The Lions celebrate Jameson Williams’ first quarter touchdown in the NFC Championship. (Photo Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press)
In my nearly 46 years living in Detroit, I’m not sure I’ve witnessed a city that so coalesced around one of its sports teams quite the way it has with this year’s Detroit Lions’ group. The 1984 “Bless You Boys” Tigers World Series Champions were close as were 1989’s “Bad Boy” Pistons, and, of course, the post-limousine accident Red Wings’ Stanley Cup Championship in 1998 was incredible.
None of it, however, would have equalled what this region would have witnessed had Detroit managed to seal the deal in Santa Clara Sunday night.
But alas …
Good news, there’s only about seven months until training camp opens.
As we look at this image we’re channeling certain Bon Joviand Madonna songs. Who is it and what are thecircumstances specific to this photo?
Until today’s NFC Championship Game, the Detroit Lions have not had a playoff game in the San Francisco Bay area since New Year’s Eve, 1983.
Despite five interceptions by Detroit quarterback Gary Danielson, the Lions clung to a 23-17 lead deep into the fourth quarter before Joe Montana found Freddie Solomon for a 14-yard touchdown with 1:23 left.
Lions’ Coach Monte Clark on the sidelines of Candlestick Park.
Nevertheless, Detroit moved the ball into field goal range and kicker Eddie Murray had a shot to be the hero with a 43-yard field goal with five seconds left. Despite making three field goals already, including a then-playoff record 54-yarder, Murray’s attempt sailed wide right.
Head coach Monte Clark was spotted on the Detroit sideline seeking the assistance of a higher power as the field goal unit moved into position.
The NFL Films treatment of the previous Lions-49ers playoff game.
Oh yeah, about the Bon Jovi and Madonna songs referenced in the clue: Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer” and Madonna’s “Like a Prayer.” Enjoy!
Just to review, The Fan Teaser comes courtesy of longtime buddy, Pat Schutte. The cropped photo below and the accompanying clue give you an idea as to who or what the image is of. We invite you to use the Comment option to take a crack at solving the Teaser and, if you’re so inclined, participate in some good-spirited banter with your fellow sports fans. The Fan Teaser will appear each Friday morning with the reveal coming to you Sunday.
The view of some of the First Class Plaques in the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s Plaque Room.
I live in suburban Detroit which means I should be blogging about the Detroit Lions and the incredible run they’ve been on the past several weeks, right?
Well, I wrote about them each of the last two weeks and while I’m superstitious and all, I’m not sure I have anything of significance to share in advance of their first NFC Championship Game this Century. I’m just rooting for NO repeats of the only other NFC Championshp Game the Lions have played in my lifetime: January 12, 1992 at RFK Stadium in Washington, DC, where they were outscored 24-0 in the second half and lost, 41-10. After a competitive first half, I recall a less-than-enjoyable remainder of my stay at Fraser’s Pub in Ann Arbor.
No, today I thought I’d wax poetic about what occurs tomorrow: The National Baseball Hall of Fame announces the Baseball Writers Association of America results for the 2024 Class.
Former Detroit Tigers’ manager Jim Leyland is already heading to Cooperstown, NY, courtesy of the HoF’s Contemporary Baseball Era Committee’s vote last month.
I’ve always had an interest in which former big leaguers were headed toward enshrinement, but this year my interest is keener, perhaps because of “Conversation with Sports Fans” guests Adam Darowski (S:2, E:25), Dave Metter (S:2, E:34), and Mark Shirk (S:2, E:53) who all have unique perspectives on the Baseball Hall of Fame.
For Darowski (@baseballtwit on Twitter/X) it’s about two sets of players: Those who, statistically, have the merits to be included but for whatever reason are not. And those who spent the brunt of their professional careers in the Negro Leagues and have had the performances there discounted.
For Metter (@cooperstowndave on Twitter/X) it tends to be about a cause candidate. Once upon a time that was Vladimir Guerrero. Currently, it’s Charlie Bennett, a 19th Century catcher who is still the only player to have a Major League Ballpark named after him, Detroit’s Bennett Park. Because of both his play and his innovation at the position, Metter considers him the best catcher of his era.
For Shirk (@bballhist on Twitter/X) it’s about expanding the ranks of Hall of Famers. Shirk is a proponent of what’s referred to as a “big hall.” That is, opening the doors to more players and personnel who Shirk believes are deserving.
And then there was the discovery this Hall of Fame Election Season of Ryan Thibodaux (@NotMrTibbs on Twitter/X) who along with a team of fellow ballotheads, tabulate those BBWAA ballots that have been made public at his Baseball Hall of Fame Tracker which is found here.
With the announcement due tomorrow, discovering Thibodaux’s site is akin to learning what’s in all those wrapped packages before the holidays. While I’m ecstatic to have knowledge of who’s likely to get in – and who’s not – this forewarning does take the edge off my suprise and/or righteous rage over who gets the call tomorrow.
Matt Patricia didn’t have many correct answers during his three seasons as Detroit Lions’ head coach. He now calls defensive plays for the Philadelphia Eagles. (Photo by Jose Juarez, AP)
On January 5, 1992, I sat in the third level of the Pontiac Silverdome and watched the Detroit Lions utterly thrash the Dallas Cowboys, 38-7, in what was – until Sunday night – the last time the Lions won a playoff game.
For the 30-plus years since being among those 80,000 fans in the stands that afternoon, I have always puffed out my chest and noted I was at the last Lions’ playoff victory.
Today, I can no longer do so … happily!
Oh, I checked at what the get-in cost would be Sunday morning ($400 would have gotten me a standing room only ducat), but I chose to enjoy it from the cozy comfort of my home where there was a refrigerator and restroom steps away.
But I have a confession to make. I started heading to bed at halftime.
It was a Sunday night and while I didn’t have work Monday, I did have tasks to accomplish and wanted to treat it as a fairly typicaly start to a workweek. That means heading to bed by 10 o’clock.
As I settled in to do some reading, I put the game on the radio and listened to the Lions’ play-by-play team of Dan Miller, Lomas Brown, and T.J. Lang. Shortly before turning the lights out, I hit the sleep button for 60 minutes figuring I’d fall asleep at some point.
And, I did, but as I momentarily came out of my slumber, I heard the Lions’ had the ball and a 1-point lead approaching the 2-minute warning so I remained awake long enough to hear what would happen. And then this occurred:
Here is Dan Miller on the call for the Detroit Lions first playoff win since 1992. pic.twitter.com/HX7E3m3kwI
I’m delighted for the 65,000 who were at Ford Field Sunday night. I’d imagine before the week’s up over a quarter million folks will claim to have been in attendance.
And, like most of them, I’m getting greedy. What with another home playoff game on the horizon for this week, I figure why not!?!
While I don’t know enough about the two potential opponents (either the Philadelphia Eagles or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) schematically speaking to understand who sets up best, I do know the play caller for the Eagles is a fella name Matt Patricia who drove the Lions’ franchise like it was a rental for a few seasons, posting a 13-29-1 from 2018-20.
Since this postseason seems to be about Lions’ paybacks (see ex-Lions’ QB Matthew Stafford‘s vanquishing Sunday), why not send the big bearded buffoon’s team packing as well. And, while we’re at it, who else is rooting for a Green Bay Packers’ victory over the San Francisco 49ers to allow for an exorcism of decades worth of Packers’ demons in the NFC Championship in Motor City?
(Update: That fella who used to coach in the D was embarrassed and eliminated by Tampa Bay, 32-9.)
Those who catch on to this game quick will get this one as fast as Jack.
Forty-two years ago this week (January 10, 1982 to be exact) Joe Montana threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Dwight Clark in the NFC Championship Game at San Francisco’s Candlestick Park. Theretofore it became know simply as “The Catch.” You’re able to see the video of it here because, well, the NFL locks down its property and it’s tricky to embed it on this site.
“The Catch” occurred with under a minute left in the game and allowed the 49ers to defeat the Dallas Cowboys, 28-27. San Francisco went on to beat the Cincinnati Bengals, 26-21, in Super Bowl XVI.
Almost immediately, it became known simply as “The Catch.” San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Dwight Clark rose high in the back of the end zone to pull in this pass from quarterback Joe Montana. It helped secure a 28-27 NFC Championship victory over the Dallas Cowboys in San Francisco’s Candlestick Park on January 10, 1982. (Photo by Walter Iooss Jr.)
A couple of fun facts about this game:
If you did watch the clip above (and here) you’ll recognize the voice of the game’s play-by-play person. Yep, that’s longtime Los Angeles Dodgers broadcaster, Vin Scully. This was his final football broadcast.
In the Candlestick crowd that late afternoon was a 4-year-old boy who’d wind up faring pretty well in the NFL himself, Tom Brady.
It must’ve been a long day for young Tom Brady who appears a bit sad following the 49ers big win.(Photo from Brady Family)
Just to review, The Fan Teaser comes courtesy of longtime buddy, Pat Schutte. The cropped photo below and the accompanying clue give you an idea as to who or what the image is of. We invite you to use the Comment option to take a crack at solving the Teaser and, if you’re so inclined, participate in some good-spirited banter with your fellow sports fans. The Fan Teaser will appear each Friday morning with the reveal coming to you Sunday.
The Detroit Lions and quarterback Jared Goff will host Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams in the playoffs later this week. (Photo by Robert Hanashiro – USA Today)
You just knew it would work out this way, didn’t you?
Detroit wins its first NFC North Division title and hosts the first-ever playoff game at Ford Field and the opponent will be the Los Angeles Rams who are quarterbacked by … Matthew Stafford, the former face of the franchise.
When he was drafted first overall by the Detroit Lions in 2009 out of the University of Georgia he Stafford was to be the savior of a city’s bedraggled football team that had the ignominy of finishing 0-16 the year before and hadn’t won a division title in 25 years.
Alas, the best laid plans.
Rather than fully “Restore the Roar,’ Stafford helmed the Lions to nothing more than three second-place divisional finishes and three road Wildcard Playoff Round losses. His final three seasons in Detroit – all under ill-equipped Coach Matt Patricia – resulted in successive last-place divisional finishes and a grand total of 11 wins.
On Sunday, Detroit beat Minnesota, 30-20, to put a bow on a 12-win season that saw a new banner ascend to the rafters.
The team’s success this season can be directly attributed to, you guessed it, Matthew Stafford. Or at least the Lions’ return on his departure.
When Detroit sent Stafford to the Rams three years ago this month it was anyone’s guess how it’d turn out. The only other player as part of the package – then-Rams’ quarterback Jared Goff – took Los Angeles to a Super Bowl three seasons earlier, but to much of the football world he appeared to be a serviceable quarterback. Nothing more, nothing less.
The bounty for this trade of Stafford was a third round and two first round draft picks.
In the interim, while Detroit waited to see what the new regime of General Manager Brad Holmes and Coach Dan Campbell would do with those picks, most of Detroit pulled for Stafford and lived vicariously through he and the Rams’ magical 2021 season that resulted in the 23-20 Super Bowl LVI victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.
It was not until April’s NFL Draft that the final tally on the Stafford Trade was known:
And, because the Lions were fairly devoid of talent that first year Holmes, Campbell, and Goff were in town, they wound up with the second overall selection which became Aidan Hutchinson. Add to the mix Lions’ Offensive Coordinator Ben Johnson and suddenly Goff was more than serviceable.
So it seems only fitting then that for the Detroit Lions – one of just four NFL franchises to never appear in a Super Bowl (Browns, Jaguars, and Texans are the others) – to move to the next round this post-season they must first vanquish the city’s once favorite son who returns wearing a decidely different shade of blue and a Super Bowl ring on his finger.
I haven’t a clue what sort of reception Stafford will receive from the Ford Field faithful Sunday night (I suspect it will be respectful gratitude for his time served), but I do know that for this franchise to fully shake the “Same Old Lions” label it will need to finally sever ties with any affinity it has for Stafford and a major part of that will be the fans making life miserable for he and his Rams’ teammates, thus enhancing the chances of a Lions victory.
Has one franchise ever witnessed its past, present, and future all converging at such a critical moment?
Who belongs to these broad shoulders and what did he accomplish while wearing this particular jersey?
Tyrone Wheatley was a schoolboy phenom in suburban Detroit. A quarterback, point guard, sprinter, and long jumper at Dearborn Heights Robichaud High School, it seemed there was nothing he couldn’t accomplish. He was considered by many to be the greatest prep athlete in the state of Michigan’s history.
And on January 1, 1993, in the Rose Bowl against the University of Washington, the Huskies discovered firsthand what Wheatley was capable of. He rushed 15 times for 235 yards and scored three touchdowns on runs of 56, 88, and 24 yards. He also ran away with the MVP Award following UM’s 38-31 win.
The Wolverines and Huskies meet again on the national stage in Houston Monday night in the College Football Playoff Championship Game.
University of Michigan running back Tyrone Wheatley carried just 15 times against the University of Washington Huskies during the 1993 Rose Bowl, but amassed a whopping 235 yards and three touchdowns en route to earning the MVP Award during the Wolverines’ 38-31 victory. (UM Football Photo)
Highlights of the 1993 Rose Bowl.
Just to review, The Fan Teaser comes courtesy of longtime buddy, Pat Schutte. The cropped photo below and the accompanying clue give you an idea as to who or what the image is of. We invite you to use the Comment option to take a crack at solving the Teaser and, if you’re so inclined, participate in some good-spirited banter with your fellow sports fans. The Fan Teaser will appear each Friday morning with the reveal coming to you Sunday.
He capped it with a an interception and four pass break ups during the Wolverines’, 21-16, Rose Bowl victory over Washington State to secure a share of the National Championship.
University of Michigan defensive back signals to the 1998 Rose Bowl crowd who he believes the national champions should be.
ABC’s telecast of the 1998 Rose Bowl. Enjoy some Keith Jackson on the call.
Just to review, The Fan Teaser comes courtesy of longtime buddy, Pat Schutte. The cropped photo below and the accompanying clue give you an idea as to who or what the image is of. We invite you to use the Comment option to take a crack at solving the Teaser and, if you’re so inclined, participate in some good-spirited banter with your fellow sports fans. The Fan Teaser will appear each Friday morning with the reveal coming to you Sunday.
The Detroit Lions enter Ford Field before their Thanksgiving Day game. (Photo by Rick Osentoski)
As a Detroit-area resident, I’m keenly aware our hometown NFL team – the Detroit Lions – are experiencing a season unlike many (any?) they’ve experienced before. As I write this, they’re 10-4 and sit three games ahead of the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC North Division. With three games remaining, the math is pretty simple for the Lions: Win one of those remaining games and they’re the North champs and will host a playoff game.
So why do some long-suffering Lions’ fans have their doubts?
Akin to Stockholm Syndrome, the “Same Old Lions’ Sensation” is a very real emotion that can render even the most ardent fan immobilized with fear that the other shoe is about to drop.
Perhaps it’s because the Lions are one of four teams who’ve never appeared in a Super Bowl or the fact their last NFL Championship came in 1957 or their last playoff victory followed the 1991 season or the utter wasting of Barry Sanders‘ otherwordly talent.
Whatever the reason, Lions’ fans will never be mistaken for, say, New England Patriots’ fans because, quite frankly, they have no experience enjoying success and knowing how to react when things are going well.
So, yesterday I saw a post on a buddy’s social media account that outlined the 0.8% chance the Lions don’t qualify for the playoffs (never mind winning the North, this was about not even getting a ticket to the dance). Here was the scenario that needed to unfold for Detroit to be on the outside looking in:
As I scanned this list, I thought: All of these are plausible!
The least of which is, likely, is the final one. Are the Los Angeles Rams really going into San Francsico and beating the Niners? Well, San Francisco has already clinched the NFC West and, by the final weekend, may have wrapped up homefield throughout. Is there an impetus for the host Niners to do anything more than field a team that afternoon?
And with that, Detroit Lions’ fans anxiously await the results of each of these games. Hoping that one, just one, breaks in Detroit’s favor so they can move onto worrying about what the next shoe to drop will be: Not winning the North? Not winning the first playoff game in over 30 years?
