Detroit Lions Update: Playoffs?

It’s hard to believe that it’s already December. It feels like yesterday when I started college, and now my first semester is almost over. This is just amazing to me, but there’s something that truly is beyond belief. The NFL season has only three weeks left until the playoffs begin!! I can’t even begin to describe how fast the year has gone by. I remember watching the Lions play the first Monday Night Football game of the year, and now they’re in the middle of a playoff race with 8 contenders fighting it out for 6 spots. Before I discuss who the other teams that Detroit must deal with for the next month, let me start out by discussing how week 14 played out. 

This week, the Lions played host to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a rebuilding franchise who tried to play the role of spoiler for Detroit’s season. In this game, the Bucs had nothing to lose, while the Lions had virtually everything to gain. In games like these, it’s the special players that need to step up and give their team the advantage. With this in mind, who better than both Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson to carry Detroit to victory. Making sure that no upset-of-the-year game would occur, Stafford lit up Tampa’s Defense, throwing for 311 yards, along with three touchdowns. Johnson would be his main target, as Megatron caught 8 catches for 158 total yards, one of them being a 6 yard touchdown reception.

With the offense firing on all cylinders, the league’s top defense would slam the door shut on the opposition. They intercepted Tampa’s quarterback Josh McCown twice, and also forced him to fumble the ball, which gave the Lions a boost of motivation. When your defense is playing at the level Detroit’s has the past two weeks, it becomes fairly simple to get a win. That’s exactly what happened, as Detroit won 34-17.

There are only two games left on the Detroit Lion’s schedule, and there’s nothing easy about it. Next week they travel to Chicago to take on the Bears, a rival that would love nothing more than to spoil Detroit’s dream season. If we’re fortunate enough to escape with a win, it might clinch us a playoff berth for the first time in three years. However, if the Lions want to make a statement on the rest of the NFL, then the last week of the season would be the perfect opportunity. Detroit will travel to Lambeau Field to face off against the Green Bay Packers, arguably the best team in football. A main reason why is because of the play of their quarterback Aaron Rodgers, an easy choice for the MVP award. As of right now, Detroit’s tied with Dallas and Seattle with a 9-4 record. The problem is that there are two wild card spots, which means one team will be left out. As of now, Detroit would be in because Dallas beat Seattle in week 5, which gives them a tiebreaker. That’s what it looks like right now, but many things can happen in the next few weeks. We’ll see what happens, but until that time, GO LIONS!!

Favorite Athlete

In my life, I’ve been able to witness many great athletes from many different sports. The big question that comes to my mind however is which one’s my favorite? I’ve been lucky enough to watch possibly the two greatest quarterbacks of all time, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. I’ve also seen great baseball players such as Miguel Cabrera, Mariano Rivera, and Clayton Kershaw. I watched swimmer Michael Phelps win a record eight gold medals in the 2008 Olympics. The game of soccer is being dominated by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who both could go down as the greatest soccer players in history. With the amount of historic talent that I’ve been grateful to see in my life, I must tell you that my favorite athlete isn’t mentioned above. This may come as a surprise at first, but I promise you that once you find out who it is, you won’t question it. My favorite athlete of all time is Michael Jordan, and there are many reasons why.

The first reason why Michael Jordan is my favorite athlete is because he’s the best basketball player of all time. I know it’s cliché to say that, but I can’t find another way to describe him. Don’t get me wrong, there are some good players today like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and others. However, none of them are better than Jordan was. To make this easier to understand, I’ll start by saying that Jordan made an impact on not only basketball, but pop culture as well. When someone thinks about basketball, even if they don’t know anything about the game, chances are they’ve at least heard of Michael Jordan. If you acknowledge the fact that millions of people today say that he’s the best, then he must’ve been pretty good.

Another reason why Michael Jordan is my favorite athlete is because transcended the game of basketball during the 90’s like no other athlete did before or after his tenure. Michael Jordan made everyone want to play basketball in the 90’s because he grabbed everyone’s attention. He usually did this by making shoots that seem impossible to make. An example of this is when he was surrounded by three defenders and in mid-air, weaved through them and made the shoot. Michael Jordan made the impossible a piece of cake, and left fans around the world shaking their heads in disbelief.

Finally, the main reason why MJ is my favorite athlete is because he did the most important thing, which is winning. I believe that in order to be considered great, you must have victories to prove it. Michael Jordan fits perfectly with this description, as he won six NBA Titles, six Finals MVP awards, and five regular season MVP awards included. Not only did Michael Jordan affect pop culture and wowed audiences, but he proved himself as a champion as well. These are the reasons why Michael Jordan is my favorite athlete of all time.           

                                          

Fantasy Football

            For me, football is the most entertaining sport in the world. Yes, I know soccer is the most famous, and baseball is America’s past time, but when it comes to enjoying a game as either a player or spectator, football is the greatest game on Earth. There are two main reasons why football, especially the NFL, is an awesome sport. The first thing is that the NFL has a short season compared to the other sports, which makes every game important. However, the biggest reason why I believe the NFL is so huge in popularity today is because of the rapid growth of a primarily fan driven phenomenon, known as fantasy football.

            I first got introduced to fantasy football by my dad, who annually participates in a league for his work. When I was still in middle school, I would go to his drafts and help him pick his players. I was considered his good luck charm sometimes because the players he let me select usually had great seasons that particular year. I became so excited when it came time to the draft that once I entered high school, I decided I would attempt to manage my own fantasy football team. The rest as they say is history, as fantasy football quickly took control of my love for football.

            My first year of fantasy football didn’t go so well, as I finished with a .500 record and missed the playoffs. I’m honest to say that I don’t remember a single player from that team, probably because I like to forget how bad they were. My second year of fantasy football, however, was a different story. My quarterback that year was Peyton Manning, who would eventually break the single-season passing record for yards and touchdowns in a season. With Manning giving me a huge lift, I was able to qualify for the playoffs, where I eventually won the league championship!!   

             This is my third year doing fantasy football, and it’s going great. I’m currently tied for first in the league with an 8-3 record, and have my sights set on the playoffs. My quarterback is Russell Wilson, who produces a solid amount of points each week. My primary running back is Jamaal Charles, considered by many to be the best all-around back in the NFL. My main receivers are A.J. Green and Alshon Jeffery, who both give me solid production each week. I hope these players can keep it up, as I make a push for the playoffs, and possibly another league championship.  

Men's Softball

Throughout my life, I’ve encountered many experiences that I believe affected my passion for sports. Some of these examples include watching Michigan Football games on TV with my dad, playing basketball in my driveway, or attending Detroit Tiger games with my family. I’ve been lucky enough to have been involved with great youth sports organizations like Vassar Little League, and the Millington Church of God Basketball Foundation. All of these things were important to me growing up, because they gained my interest towards sports altogether. However, I think that one experience has affected me most, and it’s when my dad played recreational softball in Saginaw.

             My dad had been playing sports ever since he was little. He always tells me stories about how he was always on travel baseball and soccer teams for Saginaw Township growing up. He also tells me of how he used to play on recreational football teams when he was in college. Even though I never got to witness these events, I was lucky enough to watch my dad play recreational softball. As a young boy, you’re always trying to find a motivation for what you want to do when you’re older. For me, I knew for a fact that sports would always be a part of me when I watched my dad play.

            The first time I can remember watching my dad play softball was when I was only five years old. He played at Hoyt Park, a recreational sports complex that sat at the bottom of a hill right next to the Saginaw Zoo. Even though it’s primarily run down now, I will always remember how packed it was on game day. Instead of one field, there was more like ten, and each one had a game at the same time! You might view this as chaos, but I saw it as heaven. The sight of people sitting on the hill, kids my age running around playing tag, the great food being cooked at the concession stand, along with seeing my dad play, it was paradise.

            My dad played for many different teams while at Hoyt Park. The first one I can remember was called Pride and Country, a hotel in Saginaw at the time that sponsored the team. As a matter of fact, most teams that played at Hoyt Park were sponsored. The team itself wasn’t that good, but my dad was. He was the catcher for them, but most people down there, including myself, believed that he was the best catcher in the whole league. He was great on defense, throwing people out that attempted to steal. He was also a great hitter, as he would consistently get base hits, and once in a while get a home run.

The other team that I can remember that he played for was called Heck’s Bar and Grill. Unlike Pride and Country, this team was good, and my dad was once again one of the best players. They were so good that they were invited to a state tournament in Houghton Lake, which was a cool experience for both my dad and me. I will always remember these moments because of the lasting impression they left on me as a kid, along with how they’ve affected me today, when it comes to the love I have for sports.

Detroit Lions Update

            There are two things that I’m finding hard to believe right now. The first is that the 2014 NFL Season is already past week 10. The other detail that seems almost too good to be true, however, is the fact that the Detroit Lions are 7-2 and are in first place in the NFC North. I can’t remember the last time the Lions had seven wins before Thanksgiving, which makes me very excited for the team. It also makes me wonder, more like hope, that 2014 might finally be the year the Detroit Lions will be playing more than 16 games in a season. I know there’s a long way to go before the playoffs, but it’s never too early to dream, right?

            The month of October was something the Lions will look back on when the season’s over, and be glad everything played out the way it did. Detroit entered October with a 3-1 record, hoping to keep the positive results in order to stay ahead of the competition from Green Bay and Chicago. The month didn’t get off to a good start, however. The Lions blew a 14-6 fourth quarter lead against Buffalo, with the final knockout punch coming from a 58 yard field goal with just 4 seconds remaining. This loss would have devastated most teams, but not Detroit. If anything, I would say they used it as fuel for what was to occur the next few weeks.

            The madness began when the Lions traveled to Minnesota to take on the Vikings. In a great showing by the league’s top defense, Detroit came away with a 17-3 victory. While this result didn’t shock many people, what happened the following week left everyone in a state of shock. The Lions returned home to take on the New Orleans Saints, known for their prenominal passing attack which was led by one of the NFL’s elite quarterbacks, Drew Brees. As expected, the Saints seemed to do anything they wanted in the air, as Brees threw for 342 yards and two touchdowns. With these stats, it would be easy to say that the Saints won the game. This should have been the case, but something happened in the final 4 minutes that I can’t even explain. With Detroit down 23-10 with just 3:45 left, quarterback Matthew Stafford threw a pass to wide receiver Golden Tate, which went from a 20 yard strike to a 79 yard footrace for a touchdown. With the crowd getting back into the game, the Lions defense made quite possibly the play of the year. With 3:20 to go in the game, safety Glover Quin made the play of his young career as he intercepted Drew Brees, and returned the ball to the 30 yard line of New Orleans. Detroit quickly took advantage of the rare Brees mistake, as Stafford threw a touchdown to Corey Fuller for 5 yards, which clinched a Lions victory. 

            While this event seemed incredible enough, the next game Detroit had was of equal amazement. Trailing 21-0 in the second half to the Falcons, the Lions came back to steal a win 22-21. Just yesterday, the Lions pulled off yet another miracle, beating the Miami Dolphins 20-16 thanks to a Theo Riddick touchdown catch from Stafford with just 30 seconds remaining. It makes you wonder how long the Lions can keep this up. If we’re lucky, maybe they can make it to the Super Bowl, where they can win their first Lombardi Trophy in team history.

Worst Game I Ever Attended

Even though it was four years ago, I remember it like it was yesterday. The air was crisp, and the wind was howling. As we got close to the park, the crowd began to increase with thousands of fans flocking from all over Detroit. As my family and I waited at the entrance gate, I began to wonder how the experience would turn out. Would we have good seats? Would we win? Will there be any exciting moments? It would soon become apparent, however, that none of these questions would matter. What started as a normal trip to a ballgame quickly became much more, and it’s something I’ll never forget.

             I’ve been to many Detroit Tigers games in my life, but this one would be different. There are many reasons why this experience sticks in my mind more than the others, but I’ll start with the normal events. The Tigers were playing the San Francisco Giants, who would eventually win the World Series that year. As always, the first thing my family does is find our seats, that way we can get a glimpse as to what we’ll see that night. We had great seats down the third base line, only five rows from the field! After we found our seats, we decided to walk around see what we could do before the game started. I remember going into gift shops, playing the “guess your speed” pitching simulator, and grabbing something to eat. After my family and I did all that, we went back to our seats and waited for the game to start. I had no idea, however, that this was going to be the one of the worst nights of my life.

            The first three innings were as close to normal as possible. The game was back and forth, with each team scoring two runs each. Everything was shaping up to be a great night. Then, it happened. The wind started to pick up, and clouds began to role in. A few moments later, the rumble of thunder began to start. When this happened, the crowd, including me, started to act restless. Even though some people began to head for the exits, a majority of the people stayed in the stadium. That decision to stay has been a question I still ask myself to this day. About five minutes after the thunder started, the sky began to light up with flashes of lighting in the background. Right after that, the rain started to fall from the sky. It wasn’t raining, it was pouring! It got so bad that the cement became the floor of a mini-pool. The torrential downpour made me feel like I was in a rainforest, with no escape from it.

After an hour of waiting for the rain to stop, the game resumed. When my family returned to our seats, they looked like beach chairs that sat on the shore of Lake Michigan. To make matters worse, the game got ugly. San Francisco decided to hit everything in sight, as they scored 8 runs the next inning. After a total of six hours at Comerica Park, and at 1:30 in the morning, the game had finally ended. The final score was 11-3 San Francisco. Not only did Detroit get crushed, but I, along with thousands of other Tiger fans, got soaked in the process. This is hands down the worst game I’ve ever attended.

Team of Destiny

It was one of those experiences where you sit back in your chair and ask yourself a simple question. “Did that just happen?” this is what I was asking myself after the game had ended, and the Detroit Lions had won over the Atlanta Falcons, 22-21. It was one of those moments that you think about long after it happened and you still get goose bumps. The game was a so called tale of two halves from a Lions standpoint. There were a lot of things that played a role into how the game unfolded, so I should probably start from the beginning.

            First off, let me state that in order to watch the start of the Lion’s game, I had to set my alarm clock for 9:00 AM on a Sunday! That’s right, the event was starting in the morning, but not in the United States. Instead, the game was being played across the pond in beautiful London, England. Even though they had been practicing over there for a few days, I had a feeling that both teams might not have their ‘A’ game because of the early start. This turned out to be true for Detroit, but not so much for Atlanta. They dominated the Lions in the first half, moving the ball across the field with ease, and scoring three touchdowns in the process. It was an embarrassment in the first half, as the Falcons led at halftime 21-0.

            When the second half began, it was clear that Lions coach Jim Caldwell got after his team, and tried to light a fire in them. It started with the defense, as they began to display their toughness and intensity for the rest of the game. They began to stop the run, pressure the quarterback, and get a huge interception that led to a Lions score. The offense also stepped up, making big play after big play to stage a comeback. One play that definitely had a major impact on the outcome occurred with five minutes to go in the third quarter. Facing a 3rd. and 25, quarterback Matthew Stafford scrambled out of the pocket and threw a rocket pass out to receiver Golden Tate, who caught the ball and ran into the end zone for a Lions touchdown. This was no question the turning point in the game, but the ending was something I won’t soon forget.

            With less than two minutes left and Detroit down 21-19, the Lions knew that it was now or never. Facing all sorts of pressure, Matthew Stafford and the rest of the Lion’s offense stayed calm, and quickly drove down the field on a shocked Falcon’s defense. With four seconds to go in the game, kicker Matt Prater lined up for a 43 yard field goal for the win. The snap was good, the hold was good, the kick, everything but good as it missed off to the right. The game was over, or was it? Before the play began, an official threw a flag on the Lions for a delay of game. Could it be that a penalty had just saved Detroit? With almost no time left on the clock, Prater lined up to attempt a 48 yard field goal to test this theory. As before, the snap and hold were good. When the ball left his foot, it was as if everything was in slow motion. It seemed like an eternity, but after the heart stopping moments, the ball found its way through the goal post. The kick was good!! The Detroit Lions had just won a game that at one point seemed impossible to win. With this in mind, I’ve come to a conclusion that this is a team of destiny, there’s no question about it.