SloMotion

Well, Who-Dat Nation, you've been gracious hosts and I must admit, it feels like Mardi Gras in here to me . . . the beautiful avatars, the likes which I guess I can sort of consider as beads, the euphoria of being in the playoffs . . . I suppose we had to get down to the business at hand sooner or later . . . so, indulge me a moment and let's talk some football, Lions football.

• Want to hear something crazy? I wanted the Saints. Playing in New Jersey in January against a Manning didn't appeal to me that much, and frankly, worried me. Like Brees isn't a big game QB, right? What am I thinking? Basically, we're a team that doesn't handle adversity well ... we've seen you before and the game is in a dome, just two less things for us to stress over.

• The last time we played, the Lions were coming off a disastrous Thanksgiving Day game against the Pack. Our defensive backfield had been wiped out by injuries, and for what it's worth, we were missing Suh. Our running game, though pretty much non-existent anyway, was further hampered by injuries. Fairley re-injuring his foot in the first quarter didn't help any and then there were the penalties. You still only beat us by 14. Everyone is back and supposedly healthy enough to play and we've kind of addressed the penalty issue, kind of ... at least cut down on the big yardage, personal foul types. It should be a different game this time around ... should be.

• We have to jump out early, no if's or but's about it ... we're not going to be able to play 'catch-up' football with the Saints ... if the San Diego game taught us nothing else, it only validated that good things happen for us when you go 'Calvin' early and often.

• Keep Stafford clean and control the ball/tempo ... easier said then done for a team with a questionable run game, but we've done it sporadically, so it can be done. The Bucs & the Rams did it, why not us? Third down conversions are a concern, Smith doesn't get 'em and Stafford's been just running the ball himself lately. The best way for us to defend Brees is to just keep him off the field. I'd rather see Bell in there then Smith, seriously. Is a 100yd rushing game from our backfield too much to ask?

• "The Push", we're not a blitzing team, so why start now? Our front four has to do a better job of pressuring the QB. We gotta' stop Brees & Co more then a few times. Contain the run & make Drew throw the ball (huh?). Believe it or not, I saw a stat that showed you guys have limited success the more Brees' throws (40+ attempts) and the less you run. I know, who'da' thunk?

• Composure, composure, composure ... limit the damn penalties ... I know the Motor City has a rep to protect, but dammit, the 'bad boy' mentality is for the neighborhoods, not the professional football field. If we clean it up like we did against San Diego, you guys can stand by for a long day ... just sayin'.

• Ignore the distractions, ignore the hype ... the Saints have been beaten at home before ... it's a longshot, but it's still a shot .... "Da da dum da dum da da ... Look, if you had one shot, one opportunity, to seize everything you ever wanted, would you capture it or just let it slip?"... I'm not a big Eminem fan, but he does tend to capture the essence of the city ...

• Create turnovers, cover Graham, especially in the redzone ... pretty monumental task, but Houston/Delmas should be ready to go and Smith, when he's on, makes a pick or two ... let's hope he's on ...

• Be better in the redzone, and I think we are ... we score 64% of the time from the redzone and only the Eagles allow more scores from that point then the Saints - advantage: Lions. Our defense contains opposing offenses in the redzone more then half the time and is a real improvement in our game this season. Having to settle for field goals instead of TDs could be the deciding factor in this one. Now, all's we have to do is get to the redzone and keep Brees out of it ...

I think that's it, just making conversation and I have a lot to do today, so I wanted to get it all out there ... in a nutshell, "Any given Sunday" was just a bad movie to me (Al Pacino, worst onscreen coach ever!) and the Lions will need a near perfect performance like they had against San Diego to pull this one off, but hey, it could happen ... we play better with our backs against the wall and this team is just so damn streaky, when they're hot they're world beaters and we got the guns for a shootout ... but in the end, you guys are probably more qualified to challenge the Pack for the NFC crown ............................... for now.

Oh, one more thing, a win against New Orleans would validate our existence, you know what I'm saying .... you feel our pain and we in Detroit look south to the Big Easy as an inspiration and example of what we can achieve .... football excellence.

I'll be in the LiveChat for the game, caio'.