I thought it would be fun to pick out the 10 greatest Detroit Lions of the century… I was wrong, this was a pain in the butt. So, what did I do? I decided to roll with the top 13 since apparently, I enjoy pain!
Shockingly enough, there aren’t that many great Detroit Lions from 2000 until now. This list would’ve been a lot easier as the top 13 worst Lions of the 21st Century, but I digress. There are rules I placed on myself for this list, mainly that the player has to have played at least half of his career in the 21st Century, which knocks out guys like Herman Moore, yes a great Lion, but one who did his damage in the ’90s, and looked like a shell of himself in 2000 and 2001.
So, without further ado, I give you the Top 13 greatest Detroit Lions of the 21st Century:
13 Greatest Detroit Lions of the Century
13 Ernie Sims (2006-2009) Linebacker
Ernie Sims jumped out the gate like a ball of fire, tallying over 100 tackles in each of his first three years, while playing every game. His fourth and final year in Detroit saw him only start half the season and play in 11 of 16 games while racking up only 49 tackles. Of his 8-year career, his first three with the Detroit Lions were far and away his best years.
12 Cliff Avril (2008-2012) Defensive End
Avril was Mr. Dependable while playing in Honolulu Blue, averaging eight sacks per year (which is better than you think considering he only had 10.5 sacks in his first two years combined). His time in Detroit began with the (im)perfect season of 0-16, and as a DE there is only so much you can do to help a team win.
He missed only five games in his five years with the Detroit Lions, before leaving for greener pastures in Seattle, where he helped the Seahawks win their first Super Bowl, decimating Peyton Manning and the Broncos 43-8. In that game, Avril deflected two passes and knocked Peyton on his ass a couple of times to boot.
11 Stephen Tulloch (2011-2015) Linebacker
Tulloch, outside of the 2014 season, where he only played three games, started every game for the Lions. And in those four years where he played every game, he never had less than 107 tackles and averaged 116 tackles per season. He also averaged two sacks per season in his five years as a Detroit Lion.
10 Glover Quin (2013-2018) Defensive Back
In six seasons with the Detroit Lions, Glover Quin was not only a leader on the field but also off the field. In 96 games with the Detroit Lions, Quin had 19 interceptions and 37 passes defended.
9 Golden Tate (2014-2018) Wide Receiver
During his five seasons with the Detroit Lions, Golden Tate established himself as one of the most reliable wide receivers in team history. With 416 catches and 4,741 yards in 71 games with the Lions, he most definitely belongs on this list.
8 Dre Bly (2003-2006) Defensive Back
A Super Bowl Champion as a rookie on the St. Louis Rams, even Bly admits his best work happened while with the Detroit Lions. In his four years in Motown Bly racked up 19 interceptions, and two touchdowns, and played in all but nine games in his Detroit career. And in three of his four years with the Detroit Lions, he made the Pro Bowl, twice as a starter and once more as an alternate.
7 Jeff Backus (2001-2012) Offensive Tackle
Backus started every game of his career except for one in his final season. Started a franchise-record 186 games until missing the Thanksgiving Day game of his final season due to a hamstring injury. From his time at the University of Michigan until his time ended as a Detroit Lion, Jeff Backus started every game, except that one. Despite all of his toughness and grit, Backus only had one winning season in his 12 years.
“More than the streak, he’s a person you can count on,” Dominic Raiola said. “His accountability level is unbelievable. I don’t think it’s the streak. I think it’s he wants to be out there with us.”
6 Dominic Raiola (2001-2014) Center
Raiola only missed four games in 2008 and one game in 2014. During his long tenure with the Detroit Lions, he started a club-record 203 games, and 104 of those were in a row before fracturing his thumb in 2014. While the offensive line has always had its issues in Detroit (just look up Barry Sanders’ career), Raiola was a constant presence. And as a center, to stay healthy and play as many games as he did, that enough is worthy of making this list.
5 Ndamukong Suh (2010-2014) Defensive Tackle
Suh was the sign that things were finally changing in Detroit. No longer were we drafting as many wide receivers as possible, a la the Matt Millen era. We were finally going to take talent in the trenches. We were taking someone with a bit of an edge. Someone who would drag us, kicking and screaming, into becoming a formidable opponent and not just a laughing stock from week to week.
Suh came out guns blazing, tallying 10 sacks and an interception in his rookie year. Stepping on Quarterbacks, stepping on linemen, stepping on referees if he had to. His 5 years with the Detroit Lions were surrounded by nitpickers and naysayers, questioning his integrity and just how dirty of a player he was, but he was a force to be reckoned with on most Sundays.
His four years after his rookie campaign were not as exciting, as his sacks dipped from 10 to four in his second year, and he ended up averaging six-and-a-half sacks in the four years after his hot start.
But as far as 21st-century Detroit Lions are concerned, none have been more polarizing than Suh, none attracted the media attention quite like Suh (including Megatron). His five years in Detroit will always be filled with what-ifs, but for all his detractors, Suh only missed two games, and Detroit had two of its best seasons while Suh controlled the defensive line (a 10-6 record in 2010, and an 11-5 record in 2014). That’s two of the three winningest seasons the Detroit Lions has had, period, since the turn of the century.
4 DeAndre Levy (2009-2016) Linebacker
Prior to the 2015 season, Levy was a mainstay on the Lions’ defense. Missing only seven games from ‘09-‘14. He racked up over 100 tackles in 2011 and 2013, and over 150 tackles in 2014. In 2013 he had six interceptions (that’s insane for a linebacker) and he had at least one interception every year from 2009-‘14.
3 Jason Hanson (1992-2012) Kicker
Jason Hanson played every game of every season except for one in 2005 and a half the season in 2010. He literally only missed nine games in a 21-year career. In 1995 Hanson went 48 for 48 on extra points (best season) and 28 for 34 on Field Goals, including his career-best 56-yarder, while scoring 132 points.
In his final season, Hanson turned back the clock and kicked 38 for 38 on extra points, and went 32 for 36 on Field Goal tries, while scoring the most points in any of his 21 seasons, finishing with 134 pts. Hanson became the first player to play 300 games with one franchise, finishing with 327.
2 Matthew Stafford (2009-2020) Quarterback
We all know the problems the Lions have had at QB over the years: Rodney Peete, Scott Mitchell, Charlie Batch, Joey Harrington, Jon Kitna… the list goes on and on. And while there may be arguments as to whether or not Stafford is elite, there are a few things Lions fans cannot argue. Stafford is a warrior (see game vs. Cleveland week 11 of the 2009 season), Stafford has a cannon for an arm, and Stafford was far and away the best quarterback Detroit has had since Bobby Layne.
1 Calvin Johnson (2007-2015) Wide Receiver
Calvin Johnson only missed nine games in a nine-year career with the Lions. Megatron averaged over 15 yards per catch for his career, along with averaging over 100 yards per game from 2011-2013. He set the all-time single-season receiving record with 1,964 yards in 2012. He’s in the top 30 all-time in receiving yards despite playing only nine years.
A three-time All-Pro and six-time Pro Bowler, Johnson was everything we hoped he’d be and more… until he wasn’t. Just like Barry before him, Calvin had enough of getting his head kicked in while playing for the hapless Lions and decided to leave the game of football after the Lions refused to let him out of his contract.
Nation, which Detroit Lions players do you think should be on this list?
*All stats obtained via Pro Football Reference.
