This year, Detroit Lions will be playing in the NFL Playoffs for the first time this century.*

Since late in the 2010 season, I’ve been posting here about the development of the team. (One year ago today: “I’ll say it now, and I’ll stand by it next year: The 2011 Detroit Lions are going to be playing in the 2011 post-season.“) My posts have all been about statistics, not opinion. Keeping with the previous format, the chart below shows how the 2011 Detroit Lions compared throughout the regular season to their opponents and to the 2008, 2009 and 2010 Detroit Lions in terms of the eight statistical categories key to winning football games.

If you take the time to read this chart, you’ll see an absolutely amazing four-year turnaround.

Compare the 2008 squad to the 2011 squad. The 2011 Lions were better than the 2008 Lions in literally every aspect of the game. More importantly, the 2011 Lions bested their opponents in seven of the eight key categories. That is how you go from a 0-16 record to a 10-6 record. Welcome to football relevancy. I can’t wait for Saturday, when the Lions take on the New Orleans Saints in their first playoff game since my sophomore year in high school.

*I found this wikipedia entry on the history of the Lions when I was posting this for Perry Mason. And it says Marvin Gaye decided to stop singing and try out for the Lions. What the what? –N