Detroit lions have teeth

If you’re a fan of professional football, you must be rooting, at least a little, for the Detroit Lions.

The NFC North team has been the symbol of the NFL’s futility for the past two decades. Their last playoff appearance was in 1999. In 2008, the Lions became the first NFL team to go 0-16. The hiring of Matt Millen as general manager will likely go down in history as one of the worst personnel decisions in professional sports.

But there are signs that things are looking up for the Lions and their fans.

If you’re a fan of an 0-2 team, it’s hard to find reasons for optimism, but you will if you look hard enough.

When I think of Detroit’s week one loss to the Chicago Bears, a quote from Rocky II comes to mind.

The champion, Apollo Creed, wants a rematch with Rocky, against the warnings of his most trusted advisors. When he asks why he wants to fight Rocky again, Creed says, “I won, but I didn’t beat him.” For the Lions, the opposite happened: they beat the Bears, but they didn’t win.

Calvin Johnson caught a touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter only to have the score nullified for a rule so egregious the NFL Competition Committee is sure to address it in the offseason.

Johnson caught the ball, dropped both feet in the end zone, and landed on his butt, which was also in the end zone. By any non-NFL standard, it was a touchdown. Many die-hard Lions fans count that game as a win.

The week two game, a thrilling 35-32 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, offers more reason for optimism, with one caveat. A team that gives up 35 points clearly has a defensive problem.

Still, there were silver lines on that particular cloud. The Lions’ offense showed some teeth, scoring 32 points of its own, and they may have discovered a major weapon in rookie running back Jahvid Best.

The freshman running back scored three touchdowns against the Eagles, including a 75-yard reception and run that only a handful of running backs could have pulled off. Calvin Johnson is a star in the making who expects a consistently accurate quarterback to throw the ball to him.

On defense, Ndamukong Suh is paired with fellow former Nebraska Cornhusker Kyle Vanden Bosch to form a fearsome defensive line. The Lions sacked Michael Vick six times in Week Two and Vick is easily the fastest and most slippery quarterback in the NFL. Had Eagles heir apparent Kevin Kolb been under center, the sack total could have doubled.

For the Lions, the road to legitimacy is paved with potholes and speed bumps. Quarterback Matthew Stafford will be out for the foreseeable future with a separated shoulder, which leaves San Francisco’s Shaun Hill ruled out at the helm of the offense until Stafford’s return.

Their defensive backfield is pedestrian at best. And his hours are positively brutal. This season they get the New York Giants, the Washington Redskins, the Dallas Cowboys and the New England Patriots, not to mention the Green Bay Packers twice.

But there is talent on this roster, and the past two weeks have filled the Lions with confidence. They think they can play anyone and they may be right. As hard as it is to believe, the Detroit Lions may be a year or two away from a playoff spot.

Whether or not that happens, this is true: Teams that underestimate the Lions do so at their peril.

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