Lions News

[whatever_gong82]

Detroit Lions' Alex Anzalone: My parents are trying to evacuate Israel amidst war



Jared Ramsey
Detroit Free Press


Detroit Lions linebacker and team captain Alex Anzalone said on Twitter that his parents are currently in Jerusalem looking to evacuate after war broke out between Israel and Palestine this weekend.

Hamas, a Palestinian militant group rebelling against Israel, invaded the country on Saturday. According to USA TODAY, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said there are reports of American casualties and hostages and are working to verify every U.S. citizen within the country to evacuate before events escalate further.

Anzalone commented on X (formerly known as Twitter) on a video of an interview with U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds from Florida, who said 53 of his constituents were currently visiting the country looking to leave as soon as possible. He offered a simple plea to help bring his parents home.

The fighting started in Israel on Saturday when Hamas invaded Israeli cities and fired thousands of rockets. Israel responded by bombing Gaza and officially declaring war against Hamas. The death toll currently sits around 1,000 according to U.S. officials. The fighting in cities is still ongoing.

Anzalone posted the news after playing Sunday in the Lions' win over the Carolina Panthers. The captain linebacker led the team with 11 tackles and had two hits on quarterback Bryce Young.

[dpatnod]

Oof. Luckily, we have a functioning congress that is not at all over the cuckoo nest in weirdo conspiracy theories to prop up an orange powdered clown. And our military is not all being hindered by an idiotic Alabaman.

I'm sure it'll be fine.

[whatever_gong82]

Mitch Albom: Detroit Lions giving themselves, long-suffering fans a reason to smile


Mitch Albom
Detroit Free Press


OK, this is getting silly. Jared Goff pitches to David Montgomery, who laterals to Marvin Jones, who shovels it back to Goff, who finds tight end Sam LaPorta running all alone down the sidelines for a touchdown.

You be the bottle cap. You be the penny. You be the stone …

Who ARE these guys? As much fun as a pick-up game, as impressive as a playoff contender. That’s how you’d describe the Detroit Lions’ 42-24 beatdown on Sunday over Carolina, a team that came in winless and went home somehow worse.

And suddenly, a game around here was over in the third quarter because the LIONS were too dominant. They forced three turnovers Sunday and turned them all into gold. They reached the end zone on four of their first five drives. LaPorta caught two touchdowns. Josh Reynolds caught another. Montgomery and Craig Reynolds ran for scores. Even Goff snuck one over.


It was like an Oprah show. “YOU get a touchdown! YOU get a touchdown! ...”

Good Lord, what are we to do with such success? Don’t the NFL gods know how unaccustomed to football excellence Detroit is? We could all get whiplash from this turnaround. Because don’t look now, friends, but the Lions, after five games, are tied for second best record in the entire league.


Stop rubbing your eyes. They’ve earned it.

“There’s nothing better than when you tell your team your concerns … and your team tells you ‘Coach, just freaking relax, we got it,'” Dan Campbell said after the win that pushed the Lions to 4-1 atop the NFC North. “They did that today. They came out, they set the tone for the game, and they really never let off the gas.”


Yes, the Lions were playing the Panthers, one of the worst teams in the NFL. And you know what? They treated them like it. For how many years did the Lions lose games exactly like this one? Against teams that, on paper, they should have clobbered? How many young opposing quarterbacks came into Detroit with empty resumes and went home with thick, glowing paragraphs?


Not this time. Bryce Young, the No. 1 draft pick, entered Ford Field searching for his NFL sea legs; he got swallowed by a whale. He was hit, harassed, and harangued, intercepted twice and interrupted all afternoon. He’s got talent. He’s going to be a good quarterback, maybe even a winning one.

But not Sunday. Not on days when the Lions run a double-handoff flea flicker — and it works.


Who ARE these guys?


No longer looking for the bathroom


You know who understands what this crazy turnaround means? Taylor Decker, the long-suffering offensive tackle. Sunday was his 100th game as a Detroit Lion. Normally, that would get you a Purple Heart.

Instead, Decker, 30, is having the time of his life. They even put his face on the big screen Sunday in a competition with Taylor Swift, and Decker won.


Take that, Travis Kelce.

Afterwards, Decker was reflective. Remember, this is a guy who came in during Jim Caldwell’s final year, went to one playoff game, lost, and hasn’t been back since. He endured Matt Patricia, Dan Quinn, Darrell Bevell, Jim Bob Cooter, etc. He has been waiting to be where the Lions are today for a very long — and painful — time.


He clearly remembers, “the bad times when we weren’t winning, and nobody wanted to watch us play … and nobody ever thought were we were gonna get it right. …

“There were just times for me personally when I’d look at the big picture and it was overwhelming. … It was like, ‘Where do we start?’ …


“When you’re just angry all the time, it’s exhausting. I think anger is awesome fuel, but when it’s all you have, it just wears you down. …

“Nobody wants to be a loser, (but) you are going to be what your record says you are. I’ve always felt personally like I was a winner, but I wasn’t. Because that’s not what the record said.”


The record today says something. Mostly it says, “What the heck is going on? Are we on Mars?”

But it also says four wins and one overtime loss that could just as easily gone the other way.


“I’ve been on the other side of that for a long time,” Decker said, grinning.

I asked the big fella what he remembered from his first game in 2016.


“I remember I had to pee a lot before the game.’

And do you pee less now?


“A lot less now, yes. … I’m definitely a lot more confident player than I was.”

And better hydrated.


'We're a good team'


“I’m not worried about the ones you can see eye to eye with,” Campbell said afterwards. “It’s the ones you don’t see coming.”

Translation: he knows the Lions can get up for playing the Super Bowl champions on national TV. But playing one of the worst teams at home — especially on a week when you’re missing Amon-Ra St. Brown, Brian Branch and Jahmyr Gibbs — well, some might have called that a trap game.


The only trap on Sunday was the one the Panthers kept getting pushed into. Aidan Hutchinson intercepted Young with a one-handed snag that would make a shortstop envious. All that was missing was the throw to first.

Later, Jerry Jacobs stole another Young pass out of the air, and Will Harris recovered a Carolina fumble. Goff was his usual, exceptionally efficient self, going 20-for-28 for 236 yards, three touchdowns, no picks, and a sneak touchdown. Goff is so quietly good, he risks becoming that child who brings home so many straight A report cards you forget to give him extra ice cream. But he deserves a bowl. He is the glue of this Lions offense and is developing a fine synchronicity with Reynolds, LaPorta and Kalif Raymond. On Sunday, their passing attack complemented another 100-yard plus rushing game from the indefatigable Montgomery, who, in Goff’s words, “is an absolute horse.”


“You’re not a passing team, you’re not a running team,” someone asked Goff. “What are you?”

“We’re a good team,” he said.


That, Lions fans, is becoming undeniable, no matter how many ghosts you have in your head.

Let Decker, after 100 games in the Honolulu blue, offer the Detroit faithful some final words.


“All the stuff that (I had to) go through, they went through it, too. And they’ve been dying for a winner and it’s just special to be able to deliver on that to them. …

“People are buzzing. Everybody’s excited. Football in our country is uplifting for people … it can be uplifting, happiness, a recess for … three or four hours, where maybe they’ve got to go back to work tomorrow and they’re grinding, but their team won. So they can talk (expletive) to their friends at the water cooler.”


And that comes from a man who knows his fluids.

Who ARE these guys? They are what their record says they are. All I can add is, if they keep playing this way, we’re going to need some serious new Halloween costumes.


What are winners wearing these days?


Contact Mitch Albom: malbom@freepress.com. Check out the latest updates with his charities, books and events at MitchAlbom.com. Follow him @mitchalbom.

[Cody_Russell]

Scary. Can’t even imagine what he’s going through there. Prayers to Anzalone’s parents and all of the innocent civilians that simply want peace.

I dont think we realize the offenses dominance because there are still 2 highly drafted players that havent even got on track yet...When the team hits on all cylinders, look out.

Feel like Jamo counts here too as an unofficial rookie season. Gibbs, Campbell, and Jamo ascending throughout the season would go a long ways. Perhaps less important for Campbell because Barnes has randomly been awesome.

[whatever_gong82]

Oof. Luckily, we have a functioning congress that is not at all over the cuckoo nest in weirdo conspiracy theories to prop up an orange powdered clown. And our military is not all being hindered by an idiotic Alabaman.

I'm sure it'll be fine.

I only posted that because it was in the Sports section.

From now on, I'll post it in the political section.

[dpatnod]

Fuck that. Jamo needs to earn up to something. He is not a rookie. He spent his 'rookie season' as best he could.

[dpatnod]

I only posted that because it was in the Sports section.

From now on, I'll post it in the political section.

No, man. It's my fault. I'm just frustrated. My bad for not being able to compartmentalize.

That is Lions News.

[whatever_gong82]

No, man. It's my fault. I'm just frustrated. My bad for not being able to compartmentalize.

That is Lions News.

No problem.

You're good with me.



For the record, I can't stand The Former Guy either, and post all the political stuff in that political thread.

[whatever_gong82]

Now, back to the Lions News thread:

[jaadam4]

You'd never know Montgomery had an injured hip not too long ago watching him outrun that DB.

Yeah man, what a great signing.

Its also crazy at how fast JaMo is. He came blazing passed everyone catching up to Monty. I hope that kid figures his shit out because he could take us to another level.

[jaadam4]

I love Annie Agar’s videos but i didn’t know she was from Detroit! Start watching from the 2:00 mark. Big shout out to the D. She’s pretty cool

[TheLondonLion]

She's from Grand Rapids

[-Deborah-]

[jaadam4]

He’s a poor man’s MCDC

[whatever_gong82]

We can't have nice things.