Detroit Lions were to roll into south Florida

Wouldn't it be unbelievably fantastic if the Detroit Lions were to roll into south Florida and feast on 'Phish for an after-Christmas delight on Sunday afternoon, December 26, 2010?

 It could happen, and it isn't as far fetched an idea as some might think.

 I got to wondering the other day, what would it take for the Lions to pull off an upset,  on-the-road victory against a team highly capable of winning the AFC East? What conditions would have to be present in order for the Lions to beat the Dolphins on the road at Sun Life Stadium?

My first response?

A miracle.

One of my most anticipated matchups during Week 2 of the 2010 NFL season is Miami at Minnesota.  The league and its fans will have a pretty good idea of what they have on their hands in both teams by close of business on September 19, 2010.

Fortunately for the Detroit Lions and their fans, a Sunday afternoon contest on the day after Christmas in Miami comes in Week 16, the week before the regular season finale.

It would actually be in the Lions favor if they were facing a Miami team boasting a 12-win record.  If the Dolphins had the AFC East already locked up by Week 16, there's a good chance the Miami leadership might suggest a pragmatic "rest" for certain key starters in lieu of risking injury to them right before the start of the playoffs.

Go Dolphins, Go!

Right up until Christmas, that is.

The Dolphins will face each team in the NFC North this year, and I will be especially interested not only in their second-week game against the Vikings, but also their October 17th trip to Green Bay, not to mention their hosting of the Bears on the 18th of November.

I will be hoping for DE Jared Odrick and LB Karlos Dansby to put the "Mallachi Crunch" on both Aaron Rodgers and Jay "Breaded Veal" Cutler, as each co-stars as Pinky Tusacdero (yes, Happy Days, circa 1976).  (Think Dick Sergeant – Rodgers - then Dick York – Cutler - and you'll be just fine.  Yes, Bewitched, but you get it I think.)

Many pro football fans find it okay to have a home team that your root for —you know, "your team" (for me, obviously the Detroit Lions). They also happens to be in the National Football Conference, which means I have a team to secondarily cheer for in the other conference.  So as a youth, my team was the Detroit Lions followed by my AFC team, the Miami Dolphins.

Larry Czonka (Hall of Fame Class of 1987) was probably my favorite Dolphins player on offense, and I loved to watch the "Killer B" defense.

Although the Miami Dolphins offense presents its own particular threat to any NFL defense, it is the Miami defense that concerns me the most.

Now if the Dolphins leadership team finds it practical to rest certain defenders, I for one wouldn't mind at all.  I would find their "rather safe than sorry" attitude a real blessing for the Detroit Lions in late December. It gives the visiting Leos a good shot at ending 2010 on a victorious note.

Of all the 2010 Detroit Lions jerseys road games I would be most interested in attending, the Miami contest is my runaway winner.  For vanity's sake, it would be nice to let the south Florida sun tan my freshly shaved dome, but that is neither here nor there.  A natural tan on New Year's Eve is a rare thing for us Michigan folks!

From an offensive perspective, if Chad Henne and Matthew Stafford both start and finish the game, football fans of the quarterback position should be in for a real treat.

Two former first-round Michigan men will start at left tackle, Jake Long Calvin Johnson for the 'Phins, and Jeff Backus for the Leos.  For many Lions fans, that's where the comparison stops.

Regardless of Jim Schwartz' declaration that the play of Jeff Backus was worthy of pro bowl votes based on his 2009 campaign, fans will remain "from Missouri" until they see Backus' sack total reduced to around three or four on the 2010 season.

There were a lot of eyebrows raised when it was announced that the new Detroit Lions jerseys signed veteran cornerback Dre Bly. Some of that skepticism is warranted, some of it is not.

Bly, who just turned 33, is entering his 12th NFL season and his best days are clearly behind him. He was a full-time starter for seven years before starting just six of 16 games with the San Francisco 49ers last season.