The Detroit Lions

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2008 NFL AWARDS

2008 NFL Awards
Award	Player	Pos	Team
Most Valuable Player	Brian Westbrook	RB	Philadelphia Eagles
Offensive Player of the Year	Brian Westbrook	RB	Philadelphia Eagles
Defensive Player of the Year	OJ Atogwe	FS	New York Giants
Offensive Rookie of the Year	Malcolm Kelly	WR	New England Patriots
Defensive Rookie of the Year	Aqib Talib	CB	Tennessee Titans
Coach of the Year	Andy Reid	HC	Philadelphia Eagles

Award	Player	Pos	Team
Best Quarterback	Peyton Manning		Indianaoplis Colts
Best Running Back	Brian Westbrook		Philadelphia Eagles
Best Wide Receiver	Reggie Wayne		Indianapolis Colts
Best Offensive Lineman	Marcus McNeill		San Diego Chargers
Best Defensive Lineman	Mario Williams		Houston Texans
Best Linebacker	Keith Bullock		Tennessee Titans
Best Defensive Back	OJ Atogwe		New York Giants
Best Kicker	Robbie Gould		Chicago Bears

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WILD CARD WEEKEND

Jacksonville Jaguars @ San Diego Chargers

New Orleans Saints @ Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans @ Cincinnati Bengals

New York Giants @ Detroit Lions


My meaningless predictions:
Jaguars
Seattle
Tennessee
Detroit

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WILD CARD PREVIEW

Somehow, someway, the Detroit Lions made it to the playoffs. Their reward: a matchup against the 13-3 New York Giants.

The Giants, led by NFL Passing Touchdown leader Eli Manning (41 tds) and a brutal ground assault, are 14.5 point favorites. The Giants are healthy too, save for reserve DE Kenny Iwebema. The Lions, still without leading rusher Shaun Alexander, will have to be flexible but balanced to have any hope of slowing the Giants down.

A quick rundown of the Giants roster:

Eli Manning is the quarterback. His backup is rookie Kevin O'Connell

Brandon Jacobs leads the rushing attack alongside speedster Ahmad Bradshaw and rookie Ray Rice.

Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer are the starting wide receivers, with Steve Smith and David Tyree behind them. Jeremy Shockey is the starting Tight End.

3 of the Giants 5 offensive linemen went to the Pro Bowl: LT David Diehl, RG Chris Snee, and RT Kareem McKenzie. Rookie C Barry McKinnie has been outstanding as well. Some considered it a shock that LG Jacob Bell didn't make the Pro Bowl.

Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora are the starting ends, but Justin Tuck sees plenty of playing time. If there's a weakness, it's the starting DTs as the trio of Fred Robbins, Barry Cofield and William Joseph have been average at best. It's a shame that Shaun Alexander is out, as a power back like him could really exploit this.

Antonio Pierce is the MLB, flanked by Mathias Kiwinauka and Takeo Spikes. A very good tackling trio. Our tight ends might be able to find some success, however, as they aren't known as great coverage linebackers.

Aaron Ross is the lead corner, althout 34 year old Sam Madison played at such a high level, he was rewarded with a trip to the Pro Bowl. FS OJ Atogwe was the defensive player of the year; and SS Michael Boulware was also named to the Pro Bowl.

John Hall and Jeff Feagles combined age is 76, but both are still among the best at their positions...

The Detroit Lions have their work cut out for them, no doubt, if they hope to win their first playoff game since 1991.

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LIONS FALL TO GIANTS

The Detroit Lions, at 7-8-1, were unlikely division champions; but there they were, representing the NFC North division against a 13-3 wild card team. Not just any wild card team, last year's Super Bowl Champion New York Giants!

The game started with both defenses setting the tone, and through most of the first half, all either team could muster was a few field goals. Even those weren't sure points, as each team missed a field goal in the first half.

The last 2 minutes of the first half, however, was as exciting as any game this season. It started simply enough, with a Jason Hanson field goal - the first points of the day for the Lions. The Giants started their next possession with decent field position; but on third down, Lions rookie phenom Dominique Cromartie picked off Eli Manning and raced 38 yards for a touchdown.

The Giants took their next possession and went three-and-out. The Lions, thinking to just run out the clock, handed the ball to Garrett Wolfe, who took a simple up the gut run and squeaked through the line, breaking to the outside, he raced 63 yards for a touchdown!

The Giants weren't done, however, as veteran cb R.W. McQuarters took the ensuing kick off 92 yards for the score. 24 points were scored in 59 seconds... Insanity.

The Lions had the lead, but without Shaun Alexander, could not get any run game going, and the Giants slowly creeped back into the lead, and then extended it as even when their drives stalled, they were able to kick field goals and put the game out of reach.

New York Giants at Detroit Lions
Jan 4, 2008	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
New York Giants (13-3)	0	3
Detroit Lions (7-8-1)	0

Scoring Summary
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		NYG	DET
10:51	(NYG) John Hall 30yd FG	3	0
04:28	(NYG) John Hall 22 yd FG	6	0
01:52	(DET) Jason Hanson 52yd FG	6	3
01:33	(DET) Dominique Cromartie 38yd int. (Hanson PAT)	6	10
01:03	(DET) Garrett Wolfe 63yd Run (Hanson PAT)	6	17
00:51	(NYG) RW McQuarters 92yd KO return (Hall PAT)	13	17
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		NYG	DET
02:46	(NYG) Amani Toomer 8yd rec (Hall PAT)	20	17
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		NYG	DET
12:07	(NYG) Ray Rice 10yd run (Hall PAT)	27	17
09:10	(DET) Bryant Johnson 5yd rec (Hanson PAT)	27	24
03:28	(NYG) John Hall 22yd FG	30	24
00:27	(NYG) John Hall 49yd FG	33	24

New York Giants PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Eli Manning 23/43 254 1 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Brandon Jacobs 20 88 0 Ray Rice 4 23 1 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Plaxico Burress 7 95 0 Amani Toomer 7 86 1 Madison Hedgecock 5 34 0 Steve Smith 2 26 0 Kevin Boss 2 13 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Mathias Kiwanuka 8-6 1 0 0 Michael Strahan 4-2 1 0 0 OJ Atogwe 4-0 0 1 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG John Hall 4/5 3/3 15 50

Detroit Lions PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Brian Griese 12/27 192 1 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Brian Calhoun 14 24 0 Mike Anderson 7 6 0 Garrett Wolfe 2 70 1 Jerome Felton 2 1 0 Brian Griese 1 -4 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Bryant Johnson 5 74 1 Roy Williams 3 34 0 Scott Chandler 1 21 0 James Hardy 1 17 0 Quinn Sypniewski 1 26 0 Brian Calhoun 1 20 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Leigh Bodden 7-0 0 0 0 Gerald Alexander 7-0 0 0 0 Ernie Sims 7-1 0 0 0 Dominique Cromartie 6-0 0 1 1 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Jason Hanson 1/2 3/3 6 52

OTHER WILDCARD WEEKEND SCORES:

Jacksonville Jaguars 23, San Diego Chargers 20 (OT)

New Orleans Saints 31, Seattle Seahawks 28 (OT)

Tennessee Titans 28, Cincinnati Bengals 25


As for the Lions, it's time to start planning for next season...

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Re: The Detroit Lions

2008 Final Team Stats

Detroit Lions Stats - 2008
Passing	C/ATT	YDS	AVG	YDS/G	LONG	TD	INT	RAT
Brian Griese	157/300	2237				16	12	77.8
Drew Stanton	21/63	280				0	8	8.8
Byron Leftwich	11/27	133				2	3	41.6
Rushing	ATT	YDS	AVG	LONG	20+	TD	YDS/G	FUM
Shaun Alexander	291	1607	5.5			15	107.1	6
Brian Calhoun	79	309	3.9			0	23.7	1
Ryan Torain	51	236	4.6			2	23.6	2
Jerome Felton	24	88	3.6			0	5.5	2
Garrett Wolfe	27	51	1.8			0	3.1	0
Mike Anderson	8	47	5.8			0	47.0	0
David Kirtman	11	42	3.8			0	2.8	0
Byron Leftwich	6	1	0.1			0	0.1	0
Quinn Sypniewski	1	1	1.0			0	1.0	0
Drew Stanton	2	1	0.5			0	0.1	0
Brian Griese	25	-19	-0.7			0	-1.4	0
Receiving	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG	20+	YDS/G	YAC
Roy Williams	58	783	13.5	9
Quinn Sypniewski	31	509	16.4	2
James Hardy	20	282	14.1	2
Garrett Wolfe	19	258	13.5	1
Bryant Johnson	19	284	14.9	1
Scott Chandler	11	139	12.6	1
Peerless Price	9	149	16.5	0
Brian Calhoun	8	97	12.1	2
Shaun Alexander	6	100	16.6	0
Jerome Felton	2	12	6.0	0
Eddie Drummond	2	12	6.0	0
Sean McHugh	2	23	11.5	0
	Tackles			Sacks		Interceptions
Defense	SOLO	AST	TOT	SACK	TLOSS	PD	INT	TD
Ernie Sims	113	24		2			1
Jarrett Johnson	82	15		1			1
Leigh Bodden	79	0		0			1
Angelo Craig	65	17		2			2
Kenoy Kennedy	64	4		0			0
Dominique Cromartie	63	4		0			4
Gerald Alexander	63	1		0			1
Eric King	49	0		0			0
Tyler Brayton	43	9		1			0
Paris Lenon	39	8		1			0
Mike Patterson	39	12		4			0
Matt Roth	38	20		7			0
Justin King	25	1		0			1
Shaun Cody	21	6		1			0
Buster Davis	13	1		0			0
Teddy Lehman	12	3		0			0
Bryan Smith	10	0		0			0
David Ball	7	0		0			0
Carlton Powell	6	0		0			0
Ikaiaka Alama-Francis	5	1		0			0
Daniel Bullocks	4	1		0			0
Jamar Adams	1	0		0			0
	Kickoffs					Punts
Returning	ATT	YDS	AVG	LONG	TD	RET	AVG	TD
Eddie Drummond	33	987	29.9	100	1	40	8.1	0
DeVonte Edwards	26	668	25.6	45	0	0	0	0
Justin King	12	322	26.8	42	0	0	0	0
Dominique Cromartie	0	0	0	0	0	1	0.0	0
	Field Goals				Extra Points
Kicking	FGM	FGA	PCT	LONG	XPM	XPA	PCT	PTS
Jason Hanson	19	26	73	54	39	39	100	96
Punting	PUNTS	YDS	LONG	AVG	NET	BP	IN20	TB
Nick Harris	31	1213	47	39.1	32.3	0	3	2
Jason Hanson	25	887	46	35.4	32.8	0	3	0

In addition, FB David Kirtman had one catch for 5 yards this year. RB Mike Anderson had one catch for one yard. Ran out of room on the chart. Sorry David and Mike!

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(thought I posted the team individual stats already, but I saw I missed it so I went back to add it, sorry it's "out of sequence")

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NFL DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS

Indianapolis Colts 38, Jacksonville Jaguars 0

New Orleans Saints 25, Philadelphia Eagles 19

New England Patriots 24, Tennessee Titans 3

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24, New York Giants 18


So, that's it for the defending Super Bowl champs...

coming up, Conference Championship Games!

Indy vs New England
New Orleans vs Tampa Bay

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NFL CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS 24
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 10

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS 38
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS 17

So that's it folks! The Super Bowl will be:

The Indianapolis Colts
vs
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Who will coach their second Super Bowl victory:
Tony Dungy or Jon Gruden?

Indianapolis is slated to be the "home team" but the game is in Tampa Bay's home stadium!! Who's REALLY going to feel like the home team here?

Coach Gruden became the Head Coach of the Buccaneers when Dungy was ousted; then won a Super Bowl. Tony went to the Colts and won a Super Bowl of his own. How will Dungy fare against the man who brought the Bucs their first title? If Coach Gruden loses, will people think he won his lone title with Dungy's team?

Can Jeff Garcia, at 23 days shy of his 39th birthday as of game-day, become the oldest quarterback to win a Super Bowl?

America is ready! Are you?

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TAMPA BAY TRIUMPHANT!
BUCCANEERS WIN FIRST-EVER OVERTIME SUPER BOWL

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Indianapolis Colts
Feb 1, 2009	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	OT	SCORE
Tampa Bay Buccaneers ()	7	7	7	7	3	31
Indianapolis Colts ()	0	0	3	25	0	28

Tampa Bay Buccaneers PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Jeff Garcia 22/37 218 3 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Michael Turner 22 97 0 Ernest Graham 7 44 1 Jeff Garcia 1 3 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Joey Galloway 7 53 2 Ike Hilliard 6 81 0 Maurice Stovall 3 36 0 Michael Turner 3 17 0 Alge Crumpler 3 31 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Jeremy Mincey 1-1 1 0 0 Jermaine Phillips 3-0 0 1 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Matt Bryant 1/2 4/4 7 19

Indianapolis Colts PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Peyton Manning 26/52 360 3 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Joseph Addai 7 28 0 Kenton Keith 2 8 0 Peyton Manning 1 4 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Reggie Wayne 7 131 1 Marvin Harrison 5 101 0 Anthony Gonzalez 5 65 1 Tommy Crane 4 39 1 Kenton Keith 2 7 0 Joseph Addai 2 12 0 Dallas Clark 1 5 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Robert Mathis 3-1 1 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Adam Vinatieri 2/2 2/2 8 45

Head Coach Jon Gruden wins his second Super Bowl with an "over the hill" roster of players.

Quarterback Jeff Garcia (38) starter
Wide Receiver Joey Galloway (36) starter
Wide Receiver Ike Hilliard (32) starter
Right Tackle Cornell Green (35) starter
Defensive Tackle Rod Coleman (32) starter
Defensive Tackle Chris Hovan (30) starter
Outisde Linebacker Derrick Brooks (35) starter
Cornerback Ronde Barber (33) starter
Kicker Matt Bryant (33) starter
Punter Josh Bidwell (32) starter

plus numerous reserves helped make this squad similar to Coach Gruden's previous championship squad: a group of older veterans who were able to help form a Super Bowl winning team...

Time will tell if some of these older guys will go out on a high note, leaving the team to re-stock once again. Will Coach Gruden's method of finding key veteran players work once again?

For the Colts, winners of the Super Bowl the year before last, it's about fine-tuning an excellent squad. Very few players are expected to leave, although wide receiver Marvin Harrison has hinted that win or lose, he was contemplating retirement... but the Colts are flush with young talent; and we should see them back in the Super Bowl hunt next year!

CONGRATULATIONS TAMPA BAY!

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THE CHOPPING BLOCK
WHICH COACHES GOT THE AXE?

Only three head coaches were fired this offseason: Eric Mangini of the Jets, Lane Kiffin of the Raiders, and Jim Zorn of the Redskins.

The Oakland Raiders hired Mike Singletary as their head coach.
The Jets hired Clancy Pendergast.
The Redskins hired Gary Hammermill.

Meanwhile, Eric Mangini has been hired to be the defensive coordinator for Coach Hammermill.

Lane Kiffin is mulling college jobs.

Jim Zorn has been hired as the Special Teams Coordinator for the New England Patriots.

As for the Detroit Lions, owner Don Bored wanted some changes:

GM Mack Miller (fire), I fired him.
He was replaced by Karl Potts (59 rating, promoter)

DC Joe Barry (keep), I fired him.
Our new DC is Robin Mathews (43, Rex Ryan 4-6)

OL Mike Barry (keep), I fired him.
Our new OL coach is Jeff Davidson (45, analyst)

LB Phil Snow (fire), I fired him.
Our new LB coach is Rickey Hunley (47, headliner)

DL Joe Cullen (fire), I fired him.
Our new DL coach is Randy Melvin (26, ally)

DB Jimmy Lake (fire), I fired him.
Our new DB coach is Joel Collier (25, traditionalist)

Time to get to work!! It's almost time for free agency!!!

[HARLEE23]

Re: The Detroit Lions

Can't wait to see what you do this offseason! When will we get a look at what draft class you have?

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Oh, sorry, it's the one with Biff Below as the overrated QB, whichever one that is. Leron James, Jake Scott, etc. Should be getting to the draft tomorrow - almost time for SUPER BOWL!!! WOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!! But Katy Perry at halftime? Really?

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Turn out the lights, the party's over... they say that all good things must end...

A 2008 Guide to NFL Retirements

The 2008 season saw numerous milestones and personal achievements by many notable players. After the season ended, more than a few players decided to hang 'em up and begin the transition to life after the NFL. Here's a look at a few of the biggest names to retire.

- Morten Anderson, K - It's hard to believe, but Morten Anderson was drafted in 1982. He owns numerous records thanks to his longevity, and seems to be a surefire lock for the Hall of Fame.

- Lorenzo Neal, FB - Lorenzo is arguably the best blocking back of the last dozen or more years. He is one of the big contributors to the numerous successes of NFL running backs, and had a string of 8 straight years blocking for a 1,000 yard rusher.

- Kurt Warner, QB - A rags-to-riches story, Kurt had a tremendous career, winning NFL MVP accolades and a Super Bowl. Smart and accurate, Kurt helped form one of the most offensively dangerous teams in history during his tenure with the Rams.

- Jeff Garcia, QB - Another "out of the blue" player, like Kurt Warner. Jeff honed his craft in the CFL before getting his chance in the NFL. He bounced around multiple teams before settling in with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He responded by leading them to the 2008 Super Bowl and winning it.

- Joey Galloway, WR - Joey was an exciting receiver for a long time in the NFL, and showed his grit when, after a 6 week injury, he lit up the Raiders for three touchdowns in the season finale; and helped the Buccaneers win their second Super Bowl this year. He ends his career with 701 catches for 11,040 yards and 81 touchdowns. (Those rank 30th, 22nd, and 18th all-time respectively.)

Big round of applause and a huge thanks to all the players... and sorry to those we left out, we ran out of time...

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2009 NFL DRAFT
Pick	Team	Player	Pos	Ht	Wt
1	Oakland	Jack English	QB
2	San Francisco	Rakeem Jordan	CB
3	Chicago	Joey Keller	RB
4	Washington	Raveon Hines	DE
5	Atlanta	Javon Jackson	LT
6	New York Jets	Jackson Hailes	DE
7	Miami	Alain Dixon	DT
8	Minnesota	Roscoe Pope	DB
9	Dallas	Erik Darcy	DT
10	Cleveland	Evan Mayo	RE
11	Carolina	Devin Mayo	OLB
12	Green Bay	DeMarcus Jackson	RB
13	Pittsburgh	Jordan Samuels	RB
14	Denver	DJ Crosby	WR
15	Baltimore	Biff Below	QB
16	Arizona	Antrel Duvall	TE
17	New England	Andy Mantle	CB
18	St. Louis	Mason Davis	WR
19	Baltimore	Scott Glazer	DT
20	Houston	Will Barkley	SS
21	Detroit	Jorge Abbott	LG
22	Cincinnati	Jeff Wilkins	LE
23	Jacksonville	Clay Nash	LE
24	San Diego	Darius Collier	FS
25	Tampa Bay	Dashon Barney	QB
26	New York Giants	Troy Martin	RB
27	Tennessee	Rolly Futch	LT
28	Philadelphia	Kyle Matchett	WR
29	New England	Alex Bassett	FS
30	Tampa Bay	Jade Stone	RB
31	Indianapolis	Juron Riley	CB
32	Cleveland	Mack Jackson	MLB

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Detroit Lions 2009 Draft
Pick	Team	Player	Pos	Ht	Wt
1-22	Ole Miss	Jorge Abbott	LG
3-77	Tennessee	Patrick Lopez	DT
4-114	Toledo	TJ Hitchcock	C
4-119	Eastern Carolina	Triston Smith	CB
5-153	Valdosta State	Ivan Pope	QB
6-179	Michigan	Kendall Pounds	K
UDFA	Syracuse	Jamelle Mingo	DT
UDFA	Memphis	Aaron Wesley	OLB
UDFA	Middle Tennessee State	Hugh Reynolds	SS
UDFA	Texas Tech	Bobby Bird	WR
UDFA	St. John's	Nick Dillon	CB

A quick rundown of our picks:

Jorge Abbott - a powerful run blocker who can play either side. He'll probably compete with Scott Mruczkowski at RG to start with.

Patrick Lopez - a compact, but powerful, defensive tackle who was a beast stuffing the run at Tennessee. Hopefully he'll be a key piece in rebuilding our defensive interior.

TJ Hitchcock - We got blasted for this pick, but our GM truly believes this kid is going to be our center for years to come.

Tristan Smith - Our defensive backfield will always have competition, as we try to build a strong unit. While our starters are set, we planned on bringing in a couple guys to compete with our "pair of kings" and round out 5 corneback slots.

Ivan Pope - We just loved what this kid did, regardless of the fact he played at a tiny school like Valdosta State. He's got a great chance to learn from Brian and whoever else we keep.

Kendall Pounds - This guy's got a leg like a howitzer. I think his ability to control the long game, especially kickoffs, will be an X factor for us.

Jamelle Mingo - similar to Lopez, he's got this powerful, compact frame I think will be a difference maker for us. Off-the-field stuff seems to be more media-driven than anything else. We're ok with all that stuff.

Aaron Wesley - this kid can FLY from sideline to sideline. We're hoping he can help fill a pass-rushing niche for us, or at the very least, help make an impact on special teams while he develops.

Hugh Reynolds - He's got a good combination of size and speed, and our new Defensive Backs Coach requires us to keep 3 FS's and 3 SS's, so he's got a great shot to stick on the final 53.

Bobby Bird - A small, but skilled, route running receiver. He's a little different than our standard receiver, but if he can pick up some of the skills Eddie Drummond has at returner, he might find a career here.

Nick Dillon - Nick's got his work cut out for him, as we now have 7 corners for 5 spots; but he'll be given every chance to compete. We want our best 5 out there, and egos (and draft positions) don't matter when we hit the field.