Detroit Free Press

Chris Spielman dropped into his stance, set his jaw and snorted. He waited for the snap. Then he sprang forward -- and threw a block.A block?For the running Barry Sanders?Chris Spielman? Fullback?This was all you needed to know about the stunning event called the season opener at the Silverdome on Sunday: the Lions' defense was everywhere -- including its own backfield.

"Good morning, class.""GOOD MORNING, TEACHER!""Welcome back to school. I hope you all had a nice summer.""It was ...

Hmm.Let's see if I rmlr..remeb..remember Oops...V&Tlzj$4$!!!...whoa!"First press 'log on' button."Oh yeah....Well now. Back to work. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. Of course, they also say college gets you a good job.I can tell you this much: Sitting on the sidelines all summer has made me a much smarter sports columnist.I have been right about everything.It's incredible. I go away on leave, and I have never been so accurate in my analysis.

Hmm.Let's see if I rmlr..remeb..remember Oops...V$&Tlzj $!!!...wait a sec."First press 'log on' button."Ahhhhhhhh...Well now. Back to work. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. They also say college gets you a good job. So they are on drugs, I guess.But I will say this: sitting on the sidelines all summer has made me a much smarter sports columnist.I have been right about everything.

Listen up. There's a new sheriff in town. As you folks can tell from the unusually handsome photo above, I, ...

There's a scene in a Mel Brooks movie in which cavemen are drawing on a wall. "These," the narrator says, "were ...

He leaves the job the way he entered it, as a gentleman, no harsh words. These traits, of course, are also why Bryan Murray is finished coaching in Detroit. No more Mr. Nice Guys. Suddenly, they say, we need a man with a whip.