Brett Favre Walks the Walk for the Minnesota Vikings

Did you see the video of Brett Farve walking to the locker room on a sports and entertainment network? I've seen that walk before, and it took me a while to remember. I've walked that walk before, and most any guy who is over the age of 40 has walked that walk before. Remember the last time you got talked into playing football with the kids at a family reunion? Do you remember thinking..."Oh, I'm going to pay for this tomorrow?" Do you remember that first wild weekend alone with your girlfriend after having been..."out of the game" for a while? Oh yes. The I didn't know I had muscles there...walk. For Lion fans who are hoping for a win against Minnesota, the most encouraging thing we could've seen was that walk. Just for the record, I like Brett Farve. I admire his talent and tenacity, it's something I have seen in the Detroit Lions lately. The big challenge for the Lions this week is simple; build a lead and continue building that lead until the clock reads 0:00. A 14 point lead can evaporate in 2 minutes, and a 17 point lead can evaporate in 7 minutes. We can thank the Chicago Bears and The Philadelphia Eagles for that lesson.

     Jim Schwartz has said this team needs to learn how to win. I believe that this is what he is referring to. When you are scoring and playing well as a team, you're pretty happy and that is where a team is most vulnerable. Teams who are guilty of this infraction are usually given the death penalty; as in, they get to watch their playoff hopes die. Past Lion teams have been consistently guilty of this crime. Does anyone remember..."Another one bites the dust...?"  When Philadelphia scored their last touchdown, I remember saying to myself, well, time for a letdown, Lions; here's your chance. They almost made it too. Very encouraging. The fourth quarter play of the Lions against decent to very good defenses, the defense lineman play against mobile quarterbacks, and the special teams play, are all signs of good things to come.

     There was once a famous coach in Detroit who took over an awful team, which was previously managed by a goofy front office, barely supported by a dejected and uninspired fan base. He added some good players, made excellent defensive play a priority, and gave them the opportunity to learn how to win. Each year they passed another hurdle until finally, The Detroit Piston were the Champs, the toughest team in the league. That coach was Chuck Daly and Chuck had a motto that I believe should be posted and contemplated by the Detroit Lions and that motto was this:

                                                     NEVER TRUST HAPPINESS.

That is the lesson the Detroit Lions must learn on the football field. When they do, and I believe they will, you will see them peel off a string of victories and will be a playoff threat. This lesson starts in Minnesota, Sunday afternoon at 1:00 pm EDT.