The Detroit Lions opened the 2001 season with a one-sided loss to the Green Bay Packers. In this game the Lions found themselves down 21-0 in the first quarter of play and were never able to come back as they fell 28-6. Because of the September 11 tragedy Detroit’s second game against the Dallas Cowboys was postponed until the end of the season. From there Detroit played Cleveland where Lions backup quarterback Ty Detmer posted an unimpressive 7 interceptions—one shy of the NFL record. Need I say more? In game three the Lions played host to the explosive St. Louis Rams on Monday Night Football. If you’re a fan of Dennis Miller you could have gotten all the laughs you could handle as the Rams handed the Lions a 35-0 shutout in front of a sellout Lions crowd on National Television. In this game the Lions not Miller made the jokes as penalties and dumb mistakes cost the Lions yet another loss. That would bring us to the Minnesota Vikings where Detroit showed its first signs of life. Like every game thus far, the Lions again found themselves in a hole by halftime down 24-6. They did however manage to make a game out of it as they score
d thirteen unanswered points in the fourth quarter to fall once again 31-26. There were some noticeable changes that occurred in this game. For starters, the offense began to fire as Charlie Batch completed 31-41 passes with a career high 345 yards and three touchdowns. It was also the first time we seen Batch take command of this new offense. As impressive as loss can be, it was still a loss as the Lions fell to 0-4 on the season. Next up, the Tennessee Titans. This one turned out to be a game as the Lions defense kept the Titans in check most of the day. With 1:18 left on the clock Batch connected with Desmond Howard for a 38-yard touchdown strike on 4th-and-10. With the game tied at 24 all, the Titans marched down the field in three plays capping it off with a 46-yard field goal with five seconds lef!
Millen’s first task was finding a head coach. His choice was former 49ers offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg. We’ll call him Marty for obvious reasons. Marty brought a new style of offense to Detroit—the West Coast offense. It is a complicated offense that takes much work and dedication to get right. If you have been following the Lions th
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