Madatory Credit: US PRESSWIRE

A lot of interesting things happened on Super Bowl weekend. Here’s some of my thoughts about the NFL’s final weekend of the football year:

-Congratulations to the New York football Giants. While I think Peyton Manning is a better quarterback than his brother Eli, I’m probably not the only one who thinks Eli is a better clutch performer. That throw to Mario Mannigham in the final drive was positively sick.

-The Detroit Lions have the fourth best odds of reaching the Super Bowl next year. They sit at 20 to 1, along with the Super Bowl winning Giants. Only the Packers, Saints, and Eagles have better odds in the NFC.

-Nice to see Clint Eastwood hawking Chrysler products. But it didn’t send chills down my spine like Eminem’s commercial did last year.

-I find it hilarious that Matthew Stafford won the “Comeback Player of the Year” award. Don’t you have to accomplish something first before you can comeback from it? Like Stafford said, I hope he never wins that award again.

-The Lions raised their ticket prices for the first time in five years. They raised prices an average of 8%. Not a bad deal, They have a shot at the Super Bowl next year and they will still be ranked 23rd or 24th in cheapest tickets in the League. Martin Mayhew is making all of the right calls for this organization so the product should remain a relative bargain compare to the rest of the league.

-Dick Stanfel, who played offensive line for the Detroit Lions in the 50′s, failed to make the Hall of Fame this weekend. I’m not too broken up over him not making the Hall, because before the process started I had never heard of him, and trust me–I know my Lion’s history.

-Is it me or is the Hall of Fame being watered down? I watched Chris Doleman and Cortez Kennedy play their whole careers and never once thought, “yeah, he’s definitely Hall of Fame material.”

-I find it interesting that Cris Carter fell short of the Hall of Fame again. Personally, I think he and Charles Haley both belong. Wouldn’t it be funny if that “not special enough” receiver for the Lions, Calvin Johnson, made it in before Carter did?

-Did you notice that I have the Lions taking center Peter Konz in the first round of my Mock Draft? Todd McShay has them taking a offensive guard, Cordy Glenn of Georgia. I just don’t see a linebacker or corner worth taking at that spot. Konz is 30 pounds heavier than Dominic Raiola.

-I have a lot of time to talk about who the Lions will draft, so I’ll get to that later. Now that the football season is over and Draft season is upon us, I can’t get this song out of my head by Andy Williams: “It’s the most Wonderful time of the year!”

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Scanning the Savanna is a daily feature that brings fresh Detroit Lions and NFL related content to your fingertips each morning. Grab a cup of coffee and let’s scan the savanna together.

Clipped from: www.mlive.com (share this clip)

It’s a phrase Detroit Lions fans haven’t heard since October 15, 1998: “Touchdown, Barry Sanders.” But the legendary running back got into the end zone on Saturday afternoon.

From www.mlive.com (share this quote)

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Scanning the Savanna is a daily feature that brings fresh Detroit Lions and NFL related content to your fingertips each morning. Grab a cup of coffee and let’s scan the savanna together.

Clipped from: www.foxsportsdetroit.com (share this clip)

The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2012 will be decided in voting by the 40-member Board of Selectors. Seventeen finalists are on the ballot.

Included in the group of 17 are two senior candidates — offensive guard Dick Stanfel, who began his career with the Lions, and defensive back Jack Butler, who spent 9 seasons with the Steelers.

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