Sapp has embarrassed the NFL enough.  (The domestic battery allegations led to his eventual suspension from the NFL Network.)  Sapp, complaining about Suh, said, “How’s he still standing there talking about [how] he was stepping away from this man? In what universe does he live in? I don’t get it.”  The bottom line is that Warren Sapp needs to understand that criticizing Suh’s actions on the field is hypocritical when, off the field, Sapp has some pretty scary skeletons of his own.

Sapp certainly has the right, as a football analyst, to critique players.  But when it comes to questioning another’s character, such as Ndamukong Suh, we should all take it with a grain of salt.  Sapp walks a fine line.  The pot calling the kettle black can hardly be considered critique or analysis.  Maybe Sapp should pay more attention to his own issues.

Suh has apologized enough [already] for his actions this past Thanksgiving.  It is time to move on.  Get ready to watch and enjoy the Super Bowl.  Then all of the NFL teams and their players can start to prepare for the upcoming 2012 season.  And that is what Suh wants to do.  He knows that he will have his detractors, and that analysts will always find a way to get on him for anything and everything.  If Suh is able to produce the way the Detroit Lions and their fans know he will, there are only good things to look forward to in the 2012 season.

NOTE: I would be remiss if I did not reiterate that allegations against Sapp have been dropped and he has since returned to “analyzing” for the NFL Network.

Anyone is welcome to speculate regarding the draft, and many people do. It’s gratifying to think you might be right. To make their best guess, some fans follow the Twitter feeds of the aforementioned experts to keep up with the mocks as they adjust to developments throughout the off-season.

I nod and smile at draft prognostications. I acknowledge them, I even actively consider those concerning the Lions, but I don’t really buy them, especially this far ahead. There are too many variables yet to play out between now and April 26.

Don’t get me wrong, the pre-draft speculation is educational. Everyone who puts his picks out there in the universe—from fans to insiders—has a rationale for his choices, and he is happy to share it.

The draft scenarios that work best for me start with “It’s too early to tell,” followed by a breakdown of the circumstances as they lay at the time. I like hearing “It depends,” because it always does depend.

That statement is often seen as a cop-out, but it appeals to my literal-mindedness. Of course it depends: on the Senior Bowl (we’re already seeing the fallout from that), on the combine, on any off-the-field issues that may arise, on free agency maneuvering, and so on.

The Lions’ philosophy is to draft the best player available. We can’t know yet who that will be. Some teams will trade for higher picks, disrupting the prescribed draft order. At this point, I’m OK with “it depends.”

We like the tension, though. We worry, we fret, we anticipate, we believe who should be drafted, and when. Then we know. And then we wait again, til that magical start of the season, to see how the picks pan out. Were we right? It won’t matter if the 2012 draft helps carry the Lions to the Super Bowl.

I’m as jaded as anyone about nepotism, and I am never glad to hear that the boss’s kid has joined the company. Yet I embrace this news from the Fisher camp. I feel good about it. It makes me feel warm and collegial toward the game. What is it about football that supports this reaction? Is it that we tend to liken football clubs to dynasties, and adding the next generation to an elder’s coaching staff is affirming of that notion? Do we gain some sense of cosmic alignment with a family’s multigenerational representation?

I think the bottom line is that football is a family business, from the ownership to the front office to the sidelines and onto the field. Owners groom their children for club chairmanships. Coach-fathers teach the sport to their kids and then teach them the art and nuance of coaching itself. Players beget both players and coaches. Being exposed by immediate family to the game of football generates a unique type of cohesion that seems to translate well to the pro team environment.

If I ever have a son and he’s graced with a high football intellect, I’d be thrilled to see him make an NFL team’s coaching staff, and then I’d be the one indulging in visions of grandchildren intently roaming the sidelines, cementing our legacy as a football family. In the meantime, as a fan, I wish Jeff, Brandon and any subsequent Fisher coaches well. If Brandon proves to have the football acumen, attitude and presence that characterize his dad, he will be an asset to the family business.

Brandon Marshall protects the ball with the upper-body strength of a super-elite security guard protecting a prize opal from charging would-be interceptors.

These and a select few other wide-receivers-who-are-beasts are the new NFL tough guys.

Instead of getting pushed down and pushed around, Johnson and his like have been known to knock DBs and linemen alike on their ass when they get the chance.

The old tough guys are still tough guys. Linebackers haven’t lost a step in physicality since Lawrence Taylor and Mike Singletary, and before that a toothless, squinting, scary Jack Lambert. Some current LBs are quicker, bigger, stronger and more durable even than their tough guy predecessors.

Now the new breed of pro receiver joins the ranks of tough guys as intimidating, massively strong, physically dominant and yet sweetly agile—always in contact with defenders, always in a fight, always ready to wrestle. Their development marks an evolution in competitiveness that will be fascinating to watch as it plays out.

With a healthy Matthew Stafford throwing prize opals to Megatron, we’ll continue to witness blockbuster athleticism and power from the receiver whose nickname only hints at his fortitude.

I was hoping to see a Lions mention here, and this mention is a good one, a positive note on an upswing season. Lions fans are enjoying a new
visibility in the Jim Schwartz era.

Now, scroll some more. Ah, there he is, number 38 on the list: “Matthew Stafford staying healthy.” Mr. Lombardi, that was enjoyable for us Lions fans, as well.

What I like about this list is that it steers clear of retelling spectacular plays or compiling outstanding stats—the list itself isn’t even a ranking, as such. Lombardi lists the items “in no particular order.”

It also doesn’t pretend to be more than it is. Lombardi isn’t rendering post-season breakdowns here. He’s just providing a refreshing taste in the mouth after the sourness of another season ending without a Super Bowl appearance for teams not named the Giants or the Patriots.

Lions fans will have many more enjoyable moments in the seasons ahead. It’s nice of Lombardi to give us a taste of what to look forward to next season.

On the surface, the debate is straightforward. Football is a violent sport, one that players enter voluntarily, and any reasonable person should understand the trade-off.

But in the NFL, reason can be a tricky concept. The hyper-competitive nature inherent in NFL-caliber athletes can negate reasonable decision making, as can the hyper-lucrative 16 (soon to be 18)-game season for the owners. Fans will feel disappointed at a key player’s absence. It’s almost counterintuitive for a player in excellent physical condition to be sitting on the bench because of an injury no one can see or fully understand—no broken wrist, no torn ACL.

But we all are familiar by now with the ultimate, highly visible toll that head trauma took on former Chicago Bears DB Dave Duerson, who shot himself in February 2011 at age 50. Poignantly, he had asked that his brain be donated to Boston University’s Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy, whose findings cited traumatic brain injury as the cause of his dramatic mental decline prior to his suicide.

Best has stated his intention to return to football. Who can blame him? The Lions want him back but must plan as if he may not return. On the field, if concussion symptoms aren’t noticed or acknowledged by trainers and coaching staff, it’s the player who has to make the decision whether to report or hide the symptoms. In 2012, assuming Best is cleared to play, will he take himself out of a game in such a circumstance? And after seeing Best lose most of his season to head trauma, will other players bring attention to their concussions? A lot of complicated factors are at play. Surely some players will report a concussion, but the culture of the NFL hasn’t yet evolved to fully support their interests.

When you have the great Jim Brown complementing how great of a talent Ndamukong Suh is you know you have a super star. Jim Brown and other pro football hall of famers have talked about how Suh has earned the respect of his peers and is feared when he is on the football field. Hearing players like Jim Brown talk about Suh putting fear into opponents has to impress you because when Jim Brown played he was on same football field with the likes of Dick Butkus and Ray Nitschke.

Players like Butkus and Nitschke were feared much more than they were respected in their playing days. If you think Ndamukong Suh gets a lot of flak for his behavior on the field then you should think about these guys. The 1960’s players were much worse and got away with a lot more. This is how they played the game back in the grand old days. They see Suh as a player who plays like them and could play at same level in any era that is how talented Suh is.

Ndamukong Suh plays at a high level of intensity when he is on the field. This intensity on the field not only raises his level of play but the play of teammates as well. The media makes a big deal out of every play that is considered dirty that Suh makes. When he stepped on Evan Dietrich-Smith’s arm on Thanksgiving he was properly disciplined for his actions. He apologized to Smith and to the public for his actions that day. Suh should never have to apologize for the way he plays the game.

You do not hear Dick Butkus apologizing to the players he hurt while playing. He played hard and he made every player he encountered know that they had to get through him if they wanted to do well on the field. This is Suh’s idea of the game he wants to get in the head of every player he plays against.  If an offense changes the game plan around him, he has succeeded in giving the Detroit Lions a better chance of winning that football game.

The bottom line is you are never going to change how Ndamukong Suh plays football every time he walks on to the field. They should never try to make him change. Suh has extraordinary talent that will put him in Canton, Ohio one day. Jim Brown, Ray Nitschke, and Dick Butkus already talk about Suh as if he is a hall of famer too.

When you look at the New England Patriots, their tight end combo of Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski has revolutionized the National Football League. Gronkowski in his second season had 90 receptions and 1327 receiving yards. That’s before even mentioning he set a record for touchdowns for tight ends with 17 in 2011. His teammate and fellow tight end Adrian Hernandez had 79 receptions with 910 yards as the number two tight end on a team. The Patriots have talented receivers as well. This doesn’t even include their blocking abilities and that Hernandez rushed for 61 yards against the Broncos in the divisional playoffs last week. This is amazing to say the least.

Brandon Pettigrew needs to become this type of tight end for the Detroit Lions. Just think, what the Detroit Lions offense would be if Pettigrew was able to do most of what Gronkowski and Hernandez do for the Patriots offense. This would make the defenses change the way they defend the Lions receivers. They would have to focus more on Pettigrew and thus opening receiving chances for Calvin Johnson and other Lions receivers. When he is not receiving he can help protect Matthew Stafford from the defensive pressure and then change gears and catch a short pass if no receiver are open. This is just one of many examples of how Brandon Pettigrew can help the Lions more than he has if he stepped up his production on the field.

The Detroit Lions want to take the next step and win a Super Bowl. The New York Giants and New England Patriots play this Sunday in the Super Bowl. They each have a great group of receivers and both teams have tight ends that can make an impact. The Giants have the better receivers and the Patriots have the better tight ends. During the game they can inter change these weapons to help win the game for their team. The Lions and Pettigrew have to study this Super Bowl matchup and the playoffs from this season in general.

The Saints and 49ers have strong tight ends that can change a game as well. Soon most of the NFL is going to have teams follow suit. The Lions have to do it soon so they can keep up and stay competitive. The Lions have a great team, but every team can study other teams to improve their team.  The NFL is always changing in some way and the teams that adapt and succeed at it will be successful quicker and longer than teams that do not.

The same could be said if Barry Sanders was not the only super star the Detroit Lions had when he played for them. The closest the Detroit Lions ever came to a Super Bowl was when Sanders was playing during their 1991 season. That season the Lions advanced to the NFC title game but were demolished by the eventual Super Bowl Champions the Washington Redskins.

Sanders played for the Detroit Lion from 1989 to 1998. During that time, the Lion’s management failed them as they have for many years before Sanders got to Detroit. Management needed to add pieces to the team to be competitive.

Barry Sanders never had players the likes of Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson and Ndamukong Suh.  Sanders was stuck with players with mediocre talent at best, and they could not build around that. They were inconsistent, and therefore all the pressure was on Barry Sanders to carry the offense.

The opponents knew that if they could contain Sanders, the Detroit Lions offense and defense would not be able to win. The Lions did lose most of their games without Sanders leading the way.

Year after year of this happening really must have gotten on Barry Sanders nerves. He retired after the 1998 season at the age of 30. He was only 1457 yards away from breaking Walter Payton’s record for all time leading rushing yards. This is what happens when a player plays his best for a team for a long time and does not see grander pastures while he is there. He got many individual awards but he wanted the team to succeed.

Barry Sanders retired on top and at the peak of his talents. The Detroit Lions ownership has taken cues not to make the same mistakes that they did with Barry Sanders. The current Lions team is stacked with young talent on offense and defense. Unlike with Barry Sanders this team has a very good shot at being great for a long time. They are currently Super Bowl Contenders something Barry Sanders and his Detroit Lions never really had a chance to enjoy.

It is the game talk, when the Lions have a week to practice and gear up for the game, and they talk about how much it will mean to them to beat this team. It is previous games, a prior loss that the Lions should have won. Sometimes it is due to controversy, in that previous game or games back that have carried over that have both teams blood boiling over one and other.

If you go back all the way to NFL beginnings rivals like between the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers, but if you consider after 1960 you can add the Vikings as a rival as well. The big problem of saying who the bigger rival of the Lions is all three teams’ average more than 24 wins against the Lions than losses.  The Packers have an 89-65 record against the Lions. The Bears have a 93 to 64 record against the Lions. Finally the Vikings have a 66 to 31 record against the Lions.  Summing this all up the Lions have a lot of anger built up and something to prove against these division teams. Now that they have a team that can dominate the NFC‘s Black and Blue division these teams will become their rivals.

However  if choosing one team to stir up fans and make a Lions victory even sweeter  the biggest rival would be the Packers. The Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers have played more games against each other consecutively than any other team in NFL history. They have played each other every season since 1932. We know the History of the Packers with their many championships, their hall of fame coach Vince Lombardi and their many hall of fame players. The fact is the Lions prevented the Green Bay Packers from going undefeated in 1962.

That’s right the undefeated Packers came in to Detroit for the annual Thanksgiving Day football game  hosted by the Lions. They not only beat the packers 26 to 14, they handed them their only loss during their second consecutive Championship run.  The press called the game “The Thanksgiving Massacre”. The Detroit Lions defense made life miserable for the Packer’s offense that day. Bart Star threw two interceptions and was under heavy pressure, the rest of the offense that was unstoppable before this game was held in check all day by the Lions defense.

The Green Bay Packers did not lose another game that season; they had the highest scoring offense. Many people forget that season the Detroit Lions had the number one defense in giving up total yards and stopping the run. They had big name players such Roger Brown, Joe Schmidt, and “Night Train” Lane, who were all first team selections and went to the Pro Bowl. Their record was 11-3 in 1962 but that Thanksgiving  Day Game is still talked about today. During the 2011 season’s Thanksgiving  Day matchup the Packers won convincingly. What was talked about after the game was Ndamukong Suh stepping on Evan Dietrich-Smith, and getting suspended for two games.

This only adds to fuel the fire of the Green Bay Packers and The Detroit Lions rivalry. The Packers have dominated the Lions throughout history, but the Lions have continued to get themselves motivated to play some of their best games in their history against the Packers. Today’s Detroit Lions are right there with the Packers fighting each other for the NFC North Crown and for Super Bowl berths in the upcoming seasons. This is why the Green Bay Packers are the Detroit Lions number one arch rival in the National Football League