Lions Notes: Monday's Crowd To Break Ford Field Football Attendance Record?

by Sean Yuille on Oct 8, 2011 10:00 AM EDT in Detroit Lions Notes

The crowd at Monday night's game against the Chicago Bears could break the Ford Field attendance record for football, according to Tom Lewand (via Paula Pasche). The current record was set by Super Bowl XL when 68,206 people were in attendance. At the very least, this game should break the Ford Field record for the biggest crowd at a Lions game.
Bears coach Lovie Smith said this earlier in the week about trying to contain Calvin Johnson: "The best way to contain a player like that is to have more than one guy playing him when the ball is thrown up. If you know they're passing the football, you'd like to have at least two guys playing him."
Former Lions offensive tackle Tony Ugoh has signed with the Las Vegas Locomotives of the UFL.
Some of the artist renderings for the Silverdome renovation have leaked out. The plan is to convert the top half of it into a soccer stadium to lure an MLS team to the state.

Tweet Comment 30 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

Yeeeaaahhhh! Nice and raucous for the devouring of da bears!

Matt millen:He puts the oron in moron and the upid in dumb.

by awayfromthepride on Oct 8, 2011 10:18 AM EDT reply actions

CAN'T WAIT

This will be my first Lions game of the year.

Just because there is a goalie, doesn't mean you can't score!

by Knuckle Deep on Oct 8, 2011 10:30 AM EDT reply actions

I'd love to see an MLS expansion in Detroit.

Also, happy to see Ugoh is doing well.

"You've got to respect your opponent, no matter who it is. You respect him best by going out there and beating him up." - Calvin Johnson

by Mavyrk on Oct 8, 2011 10:49 AM EDT reply actions

OH MY GOD DO I AGREE

I need a team to root for!

USE THE SCHWARTZ!!!

by Twon82 on Oct 8, 2011 11:31 AM EDT up reply actions

Same I currently root for the Galaxy but have no passion in it.

Finally I might be able to wake up the neighbors at 3 am when they win!

Go check out the Datsyukian Deke , Detroit Red Wings Blog
http://datsyukiandeke.wordpress.com/

by Detroitnr1 on Oct 8, 2011 2:18 PM EDT up reply actions

That Silverdome design is really cool

Wonder how much they’re spending on it…

House of Spears | My Detroit Lions/NFL Blog

by Latif Masud on Oct 8, 2011 10:55 AM EDT reply actions

If they can get 3 events in there at the same time

… consistently… that would be cool!

I’d like to see a UFL team in there.

http://twitter.com/#!/rumbulls

by CLF on Oct 8, 2011 11:02 AM EDT up reply actions

I'm not sure if there is enough to go around

All other teams have a field to play on. Mayve a AAA hockey team could take one of the bottom floors

House of Spears | My Detroit Lions/NFL Blog

by Latif Masud on Oct 8, 2011 11:07 AM EDT up reply actions

That's what I thought immediately when I heard of the small area underneath the pitch being planned.

A concert hall/hockey arena.

"You've got to respect your opponent, no matter who it is. You respect him best by going out there and beating him up." - Calvin Johnson

by Mavyrk on Oct 8, 2011 11:16 AM EDT up reply actions

rugby!

"In Mayhew we trust"

Thank you Kris Draper and Chris Osgood for all the memories.

Millen shall be Mi**en on Pride of Detriot. New, official, unwritten law

"We gonna bust our ass, from sideline to sideline,
goalpost to goalpost, for 4 *beep**beep* quarters"
-Nate Buleson leading the pregame chant

by Bballkid-22 on Oct 8, 2011 2:41 PM EDT up reply actions

On a completely unrelated note...

Did anyone else see/hear the news that Al Davis passed away?

by CMUWR12 on Oct 8, 2011 11:03 AM EDT reply actions

Just win baby!

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7074380/oakland-raiders-owner-al-davis-dies-82

http://twitter.com/#!/rumbulls

by CLF on Oct 8, 2011 11:03 AM EDT up reply actions

Just read it

Wow.

USE THE SCHWARTZ!!!

by Twon82 on Oct 8, 2011 11:04 AM EDT up reply actions

Rest in Peace, you crazy, crazy man.

The world can not thank you enough for your contributions to the best sport on Earth.

"You've got to respect your opponent, no matter who it is. You respect him best by going out there and beating him up." - Calvin Johnson

by Mavyrk on Oct 8, 2011 11:16 AM EDT up reply actions 3 recs

wish i could have tanked him for passing on calvin tho we are no where near as good if he takes him instead of JR

32 sounds good matt stafford
thank you al davis RIP
jordan's hightops snapback fitted caps

by thelionsareking on Oct 8, 2011 4:45 PM EDT up reply actions

thanked

32 sounds good matt stafford
thank you al davis RIP
jordan's hightops snapback fitted caps

by thelionsareking on Oct 8, 2011 4:46 PM EDT up reply actions

yes

R.I.P Al.

IMO the best football owner ever

"In Mayhew we trust"

Thank you Kris Draper and Chris Osgood for all the memories.

Millen shall be Mi**en on Pride of Detriot. New, official, unwritten law

"We gonna bust our ass, from sideline to sideline,
goalpost to goalpost, for 4 *beep**beep* quarters"
-Nate Buleson leading the pregame chant

by Bballkid-22 on Oct 8, 2011 2:41 PM EDT up reply actions

Lovie

The Cowboys needed three against Megatron and they couldn’t stop him. Good luck with two from the Bears secondary.

USE THE SCHWARTZ!!!

by Twon82 on Oct 8, 2011 11:03 AM EDT reply actions

Wrestlemania 23 had an attendance of 80K

I’m not sure if the attendance record we are talking about is for football-related events only.

Glow-in-the-dark Baby Jesus is 8-0! Lions have to be feeling lucky he is on their side!

by DBB Diablo on Oct 8, 2011 11:16 AM EDT reply actions

"the Ford Field attendance record for football"

"You've got to respect your opponent, no matter who it is. You respect him best by going out there and beating him up." - Calvin Johnson

by Mavyrk on Oct 8, 2011 11:17 AM EDT up reply actions

Just skimming through the post.

That’s why I tossed in “football-related events only”. Lol

Glow-in-the-dark Baby Jesus is 8-0! Lions have to be feeling lucky he is on their side!

by DBB Diablo on Oct 8, 2011 11:22 AM EDT up reply actions

does anybody here watch soccer

i usally avoid that shit but if we get a team i at least want to what it is about like how do they bring in young talent do they have a draft or do they just sign players when they are old enough to play TIA and go lions

32 sounds good matt stafford
thank you al davis RIP

by thelionsareking on Oct 8, 2011 12:47 PM EDT reply actions

I've never made it through a full soccer match

but I could get on board to support a Michigan team. I’m just hoping for something a little more exciting like perhaps a professional paint drying observation sport.

Individuals should protect themselves. Governments can't protect individuals from themselves, it's just impossible, otherwise they become a tyranical state. -Ron Paul

by Ee Oulo on Oct 8, 2011 12:56 PM EDT up reply actions

LMAO couldnt have said it better man

32 sounds good matt stafford
thank you al davis RIP
jordan's hightops snapback fitted caps

by thelionsareking on Oct 8, 2011 1:52 PM EDT up reply actions

I believe MLS has a draft

Ask Ty over at TLiW, he has been one of the people pushing for Detroit to get a team

House of Spears | My Detroit Lions/NFL Blog

by Latif Masud on Oct 8, 2011 12:56 PM EDT up reply actions

Couple things to learn about MLS...

The league owns all the teams, all the “owners” of each team are shareholders in the league itself rather than owning an independent club like other sports leagues. The players themselves are contracted to the league rather than the clubs, and there’s a revenue sharing model.

A couple years ago they started a youth development league similar in the mold to the farm system of MLB. They do hold a draft but it’s almost at a secondary role to the development league, MLS preferring to “grow their own” so to speak. Their draft resembles the NFL draft in several ways, with the worst (or expansion teams) picking first and then going on down like that, with the MLS Cup winner picking last and the runner up picking second to last. There isn’t really a “supplemental” draft because all the draft picks are IIRC contracted by the league itself ahead of time and the draft process simply decides where the players will go.

The salary cap is very small in comparison to other leagues, but they have an interesting “Designated Player” thing, where a DP is paid roughly half a million per year by the league (hitting against the team’s salary cap) and then the rest of that contract is paid by the team’s “owner” out of pocket, allowing them to have a salary cap to remain financially competitive, but still allowing the league to chase after greater international stars. David Beckham was signed to the LA Galaxy for roughly $50mil a year (by FAR the most paid to any MLS player, by a very large margin) as their Designated Player, which means the MLS only has to pay like half a million of that contract and the rest of that contract is paid by the team’s owner-operator out of pocket.

"You've got to respect your opponent, no matter who it is. You respect him best by going out there and beating him up." - Calvin Johnson

by Mavyrk on Oct 8, 2011 1:09 PM EDT up reply actions

my head hurts

thanks tho mav the stadium looks good i wonder what the teams name will be

32 sounds good matt stafford
thank you al davis RIP
jordan's hightops snapback fitted caps

by thelionsareking on Oct 8, 2011 1:49 PM EDT up reply actions

nope, I can't stand it

by detroit_fan on Oct 8, 2011 1:15 PM EDT up reply actions

i love soccer to be honest.

i have rooted for west ham for a long time on the english side. unfortunately they got relegated last season, so i can’t find streams so i have to listen to bbc. also i root for sounders fc out of seattle on the american side. be glad if/when we get one here. the silverdome designs look sweet.

"Football isn't a contact sport, it's a collision sport. Dancing is a contact sport."
--Duffy Daugherty

by GhostManOnThird on Oct 8, 2011 3:58 PM EDT reply actions