Mayhew, Your Test Begins...Now

"In Mayhew We Trust."

Those words have become the trademarked slogan when describing the faith Lions fans have in general manager Martin Mayhew. In his three years at that position with the Lions, Mayhew has certainly earned all of the praise he is receiving. He has managed to turn a roster full of the Ernie Sims of the world into a depth chart chock-full of NFL-worthy talent. Mayhew deserves full credit for the Lions' first run into the postseason in over a decade.

But Mayhew had help along the way. In his three years drafting, he had eight picks in the first two rounds (granted, he earned those extra picks by swinging excellent trades, including his career-defining mugging of the Cowboys in the Roy Williams trade). Mayhew also had the fortune of having the best wide receiver in the league already on his roster. Finally, the previous GM (his name must go unmentioned) didn't exactly set the bar too high. Mayhew had nowhere to go but up.

But don't let that take away from the job he has done. Mayhew made the, at-the-time, unpopular decision of drafting Matthew Stafford in the face of a perceived stud linebacker. He also hired a coaching staff who seem to have meshed perfectly with management. And Mayhew continues to make trades that have opposing fanbases scratching their heads in perplexity.

That was all the easy part.

Mayhew no longer has the benefits of low expectations, high draft picks and easily replaceable players. The Lions are expected to not only make the playoffs next year, but to even make a Super Bowl run .The Lions will be picking 23rd overall, their lowest place on the draft board since 1993. And now Mayhew faces his biggest offseason challenge: with four starters (and additional, valuable backups) facing free agency and only an estimated two million dollars of cap room left, Mayhew must tinker with contracts and franchise tags to keep the Lions roster intact.

The Lions have nearly all of the puzzle pieces needed to make a playoff run, but it is getting harder and harder to make those puzzle pieces fit together. At the forefront of this conundrum is Cliff Avril. Avril is coming off his best professional season and many believe he wants to be paid as a top defensive end in the league. Since the Lions have limited cap space, fans are reacting the way anyone does when something they love is threatened to be taken away: widespread panic. Some decide the best coping mechanism for panic is denial: claim that Avril was never that good and the Lions are better without that greedy cap-hog. Others believe the Lions aren't that committed to Avril and will just franchise him.

But lets examine this Avril situation a little closer. First, lets be clear, the Lions are 100% committed to bringing Avril back. Mayhew has said so, Jim Schwartz has said so. When someone as quiet as Mayhew comes out and says forgoing a long-term contract and having to use the franchise tag is almost as bad as losing Avril to free agency, you know that he means business when re-signing Avril.

And then there's the "Avril is selfish" crowd. All of this newly-found hatred towards Avril is sprouted from his comments stating that he may hold out if the Lions decide to franchise him. Now whether Avril is being truthful with this statement or is merely making a negotiating tactic has yet to be seen. But, regardless, Cliff's position is the right one for him. The Lions were relying on him to step up huge last year and Avril did his job. Franchising Avril to a one-year deal after all that Cliff gave them last year would be an insult and a financial disaster for him. For all the sacks, the forced fumbles, the two interceptions they would be locking him up for only one year? You can call Avril's statement selfish, but in a league that can cut a player or pressure them to restructure their contracts at any moment, players must look out for numero uno. A player's career can be over in a flash, so they must lock up their financial future when they can. For Cliff Avril, that time is now.

So the Lions don't want to franchise Avril, and Avril doesn't want to be franchised. Good news, right? Well, mostly. The issue then becomes a matter of locking down a long-term deal that fits within the Lions' limited cap room. And the solution to this problem is not an easy one. But Mayhew appears ready to begin phase one of ensuring Avril is a Lions. This weekend, Mayhew will begin talks with Calvin Johnson's agent in order to simultaneously create more cap room and wrap up Megatron long-term (whose current contract expires after next season).

Mayhew has been successful in the past in restructuring contracts in order to save space for other players. Last year, Matthew Stafford restructured his contract, opening up an estimated six million dollars in cap space. In 2009, Mayhew got Daunte Culpepper to restructure his contract, paving room for the monster contract that Stafford would sign months later when the Lions drafted him. This year, the challenge is more difficult with even less cap space and Avril's presumably giant contract looming.

Mayhew has done an incredible job as the Lions GM for his first three years. But it's not how you start a job that matters, it's how you finish it. Mayhew must face his most difficult offseason this year, but if he can continue working his cap magic and make intelligent draft picks, his legacy will continue.

Sometimes Being a Football Fan Sucks

On Sunday, two teams were crowned Conference Champions. Their tickets to Indianapolis were punched. Their fanbases were sent into a frenzy. A great "rematch" storyline was created. And both games were decided in the final moments. It was an amazing day for football. But I hated it.

Let me begin by stating that I had absolutely no rooting interest in either game. In fact, I didn't particularly like any of the four teams playing. My disdain for both games has nothing to do with the emerging winners. Rather, as a diehard football fan myself, I couldn't help but feel sick for the losing teams and the manner in which they lost. 

As you probably know, both conference championship games were basically lost on two gut-wrenching plays. The Ravens lost their chance at overtime when their kicker, Billy Cundiff, hooked a 32-yard field goal wide. The 49ers season ended after their punt-returned, Kyle Williams, turned the ball over for the second time in the game, giving the Giants a chip-shot, game-winning field goal. Two prominent goats. Two players who will have to live with these agonizing moments for the rest of their lives. Two athletes whose reputations may have been written and permanently sealed for the rest of their careers. 

And the humiliation of these two players doesn't end with google and youtube searches. Williams has to deal with classless fans on twitter (although a search of @KyleWilliams_10 tweets comes up pleasantly positive this morning). Cundiff has to live with the misery of having that kick be synonymous with his name. As a kicker, your chances at being a hero are incredibly low, and your ability to change your legacy after a blunder like that is extremely limited.

All this leaves the other players on the losing team in an awkward position. Both the Ravens and the Niners played well enough to make it to the Super Bowl, but fate had other plans. So where do you channel all of the hate, anger and shock of the past 24 hours? It's easy to point the blame at the sacrificial lamb of the game, but throwing a teammate under the bus is a despicable act that will get you thrashed by fellow NFL players (just ask anonymous Jets player). For the most part, players are very good at swallowing these tendencies, and they typically say the right things. But you can imagine what some of these players are screaming to themselves when no one is around. How could you not be mad at Cundiff as a Ravens player? How can Niners players not be thinking to themselves how different it would've been if Ted Ginn wasn't injured? How do you think Ginn is feeling right now? I couldn't stop thinking of all the torment that the ending of these two games created, and it ruined both games for me.

And what about the fans? For the first time in twelve years, I felt the stinging pain of a post-season loss. I felt the pit at the bottom of my stomach. I felt the shock of the sudden, bitter ending to the Lions' season. I felt the putrid realization that four months of only draft talk laid ahead. But I can't even begin to imagine what Raven and Niner fans are going through this Monday morning.

Deadspin posted this video earlier this morning of a clearly distraught Ravens fan (NSFW language).

In the past, I've been a big fan of Schadenfreude, but today, this video gives me no pleasure. In fact, it's agonizing to watch. I've been there. Maybe I haven't experienced such a heart-shattering loss, but I've gone through that same frustrating feeling. That feeling you get when something you experience something incredibly infuriating and you want everyone around you to be just as miserable as you are in that moment. But then you realize that nobody around you cares like you do and their blasé attitude only fuels to the fire of your rage.

I was there when Michigan lost to Appalachian State. And every bandwagon fan that carelessly shook off the loss and walked out of the stadium with a smile was in serious danger of my nearly unrestrainable rage. When the Lions went 0-16, I fantasized of doing unspeakable things to every Lions fan who thought that it was "a good thing". There is nothing in the world more frustrating than having everything taken from you only to find yourself in a room full of people who don't have the ability to empathize with you. 

I guess that's why I wrote this. Baltimore fans, San Francisco fans. Billy Cundiff, Kyle Williams. Ravens and 49ers. I'm sorry. You suffered from unspeakable losses yesterday, and the pain won't ever fully go away. It sucks and is going to continue to suck. Watching the Super Bowl in two weeks will sting beyond belief. But we've all been there. They call us "die-hards" for a reason, and today you have my full empathy.

Top 50 Plays of the Detroit Lions 2011 Season: 10-1

For plays 50-41, click here.
For plays 40-31, click here.
For plays 30-21, click here.
For plays 20-11, click here.

Finally, the moment I've all been waiting for (maybe you've been waiting for it, too): The Top 10! These are the moments that helped define this magical season. Many of these plays are moments I'll likely never forget. This entire season is one I won't soon forget, not just for the moments in this countdown, but for the strides this team made in such a small amount of time. This was easily my favorite season of Detroit Lions football in my young life, and the last thing I will do is take it for granted. We all know what it feels like to be on the other side. And that's why I made this countdown: so we could bask in the glory of having a good team for a little longer. Okay, sorry, enough jibber-jabber, onto the list...



10. Calvin breaks free on Monday Night Football.
The stage was set. The crowd was pumping. The hype-machine was in full overdrive. But the Lions struggled to match the intensity out of the gate. After a scoreless first quarter, the defense made a great defensive stand, setting up a moment that would propel the Ford Field and the Lions into a frenzy. Of course it was a beautiful pass by Stafford and a great catch-and-run by Johnson that broke the game open.

9. DeAndre Levy saves the Lions season on the last play against the Vikings.
It was all slipping away. The game, the hope, the season were all slowly eroding away at the hands of Joe Webb. The moment before this play was the lowest I've felt as a Lions fan since 0-16. All the promise, all the talk of turning the page, rounding the corner, everything was about to fall apart and we'd be left with what we're all too used to: hope being devoured by disappointment. But Levy wasn't having any of that. As long as the Lions still led on the scoreboard, and the Vikings still had a yard to go, the game and season, weren't over. Many will talk about the missed facemask on this play, but lost in all of that talk was how well the defense played on this snap. The facemask, while obviously illegal, had no bearing on the outcome of the play. The receivers were well covered, the playcall was perfect, and Levy made a huge play.

Also, check out this fan-cam reaction of the play from Ford Field.

8. Megatron completes the comeback in Oakland.

Just typing those words gives me chills. As you probably know, I was at this game, in the Black Hole, at the endzone in which this touchdown was scored. Months of anxiety for my safety at this game came to a head at this moment. But I didn't feel any of it. All I felt was pure euphoria. My brethren and I were so manic at this moment we couldn't hear the deafening silence around us, nor could we see all of the unwanted attention we were likely drawing. As a Lions fan, I have never experienced this sort of high. (play at 7:20 mark)

7. Megatron's over-the-shoulder grab puts the Lions in field goal range for the game winning score in overtime.
The great comeback in Minnesota would have all been for nought if the Lions couldn't pull the game out in overtime. When you need a play, ask Calvin and he shall receive. What outstanding concentration and hand-eye coordination. (play at 2:47 mark)

6. Jahvid Best breaks free for 88-yards on a national stage.
The Lions were clinging onto a small lead and having trouble breaking free of the Bears' grasp, despite solid defensive play and a roaring crowd. Then this happened. With this play, Best not only wrote his name in the Lions record books (2nd longest run in franchise history), but he gave the Lions the two-score lead that they needed to win the game. Up until this moment, Best's big-play ability was purely a theory for the 2011 season. But afterwards, we all knew how dangerous he can be when healthy. Just look at that speed.

5. Need a game-winning touchdown against the Cowboys? May I suggest a little Megatron?
Another SPOILER ALERT, this game has four (yes, four) plays in the top five. It would seem pretty strange to have the game-winning score ranked the lowest on the list of the four plays, but it will all make sense in a few paragraphs. This play was both the decisive score in the game and an impressive display of the physicality of Calvin Johnson. But the Lions made it look incredibly easy. (play at 12:00 mark)

4. Bobby Carpenter lights the comeback fuse.
The Cowboys game wouldn't have been the amazing game that it was without Carpenter's impressive pick six of Tony Romo early in the third quarter. With everything going the Cowboys way through the first half, it seemed like the Lions were in for a rough letdown and their first loss of the season. Carpenter's interception showed great coverage skills, amazing hands, and even impressive vision as a runner. Though the comeback was anything but certain after the play, the crack in the Cowboy's armor had been made. (play at 0:50 mark)

3. Chris Houston to Bobby Carpenter: "Anything you can do, I can do better."
The comeback still seemed unlikely after the Carpenter INT, but when Houston one-upped Carpenter, it was more than a possibility, it almost seemed certain. Houston's pick got the nod over the Carpenter play for a couple reasons. One, Houston manages to pull this ball in with one hand and a receiver all over him. Also, Houston is somehow able to escape the receiver and take it to the house. While Bobby's pick was the one to start the comeback, Houston's was the one who made it seem really possible. (play at 1:13 mark)

2. Cliff Avril reads, elevates and picks off Philip Rivers.
The game was already over. The champagne had already been popped. The Lions were already in the playoffs. In fact, I was so lost in my thoughts at the time that I hadn't even seen this play happen live. But when I saw the replay, I saw a man...nay...a monster reach for the heavens, snatch the ball with his one, gargantuan hand, glide into the endzone and emphatically stamp "PLAYOFFS" into the history books of the 2011 season. Amazing awareness and athleticism from Avril (and alliteration from me). (play at 12:53 mark)

1. Megatron defeats three intercepticons. 
I don't need to justify this. Watch. Then watch again. Then again. Then again.

Alright, let me have it. Where did I screw or? What did I forget? What was your favorite moment?

Top 50 Plays of the Detroit Lions 2011 Season: 20-11

For plays 50-41, click here.
For plays 40-31, click here.
For plays 30-21, click here.


20. Kevin Smith drives the entire field in two plays against Panthers.
Admittedly, I'm bending the rules a little for this one, but it just feels right to combine these two back-to-back plays. In the first, Smith cuts back finding a huge hole and is off to the races. He makes the safety miss and almost takes it to the house. The second play is a brilliantly set up screen pass, and Smith, again, shows great vision, patiently waits for his blocks, and reaches pay-dirt. In just his second game back from NFL obscurity, Smith proved he is worthy of a roster spot on some team in the NFL. WATCH

19. Alphonso Smith's "Thrilling" interception on Ponder.
See what I did there? You see, after Smith scores the touchdown, he starts dancing like Michael Jackson does in the music video for "Thriller". BUT (and here's where the joke gets really funny), I also found the play very thrilling. IT HAS TWO MEANINGS. Ladies and gentleman, that's what we call a genius pun. I await my Pulitzer. Um, so, anyway...Smith again shows his knack for the ball and, this time, takes it to the house. And as I said before, good celebrations get a bump in the countdown. Not Smith's best work, but decent. (play at 0:34 mark)

18. Stafford and Johnson run play-action to perfection against Falcons.
This play doesn't rank high on the "importance" scale, as the Lions lost to the Falcons in a pretty decisive manner. But in terms of execution, it doesn't get any better than this. First, the fake end-around works to perfection, creating a pocket that Stafford intuitively steps into. Secondly, the pass is thrown perfectly; with incredible accuracy and a serious amount of heat behind it. The power of the throw allows the pass to get there before the safety, and Calvin Johnson does the rest. The Lions ran this play several times over the season, but none were executed to the perfection of this play. (play at 2:18 mark)

17. Stafford lays a perfect ball to Johnson on fourth down against Bucs.
Going into the 2011 season, all of us knew the capability of Stafford throwing a bullet. However, if there was one concern about his play, it was the uncertainty of Stafford's ability to put touch on the ball and gently lay it in small windows. Well, it didn't take long for Stafford to put those worries to rest. On this fourth down converstion, Stafford puts the ball just over the the corners reach (although, the corner does get a hand on it, if I recall correctly), and Megatron shows extreme concentration pulling in the tipped ball with a hand in his face. It's quite appropriate that the Lions' first touchdown of the 2011 season was a beauty. (play at 0:24 mark)

16. Cliff Avril strips Tebow, recovers and takes it to the house all by himself.
It was no secret that this was a contract year for Avril. And while his play was sometimes inconsistent, when he did show up, his impact was invaluable. He has already popped up a couple of times on this countdown, and (SPOILER ALERT) he's got a couple more plays coming. On this play, Avril does it all: beats his man, strips the ball, recovers the fumble, takes it for six, and boiler ups.

15. Did someone say Cliff Avril?
I could've sworn I heard someone say Cliff Avril. Well, I've got another Avril play for you. This time, on the very first defensive play of the game, Avril, once again, made a game-changing play. Avril, as he always seems to do, beats his man to the outside and bats the ball out of Ponder's hand. Stephen Tulloch jumps on the ball in the endzone, probably because Avril told him to. Avril. (play at 0:38 mark)

14. Chris Houston takes a Tebow pick 100-yards for six. 
Sure the game was well over by this point, but for all the defense had done, they still had not managed to pick off Tim Tebow in the game. Enter: Chris Houston. Granted, this ball was pretty much thrown directly at Houston, and it didn't require a lot of skills outside of speed to take it to the house, but....come on...it's a Tebow pick-six. It's fun. (play at 8:40 mark)

13. Ndamukong Suh saves the Lions from a record-breaking loss in Oakland.
In the midst of a heated playoff race, nothing seemed more "Lion-like" than losing a heart-breaking game on the road on a record-breaking field goal. But as we all know now, this team has no resemblance to the Same Old Lions, and Suh's presence should be enough to prove that. In his first game back after his suspension, Suh was having a fairly quiet day, until the Lions needed him most. Suh's fingertip block put the Lions one step closer to the postseason, and sent Suh, himself, into a wild frenzy. Welcome back, sir. (I don't typically like youtube videos of people filming their TV, but this kid's disappointment is delicious)

12. Bomb to Megatron leads to game-winning touchdown against Raiders.
Sorry, Raiders fans, but this part of the countdown is not kind to you. The Lions, needing 98 yards in two minutes to win the game, got a big chunk of it out of the way on this play. Johnson incredibly flew past two defenders, then made a phenomenal adjustment on the ball. As the Raider announcer says on the clip below, it was a "curious call" by the Raider defense, but it still took incredible skill from Calvin to get that open and then make such a great play on the ball. (play at the 6:37 mark)

11. Calvin Johnson elevates and scores in Tampa.
I....can't describe this play. It KILLS me that I couldn't fit it in the top ten. Just....just watch Calvin be Calvin.

Top 10 plays of the 2011 season tomorrow!

Top 50 Plays of the Detroit Lions 2011 Season: 30-21

For 50-41, click here.
For 40-31, click here.

30. Lions open Chargers game with a bomb to Calvin Johnson.
This is what is known as sending a message. On their first offensive play, the Lions decided to throw a jump ball to Megatron, covered or not. Of course, many argue there's no such thing as a covered Calvin Johnson. If you subscribe to this theory, then this is your exhibit A. Calvin grabs this ball through two defenders and makes a big play early (jump to 0:20 in the video).

29. Alphonso Smith leaps for his first pick of the day against Vikings.

This is just another great example of Smith getting a perfect jump on the ball. Smith is a big risk-taker, which means when the ball is coming his way, either something great or something terrible is about to happen. In this case, against a rookie quarterback, Smith got the better end of the deal. He reads the play perfectly, and makes a very athletic play on the ball. (play at the 0:25 mark). More from Smith, this game, and Smith in this game later. 

28. Matthew Stafford hits Titus Young in stride to capitalize on Smith's interception.

Flash forward three plays after the Smith pick: the Lions are third and 14. Time to find Megatron past the sticks, right? Nooope. Stafford brilliantly lays a ball to Young in stride for the easy touchdown and the rout is on?  (Play at the 3:50 mark, mute if you don't like Eminem)

27. Calvin pulls in a 56-yard touchdown with relative ease.

This is the part of the countdown where all of the "ordinary" bombs resulting in touchdowns land. This play gets the edge over the Young touchdown for a couple reasons. One, it's a great example of Stafford playing smart. He sees the Broncos jump offside and takes a shot deep. Also, Stafford makes the pass fading away and places it with impressive accuracy. (Play at 2:35 mark, mute if you don't like awesomely epic music)

26. Scheffler tips the ball to himself to make an acrobatic catch against former team.

I don't know what to say to justify this play's place on the countdown, so I'll let the video speak for itself. (mute to avoid NSFW language)

25. Kyle Vanden Bosch sacks, strips and recovers all in one motion.

When you have a special player like Vanden Bosch on your team, you expect something amazing every now and then, and this is a great example of that. KVB beats his man around the corner and is somehow able to both strip Alex Smith of the ball and recover it in the same motion. Just a phenomenal play from a valuable player. WATCH

24. Kevin Smith hammers the nail in the Carolina coffin.

On a day that was all about Smith, it was only appropriate that he would deliver the final kill shot of the game. On this impressive run, Smith displays all of his great qualities: his agility, his ability to break tackles and his knack for the endzone. And the move he puts on the safety....oh man. WATCH

23. Willie Young goes into beast mode and seals Cowboy comeback.

What Willie Young does to the right tackle on this play is so good it should be illegal (and the way NFL rules are going, I wouldn't be surprised if it is next year). If I were Neil at Armchair Linebacker, this is the part where I'd explain how Young devoured Romo's heart, saving the universe from endless torture of a heathenish Cowboy reign, but I can't do it with the savage elegance that he can. Just watch the clip and it's brilliant violence (at 3:40 mark)

22. Calvin hints at what's to come with a 51-yard touchdown against Raiders.

It looked like the Lions may struggle to put up points against the Raiders early. The Oakland defense served as a worthy opponent, until Megatron finally broke free. This was just an example of pure speed from Calvin as he burns both the corner and safety with ease. This play gets bonus points because you can see my friends and I in the background. (play at 1:48, me at 2:02)

21. Calvin makes a leaping catch to start the comeback at Minnesota.

I probably could have made a list this long for just Calvin Johnson plays. The fact that the play couldn't crack the top 20 proves just how magical of a season Megatron had. As far as CJ catches go, this is probably pretty pedestrian. He goes up and catches it at his highest point, meaning the cornerback has no chance whatsoever. The thing that blows my mind about Johnson is his ability to make plays like these look simple. (skip to 1:28)

I break into the top 20 tomorrow. See you then.