Reggie might have won player of the game, but my game balls go to Bently and Slay. With Houston out, they both played solid enough to not give up the big plays. Slay might have been shaky earlier in the season, which is expected of rookies, but he's got that thing you can't coach–speed. I think having the time to play behind Mathis and Houston will benefit him in the long run.

Reggie may have gotten player of the game, but the true winners of that award should be the defensive front four. They dominated the line of scrimmage for the entire 60 minutes. Joique Bell played a really good game too, and was a bit more effective on the ground than Bush, in my opinion.

agreed. the defense was virtually flawless

I also thought Ross had a good game, made some nice plays, although not a big change over Spurlock on returns.

Spurlock blows. Except for about 3 returns, Spurlock has done nothing but hurt us on special teams. From Fair catching the ball on the 3 yard line to having a negative return. Ross is far superior to Spurlock.

The fact that Ross can play a single snap on offense and actually produce anything at all means he is infinitely better than Spurlock. The Lions haven't had a decent return man since Desmond Howard. In the 90s, the Lions had arguably the best special teams in the league, even when they were bad. Like cornerback, the Lions just can't seem to get a solid guy that will stay for a few years to return.
Right now, the Lions have Akers (puke), Spurlock (gag) and the #1 punter in the NFL, Sam Martin. Thankfully, the Lions can probably just throw some cash at these problems and get better at special teams with 2 cheap players. I never realized how important Hanson was until Akers played. Inside their opponents 40 yard line, I can't say I blame Schwartz for going for it on 4th down when Akers is threatening to kick a field goal.

I have been longing for the next Mel Gray since he retired.

eddie drummond was outstanding. logan was actually pretty good his first season with the lions, average his 2nd and terrible last season

Drummond was a legitimate threat for a couple of seasons. And I forgot that Ross had actually broke a long one that got called back, so I stand corrected and he is a big upgrade over Spurlock.

Logan blows. He was nothing more than a by product of the Kickoff rules of his time. He absolutely sucked once they moved the Kickoffs back to what they were when Mel Gray played.