DETROIT -- We've been fooled before.
Like Lucy pulling the ball away from Charlie Brown, the Lions have a history of leaving us on our backs, staring at the sky and wondering, 'How did they do it to us again?'
But (I'm ducking in fear of being struck by a lightning bolt) this is different.
Was that a rumble of thunder?
A 20-13 win over a struggling Vikings team that had just played four days ago, with a quarterback named Joe Smith (no, wait, Joe Black ... no ... what's his name? ... yeah, Webb) legitimized claims that the Lions were turning a corner.
Corner turned.
"We said,'Look, let's play these last four the way we way we want to be known this year,'" coach Jim Schwartz said. "Before we took the field today we said, 'Let's go out and win the first game of 2011.'"
They did and finished with four straight victories for the first time since 1999 and, in a small step forward, ensured they wouldn't finish in last place in the NFC North all by themselves for the first time since 2007.
"We kind of catapulted ourselves into the 2011 season, with the way we finished, which is nice," quarterback Shaun Hill said. "I know everybody in the locker room can't wait to get back at it this spring."
When was the last time a Lions player ever said that?
Jeff Backus has never uttered those words. On a day when Backus became the first NFL offensive lineman since 1970 to start the first 160 games of his career, he celebrated winning four straight games for the first time in his 10 NFL seasons.
"Throughout the off-season and when we report to training camp, expectations are going to be high," Backus said.
I ask him how many times he's been able to say that after the final game of the season.
"Not many," he said. "That might be the first. We're headed in the right direction. It's a shame we don't have more games to play."
A locker over, center Dominic Raiola spoke of an unfamiliar certainty heading into next season.
"We know we have a good core coming back," he said. "Usually, we never know what's going to happen."
These are the Lions right?
It's change that's permeating the team. It gives you a funny feeling in your tummy. The Lions -- good?
"We're not surprised we're winning," receiver Nate Burleson said. "We're a good team. I don't want to stand up here overconfident or cocky, but I think we're realizing how good we are now.
"In the beginning of the year, I don't think we understood it."
Such bravado used to be enough to make any Lions fan blush. But in 2011, the Lions are bringing swagger back, and they may actually have reason to carry it.
Ndamukong Suh capped off a Pro Bowl rookie season with 10 sacks, becoming just the second rookie defensive tackle to do so. Jahvid Best set a Lions rookie record for receptions with 58. And Brandon Pettigrew became the first tight end in franchise history to reach 70 receptions in a season.
The list of positives goes on. The future is bright. Was that a flash of lighting?
The record will show the Lions finished the 2010 with a 6-10 record. But they actually won much more than they lost.
They won a belief in themselves and a renewed hope among a loyal but emotionally trampled fan base.
Lucy, don't pull the ball away from us now. This is just getting good.
Jan. 2, 2011
