ALLEN PARK, Mich. — When the Lions' Shaun Rogers rumbled with the intercepted football and his estimated 360 pounds toward the Ford Field end zone last Sunday, he was heading directly toward Harley Duke, who rose to his feet to cheer.
Duke, 53, is a season-ticket holder in the first row of the upper deck of the end zone. He has seen many good and not-so-good Detroit Lions moments at Tiger Stadium, the Pontiac Silverdome and Ford Field in downtown Detroit.
But Duke had never witnessed a defensive tackle sprinting 66 yards while stiff-arming a would-be tackler at the 10 yard-line before belly-flopping over the goal line in a 44-7 victory over Denver that left the Lions a surprising 6-2 at midseason.
The Lions begin the season's second half Sunday as an underdog at Arizona (3-5). They still must play the Giants, Green Bay (twice) and Dallas. Could the Lions — 50 years from their last NFL title — really be good or is this merely another tease?
Duke is waiting to jump on the bandwagon. "The young fans are fired up, but the older guys are kind of holding off," Duke said. "So I'm not jumping on the bandwagon yet. I've seen this before, and then the Lions just rip your heart out."
Perhaps skepticism is merited for a team with one playoff victory since 1957. Rogers anchors a defense that leads the league in takeaways (24). On offense, the leader is Jon Kitna, a 35-year old quarterback who arrived last season as a vagabond backup.
Coach Rod Marinelli also started here last season and had never been a head coach. Millen, through a team official, declined an interview request. The Lions finished 3-13 last season to make team president Matt Millen's record 24-72 in his first six seasons with four coaches.
But Marinelli began to establish a sense of stability. He emphasized it by putting in the middle of the locker room a 750-pound Michigan fieldstone that weighs more than twice as much as Rogers.
On the boulder's base are the words Pound the Rock. On top of it is another message: Not good enough. Jason Hanson, the veteran place-kicker, explained: "You pound the rock until you break it." Kitna, speaking of Marinelli, said: "Every guy in here will probably fall on a sword for that guy. He has no ego."
Some of his players might have more pride, but their individual statistics are nothing to brag about. Kitna ranks seventh in the quarterback ratings and Hanson is tied for seventh in scoring, but no Detroit runners or pass receivers are among the top 10.
Roy Williams, ranked 20th in yardage among receivers, said the Lions' offense is "under the radar right now." He warned against overconfidence, specifically citing how the Giants started last season 6-2 before finishing 8-8.
"Teams are going to gear up for us," receiver Roy Williams said. "Our goal is 10 wins. That will put us in the playoffs." The figure is often cited because Kitna, before the season, surprisingly said he would be disappointed with less.
Kitna is a religious man who wears a baseball cap backward with the words In His Grip on it. His locker is decorated with posters and drawings promoting Christianity. All this made his Halloween costume somewhat surprising.
At a charity party, Kitna dressed as naked man, wearing a bodysuit and a thong, to spoof the defensive line coach, Joe Cullen, who pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct last year after driving nude through a pickup lane at a fast-food restaurant. In a statement issued by the team last week, Cullen said he was not offended by Kitna's costume.
Another recent off-field incident involved Rogers. He is being sued in Wayne County (Mich.) Circuit Court by a stripper who accused him of groping her without permission last June. Her lawyer, William McHenry, said Thursday, "It's criminal sexual conduct."
The Wayne County prosecutor's office, however, did not charge Rogers with a crime. Rogers will be deposed in the civil case in a few weeks. Rogers's lawyer, Matthew Leitman, said Thursday, "We've denied all allegations of wrongdoing."
Rogers rarely speaks to reporters but did a group interview for about two minutes on Wednesday. He answered several questions by saying his team is 6-2 before walking away.
On Thursday, Rogers walked around the locker room clicking together two black sticks. He is a seven-year veteran who was suspended four games last season after testing positive for a prohibited substance.
"It is more fun than it has been for a while," Rogers said Wednesday. "There's always been a lot of talk. Most of the time, it's negative."
But it is hard for players and fans to temper their optimism. In a region where unemployment is high, the housing market is reeling and the automobile industry is struggling, sports are a primary form of entertainment.
T.J. Duckett, a running back who grew up in the state and played at Michigan State, spoke of his family in Kalamazoo.
"It's crazy for me to see them so excited and it's not because I'm on the Lions," he said. "It's because they just like the Lions. Everyone's been dissing them for so many years."
Duckett said he grew up watching the traditional Thanksgiving game from Detroit, even when the Lions were not a good team, and said how important that national exposure could be this season when the Packers visit.
Jeff Backus, an offensive tackle who played at Michigan, talked of how the Pistons and the Red Wings have won championships in recent years and of how the Tigers reached the 2006 World Series.
"The other three pro sports have played really well," Backus said. "It's up to us to bring up the football end of it. We're trying."