Category: History

Former Lions safety and coach Dick Jauron has passed away

Jauron was a playmaking safety in the 1970s before becoming a Lions coach in the 2000s

Former Lions safety and one-time interim head coach Dick Jauron has passed away. Jauron was 74.

A fourth-round draft pick by the Lions in 1973 out of Yale, Jauron played five seasons in Detroit. He finished second in the Defensive Rookie of the Year voting in 1973 thanks to four INTs and two fumble recoveries, leading the NFL in interception return yards.

Following his playing career, Jauron moved into coaching. He joined the Lions as the defensive coordinator in 2004 after five seasons as the head coach of the Chicago Bears. He took over as the interim head coach in Detroit for the final five games in 2005 after Steve Mariucci was fired, going 1-4. He later became the head coach of the Buffalo Bills.

Our condolences are with Jauron’s family and loved ones.

Who was the last Lions coordinator to leave for a head coaching job before Ben Johnson, Aaron Glenn?

Who was the last Lions coordinator to leave for a head coaching job before Ben Johnson, Aaron Glenn? He’s in the Hall of Fame

The Detroit Lions officially lost both their offensive and defensive coordinators to head coaching jobs to start the 2025 offseason.

Former OC Ben Johnson is now the head coach of the Chicago Bears and former DC Aaron Glenn is the new head coach of the New York Jets. It’s not the first time the Lions lost a coordinator to a head coaching job, but it’s been a while.

Legendary football coach Don Shula joined the Lions in 1960 as the team’s defensive coordinator. In 1963, the Baltimore Colts hired Shula, then 33, as their head coach, the youngest coach to take the top job in league history at that point.

The Colts had a 73-26-4 record under Shula before he left to take over the Miami Dolphins. He amassed 347 total wins over the course of his career, and his Dolphins famously had the only undefeated season in NFL history.

There’s no guarantee that the Bears or Jets will have anything close to the type of success with their new hires, but if a decades-old trend for Lions coordinators can continue, they’ll likely be happy with the results.

Lions join elite company with their 2024 offensive production

The Detroit Lions join some elite historical company with their 2024 offensive production through Week 16

The Detroit Lions offensive juggernaut flexed its muscle once again in Chicago. Ben Johnson’s offense posted 34 points and 475 yards in the Week 16 win over the Bears.

Detroit’s ongoing offensive output has reached some historical levels. They’re now one of just four teams in NFL history to hit a combination of lofty milestones.

From the Lions P.R. team after the game, the 2024 Lions are the fourth team in NFL history to log at least 13 wins, produce at least 6,000 total net yards, record at least 60 touchdowns and notch a point differential of at least 190 through the first 15 games of a season. The others are the 2019 Ravens, 2007 Patriots and 1984 Dolphins.

Those three teams are notable. Those 2019 Ravens suffered a shocking upset loss in the divisional round after finishing 14-2, but the ’84 Dolphins and ’07 Patriots each advanced to the Super Bowl behind MVP-winning quarterbacks Dan Marino and Tom Brady, respectively.

Lions win 10 games in back-to-back season for the first time ever

The Detroit Lions have won 10 games in back-to-back season for the first time ever

This run the Lions have been on has been nothing short of incredible. They’re doing things the franchise hasn’t seen in decades. Sunday, they achieved a feat that had never happened before in their franchise history.

For the first time, the Lions have won 10 games in consecutive seasons. The Lions moved to 10-1 after their 24-6 win over the Indianapolis Colts, maintaining a one-game lead over the Minnesota Vikings, 30-27 overtime winners over the Chicago Bears to move to 9-2. Detroit finished 12-5 in 2023, winning the NFC North division for the first time.

The Lions are 10-1 for the first time since 1934. They finished 10-3 that year. Something says this team will win a few more games. Their next three games are at home against the Bears, Packers and Bills followed by trips to the Bears and 49ers. They finish at home against the Vikings.

Lions aiming to snap some sordid series history vs. the Titans

Lions aiming to snap some sordid series history vs. the Titans, with Detroit never having beaten Tennessee

The Detroit Lions have never defeated the Tennessee Titans. As unlikely as that might seem, it’s a fact that dates back to the beginning of the 21st century.

That should change in Week 8. Should…

The Lions are favored on Sunday by more points in a game than they have been since before the Titans existed in Nashville. The line is now 11.5 points in Detroit’s favor, and that could very well go up now that the Titans have traded starting WR DeAndre Hopkins and top LB Ernest Jones this week.

That six-game losing streak to the Titans won’t erase itself, however. In the last meeting inside Ford Field, the Lions were six-point favorites. That was Week 2 of the 2016 season, Jim Caldwell’s final year coaching Detroit. The Mike Mularkey-coached Titans eked out a 16-15 win by scoring the final 13 points, all in the fourth quarter.

Because the Titans kept all the franchise records in their move from Houston, the series includes Tennessee’s decades as the Oilers, too. The Lions did beat the Oilers back in 1995 in the old Astrodome. That game featured two touchdown catches by Herman Moore from Scott Mitchell and 10 combined turnovers in a 24-17 Lions win that happened to be one of Barry Sanders’ worst career games (54 yards on 19 carries).

The Lions have only ever won one home game against the franchise, beating the Oilers in Week 5 of the 1986 season. Going back to that game some 38 years ago, it presents a cautionary tale for how this year’s heavily-favored Lions can avoid a stunning upset.

The box score says Houston dominated Detroit that day. Warren Moon threw for 398 yards for the Oilers, while Eric Hipple managed 93 in the air. However, the Lions picked off Moon three times, twice inside the Detroit 5-yard line. Grinding out 158 rushing yards on 47 carries — a figure they’ve not since topped — Daryl Rogers’ Lions ground Jerry Glanville’s run-and-shoot Oilers into submission.

That is the most sensical way the Titans can keep their unblemished record against Detroit intact–keep the Lions offense off the field and have Jared Goff make uncharacteristic mistakes. The odds say that’s an extreme longshot, and the Lions should end one of the weirder team vs. team anomalies in the NFL on Sunday.

 

 

 

PHOTOS: Tennessee-Alabama football series through the years

PHOTOS: A look at the Tennessee-Alabama football series through the years

The Tennessee-Alabama football series was first played in 1901. The Vols and Crimson Tide played to a 6-6 tie in Birmingham, Alabama.

The contest was played on Thanksgiving day at West End Park in Birmingham, Alabama.

The reason for the game being tied was due to an offsides penalty against Alabama within the first ten minutes of the second half.

The penalty occurred ten yards from the goal line. Alabama players contested the penalty and that is when two things occurred that ended the game early. First, spectators came onto the playing field and circled both teams, preventing any further play. Secondly, as the protest continued, darkness came which did not allow for the two teams to finish the contest with daylight gone.

Tennessee’s first win in the series came in 1904, defeating Alabama 5-0 in Birmingham.

The first game played in Knoxville, Tennessee took place in 1909. Tennessee defeated the Crimson Tide, 10-0.

Tuscaloosa played host in the series for the first time in 1913 with Alabama winning, 6-0.

Below are photos of the Tennessee-Alabama series through the years.

A look at the Detroit Lions vs. Arizona Cardinals series history

A brief look at the Lions’ series history against the Arizona Cardinals, dating back to the Portsmouth Spartans days.

The Lions hit the road for the first time this season as they head for Arizona for a Week 3 matchup with the Cardinals. The two teams have a long history with each other. Sunday will mark the 70th time the Lions and Cardinals meet. Detroit leads the all-time series 35-28-6.

The series dates all the way back to October 5, 1930, when the Lions were still the Portsmouth Spartans and the Cardinals were still playing in Chicago. That first meeting ended in a scoreless tie. The first win for the Spartans came in their third meeting on September 23, 1931. Portsmouth won 13-3.

The franchise’s first win in this series as the Detroit Lions came in a 6-0 victory on September 30, 1934. That was part of a stretch of Detroit/Portsmouth going unbeaten in 18 straight games against the Cardinals (14 wins, four ties).

December 6, 1959 was the last meeting between the two teams with the Cardinals still playing in Chicago. The teams moved to St. Louis in 1960 and played there until moving to Phoenix in 1988. The Lions won that game 45-21. In case you’re wondering, the teams did not meet in 1944 when the Cardinals were known as Card-Pitt, the team created by the temporary merger of the Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers that year due to the teams losing players to service during World War II.

The first meeting between the Lions and St. Louis Cardinals (yes, during that time there was an NFL and MLB franchise known as the St. Louis Cardinals) came on November 12, 1961 at Busch Stadium. The Lions won that game 45-14.

The Cardinals moved to Phoenix in 1988. The first meeting between the Lions and the new Phoenix Cardinals — they would become the Arizona Cardinals in 1994 — happened on September 10, 1989 with the Cardinals winning in Detroit 16-13. The Lions won for the first time in the desert on December 12, 1993, 21-14.

The Lions are unbeaten against the Cardinals in their last five meetings with four wins and a tie (27-27 to open the 2019 regular season which was also Kyler Murray’s NFL debut). The teams last met on December 19, 2021. Quarterback Jared Goff went 21-of-26 for 216 yards and three touchdowns in a 30-12 win. Craig Reynolds rushed for 112 yards on 26 carries and Amon-Ra St. Brown led the way with 90 receiving yards on eight catches. Jason Cabinda also had a receiving touchdown that day.

Herman Moore, Jason Hanson among Lions nominated for Pro Football Hall of Fame

Herman Moore, Jason Hanson among Lions nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction class of 2025

The Pro Football Hall of Fame has revealed the initial nominees for the induction class of 2025. Among the 167 players making the cut are several players with Detroit Lions ties.

Most notable is wide receiver Herman Moore, who has been nominated before but keeps getting snubbed as the voting progressed to finalists. Moore’s three-year career peak stands up against any other wideout in NFL history.

Kicker Jason Hanson is also on the list again. Hanson played in Detroit from 1992 to 2012 and finished in the top-5 in scoring, field goals, field goal attempts and made FGs from beyond 50 yards.

Venerable left tackle Lomas Brown is back for another nomination. Brown is another who should merit stronger consideration from voters to at least advance to the list of 25 finalists. Cornerback Dre Bly is also nominated again.

None of the first-time nominees on the list for 2025 ever played for the Lions. Other nominees who spent some time in Detroit but are primarily known for their NFL careers elsewhere include:

WR Anquan Boldin

DT Haloti Ngata

QB Jeff Garcia

OL T.J. Lang

LB Julian Peterson

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Lions and Buccaneers have an interesting series history

Lions vs. Buccaneers series history

For the second straight week to start the season, the Lions have themselves a rematch from last season’s playoffs. After knocking off the Los Angeles Rams once again, the Lions are preparing for a rematch of the Divisional Playoffs against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The two teams have a long history with each other. Let’s touch on that history a bit here.

Sunday’s meeting will be the 63rd all-time meeting with the Lions and Buccaneers, including two postseason matchups. The Lions lead the all-time series 33-29. This will also be the second year in a row the teams meet in the regular season. Detroit won in the regular season, 20-6, then in the playoffs, 31-23.

The two franchises were once long-time division foes. From 1977-2001, the two teams resided in the old NFC Central. The Lions joined the division in 1970 while the Buccaneers joined in 1977 after spending their inaugural season of 1976 in the AFC West. The NFL wanted the two expansion franchises of 1976, the Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks, to play each other in the first two years as well as every other team in the NFL. Thus, the franchises swapped conferences in 1977 — the Seahawks played in the NFC West in 1976.

The two teams would remain in the NFC Central together until the NFL realigned the divisions in 2002 with the addition of the Houston Texans. The NFC Central effectively became the NFC North and the Lions were kept with the Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings, as they had all been in the same division since 1961. The Buccaneers joined the New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers in the new NFC South.

As division rivals, the Lions were 27-24 against the Buccaneers with one postseason loss (1996 NFC Wild Card). Since realignment, Detroit has a 6-5 edge, including last year’s win in the Divisional postseason. Detroit has won two straight and three of the last five meetings. The Lions go for three straight in this series this Sunday afternoon.

The ‘Calvin Johnson rule’ happened 14 years ago today

The ‘Calvin Johnson rule’ happened 14 years ago today in a game between the Lions and Bears and it remains a terrible use of the NFL rule

On this date 14 years ago, September 12th of 2010, NFL fans learned the phrase “process of the catch” thanks to the Detroit Lions and Hall of Fame wideout Calvin Johnson. It was a (non)catch by Johnson in the Chicago end zone that brought the previously obscure rule into greater consciousness.

We know it now as the “Calvin Johnson rule.” Say those words and everyone–certainly in the Lions world–knows exactly what you’re talking about.

If you’re too young to remember it, or blocked it out of the memory banks in a combination of anger, sadness and disbelief (all valid emotions), here’s the play in question, via TikTok:

 

Watch on TikTok

Johnson caught the ball on a pass from Shaun Hill, filling in for an injured Matthew Stafford. No. 81 landed with full control of the ball, getting both feet down inbounds. As he went to the ground, Johnson put the ball on the ground after palming it in his hand in clear control of the catch. Referee Gene Steratore’s crew ruled it incomplete on the field despite the official you see clearly raising his arms to indicate a touchdown in the clip. When Johnson put the ball on the ground before he had completed going to the ground, it meant the process of the catch wasn’t complete.

And that, for me, has always been the part the NFL truly got wrong. You don’t think Calvin Johnson did that on purpose knowing full well he’d scored a game-winning touchdown?! He completed the process of the catch and going to the ground as the rule dictates.

To this day, 14 years later, NFL analysts and broadcast commentators still refer to these sorts of situations as the Calvin Johnson Rule. It remains one of the most confusingly subjective rules in football.