Lions Poll - How Many Wins This Season?

DETROIT LIONS VS. ATLANTA FALCONS: POSTGAME NOTES

The following are postgame notes and quotes from the Detroit Lions' 23-16 loss to the Atlanta Falcons at Ford Field, October 23, 2011.

WR CALVIN JOHNSON

• Lions WR Calvin Johnson caught his 10th touchdown pass on the season with a 57-yard TD reception in the third quarter. Johnson is now the first player in Lions history with 10 touchdown catches in three different seasons. He also caught 12 touchdowns in 2008 and 2010.
• Johnson joins WR Herman Moore as the only players in team history with 10 touchdown catches in back-to-back seasons. Moore had 11 TDs in 1994 and 14 in 1995.
• He is now the sixth player in NFL history with 10 touchdown receptions through the first 7 games of the season and first since WR Randy Moss had 10 through 7 games for New England in 2007.
• Johnson finished the game with 5 receptions for 115 yards. His 115-yard outing today moved him into fifth place on the Lions all-time receiving yards list surpassing Hall of Fame TE Charlie Sanders (4,817, 1968-77).
• By recording 115 receiving yards today, Johnson now has 17 career 100-yard games. He has gone over 100 receiving yards in each of the past three games and four of the seven games the Lions have played this year.
• Johnson becomes the first Lions receiving with three-straight 100-yard games since WR German Crowell in 1999.
• It is the first time in Johnson’s career that he has registered 100 receiving yards in three-straight games.
• Johnson has scored a touchdown in six of the Lions seven games thus far in 2011.

K JASON HANSON

• Lions K Jason Hanson has now played in 302 career games. He is now tied with QB Brett Favre and K Matt Stover for sixth place on the NFL’s career games played list.
• Hanson finished the game with 10 points (3 FG, 1 PAT) and now has scored 68 points on the season. He has scored 10 points in four of the team’s seven games this season.

T JEFF BACKUS

• Today’s game marked T Jeff Backus’ 167th consecutive start. He currently has the most consecutive starts by any lineman (offense or defense) in the NFL and the most among offensive players. He has the eighth-most consecutive starts by an offensive lineman since 1970.

LIONS INTERCEPTIONS

• The Lions defense intercepted two passes today to move their season total to 10 in the season’s first seven games.
• CB Eric Wright picked off his second pass of the season on the Falcons’ opening drive and returned it 22 yards to the Atlanta 15-yard line, setting up a Lions field goal.
• S Amari Spievey recorded his third interception of the season on the first play of the fourth quarter. Three interceptions on the season is a career high for the second-year safety.

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CITY OF DETROIT MUNICIPAL PARKING DEPARTMENT OFFERS PARKING FOR DETROIT LIONS GAME SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23

The following City of Detroit Municipal Parking Department facilities will be open for the Detroit Lions football game on Sunday, October 23:

  Hours                                                                  Rate

 Cadillac Farmer Lot 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.                       $10
 1025 Farmer

 Eastern Market Garage 6 a.m. – 6 p.m.                    $15
 2727 Riopelle

 Grand Circus Park Garage 10 a.m. – close*              $20
 1600-01 Woodward Avenue

 

 Premier Underground Garage              24 hours        $10
 1206-08 Woodward Avenue

 

*Grand Circus Park Garage closes two hours after the Detroit Lions football game ends.

 

For more information, call the department at (313) 221-2500 or go online to the City’s Web site at http://www.detroitmi.gov/, click on Departments, and then go to Municipal Parking.

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Lions Injuries/Health Concerns May Take a Toll

LIONS HEAD COACH JIM SCHWARTZ FROM TODAY'S PRACTICE

Opening Statement: “You guys obviously know that the trade didn’t go through. Anytime you make a trade in the NFL, there’s a lot of different conditions; everywhere from physical to contracts to reporting and everything else. And this one ended up not being executed. Both players revert back to the teams; draft pick comes back. I think that’s about all I’ll say on it.”

 

On the media reports of Lions RB Jerome Harrison having a brain tumor:  “Well, first it’s a privacy issue and I’m not going to comment on it. He’s back on our 53 man roster and we’ll have an injury report at 4 o’clock. We’ll have the information presented then.”

 

On if Harrison is expected to contribute again at some point this year: “I think I’ll take (the same stance) with every (injured) player that we have: they’ll work hard to get back on the field and when they’re ready they will be.”

 

On Jahvid Best’s family remarks regarding ending his season: “Well anytime you talk about concussions, the way we’ve talked about before, it’s not a situation you can tough out. I think the NFL has been very proactive in what they’re, you know, what we’re doing with concussions. We’ve had some players that have had them, some guys that have missed time and some guys that have gotten back. I think we’ll just take that same approach with Jahvid. As soon as he gets clearance, he’ll be back.”

 

On how many concussions is too many in a short period of time: “That’s not up for me to decide. That’s the reason that the NFL has put people that know what they’re doing in those things. Like I said, it’s not a situation where a player can will his way back; it’s not a situation where a coach or anybody else can put a player back before, you know, the independent doctors say he’s able to be able to do those things.” 

 

On under what circumstances would he recommend a player sitting out for the season due to a concussion: “I wouldn’t recommend that (because) it’s not my area to recommend.”

 

On if Best has expressed concern to him: “Any conversations I have with players are not for media.”

 

On if Stefan Logan is the third back this week: “He’s a guy that can carry the ball for us, but you know, he’s always done multi-dimensional roles for us.”

 

On getting TE Tony Scheffler back on the practice field: “He was a guy coming back from a concussion and did a good job sort of, you know, staying active and doing those things and like I said before: when they’re ready, they come back. Obviously (he) passed enough to be back.”

 

On if it’s the same with LB Justin Durant: “Pretty much the same, yeah.”

 

On how much Schefflers’s absence hurt in the red zone last week: “Well, he’s a guy that doesn’t have a lot of catches for us, but he has touchdown catches and he’s got great size, and he has a great length to be able to make a lot of plays. Anytime that you have a player that’s missing, you’re going to miss him in some regard on the field, but I think that is an area that Tony excels in and we look forward to having him back.”

 

On if there is an additional concussion test those players need to pass to get on the game field: “Well, I don’t want to talk anything about their game status for Sunday. I’ll just leave all that stuff to the injury report.”

 

On if there is a progression in testing: “Yeah, there’s different ways. I mean, you’re cleared for activity, you’re cleared for non-contact (and then) you’re cleared for contact. So there’s different steps along the way for sure.”

 

On the lack of explosiveness if Best is out: “Well, that remains to be seen. It’s too hypothetical of a situation to comment that way on. I’ll just say this: all our backs are a little bit different, all of them bring a little something different to the offense. We’ll use anybody that we have available on Sunday to the best of their abilities, not necessarily what another player can do and things like that.”

 

On whether he has spoken with RB Jerome Harrison since the trade was voided: “Yeah again, any conversations I have with players I’m just going to keep to myself.”

 

On if his conversation with Harrison was awkward: “Any conversation I have with a player, I’m going to keep to myself.”

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Schwartz Talks Upcoming Trade Deadline and Jahvid Best Injury

LIONS HEAD COACH JIM SCHWARTZ PRESS CONFERENCE

Opening statement: “Hard fought game yesterday. We are now 5-1; getting ready for Atlanta. I think that it is unfortunate that the events after the game have overshadowed the fact that it was one of the better games played yesterday between two teams that are both right now 5-1 in the NFC and both young and improving teams.”

 

On his postgame reaction to 49ers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh: “Well, like I said, it was unfortunate. The games are played by the players on the field and we certainly don’t want things like that to occur, but there are competitive people in the League and I think we need to do a better job of just leaving it to the players on the field.”

 

On if he has had any contact with Harbaugh about the incident: “Well, I have had contact with a lot of people today, but afterwards in the tunnel, I got a brief chance to speak with (Harbaugh) sort of. Everything had died down a little bit. I am sure we will talk again or will talk again soon.”

 

On if he has had any contact with the NFL: “Yeah, I have talked to the League this morning. Just told them what had happened and that was the last I have thought about it to tell you the truth before this.”

 

On he had a strained relationship with 49ers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh before Sunday’s game: “It was fine. I was a lowly quality control coach (in Baltimore). I mean I was the quality control guy on defense and he was the quarterback. I haven’t exactly stayed in touch. When he coached with the Raiders, I talked to him. He was the quarterback coach and I think I was the defensive coordinator with the Titans. But, there is nothing and there is nothing now. There was nothing then and there is nothing now. It is something that happened at the end of the game and, like I said, it sort of took away from the fact that it was a tough, hard fought game and congratulations to them. They came on the road, very, very difficult place – our fans made it a difficult place to play again – and they came away with win. We have talked before about how important road wins are, particularly NFC road wins.”

 

On if he expects to hear about any discipline from the NFL: “Oh I don’t know. I just told my point of view and I think we will just leave it to everybody else.”

 

On what exactly got him so angry: “Yeah, I mean I have shaken hands, I don’t know, 40-50 times over the last two and half years or so and never had anything come up. Obviously something did, but I think I hit that yesterday. I will just revert back to what I said yesterday and just leave it there. I think it is what it is. It happened. It was very regrettable and it is something that there is nothing going forward between us personally or the two teams. Like I said, it was a tough, hard fought game in Ford Field. We need to play better and come out with a win the next time.”

 

On Stafford’s performance: “Yeah it’s not one of Matt’s better games for sure. (It was) a combination of a lot of things. We’ve got to do a better job of getting open for him. We’ve got to do a better job of protection, but yeah, there are some things that we need to clean up. You know, just the tempo of getting rid of the ball and you know, being able to step up. There were times in that game that he had to bail away and you know, make throws—and those happen in every single game and that means you can’t make plays. There were a lot of plays to be made, but there were also times that he didn’t really need to (bail out), that we needed to step up to the pocket and make some throws. But yeah, it wasn’t one of his better games.”

 

 

On RB Jahvid Best’s heath: “Yeah, we’ll see where he is. After the game he started experiencing some concussion-like symptoms. You know, we started getting him tested out and everything else. We never lost his availability during the game, even though we were using a little different package, trying to get more protection and had Maurice Morris in there to try to, you know, help chip and do things like that and trying, I don’t want to say de-emphasize, but (it) wasn’t as important running the route as it was either running the ball or doing those things. But he was in the game and everything else, and when the game was over, pretty long after the game was over, we started getting some of those.

 

“That’s not unusual—that’s happened a bunch of times. We’ve had some of those that they’re not even on the radar until 10 o’clock the next morning and we’ll have them show up on the injury report and show up here and say ‘hey, I didn’t sleep at all last night’ or ‘I’m feeling nauseous this morning’ or ‘the light was driving me crazy when I came into work’—and they’re all signs of concussions symptoms.

 

“You know, similar situation with Jahvid. He has a protocol to go through and we’ll see where he is with it.”

 

On RB Maurice Morris being the primary back on the last two offensive possessions as opposed to Best: “Jahvid? Yeah, I mean, he had been effective in the pass game, but Mo’s also been effective in the pass game. I think that we were working a lot of different combinations and things like that. It really had nothing to do with anything other than that. We’re sitting there saying, ‘Hey, look we can get Matt some more time, going a lot to Calvin down the field, and things like that, trying to push some of those balls down the field. They were playing a little bit different coverage rather than two-man they were playing a three cloud. You know, all game decisions.” 

 

On how cautious he has to be with Best given that this is his second concussion in less than three months: “I don’t know if it makes us more cautious, but there is a protocol to go through. We’re going to make sure that we clear all those hurdles before he’s cleared to be back on the field. There is a whole protocol that we follow in those situations, but there is a little bit of a concern with the second one, but it doesn’t change the process when it comes to him being cleared. He’ll be cleared when his symptoms diminish and he gets cleared for physical activity and then get cleared for practice and then get cleared for contact.”

 

On if after watching film he thinks that the offense should have thrown to WR Calvin Johnson a little more in the redzone: “We tried the one down the sideline. Matthew (Stafford) didn’t get the ball in bounds. I thought we had a good opportunity on that one, but there were a lot of other ones where there was probably a better place to go with the ball and we’ve seen that before and other guys need to make plays. We got a touchdown to (Brandon) Pettigrew and we got a touchdown to Nate Burleson. We also had no turnovers in the game. That was one of our things going in to that game was that we needed to win the turnover battle. I think that’s the reason that we’re able to say, ‘we played poorly, but we were also one play away from winning that game,’ is the fact that we did get two turnovers and we didn’t turn the ball over. Even though we didn’t play our best, we were still in it to the very end, mainly because of that. Maybe, if we try to force that in, maybe we get a turnover and all of a sudden we don’t get one of those scores and that change. We want to get the ball to Calvin; we were moving him around a lot. A couple of those passes where he was getting glances inside of a corner, he’s playing a position that he normally doesn’t play. Scott (Linehan) was moving him around a lot to try and get him open. We said before, we all need to do a better job. We all need to do a better job of getting open and winning one-on-ones when teams take that approach with Calvin.”

 

On if the Lions will be a little more aggressive to make a trade before the deadline with the injury to RB Jahvid Best: “I think we’ve always taken the approach and I think Martin (Mayhew) has done a great job and one of his signature sayings is, ‘The draft isn’t the finish line,’ and the beginning of training camp isn’t the finish line and so the trading deadline isn’t the finish line. There are waivers, there are free agents and things like that. I think I’ll just answer that saying that, any chance that we have to improve the team, we’ve proven that we’re willing to do.”

 

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Schwartz Says He Was Shoved

LIONS HEAD COACH JIM SCHWARTZ

Opening statement: “We’re not going to go 16-0. We didn’t play our best in any of the three phases: offense, defense, or special teams. (It) still came down to one play at the end on defense and we fell just short. We have to do a better job in all three phases. We have to protect the quarterback better, have to run the ball better, make more plays down the field; we have to stop the run better. We have to cover our kicks better, we have to convert field goals. Like I said, we didn’t’ play our best in all three phases, and came up short.”

 

On what happened at the end of the game with Jim Harbaugh: “I don’t know. (I) went to congratulate Coach Harbaugh and got shoved out of the way. (I) didn’t expect an obscenity at that point, so it was a surprise to me at the end of the game.”

 

On who shoved who and who shouted the obscenity: “I’ll just leave it right there. I’m sure it’s on video.”

 

On his relationship with Harbaugh over the years: “Like I said, I didn’t expect…After the game, went to shake an opponent coach’s hand. Obviously you win a game like that, you’re excited and things like that, but I think there’s a protocol that goes with this league.”

 

On if he was upset with the timeout (49ers) on fourth down: “No, not at all; that’s basketball timeout. I’d do the same thing.”

 

On the long punt return that put the 49ers in position to score the game-winning touchdown: “We’ve haven’t covered kicks our best. We’ve had them hemmed up too many times. We haven’t been able to get off blocks and we’ve fallen off too many tackles. We have to do a better job there.”

 

On whether QB Matthew Stafford didn’t throw the ball well or didn’t have receivers getting open: “Well, I think it was a combination of both. I mean, when we would get guys free, never really got great run after the catch, which you need to do when you’re playing those kinds of things. And then, the other part of it was Matt didn’t have a whole lot of time today. We had a hard time getting the run game going. When it’s one-dimensional that way, and I think it was, you’re going to have a difficult time, and we did today.”

 

On the missed field goal at the end of the first half: “It was just a little bit off. It was within Jason’s range and we have a lot of confidence in him making those plays. But, that’s (a) 6-point turnaround right there, us miss, and that set up them up for field goal and they were able to get it.”

 

On if a loss is part of the process: “I think the biggest thing is we just need to play better in all three phases and if we do that, then we’ll get on the winning side. It has been a long time—December of last year is the last time that we’ve lost a football game. So it hurts right now, but there’s a lot to correct. Like I said, we didn’t play our best in any three phases and (it) still came down to one play.”

 

On Harbaugh blaming Schwartz: “Well, I mean, I’ll just say this, I’ll just say that, you know, it was a big win for them, and they were excited about it and I think I’ll just leave it there.”

 

On WR Nate Burleson’s touchdown and whether he completed the process: “I think they got the call right. He caught the ball and gets (his feet) down and he’s not going to the ground as part of the catch and I think that in the end, we got it right. Otherwise, we got to pick up nets and move walls back fifteen yards and things like that if we’re going to include stuff like that into the process of (the catch). I think Nate made a good catch, got his feet down, and we got the right call in that situation.”

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LIONS FANS SET RECORDS AT FORD FIELD AND AT HOME

Allen Park, Mich.— The Detroit Lions’ Monday Night Football game vs. the Chicago Bears not only set a Lions’ attendance record at Ford Field (67,861), but it also earned a 36.4 HH rating, according to The Nielson Company, making it the most-watched Lions’ regular season game ever in the Detroit television market. The game was aired on ESPN nationally and also locally on WXYZ-TV ABC 7.

 

The 36.4 HH rating was a combined viewership of the Detroit market for ESPN (10.7 rating) and WXYZ-TV ABC 7 (25.7 rating).

 

“The fact that our fans set a Ford Field attendance record Monday Night and also established an all-time regular-season TV ratings mark is incredible,” said Lions President Tom Lewand. “Add on the nine false start penalties they caused and they make the definitive case for being the best fans in the NFL. It is another reminder in a week full of them that there is not a better sports city in America than Detroit.”

 

In Detroit, there was a 55% increase in viewership in Week 5 compared to Week 5 of the 2010 season.

 

Thus far in 2011, ratings are up 25% in Detroit for Lions’ games compared to last season, the second-highest growth among all NFL markets.

 

Nationally, the telecast helped ESPN earn the highest ratings among all networks, broadcast or cable, in all key male and adult demographics, and it was second in households (average: 11,765,000) and viewers (average 16,378,000).

 

The Lions-Bears game at Ford Field ranks as the fifth-largest audience on cable television in calendar year 2011 in both households and viewers (behind four other ESPN telecasts: two BCS bowl games, the final MNF telecast of 2010, and this season’s Redskins-Cowboys MNF game).

 

For the fall, the Lions-Bears game was the second-most watched cable television program with 16.4 million viewers.

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LIONS MNF POSTGAME NUGGETS

LIONS 5-0 START

• With the 24-13 win over the Chicago Bears, the Lions have now opened the 2011 season 5-0. It is the team’s first 5-0 start since 1956 and only the third in team history (1956, 1934).
• The Lions current 9-game win streak dating back to last season (4 wins to end 2010) is the team’s longest since 1953-54.
• It is the Lions first 5-game win streak in one season since the team had a 7-game win streak in 1995.

ATTENDANCE RECORD

• The crowd of 67,861 for the Lions Monday Night Football game set a new Ford Field record for a Lions game since the team opened the stadium in 2002. The previous record was 63,257 vs. Green Bay November 11, 2007.
• Monday night’s crowd was only 345 fans shy of the attendance for Super Bowl XL (68,206). 

K JASON HANSON

• Detroit Lions K Jason Hanson has become the first player in NFL history to player 300 career games with one team. In Week 2, he set the NFL record (297) for the most games played with one team in NFL history.
• Hanson is the eighth player in NFL history to play 300 career games.

CALVIN JOHNSON HISTORY

• WR Calvin Johnson gave the Lions a 7-0 lead early in the second quarter on a 73-yard pass from QB Matthew Stafford. It was Johnson’s ninth touchdown reception of the season. He became the first player in NFL history with nine touchdown receptions through the first five games of the season.
• The 73-yard pass play was the longest of the season for the Lions.
• Johnson’s 73-yard touchdown reception was his fifth career reception of 70+ yards. He ties WR Leonard Thomson (5) for the most 70+-yard receptions in team history.
• Johnson caught 5 passes for 130 yards with one touchdown, and he surpassed 100 yards for the 15th time in his career. He now is tied with WR Terry Barr (15, 1957-65) for the third-most 100-yard receiving games in Lions history.
• In the first half, he caught three passes for 100 yards.

BEST RUNS TO DAYLIGHT

• Lions RB Jahvid Best gave the Lions a 21-10 lead in the third quarter by running off an 88-yard touchdown run. It was the second-longest run in team history and longest since RB Bob Hoernschmeyer ran a 96-yard touchdown vs. the New York Yanks November 23, 1950.
• He finished the game with 12 carries for 163 yards (13.6 avg) and 1 touchdown. It was a career high and his first career 100-yard rushing game.
• Best’s 163 yards vs. Chicago is the most by a Lions back since RB Kevin Jones registered 196 yards vs. Arizona December 5, 2004.
• In addition to his 88-yard touchdown run, he set up the Lions final score of the game (Hanson 31-yard FG) by starting off a fourth quarter drive with a 43-yard run.
• Best became just the second player in Lions history to register an 80+-yard run (88-yard TD run vs. Chi 10/10/11) and a 75+-yard reception (75-yard TD vs. Phi 9/19/10). He joins RB Billy Sims (81-yard run at SD 9/30/84; 87-yard TD reception at GB 9/14/80; 81-yard TD reception vs. Dal 11/15/81) as the only players in team history to accomplish this feat.

SECOND HALF SHUTDOWN

• In all five games this year, the Lions have yielded less than 10 points in the second half. The three points allowed in the second half tonight marks the third time this season they gave up 3 points or less.
• Entering this weekend’s games, the Lions had the League’s best scoring margin (+72 points) in the second half with 92 points scored and 20 points allowed. Following tonight’s win, the Lions have now scored 109 points and allowed just 23 points for a +86 scoring margin (17.2/game in second half).

T JEFF BACKUS

• Today’s game marked T Jeff Backus’ 165th consecutive start. He currently has the most consecutive starts by any lineman (offense or defense) in the NFL and the most among offensive players.
• With 165 consecutive starts, he has tied Hall of Fame G Gene Upshaw for the eighth-most consecutive games started by an offensive lineman since 1970. Upshaw actually started 207-staright games dating back to 1967.

70-YARD PASS AND 80-YARD RUN

• Johnson and Best put together a pair of big plays in today’s game, including a 73-yard touchdown receptions and an 88-yard touchdown run. It marks only the second time in team history that the Lions have registered a 70+-yard reception and an 80+-yard run in the same game. The previous time was WR Herman Moore (79-yard reception) and RB Barry Sanders (82-yard TD and 80-yard TD) at Tampa Bay December 12, 1997.
• It’s the first time in team history that the Lions have scored on both a 70-yard pass play and an 80-yard rushing play. Moore’s 79-yard reception did not result in a touchdown.

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STATEMENTS FROM THE DETROIT LIONS ON RAIDERS OWNER AL DAVIS

LIONS PRESIDENT TOM LEWAND ON THE PASSING OF RAIDERS OWNER AL DAVIS
"On behalf of the William Clay Ford family and the entire Detroit Lions organization, we would like to offer our most sincere condolences to the family of Al Davis and to the Oakland Raiders organization. Mr. Davis' contributions to the game of football since the days of the American Football League have been transformational and profound. His impact and his legacy will be felt in perpetuity."

HEAD COACH JIM SCHWARTZ

 “When you talk about important people in the history of professional football – I don’t want to say NFL, because it’s also the AFL – he’s got to be included in that group. It’s a sad day for the NFL (and) for football fans when Al Davis isn’t with us anymore. He did everything: personnel scout, general manager, assistant coach, head coach, team owner; I don’t know if there’s anybody else that can state claim to have done all those things and he knew every aspect of the game.”

LIONS ASSISTANT HEAD COACH/DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR GUNTHER CUNNINGHAM
Cunningham was an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Raiders from 1991-94“I learned a lot from Al Davis. I think I kind of became the coach I became in the League, demanding and detailed-oriented, because of what I learned all that from Al.

“He put a mark on the League early on with his great Raiders teams. Al did the league a favor by being so competitive. He was so instrumental in making the NFL into what it is today. He was a great man and will be dearly missed.”

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BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD OF MICHIGAN'S "GO PINK" CAMPAIGN INCLUDES PARTNERSHIP WITH DETROIT LIONS TO "PINK OUT" THE MONDAY NIGHT GAME

Blues engage crowd in fighting breast cancer with "Believing It's Curable" towel


DETROIT - Ford Field will be awash in pink at the Monday Night Football Game Oct. 10th. Blue Cross is supplying 50,000 bright pink towels as part of a partnership between the Lions and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan to promote a cause both are passionate about - raising awareness about breast cancer and the importance of screening during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The Lions and BCBSM will honor breast cancer survivors and make financial contributions at the game to fight the disease.

"We're proud to team with the Detroit Lions to get the word out about the life-saving importance of early breast cancer detection," said Daniel J. Loepp, president and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. "By wearing pink and waving our pink towels at Ford Field during Monday Night Football, Lions fans can send a message to the nation that we want to beat breast cancer, even more than we want to beat the Chicago Bears."

In support of the sell-out game against the Chicago Bears and the battle against breast cancer, the Blues are planning the following activities:

- Blue Cross will give 50,000 fans "The Curable Towel" in bright pink that they can wave during the game to show their support for breast cancer awareness. The Curable Towel available in different colors to support various causes, was developed by Jim Deliz, the husband of a breast cancer survivor.

- Blue Cross will present $10,000 to the American Cancer Society during an on-field ceremony.

- In partnership with the American Cancer Society, the Blues are telling stories of five breast cancer survivors on aHealthierMichigan.org in the days leading up to the game. Each day from Oct. 3-7, the site will feature a new "tale of cure-age," culminating with a ceremony at Ford Field on game day.

- Blue Cross asks Detroit to participate in a "pink out" Monday, October 10, asking Detroit businesses to "paint the town pink." The Blues encourages businesses to have employees wear pink and to decorate their buildings on Oct. 10 in support of creating more awareness for breast cancer while supporting our Detroit Lions.

The Lions' commitment to breast cancer awareness is part of the NFL's "A Crucial Catch" campaign, conducted in partnership with the American Cancer Society. The campaign is focused on the importance of annual screenings, especially for women who are 40 and older. 

"The Lions have a longstanding commitment to helping our community in a number of charitable ways, and we are inspired by the NFL's campaign to support the fight against this disease," Loepp said. "Together we can help make a difference in prevention and treatment, saving lives in the process."

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DETROIT LIONS DAILY UPDATE FOR WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2011

Lions begin preparation for division rival Bears.

NOTEBOOK

• The Lions began their preparation for their Monday Night Football game against the Bears today with a practice in helmets and shorts on the outdoor fields at the team’s headquarters and practice facility in Allen Park.
• Detroit Lions games have experienced the second-highest ratings increase (17-percent) of any NFL market from the end of the first quarter in 2010 to the end of the first quarter in 2011. Lions’ games are averaging a 25.8 rating in Detroit, up from 22.1 at this point in 2010.
• Through the first four games of the season, Lions QB Matthew Stafford has been at his best in the fourth quarter. He has completed 24-of-36 passes (66.7) for 220 yards and four touchdowns (0 interceptions). Stafford’s QB rating in the fourth quarter (120.9) is the third best in the NFL (second in the NFC).
• With two more touchdown receptions at Dallas (10/2), WR Calvin Johnson joined former Vikings WR Cris Carter (1995) as the only receivers in NFL history to record two touchdowns catches in four-straight games. Johnson is the first player to accomplish this feat in the season’s first four games.
• The Lions’ are the only team in the NFL ranked in the Top-8 in points scored and points allowed. The team ranks second in scoring (135 points) and is eighth in points allowed (76 points). Detroit’s 59-point scoring margin through four games is also the second-best in the NFL.
• The Detroit Lions host the Chicago Bears in Week 5 for the first Monday Night Football game (regular season) at Ford Field. The Lions will be looking for their first 5-0 start since 1956 after a come-from-behind, 34-30 victory at Dallas while Chicago will be aiming to build on the momentum of a 34-29 win against Carolina. This week’s game will be televised nationally on ESPN (WXYZ-TV ABC 7 in Metro Detroit)

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DETROIT LIONS DAILY UPDATE FOR MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2011

NOTEBOOK

• The team met today and reviewed film from Sunday’s win at Dallas. The players are off Tuesday and will return to the practice field Wednesday.
• The Lions win at Dallas moved their record to 4-0 on the season, their first 4-0 start since 1980. It is the fifth 4-0 start in team history, previously accomplished in 1934, 1939, 1956 and 1980.
• It marks the team’s first 4-0 start in team history that includes three road wins.
• The win also extended the Lions current win streak to 8 games. It is the longest win streak by the Lions since they won nine in a row in 1953-54 seasons.
• The Detroit Lions host the Chicago Bears in Week 5 for the first Monday Night Football game (regular season) at Ford Field. The Lions will be looking for their first 5-0 start since 1956 after a come-from-behind, 34-30 victory at Dallas while Chicago will be aiming to build on the momentum of a 34-29 win against Carolina.
• This week’s game will be televised nationally on ESPN (WXYZ-TV ABC 7 in Metro Detroit)

COACH SCHWARTZ ON THOSE OFFSIDE CALLS.
“One of them, their offensive lineman slightly moved and he saw that and was trying to react to get it called. The officials never saw their guy (move). He moved, but it wasn’t very much. Sometimes they’re not going to see all of those. For the other (two), the way we play up front, we’re going to have some. We need to have less, but we’re going to have some. I would rather have a couple more offsides and a couple more sacks than less sacks and less offsides, but there’s a balancing act there. We need to make sure that the situation isn’t hurting the team. All penalties hurt the team, but particularly there are some situations where offsides are inexcusable.”

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