Are the Detroit Lions Really the Bad Boys of the NFL?

From Titus Young punching teammate Louis Delmas to Nick Fairley's arrest for drunk driving, to Mikel Leshoure's marijuana arrest, the Detroit Lions have lately been in the news for all the wrong reasons, but they still aren't the NFL's bad boys. 

Sure, their public relations department is earning its paycheck right now, but they've got a ways to go before correctly being labeled as the league's bad boys. 

Every team deals with off-field and maturity issues—some more than others. The Lions simply have an abundance of young players, so it should come as no surprise that they're dealing with some problems. 

For the Lions to become the true bad boys, they've got to make their mark with plenty of dirty play on the field. 

Yes, Ndamukong Suh became the new age poster child for dirty play on Thanksgiving for his now infamous stomp of Green Bay Packers offensive lineman Evan Dietrich-Smith, but he served his suspension and has moved on. 

The Lions are more known for their youthful talent, explosive offense and truly menacing defensive line that can be misconstrued as dirty on occasion. 

Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson are the true household names from the Lions, and as they continue to pile on the yards and touchdowns, we'll all forget about the perceived notion that Detroit is currently housing its second edition of the bad boys. 

Now, if more arrests occur and the Lions exhibit a multitude of immature and flagrant behavior that yields personal foul penalties, fines and suspensions, Isiah Thomas, Bill Laimbeer and Dennis Rodman will have company in the narrative of Motor City sports. 

Right now, the Lions should be known for the way they play cutting edge football, with loud offensive plays and crunching hits on defense, not for a second-year back up defensive tackle getting arrested for a second time or a running back who's yet to play a down getting arraigned on a marijuana charge.

They're close to earning the label, but they aren't the bad boys.

Yet.   

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