DETROIT – While considered a normal occurrence in other parts of America like New England, Cleveland, Chicago, and even as far away as Al Davis country, a rare phenomenon occurred in Motown today–the Detroit Lions won a football game.

Dump the Gatorade, ride off into the sunset, this event is worthy of a ticker-tape parade and is the first of its kind in Detroit since 2007.

The Lions snapped the second longest losing streak in NFL history on Sunday and embarrassed Jim Zorn and the Washington Redskins 19-14 in front of the smallest crowd to see the guys in Honolulu Blue in 20 years.

All eyes have been on the Lions as they were chasing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ record of 26 losses in a row. ESPN has featured the Lions struggles over the past years on many of their shows that normally included a few Matt Millen jokes and reporters struggling to keep a straight face when referring to the Lions as an NFL team.

Laugh no more, America! The Lions were victorious on Sunday.

This is life-changing for many Americans.

The few remaining auto assembly workers can proudly don their Lions jerseys once again and Matt Millen may saturate NFL talk shows with quotes like, “See, drafting wide receivers every year high in the first round does pay off!”

Across the continent in Los Angeles, Jay Leno’s monologues may have to change. The funny late-night host has been making a living on Lions’ jokes including one of my all-time favorites, “I set my TiVo to record ‘The Biggest Loser’ and I got the Lions game.”

Leno may start the week off sniffing out fresh NFL meat for another source of material. The Lions victory was blacked-out but Jay Leno’s show is not; come Monday Jim Zorn and his ‘Skins may wish it were.

Other Bizarre Moments on Sports Climax:

NFL Cheerleaders Caught Having Sex in Public Restroom

Fox Shows Naked Vikings Player During Live Telecast

Convicted Burglar ‘Steals’ Game For Patriots

NFL’s Most Famous Fumble Recovery, “He’s Running the Wrong Way!”

Copyright © 2009 – Sports Climax

Paula Duffy, Examiner.com sports writer does this week’s NFL preview. Below is her take on this weekend’s games and  potential upsets for NFL Week 3.

Detroit Lions over the Washington Redskins: Like many others I look at this as a way to get Detroit over the 2 year slide and begin the Jim Zorn death watch. While the Redskins’ defense is solid, their offense is putrid. Detroit can score points as we’ve seen, even against Minnesota’s excellent defense.One caveat: if it’s close late in the 4th, momentum shifts to the Redskins. Detroit has no idea how to hold a lead.

Tennessee Titans over the New York Jets: The Titans lost in overtime to the Steelers and in a shoot-out to the Texans, both of which were close. Those games showed they’re vulnerable to the pass but can deal with the run. Sanchez is good but not that good. Don’t discount possible letdown by New York after the big win vs. Patriots.

San Francisco 49’ers over the Minnesota Vikings: Favre is due for an uncontrollable day and Adrian Peterson says he’s good to go but you think he’d admit he wasn’t? The 49’ers are tough, physical and can score in the red zone. When Vernon Davis says he’s a converted “me first” kind of guy you know they want this one for Samurai Mike.
The rest of the schedule:

Green Bay over St. Louis: No reason to think the Rams will turn the page this week.

New Orleans beat the Bills: What have you seen in Buffalo that can equal the league’s best offense? Nothing.

Texans over the Jaguars: I feel for Maurice Jones-Drew but they need an A-list QB or wide receiver to balance that attack

New York Giants over the Tampa Bay Bucs: The Bucs can’t stop good offenses and the Giants have one. But if too many Giants are banged up and can’t play, look for this to be close.

Eagles over the Chiefs: Two back-up QB’s for Philly can’t blow this opportunity can they? If Vick is misused or coughs up the ball, maybe.

Arizona bests Indianapolis: While I think this could be a close shoot-out, Indy’s defense makes this pick a reality.

Baltimore over Cleveland: The Ravens have one of the most balanced teams in the league. Awesome D and an offense that can run and throw. Cleveland’s got…?

Steelers beats the Bengals: I’m not all that sure about this. I’ve got to see more of a running game from the Steelers before I make them a lock each week. Until then, those Bengals should scare them.

Bears over the Seahawks: Seneca Wallace is a good back-up but their running game is iffy. The Bears can run against them if last week’s defensive failure vs. Gore is a measure.

Chargers best the Dolphins: But for bad play calling, the Bolts would have beaten Baltimore last weekend. I think they can take the Dolphins after that.

Denver over Oakland: JaMarcus Russell might be as big a bust as Ryan Leaf. Need I say more?

Dallas bests Carolina: Third week in a row for the Panthers to face a potent offense and the Cowboys are cranky after loss to the Giants.

Tired of the same old sports page? Then check out Paula Duffy’s insightful (and often humorous) take on the sports day at her Examiner.com page! The popular co-host for Sports Journey Radio is also a contributor to the Huffington Post and founder of the sports learning site Incidental Contact. In her spare time, Duffy practices law in Los Angeles. But don’t hold that against her.

The New York Giants ruined the Dallas Cowboys big bash at the opening game in the new Cowboys Stadium Sunday  night defeating the ‘Boys 33-31.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones showed off the $1.2 billion structure to a raucous crowd of over 105,000 that included several past Cowboy greats, LeBron James and George W. Bush.

The stadium lived up to much of it’s hype with its seven-story high state-of-the-art television screen and dancing towers for the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders; the only thing missing was a win.

Between three interceptions thrown by Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, Giants QB Eli Manning passed for 330 yards, 284of them to wideouts Mario Manningham and Steve Smith. Manning then orchestrated a near-flawless final drive from his own end to set the stage for placekicker Lawrence Tynes to connect for a 37-yard game-winning kick, silencing the raucous crowd as the final seconds ticked off the clock.

In upsets Sunday, Mark Sanchez and the New York Jets beat the New England Patriots 16-9, the Chicago Bears upended the Super Bowl Champions Pittsburgh Steelers 17-14 on a last-second field goal and the Cincinnati Bengals upset the Green Bay Packers 31-24 at Lambeau Field in a game that included Ochocinco catching a TD pass and performing the Lambeau Leap.

Related Articles:

Sexiest NFL Cheerleaders Gallery

Copyright © 2009 – Sports Climax

All-Pro linebacker Brian Urlacher, the heart and soul of the Chicago Bears’ defense will miss the remainder of the season after dislocating his wrist in the 21-15 loss to the division rival Green Bay Packers Sunday night.

With the injury occurring so early in the season, Chicago is expected to shop around for a replacement to fill the middle linebacker spot. Derrick Brooks is expected to join the team if the two sides can work out a deal. Brooks is familiar with Chicago coach Lovie Smith and Chicago’s defensive schemes.

Mark Sanchez silenced some of the critics including Pete Carroll, his former coach at USC, when the rookie led his New York Jets to a 24-7 win over the Houston Texans.

Earlier in the year and prior to selection day, Carroll had publicly stated that Sanchez “made a bad choice” in joining the NFL draft.

Sanchez finished 18-of-31 for 272 yards and one TD.

In other injury news, joining Urlacher on the sidelines list is Philadelphia Eagles’ quarterback Donovan McNabb who suffered a cracked rib in his team’s 38-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers.

With McNabb’s status unknown and Michael Vick ineligible for another week, don’t be surprised to see ex-Eagle Jeff Garcia donning green in Philly this weekend when Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints visit the ‘City of Brotherly Love’.

In other rookie news, Matthew Stafford will have to wait for his first victory. Stafford appears to have a much larger chore ahead of him than Sanchez after his Detroit Lions started this season where they left off last year.

The Lions’ defense who were worst in the NFL last year were ripped apart by fantasy football favorite Drew Brees, who tossed six touchdown passes during the 45-27 blowout over the Lions.

Stafford finished 16-of-37 for 205 yards and 3 INTs.

Copyright © 2009 – Sports Climax

DETROIT – When Daunte Culpepper decided to come out of retirement and sign with the Detroit Lions in October 2008 we covered that story and the first line in our coverage read, “Run Daunte run! In the opposite direction.”

Culpepper, a three-time Pro Bowler, may wish he had heeded that advice as he finds himself relegated to the back-up quarterback position on the worst team in the NFL, riding the bench while Matthew Stafford, an unproven rookie, will be taking snaps Week One in New Orleans.

Prior to signing with the Lions, Culpepper had several meetings and tryouts with other NFL teams and turned down offers to play back-up for two winning teams, Pittsburgh and Green Baybefore deciding to play in Detroit. He was clearly looking for another opportunity to start and his discussion with the Lions is sure to have included that.

Culpepper didn’t speak to reporters after Monday’s practice, there’s an early warning sign he will be wanting out of Motown. If he demands a trade like many of us think he will and should, the pressure on Stafford to succeed multiplies tenfold since there are no veterans on the sidelines to step in if he falters or go to for guidance.

The bench is a strange place to assign a veteran like Culpepper who is a proven NFL quarterback that has thrown for more than 13 miles in his career. Thirteen miles . . . 23,208 yards . . . more than 232 football fields.

Being replaced with a rookie can only add fuel to the fire. Leave it to the Lions to use and hang another veteran out to dry, (Google Tatum Bell).

Culpepper showed great loyalty during his college days at the University of Central Florida.

After running up staggering stats, several top colleges tried to recruit him but he chose to stay in Orlando playing for the only school that offered him an opportunity during the original recruiting process.

Most youngsters his age would have jumped at the chance to play in the SEC but Culpepper stayed loyal to UCF. He went on to set a laundry list of NCAA records before being drafted in the first-round by the Minnesota Vikings.

Since arriving in Motown last fall, Culpepper has shown great commitment to the Lions organization.

He showed up in game shape this summer, dropping 30 pounds in the offseason preparing to lead a 0-16 disaster out of the cellar. The Lions quarterback position was Culpepper’s to lose but he was never given a fair chance to lose it.

Although he showed more poise and confidence and ran stats much more impressive than Stafford during preseason, Stafford connected with wide receiver Calvin Johnson for long gains on several occasions. That is sure to have caught the eye of Lions Coach Jim Schwartz but in all fairness to Culpepper; Johnson sat out with an injury both of Culpepper’s starts.

If anyone thinks Culpepper would have trouble finding a sprinting Johnson down any sideline they didn’t watch Culpepper when he made a living heaving spirals to a guy named Randy Moss. Culpepper’s arm clearly has some life left and he deserved a legitimate chance to reinvent his career and rejuvenate the Lions.

Quarterbacks do it every season. Last year Chad Pennington found his game in Miami and took home the AP Comeback-Player-of-the-Year award, leading the Dolphins to an 11-5 record. A year earlier, Jeff Garcia bounced back and found himself playing into January after leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 9-7 division-winning record and playoff spot.

Culpepper must certainly feel burned; shafted. He did nothing that justified losing the starting position this preseason and Stafford didn’t perform well enough in his two starts to earn it.

Curious to see how this latest move by the NFL’s most desperate organization plays out. Snatching an opportunity like this from a veteran like Culpepper can cause bad Karma in your locker room.

Will it lead to trade demands by the 32-year-old quarterback who’s playing years are limited?

Don’t be surprised if it does.

Related Articles:

Starting Stafford Too High a Risk for Lions. 

Copyright © 2009 – Sports Climax

DETROIT – After seeing rookie sensations Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco evolve into legitimate starters last year in the NFL, the temptation was too much for the Detroit Lions and Coach Jim Schwartz.

With the season opening September 13th with a road game in New Orleans followed by a visit from the Minnesota Vikings, Schwartz ignored the risks and named Matthew Stafford the starter.

Putting the young slinger across from Minnesota’s swarming defensive line just eight days into his NFL career may evolve into a human sacrifice and reinvent the name ‘Purple People Eaters’ for the Vikings.

The Vikings sacked Lions quarterbacks a total of 10 times in the two games last year. That is a risky scenario to place a young rookie quarterback in who is trying to build confidence.

Stafford has an incredible arm, there’s no doubt about that but it’s hard to throw with a 300-lb. lineman’s arms wrapped around you.

We’ve been hearing the Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco theories but those two rookies stood behind proven offensive lines last year and were given plenty of protection throughout their 11-5 seasons. There’s talk about how improved the Lions O line is this year but why not wait a few weeks to verify that.

The league’s best quarterbacks crumble under excessive pressure up front, even Tom Brady as seen in the Super Bowl game when the New York Giants knocked Brady totally off his game upsetting the heavily-favored New England Patriots.

The NFL game is a sprint compared to NCAA and Stafford could have gotten a feel for the pace and speed of the game by watching the first few Sundays from the sidelines.

There would be a lesser argument for handing Stafford a clipboard and headset in New Orleans if this were a ‘Stafford vs. Stanton’ or a ‘Stafford vs. Orlovsky’ debate but the Lions have a proven Pro Bowl quarterback on their roster, Daunte Culpepper who has thrown for 23,208 yards in his career. That’s 13 miles; more than 232 football fields.

Culpepper deserves a legitimate chance to reinvent himself. It happens all the time. John Travolta did it on the screen with Pulp Fiction; Chad Pennington did it on the field with Miami last year.

Culpepper, the three-time Pro Bowl player showed up 30 pounds lighter in game shape before the season started expecting to start. Now that he finds himself out of the starting position he was never given a chance to lose, there may be some bad locker room karma heading the Lions way.

When Daunte joined the Lions in October 2008 we covered that story, “Daunte Should Avoid the Lions”. The Lions have a knack for finishing player’s careers on a sour note (Google Tatum Bell and Marcus Pollard). If Culpepper sits rotting away on the bench while he has some arm left, he could join that group. You have to wonder; Will Daunte ask to be traded?

Culpepper appears committed to again making a mark in the NFL and he cannot do that collecting splinters on the bench.

Playing against former teams brings the best out of athletes as we see ever week when ex-Lions visit Detroit and have career days after being traded or cut. I would have expected the best out of Daunte against his former Vikings team during Week Two at Ford Field.

The logical decision would have been to sit Stafford for at least two weeks then re-evaluate his progress, the O line and the team then go from there. William Clay Ford is always more interested in selling tickets as in the case with hurrying quarterback Joey Harrington, a first-round dud that was never given a fair chance to develop.

The Lions got impatient. This is clearly a rebuilding time, just as the past decade has been so what would a few more weeks of development have mattered?

 This is unlikely to be a playoff season but the Lions are taking a chance of destroying the confidence of their franchise $78 million investment-another reason this team is, and may always be, destined to be a loser.

Voice your opinion by taking our front page poll and vote whether Stafford and Mark Sanchez should be taking snaps NFL Week One.

Leave Your Comments in the Section Below.

More Matthew Stafford Articles:

Get Ready Lions, Stafford Knows How to Party!

Why Stafford and Detroit Lions are a Bad Marriage

Bitch-Slap-of-the-Week – Matthew Stafford

Copyright © 2009 – Sports Climax

MINNESOTA – Let the drama begin. Brett Favre will be visiting Lambeau Field in purple this season after all.

In the biggest news to come out of Minnesota Vikings camp since WR Visanthe Shiancoe was shown naked in the locker room during post-game last year, Favre reconsidered his reconsidering retirement and signed with the Vikings on Tuesday.

After deserting the Vikings on July 28 just hours before preseason camp opened, the gray-haired, twice-retired 39-year-old hurler will be donning purple and facing his former team the Green Bay Packers in at least two contests this season.

Favre signed a deal for somewhere in the vicinity of $10 million to $12 million and actually tossed a few passes at the Vikings training facility this afternoon.

Favre arrived in St. Paul early on Tuesday, was picked up by Coach Brad Childress (pictured with Favre here) and later in the day the rest of the scenario unfolded.

Favre is a sure Hall Of Famer and holds a laundry list of records.

Lately though he has shown major signs of an aging quarterback. Last season while playing with the New York Jets his worn-out arm led the NFL with 22 interceptions and the Jets faltered late and were unable to make the playoffs.

This news may come as a surprise to many but with Favre’s history of avoiding preseason practices others saw it coming.

As of early Tuesday afternoon, current Vikings quarterbacks Sage Rosenfels and Tarvaris Jackson had not commented on the Favre situation.

Related NFL Vikings Articles:

Fox shows naked Vikings’ Player During Live Telecast

Favre Dumps Vikings Just Days Before Camp

Copyright © 2009 – Sports Climax

DETROIT – Looks like the Detroit Lions multi-million dollar prize, Matthew Stafford knows how to hoop it up. Pictures of the NFL’s newest millionaire surrounded by half-naked blonds partying it up surfaced on Deadspin this afternoon–I wonder if the photo on the right is a move from Coach Schwartz’ new “bump-and-grind” offense.

While most will find these pics harmless, entertaining and reminiscent of our younger years, they may not be taken too kindly by the Lions old-school owner, William Clay Ford.

But who cares what Ford thinks. The man has proven he doesn’t have a clue how to run an NFL team.

Stafford is exactly what the 0-16 Lions need. A young rambunctious heart full of energy.

Matthew, think you can get some hip-hop blaring through the locker room to awaken the NFL’s most dreadful squad out of their 7-year coma?

Better yet, how about a few of your blond babes replacing the Middle School Cheerleading squads who perform at the Lions games?

Wow, think about it, hip-hop blasting through the halls at Ford Field, hot cheerleaders strutting the sidelines, maybe even throw in a lucky win or two–Stafford may be exactly what the Lions need.

Related Stories:

Stafford’s Agent Bitch-Slaps Lions for a Tune of $78 Million.

Matt Millen Gets the Bitch-Slap-of-the-Week

Copyright © 2009 – Sports Climax

Since Michael Vick met with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and cleared the first hurdle in returning to the NFL, the internet has become saturated with polls debating whether or not Goodell should have reinstated the player who was convicted of running an illegal dog-fighting ring and animal abuse.

Seeing the results of many of these polls favoring that Vick be banned from the NFL for life, it is evident how hostile and out-of-touch our country has become.

It’s like an emotional lynch-mobbing.

One Carolina television station poll showed viewers 61% in favor of a lifetime ban with comments like, “The judicial system sucks. [Vick] should be still in jail, leashed to his bunk.”

In recent history, several people have made serious mistakes, many more severe than Vick’s, but our society has elected to ignore those criminals while becoming obsessed with creating a villain out of Vick.

Over the years, the mainstream media and many of its followers have blown off the illegal behavior of corrupt politicians, athletes and businessmen, granting them forgiveness for their acts after they appear at a podium in their suit simply saying the words, “I’m sorry.”

Others like Vick pay a severe debt losing tens of millions of dollars while serving long prison sentences then find themselves battling an aggressive media and overzealous society when they are released.

What Michael Vick did was brutal, inhumane and illegal. He knows it, the general population knows it and the judicial system knows it, that’s why they acted on it so aggressively, hitting Vick with a sentence so severe, it could have destroyed the man’s life and career.

As with any other former prisoner who has paid their debt and served their time, our system is structured to offer a fair opportunity and reintroduce these United States citizens back into society.

Vick’s situation should be no different than anyone else who abused animals and served a sentence for the acts but because of his popularity many are labeling him as a villain who does not deserve the same opportunity other ex-convicts are granted.

When people fill sports blogs with comments how Vick should “never take another snap in the NFL,” where is their reasoning?

The man has spent almost two prime years of his life in prison for animal abuse. Think about that in its literal sense.

Do those opposing Vick’s return feel other ex-cons should not be allowed an opportunity to go back to the careers they had prior to their sentence? Should a bricklayer be banned from laying a roadway; an accountant banned from operating a calculator?

At the time of his conviction, Vick’s job was throwing a football in the NFL. It would be un-American to ban the accountant or bricklayer from returning to work, just as it would to ban Vick from returning to the career he had prior to his conviction.

Vick, once the highest-paid player in the NFL, released a statement regarding his return. “I would like to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to commissioner Goodell for allowing me to be readmitted to the National Football League. As you can imagine, the last two years have given me time to re-evaluate my life, mature as an individual and fully understand the terrible mistakes I have made in the past and what type of life I must lead moving forward.”

I wish Vick the best and hope he capitalizes on an opportunity to show others how to take advantage of the opportunity granted to him by the NFL.

Thank you, Roger Goodell, for doing the right thing.

Related Stories:
Vick Should Be Compensated For Wine Bottles
Vick Makes Plea Deal
Vick Released From Federal Custody

Copyright © 2009 – Sports Climax

MINNESOTA – NFL icon Brett Favre announced he has reconsidered wearing purple and will stay retired.

In Favre fashion, the prima donna quarterback took the Vikings down to the wire when he told the Vikings on Tuesday, just 48 hours before training camp opens, that he would not team up alongside Pro Bowl running back Adrian Peterson to battle his former Green Bay Packers for the NFC North title this season.

“It was the hardest decision I’ve ever made,” Favre said. “I didn’t feel like physically I could play at a level that was acceptable. I would like to thank everyone, including the Packers, Jets and Vikings — but, most importantly, the fans.”

The Vikings now have to switch gears to ‘damage control’ since several of their star players had contacted Favre encouraging him to take snaps in a Viking uniform.

Vikings Adrian Peterson, Jared Allen and Steve Hutchinson are said to have contacted Favre by text or phone to recruit the 40-year-old slinger who had already agreed to a one-year, $10 million contract with the team.

Gallant efforts to get Favre on the roster like those made by the stars listed above may have sent a message of ‘lack of confidence’ to quarterbacks Tarvaris Jackson and newly-acquired Sage Rosenfels who are currently on the squad.

While Vikings management and coaching staff concentrate on smoothing things over in their locker room, the announcement did not come as a surprise to many of us.

With Favre’s history of stringing teams along, many of us expected these results while some seemed oblivious to Favre’s past history.

Vikings linebacker Ben Leber told the AP, “When I heard the news, I was probably as surprised and shocked as everybody else. The writing on the wall was as long as his arm was healthy he was going to play. I really expected him to be at camp. I was really surprised.”

FYI Mr. Leber, Favre seems to write on the wall with one hand while holding an eraser in the other.

Related Stories: Favre Begins Annual Roller Coaster Ride

Copyright © 2009 – Sports Climax