The Lions reminded me of a bad hockey team Sunday. You know, one of those teams that takes off shifts. It was almost as if the Lions took off some of their possessions against the Rams. There seems to be a certain intensity their rookies lack. That's especially true of Matthew Stafford and Louis Delmas, who are both capable of standing out in the league. But not with that sort of inconsistent effort.
It was laughable how Delmas stood over and kind of taunted Steven Jackson after tackling him on one play. Jackson had schooled him all day by breaking his open field tackles and turning short runs into long ones.
Stafford was a lot of things Sunday. An inspiring leader wasn't one of them. He had one drive. And it was terrific. But that was it.

Random Thoughts

- At least the Red Wings ended their road trip out West strongly. That win Saturday at Calgary was crucial and well earned. No big comeback. Just solid hockey against one of the better teams in the Western Conference. At least the Red Wings will be at home or playing in this time zone for awhile. The Red Wings need that type of schedule stability right now. Wouldn't surprise me if they start racking up points.

- If Chris Wilcox doesn't play more and Ben Wallace less, the Pistons are headed for the bottom of the Eastern Conference faster than a bootlegger whose feet have been dipped into cement.

- Michigan's loss at Illinois has to rank as one of the worst in school history in terms of the way it has taken what had been a hopeful season and sent it down the drain. Will the Wolverines ever win on the road again? Doesn't seem like it after that performance.

- The Yankees aren't only a great team, they're a smart team. Johnny Damon's two stolen bases on one play Sunday night was only the latest example. It setup all that happened afterward because Phillies Brad Lidge stopped throwing his breaking ball with a runner on third. Brilliant.


My column in Monday's Oakland Press: Jim Schwartz didn't have his team prepared http://tinyurl.com/yh5f9mv