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DETROIT - Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson and the Detroit Lions hope this December will be different.Stafford threw for 311 yards and three touchdowns Sunday, and the Lions beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 34-17 to keep pace in the NFCs post-season race. Detroit had lost nine straight December games before handling the Bucs with relative ease.The Lions had not won a December game since beating San Diego in 2011. That was the win that wrapped up a post-season spot for Detroit, its only playoff appearance since the 1999 season.The Lions lost six of their last seven games last season, wasting another good chance to make the playoffs.Were not the same team as last year, tight end Joseph Fauria said. Were a new Lions team and were going to keep on rolling. Our fates in our hands.Detroit (9-4) is a half-game behind NFC North-leading Green Bay, which plays Monday night. If Detroit wins its next two games — at home against Minnesota and at Chicago — the Lions would almost surely be in the playoffs.Its getting fun around here, centre Dominic Raiola said. The more we just worry about whats going on right now, handle the day, the better off were going to be.Tampa Bay (2-11) was technically still in the playoff picture until Sunday, when the Bucs were finally eliminated.This is one of the roughest years that Ive been a part of and the thing I can take out of it is the fact that our guys played hard, Tampa Bay receiver Vincent Jackson said. Guys are still fighting, nobodys pointing fingers in this locker room, this organization and thats saying something. Its the quality of men that we have here.Here are a few things we learned from Detroits victory:SHARP STAFFORD: The competition hasnt been great, but over his last two games against Chicago and Tampa Bay, Stafford has a passer rating of 123.4. With Johnson looking healthy and fellow receiver Golden Tate still contributing, the Lions have looked better offensively lately.SOFT STRETCH: Detroit has won two in a row — the Lions beat Chicago on Thanksgiving by the same 34-17 score. Detroit also figures to be favoured next weekend when it faces Minnesota in the Lions final home game of the regular season.Detroit would love to take care of business in that game, then beat the Bears again the following week. The Lions finish the regular season at Green Bay, where they have not won since 1991, so Detroit could be in trouble if it needs to win that game to make the playoffs.TOUGH TO HANDLE: The main bright spots for the Bucs were Jackson and Mike Evans. Jackson had 10 catches for 159 yards, while Evans caught two touchdown passes.LUCKY BOUNCE: Staffords fourth-quarter pass hit someone at the line of scrimmage — Tampa Bays Gerald McCoy was in the area — and bounced right back to running back Joique Bell, who grabbed it out of the air and ran in for a 5-yard touchdown.We were on the sidelines, we drew that up and we knew exactly what the D-line was doing, Bell joked. Matt knew if he threw the ball up that one of the D-linemen would tip it up and it was a designed play. We went out there and we executed the play.Bell was solid all day. He rushed for 83 yards and a touchdown.PRESSURE: Stafford was sacked four times, but it was Tampa Bay quarterback Josh McCown who took the brunt of the punishment. He was sacked six times, and that doesnt even count a number of other hits he took from Ndamukong Suh and the rest of Detroits pass rushers.They got too much pressure on the quarterback and we know that, Bucs coach Lovie Smith said. I think its reasonable to say that weve got to do something to give ourselves a chance. Offensively we couldnt protect the quarterback, we couldnt run the ball and didnt get anything going throughout.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL Byron Jones Jersey . "For the past several weeks, Logan has been dealing and playing with an upper body injury," said general manager Doug Wilson in a statement. "Despite his efforts to play through it, the injury has not responded as we had hoped and Logan has made the decision to undergo a surgical procedure to repair the problem. Maliek Collins Jersey . -- The Green Bay Packers have signed quarterback Graham Harrell to the active roster from the practice squad and placed tight end Andrew Quarless on injured reserve. http://www.cheapcowboysjerseysonline.com/. Nine years later, he might have finally figured it out. He had only five rounds in the 60s in his previous eight trips. Anthony Brown Jersey . Mike Babcock has turned to the Montreal Canadiens goalie over Roberto Luongo, who backed Canada to a gold medal in Vancouver in 2010, for Canadas final preliminary round game against the ailing Finns. Daniel Ross Jersey . He will play 10th-seeded Feliciano Lopez in Sundays final, after the Spanish left-hander defeated Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic 7-6 (7), 6-4.Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable NHL stories? Kerry wants to answer your emails at cmonref@tsn.ca. Kerry, I just witnessed the hit by John Moore on Dale Weise in Game 5 - how was that different than the hit that Brandon Prust landed on Derek Stepan? Stepan sustained a broken jaw ... Weise sustained a headache! Should the same rule book call have been made on both hits? Rick Rick: The primary difference between these two illegal hits is that the head of Dale Weise was the "main point of contact" delivered from the shoulder of John Moore in Tuesday nights game and as such, fell under the parameters and language of rule 48 - illegal check to the head. Brandon Prust, on the other hand, initiated shoulder contact to the upper chest/shoulder of Derek Stepan and as the Habs player drove up and through the hit, "significant contact" resulted to the head of Stepan. No penalty was assessed to Prust on this play (missed by all four officials) but since this illegal check was very late, blindside in nature and excessive in the degree of violence asserted, a major and game misconduct should have resulted for interference (rule 56.4/.5). While it might sound like "wordsmithing" (main point of contact versus significant contact), these are important distinctions for the referee to judge when assessing the appropriate penalty. Regardless of the terminology or rule application, both Prust and Moore deserved to be expelled from the game pending any subsequent decision by the Player Safety Committee. While both players were able to finish the game, it was learned the following day that Derek Stepan required surgery to repair a fractured jaw. Brandon Prust was suspended by the Player Safety Committee for a whapping two games! The full extent of head trauma symptoms is not always immediate so it might be premature to determine if Dale Weise is suffering anything beyond a headache. There is no provision for the referee(s) to assess a major and game misconduct penalty under rule 48 (minor or match only). Based on the degree of impact to the head of Weise, it was correctly determined by the referees that John Moore deserved a match penalty (delibberate attempt to injure) and was immediately suspended.dddddddddddd Moore has been suspended two games following his hearing with the P.S.C. this afternoon. To your point, Rick, there was an option, albeit ever so slight, for the referee(s) to impose a match penalty against Brandon Prust if first, they saw the play and second, deemed the illegal hit on Stepan was for no other purpose than to attempt to or deliberately injure the Ranger player. Given all the components of Prusts attack and delivery of the hit (excessively late, blindside and high) it would be reasonable to suspect it was not a normal "finish of a check" but instead designed to inflict punishment or even attempt to injure Stepan. Knowing the thinking habits of the referees, they would much prefer to impose the major and game misconduct option contained in the interference rule (or charging) and then let the P.S.C. rule under supplementary discipline if they deemed a suspension is warranted to the player as opposed to applying a match penalty that results in an immediate suspension and hearing. That option was not available to them last night when John Moore checked Dale Weise in the head beyond just two minutes worth! Based on the seriousness and potential consequences of any illegal contact to the head, I offer the following recommendations, Rick: - There should absolutely be no minor penalty option once the referee deems an illegal check to the head has been committed.- Only a major and game misconduct or match penalty should be assessed for an illegal check to the head. - Eliminate the fine line margin of tolerance and thinking that exists between "main point of contact" to the head for the referees to determine an illegal check to the head and for suspension purpose. If contact to the head of an opponent is "significant" through an elevated hit or otherwise, it should be judged as an illegal check to the head. Place the onus on the player making the hit to do so responsibly. - Keep players skates on the ice through a hit.- Hold players accountable for their poor decisions that result in significant contact to an opponents head with meaningful suspensions; beyond just two games.- Rule on the violence of the act and not the result; namely the presence or extent of injury. Jerseys NFL China Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys From China Cheap MLB Jerseys Wholesale China Jerseys NFL Jerseys China Discount Soccer Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys China China NCAA Jerseys Cheap Cheap Nike Dolphins Jerseys Cheap Nike Patriots Jerseys Cheap Nike Jets Jerseys Cheap Nike Bengals Jerseys Cheap Nike Browns Jerseys Cheap Nike Steelers Jerseys Cheap Nike Texans Jerseys Cheap Nike Colts Jerseys Cheap Nike Jaguars Jerseys Cheap Nike Titans Jerseys Cheap Nike Broncos Jerseys ' ' '