Quote:You bring up an interesting point.

 

Have the Lions ever played in London before? I can't remember.

 

They seem to be getting the royal treatment this week because they are playing in London, and they're having a good season so far.

 

If the game was here in the states, there wouldn't be all the extra hoopla they are having, but because it's in London this week, it's more then just another NFL game in week 8.

 

It's just a different experience to host a game in London right now, then the states.

 

The only other time the Lions have played in London was in the 1993 pre-season against the Dallas Cowboys.   The game ended up in a tie.   It was in the days of Barry Sanders and Emmitt Smith.   The Cowboys had a sizeable following in the U.K.  because they played at least one other pre-season game there in the past and were the defending Super Bowl Champions.     There was certainly more media coverage for that pre-season game than the typical Lions pre-season game.   But this week's regular season game is on a different level in terms of all of the extras that a team wouldn't be involved with in a typical week leading up to a game,

 

I think the combination of the Lions getting to a good start as you mentioned,   along with the team having high profile players in Matthew Stafford,  Calvin Johnson,  Reggie Bush,  and Ndamukong Suh,  are probably the reasons why the Lions are getting the royal treatment this week.   My concern is how much of a distraction will this be for the team,  regarding the game.    Jim Caldwell has done a great job keeping the team at an even keel this season,   after the emotional roller coaster that Jim Schwartz brought to the table.   But this will be a huge test for Jim Caldwell.     The facility the Lions are practicing and staying in Bagshot, England sounds like a 5 star U.K. style resort.   That in itself is a potential major distraction.

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