Oct 14, 2012; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Detroit Lions kicker Jason Hanson (4) celebrates kicking the game winning field goal in overtime against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. The Lions defeated the Eagles 26-23 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The Detroit Lions officially honored the long career of Jason Hanson with a farewell press conference today. One of the honors bestowed upon Hanson was an announcement by team president Tom Lewand that Hanson would be added to the team’s ring of honor, known as the Pride of the Lions.

An group of 12 players was included in the ‘Pride’ when the concept was put into place during the 2009 season. Lewand indicated at that time that the list would grow, perhaps even with players that were current Lions at that time:

“There will be others,” he said. “It’s not something we’ll do lightly. The criteria has to be stringent, but we’ve got other who are already deserving and hopefully, we’ve got some guys on the field today that will become deserving of it.”

Perhaps Lewand made that comment with Hanson specifically in mind. Fans should probably expect a pregame or halftime ceremony for Hanson next season as part of his Pride of the Liosn induction. Hanson’s name, number and years played will also be added to the display on the old Hudson’s warehouse part of Ford Field.

Whether or not Jason Hanson will eventually be enshrined in Canton, Ohio as a Pro Football Hall of Famer remains to be seen. The odds are slim but the Lions organization believes he is and their announcement of Hanson’s addition to the the Pride of the Lions says as much. All 12 charter members of the group are already in the Hall of Fame, as is Dick LeBeau who was added to the group in 2010.

Other Pride of the Lions honorees are:
Dutch Clark
Alex Wojciechowicz
Jack Christiansen
Lou Creekmur
Yale Lary
Joe Schmidt
Bobby Layne
Doak Walker
Lem Barney
Charlie Sanders
Dick “Night Train” Lane
Barry Sanders
Dick LeBeau

It’s amazing really. There are Lions fans out there that are well into their 30s that have no memory of anyone other than Eddie Murray and Jason Hanson as the team’s primary kicker. The Lions have been known for being loyal to a fault, but when it comes to their kickers’ longevity, it’s all about results.

That’s part of the reason Jason Hanson’s retirement was met with some surprise. He may have been the league’s oldest player, but he was still one of the game’s most reliable kickers and showed no evidence of declining skills. But alas, Hanson didn’t want to put his injured heel through another season of pain and decided to call it a career. You can’t blame him for that and as Lions fans we should offer nothing but heartfelt congratulations on a brilliant career.

Feb 3, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; San Francisco 49ers kicker David Akers (2) kicks a field goal against the Baltimore Ravens in the first quarter in Super Bowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Now it is time to face reality – a reality that in the NFL, stability at the kicker position is not the norm. The Lions have quickly moved on from Hanson by signing free agent kicker David Akers, formerly of the San Francisco 49ers. At 38, he won’t be counted on as the Lions kicker for the next decade. In fact, should we even be confident that he will really be the Lions kicker when the regular season kicks off?

It would be reasonable for the Lions to have signed Akers with that expectation, but they would also be wise to prepare a contingency beyond a token training camp kicker. After all, Akers wouldn’t be available if the 49ers still had confidence in him. Hanson and Akers have combined for 36 seasons and the one Akers is coming off is the worst of the bunch in which he made just 69% of his field goal attempts.

And that percentage isn’t tilted by results from long range. Akers missed from inside 30 yards, twice from 30-39 yards and was just 9 of 19 from more than 40 yards out. Think about how much disdain there has been in recent years when the Lions settled for field goals then compare that to the reaction when a drive stalls and the kicker misses a chip shot. Not pretty.

In Akers the Lions get a veteran kicker with a solid track record but is in need of a bounce-back year. There is reason to believe he can considering his amazing consistency prior to 2012 and it is possible he was dealing with a pelvis injury last season despite not missing any games. Akers had minor surgery to correct the issue last month. A clean bill of health and a change of scenery might be all Akers needs to finish his career strong. That’s likely what the Lions are thinking – at least enough to sign him to a deal.

But with Hanson the questions would have ended with the drying of the ink on a new contract. That isn’t the case with Akers and we shouldn’t rule out the possibility the Lions now start taking a closer look at this year’s crop of kicker prospects. Maybe they will find an option they like better than David Akers.

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O’Hara: Is Jason Hanson a future Hall of Famer?
Mike O’Hara – DetroitLions.com

There is a logical final step after retirement for any player whose career matched Jason Hanson’s for length of service and depth of excellence.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame awaits those who run the ball, throw it and catch it at a superior level, along with those who block for the offensive playmakers and the defenders who stop them.

But the Hall does not welcome men who kick or punt the ball for a living.

MLive.com mock draft 2.0: Detroit Lions have choice of Eric Fisher, Dee Milliner or Ziggy Ansah
Justin Rogers – MLive.com

5. Detroit – Eric Fisher, OT, Central Michigan
If Fisher falls, it should be an easy decision for the Lions. Yes, there are already three offensive tackles on the roster, but along with Riley Reiff, Fisher would provide Detroit with a long-term solution at the bookends.

Jason Hanson Never Experienced A Win Against The Green Bay Packers In Wisconsin
Ray Rivard – Lombardi Ave

The only thing that must be sticking in Hanson’s craw is the fact that during those 21 seasons, not once did he ever – and I mean EVER – beat the Green Bay Packers in the state of Wisconsin.

Hanson will be missed in Detroit
Paula Pasche – The Oakland Press

One day last July during training camp, Jason Hanson was one of the Lions chosen to speak to the media from the podium.

Just before he arrived, I told one of the media interns that Hanson was a riot, the stand-up comedian of NFL place kickers.

That day he started out slow, then pulled out the dry wit as he usually did. Seems he was having a hard time with Derek Dimke, the other kicker at camp. Dimke was 1 years old when Hanson was drafted by the Lions in 1992.