Detroit Lions Fans: Just Take a Deep Breath and Forget the Bears Game

Lions fans, much like any other fans of their squad, just can't seem to let the penalty against Calvin Johnson go. 

Feelings have run the gambit from the majority of people saying some NFL rules such as this are ambiguous at best, to some radical factions calling CJ a loser since he was in such a rush to celebrate, he dropped the ball on purpose.

To the first point, I can't disagree with the rule being ambiguous. Micheal Schottey's column for Bleacher Report, written on September 12, gave some insight to the rule.  Below is where I think the confusion lies about the rule:

"A player who goes to the ground in the process of attempting to secure possession of a loose ball (with or without contact by a defender) must maintain control of the ball after he touches the ground, whether in the field of play or the end zone.

"If he loses control of the ball, and the ball touches the ground before he regains control, there is no possession. If he regains control prior to the ball touching the ground, it is a catch, interception or recovery."

If anyone cares to read Micheal's great explanation on this, here is a link to his article:  http://bleacherreport.com/articles/460242-detroit-lions-loss-to-chicago-bears-calvin-johnsons-fault-not-the-referees

My own take on the matter is, I am sure that Johnson made the catch. He went up for the ball, out-jumped Zack Bowman, and made the catch. One foot came down while he had two hands on the ball, his second foot came down, and he still had two hands on the ball. 

He took his left hand off the ball and used it to break his fall while maintaing possession of the ball in his right. The ball hit the ground as he was on his way up to celebrate. 

Just how long does a catch have to be to complete the process?

In any event, the call was made. And regardless if you feel the Lions were screwed or not, let's be clear about one thing: That catch was not what lost the game.

What about Matt Forte's 89-yard touchdown on a screen pass that came with 1:03 left in the first half? So instead of a 14-3 lead, it became a 14-10 lead.

Then on a second and 20, Chester Taylor caught an 18-yard pass to make it third and two with a minute 1:32 left. 

The defense let the offense off the hook. They had them right there and it could have been a third and 20.

Matt Forte got behind Julian Peterson for a 28-yard TD catch, but the two point conversion failed all of which set up the controversial play, making the score 19-14.

Want to know what makes me feel good about the Lions right now?  They handled the situation a whole lot better than we fans and all the sportswriters out there that have summed up all the outrage.

The following four paragraphs are from Dan Wetzel of Yahoo! Sports: (link to story:  http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=dw-lions091510).  After reading this, Jim Schwartz has my vote as being the right man for the Detroit Lions.

In the locker room after the game, players on the team reacted differently to the situation. Some slammed helmets against the floor. Others kicked equipment around and others attacked their dressing stalls. Some were even too stunned to take off their pads.

He (Jim Schwartz) gathered the team together after allowing them to get their frustrations out. Once all the players quited down, he said, "If anyone talks to the media and blames this loss on the catch, it's a coward's way out." 

He repeated the main point.

"Blaming it on the catch is a coward's way out."

What a way to impress upon his team that he does not view them as cowards.  He also sent a very strong message indicating that he will not accept any cry-baby's on this team. 

It also sends a message in order to win, you have to finish the game. There cannot be any letup until the game clock says zero and the final whistle blows.

From what I understand, practices have been brisk with no apparent hangover from the Bears game. If anything, I suspect these guys are going to use this situation as motivation to keep pressure on the opposing team.

I suspect that Johnson, if he catches a touchdown pass, will not let it go until he stands up, looks at the ref with two hands in the air.  And then, only then, will he celebrate the touchdown.

I suspect the team will also rally around backup quarterback Shaun Hill. For the first time as long as I can recall, we finally have a back-up quarterback worth a damn.

So let's all take a deep breath and stop blaming the loss on Johnson or the officials, or the NFL rule makers.

After all, that would be a coward's way out. And after all the damn suffering we've endured over the past 60 years, I hardly consider Detroit Lions fans cowards.