The answers for why the Lions started 1-3 and what changed Sunday when they rallied to beat the Eagles and give their season a stay of execution lie in few trouble-filled months this spring, receiver Nate Burleson said. The Lions had the worst off-season of any team in the NFL with seven arrests or citations by four players, all of which combined to give the franchise one big black eye. Mikel Leshoure was cited twice for marijuana possession, Nick Fairley was busted on weed and DUI charges, and two more now-former Lions, Aaron Berry and Johnny Culbreath, had run-ins with police because of guns, alcohol and pot. Lions coach Jim Schwartz was angry, fed up with the misbehavior off the field. Management was, too. And locker-room leaders such as Burleson took their cues from up top and put on serious faces for their teammates to see. "We had a lot of discipline issues in the off-season, and we wanted to tighten up because the perception of this organization started to change," Burleson said. "What we worked for was getting torn down, and we wanted to be more of a mature team. But finding that maturity off the field can't compromise who we are on the field. And who we are on the field are the bad guys. ... We're the ones that nobody wants to see succeed, and we like it that way. We play better that way. "I think everybody took it in their own hands to be better men off the field, and that followed us a little bit on the field. But I think we're back where we need to be." Source: Detroit Free Press
