Jon Kitna - are Lions for real? Rod says getting there

by James on October 3rd, 2007

NFL Football at its best. NFL Football at its craziest.

Coach Rod Marinelli believes in Jon Kitna and all of the Lions

Lions fans have waited for 50 years.

50 years and no championships.

50 years is a long time.

We got used to not being a contender. Just give us an occasional playoff berth.

Then we got used to not making the playoffs. Just give us a .500 season.

Then we got used to losing all the time. Just get rid of Matt Millen.

Now we have Jon Kitna, Mike Martz, and Coach Rod Marinelli.

Now we have a victory against the Chicago Bears.

The Lions wobbled and staggered at times, but they finally ran away from the Chicago Bears with a 34-point outburst in the fourth quarter for a 37-27 victory at Ford Field.

The score made the game look like a track meet. It wasn’t. It was a fight from start to finish. The Lions didn’t win on a knockout, but they landed enough shots to make their record 3-1. They are in second place in the NFC North, one game behind the first-place Green Bay Packers.

Chicago, with a defense shredded by injuries, dropped to 1-3. Four defensive starters did not play Sunday. source

Toughness

When the Bears are in town, it is always a test of manhood. The Lions passed the test this time. A whole lot of that attitude comes from Jon Kitna at quarterback and Coach Rod Marinelli.

“I challenged them,” Marinelli said. “It was going to be a 15-rounder. It was a situation where they had to win, too. They took everything we had. We took everything they had, too.”

From the top of the franchise down, there was a feeling in the Lions’ locker room that the team’s character has changed to reflect Marinelli’s never-break attitude.

Offense

What was really special was the ability of the Lions defense to hang in there until the offense could take over.

The Lions broke out of their shell in the fourth quarter Sunday with 34 points to beat the Bears, 37-27.

It was the most points ever scored in the fourth quarter in the NFL. The previous record was 31 points by three teams. The last was by Atlanta over Green Bay on Sept. 17, 1981.

“The NFL is a funny thing,” Kitna said. “Momentum and emotional swings in this game are what tend to carry things.” source

Yeah, no kidding the Lions set an NFL record or most points in the 4th quarter.

Defense

But we were talking defense here. Coming off a huge loss to Philadelphia and Donovan McNabb, the Lions were ready and it showed.

The defense pressured the quarterback, stopped the run in some big spots and had three key interceptions. Linebacker Ernie Sims had the first of his career. Cornerback Fernando Bryant got his first interception in four years.

It only seemed fitting, though, that the Lions defense was present and accounted for since the franchise honored their last championship team.

Hall of Fame middle linebacker Joe Schmidt and many others from that 1957 defense were on hand to take a bow for making Detroit a champion in pro football. source

So there is Defense, there is Offense, there is Coach Rod Marinelli, and there is Jon Kitna as the inspirational leader.

Yeah, Jon Kitna and the Lions are for real.

NFL Football Fan Question Are you prepared to handle a winning Lions team?

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Tags: bears, champion, chicago, Coach Rod Marinelli, defense, detroit, Donovan McNabb, eagles, Ernie Sims, fernando-bryant, GM Matt Millen, green-bay, hall-of-fame, joe-schmidt, Jon Kitna, lions, offense, Offensive Coordinator Mike Martz, packers, philadelphia

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