Monday Night Football Giants vs Lions

Oh the wonderful Detroit, Michigan. It's September 8th, 2014, a beautiful day in the Motor City. The city is bustling with cars, buses and tailgate-goers filling the local parking lots. Stuffing themselves with not only the Rib Rub Pubs famous ribs, but also a lot of doubt in their beloved Lions. I was fortunate enough to snag a few tickets off of StubHub for this great event. However, some people thought it was a waste.

 My buddy and I started taking the long haul to the stadium, and heard nothing but a downpour of jeers on the lions. "Man that Stafford really needs to step up this year or he's done. And that Caldwell guy? HA, I don't even think he knows a football from a pylon." I was surprised in all these statements form the fans of the streets. The Lions have done well in building their team this offseason. A new Head Coach Jim Caldwell from the Baltimore Ravens. The new offensive coordinator, Joe Lombardi and his New Orleans inspired offense. Not only with new great coaches, but the addition of key players like Wide Receiver Golden Tate, who caught all six passes from Lions quarterback Matt Stafford for a solid 93 yards. It has been said and shown by his performance this past Monday opener, that he is one of the "most sure-handed receivers" in the league. 

It was not a surprise to see the returning players and vets putting in their hours on the field as well as the new guys. Calvin Johnson and Matt Stafford's dynamic duo lit up against the Giants defense in the first ten minutes as the best statistical first quarter of their careers. Johnson had 7 receptions for 164 yards and 2 touchdowns on the night, not an unexpected performance coming from the franchise Wide Out. I can't blame hecklers for being down on Mr. Stafford. Not saying that I dislike the guy at the position for the Lions. The last 3 years he's had over 14,500 yards passing, which is an eye-opener of a stat for the caliber team he's played for in those 3 seasons. Being in his 6th season in the NFL, there's still something about him that catches my eye. As a football player, you can usually tell what goes through any players mind during a game, whether it's a 12 year old playing Pee Wee football or a seasoned Quarterback in the NFL. When I watch the Lions Stafford, he seems, skittish. He knows what he's doing, but he rushes things way too quickly. That's just the guy he is, look for one deep route with Calvin and the run to the sideline and pray for someone underneath. That skill did pay off when he made a Giants defender look like a fool, that made everyone in the  building cringe. That is acceptable in some cases of course. It is, however, nice to see a quarterback sit in the pocket too look for more than a Calvin Johnson down the field. That is something he's always been looking to work on along with his arm strength. To many a surprise, he did just that on his spectacular decision making and strength in his arm throwing without his feet set. Stafford going 22 completions on 32 attempts with 364 yards and a rushing touch down. The Lions defense managed to hold New York to 14 points and 2 interceptions from an acrobatic Linebacker DeAndre Levy, concentrating on the nearly impossible snag and the Free Safety Glover Quin on the goal line from the driving Giants. George Johnson also with a notable sack against a very disappointing Giants offensive line. 

As I walked out of the stadium after the Lions first victory of the season, chest puffed out with pride, with a grin on my face from ear to ear. I knew that the streets of busy Downtown Detroit would be buzzing with hopes of a playoff run in the months ahead.