Lions Overcome Adversity

Barry Sanders retired. Herman Moore, injured, hasn’t caught a pass all season. Still, the surprising Detroit Lions lead their division.

What gives?

Obviously, some unheralded players have stepped up to fill in for Sanders, Moore and a host of other injured players. What’s not so obvious is that more than a few attitudes have changed, too.

Near the end of the 1998 season, when the Lions were fashioning a 5-11 record, there was friction in the locker room. Coach Bobby Ross, who benched veteran quarterback Scott Mitchell in favor of then-rookie Charlie Batch, was often critical of his players in public. The players didn’t like it.

Between seasons, Ross mended fences.

“It’s just like every relationship,” tackle Ray Roberts said. “You have rocky roads here and there. I don’t think he ever totally lost the team last year.

“This year, people came in with a new attitude. He bent a little, we bent a little. Then, everybody just kept working hard.”

The results have been almost unbelievable. The Lions (5-2) have already matched their win total for all of last season. Suddenly, games have meaning. A victory today over the equally surprising St. Louis Rams (6-1) would put the Lions among the NFC leaders.

“Everyone feels good,” Roberts said. “We’re winning.”

Winning was far from everyone’s mind when Sanders, the NFL’s most exciting running back, stunned the team by retireing on the eve of training camp. Ron Rivers, a backup for four years, was suddenly thrust into the starting tailback slot and the club traded with the Rams for Greg Hill.

Detroit’s fortunes appeared even darker when Moore, who holds almost all of the club’s receiving records, went down with a knee injury during the opener.

Injuries are a fact of life in the NFL, but the Lions have been hit especially hard. Only two of their offensive linemen have started every game, and Rivers broke his ankle on his first carry of Game 6 at Carolina.

Somehow, the Lions have been able to play--and win--over all this adversity.

How are they doing it? Ross says they are playing as a team.

“I don’t think anyone epitomizes the word team as much as we do,” Ross said. “I can’t even list the number of guys who have come off the bench and stepped up to do the job.

“We’ve missed Herman, but Johnnie Morton and Germane Crowell have made plays. We miss Barry, but Ron Rivers did a great job, and now Greg Hill is playing great.”

The numbers support Ross’ theory in both big and small ways:

* Hill’s 123 yards rushing in last week’s 20-3 win over Tampa Bay was the highest total by any Lions runner not named Sanders since 1986. The Bucs defense had gone 13 games without allowing a back to rush for 100 yards.

* Batch has gone 13 consecutive starts without a fumble, the longest such NFL streak since Elvis Grbac’s 16-game streak spanning 1995-97.

* Detroit’s defense has held opponents on six straight goal-line stands. Carolina got inside the 20 five times without scoring a touchdown and the Lions, aided by a replay challenge, also kept Tampa Bay out of the end zone.

As the weeks have rolled by, the Lions appear to be growing more confident. Still, this week marks just the halfway point in the season.

“I don’t really know what the guys do off the field, but I know that kind of thing gets exaggerated both ways,” Ross said. “When you are losing, like last year, everyone thinks the team is coming apart, and when you are winning, everything is perfect.

“We are a closer team this year, but I think the most important thing is that we have confidence this year.”

Of course, the Rams don’t lack confidence, either, despite a 24-21 loss last week at Tennessee.

“It’s crazy that we played about as bad as we can play and still have a chance to win the game,” cornerback Dexter McCleon said. “It shows that we are one of the better teams in the league.”

Hill admitted playing against so many friends will give him some extra incentive this week. But that’s only half the story.

“I’m excited about going up against those guys, but the big reason is that we are going to be playing the No. 1 team in the league,” Hill said. “Who would have ever guessed that when Nov. 7 came around, the Detroit Lions and St. Louis Rams would be the marquee matchup in the NFL?”