The Detroit Lions-Green Bay Packers rivalry started to heat up on the field in 2011, and now it is starting to heat up off the field this offseason. There hasn't been anything too controversial, but a war of words may be developing between Lions linebacker Stephen Tulloch and Packers wide receiver Greg Jennings. Case in point: Tulloch fired off this tweet on Sunday:
Who is Greg Jennings to talk about the Lions? The guy should worry about his own team....
— Stephen Tulloch (@stephentulloch) July 15, 2012
Tulloch was reacting to comments Jennings made last Thursday on NFL Network. Jennings was a guest on NFL Total Access and was discussing the NFC North in a segment. When the topic moved to the Lions, the focus was on their issues with staying composed, and Jennings questioned whether the Lions can make it through an entire season without losing their cool.
"Can they maintain their composure, both on the field and off the field?" Jennings asked. "They're a very talented team, but they have struggles on the field containing their composure, and definitely, the things we've heard of, them being in the media with off-the-field problems and off-the-field issues. Can they maintain their composure? Can they be a professional ball club for 16, 17, 18 solid weeks throughout the regular season?"
While Jennings' comments grabbed headlines, I personally didn't find them to be a big deal, mainly because he asked a legitimate question. Penalties have been a huge problem for the Lions in the past, as we saw on Thanksgiving last season against the Packers. The Lions have also had issues off the field this offseason, and the questions about if there is a discipline problem really aren't unfair at this point. The Lions need to get it together on and off the field.
I certainly get where Tulloch is coming from, but it's not like Jennings got on Twitter one day and randomly started trashing the Lions. He took part in an interview on NFL Network and was simply answering a question. And it's not like he was wrong in what he said, either.
In any case, it'll be interesting to see if Jennings responds to Tulloch's tweet. Even if he doesn't, I'm sure this will be something that is brought up when the Lions and Packers meet this upcoming season.
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