Over the last 60 years, the Detroit Lions have had some great players, but they’ve been mired in the mediocrity around them. It turns out Matt Stafford really is a Super Bowl QB, but he had to get out of Detroit to prove it. Other great players such as Barry Sanders and Calvin Johnson had great careers but saw limited success at a team level. This list has a lot of old guys on it. I expect in a few years some guys from the current team will be in the top ten.
For another trip down Memory Lane, here are some other guys who came close; include Billy Sims, Darius Slay, Jason Hansen, and Wayne Walker.
10. Bubba Baker
Bubba was a pass rusher extraordinaire. Baker hit the NFL with a bang in his rookie season in 1978 when he unofficially compiled 23 sacks. He was also named to the Pro Bowl and All-Pro teams that season. While Baker never recorded that many sacks again, he did pile up 75.5 sacks in his five years as a Lion. Ultimately Bubba went to a total of three Pro Bowls. Baker got the nod over Robert Porcher because, while Porcher ultimately finished with 95.5 sacks as a Lion, Baker was truly spectacular, though for a much shorter period of time.
9. Chris Spielman
In eight seasons as the Lions’ middle linebacker, Spielman is Lions’ all-time leader in tackles and ranks 11th in NFL history. Chris made four Pro Bowl teams and was named All-Pro once. Spielman intercepted four passes, forced 12 fumbles, and recovered 17. He even managed to convert one fumble recovery into a TD. You can also add 10 sacks to Spielman’s resume. It’s enough to get him number eight on this list.
8. Lomas Brown
The Lions have had some great running backs (just not so much recently.). They’ve also had some pretty good offensive linemen. At the top of that list of good offensive linemen is Lomas Brown. Lomas helped Barry Sanders reach spectacular heights, though Barry did a lot of that on his own. Lomas spent 11 seasons as the Lions’ left tackle. He was named to the Pro Bowl team the last six of those seasons. In 1995, his last season in Detroit, he was also named to the All-Pro team. All in all, Lomas had a great run in Detroit.
7. Alex Karras
Alex was a long-time Lion. His Lions career ran from 1958–1970, with a one-year suspension in 1963 for gambling. While Karras’ peak was in the mid to early 60s, his effectiveness extended beyond 1965. In all, Alex was named to the Pro Bowl four times and All-Pro three times. Karras was named to the Pro Football Hall Fame and Pro Football Reference first-team All 60s team. Mongo and his running mate at the Lions’ other tackle position, Roger Brown, grabbed the spotlight when they and their Lions teammates sacked the Packers Bart Starr 10 times on Thanksgiving Day in 1962. That performance wasn’t a fluke.