1991 Detroit Lions
1991 NFC Central Division Champions!
1991 Record: 12-4 (Regular Season), 1-1 (Playoffs)
Head Coach: Wayne Fontes
Points Scored: 339 (9th out of 28 NFL teams)
Points Allowed: 295 (11th out of 28 NFL teams)
Home Stadium: The Silverdome in Pontiac, MI
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Thumbs Up!
The Lions' 1991 season began in Washington against the eventual World Champion Redskins and were blown off the field in humiliating fashion: 45-0. The Lions responded in strong fashion by winning 5 consecutive contests against Green Bay, Miami, Indy on the road, Tampa Bay, and Minnesota. With the Lions given a week to rest up and a 5-1 record, they would have to travel to Candlestick Park, which is never an easy place to play. The Lions benefitted from the 49ers starting their third string QB Steve Bono due to injuries and won convincingly: 35-3 to go to 6-1. Little did people know, but the Lions' Week 9 matchup with Dallas happened to be a playoff preview and the Lions prevailed 34-10. With Chicago close behind Detroit in the division title race, their matchup in Chicago was an important one. Unfortunately, the Lions came up on the short end of a 20-10 score to drop to 7-2. There was a growing cause for concern among the Lions' faithful fans after their team lost to the last place Buccaneers 30-21 in Tampa.
The turning point of the season would come the following week at home against the Rams. Early in the contest, offensive guard Mike Utley would get knocked down onto the Silverdome turf and he would stay down. Unfortunately, the hit left him paralyzed and Utley would get carted off the field. As he was carted off, he signaled "thumbs up" to his teammates. Even though Utley's season, and ultimately his career, was over, his spirit would remain for the rest of the season. The Lions would beat the Rams 21-10 that day to reright the ship. In their first full game without Utley, the Lions would pull off another victory - this time in Minnesota by a score of 34-14. Prior to the Lions' annual Thanksgiving Day contest, starting tackle Lomas Brown read an emotional letter Utley wrote to his teammates and fans from the hospital and the entire team gave Utley a thumbs up. The emotionally charged crowd led the Lions to a 16-6 win against the Bears, who beat the Lions four weeks back. The Lions continued to build momentum after their 10-day layoff with a 34-20 win at home against the Jets. The Lions fell in Green Bay 21-17 the following Sunday. The regular season concluded with a trip to Buffalo at the Lions prevailed 17-14 on an Eddie Murray field goal in OT. The Lions finished the season as division champs for the first time since 1983 and earned an automatic berth into the divisional playoff round.
The Lions were one of three NFL teams that ran the Run and Shoot offense in '91 with Atlanta and Houston being the others. The offense generally employed one running back, four wide receivers, and no tight ends in their base formation. As a result, there was plenty of open space for halfback Barry Sanders to roam and he took full advantage. He would rush for 1,548 yards, add 307 more through the air, and lead the team with 17 touchdowns. His 16 rushing TDs led the NFL. Each of the four starting wideouts caught at least 39 passes. Brett Perriman led the squad with 52 catches for 688 yards and Robert Clark finished second in both categories with 47 and 640, respectively. Starting quarterback Rodney Peete missed more than half the season due to injury, but the only dropoff in production upon Erik Kramer's insertion into the lineup was the mobility factor. Starting left tackle Lomas Brown and Barry Sanders represented the NFC in the Pro Bowl.
The Lions used a 3-4 defensive scheme with 298 pound Pro Bowl nose tackle Jerry Ball plugging the middle. Middle linebacker Chris Spielman was the leader and he led the team with 84 tackles. He was flanked by George Jamieson and Anthony Bell for most of the season. Bell replaced solid pass rusher Mike Cofer who missed 14 games due to injury. Cornerback Ray Crockett established himself with a breakthrough season in '91. He had a team-leading six interceptions. Melvin Jenkins and Terry Taylor provided adequate depth at the position. Free safety Bennie Blades joined Spielman in Hawaii as he finished second on the team in tackles and recovered 3 fumbles. William White was a very effective strong safety. The defense was a middle of the road unit, however, as they finished 16th in the NFL in total defense and pass defense and they were 17th best in stopping the run. Mel Gray continued to be the best return man in the NFL. His 929 kick return yards and 25.8 yd. average led the NFL and he added 385 yards returning punts for a whopping 15.5 yds. / runback. His efforts earned him a return trip to Hawaii for the Pro Bowl.
The Lions first playoff game in eight years came at home against the Dallas Cowboys. The Lions dominated from start to finist in the 38-6 romp. That win is still the only playoff win in franchise history during the Super Bowl era. The season would end, as it started, in Washington the following Sunday as they lost 41-10 in the NFC Championship Game. In spite of the team's failure to make it to the Super Bowl, this season was an overwhelming success as they showed character in spades following the tragic paralysis of Mike Utley. The team dedicated the remainder of the season to him and what a season it was!
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1991 Results
Regular Season
Date Opponent Result
9/ 1/91 at Washington L 0-45
9/ 8/91 Green Bay W 23-14
9/15/91 Miami W 17-13
9/22/91 at Indianapolis W 33-24
9/29/91 Tampa Bay W 31- 3
10/ 6/91 Minnesota W 24-20
10/13/91 Bye Week
10/20/91 at San Francisco W 35- 3
10/27/91 Dallas W 34-10
11/ 3/91 at Chicago L 10-20
11/10/91 at Tampa Bay L 21-30
11/17/91 L.A. Rams W 21-10
11/24/91 at Minnesota W 34-14
11/28/91 Chicago W 16- 6
12/ 8/91 N.Y. Jets W 34-20
12/15/91 at Green Bay L 21-17
12/22/91 at Buffalo W 17-14 (OT)
Playoffs
Round Opponent Result
NFC Div. Playoff Dallas W 38- 6
NFC Championship at Washington L 10-41
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Running Back Barry Sanders (below) finds running room against the Redskins. He rushed for 1,548 yards, and scored 17 TDs (16 of them on the ground) in 1991.
Middle Linebacker Chris Spielman wraps up Washington's Earnest Byner in the backfield. He led the Lions in tackles for the fourth straight year in 1991 with 84 stops.
Hard hitting Free Safety Bennie Blades made his only career Pro Bowl appearance after a season where he recovered 3 fumbles and intercepted a pass in his 16 starts. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Starting left tackle Lomas Brown (below) paves the way for Barry Sanders in a game against the 49ers. He was the unquestioned leader of the offensive line and he went to the Pro Bowl in Hawaii for his blocking abilities.
1991 Detroit Lions Depth Chart / Roster:
# Player Ht Wt Age Exp College Face Shape Hair Equipment
Quarterbacks
1. 9 Rodney Peete 6-2 205 23 2 USC dk skin 36 6 blk fade 3 bar, eye paint, wt wrist double, left wt elbowpad (turf)
2. 12 Erik Kramer 6-1 195 27 1 N.C. State lt skin 60 8 brn crop 2 bar, wt wristbands, wt sleeves, wt elbowpads (turf)
3. 11 Andre Ware 6-2 210 23 1 Houston dk skin 80 3 blk flat top style 3 helmet, 3 bar qb, left wt wristband, wt sleeves, left wt elbowpad (turf)
Halfbacks
1. 20 Barry Sanders 5-8 205 23 2 Oklahoma St. 223 3 blk fade style 2 helmet, 3 bar, wt mouthpiece wt wristbands, right fingers taped, rubber pads (turf)
2. 42 D.J. Dozier 6-0 205 26 4 Penn State 66 6 blk buzz 3 bar, wt tc elbowpads, wt wristbands, wt gloves
3. n/a (switch position to MLB)
Fullbacks
1. 33 Don Overton 6-0 221 24 1 N/A 3 bar, wt tc elbowpads, wt wristbands, wt gloves
Wide Receivers
1. 80 Brett Perriman 5-9 180 26 3 Miami 84 4 blk fade 3 bar, eye paint, wt mouthpiece, wt wristbands, wt gloves, tc sleeves, wt elbowpads (turf), wt wrist double (turf)
2. 82 Robert Clark 5-11 175 26 4 NC Central 234 5 blk fade 3 bar, tc wristbands, wt gloves, wt sleeves
3. 86 Willie Green 6-2 179 25 R Ole Miss 162 7 blk buzz 3 bar, wt wrist double, tc gloves, wt elbowpads (turf)
4. 81 Mike Farr 5-10 190 24 1 UCLA 3 bar, eye paint, wt elbowpads, wt wrist double, right fingers taped, tc sleeves
5. 84 Herman Moore 6-3 205 22 R Virginia 109 6 blk fade 2 bar, tc wrist double, wt gloves
6. 23 Mel Gray 5-9 170 30 5 Purdue 109 8 blk buzz 3 bar, wt wristbands, wt gloves, tc sleeves
7. 87 Jeff Campbell 5-8 170 23 1 Colorado 19 3 l. brn crop 3 bar, eye paint, wt wristbands, wt gloves
Tight Ends
1. 46 Derek Tennell 6-5 270 27 3 UCLA dk skin 3 bar qb, wt wristbands
2. 89 Dave Little 6-2 226 30 7 Mid. Tenn St. lt skin 24 13 blk crop wt elbowpads, wt wristbands
Left Tackles
1. 75 Lomas Brown 6-4 287 28 6 Florida 40 14 blk crop half cage, dk visor, wt wristbands, fingers taped
2. 76 Scott Conover 6-4 285 23 R Purdue 148 9 blk fade half cage, wt wristbands, wt gloves, tc sleeves
Left Guards
1. 65 Eric Andolsek 6-2 291 25 3 LSU 19 13 brn crop half cage, wt wristbands, wt gloves, tc sleeves, bk rb gloves (turf)
2. 66 Shawn Bouwens 6-4 290 23 1 N/A brn long half cage, wt wristbands, wt gloves
Centers
1. 53 Kevin Glover 6-2 282 28 6 Maryland 160 14 blk buzz half cage, left wt wristband
2. 69 Roman Fortin 6-5 290 24 R Oregon 94 4 brn crop half cage, wt wristbands, left fingers taped
Right Guards
1. 67 Ken Dallafior 6-4 285 32 6 Minnesota 55 10 blk crop half cage, wt elbowpads, wt wrist double, wt rb gloves
2. 60 Mike Utley 6-6 279 25 2 Wash. St. 65 13 brn long half cage, dk visor, wt rb gloves
Right Tackles
1. 64 Eric Sanders 6-7 286 33 10 Nevada lt skin 50 12 brn crop half cage, neck roll, wt elbowpads, wt wristbands, wt gloves
2. n/a (switch position to RE)
Left Defensive Ends
1. 92 Marc Spindler 6-5 290 22 1 Pittsburgh 28 15 brn long half cage, neck roll, right wt elbowpad, wt wristbands
2. 94 Kelvin Pritchett 6-2 281 22 R Ole Miss 92 20 blk fade half cage, wt wristbands, tc sleeves
Right Defensive Ends
1. 55 Michael Cofer 6-3 250 31 8 Tennessee dk skin 84 12 blk crop half cage, dk visor, bk extended, wt elbowpads, wt wristbands, wt gloves
2. n/a (switch position to DT)
# 97 Jeff Hunter 6-5 285 25 1 N/A dk skin 111 14 blk fade half cage, neck roll, wt wristbands, wt gloves
Defensive Tackles
1. 93 Jerry Ball 6-0 295 27 4 SMU 154 14 blk crop half cage, wt wristbands, wt gloves
2. 90 Dan Owens 6-3 280 24 1 USC lt skin 17 12 l. brn crop style 3 helmet, full cage, wt wristbands
# 96 Lawrence Pete 6-5 285 25 3 Nebraska half cage, wt wristbands, tc sleeves
# 79 Darryl Milburn 6-3 260 24 1 Grambling St. dk skin tc extended, wt gloves, wt sleeves
Left Outside Linebackers
1. 58 George Jamison 6-1 228 29 3 Cincinnati 136 7 blk buzz style 3 helmet, full cage, neck roll, wt wristbands, rubber pads (turf)
2. 57 Victor Jones 6-2 240 25 3 Virginia Tech full cage, wt wristbands, wt gloves, tc sleeves, rubber pads (turf)
Middle Linebackers
1. 54 Chris Spielman 6-0 247 26 2 Ohio State 65 13 brn crop style 2 helmet, half cage, eye paint, neck roll, right wt elbowband (grass), tc wristbands, bk gloves
2. 99 Tracy Hayworth 6-3 260 23 1 Tennessee dk skin 263 16 blk bald half cage, neck roll, wt elbowpads, wt wristbands, wt gloves, wt sleeves
3. 50 Toby Caston 6-1 243 26 4 LSU dk skin 100 12 blk fade style 2 helmet, full cage, dk visor, wt tc elbowpads, wt wristbands, tc gloves
4. n/a (switch position to DT)
# 52 Niko Noga 6-1 235 29 7 Hawaii med skin 19 8 blk crop full cage, dk visor, wt elbowpads, wt gloves
Right Outside Linebackers
1. 98 Dennis Gibson 6-2 243 27 4 Iowa State lt skin 49 8 brn crop half cage, eye paint, neck roll, wt wristbands, wt tc elbowpads (turf)
2. 59 Anthony Bell 6-3 235 27 5 Michigan St. 50 13 blk buzz half cage, neck roll, tc wristbands, wt gloves, wt sleeves
Cornerbacks
1. 39 Ray Crockett 5-9 181 24 2 Baylor 141 3 blk buzz 3 bar rb, eye paint, wt wristbands, wt gloves, tc elbowbands (grass), wt wrist double (turf)
2. 24 Melvin Jenkins 5-10 173 29 4 Cincinnati 228 6 blk bald 3 bar rb, qb wristbands, tc sleeves, bk gloves (grass), rubber pads (turf), wt wristbands (turf)
3. 21 Terry Taylor 5-10 191 30 7 S. Illinois 143 8 blk crop 3 bar, wt tc elbowpads, wt wristbands
4. 25 Sheldon White 5-10 180 25 3 Miami Univ. 162 4 blk fade 3 bar, eye paint, wt gloves, tc sleeves
5. 32 Bruce Alexander 5-9 170 26 2 S.F. Austin 125 2 blk fade 3 bar, wt mouthpiece, wt elbowpads, wt wristbands, wt gloves, wt sleeves
Free Safeties
1. 36 Bennie Blades 6-1 221 25 3 Miami 116 11 blk fade 3 bar rb, eye paint, wt elbowbands, wt wrist double, tc gloves, tc sleeves, bk gloves (turf)
2. 38 Kevin Scott 5-9 175 22 R Stanford 50 4 blk fade 3 bar, qb wristbands, wt gloves
Strong Safeties
1. 35 William White 5-10 189 25 3 Ohio State 107 4 blk fade half cage, wt wristbands, wt gloves, wt sleeves
2. 27 Herb Welch 5-11 180 30 6 UCLA half cage, eye paint, wt wristbands, tc gloves, wt elbowpads (turf)
Kicker
1. 3 Eddie Murray 5-10 180 35 11 Tulane 45 4 brn crop 2 bar, wt sleeves
Punter
1. 6 Jim Arnold 6-3 211 30 8 Vanderbilt 16 7 l. brn c. over 2 bar, tc wristbands (grass), wt wristbands (turf)
Players Not Included
# 51 Mark Brown LB 6-2 240 29 7 Purdue dk skin 113 7 blk crop half cage, bk tc elbowpads, wt wristbands, wt gloves, wt elbowpads (turf)
# 30 Cedric Jackson HB 6-0 235 23 R TCU dk skin wt elbowpads, wt wristbands, wt gloves
# 83 Aubrey Matthews WR 5-7 165 29 5 N/A dk skin 2 bar, wt elbowpads, wt wrist double, wt gloves
# 77 Bubba Paris T 6-6 299 30 8 Michigan dk skin 48 19 blk crop half cage, neck roll, wt elbowpads, wt wristbands, wt gloves, tc sleeves
Player Ratings spd-str-awr-agi-acl-cth-car-jmp-btk-tak-thp-tha-pbk-rbk-kpr-kac-ret-stm-inj-tgh
R. Peete 68-54-72-75-72-10-47-60-52-20-84-82-20-25-19-21-0-86-69-64
E. Kramer 53-57-76-59-59-25-41-56-44-22-90-78-21-23-28-23-0-83-71-67
A. Ware 75-56-55-84-74-28-46-64-63-19-87-66-22-25-35-24-0-85-78-68
B. Sanders 97-72-84-99-99-75-99-71-98-24-46-37-41-34-33-24-10-96-86-84
D.J. Dozier 86-72-68-84-87-73-82-54-77-23-57-48-44-41-28-23-64-76-65-72
Overton 83-68-59-81-86-61-72-54-64-23-29-22-59-55-28-24-65-78-72-73
B. Perriman 92-60-77-88-95-93-82-84-62-24-35-29-29-31-28-23-60-86-88-74
R. Clark 93-57-73-92-92-83-72-76-66-21-22-22-23-25-25-22-10-81-80-65
W. Green 95-54-62-93-92-85-74-83-74-22-28-25-26-28-29-20-10-86-89-76
M. Farr 87-60-63-84-89-83-73-76-65-23-30-22-22-25-29-24-10-78-81-71
H. Moore 92-65-57-89-96-87-81-90-58-23-33-24-30-32-32-26-10-94-78-74
M. Gray 97-49-62-98-98-67-79-78-64-22-18-24-21-23-21-21-99-81-77-67
J. Campbell 93-52-58-95-84-78-73-74-66-21-23-25-24-25-25-22-66-86-78-69
Tennell 63-65-64-54-68-69-60-48-60-20-27-19-71-62-25-21-8-72-72-76
D. Little 63-70-68-60-65-64-64-59-57-24-33-22-63-59-25-22-8-74-80-69
L. Brown 57-94-87-62-61-38-25-47-30-22-29-22-93-97-28-23-0-74-79-91
Conover 62-87-59-60-71-33-25-45-29-24-29-19-77-85-25-23-0-71-79-79
Andolsek 61-87-75-60-72-35-25-45-29-71-29-20-84-81-27-25-0-71-82-78
Bouwens 56-88-64-52-68-23-21-42-26-24-28-17-76-86-25-24-0-67-82-77
K. Glover 64-91-86-62-81-24-22-53-28-25-25-22-93-94-28-23-0-75-83-76
Fortin 57-84-54-55-65-49-43-52-25-23-27-22-74-76-26-23-0-69-86-83
Dallafior 53-81-82-50-64-28-25-45-27-24-31-25-84-82-26-23-0-73-89-74
Utley 65-81-59-68-69-26-24-56-27-21-26-23-83-80-28-22-0-65-83-82
E. Sanders 60-86-76-57-68-25-54-48-28-24-27-23-77-80-26-25-0-70-77-74
Spindler 69-85-62-84-70-27-24-44-28-78-28-25-26-39-28-25-0-78-85-77
K. Pritchett 65-83-60-62-71-17-17-52-10-85-12-20-16-22-17-20-0-80-88-72
M. Cofer 75-81-86-86-78-37-41-67-28-81-24-23-26-46-29-23-0-81-68-73
J. Hunter 66-82-56-65-70-24-26-57-28-76-27-24-24-33-27-22-0-77-75-78
J. Ball 61-93-88-59-72-24-27-46-28-90-29-22-25-33-30-22-0-75-72-85
D. Owens 70-82-64-68-71-33-32-55-28-81-28-23-24-32-28-24-0-77-82-77
Pete 58-85-61-56-68-21-23-52-28-78-27-23-26-36-28-23-0-77-80-78
D. Milburn 67-83-54-64-66-24-23-57-28-80-28-24-24-31-28-24-0-78-68-76
Jamison 78-77-80-79-78-45-38-58-28-84-27-25-28-44-29-25-0-78-83-84
V. Jones 72-76-66-75-73-43-41-54-28-84-27-23-25-36-29-23-0-79-82-78
Spielman 76-83-87-75-78-46-37-57-28-97-33-25-25-43-26-22-0-86-85-87
Caston 74-78-67-75-77-41-38-56-28-82-25-22-24-41-27-21-0-77-79-72
Hayworth 82-77-60-83-84-42-38-68-28-85-27-23-26-44-28-25-0-81-76-77
N. Noga 71-73-81-67-69-40-36-56-28-84-28-25-28-42-27-23-0-82-84-81
D. Gibson 74-76-86-75-78-42-40-49-28-90-27-24-24-46-28-24-0-76-77-80
A. Bell 85-86-75-83-81-41-44-63-28-75-26-23-22-43-32-24-0-79-84-78
R. Crockett 90-55-74-91-90-61-45-85-25-70-23-19-23-27-23-19-15-86-77-77
M. Jenkins 92-52-73-90-90-56-45-83-28-69-26-23-19-22-23-22-10-79-84-76
T. Taylor 91-48-78-88-90-59-46-75-28-63-26-23-21-23-26-22-10-78-76-72
S. White 87-49-65-87-85-62-45-77-28-64-27-24-22-28-26-22-58-78-71-62
B. Alexander 89-45-59-93-86-57-44-77-28-60-25-23-22-24-23-21-62-77-65-64
B. Blades 91-59-82-94-94-53-45-80-28-92-29-23-26-35-28-22-10-91-77-83
K. Scott 87-49-53-85-85-63-43-78-28-74-21-20-22-25-25-22-10-81-81-73
W. White 87-56-75-85-85-56-44-65-28-84-28-22-20-25-27-23-10-84-87-78
H. Welch 82-55-74-83-84-56-48-63-28-77-28-24-20-24-23-19-10-75-80-74
E. Murray 44-34-90-45-42-43-42-42-17-18-35-28-15-18-92-89-0-54-84-52
J. Arnold 50-33-86-49-50-53-44-49-17-23-27-23-13-15-90-85-0-61-86-57
Cornerback Ray Crockett led the Lions with 6 interceptions. One of those picks was a 97-yard return for a TD against Dallas.
1991 Detroit Lions Individual Leaders
Passing: Erik Kramer, 1631 yds., 51.3 comp. pct, 11 TDs, 71.8 rating
Rushing: Barry Sanders, 1548 yds., 16 TDs, 4.5 yds./carry
Receiving: Brett Perriman, 52 rec., 668 yds., 1 TD
Touchdowns: Barry Sanders, 17 (16 rush., 1 rec.)
QB Sacks: Jeff Hunter, 6
Interceptions: Ray Crockett, 6 int., 141 yds., 1 TDs
Scoring: Barry Sanders, 102 pts. (17 TD’s)
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1991 NFC CENTRAL DIVISION STANDINGS
1st Place – Detroit (12-4)
2nd Place – Chicago (11-5)
3rd Place – Minnesota (8-8)
4th Place – Green Bay (4-12)
5th Place – Tampa Bay (3-13)
Mel Gray returns a kickoff against Green Bay. He averaged 25.8 yards per kickoff return in 1991 and 15.5 yards per return. His tremendous return abilities earned him a trip to the Pro Bowl in Hawaii.
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