The Minnesota Vikings' starting defensive tackles, Kevin and Pat Williams, were suspended for the final four games of the regular season by the NFL.  The Williamses were two of six total players suspended for using a diuretic, which apparently can be used as a masking agent. 

The punishment means all six will miss the end of the regular season, an especially harsh blow to Minnesota, which relies heavily on the Williamses in its run defense, which ranks second in the league.

Angelo Wright, the agent for Pat Williams, said he planned to file a motion in federal court in the next 24 hours, presumably to put off his client's suspension. Tom Condon, the agent for Kevin Williams, said he hadn't yet determined what course of action to take.

Both Williamses are lawyering up in hopes of getting their suspensions delayed or thrown out altogether.  If the Vikings' starting defensive tackles are unable to play against the Lions on Sunday, the chances of winning definitely go up for Detroit.

In the first meeting this season between Detroit and Minnesota, the Lions rushed for 100 yards.  Kevin Smith had 62, and Rudi Johnson had 38.  I would expect the Lions to keep it on the ground more on Sunday if the Williamses do not play, though that doesn't guarantee that the running game will be successful.  Regardless, the chances of getting win #1 of the season certainly would increase.

• Rod Marinelli brought up the possibility of going 0-16 earlier this week and plainly said that that won't happen.  Marinelli appears to have turned the Lions' winless record into a motivational ploy to get them to win a game.
• This Sunday is probably the Lions' last chance to win a game this season.  They should have beat Minnesota in the Metrodome earlier this season, but they were on the wrong end of a couple bad calls that led to the Vikings kicking a game-winning field goal.  Obviously Dan Orlovsky's embarrassing safety was all his fault, but the refs certainly didn't make things any easier for the Lions.
• Speaking of Orlovsky, he may return to practice this week, as his thumb injury appears to have healed enough for him to play football again.  If he is healthy enough to play, I believe the Lions should start him.  Before his injury, Orlovsky wasn't playing all that bad, and Daunte Culpepper hasn't exactly been playing all that well.
• Staying on the injury front, Dominic Raiola, Stephen Peterman, and Edwin Mulitalo were back in practice on Monday after missing the Titans game.  Kevin Smith and Gosder Cherilus missed practice but should play on Sunday.
• Dave Birkett pointed out an interesting fact regarding the draft.  Since the Chiefs won on Sunday, they now have two victories this season.  That leaves the Lions at 0-12 as the league's worst team.  The Bengals are the next worst team with a 1-10-1 record, meaning the Lions would have to win two more games to lose the #1 pick.  Since the chances of that happening are beyond slim, it appears that the Lions will be the first team on the clock next April.
• Lions rookies went through a charm school type of thing to learn everything from where to put your napkin when eating to how to write a thank you note.
  
• Pro Football Talk thinks that the Lions' Thanksgiving game won't be taken away by Roger Goodell, as it would probably take a consensus among the owners to make a change.
• The Buccaneers and Patriots are going to play in England next year.
  

Here is a look at the official Pride of Detroit fantasy football league's playoff picture:

#1 Just go away Favre (ahtrap) [10-3] will play the winner of this game:

#4 The Gosder Cherilus Posse (The Prodigy) [9-4] vs. #5 Detroit's Few Good Men (ReichardZ) [7-6]

#2 Calvin and the Chipmunks (mgersz) [9-4] will play the winner of this game:

#3 Motown Madmen (Jettero2112) [6-7] vs. #6 Better Than Millen (me) [7-6]

I would say having the 6th seed is a great thing considering my opponent has a worse record than me.  The only reason he is the #3 seed is because he won the awful Bobby Layne Division.  The other first-round match up will be between two teams in the same division that each won a game against one another this season.  The #1 seed, Just go away Favre, awaits the winner of that game.

Here is a look at the consolation playoffs in the official POD fantasy football league:

#7 Underdogs (Sig Sauer) [7-6] will play the winner of this game:

#10 West Coast Lions (LVLionfan) [5-8] vs. #11 LA Leos (sgdbw90) [4-9]

#8 SnotKnocker's (Ace BangerTheGuru) [6-7] will play the winner of this game:

#9 Maize 'n' Blue Jays (THE_J) [5-8] vs. #12 Rudys Warhawks (isjim) [3-10]

The POD overflow fantasy football league's playoffs are also set, and I ended up with the 3rd seed.  I actually tied for the league's second best record with two other teams but didn't win the tiebreaker to get a first-round bye.  For the SBN/AOL league, the playoffs don't start for another week, but I have already clinched a first-round bye.

Heading into the final week of the season on a three-game losing streak is never a good thing for a team's playoff hopes.  Because of the three consecutive losses I suffered, I needed a couple things to happen in order to make the postseason.  First things first, I had to come away with a victory, which I did, as you can see below.

Now that I took care of my business, I had to root against Underdogs, who had a 7-5 record going into Week 13.  My record was 6-6, so in order to achieve a tie, Underdogs had to lose.  Thanks to Just go away Favre, who beat Underdogs 104.12-99.5 despite having Brian Westbrook on the bench, that's exactly what happened.  I now have the same record as Underdogs, and I believe I have the edge in the tiebreaker.  I would like to flat out say that I am in the playoffs, but it's not as simple as that.

The other 7-5 team going into Week 13, Detroit's Few Good Men, actually got beat by 2-10 Rudys Warhawks by a surprising score of 111.8-64.78.  That means that Detroit's Few Good Men has the same record as me, but since he beat me earlier this season, I believe he holds the tiebreaker.  Even so, that may not matter since he lost to Underdogs in Week 4.  I'm not exactly sure how a three-way tie would be broken, but I believe I have a playoff spot no matter what.  I guess we'll find out for sure in the morning when everything is updated.  Once that happens, I will put up a new post about the playoffs.

Moving on to the POD overflow league, I won 110.88-73.66 to move into a tie with two other teams for the second best record in the league.  I don't believe I will win the tiebreaker to secure a first-round bye in the playoffs, but again, we'll have to see how everything shakes out.  In the SBN/AOL league, I won 82.05-52.65 to clinch a division title.  As it stands right now, I have the best record in the league, and with only one week left in the regular season, I will probably end up with a first-round bye. 

It seems like there is a pattern with the three leagues I am in based on when the leagues drafted.  The official POD league drafted before the other two, and I am on the edge of not making the playoffs.  In the POD overflow league, which drafted second, I won my division.  Finally, in the SBN/AOL league, which drafted third, I have the best record.  Just as I thought before the season even started, I drafted better each time through.  I guess I'll have to keep that in mind next year to ensure that I don't pick Terrell Owens over a good quarterback ever again.  That's what happened in the official POD league draft, and it really set me back as I haven't had a solid QB all season long.  I guess the phrase "practice makes perfect" even applies to fantasy football.

Anyways, a look at how the rest of Week 13 went in the official POD league can be found after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

The Lions placed wide receiver Mike Furrey on the injured reserve today, ending his season due to a concussion.  According to a statement made by general manager Martin Mayhew, Furrey was continuing to experience the effects of a concussion, even though it happened three weeks ago.  Furrey hadn't practiced since he sustained the concussion, as he experienced dizziness or nausea when he tried to get out on the field, according to Mayhew.

Furrey, however, says that this was solely the Lions' decision, as he is "100% right now."  Furrey wasn't happy with being put on the IR, and it sounds like the Lions shelved him in a way similar to what they did with Jon Kitna.

“This is the way they want to go,” Furrey said. “I’m 100% right now, and I’ll be getting ready for next year next week.”

"I had a little bit of lightheadedness afterward, but who wouldn’t after you hadn’t run for two weeks?" Furrey said. "But they tried to shut me down from there."

“I actually had to go confront it,” Furrey said. “I went up to Martin and asked him what was going on. I was planning on going to practice today. I confronted him in the lunch room, and he said they were going to stick to the plan they had last week.”

“There were some incidents throughout the two weeks that I should have just rested,” Furrey said. “Instead I went out and tried to run.”

“It’s crazy,” said Furrey, who has one year left on his contract. “So I feel bad. Detroit’s been good to me, and this whole situation’s just, it’s disappointing. I just want to play football. Whether it’s here or wherever, that’s all I want to do.”

To fill the open roster spot, the Lions signed wide receiver Keary Colbert, who was released by the Seahawks on November 11.  Colbert was traded to Seattle from Denver earlier this season, and he only caught 7 passes in 7 games with the Seahawks.

• Pro Football Talk is reporting that the Lions have compiled a list of five candidates for the general manager job.
  

  The list, we're told, includes former Packers G.M. Ron Wolf, former Giants G.M. Ernie Accorsi, former Texans and Redskins G.M. Charley Casserly, former Bills G.M. Tom Donahoe, and Chiefs V.P. of player personnel Bill Kuharich, who previously served as G.M. of the Saints.

  Although any of those people would be an upgrade over Matt Millen and probably an upgrade over Martin Mayhew, I'm not exactly enthused with the list the Lions reportedly put together.  Someone like Scott Pioli should be the leading candidate for the job, regardless of whether or not he would actually take it.  Instead, though, it looks like the Lions are going hire someone old school, as PFT put it.
• Also via PFT, Adam Schefter apparently reported that the Lions will be at risk of losing their annual Thanksgiving game during next March's league meetings.
• As mentioned in the recap of the Titans game, Jason Hanson tied Morton Anderson's record for the most field goals from 50+ yards on Thanksgiving.
• The Free Press made a comparison between the 2003 Tigers and the 2008 Lions.  The '03 Tigers, as you may remember, were on the cusp of having the worst record in the history of Major League Baseball.  Somehow, though, they managed to win 5 of their last 6 games to avoid being called the worst ever.  The hot streak at the end of the season came after they lost 17 of their previous 18 games.  Right now, the Lions have lost 19 of their last 20 games.
• LenDale White laughed at the Lions and used some inappropriate language after a big run during the Thanksgiving game.
• I'm not exactly sure what is going on in this video, but it involves a Lions fan getting kicked off a bus for some reason.
• Plaxico Burress is an idiot.  He is now facing a criminal possession of a weapon charge after accidentally shooting himself in the thigh Friday night.  I'd be willing to bet he never plays for the Giants again after this latest incident, as they were already getting sick of his off the field antics.
  

Panthers - 35 :: Packers - 31

The Packers found themselves trailing 21-10 at halftime, but they made a comeback in the third quarter.  Mason Crosby kicked a 44-yard field goal, and Aaron Rodgers found Donald Lee for a 5-yard touchdown.  Rodgers then found Greg Jennings in the end zone on the two-point conversion try to tie the game up at 21 heading into the fourth quarter.

Jennings caught another big pass from Rodgers, this time from 21 yards out for a touchdown, giving the Packers a 28-21 lead.  DeAngelo Williams scored on a 1-yard run only a couple minutes later, setting up a dramatic finish.  Mason Crosby kicked a 19-yard field goal with only 2 minutes left in the game, putting the Packers on top 31-28 after a 16-play, 9-minute drive.  It seemed like they were going to come away with a victory, but Carolina had other ideas.

Following a 45-yard kick return, the Panthers got all the way down to the 1-yard line thanks to a 54-yard reception by Steve Smith.  Williams punched it in from a yard out for his fourth touchdown of the game, giving the Panthers a 35-31 lead.  Aaron Rodgers would throw an interception on the second play of the Packers' next drive, essentially ending the game.

This was Acme Packing Company's reaction following the devastating loss:

Well, that's it, folks.  At 5-7, you can consider this year's Packers team pretty much out of the playoffs.  While they still have a viable shot (the division leader will only be 7-5 after tonight), this team simply isn't consistent enough to go on a run and take back the advantage they once had.  If they can beat Chicago AND both Chicago and Minnesota have horrible meltdowns, then it's possible.  But I wouldn't bet on it.

Bears - 14 :: Vikings - 34

The Bears actually led 7-0 in this game after the first quarter thanks to a 65-yard TD pass to Devin Hester.  After that, though, this game was all Minnesota.  Things fell apart for the Bears after they were stopped on 4th and goal from the 1-yard line.  The Vikings got the ball and believe it or not, took only one play to score.  Gus Frerotte hit Bernard Berrian for a 99-yard touchdown, leading to this game becoming a rout.

As you can imagine, the Daily Norseman was pretty happy following the game.

Breaking news story coming out of Chicago this evening. . .the Chicago Bears are no longer owned by the McCaskey family.  It turns out that the Chicago Bears are now owned by Adrian Peterson.

And to all the Bear fans that laughed and scoffed when the Vikings signed Bernard Berrian this off-season. . .go see how hard Charles Tillman is laughing right now.  That overrated schlub still has no idea where on earth Berrian went to.  If Tillman wants to find him, he can start by watching highlights of the 11th 99-yard play in National Football League history.  He may or may not actually appear in the frame, I'm not sure.

Windy City Gridiron, on the other hand, was upset with how inconsistent the Bears played.

There are inconsistent teams in the league.  The NY Jets going from handing Tennessee their first loss of the season to getting beat handily by Denver.  The Raiders beat up Denver and then go out and get blown up by the Chiefs.  For my money though the Bears are the most inconsistent team during a game.  Literally from drive to drive we don't know what team we are going to get and that is on both sides of the ball.

In Week 14, the Packers host the Texans, the Bears host the Jaguars, and the Vikings come to Detroit to play the Lions.

I'll be taking a couple days off since the Lions don't have a game this weekend, but consider this question until I return on Monday: Will the Lions go 0-16?

It's a simple question, but it isn't an easy one to answer.  The Lions' remaining schedule doesn't look like it has a single winnable game on it, but stranger things have happened in the NFL.  It really is interesting that while the Vikings, Colts, Saints, and Packers will be fighting for a playoff spot when they play Detroit, the Lions are fighting just to win a single game.  Again, it's not likely that they will, but stranger things have happened.

Remember, in 2001 when the Lions started 0-12, they won for the first time all season against the Vikings in the 13th game.  I'm not saying that Minnesota will lose to Detroit a week from Sunday, but anything can happen.  No matter how bad the Lions are or how good the opponent is, I could see the Lions blowing a winless season by emerging victorious in one of these games.  I don't expect them to win a game and voted yes in this poll, but you'd think a win has to happen eventually.

Anyways, leave your thoughts to the question I posed in the comments section and make sure to vote in the poll below.  Also, make sure to check out SB Nation's NFL scoreboard for the latest scores and blog posts from around the NFL.

It's Thanksgiving, and I really just want to stop thinking about this team right now, so let's get right into the recap of the Titans' 47-10 blowout of the Lions.

1st Quarter

• On the second play of the game, Shaun McDonald fumbled after picking up 5 yards on a catch.  Tennessee's Kyle Vanden Bosch recovered the fumble, giving the Titans the ball at the Lions' 34-yard line.
• After Brandon Jones ran for 28 yards on a reverse, Chris Johnson ran into the end zone untouched to get the blowout started.  Only four plays into this game and the Lions were already trailing 7-0.
• The Lions did manage to get in field goal range before their next drive stalled.  Jason Hanson nailed a kick from 53 yards away to tie Morton Anderson's record for the most made field goals from 50 yards out.
• Chris Johnson ran for another touchdown when the Titans got the ball back.  On the fourth play of the drive, Johnson ran for 58 yards and another TD on 3rd and 5.  He had a huge hole opened up by the Titans' offensive line and simply outran Lions defenders to find the end zone.
• After the Lions and Titans traded punts, Daunte Culpepper completed a pass for a touchdown.  Unfortunately the pass was completed to a Titans player.  He was under pressure as he dropped back on a screen play and got rid of the ball.  Problem is he threw it right to Tennessee's Dave Ball, who picked the pass off and ran it back 15 yards for a touchdown.  The Titans now led 21-3.
• The Lions went three and out yet again, and Nick Harris shanked a punt.  It went only 13 yards, giving the Titans the ball at Detroit's 31-yard line.

2nd Quarter

• It took only four plays for the Titans to find the end zone yet again.  LenDale White got the handoff and plowed his way into the end zone for a gain of 6 yards.
• Following another Lions punt, the Titans were pinned back at their own 9 thanks to a penalty on the return.  All this meant was that Tennessee would get better stats once they scored again.  That's exactly what happened, as LenDale White scored again, this time from 2 yards out, to cap off a 15-play, 91-yard drive.  The Titans ran 8:25 off the clock during the drive and now led 35-3.
• After another three and out, the Lions did catch a break.  Kerry Collins dropped back and was hit by Cliff Avril.  Avril forced a fumble and picked the ball up and returned it down to the 2-yard line.  It looked like he got closer to the goal line than the 2-yard line, but the Lions had a great chance to score nonetheless.
• On the second play of the drive, Daunte Culpepper completed a pass to a wide open Michael Gaines for a touchdown.  This would be the last time the Lions scored in this game, and they trailed 35-10, which is what the scoreboard read at halftime.

3rd Quarter

• The Titans opened up the second half by adding to their lead on 49-yard Rob Bironas field goal.
• After the two teams traded punts for the next three drives, Bironas kicked another field goal, this time from 41 yards out.
• The Lions' offense went three and out again to close out the third quarter.

4th Quarter

• The Titans went three and out for a change but got the ball right back on the punt.  Adam Jennings, who was signed earlier this month by the Lions, let the ball hit right off of his hands and a Tennessee player fell right on it for the recovery.
• The punt led to a 45-yard Bironas field goal, putting the Titans ahead 44-10.
• Following another Lions three and out, Bironas kicked his fourth field goal of the game.  This one was from 43 yards out and gave the Titans a 47-10 lead.
• Drew Henson came in for the Lions' last drive of the game and completed one pass to Calvin Johnson for a gain of 20 yards.  Johnson made the catch over two Titans defenders and barely got two feet down inbounds.  Jeff Fisher decided to challenge the play, even though there were only a few minutes left.  The play stood, which was good news for Henson, as he got on the stat sheet in a positive way.
  
  After an incomplete pass, Henson was sacked on second and third down.  He fumbled on both sacks, but the Lions recovered the ball each time.
• Tennessee got the ball back and ran out the clock to make their 47-10 win official.  The Lions have never given up this many points on Thanksgiving, so they are continuing to set records of futility.

This game was an embarrassment from start to finish.  The Lions got outplayed on offense, defense, and special teams and are now 0-12.  The Lions have only had this bad of a record once before in the history of the franchise.  In 2001 they started 0-12 before beating the Vikings in the 13th game of the season.  That is who the Lions play next week, so hopefully there will be a similar result this year.

Kickoff for the Vikings game is set for 1 p.m. on FOX.  There is no chance that this will be on TV locally since it is at Ford Field, so make sure to check out Pride of Detroit during the game for live updates.  Until then, enjoy the rest of your Thanksgiving and try to forget about the Lions.