Clawing To Respectability - krulmichael's Detroit Lions

[krulmichael]

Settings/Rules

System - PS3

Difficulty - Custom

Quarter Length - 13 Minutes (with 20 second Runoff)

Sliders - OS' TNK's Custom HUM/CPU Franchise Sliders

Rosters - Week 4 EA update

Draft Classes - Imported From NCAA Football 12

Super-Sim - Never

Layout Thanks To - LopaKa, crusaderhoops10, Lanteri87, BDawg35, and TheBuddha

Banners Thanks To - ALBIDNIS & The Buddha

[krulmichael]

Location - Detroit, Michigan

Nickname - Lions

Colors - Honolulu Blue, Silver, Black, and White

Stadium - Ford Field

Establishd - 1929

Capacity - 65,000

Surface - Field Turf

Conference - NFC

Division - NFC North

All-Time Record - 492-593-32

Playoff Appearences - 14

Last Playoff Appearence - 1999

Superbowl Championships - 0

[krulmichael]

Coach Jim Schwartz

[B]Career Record: 8-24
Winning Seasons: 0
Longest Win Streak: 4
Record vs. NFC North (Chicago, Green Bay, Minnesota): 2-10
Playoff Record: 0-0
Conference Championships: 0
Superbowl Championships: 0
Record On National Broadcasts: 0-2[/B]

Bio

When asked about what attracted him to the Detroit Lions head coaching position prior to accepting the job more than two years ago, Jim Schwartz stated, “You're not going to find a more passionate fan base in the NFL than Detroit. You talk about ownership and a commitment to winning—that's critical. Without those two, I don't think it's an attractive opportunity. Detroit offers both of those and more.”

Schwartz, 45, provides a unique blend of coaching and player personnel experience to the Lions head coaching position. Having spent the past 18 seasons in the NFL—15 years as a coach and three in player personnel— Schwartz worked his way up from an entry-level football operations position with the Cleveland Browns in 1993 to being named the Lions Head Coach on January 16, 2009.

Source - DetroitLions.com

[krulmichael]

The 2002 season marked a new era in Detroit Lions history when the team opened its new downtown Detroit stadium, Ford Field, one of the most impressive sports and entertainment venues ever built.

The Lions’ home is an incomparable 65,000-seat facility that includes a giant glass wall, revealing the picturesque Detroit skyline, and the old Hudson’s Warehouse, originally built in 1920. The massive project encompasses a total of 1.85 million square feet of development.

The old Hudson’s Warehouse, a major cornerstone of Ford Field, houses most of the stadium luxury seats, press box, restaurants, food courts, lounge areas, banquet facilities, entertainment venues and commercial space. The inclusion of the warehouse into the stadium project allows the sightlines at Ford Field to be among the very best in the NFL. In fact, the locker room facilities have been built in the basement of the seven-story historic Detroit structure.

Detroit played its first home preseason game at Ford Field on August 24, 2002 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Lions celebrated their inaugural regular season game at Ford Field on September 22, 2002 when they hosted their long-time divisional rival Green Bay Packers. The 2002 home opener marked the return of the Lions to downtown Detroit for the first time since 1974.

The Lions won their first game at Ford Field on September 29, 2002 when they defeated the New Orleans Saints, 26-21.

Prior to opening, Ford Field captured the attentive eye of NFL owners. On November 1, 2000, they unanimously selected Ford Field to be the host site of Super Bowl XL to be played February 5, 2006. It will mark the first Super Bowl in the Detroit Metro area since the Pontiac Silverdome was the site for Super Bowl XVI, played January 24, 1982.

The NCAA also took notice of Ford Field and selected the stadium to host the 2009 Men’s Basketball Final Four. Ford Field got its first taste of basketball on December 14, 2003 when the Michigan State Spartans hosted the University of Kentucky Wildcats in ‘The BasketBowl’. The BasketBowl drew 78,129 fans, a world-record setting attendance for a basketball game.

College football will return to Ford Field on September 4, 2004 with the second annual Detroit Football Classic, which will feature a match-up between Alabama State and Howard. Last December, the second Motor City Bowl was played at Ford Field with Bowling Green defeating Northwestern, 28-24.

Earlier in 2003, Ford Field hosted the NFL Draft Day Experience, the Lions’ 15th annual draft day fan gala which brought more than 8,600 fans to downtown Detroit.

The stadium has been utilized for many non-sports events as well. Detroit native Eminem hosted two concerts in July 2003 that drew nearly 100,000 people to the venue. Ford Field hosted its first major concert on October 12, 2002 when the legendary Rolling Stones performed.

Source - DetroitLions.com

[krulmichael]

[krulmichael]

Team Records



Passing
Passing TD (Career): '50-58 Bobby Layne - 118
Passing TD (Game): '78 Gary Danielson - 5
Passing TD (Season): '95 Scott Mitchell - 32
Passing Yards (Career): '50-58 Bobby Layne - 15,710
Passing Yards (Game): '07 Jon Kitna - 446
Passing Yards (Season): '95 Scott Mitchell - 4,338


Rushing
Rushing TD (Career): '89-98 Barry Sanders - 99
Rushing TD (Game): '91 Barry Sanders - 4
Rushing TD (Season): '91 Barry Sanders - 16
Rushing Yards (Career): '89-98 Barry Sanders - 15,269
Rushing Yards (Game): '94 Barry Sanders - 237
Rushing Yards (Season): '97 Barry Sanders - 2,053


Receiving
Receiving TD (Career): '91-01 Herman Moore - 62
Receiving TD (Game): '92 WR - 4
Receiving TD (Season): '52 Cloyce Box - 15
Receiving Yards (Career): '91-01 Herman Moore - 9,174
Receiving Yards (Game): '50 Cloyce Box - 302
Receiving Yards (Season): '95 Herman Moore - 1,686
Receptions (Career): '91-01 Herman Moore - 670
Receptions (Game): '95 Herman Moore - 14
Receptions (Season): '95 Herman Moore - 123


Defense
Interceptions (Career): '59-72 Dick LeBeau - 62
Interceptions (Game): '49 Don Doll - 4
Interceptions (Season): '50 Don Doll - 12
Sacks (Career): '92-04 Robert Porcher - 95.5
Sacks (Game): '83 William Gay - 5.5
Sacks (Season): '78 Al "Bubba" Baker - 23

[krulmichael]

2011 Detroit Lions
Record:
Playoffs:
Award Winners:
Pro-Bowlers:
Passing Leader:
Rushing Leader:
Receiving Leader:
Defense:
Super Bowl Champion:
MVP:
Summary:

[krulmichael]

Chicago Bears

Overall: 0-0

Home: 0-0

Away: 0-0

2011: N/A



Green Bay Packers

Overall: 0-0

Home: 0-0

Away: 0-0

2011: N/A



Minnesota Vikings

Overall: 0-0

Home: 0-0

Away: 0-0

2011: N/A



Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Overall: 0-0

Home: 0-0

Away: 0-0

2011: N/A

[krulmichael]

[b][font=arial][size=6][color=#006DB0]2011 Detroit Lions Pre-Season Roster[/color][/size][color=#006DB0][/color][/font][/b][font=arial][color=#006DB0][/color][/font][color=#006DB0][/color][size=3]
#	Pos	Player			Yr.
9	QB	Matthew Stafford	2
14	QB	Shaun Hill		9
5	QB	Drew Stanton		4
8	QB	Thomas Sprau		R
44	HB	Jahvid Best		1
[color=red]25	HB	Mikel LeShoure		R[/color]
36	HB	Jerome Harrison		5
28	HB	Maurice Morris		9
34	HB/FB	Keiland Williams	1
31	FB	Scott Campbell		R
81	WR	Calvin Johnson		4
13	WR	Nate Burleson		8
16	WR	Titus Young		R
80	WR	Maurice Stovall		5
82	WR	Rashied Davis		6
11	WR/RET	Stefan Logan		3
86	WR	Nate Hughes		3
17	WR	Owen Spencer		R
87	TE	Brandon Pettigrew	2
85	TE	Tony Scheffler		5
89	TE	Will Heller		8
48	TE/LS	Don Muhlbach		8
46	TE	Nathan Overbay		1
76	OT	Jeff Backus		10
70	OT	Jason Fox		1
77	OT	Gosder Cherilus		3
78	OT	Corey Hilliard		4
[color=red]72	OT	Johnny Culbreath	R[/color]
73	OT	Davon Dozier		R
67	OG	Rob Sim			5
63	OG	Jacques McClendon	1
66	OG	Stephen Peterman	7
65	OG	Dylan Gandy		5
62	OG	Sean Ruth		R
68	OG	Cameron Walter		R
51	C	Dominic Raiola		10
64	C	Dan Gerberry		2
92	DE	Cliff Avril		3
94	DE	Lawrence Jackson	3
69	DE	Kyle Moore		2
93	DE	Kyle Vanden Bosch	10
79	DE	Willie Young		1
95	DE	Kyrell Butler		R
90	DT	Ndamukong Suh		1
98	DT	Nick Fairley		R
99	DT	Corey Williams		7
91	DT	Sammie Lee Hill		2
96	DT	Andre Fluellen		3
61	DT	Corvey Irvin		2
52	OLB	Justin Durant		4
59	OLB	Bobby Carpenter		5
55	OLB	Stephen Tulloch		5
57	OLB	Doug Hogue		R
56	OLB	Ja'Quan Bell		R
54	MLB	DeAndre Levy		2
50	MLB	Isaiah Ekejiuba		6
58	MLB	Ashlee Palmer		2
53	MLB	Adam Papendorf		R
97	MLB	Clay Flenorl		R
23	CB	Chris Houston		4
21	CB	Eric Wright		4
27	CB	Alphonso Smith		2
35	CB	Anthony Madison		5
33	CB	Brandon McDonald	4
32	CB	Aaron Berry		1
30	CB	Torry Henderson		R
26	FS	Louis Delmas		2
29	FS	John Wendling		4
38	FS	Dexter Boyd		R
42	SS	Amari Spievey		1
24	SS	Erik Coleman		7
39	SS	Navahri Hammond		R
4	K	Jason Hanson		19
1	K	Cody Polk		R
6	P	Ryan Donahue		R
[/size]

Legend

Bold - Starters
Blue - Captain
Red - Injury Reserve

[krulmichael]

Pre-Season

- August 12th, 2011 - vs. Cincinnati

- August 20th, 2011 - at Cleveland

- August 27th, 2011 - vs. New England

- September 1st, 2011 - at Buffalo

Regular Season

- September 11th, 2011 - at Tampa Bay

- September 18th, 2011 - vs. Kansas City

- September 25th, 2011 - at Minnesota

- October 2nd, 2011 - at Dallas

- October 10th, 2011 - vs. Chicago

- October 16th, 2011 - vs. San Francisco

- October 23rd, 2011 - vs. Atlanta

- October 30th, 2011 - at Denver

- November 13th, 2011 - at Chicago

- November 20th, 2011 - vs. Carolina

- November 24th, 2011 - vs. Green Bay

- December 4th, 2011 - at New Orleans

- December 11th, 2011 - vs. Minnesota

- December 18th, 2011 - at Oakland

- December 24th, 2011 - vs. San Diego

- January 1st, 2012 - at Green Bay

[krulmichael]

[krulmichael]

2010 Record: 6-10

Points Scored: 362 (15th)

Points Allowed: 369 (19th)

Yards Gained: 5,423 (17th)

Yards Allowed: 5,497 (21st)

2011 Home Opponents: Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs, San Diego Chargers



2011 Road Opponents: Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders



Team Strength: The Lions are not a punch line for failure anymore. While they did only finish the season 6-10, that was a four-game improvement over the season before. Six of their first 10 losses were by five points or less, and they kept improving as the season progressed. They finally put it all together and won their last four games.



The offense was finally solid despite the fact that QB Matthew Stafford missed most of the season with shoulder injuries. WR Calvin Johnson is an elite receiver with 77 receptions, 1,120 yards and 12 touchdowns. If they can keep those two on the field in 2011, this offense has the potential to be explosive.



Team Weakness: From 2007 to 2009, the Lions defense finished 32nd in both yards and points allowed. That included a 2008 campaign where they gave up 517 points. The most points given up in a season was the 533 surrendered by the Baltimore Colts in 1981. This defense was historically bad.



That changed in 2010, as the Lions finished 21st in yards allowed and 19th in points allowed. While that is not dominant, it is much better than the last-place finishes of the last three years. The reason for that improvement was DT Ndamukong Suh. He recorded 10 sacks as a rookie at a position where most players do not usually record more than five. He could be the most dominant defensive lineman in the NFL for the next decade, giving the Lions an excellent foundation for years to come.



Offseason Outlook: The Lions can still find an impact player with the 13th pick and could be a player in free agency as they try to catch the Packers and Bears, both of which played in the NFC Championship Game. I expect them to find some offensive line help to protect Stafford and to continue rebuilding a defense that is on the rise but needs more pieces.



Fantasy Player to Watch in 2011: RB Jahvid Best – The first two weeks of the season he had 31 rushes for 108 yards, 14 receptions for 170 yards and five touchdowns. He scored one touchdown the rest of the year. A toe injury limited him much of the season; if he can stay healthy, he could be an explosive fantasy option.

Copyright 2011 Courtesy of Fantast Football Maniaxs.

[krulmichael]

Coach Schwartz States There's Open Competition At Many Positions

Detroit, MI (AP) - Pre-Season may not count towards the win or loss column, but it'll be the deciding factor to who starts on Sundays starting on September 11th, 2011 when Detroit heads down to Tampa Bay to face off against an old rival in the Buccaneers to start the 2011 NFL Regular Season. Earlier today Detroit Lions Head Coach Jim Schwartz made it very clear in an interview after practice that many players could very well lose or gain a starting job over the next month.

Jim Schwartz: "This is a fairly young team, but we already have some established leaders in that locker room, but you can never have enough so it's ultimately up to the players to prove if they want to be here or not. Over the course of this next month we'll (Detroit's coaching staff) be evaluating the players performances not only in the pre-season, but during training camps and practices. We'll have plenty of film come September 1st after our last pre-season game against Buffalo.

Although Detroit has most of it's starting positions set, there will be a good amount of competition for backup spots such as the halfback, receiver, both lines, in the secondary etc. Rookie WR Titus Young looks to seal up the slot position going up against two veterans in Rashied Davis & Maurice Stovall. As far as the right tackle position, a starting battle is possible there with an inconsistent Gosder Cherilus (former 1st round pick from the 2008 draft) against Corey Hilliard who has reportedly been working hard all off-season.

Of course, fans and media wondered whether this years 1st pick Nick Fairley would be lining up next to Suh from the start, to which Schwartz had this to say, "Honestly we have so much depth on our defensive line that everyone is going to get their fair share of playing time throughout the season. With the likes of Suh, Vanden Bosch, Cliff (Avril), and let's not forget another tackle that we brought in here last year, Corey Williams, I see this whole "battle" that you guys are calling it a great "problem" for us."

Only time will answer all these questions as the Lions open up their pre-season at home against a familiar pre-season matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals who have some battles of their own, namely at the quarterback position with the whole Carson Palmer fiasco in the past now. One thing is for sure, Bruce Gradkowski & rookie Andy Dalton can't be looking forward to playing Detroit's front 7.

[krulmichael]

Pre-Season Week 1 - Game Preview

Friday, August 12th, 2011, 8:00 PM (EST)
Regional Broadcast

Berman's Pick



Detroit Lions



Team Stats

Points Per Game: N/A
Total Offense: N/A
Rush Offense: N/A
Pass Offense: N/A
Total Defense: N/A
Rush Defense: N/A
Pass Defense: N/A
Turnover Diff: N/A

Key Player

QB #14 Andy Dalton (Rookie) - 73 Overall

What To Watch For

How 1st round pick QB Andy Dalton fairs his first time playing in the NFL.

Injuries

WR #11 Jordan Shipley (1 Year Pro) - 74 Overall - Knee (Out For The Season)
TE #83 Bo Scaife (6 Year Pro) - 78 Overall - Shoulder (Out For The Season)
MLB #56 Roddrick Muckelroy (1 Year Pro) - 60 Overall - Ankle (Out For The Season)



Team Stats

Points Per Game: N/A
Total Offense: N/A
Rush Offense: N/A
Pass Offense: N/A
Total Defense: N/A
Rush Defense: N/A
Pass Defense: N/A
Turnover Diff: N/A

Key Player

QB #9 Matthew Stafford (2 Year Pro) - 86 Overall

What To Watch For

Whether those defensive off-season acquisitions make an immediate impact.

Injuries

HB #25 Mikel LeShoure (Rookie) - 77 Overall - Torn Achilles Tendon (Out For The Season)
OT #72 Johnny Culbreath (Rookie) - 67 Overall - Illness/Undisclosed (Out For The Season)

[krulmichael]

Detroit Lions Pre-Season Review


Coach Schwartz getting his team ready in the final pre-season practice

Detroit, MI (AP) - The 2011 Pre-Season has come to it's conclusion and we're just days away from the games actually counting. Detroit had a solid pre-season showing finishing up 3-1, only losing to the Cleveland Browns. Perhaps that's a good thing as the last time the Lions finished 4-0 in the pre-season, they went on to become the only team to ever go 0-16 in 2008. This however, is 2011 and times have certainly changed in the Motor City as we take a more in-depth look at the pre-season.

The Good

1. Backup Running Backs: It's no secret that Detroit's offense consists a plethora of passing options headlined by Calvin "Megatron" Johnson, but what the real question was how the running game would fair. The Lions finished 15th in rushing at the conclusion of the pre-season with 423 yards (only 3 rushing touchdowns however). Backup HB Maurice Morris led that attack as he put on a strong showing to keep his spot on the team with 237 yards on 46 carries (that's 5.1 yards a carry) and a touchdown. Fellow backup and newcomer HB Jerome Harrison didn't disappoint either, on 23 carries he went for 98 yards (4.2 average) and a touchdown.

9 year pro backup HB Maurice Morris had a strong pre-season leading the Lions rushing attack

As far as the sophomore starter Jahvid Best, his pre-season was a little more subpar with only 58 yards on 27 carries (2.1 average), a touchdown, and 2 fumbles. Granted as we all know, the starters don't necessarily get the most playing time in the pre-season.

2. Wide Receivers: This wasn't a shock to anyone was it? With Calvin snagging in 14 balls for 172 yards and 3 touchdowns it's just another day at the office. The surprise? Mainly return specialist, the 5'7" Stefan Logan led the team in receptions with 16 for 140 yards and 2 touchdowns showing his inner Hester if you will. Will the Lions use him in the passing game during the regular season with all those weapons they have? That remains to be seen.

The little guy can catch too!

Another solid outting was performed by another new addition to Detroit this season, 5 year vet WR Maurice Stovall who grabbed 13 balls for 188 yards. Brought in for depth at the position and to also give the Lions a possession receiver. Speaking of new additions, former Bears WR, Rashied Davis caught 7 passes for 116 yards and 2 touchdowns as well.

3. Shaun Hill: Despite the strong showing by the receiving core, the only quarterback that really had a steller pre-season was the 9 year vet Shaun Hill who shows he can still be a starter anywhere in the league. With a completion rate of 69% connecting on 61 of 88 passes, 5 touchdowns, and only 1 interception, Hill continues to impress. Oh, did we mention he led all quarterbacks in the NFL this pre-season with 682 yards passing?

Shaun Hill is as cool as the other side of the pillow

4. Defense: Impressive. That about sums up the Lions defense, a very much improved core of guys that collectively can reak havoc on any offense at anytime, especially with that front 7. Finishing 7th in the league in total yards allowed and tied 5th in sacks with 11. The front seven even made their secondary look great tied with four other teams in the league with 7 interceptions. Impressive indeed.

Highlighting some of the indvidual performances, young backup LB Ashlee Palmer led the team in tackles with 27 (the next in line was 16 by Stephen Tulloch). The two big men at the tackle position Corey Williams & Nick Fairley (Detroit's 1st round pick) tied for the most sacks on the team with 2 a piece. As far as the interceptions are concerned, that was a team effort with all 7 picks coming from a different player. Interesting stat that only 3 fumbles were forced in the pre-season, all by one man in LB DeAndre Levy. It's safe to say Detroit's defense looks to be ready for the regular season.

The Bad

1. Matthew Stafford: Not exactly terrible, but not good either. Rust could certainly be playing a factor early on for the Franchise QB. Stafford finished the pre-season with 323 passing yards, 4 touchdowns, 3 interceptions, and a 52% completion rate going 27/51. At times his decisions are questionable, but Detroit fans shouldn't be too worried yet as we'll wait to see him play a couple of full games...praying he won't get hurt again otherwise a very capable and exceptional Shaun Hill will be looking to jump behind center once again.

Stafford had a medicore pre-season at best

2. Ndamukong Suh: Not for the reason you're probably thinking. The Defensive Rookie of the Year suffered an unfortunate Upper Arm Fracture in the Cleveland game week 2 of the pre-season, but the good news is he should be back in Week 2 or 3 of the regular season against Kansas City or Minnesota. Before being hurt, the big man compiled 12 tackles (11 solo & 1 assisted).

3. Offensive Line: This should be Detroit's biggest issue heading into the regular season. In 4 games they allowed 8 sacks and have had their fair share of dumb penalties. Lions fans know this has been Detroit's achilles heel for awhile now and look forward to it being addressed this upcoming off-season. Until then though, just pray the Lions prized possession Matthew Stafford can keep his jersey clean and stay on the field for more than half a season.

Stafford should still be worried about his offensive line



The Ugly

1. Penalties: Now this could be considered a good thing in the fact that the only thing to list in the ugly section are penalties which are simply mental problems and can be easily (hopefully) fixed. Detroit is tied 2nd with Tampa in the league with 17 penalties (3 teams are tied for first with 18). These mostly consist of false starts and holding penalties. With a Jim Schwartz ran team, look for these to be cleaned up come regular season.

Detroit's seen it's fair share of these in the pre-season