8502210008 DETROIT FREE PRESS 851216 Monday, December 16, 1985 STATE EDITION

SPT

1F MITCH ALBOM Copyright (c) 1985, Detroit Free Press LIONS RELIVE THEIR SEASON IN ITS FINAL TWO MINUTES Heroics and mistakes Darryl Rogers stood in the corner, his face bleached to a ghostly color by TV lights. He was surrounded, yet he was alone, too. His mouth moved. But his thoughts were his own. Rogers had watched his team collapse. He'd watched his quarterbacks throw four interceptions -- the most this year, and all big drive killers. He'd watched Murray's missed extra point -- "Heck yes, it made a difference. With that we're winning and they have to beat us. Very big difference." And he watched his defense surrender that crucial trap play when, he said, they knew it was coming. He watched penalties; he watched missed tackles. He watched Hipple doubled over with a knee injury, while the ugly and unforgiving Silverdome crowd cheered for him to be replaced. And in the end, he watched the playoffs slip away. And he knew, as anyone who watched now knows, that the Lions did it to themselves. Those final two minutes were the Lions' season in snack-pack size. Unexpected heroics. Unexpected mistakes. And, ultimately, a few points and a few seconds short of the big victory. "It was one of those games where we had the opportunity and let it slip away," said Rogers. And one of those seasons. The playoffs are a vapor. The winning record is in the wind. The Lions will be home for the holidays, which is something they all have to live with. Together. And alone.