The Lions concluded this football season on a sour note. In the final game of the season, they lost to the Green Bay Packers 34 -13. The worst part of the loss was that for half the game or so, the Packers played a lot of second and third stringers and the Lions continued to play the starters and yet we could do absolutely nothing.

Our vaunted offense continued to sputter against the Packer backups - very sad indeed. While prior to the game their was much speculation and rumor about Offensive Coordinator Mike Martz being fired or let go, there still has not been a formal announcement to that effect. I think the Lions need it though to move forward. Its obvious that the Martz show in Detroit was not a success. Personally, I feel that Kitna needs to leave town with him in order for this team to continue to build on the improvements made this year. I would be surprised, however, if Kitna is not back next year.

What bothers me the most about this season and the way it played out is that if you had asked me before the season what I thought about a season where the Lions would go 7 and 9, I would have called it a success and definite progress. However, with the 6 - 2 start, and then to close the last have at 1 - 7, it leaves a very sour taste in your mouth. I cannot call it a successful season because of that finish. There are probably more questions to be answered this off season than there was last season. Still, I am hopeful.

The Lions made a definite statement at home this year. They made Ford Field a true home field advantage. Now, we need to figure out how to play some football on the road. If we can make similar road progress as we did at home this year, we might have a season.

Some key players stepped up and made themselves known this year. Ernie Sims was stellar at linebacker. Kevin Jones and TJ Duckett showed a solid one two punch at RB when they were healthy. Calvin Johnson, though he faded like many rookies late in the season, showed some brilliance at WR. Damien Woody looked pretty good when he moved over to right tackle - too bad it was so late in the season.

Other players showed themselves to be a problem for the future. Jeff Backus gave up the most sacks in the NFL. Jon Kitna had more interceptions than touchdowns. None of our cornerbacks can cover worth a damn. Kalimba Edwards got his big salary during the offseason and disappeared - so much so you may never see him in a Lions uniform again. Shaun Rogers is in poor shape and not capable of dominating a game anymore.

This should be an interesting off season! Happy New Years!

This week the Lions take on the Chicago Bears. It is a home game for the Lions. This is an important game for the Lions for several reasons.

First, they need to come back strong after getting lambasted last week in Philadelphia. Being a home game, if they come out flat again, expect the boos to rain down on them. This is there chance to earn back a bunch of fans this week if they can make a good showing at home. If they should come out flat and get destroyed again, the season is likely to spiral downward out of control in a way that they won’t be able to recover. They were walking with swagger and talking the talk before the Eagles game. This game will go a long ways towards restoring the confidence of the players if they can play well.

Second, its a divisional game. Maintaining a good record in the division is essential for keeping a handle on some of the tiebreakers should the team put it together enough to be in contention for the playoffs. The Bears won the division last year and figured to be in the hunt again this year. The season hasn’t quite started out the way they thought it would, but their record is likely to improve. A Lions victory could demoralize the Bears, who are in a QB quandary, and push them even further down in the standings.

Personally, I expect the Lions to rebound fairly well this week. I think personally, they feel like folks challenged their manhood, rightfully so, after last weeks laugher. They want to come and prove themselves to the hometown fans - sort of like they did in the home opener. They were able to get the fans on their side and that helped down the wire in the overtime victory over the Vikings. I think all Lions fans expectations for the year have been lowered after last week’s defeat, but the players want to show them that they can and will contend this year against the divisional winner from last year.

I do fear this game a bit though. The Bears were the best team in the division last year. Can they really be as bad as they are playing this year? They haven’t had a whole lot of changes from last year. They too feel like they have something to prove. This scenario sounds a lot like the Eagles situation last week and we all know how that turned out.

Also, they Bears have dealt with a quarterback “controversy” all year long. In fact, even in winning the division last year, there was always a swirl around Rex Grossman at QB. This week, the Bears have finally made the switch and Brian Griese will get the start. Folks have been waiting for this for a long time. I think even the players have been wanting a switch even though they have been publicly supporting Grossman. The Bears could receive a huge momentum lift by this switch. Griese has been around for quite a while and even made the Pro Bowl in 2000 and led the Michigan Wolverines to their last National Title. He has jumped around the NFL, but is a capable QB. That said, he isn’t the next coming of the great QB. If he was, he wouldn’t have moved around as much and as a veteran would be established somewhere by now. T

he Lions should expect the Bears to come out fired up and for emotions to be high. To counter it, they need to mix it up and put some pressure on Griese to keep him from getting comfortable and feeding off the emotion. The Lions don’t blitz much but may need to step it up a bit this week. Last week, against max protection, they didn’t get close to McNabb. Early and often pressure on Griese is likely to keep him from having a big day. If the Lions allow him to get comfortable and have lots of time, the emotion of the change may give the Bears a big lift and carry them over the Lions.

Both teams come limping into this game a bit though the Bears have lost a few more players at key positions. The Lions need Calvin Johnson to be able to play today, even if a bit limited. With the Bears corners ailing or out, he will help stretch them and allow receivers to get open. Even if he can’t run crisp patters and/or catch the ball, I still see his presence on the field as a key component for a Lion victory. The Bears are simply beat up and this will affect their game today. Advantage here to the Lions.

The Lions have been unsuccessful in running the ball all year. I expect to see more Kevin Jones today, but the running game will struggle once again. With Backus and Woody questionable, they will either play hurting or the backups will be in. Either way, Brian Urlacher and the Bears defense should be able to stop the run all day long. I hope Jones has a big day, but I just don’t see it happening.

Thus, the Lions will again rely on the passing attack. Fantasy footballers should play Kitna again as he will put up big numbers once again. He will again try to spread the ball around to confuse the Bears secondary who will be playing a bunch of backups today. If Kitna can keep from throwing interceptions in the red zone, the Lions will put up some points. Roy Williams should be a big target today. I see him catching a couple of TDs.

Last night, before heading off to bed, I was ready to pick the Bears in a close game. Between the Griese factor and the Lions inconsistencies, I just didn’t feel good about the game. However, after a nights sleep, I suddenly feel rejuvenated about the chances tomorrow. A die hard Lions fan I will always be. I think they will be able to pressure Griese and he won’t play well. The first quarter will be key to getting him off balance. The Bears defense is just too banged up to hang with the high powered Martz offense. I am going to go out on a limb and predict the Lions victory, with a score of 32 - 21. My 1 - 2 prediction record needs a lift too.

Go Lions!