9501310839
DETROIT FREE PRESS
951009
Monday, October 09, 1995
METRO FINAL
1D
MITCH ALBOM
Copyright (c) 1995, Detroit Free Press
SO YOU THINK EVERYTHING WENT RIGHT, GUYS? WRONG!
It is not my place, as someone who can barely tackle my dog, to tell Wayne
Fontes what he should do with a football team that just crushed the Cleveland
Browns like a tortilla.
But I'll do it anyhow.
He should chew them out.
Not terribly. Just enough to correct some mistakes that were made in
Sunday's otherwise glorious afternoon of indoor football. You may think this
is nasty. You may think my timing is wrong. But I remember a certain Pistons
coach with neatly coiffed hair who said the time to get after your team is
when things are going well.
And he won two championships.
You want to be big, you gotta think big.
Yes, it is true, the Lions held an offensive clinic Sunday, 38 points
against the highly touted Browns. Detroit ran and passed and enjoyed its most
popular play -- watching Barry Sanders disappear downfield.
Sanders was in a zone of his own. Early in the game he galloped through a
gaping hole and emerged as Carl Lewis, running the 75-yard dash and beating
the field for a touchdown. This was just one of his many brilliant moments,
which included three touchdowns, four receptions, two Hall of Fame highlight
film runs, and 184 yards of total offense. That's not a masterpiece, that's a
whole gallery.
And yes, it is true, Scott Mitchell often looked like the Greek god we
portrayed the day the Lions signed him. He lofted two perfect touchdown
strikes to Brett Perriman, and found Herman Moore and Johnnie Morton on
wonderfully timed curls and crossing routes. His passes were, for the most
part, crisp and clean, and he racked up completions (24) and touchdowns
(two), and didn't do anything weird, like faint.
And yes, the defense played a marvelous game, stuffing the Browns'
bullheaded running backs, and making Vinny Testaverde look like, well, Vinny
Testaverde. Even the special teams made stellar plays, including a rocking
stop by Scott Kowalkowski, the human slingshot.
All this is true. It was a terrific, exciting, dominating victory. And
you know what I say?
I say that's what they should be doing.
For once their luck wasn't all bad
Take this as a compliment, guys. The Lions have the talent to beat good
teams. The frustration in the first three weeks was that they weren't doing
it. For some reason, they insisted on tying their shoelaces together and
tripping.
Not Sunday. Sunday was the kind of day when even your mistakes look like
chalkboard plays. Take the third quarter, when Mitchell got snagged in the
backfield. He should have thrown the ball away. Instead he fumbled into the
air. On other weeks, the opposing team would grab it, and Lions fans would
immediately dial the call-in shows to trade Mitchell to Siberia. On this
Sunday, however, Cory Schlesinger nabbed the fumble in midair and ran 11 yards
with it.
That kind of day.
"We were fortunate that mistake didn't cost us," Mitchell said. "Same
thing with my interception. We were lucky they didn't score after that."
Right. But you can't count on that. Which is why Fontes needs actually to
be harder on the team this week than he was after bad losses to Minnesota and
Pittsburgh. Decent teams get happy victories. Great teams get serious.
"There are things we need to correct," Fontes admitted. Including:
* Kickoffs and punts. Morton needs to learn to run straight ahead. He darts
around like a computer mouse, and that gets you nowhere.
* Good hands from the defensive backs. Near the end of the game, the
Cleveland quarterback threw a pass that hit Corey Raymond in the chest and
hands -- and he still dropped it. This happens too often with Lions
defenders. They do a great job after the ball is dropped of showing their
anger and frustration. Here's a hint: fewer tantrums, a few more
interceptions.
* The two-minute offense. An embarrassment. The Lions had a chance for a
touchdown drive at the end of the first half. They dripped seconds, got back
slowly, when Mitchell was dumped it took eight seconds for someone to call
time out. Finally, with the clock ticking down, the kicking team ran on, but
Jason Hanson was standing 30 yards behind the line. By the time someone woke
him up, the Lions had a delay of game penalty.
Hanson kicked a 56-yard field goal anyhow.
It was that kind of day. But it won't always be.
This is the way it's supposed to be
"I know we did a lot today with our offense," Moore said, "but to be
honest, I think we can do more."
That's the attitude you should have with a team like this. I think it's
great the Lions beat two predicted Super Bowl teams, San Francisco and the
Browns, in successive weeks. They are still 2-3.
What they must do now is act as if the last two victories are the norm.
That means no letup against beatable teams such as Washington and Tampa Bay,
and an all-out effort against next week's opponent, Green Bay, which has
knocked the Lions out of the playoffs the last two years.
This is not nit-picking, folks. It's setting the bar where it belongs.
This team is talented enough to make the playoffs, and has been from the
start. Just because it has started playing that way is no reason for a party.
Not yet, anyhow.
At least wait until they reach .500.