11 Reasons Why The Lions Make The '2010' Playoffs

(Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for NFL PLAYERS)

During a recent television broadcast of 60 Minutes, Michael Vick told James Brown, “It’s the only way I made it through prison...believing in God.”

When I mentally committed to taking the keys to the Detroit Lions for a season upon purchasing Madden 2010, I was thinking, "If I was going to make it through this, I too, would need a great deal of help from the man upstairs."

After all, I’m investing 45 minutes of my time, for 16 games.* The main reason I play those 16 games is to earn a reward of possibly playing for the Lombardi Trophy.  If I don’t make the playoffs, you could say I wasted my time with the respective team.

Then again, you could say I wasted my time playing a video game anyways. But that’s a conversation for another day.

I’m a guy who loves a challenge: I moved to New York, unemployed, with $2,000 in my pocket. I graduated from college with a degree in Print Journalism, during a time when newspapers contribute as much to society as the Early Bird Special.

But after playing three games with the Motor City Kitties, and going 2-1 with two quarterbacks, I’ve pretty much come to the conclusion that you can make the playoffs with this team. Just follow the guideline of eleven critical steps to take-in no order of importance-and I assure you an 11-5 season (barring the injury bug).

-Throw the ball to Calvin Johnson a lot; but remember to outsmart the defense first.
Everyone who is an NFL junkie knows that Calvin Johnson, a.k.a, Optimus Prime, is a freak and should be mentioned in the same breath of elite wide outs such as Larry Fitzgerald, Randy Moss, and Andre Johnson.

Johnson is a big target to throw to, and he can go get the ball with the best of them in this game. I have had a hard time keeping his receptions under a 20 yard average. Through three games he has shown me that he can make ALL the grabs. He was the difference maker in my week one squeak out win against the Saints, going for three TD’s and 160 yards receiving. Nobody on the Saints can touch him.

But if you want to hit the home run ball against a defense that will allow you to do so in the Saints, you still have to be creative, further meaning, don’t shove curl routes and straight deep balls on 3rd and 10 down Johnson’s throat.

On second and one, however, throw No. 81 the deep ball EVERY time, no matter who you are playing against. The defense in Madden has a tendency to bite on play-action, pump-fakes, and routes with double-moves. If you can buy yourself enough time, Johnson will come down with the big play 90 percent of the time.

Calvin Johnson will win you a game or two, single-handidly. He already accomplished that feat in week one. Just remember, as good as Calvin Johnson is, YOU still have to be 10 percent smarter than the defense. You can’t go through the motions anymore. It’s not Madden ’95-Brett Favre to Sterling Sharpe-anymore.

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