Now, I know it was the Madden player in me, but I was a little disappointed that the Lions didn't try to get Calvin Johnson another TD catch at the end of the game--making it 5 weeks in a row with two TD catches--instead, holding a 21-13 lead with 2 minutes remaining, they kicked a field goal...Wouldn't 28-13 have been just as clinching as 24-13?

But that's nitpicking. 

In fact, I'm beginning to think that playing in the first half for the Lions is "nitpicking,"  because who cares about the first half, when you can turn it on and blow everybody out in the second half?  The Lions are 5-0!  For the first time since 1956!  Of course, as you all know in 1956, the Lions started 5-0, but finished 9-3 and missed the playoffs....it was 1957 when the Lions won their last championship.

For the third week in a row, the Lions have gone into the half down...but have come out of the half on fire each week too.  This is a legitimate playoff contender that can send wave after wave of above average to downright dominating defensive lineman at every offense.  This D-line is NINE players deep.  Jay Cutler was running all night long.

In fact, I really gained a lot of respect for Cutler and his improvisation skills, because he got a lot done on every play and I'm willing to bet that 98% of all his plays were broken plays.

The big knock against the Lions this season, other than the fact that they don't wake up until the second half, has been a lack of a running game.  On Monday night, Jahvid Best came to play.  163 rushing yards.  His first career 100 yard game.  OK...sure most of that came on an 88 yard run up the gut and most of the rest came on a 43 yard run off tackle...take out those 131 yards and he rushed 9 times for 32 yards....not too impressive...but, in the end...he averaged over 10 yards a run.

And as close as the final score was...it really wasn't that close.  This is coming from a fan who has watched a lifetime of "moral victories" and "one score losses."  The Lions dominated this game....really the whole game...even though they were down 10-7 at the half...there was never a point where you didn't think that the Lions weren't really in complete control.

And this was against last years division champion!

The Lions have a really good team...they're proving it every week with WINS...not moral victories...not close losses...get ready for a long fun ride...

Next week the 49'ers come to Ford Field, a place that vibrated people last night, to face the Leos...the Lions have a bad, bad history against the Niners over the last 20 years...but this is a year from breaking trends and smashing streaks...Even if the 9'ers are 4-1...I still like the chances of a 5-0 Detroit Lions team at home...

Crap....they've tricked me again...I've drunk the koolaid...I'm on the bandwagon....again....thanks for taking me back.

I realize that the Lions looked incredible.  That they smacked and beat and pushed down and called Tom Brady's mama names.  

I realize that they scored a lot on the Patriots defense and our second stringers, one play aside, looked good enough to play "The Brady's" first string and kick their tushes...

But, you know what?  Doesn't mean a damn thing.

It doesn't matter how many tears that Tom shed because The Kong and the boys were really, really mean to him.

In one week's time everybody's records will be 0-0.

Yes, the Lions starters looked good against the New England starters and when they left the score was 17-3....if you want to hang your hat on that, so be it, but last year the Lions were up 17-10 at the half against these same Patriots and you know what the final score was? 45-24....and the Lions weren't the team with the bigger number.  So a good half of play doesn't actually mean squat...even in the real season.

Here's what we hope we can take away from this game.

1. Stafford only took one hit and managed to get back up from it with all of his limbs and faculties completely functional.  Not only that, dude looks smoking hot.  12 of 14 with a drop and just an awesome defensive effort? 

2. The defensive line can get a ton of pressure and all of the starters weren't even playing.

3. Willie Young played with the ones and still looked really fast.

4. Perriman...oops, I mean Burleson looks like he's going to have a monster season.

5. Aaron Brown looks too damned fast to cut.

Lastly, everybody has been complaining about the new kicking rules...I think the Lions are finally ahead of the curve on something.  It's stupid to just bang the kick out of the back of the endzone every time when you can do what Hanson and the Lions did on Saturday night.

I once had an argument with a close friend that Hanson was getting too old and losing leg strength because he rarely ever kicked touchbacks.  I was corrected, the short kicks were supposedly by design, because while, yes, some kicks can be returned for touchdowns...others can be fumbled or well covered and pin the offensive deep inside their own ten...there are in fact just as many good things that can happen as bad on a kickoff--and now the coverage team is an additional five yards closer!  Now, a good coverage unit can pin the opposition at least inside their own 15 instead of the twenty.

Forgive me if I can't even be the least bit excited that the Lions fourth stringers were able to come back and beat the Browns' fourth stringers for a 30-28 victory.  Ninety five percent of all the participants that made the outcome of this game possible will not be on an NFL roster in two more weeks.

And the whole 2-0 thing?  Come back in a month and let me know what their record is, because four years ago I watched the Leo's rack up a most impressive 4-0 preseason record...only to follow that up with the NFL's first 0-16 season.

So...I will not be attending any parades over the Lions ability to keep the Edmund Fitzgerald Memorial trophy with their second straight victory in the Great Lakes Classic.

Here's what I took away from the game.

1. Matthew Stafford has learned to throw the ball into the stands when being flushed out of the pocket...he did it a lot, with style even on Friday night.  This typically saved him a sack and a yard or two of field position...but did kind of deflate his completion percentage.

2.  Nate Burleson may have a future as a balarina.  That's two weeks in a row he's caught touchdowns while barely tapping his toes in bounds.  Most impressive.

3.  S. Amari Spievey still looks awesome.  He's everywhere, making tackles all over the field and it got me to wondering...where the heck has his partner in crime been for the last two weeks?  I can't recall ever hearing an announcer mention that S Louis Delmas has done anything yet.  He's supposed to be the potential all pro safety...

4.Somebody needs to see if "Mad" Willie Young can play against the real players, you know the ones that'll still be playing in a month...because he is eating up this camp fodder he's been playing against.

5.  The vaunted Lions defensive front four looked pretty...well "not vaunted."  The Browns, who I frankly don't think are an all world team, were able to put up 21 points in the first half on them.  This all led by Colt McCoy, who a lot of people were figuring wouldn't be around for the Browns again this year...due to a less than stellar freshman year in the NFL.

Maybe the Browns do have a QB of the future in McCoy, or maybe the Lions are back to their age old tradition of making every quarterback they face Hall of Fame worthy.

Seriously, please don't go all gaga over this game.  Yes, they looked good.  Yes, Stafford to Johnson looked unstoppable.  Yes, they picked off the first pass of Andy Dalton's career.  Yes, a 34-3 smack down on any professional football team should be impressive.

But in this case, it's not.

It was game one of the preseason against a rookie quarterback throwing to a rookie wide receiver in a meaningless game against a team that looks like it'll be downright awful.

Truthfully, the Lions were supposed to look this good.

Do you remember 0-16?  What was our preseason record that year?  That's right 4-0.  It is so meaningless that people should get fines for talking it up.

So what can we take away from this game?

Stafford stayed healthy.  Calvin Johnson got nicked up a bit, but would play if the games were real next week.  Gosder Cherilus played, which is really good since he's still recovering from microfracture surgery on his knee.

On the whole the Lions had no major injuries which is a big, big plus.

What else can we take away from this game?  The Lions do not have a short yardage back.  The Bengals are awful and the trifecta of Jerome Harrison, Mike Bell and Ian Johnson all looked subpar.

"Mad" Willie Young looks like a downright beast.  I hope the Lions can figure out a way to keep him.  They have a huge logjam of players on the DL and cuts will be very hard to make at the end of training camp, here's hoping they find a spot for this up and coming play maker.

 S Amari Spievey was all over the field and making a ton of tackles.  He could be a real player this season. 

What does all of this good news mean?  Still nothing.  Let's see what they do against Cleveland in the battle of Lake Erie.

It doesn't mean squat.  

Seriously, anyone who tells you preseason games matters is probably trying to sell you a ticket he got stuck with.

There are some things to watch for of course, but nothing to really get all that excited about.

Here are 5 things to keep an eye on during the first quarter...

1. At the end of the first quarter...is Matthew Stafford still able to stand?  Is his arm in any kind of protective sleeve?  If not, the Lions have already won the game.

2.  How does the new secondary play together.  I've heard lots of rumors that Amari Spievey may beat out the free agent S Eric Coleman the Lions signed this offseason...if he does, that's really good.  How are Chris Houston and Erik Wright playing together, because that's going to be the starting tandem for most of the season.

But, if they are playing awesome....remember they're only playing against rookie QB Andy Dalton in his first ever game action...don't get too excited (see top of this article).

3. Has Suh gotten suspended for unnecessary roughness yet?  I'm sorry, but I have a really firm belief this is going to happen this year.  I love the intensity that he plays with...but at the end of last season, the refs were looking for him. 

4.  How are the running backs doing?  And not Jahvid Best (although make sure he's not hurt either).  But the other guys, Mike Bell, Jerome Harrison and Ian Johnson...do any of them run hard enough to be a goal line back?  Don't look at how they run through open holes...how do they run when there is no hole, because that's what it's going to be like in short yardage and goal line.

5. Who's playing offensive tackle for the Lions?  Seriously, who?  I want to know.  Backus is out.  Cherilus is out.  Jason Fox is out....who's playing tackle on either side?  Which brings me back to the number one thing to watch...Is Stafford still able to stand?

Enjoy the games guys...but don't get too excited.