If These Walls Could Talk: Detroit Lions: Stories From the Detroit Lions Sideline, Locker Room, and Press Box

By Lomas Brown and Mike Isenberg

A closer look at the great moments and the lowlights from one of the NFL's most historic teams

 


Written by Lomas Brown, the former Detroit Lions offensive tackle who paved the way for Barry Sanders, and Mike Isenberg, this work is an insider's account of the last 20 years of the team's history. A behind-the-scenes look at the era, Brown shares stories about coaches from Wayne Fontes to Jim Caldwell and stars including Barry Sanders, Calvin Johnson, Matthew Stafford, Ndamukong Suh, and more. This book covers all of the successes and failures, elation and embarrassment of recent Lions history, making it essential reading for any fan.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Triumph Books
• Release date: Oct 1, 2016
• ISBN: 9781633196834

Book preview

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I’d like to thank my wife, Wendy, aka Girly; behind every man’s good accomplishments is a great woman, and she was behind me every step of the way. One of the best aspects of retiring from the game is that

I get to spend more time with her.

My children mean more to me than I can put into words. I love y’all (Antoinette, Ashley, Adrienne, Trey, Jayla).

Finally, the NFL was always teased as Not For Long. To play 18 years with the many guys and personalities and to savor the many memories and experiences that I still enjoy today makes me know

I am truly blessed!

—Lomas Brown

This is dedicated to my children, Zachary and Alexandra (Cookie), who have taught me about unconditional love, and my wife, ­Katie, who helped me learn how to love and be loved. You three are

the ­highlight of my life and my inspiration.

Thanks for all of your support and encouragement.

—Mike Isenberg

Contents

Foreword by Barry Sanders

Introduction

1. Barry Sanders

2. My Early Years with the Lions

3. Some Players Fit Like a Glove, Some Don’t

4. The Inspiration of Mike Utley

5. Mr. Football: Chris Spielman

6. Building an Offense

7. The Scott Mitchell Controversy

8. Quarterbacks

9. Leaving the Lions

10. From Cleveland to New York

11. Winning a Ring

12. Bennie and the Ball

13. Crazy Characters

14. Great Opponents

15. My All-­Time Lineup

16. The Hall of Fame

17. Growing Up with the Browns

18. Choosing a College

19. The Media

20. Stafford, Megatron, and the Modern Day Lions

21. The Future of the Lions and the NFL

Acknowledgments

Praise for Lomas Brown and If These Walls Could Talk: Detroit Lions

Foreword by Barry Sanders

I first met Lomas Brown just before my rookie season in the NFL in 1989. Today, more than 25 years later, I consider him not just a teammate, not just a friend, but a brother.

I came to the Lions as a 21-­year-old country boy from Wichita, Kansas. Detroit seemed like the biggest place in the world to me. You see a lot of young players in all sports get caught up in the wrong crowd or make bad decisions. Lomas made sure this never happened to me.

I was at his home so often, I probably should have paid rent. With all the craziness happening on the field, spending time with his wife and kids gave me a safe place to relax.

Even though Lomas was only a couple of years older than me, he had already experienced the highs and lows of the NFL. He was so savvy to the business side of the league and made sure he protected me. His counsel in that regard was priceless.

And oh yes, he was also a Hall of Fame-­level left tackle. The way that he and guys like Kevin Glover took care of me on the field made it easy to work hard for them. I never wanted to let those guys down. He’s really just an all-­around great guy, very likable, and he has one of those personalities that just meshes with everyone in any situation. Those are people that you want to see succeed, and he definitely did. What’s most impressive to me is that not only did he do great things, but he’s never stopped appreciating the opportunities he’s received.

It was an honor to play with Lomas and it’s an even bigger one to call him my brother.

—Barry Sanders

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Courtesy Detroit Lions

Introduction

When Mike Isenberg first approached me with this project, I was skeptical. Is my story that interesting? Would people actually care what I have to say? Even after a few conversations, I still wasn’t sold. The more we spoke, though, the more my interest started to pique. Playing 18 years in the NFL, I was fortunate to have experienced just about everything. There was good, there was bad, and there was just crazy.

My 11 years with the Lions had both triumph and tragedy. We rose from nothing and were so close to bringing the city of Detroit the winner they so deserve. There may not have been any Super Bowls, but that was the basis of friendships that I still hold dear today. I spent three years in Arizona. That was just pure craziness. You know how kids like to text SMH for shaking my head? That sums up the Cardinals years.

After a forgettable year in Cleveland, I thought my career was over. But the next season, I was starting in the Super Bowl for the New York Giants. I had finally made it to the big game. Unfortunately, we got crushed by the Baltimore Ravens, and two years later, I was positive that my career was done—until I came home to give it one more shot with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In my last game, I finally was a champion.

But the focus of this book is on the Lions. I was fortunate to play with some great players like Jerry Ball, Kevin Glover, Herman Moore, Chris Spielman, and, of course, the incomparable Barry Sanders. I’ve shared stories on all of them, along with the ups and downs of my time with the Lions, including our problems finding a quarterback, reaching the NFC Championship Game in 1991, and Mike Utley’s awful injury. Never one to shy away from an opinion, you’ll also read my take on the modern ­day Lions and guys like Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson.

My story isn’t really about the destination; it’s about the ­journey. As a boy, I never thought about football. I was more concerned with playing the trombone. From growing up in Miami during the tumultuous 1970s to the whole recruiting battles and learning about the life of a football player, I’ve had a charmed life. I’m glad Mike talked me into sharing my stories. I hope you enjoy it.

1. Barry Sanders

It’s the question I probably get more than any other: is Barry Sanders the best running back in NFL history? The only way I can answer is that Barry is the best I’ve ever seen. I know a lot of older folks swear by Jim Brown—when you look at his numbers, it’s hard to argue—but Barry was unreal from Day One and never slowed down.

When the Lions thought about drafting Barry, it wasn’t the no-­brainer that it eventually turned out to be. Sure, he won the Heisman Trophy at Oklahoma State, but he was still kind of a mystery. At that time period, not every game was televised, and even though we all kept reading about this incredible back, not many of us had seen him play.

Wayne Fontes (Lions head coach): That year there was a tremendous amount of great No. 1 draft picks. That was the year Dallas picked Troy Aikman right before us. Green Bay took Tony Mandarich, an offensive tackle. We had the third pick, and I remember going to Oklahoma State to watch Barry work out and I watched all 11 of his game films, and there was no question about it. He was the best player for us. When he came into the locker room, he was loved by the players, and, of course, Lomas liked him.

Barry showed up, and the first thing that hit me was how small this dude was. I’m talking about his height because he was rock solid. His thighs were so thick that you couldn’t help but stare at them. As we got practicing, it was as clear as day that Barry was special. He went all-­out every single play. A lot of running backs would slow down either at the end of a play or the end of practice. Not him. He had a way of visualizing how he’d play in the games and he wasn’t slowing down there. He’d go another 30 to 40 yards.

Bill Muir (Lions offensive line coach): I have a saying that the high tide rises all boats in the harbor. What happens when you get a unique talent like Barry Sanders? Everyone’s level of proficiency rises. The way he improvised, you couldn’t anticipate. As an offensive lineman, you learn that the play is never over. What you do is you extend yourself, play with more of a positive attitude, and know that he’s going to make something out of nothing. Let’s just stay with block. That kind of contagiousness he brought to the team.

Mike Utley (Lions offensive lineman): How do you block for Barry Sanders? You stay out of his way!

Kevin Glover (Lions center): It wasn’t a challenge in a negative way for me. The challenge was to be in great shape and to keep moving forward. A lot of times plays are two to three seconds long, but with a great player like Barry, it’s eight to 10 seconds. So the challenge was to get everyone to understand that when you think the play is over, it’s not. You need to keep on going. You might have missed your block, but that person isn’t going to get Barry down one-­on-­one.

Fontes: Lomas came to me one time and said, ‘Coach, when you call this play this 19 straight play, the fellas on the line, we’re not sure which way to block our guys.’ I said, ‘Lomas, put a hat on the guy, and let Barry decide which way he wants to run.’

Once the games started, nothing could stop him. Even when we ran the run-­and-­shoot, which is not a sound offense for quarterbacks or backs because there was nobody left to block, it worked for us because of Barry. He was a walking time bomb. You just never knew when he was going to go off. It was like watching Barry Bonds. You never wanted to miss an at-­bat because you never knew when Bonds was going to go deep.

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Barry Sanders was not only the best back to ever play, but he was also a true class act. (Courtesy Detroit Lions)

When Sanders came to Detroit, he was just a country boy who was on his own for really the first time. I was going into my fourth year in the league and had already experienced the highs and—especially with the Lions at that time—a lot of lows. It was obvious that he was the future of the franchise, but he needed leadership. My job was not only to protect him on the field, but off of it as well.

Let me say that this wasn’t just with Barry but all of the younger guys. As a leader of the team, I wanted them to come in and I’d try to make them comfortable. You want to try and protect them from some of the pitfalls out there—the pariahs, who want their time and their money. You try to protect them as much as you can. Being a professional is totally different than college. Back then everything was taken care of for you. From eating to your living arrangements to getting your parents tickets to the game, it was all good. But in the NFL, it all falls on you. That’s the biggest thing I see in the pros with guys that get out there and either don’t last long or don’t make it. Some of it is their ability on the field, but a lot of it is their ability to handle things off the field. You’re going to have all kinds of things come up off the field. That’s life, and you aren’t going to stop life from happening, but you’ve got to be able to separate the two. When you’re at the facility, you’ve got to be able to concentrate and do your job and do it at the highest level. And that’s not just in the game. That’s practice; it’s every day out there.

I wanted to show Barry that he had support. And it wasn’t just Barry; it was his family, too. You need to ingratiate yourself with the family and let the family feel comfortable. That’s what we did. I wouldn’t say it was just myself, but our teams in the late ’80s and ’90s had a true family atmosphere. We’d hang out with the guys, we’d socialize. Guys wouldn’t just go their separate ways. Barry could come over to my house any time he wanted to, to Kevin Glover’s house, and it was the same way with any player. I think that’s why in the ’90s we had so much success.

And Barry was part of my family. One of the funniest parts of this was how my daughters looked at him. They were pretty young at the time and weren’t really into football. Yet, here they were, hanging out with the best running back in the NFL. Part of why they got along so well was because Barry was about the same height as they were! And they didn’t care about his record-­breaking stats. They enjoyed being with the Barry that other people never saw—the giggling Barry, the Barry that tried to crack jokes. They just fell in love with him. For me, getting to know what type of person he is made me want to block even harder for him.

I always get people asking, What is something nobody knows about Barry? Well, let me say, this boy can eat! My ex-­wife was a great cook, and she loved doing it. Barry made sure that none of it went to waste either. I have no idea where he put it all, but this shy, little guy from Kansas was over to our house every night!

Me and Glove knew that Barry was our ticket. All of the sudden, we were getting on Monday Night Football. Everyone wanted to see him. We started a rule that Barry would never have to pick himself up off the ground. This guy was working so hard on every play, that the least we could do was show appreciation by helping him up. We also knew that by doing that we could make sure there was no extracurricular activity. Barry carried so much of the load for us, and we appreciated it.

Chris Spielman (Lions linebacker): Well, these guys knew where their paycheck was coming from. Barry had so much energy on his runs. Me, I never helped a guy up. Not to be a tough guy, but I wanted him to exert as much energy as possible during a game. I don’t think there’s a more respected guy than Barry. Our guys loved him more than anyone. If I was a coach, I’d make sure those guys got their asses down the field to help him up too!

Barry Sanders (Lions running back): That meant everything. I knew that those guys were looking out for me and I was playing for a group of guys, especially Lomas and Glove who wanted to see me do well. And it really mattered to them, and they took it to heart. They really did. For me it made me all the more hungry to extend myself. In the NFL everyone around you is not always pulling for you, but for those guys I always knew I was taking the field with guys who really wanted to see me succeed…I certainly did not want to let them down. It felt like we had a unique thing at that time. Almost like every other relationship, you respect the other party. I certainly didn’t want to let those guys down.

Fontes: We’d leave the field after everyone was done running and we’d be going to lunch or something, and Barry Sanders would be running by himself. He knew he had to run more because in practice, when Lomas and those guys were banging and banging and banging, I never allowed anyone to bump Barry. He was untouchable in practice. So I’d tell Lomas we were going to give the ball to Barry on this play in practice, so make sure you tell the defensive guys that Barry was going to get it, so leave the hole open, and let him run through it. There would be no tackling Barry Sanders. So Lomas would break the huddle, get up to the line, and he’d tell a Chris Spielman or a Jerry Ball, ‘Hey, let us open a hole, and let Barry run through it.’ Then he’d turn to me, and say, ‘Coach, the fellas say they’re going to knock Barry sideways!’ Then we’d run the play, and nobody would touch Barry. Lomas controlled everything. But they respected that. Lomas told all the rookies, do not touch this guy, he needs to have a clean jersey, or we’re all in trouble.

But what really struck me was the class he always displayed. He never pointed out anyone missing a block or making a bad play. Never. We’d run through a wall for that guy.

As spectacular as Barry was on the field, off of it he was just Barry. Just as my outspoken personality complemented Glove, it was the same way with Barry. Especially during his first few years in the league, Barry would come by my house and hang out with the family. He was single at the time, so I think it made him feel closer to home. He’d come over to my house every holiday and he was always dropping by to play with the kids, but Barry never really hung out with us players. He didn’t drink, so clubs weren’t really an option. But he was cool. We’d talk about social matters, about his crush on Olympic star Gail Devers. It was just friends talking together. He had a golf tournament ever year and was a great family man.

Sanders: "As far as Lomas, let me tell you about our relationship. Coming in as a rookie, I’m still college-­aged because I left as a junior. We didn’t live that far apart, and for some reason, some way, somehow, we just ended up at his home a lot. I don’t remember specific details, but I remember that I ended up