The Detroit Lions

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NO ANSWERS
DETROIT SQUANDERS LATE LEAD, CAN'T HOLD OFF TITANS IN THANKSGIVING MATCHUP

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Tennessee Titans at Detroit Lions
Nov 27, 2008	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Tennessee Titans (9-2)	0	7	7	13	27
Detroit Lions (5-5-1)	7	7	3	7	24

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		TEN	DET
07:26	(DET) Shaun Alexander 4yd run (Hanson PAT)	0	7
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		TEN	DET
10:09	(DET) Roy Williams 28yd reception (Hanson PAT)	0	14
09:02	(TEN) Justin Gage 79yd reception (Vanderjagt PAT)	7	14
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		TEN	DET
08:57	(TEN) Isaac Bruce 20yd reception (Vanderjagt PAT)	14	14
03:58	(DET) Jason Hanson 54yd FG	14	17
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		TEN	DET
13:27	(TEN) Mike Vanderjagt 48yd FG	17	17
08:45	(DET) Quinn Sypniewski 27yd reception (Hanson PAT)	17	24
03:57	(TEN) Mike Vanderjagt 52 yd FG	20	24
00:51	(TEN) Gary Barnidge 10yd reception (Vanderjagt PAT)	27	24

Tennessee Titans PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Vince Young 16/23 231 3 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD LenDale White 21 54 0 Vince Young 7 60 0 Warrick Dunn 1 10 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Limas Sweed 6 39 0 LenDale White 3 36 0 Isaac Bruce 2 24 1 Ahmard Hall 2 30 0 Justin Gage 2 100 1 Gary Barnidge 1 2 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Antajj Hawthorne 5-1 2 0 0 John Engelberger 4-3 1 0 0 Kyle VandebBosch 5-2 1 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Mike Vanderjagt 2/2 3/3 9 52

Detroit Lions PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Brian Griese 11/24 182 2 0 Byron Leftwich 0/1 0 0 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Shaun Alexander 18 108 1 Brian Calhoun 5 43 0 Ryan Torain 5 12 0 Jerome Felton 3 12 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Quinn Sypniewski 5 71 1 Roy Williams 3 60 1 James Hardy 3 40 0 Scott Chandler 1 22 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Matt Roth 5-2 1 0 0 Ernie Sims 7-1 1 0 0 Mike Patterson 6-1 1 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Jason Hanson 1/1 3/3 6 54

There was little cause for thanks Thursday as Lions fans endured another last minute loss as the Titans were able to come back and defeat the luckless Lions.

Detroit played well up until the last minute of the game, when, leading 24-20, the Lions were unable to stop Vince Young and the Titans from charging up the field without so much as a hiccup, culminating with a touchdown pass to rookie tight end Gary Barnidge with under a minute to go. The Lions ran out of time as they tried to drive down the field for at least the tying field goal.

Quarterback Brian Griese played reasonably well, although he didn't get much help from his receivers as they dropped several passes throughout the game. Rookie running back Ryan Torain got a permanent trip to the bench after fumbling at the 10 yard line when he came in for a gassed Shaun Alexander. (who had just ripped off a 60 yard run.)

As for the Titans, they were held mostly in check until the final few minutes of the game. Vince Young had 50 of his rushing yards on the last 2 drives, even with the Lions playing with a QB Spy both drives - Vince's athleticism got him out of more than one tackle either by strength or speed.

Injuries hit both sides, as the Titans lost running back Warrick Dunn after his first carry; and the Lions lost LG Edwin Mulitalo in the 2nd quarter, DT Shaun Cody in the 3rd, and DT Carlton Powell in the 4th! Reserve DE Dave Ball ended up finishing the game at DT...

Now the Lions, at 5-6-1 are in real danger of missing the postseason. A wildcard seems like a longshot, and they need help to catch the Packers now, even though there's still a quarter of the season to go.
Rumors are swirling that maybe a change is needed...

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WEEK THIRTEEN MILESTONES:
MAKING THEIR MARK ON HISTORY

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Normally a receiver making his first catch all season during his team's 12th game doesn't make so much as a ripple, but in this case it was cause for a celebration of sorts. Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Eric Moulds had one catch for 14 yards, and this catch gave him 10,009 yards for his career, a milestone he desperately wanted.

Shaun Alexander passed Warrick Dunn and Ricky Watters for 19th place all-time in rushing yards.

Isaac Bruce passed Andre Reed for 10th most receiving touchdowns, moving into a tie for 9th place with the legendary Don Maynard.

Finally, our SHOUT OUT goes to 38 year old quarterback Trent Green as he passed 30,000 yards this weekend! Check out the picture below of Trent during his college days at Indiana!

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Detroit vs Minnesota Preview

Sunday will be the second meeting of these two teams this season, the last being a dominant Viking victory. Brian Griese went down on the first drive, and Drew Stanton was terrible, to put it mildly. The defense kept it close, but a 4th quarter pick-six made sure the Lions weren't coming back.

The Lions, at 5-6-1, are close to losing their season. The only silver lining is that the Packers have lost 2 in a row, leaving them at 6-6. The Vikings, at 4-8, aren't out of the running either, although having to go most of the year without Adrian Peterson and Sidney Rice has really hurt the team.

Each week feels like a must-win for the Lions, and the fans are starting to clamor for Byron Leftwich to take over before it's too late. Critics point out that Griese is 1-3-1 in his last five starts; but he's played pretty well overall. The defense came together as a unit to take the blame for last week's loss; although Coach Billick was more diplomatic - adding that there were a few miscues that hurt the team as well. (Ryan Torain's fumble, for example.)

So, like they've said for the last several weeks, it's time to step up and play like LIONS! Time to beat the Vikings and take this division back!

(in addition, DC Joe Parry took Performance 2 (max rank), he is now a 33. Now both my coordinators are 33's LOL!)

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VICTORY!!

The first time the Vikings faced the Lions, both sides had plenty of adversity in their young season to overcome - first and foremost were numerous injuries to key starters. The Vikings were without Adrian Peterson and Sidney Rice, and the Lions lost starting QB Brian Griese in the first series. The Vikings, however, rose to the occasion and thoroughly dominated the Lions 24-7.

In that first meeting, after losing Griese, Drew Stanton took over and he predictably collapsed. This time, Brian Griese made it through the entire game, and the Lions were able to keep enough of a passing game going this time to control the game.

The real hero of the game, however, was rookie CB Dominique Cromartie, who made 2 second half interceptions. His first was returned 89 yards for a score, and the second was on the Vikings last drive as they tried desperately to mount a comeback.

Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions
Dec 7, 2008	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Minnesota Vikings (4-8)	0	7	7	0	14
Detroit Lions (5-6-1)	7	3	7	10	27

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		MIN	DET
01:36	(DET) Roy Williams 9yd rec (Hanson PAT)	0	7
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		MIN	DET
03:33	(MIN) Bobby Wade 3yd rec (Longwell PAT)	7	7
00:08	(DET) Jason Hanson 27yd FG	7	10
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		MIN	DET
09:16	(DET) Dominique Cromartie 89yd int. (Hanson PAT)	7	17
05:57	(MIN) Darrel Jackson 59yd rec (Longwell PAT)	14	17
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		MIN	DET
06:46	(DET) Shaun Alexander 1yd run (Hanson PAT)	14	24
01:52	(DET) Jason Hanson 53yd FG	14	27

Minnesota Vikings PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Tarvaris Jackson 15/31 228 2 2 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Chester Taylor 12 44 0 Tarvaris Jackson 4 11 0 Musa Smith 1 13 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Darrel Jackson 3 81 1 Visanthe Shiancoe 3 34 0 Chester Taylor 2 12 0 Aundrae Allison 2 40 0 David Anderson 2 34 0 Bobby Wade 2 22 1 Cory Schlesinger 1 5 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Ted Williams 8-0 0 0 0 Erin Henderson 7-1 0 1 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Ryan Longwell 0/1 2/2 2 -

Detroit Lions PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Brian Griese 12/22 142 1 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Shaun Alexander 22 133 1 Brian Calhoun 11 58 0 Brian Griese 3 -8 0 Garrett Wolfe 2 4 0 Jerome Felton 2 0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Peerless Price 3 47 0 Roy Williams 2 24 1 Brian Calhoun 2 10 0 Shaun Alexander 1 23 0 Sean McHugh 1 3 0 James Hardy 1 19 0 Scott Chandler 1 2 0 Quinn Sypniewski 1 14 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Matt Roth 2-2 1 0 0 Dominique Cromartie 1-0 0 2 1 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Jason Hanson 2/3 3/3 9 53

With the win, the Lions get back to .500, and with a matchup against the Indianapolis Colts coming up, this win couldn't have come at a better time. As for the Vikings, 4-9 pretty much ends their season, although they aren't mathematically out of their division race.

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MILESTONES:
MAKING THEIR MARK ON HISTORY

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LaDanian Tomlinson has passed Marcus Allen for 2nd most rushing touchdowns all-time. He now has 124 for his career.

Isaac Bruce has broken his tie with Don Maynard with his 89th touchdown reception. He is now 9th place all-time.

Tony Gonazalez has caught his 900th career reception, extending his NFL record for tight ends. This also puts him 9th all-time.

Tom Brady has broken the 30,000 yard passing mark.

Brian Griese has broken the 20,000 yard passing mark. (Gotta give a shout out to our starting QB!)

Donovan McNabb has now passed for over 200 touchdowns. He is currently at 202, 27th best all-time just ahead of Roman Gabriel.

Finally our "SHOUT OUT" goes to Bengals DE Kevin Carter as he has just become tied with Jim Jeffcoat for 20th most sacks all-time. A first round pick of the Rams in 1995, Kevin, age 34, still proves he's one of the most versatile "big men" out there... Congrats Kevin!

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Detroit Lions vs Indianapolis Cots preview:

The Lions, having retaken the division lead following their victory over the Vikings coupled with Green Bay's loss has them feeling confident heading into their matchup with the Colts. Indianapolis, at 11-2, need a victory as well to keep pace with Tennessee (also 11-2).

Led by superstar quarterback Peyton Manning, teams have found it nearly impossible to shut the Colts down. Peyton, the AFC offensive player of the week, gave some praise to the Lions defense, however, especailly rookie cornerback Dominique Cromartie, the NFC defensive player of the week last week. "He's a big kid, really fast. He's aggressive too, he's really a guy who can use his size and speed to get the ball. I'll keep an eye on him."

With just four games remaining in the season, the Lions can't afford to let any more games slip by. The list of teams already eliminated from playoff contention is growing, and the Lions don't want to be on that list. The team is almost completely healthy, with wide receiver Bryant Johnson expected back. Peerless Price has done a good job in his place, but is ready to accept whatever role the Lions have for him.

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Finally, an update as I've seen a few other starters on IR now...

49ers starting QB Joey Harrington - ACL/PCL, Alex Smith starts
Eagles WR Shaun McDonald - ACL/MCL/PCL
Texans RB Michael Pittman - hip
Texans WR Bernard Berrian - ACL/MCL/PCL
Seahawks reserve LT Charles Pope- rookie - MILD HEAD TRAUMA! Dang!

Notable rookies for the Colts:
Chad Henne - backup QB
Mario Urrutia - #4 wide receiver
Letroy Guion - starting DT
Chris Harrington - backup DE

(also, OC Jim Colleto took WR and TE physical 2, his rating is now 34)

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SELF-DESTRUCTION SPELLS DOOM FOR DETROIT

There's not much that can be said about Sunday's game vs. the Colts. It's about what you'd expect when a rebuilding team goes into the home of one of the top teams in the NFL: a 58-28 beatdown.

The Lions threw SEVEN interceptions; three by Brian Griese in the first half. Brian's last interception was returned for a touchdown and earned the quarterback a spot on the bench. Byron Leftwich took over in the 3rd quarter and got the Lions a touchdown; but with the game out of reach, the Lions let Chris Leak get most of the 4th quarter reps. He threw 2 interceptions, however, and Byron got back in the game. (He also threw two interceptions, one in the 3rd, one on his last drive.)

In addition, rookie Ryan Torain, fresh off his one-game benching due to his costly fumble vs. the Titans, fumbled his first carry against the Colts and didn't see the field again. He should expect to see a lot of the bench this week against the 11-2 Saints.

If there's anything at all to be happy about is that no one got injured. That's about it. Personal accolades mean nothing when you get 58 points thrown on your team.

Detroit Lions at Indianapolis Colts
Dec 14, 2008	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Detroit Lions (6-6-1)
Indianapolis Colts (11-2)

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		DET	IND
09:24	(IND) Adam Vinatieri 47yd FG	0	3
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		DET	IND
12:18	(IND) Adam Vinatieri 35yd FG	0	6
06:51	(DET) Shaun Alexander 2yd run (Hanson PAT)	7	6
04:05	(IND) Joseph Addai 45yd run (Vinatieri PAT)	7	13
01:58	(IND) Joseph Addai 1yd run (Vinatieri PAT)	7	20
01:07	(IND) Freddie Keaho 44yd int return (Vinatieri PAT)	7	27
00:11	(DET) James Hardy 7 yd reception (Hanson PAT)	14	27
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		DET	IND
12:09	(IND) Adam Vinatieri 39yd FG	14	30
10:50	(IND) Dallas Clark 8yd reception (Vinatieri PAT)	14	37
06:07	(DET) Scott Chandler 1yd reception (Hanson PAT)	21	37
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		DET	IND
12:25	(IND) Marvin Harrison 18yd reception (Vinatieri PAT)	21	44
08:13	(IND) Joseph Addai 1yd run (Vinatieri PAT)	21	51
07:59	(DET) Shaun Alexander 63yd run (Hanson PAT)	28	51
00:33	(IND) Kenton Keith 8yd run (Smith PAT)	28	58

Detroit Lions PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Brian Griese 11/22 167 1 3 Byron Leftwich 4/10 52 1 2 Chris Leak 0/2 0 0 2 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Shaun Alexander 11 115 2 Brian Calhoun 4 5 0 Chris Leak 2 7 0 David Kirtman 1 10 0 Ryan Torain 1 0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD James Hardy 4 50 1 Roy Williams 3 52 0 Scott Chandler 3 31 1 Shaun Alexander 2 46 0 Garrett Wolfe 1 18 0 Bryant Johnson 1 17 0 Quinn Sypniewski 1 5 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Leigh Bodden 10-0 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Jason Hanson 0/0 4/4 4 -

Indianapolis Colts PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Peyton Manning 20/28 273 2 0 Chad Henne 1/4 10 0 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Joseph Addai 20 135 3 Kenton Keith 11 53 1 Chad Henne 1 -2 0 Peyton Manning 1 5 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Dallas Clark 5 92 1 Reggie Wayne 5 76 0 Marvin Harrison 4 59 1 Anthony Gonzalez 3 20 0 Timothy Crane 2 20 0 Joseph Addai 2 16 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Chris Harrington 3-1 1 0 0 Robert Mathis 2-0 0 2 0 Jim Leonhard 1-0 0 1 0 Jeff Bridges 0-0 0 1 0 Marlin Jackson 4-0 0 1 0 Bob Sanders 4-0 0 1 0 Freddie Keaho 9-1 0 1 1 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Adam Vinatieri 3/3 5/5 14 48 Hunter Smith 0/1 2/2 2 -

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MILESTONES:
MAKING THEIR MARK ON HISTORY

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Torry Holt has passed Jimmy Smith for 11th place all-time in receptions. He now has 864.

Kevin Carter notched one more sack, breaking the tie he had with Jim Jeffcoat and takes sole place of 20th all time.

SHOUT OUT runner-up: Warrick Dunn got his 50th rushing touchdown!

Our SHOUT OUT goes to quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, as he threw his 100th career touchdown pass.

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