Disappointing performances carry so much more weight than good ones. No matter how many wins a team can pile up, the losses are much more prevalent.
The Lions defense has turned in some good performances and some not-so-good performances, but the not-so-good ones are what loom in the minds of the players, coaches and fans.
After a solid performance at Cincinnati in Week 13, the Lions’ defense struggled at Baltimore, quickly erasing the memory of progression and improvement.
“I’m a little disappointed,” said linebacker 
The Lions have fought for consistency all season, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. Injuries have run rampant, through the secondary in particular, and the players have struggled with communication on the field.
The defense had hoped the season would be a steady incline upward instead of an up-and-down rollercoaster ride and the tug of war has been tough to handle.
“It shows you how good we could be, but how immature we are,” said defensive end
“I think that’s probably the biggest thing. To be able to go out there and perform like we did against Cincinnati and then go out there and do not as well or not near as well as we did at Baltimore – it has to be a maturity thing.”
A big contributing factor to that strong performance at Cincinnati was the communication among the players on the field.
Defensive Coordinator Gunther Cunningham gave credit to Foote and rookie safety
The fact that it didn’t carry over into the next game was disappointing to the players themselves.
“There’s really no excuse for it,” said Delmas. “They came out, they dominated on their own turf and they knew exactly what they wanted to do, which was run the ball. We knew exactly what they wanted to do also. We knew they were going to come out there and try to run the ball and start the running game to get the counter game going, but we couldn’t stop it.
“I’m not going to use the weather as an excuse or miscommunication as an excuse because that wasn’t the case. We still went out there and played, we just didn’t perform like we should have.”
Things get no easier this week with the Arizona Cardinals coming to town.
Arizona possesses two of the top receivers in the game in Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin and third receiver Steve Breaston is reliable as well.
The trio accounts for 2,388 receiving yards; Fitzgerald has 991, Boldin has 803 and Breaston has 594.
“I look forward to just going out there – just like I did with Chad Johnson – to shake (Fitzgerald’s) hand and tell him it’s a pleasure to even be on the same field with him,” said Delmas.
“But, at the end of the day, I’m getting paid just like they’re getting paid to go out there and perform. That’s what I’m doing: just go out there and play four quarters as hard as I can. Hopefully we’ll come out victorious.”
Considering the Cardinals like to throw the ball, defensive ends like Avril are hoping that means more opportunities for sacks. If quarterback Kurt Warner holds on to the ball longer to let plays develop, there is a greater possibility the Lions’ linemen will get to him.
That being said, Arizona has improved its running attack with Tim Hightower and Beanie Wells, meaning teams can’t just sit back and count on a steady stream of passes.
“They have a good running game,” said Avril. “If we can get them to be a one-dimensional team – and they already like to throw – and the coverage and the D-line play together, I think we could have a good game.”
Surely the defense would love to go out and redeem itself after last week’s performance.
Foote and Delmas – both strong defensive leaders – believe it will just be a matter of time before their side of the ball gets itself going.
“There’s no way a great Super Bowl team will play good one week and play bad one week,” said Delmas. “That’s not going to happen. We’ve played good and then we’ve played bad multiple weeks and that just comes with us getting comfortable with each other – finding ourselves.”
Said Foote, “After a good performance in Cincinnati we didn’t back it up with another one, and that’s how true defensive teams – the top 10 – can do it week-in and week-out.
“But it’s a challenge for us. We got thumped, we got humiliated, and a better offensive team is coming in, so a good performance is what I’m expecting and we’ll forget all about that Baltimore game.”
