Detroit Lions - NFL Season Information, Trivia and History

2011-12 NFL Season

Coming off a 6-10 2010 record, the Detroit Lions are motivated and ready to pick up where they left off last season, that is, a four-game winning streak. They also used a very thin draft to help bolster the team. With only five picks, the Lions chose wisely, selecting massive DT Nick Fairley to their already massive defensive line. Fairley, who was the 2010 Lombardi Trophy Award winner, will be a part of a 3-man rotation at the defensive tackle spot that will include Ndamukong Suh and Corey Williams? "We play around 130 defensive tackle snaps a game," he said. "You rotate three guys at 45 snaps a person and you are going to be really fresh. We can keep rolling in waves and waves. I thought Suh played too much last year. Not that he wore down but it was too many snaps. You are taking on 700 pounds of man every time you take on a double team."

Another draft selection the team is high on was their 2nd round (44th overall) selection of Boise State WR Titus Young. With the team struggling in the slot last season, the team is hoping to stretch defenses and open up space underneath for the other receivers. GM Martin Mayhew continues to call Young “a stick of dynamite.” Another player the franchise is hoping will make an immediate impact is RB Mikel Leshoure who was selected in the 2nd round (57th overall selection) out of the University of Illinois. Coaches are hoping that he will be the power runner to compliment speed back Jahvid Best. The team is also looking forward to getting their final two picks on the field; OLB Doug Hogue (5th round, 157th overall) and OL Johnny Culbreath. Coaches are pleased with both player’s size, speed and athleticism.

Outlook: Franchise QB Matthew Stafford is pleased with the direction the team has taken recently and even more pleased with the players who are already gathering as a group despite the lockout. "You just want to get guys back together, see everybody again, see how everybody's doing. We finished the year with such a great run last year and without being able to come back in the offseason and kind of carry that momentum (over) we've been all in separate places. You want to get back together and realize how we played last year and the talent and the ability that we have coming back."

Stafford himself is coming off a surgery repair of his throwing shoulder and only played in 3 games last season but says he’s feeling the best he ever has. Ask rookie Titus Young about Stafford’s recovery. "My hands are a little bit sore right now. Put these in an ice bucket real quick,” Young quipped. "It's ridiculous, man. I would think that he had surgery to make his arm stronger, not for anything else. That's what I would think. I heard about the arm, but it's kind of like you never know what you're going to get. I just made sure that I looked it all the way in. It was just a warm-up throw and it was already there."

Detroit Archives

Since 1996 the Detroit Lions have failed to finish the season with a .500 winning percentage except in 1997 and 2000. The last time the Lions took a trip into the postseason was in 1999 when they fell to the Washington Redskins 27-13. If there is one thing that most remember about the Lions, other than the fact they had a 2-14 season in 2001, is their former running back Barry Sanders. Sanders is part of an elite club of running backs that you can make an argument that they are the “greatest running back of all time.” Some say Sanders is the greatest, some say Walter Payton was the greatest, and some say the Jim Brown was the greatest, but no matter who they think is the greatest there is no denying that Barry Sanders was the best of his generation and a hands down Hall of Fame player who just made it into Canton in 2004. Sanders accumulated 15,629 rushing yards, which is third on the all time list behind Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton, on just 3,062 carries. For all those non-math majors out there, that’s a ludicrous five yards per carry for his entire career. Sanders was always a different kind of guy and it was very apparent when he retired from the game only 10 years into his career and about 1,500 yards away from breaking Walter Payton’s hallowed rushing record. He retired and then lived in Europe for a few years refusing to talk to the press. The Lions could’ve definitely used Sanders this past year when they only managed a 5-11 record which fetched them 4th in the NFC North.

The NFL Draft was huge for the Detroit Lions. They filled a great deal of needs and also laid down the foundation for a very potent offense in Motown. With the #7 pick in the drafted Texas wide receiver Roy Williams who is an incredible prospect and is the pride of Texas. They then traded back into the first round and got Virginia Tech running back Kevin Jones. With their 37th pick in the draft they picked up Oklahoma weak side linebacker Teddy Lehman and the Lions also drafted McNeese State cornerback Keith Smith. Many experts believe that the Lions had the best draft in the NFL and that this draft will be the reason they’re in the playoffs in the coming years.

The Lions also made a big splash on the free agent market. They beefed up their offensive line by picking up guards David Loverne, and Super Bowl winning guard Damien Woody. They also added playoff experienced veterans like strong safety Brock Marion, who was part of the Cowboys dynasty of the ‘90s, wide receiver Tai Streets and cornerback Fernando Bryant. With these moves they brought in tough veteran guys that have been involved in big games and will obviously help the incredibly young core of players that Detroit has in place. The Lions are hoping that these off-season moves equal out to wins in the coming year.
The Lions, as the record showed, were less than spectacular last year even more so when their top three offensive options, sophomore quarterback Joey Harrington, rookie receiver Charles Rogers and running back James Stewart, all spent significant time on the injury reports last season. Harrington is going to be a great quarterback in the NFL but right now he isn’t as consistent as the Lions would like him to be. He has games where he’ll throw four touchdowns and no interceptions, like he did in the season opener against the Cardinals, and then he’ll have games where he’ll almost complete as many passes to the defense as he did his own players, like he did against Dallas when he went 5-13 for 30 yards and threw three interceptions.

On the other side of the ball the Lions weren’t much better off but they have a very young core of players that all start with second year outside linebacker Boss Bailey. Bailey finished third on the team in tackles with 89 and also picked off one pass. With the additions of Lehman, Marion and Bryant the defense should be immensely improved.