By Ken DeLaat, N3 Sports You gotta love Lion Coach Dan Campbell. When he came on board he said “We're gonna kick you in the teeth, and when you punch us back we're gonna smile at you, and when you knock us down we're gonna get up, and on the way, we're gonna bite a kneecap off.” And while that first presser was met with some amused skepticism by many, he has created a team in his image and they have become a force on the field. When they were humbled by Carolina last week he said “It's awful. But man, it's the best thing that could happen to us because I think no matter who you are in whatever you do, some of your best work is when you get your face kicked in.” He has the Lions on the cusp of a possible playoff spot, an absolute improbability when they sat at 1-7. Ok, they might very well not make it. They have to beat the Packers and Aaron Rodgers in Lambeau, a formidable task anytime but the Pack have playoff aspirations as well, making it like a playoff game in itself. Oh and they need help from the Rams to beat the Seahawks which would be a fitting thank you for helping them win the Super Bowl. Trading Stafford gave the Rams the Super Bowl but has already delivered a bevy of good players and they still have upcoming draft picks from that trade. They let their starting tight end go to the Vikings earlier this year which allowed for some stellar performances by the guys who replaced him. This is a team that has been fun to watch and playoffs this year or not there isn’t likely to be a drought of post season appearances in the near future for Dan Campbell’s team. And make no mistake about it, this is Campbell’s team. While disappointing to see U-M lose it was a heckuva entertaining game and I will be rooting for the Horned Frogs to upset Georgia. They simply seemed to want this one more and played like a team possessed. The Wolves will be back. They’re stocked with good players coming back and a strong recruiting class but TCU is going into the game a 2 touchdown underdog and I am a sucker for a great Cinderella story. Baseball: The Tigers have been eerily quiet after last season's disappointing debacle of a season. They’ve made some minor moves and have a bunch of throwers who should be returning from injuries, but after a less than stellar foray into the free agent market last year that likely was the final blow to the Alex Avila reign not a lot of noise as the new head guy Scott Harris settles into his seat. Hard to tell how they will fare this season but given the resume Harris brings it will be an interesting one for sure and you have to believe some movin’ and shakin’ will be on the docket. High School Hoops returns this week. There are some interesting stories out there this season. A resurgence in White Cloud for both teams, Fremont measuring the competition in the WMC-Lakes and the Grant Girls team who might be the best in the area with Julie Ashbaugh having a monster season for the Tigers so far.
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