!)

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Shaun Alexander was the NFL's leading rushing prior to his injury that kept him out of week 17. He ended up 2nd overall, with 1,607 yards (5.5 yards per carry!). #1, Ronnie Brown, had 1,648. Shaun also had 15 rushing touchdowns, tied for second in the league. (He also had 6 catches for 100 yards this season)

Ernie Sims was in the top 10 in several categories, and ended this season as the Lions' leading tackler. He had 113 tackles, with 24 for loss. He added two sacks and one interception.

Congratulations to both of the Detroit Lions 2008 Pro Bowlers!

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2008 Final Individual Statistics

NFL League Leaders - Updated: Dec 29, 2008
Passing Yards			Passing Touchdowns
	1. Drew Brees	4837		1. Eli Manning	41
	2. Tony Romo	4811		2. Donovan McNabb	38
	3. Tom Brady	4695		3. Matt Hasselbeck	35
	4. Donovan McNabb	4676		4. Peyton Manning (tied)	34
	5. Peyton Manning	4643		5. Tony Romo/Tom Brady	34
Rushing Yards			Rushing Touchdowns
	1. Ronnie Brown	1648		1. Larry Johnson (tied)	16
	2. Shaun Alexander	1607		2. Rudi Johnson	16
	3. Marshawn Lynch	1437		3. Shaun Alexander (tied)	15
	4. LaDanian Tomlinson	1396		4. Reggie Bush	15
	5. Maurice Jones-Drew	1307		5. Joseph Addai	15
Receptions			Receiving Yards
	1. Reggie Bush	117		1. Marvin Harrison	1591
	2. Reggie Brown	116		2. Reggie Brown	1520
	3. Marques Colston	106		3. TJ Houshmandzadeh	1489
	4. Patrick Crayton	105		4. Tony Gonzalez	1458
	5. Braylon Edwards	104		5. Braylon Edwards	1443
Receiving Touchdowns
	1. Brandon Marshall	16		1.
	2. Brian Westbrook	14		2.
	3. Plaxico Burress (tied)	13		3.
	4. Reggie Wayne	13		4.
	5. Darrell Jackson	12		5.

NFL League Leaders - Updated: Dec 29, 2008
Tackles			Sacks
	1. Patrick Willis	154		1. Mario Williams	19
	2. Lance Briggs	144		2. Charles Grant	15
	3. Brian Urlacher	135		3. Derrick Harvey (rookie)	13
	4. Kirk Morrison	134		4. Aaron Kampman (tied)	12
	5. Jon Beason	132		5. Kamerion Wimbley	12
Interceptions			Forced Fumbles
	1. OJ Atogwe	11		1. Ernie Sims	6
	2. Chris Houston	9		2. Patrick Willis (tied)	5
	3. Lito Sheppard (tied)	8		3. DeMorio Williams	5
	4. Will Allen	8		4. Randall Gay	5
	5. Lance Briggs	8		5. Brian Urlacher	5
Field Goals			Punting Average (Min 20 punts)
	1. Josh Brown (tied)	26		1. Shane Lechler	44.4
	2. Adam Vinatieri	26		2. Michael Koenen	43.8
	3. Jason Elam (tied)	25		3. Ryan Plackemeier (tied)	43.3
	4. Rian Lindell	25		4. Bryan Moorman	43.3
	5. Olinde Mare/Phil Dawson	24		5. Matt Scifres	43.1
Kick Return (min 20)			Punt Return (min 20)
	1. Steve Breaston	30.6		1. Patrick Lee (rookie)	11.2
	2. Lorenzo Booker	30.5		2. Philip Buchanon	9.6
	3. Antonio Cromartie (tied)	30.4		3. Chris Davis	9.0
	4. Philip Buchanon	30.4		4. Darren Sproles (tied)	8.8
	5. Eddie Drummond	29.9		5. Leodis McKelvin (rookie)	8.8