• Many fans are calling for the Lions to bench Jon Kitna, and although I really can't disagree that his three interceptions on three straight drives is uncalled for, do you really think Dan Orlovsky would be any better?  Once Drew Stanton is healthy again (supposedly at the start of October), I can understand benching Kitna for him if the season is already over, but for right now, at least, Kitna sadly is the Lions' best option at QB.
• George Foster was benched and replaced with rookie Gosder Cherilus after one half of Sunday's game.  Foster gave up a couple sacks and Cherilus played very well considering that was his first real playing time in a regular season game.  If I'm remembering correctly Cherilus didn't give up a single sack, so that was great to see.
• Although it was said last week that Jordon Dizon would play more, he actually never got into the game on defense.  He played on special teams, but that was it.
• According to a reader that was at the game, a "Fire Millen" chant broke out after the Lions went down 24-9.  How long until we start to hear "Bench Kitna" during a home game?
• This really was one of the worst performances I've ever seen by the secondary.  Even though there was talk about how bad they were last week against a rookie, they just looked flat out confused against Green Bay.  Cornerbacks were falling down, missing assignments, and simply letting Packers receivers run right by them.  It was really an ugly sight to see.
• Safety Gerald Alexander sustained a concussion and tight end Casey FitzSimmons hurt one of his thumbs on Sunday.  Alexander was actually benched in favor of Daniel Bullocks before this game and FitzSimmons played well as he made a few nice catches.
• I know they were playing from behind again, but the Lions only rushed for 49 yards yesterday.  They actually only ran the ball 12 times, and you can really take 1 attempt away since Jon Kitna took off and ran once.
• The defensive line really disappointed me in this game.  They only had one sack, which came when Dewayne White forced a fumble, and Aaron Rodgers was able to escape pressure over and over again.  Sometimes he would not only avoid the sack, but proceed to complete a pass downfield.
• Can the Lions defense make sure to play on every down from now on?  The Packers went 9-16 on third down conversions, whereas the Lions went a dismal 2-12.
• Jason Hanson did all that was asked of him.  He nailed all three of his field goal attempts and didn't miss an extra point.
• Both Calvin Johnson and Roy Williams dropped a pass when they were wide open.  Roy looked like he looking upfield before he actually made the catch and Calvin pretty much just dropped it.
• I think we can forget about the drop Calvin made after the amazing game he ended up having.  His two fourth quarter touchdowns gave the Lions the lead for a short period of time and he really showed off his physical ability, especially his speed.  In the end, Johnson finished with 6 catches for 129 yards and 2 touchdowns.
• Roy Williams added 3 catches of his own for 48 yards, but as we saw in the preseason, it looks like Calvin Johnson has become this team's top receiver.
• Going back to Calvin for a second, the coaches did make a good adjustment with him in the passing game.  Johnson was struggling to get off the line of scrimmage at times, so the coaches started to run him across the middle.  That is how Johnson scored his two touchdowns, so I do give the coaches credit for making that change.
• Daniel Bullocks led the team with 12 tackles.
• Aaron Rodgers torched the Lions defense as he went 24-38 and threw for 328 yards and 3 touchdowns.
• A couple fans said that they couldn't even give tickets away for yesterday's game.  If Detroit loses this week then there is no doubt the Chicago game on October 5 (their next home game) will be blacked out unless a company again steps in.  If they can't even sell out the home opener against the Packers by themselves then there is no way they will do so against the Bears, especially if they are 0-3 at the time.
  

Brett Favre will be reinstated by the NFL today at 1:00 p.m. ET.  That means he will officially be back on the Packers' active roster, which will be sure to cause more drama than you want to hear about.

This saga that has gone on and on and been over-covered by the media will not end with Favre's reinstatement.  It could end abruptly if Favre was traded or a resolution with the Packers loomed, but in reality, this is just the beginning.  Why?  Well, because Favre reportedly is going to have to earn back the starting job.

It's not yet clear what role Favre will play once he reports to Packers camp Monday, but sources told ESPN's Wendi Nix that coach Mike McCarthy will announce Monday he's holding an open competition between Favre and Aaron Rodgers for the starting quarterback position.

Rodgers said Sunday night he's ready for a potential competition with Favre after serving as his backup for three seasons.

"I'm a competitor. I'm going to compete," Rodgers said after a scrimmage Sunday night. "This isn't going to be easy. It's going to be a dogfight. And I know if they do open it up to competition, not a lot of people give me a chance, but I believe in myself and I'm going to be the best I can be and let coach decide from there."

I really do feel sorry for Aaron Rodgers as he is in a lose-lose situation when you think about it.  If he loses the starting job, well, then he's stuck on the bench for yet another season.  On the other hand, if he surprises people and becomes the Packers' starter by beating out Brett Favre, then anything short of winning the Super Bowl will get him criticized.  He could have an unbelievable season, but if the Packers don't go all the way, I guarantee you there will be fans saying something along the lines of, "Well, Brett could have won it all."

Favre's decision to return to Green Bay comes after he was offered a reported $20 million marketing deal.  Should Favre accept that deal, he basically would be paid to stay retired.  It is very unlikely Favre will accept that deal now that he is back in Green Bay, especially since doing so would prevent him from playing for the next decade, but apparently the offer is still on the table.

Even though Favre showed up for Green Bay's "family night" at Lambeau Field, it does not mean he is for sure going to play for the Packers.  I'd be shocked if anything actually comes of this, but there is a report suggesting the Packers have initiated talks with the Vikings about trading Favre.

A trade remains a possibility. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported on its Web site late Sunday night that the Packers have had preliminary contact with the Vikings on a potential trade for Favre.

Again, a trade to the Vikings is highly unlikely, but that doesn't mean another team won't come calling.  Even so, nothing will happen fast enough to prevent Favre from starting practice on Tuesday with the Packers, so one might say that s**t is about to hit the fan.

What does all of this mean to Lions fans?  Well, not a whole lot except that turning on ESPN will result in Favre overload in only minutes.  They love to beat stories to death, and this Favre saga has been no different - and that was before he even arrived in Green Bay.  Now that he is back with the Packers, expect this story to be all that ESPN talks about for at least the next few days, but probably more along the lines of the next few weeks. 

Don't forget, Monday Night Football is in Green Bay a week from today for the Packers vs. Bengals game.  On top of that, MNF's regular season opener will be in Green Bay for a game between the Packers and Vikings.  They already over-promote MNF to begin with, but in this case, it will literally make ESPN unwatchable.  And just imagine if something happens that results in Favre going to Minnesota.  It's hard to think about how much hype would surround a game where he would be playing against Green Bay to start the season at Lambeau.  My head is about ready to explode just thinking about it.

And speaking of promoting and marketing, to make this saga even more comical, to me at least, the Packers have hired former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer as a consultant for one month.  Fleischer is being hired specifically to spin the Brett Favre situation to make the Packers look favorable to the public.  That will be no easy task as in hindsight they really did mishandle this whole situation, but then again, Favre didn't do them any favors, either.

Since news came out last Friday that Brett Favre wants to be released from the Packers, we have had this story shoved down our throats.  It is a big deal, but it seems like every time I turn on ESPN they're talking about Brett Favre.  Quite frankly, it's getting pretty annoying.  Then again, to be fair to Favre, ESPN usually over-covers any significant news event, especially in the dog days of the summer.

Anyways, this saga involving Favre has taken a few interesting turns lately, but it keeps getting better and better.  Rather than have a relative speak on his behalf or have his agent write down his thoughts in a letter, Brett Favre has finally spoken publicly on his issues with the Green Bay Packers.  He went on Fox News yesterday and was interviewed by Wisconsin-native and Packers shareholder Greta Van Susteren.

"I am guilty of retiring early and there is a reason for that," Favre said, according to an excerpt provided to The Associated Press before the Monday night broadcast. "And the major issue is 'Why did he retire?,' and 'He asked for a release because he doesn't want to play in Green Bay.' That's not true. And I hope people are hearing this and saying 'OK, that clears it up."'

Favre told Fox he understands that the Packers want to move on — but if they're doing so, they should let him go.

"Them moving on does not bother me," Favre said. "It doesn't. I totally understand that. By me retiring March 3rd, I knew that could possibly happen. All I was saying is, you know, I'm thinking about playing again."

Via a different AP article, Favre also said this:

"OK, you guys have a different path, fine," Favre said, recalling a June 20 conversation with Packers coach Mike McCarthy. "What does that mean for me? So that means either you give me my helmet, welcome back, or release me, or attempt to trade me. We all know that's a possibility, but way-out-there possibility.

"And he says, 'Well, playing here is not an option, but we can't envision you playing with another team, you know, either.' And I thought, so basically, I'm not playing for anyone if I choose to come back."

So basically Favre rushed his decision to retire and realized that soon after.  Now, after having some discussions with the Packers about possibly coming back to play in 2008, he doesn't feel welcomed by the only team he has played for in his career.  You can understand why he's upset, but the Packers are trying to move on.  They seem to be content with Aaron Rodgers being the starting QB, despite the fact that Favre wants back in.

To me, I have no issues with Brett Favre wanting to play football again.  He made a mistake in retiring before he should have, and now he wants to play in the NFL again.  Fine.  And I almost have no problem with his notion of wanting to play for another team since the Packers don't really seem to want him that much anyways.  What I do have a problem with, though, is the fact that Favre is trying to make himself look like the victim because the Packers are playing hardball.

Even though I am a Lions fan and hated Brett Favre because he played for the Packers, I did respect him.  After all, the things he did on a football field are amazing, and he deserves respect for that.  However, my respect for him is quickly deteriorating every single time he or someone close to him talks about the situation at hand.  Again, I don't fault the guy for hanging it up too early, but Favre needs to realize that he made that mistake.

I do think Favre gets that he shouldn't have retired, but I'm not exactly sure if he understands what his retirement did.  Rather than sit around until training camp waiting for that itch to show up, the Packers moved on.  They fully committed themselves to Aaron Rodgers, which is really something that had to happen.  Rodgers cannot continually look over his shoulder and wonder how long he has until Favre shows up as that's not fair to him.  He waited for his time, and when Favre cried his eyes out at that press conference back in March, Rodgers' time arrived.

With the Packers having moved on, you can imagine why things became so complicated when Favre decided he was ready to come back.  Had it been back in March, things would have been fine.  #4 would have gone back to his untouched locker and everyone would have gone about their business like nothing had happened.  Favre had that chance and nearly did come back then, but he waffled and made the decision to stay retired.  He had his chance, but since he stayed retired, his window for a return closed.

Now that Favre's itch is so strong and he is dead set on returning to the NFL, there is a problem for him and for the Packers.  Green Bay moved on and although they would love to have Favre back, it's simply too late.  Aaron Rodgers is now their quarterback.  For Favre, he hasn't moved on from football, but he is done with the Packers mentally.  Since Green Bay isn't welcoming him back with open arms and the promise that he will be the starting QB, Favre likely was offended, resulting in his desire to play for a new team.

Although it may seem wrong to some that the Packers aren't being so welcoming to a player that did so much for their franchise, that's just the way it is.  Favre's window of opportunity to make a return to the Packers closed long ago, and now he's dealing with the consequences by asking for a release from GB.  Oh, if only it were that simple.

Green Bay simply isn't just going to abide by what Brett wants and release him.  That would be a Millen-esque move based on the stupidity behind it.  There is too great of a chance that Favre would end up in Minnesota or a team that plays the Packers, leaving GB with only the choice of holding their ground and not doing anything for the time being.  The risk is there that releasing Favre could screw the Packers over directly, so that's not an option.

The Packers have fired back that a trade could be possible considering Favre would likely get GB a nice package of players and/or draft picks in return, but once again Brett doesn't agree.  Favre doesn't like that idea as it means he could end up playing for a crappy team that is years away from contending for the Super Bowl when he needs to win now.  At the same time, his list of possible destinations is greatly cut down as the Packers would only trade him to an AFC team to lower the risk that he would come back to haunt Green Bay in the playoffs or the regular season.

As you can tell, this is a very complicated matter.  Green Bay doesn't necessarily want to let Favre go for obvious reasons, and Favre wants the complete opposite so he can be the starting QB and be welcomed by his team.  What will end up happening is beyond me, but I will predict that Brett Favre's legacy will be tarnished somewhat by this whole saga.  Of course, everyone will remember him for the records and all of his other achievements, but I can't help but think that un-retiring and pouting his way to a new team will do any good for his image.

Below is the fourth part of a series previewing the Lions' entire 2008 schedule.  For the third part, which previewed November, click here.

December 7 - vs. Minnesota Vikings

In their first meeting of the year at The Metrodome, I have the Vikings blowing out Detroit.  Although Tarvaris Jackson isn't exactly the greatest quarterback in the world, he doesn't need to be with a player like Adrian Peterson lining up behind him.  Also, regardless of what the offense does, teams facing the Vikings normally aren't going to score a lot of points anyways with such a stellar defense lining up against them.

Although I do see this game being closer than the one in Minnesota, I still expect a Vikings victory.  Adrian Peterson will wear down Detroit's defense with another big game, and then Jon Kitna will be on the ground an awful lot after getting to meet the Vikings defense line all day long.

On paper: Advantage Vikings

Prediction: Minnesota wins again to sweep the season series; this one is a little closer, but that doesn't really mean much when the first game is a blowout

December 14 - at Indianapolis Colts

I honestly don't think Detroit should even waste their time with this game.  I'm just going to say it right now, this will be a blowout in favor of the Colts.  Even in the preseason that's what happened and Peyton Manning didn't have to play a full game.  Unfortunately, I see a similar result with Manning departing some time in the fourth quarter to give the back ups some playing time.

There's not a whole lot that needs to be said about a game like this.  Indy has a better coach, better offense, and better defense.  That's a lot to overcome, and Detroit isn't one of those teams that will surprise people and pull off the upset.

On paper: Advantage Colts

Prediction: Colts win by a landslide

December 21 - vs. New Orleans Saints

The Lions' final home game of the season is also the most winnable in the month of December.  The Saints are an interesting team coming off an interesting season, but should be in contention for the playoffs.  Even so, they are certainly beatable, especially at home.

At this point in the season, the Lions will be out of playoff contention for the most part with only 6 wins, and will be playing to reach .500.  This will be similar to 2007 in that sense, but unfortunately the result will be the same as an 8-win season will have to wait.

I could see Detroit winning this game as I believe it'll be a close one that goes down to the wire, but in the end Drew Brees and company pull it out for the win.

On paper: Advantage Saints

Prediction: New Orleans hands the Lions their 9th loss of the year

December 28 - at Green Bay Packers

With 8 wins out of reach, Rod Marinelli's last hope for 2008 is a win at Lambeau Field to match 2007's record of 7-9.  Although I did have Detroit beating Green Bay earlier in the season at Ford Field, everything changes when you head to the Frozen Tundra of Lambeau.

One of the biggest reasons behind my original prediction of a Lions victory over the Packers at the start of the year was due to Aaron Rodgers' lack of starting experience.  Some people believed that it would actually be an advantage to play him a second time as more film on him would be available, but I see it differently. With nearly an entire regular season under his belt, I think Rodgers will play better as time goes on.  He will have more chemistry with his receivers and should be making less of those "rookie" mistakes by December.

Considering the above paragraph, I have the Packers winning to give the Lions something they are very familiar with: a season ending with double digit losses.  Regardless of who Green Bay's starting QB is, one constant that always seems like it will be there is Detroit losing at Lambeau Field.  It is just something that happens, and with this game coming at the end of December, should happen again.

On paper: Advantage Packers

Prediction: Detroit's up and down season continues as they finish out the year on a 4-game losing streak

Recap: A quick look back on December reveals an 0-4 record for the Lions.  This comes after a 4-0 start that was followed by 6 consecutive losses and 2 straight wins.  In hindsight, I sincerely doubt the Lions will be that streaky of a team, but then again, as I have said before, if anyone would have that much of a roller coaster ride, it would be Detroit.

Over the next week or so I will preview the Lions' entire 2008 schedule.  Below is the first part of this series, which previews the month of September.

September 7 - at Atlanta Falcons

Out of all the times to play the Falcons, the first game of the season certainly is the best.  Atlanta's QB situation should be interesting to watch as rookie Matt Ryan likely will be the starter.  With no regular season snaps under his belt coming into this game, that lack of experience hopefully will give Detroit an advantage.

Outside of the QB position, the Falcons just aren't a very good team.  They had one of the worst records in the NFL last season, and although they should be better in 2008, early on they are expected to struggle, at least by me anyways.

On paper: Advantage Lions

Prediction: It would take an awful game for Detroit to come out on the losing end.  I'm not saying that's not possible as it is the Lions we're talking about, but Atlanta's lack of experience at quarterback should be enough for Detroit to start the season 1-0.

September 14 - vs. Green Bay Packers

Similar to the Falcons, the Packers' quarterback situation will be interesting to watch.  With Brett Favre now retired, Aaron Rodgers will finally get his chance to step in as the starting QB.  He did look good when he filled in for an injured Favre for part of the Cowboys game last season, but being the starting QB is a completely different thing then playing part of a game.

Even with a lack of experience at QB, the Packers are still a very good team.  After all, they did make it to the NFC Championship Game last season, and if it weren't for a careless interception in overtime by Favre, who knows what would have happened in that game. 

Green Bay's strength is without a doubt their defense.  Aaron Rodgers will have to play well for them to win, but it is the defense that should carry this team.  For that reason, I have to give the Packers a very slim advantage on paper.  That doesn't mean I think they will win the game, though.

On paper: Advantage Packers

Prediction: I have a feeling the Lions will come away with a close victory in this game.  Despite having a better defense, the Packers do have an inexperienced Aaron Rodgers at QB.  If he plays a great game then GB wins, but in only the second game of the season, I don't see that happening.  For that reason, I predict the Lions will start off the year 2-0.

September 21 - at San Francisco 49ers

The Lions wrap up the month of September (they have a bye on the 28th) by heading out west to play the 49ers.  The storyline surrounding this game likely will be Mike Martz facing his former team for the first time, and I'm sure Martz will contribute to it with some outrageous comment.  He has been bashing the Lions ever since taking the offensive coordinator job with the 49ers, so this is the Lions' chance for some revenge.

Although SF doesn't have an inexperienced quarterback, their offense will be in only its third regular season game under Martz's complicated new system.  They should have it down for the most part by then, but I imagine there still will be some kinks to work out.

Defensively, I already am envisioning 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis having a big game.  He is a beast and will thrive against a weak Lions offensive line.  Jon Kitna will need to keep his eyes peeled for Willis.  Then again, it won't be hard to do that when he is bringing you to the ground over and over.

On paper: Advantage Lions (Willis can only do so much)

Prediction: I don't know if this is the Kool-Aid talking or what, but believe it or not, I have the Lions starting off the season 3-0.  Out of the first three games this one worries me the most as being a possible letdown, but the 49ers aren't very good.  Look for a low-scoring affair hopefully resulting in a Lions victory.  This is one of those games where Jason Hanson will be a busy man, and in a battle of kickers he will lead Detroit to victory.

Recap: As I said, I have the Lions starting the year 3-0.  If they want any shot at making the playoffs, a 3-0 start will almost have to happen as the rest of the schedule is brutal.  The worst-case scenario for September is 1-2 in my opinion as there is no way the Lions should start out their first month without a victory.  At the same time, the best-case scenario is what I laid out to you as 3-0 is definitely a realistic possibility.

Any thoughts on what Detroit will do in September?  Leave a comment with your own prediction.