Detroit Lions: A Challenge to the Fans to Restore the Roar

Lions fans, I am issuing a challenge to anyone who will be in attendance for tomorrow's game.

It's simple: be LOUD!

No, I don't mean the occasional burst of energy that happens after an explosive play (Matt Stafford 51-yard TD anyone?). I mean be LOUD. Be loud and be proud. As Dr. Sheldon Cooper on the hit show The Big Bang Theory says: "Let me do the math for you." Tomorrow's game is a litany of firsts for the Lions. 

This is a chance for the Lions to lock up their first playoff berth since 1997. Win, and they're in. Lose, and it'll take some magical combinations and the stars to align for them to get in. It's possible, but much more difficult.

Should the Lions win tomorrow, it will mark the first 10-win season since 1995—0-16, 2-14, 6-10, 10-6—that's a pretty remarkable jump. Coach Jim Schwartz has his team on the brink of something special.

This is also the first time a Lions quarterback has a chance—a slim one, possibly, but a chance—to eclipse Scott Mitchell's mark of 5,000-plus passing yards in a single season. Stafford eclipsed the 4,000-yard mark Sunday against the Raiders, as well as surpassed the Lions' single-season touchdown record. He could, hypothetically, surpass Peyton Manning's single-season touchdown record too.

So what does all of this have to do with you?

Well, when the Lions went 5-0 at the start of the season, Ford Field was arguably one of the most difficult stadiums to play in. You were loud. You were boisterous. You single-handedly accounted for 13 false starts by opponents. Then, for some reason, the roar that was so full and so spectacular, dissipated.

The roar turned into a collective groan, and rightfully so, as penalty after penalty piled up. I get it. You weren't as loud when we lost to San Francisco, Atlanta and Green Bay at home. That's normal. But now comes the real test.

If you are going to Ford Field tomorrow, first of all, be civil and be safe. Second, make sure the Chargers hear, feel and understand, that we are the Motor City, and we get what we deserve. What we deserve is a playoff berth.

It's up to you, Lions fans. Make it happen. Be loud, and be proud.

The challenge is simple: Restore the Roar.