Lions Seem Confused on Intimidation Factor

Coach Jim Schwartz and Defensive Coordinator Gunther Cunningham want a tough team. They want a team that will not take any crap from anyone. They are instilling the wrong attitude on this team.

The Lions should not be looking to be a team that wont back down from anyone. They need to be a smart team. If another player smarts off or shoves you or does whatever he wants to upset you, if you don't back down and get back in his face, you will be the one noticed by the refs. Too often it is the retaliation that is called for a penalty. Logan flipping the ball in the face of an opponent who was mouthing him was a case of "not backing down". Titus Young reaching across a ref to smack an opponent in the head was a case of "not backing down". Brandon Pettigrew shoving a ref who got between him and a player he was having words with was a case of "not backing down". Those were all cases where they should back down!

They need to understand that if you want to intimidate an opponent, you do it with your play, not with your attitude after the whistle. These players should have backed down and then made a great play to make their opponents eat their words. This is football. It is not a tough man contest.

I thought Ndamukong Suh had it figured out when he was being penalized and flagged for fouls he did not do or looked worse than they were. He was saying he did not care. He would continue to play how he plays. That was a good attitude. Continue to play hard and tough from snap to whistle. Be intimidating in your play! Then he crossed the line when he lost his temper and stomped on an opponent. That seems to have started a barrage of penalties that have been stupid plays after the whistle. That made me realize something. Maybe the Lions are getting something confused. I have heard the coaches speak of playing hard from whistle to whistle. Excuse me. That is why they are getting these stupid flags. Instead of playing hard from whistle to whistle, they should be playing hard from SNAP to whistle!

The Lions simply need to get away from worrying about being tough. They need to continue playing hard every play, but they need to forget about being tough. The Detroit Lions have made themselves note worthy. They are valued now by the NFL as a team worth placing on national TV. The Lions as a talent are now respected. It is time to forget about building a reputation and focus on playing good football!