The 2005 season was the Detroit Lions' 76th in the National Football League (NFL), their 72nd as the Detroit Lions, their fourth playing home games at Ford Field, and the third and final under head coach Steve Mariucci. The Lions failed to improve on their 6–10 record from 2004, dropping one more game than last year, and missed the postseason.
Following a Thanksgiving Day loss to the Atlanta Falcons, the Lions fired head coach Steve Mariucci, naming defensive coordinator and former Chicago Bears head coach Dick Jauron as their interim coach. Mariucci compiled a 15–28 record with the Lions.
The team started 3–3 before dropping 2 of their last 10 and finishing 5–11. The team finished bottom-tier in offense and below-average in defense. Defensive tackle Shaun Rogers was the only Lion named to the Pro Bowl, finishing his season with 5.5 sacks, 41 tackles, and 2 forced fumbles including a fumble recovery for a touchdown.
The passing game was headed by both fourth-year starter Joey Harrington and veteran Jeff Garcia, starting 11 and 5 games respectively. Harrington finished with 2,021 passing yards while throwing for 12 interceptions, matching last season's total. The receiving game was led by Roy Williams, while the run game was led by sophomore Kevin Jones.
Offseason
Coaching changes Offensive coordinator Sherman Lewis retired after a 37-year coaching career. The Lions hired Ted Tollner, the San Francisco 49ers' offensive coordinator during their 2004 season, to be their offensive coordinator. Fred Graves replaced Kevin Higgins as the wide receivers coach. After losing linebackers coach Richard Smith to the Miami Dolphins, the Lions elevated defensive assistant Johnny Holland to his position and hired former Washington defensive coordinator Phil Snow as defensive assistant. In July, president Matt Millen agreed to a five-year contract extension that would put him in Detroit through the 2010 season.
Free agency On the defensive side of the ball, defensive tackle and two-time Pro-Bowler Shaun Rogers signed a six-year extension with the team. The Lions also re-signed safety Bracy Walker, defensive tackle Marcus Bell, linebackers Wali Rainer and Donté Curry, and cornerbacks Chris Cash and André Goodman. Offensively, the Lions re-signed full-time starter and center Dominic Raiola to a five-year deal. Kick returner and Pro Bowler Eddie Drummond, looking for a multi-year deal, held out for one week before signing a one-year contract. The Lions filled in needs at wide receiver with the signing of Kevin Johnson. On special teams, the Lions re-signed punter Nick Harris.
At quarterback, the Lions signed veteran and three-time Pro Bowlers Jeff Garcia, reuniting him with head coach Steve Mariucci, with whom he played for while Mariucci was coaching the San Francisco 49ers. Two weeks prior, the Cleveland Browns released Garcia after a turbulent season where he went for 1,731 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions while completing 57% of his passes. The Lions also signed safety Kenoy Kennedy, tight end Marcus Pollard, offensive linemen Rick DeMulling and Kyle Kosier, cornerback R. W. McQuarters, and running back Jamel White. The Lions cut wide receiver Az-Zahir Hakim, who posted 31 receptions for 533 yards in 2004. They also cut safety Brock Marion and offensive lineman Matt Joyce.
Legal issues In May, defensive end Kalimba Edwards was pulled over by a state trooper in Southfield, Michigan. After refusing to produce a driver's license, the trooper ordered Edwards out of the vehicle, to which he complied. After attempting to arrest him, Edwards resisted and was pepper sprayed. In June, Edwards pleaded guilty to two charges and was sentenced to one year probation. Wide receiver David Kircus was arrested on June 25 for a DUI, pleading guilty on July 6 to the misdemeanor. He was ordered to pay $850 in fines and sentenced to one day time served.
In early October, the league suspended Charles Rogers for four games for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. Nearly a month and a half later, the Lions filed a grievance against Rogers, seeking $10.1 million of Rogers' $14.4 million signing bonus alleging he violated his contract. In September 2008, the Lions would win their grievance, with an arbitrator ruling Rogers must pay the Lions $8.5 million.
Draft In the first round, the Lions drafted wide receiver Mike Williams out of USC. With the Lions, he put up 449 yards and 2 touchdowns. Williams was seen as another bust in a three-year stretch of the Lions drafting wide receivers in the first round and lasted just two seasons with the team. Second-round selection, Shaun Cody, played four seasons with the Lions, catching one interception, posting 1.5 sacks, and getting 92 tackles. Third-round pick Stanley Wilson Jr. played 32 games for the Lions, posting 89 tackles and 8 passes defended. Fifth-round selection, Dan Orlovsky, would sit on the bench for a few seasons in Detroit. In the 2008 season, he would play 10 games for the Lions, posting 1,616 yards with 8 touchdowns and interceptions as he went 0–7 in his starts. He would leave the Lions after 2008 before returning in 2014, playing two games total in 2015. Both sixth-round picks, Bill Swancutt and Johnathan Goddard, lasted one season in the league.
Staff
Roster
Preseason The Lions began their preseason schedule against the New York Jets. The Jets opened the scoring with a 1-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, with the Lions response being a Jason Hanson 22-yard field goal. The Jets would kick a field goal of their own in a turnover heavy game as the Lions fell 3–10. The two teams combined for five turnovers and ten punts. Week Date Opponent Result Record Attendance 1 August 12 New York Jets L 3–10 0–1 77,865 2 August 20 at Cleveland Browns L 13–21 0–2 58,371 3 August 29 at St. Louis Rams L 13–37 0–3 58,625 4 September 2 Buffalo BillsW 21–71–353,713
Regular season
Overview
The Lions began their season 3–3, tied for first in the NFC North, before finishing 2–8 and ending the season 5–11, missing the playoffs. They suffered their fifth straight losing season and finished third in the North. The offense, headed first by coordinator Ted Tollner and then Greg Olson, finished bottom 6 in both points scored and yards. The passing and running game both finished 26th in yards. Fourth-year quarterback Joey Harrington led the team in passing yards with 2,021 and 12 touchdowns to 12 interceptions, while quarterback Jeff Garcia finished with 937 yards, three touchdowns, and six interceptions. The run game was headed by sophomore Kevin Jones, who rushed for 664 yards and 5 touchdowns. Wide receiver Roy Williams led the team in receiving with 687 yards and 8 touchdowns.
The quarterback situation in Detroit was tumultuous. In March, the Lions signed veteran quarterback Jeff Garcia in the offseason after losing Mike McMahon to the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency. Garcia was seen as an immediate competitor for the starting quarterback role. Garcia was coming off a season where he threw for 1,731 yards and a 10–9 touchdown–interception ratio. In the final game of the preseason, Garcia, filling in for the injured Joey Harrington, suffered a broken fibula after a hit from a defensive player. After finding out he wouldn't need surgery, Garcia's return was slated to be within six to eight weeks. The Lions named Harrington as the starter to begin the season. After Garcia returned to practice in mid-October, Mariucci benched Harrington in favor of Garcia: he led Detroit to a 13–10 victory over the Cleveland Browns. However, after just two games, Garcia was benched for Harrington after taking multiple shots in their Week 8 matchup versus the Chicago Bears. He was also sat for the Week 10 and 11 game due to issues with the same leg he broke in the preseason. On the Thanksgiving Day matchup versus the Atlanta Falcons, Harrington was benched in the first half for Garcia after throwing an interception. After Mariucci was fired, cornerback Dré Bly blamed Harrington for the firing of Mariucci, saying that he wouldn't have been fired if Garcia was the full-time starting quarterback. Harrington said of the statement: "I'm not ever going to validate what he said. I'm not going to get into a war of words with Dre'." Bly later apologized to the team. Interim head coach Dick Jauron named Garcia as the starter versus the Vikings. Garcia was benched for Harrington during the Week 15 matchup versus the Bengals, and Harrington was named the starter for the rest of the season.
In June, wide receiver Charles Rogers was cleared for contact after breaking his collarbone in each of the last two seasons. During the first game of the season, veteran kicker Jason Hanson injured his hamstring, leading the Lions to activate kicker Remy Hamilton. Cornerback Fernando Bryant went down in Week 2 with a separated right shoulder, ending his season. The Lions also lost Rogers to a four-game suspension in early October due to a violation of the NFL's substance abuse policy. They lost another wide receiver when, during the Week 5 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens, Roy Williams went down with a leg injury. Cornerback Dré Bly was out for three to four weeks due to a wrist injury suffered during Week 7. The Lions also lost running back Kevin Jones with a shoulder injury that sat him out of the Week 9 game. In the last four weeks of the season, the Lions put three linebackers on injured reserve: Teddy Lehman, Boss Bailey, and Earl Holmes. They also lost safety Terrence Holt to the injured reserve due to an elbow injury.
Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 11 Green Bay Packers W 17–3 1–0 Ford Field 61,877 2 September 18 at Chicago Bears L 6–38 1–1 Soldier Field 62,019 3 Bye 4 October 2 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 13–17 1–2 Raymond James Stadium 64,994 5 October 9 Baltimore Ravens W 35–17 2–2 Ford Field 61,201 6 October 16 Carolina Panthers L 20–21 2–3 Ford Field 61,083 7 October 23 at Cleveland Browns W 13–10 3–3 Cleveland Browns Stadium 72,923 8 October 30 Chicago Bears L 13–19 3–4 Ford Field 61,814 9 November 6 at Minnesota Vikings L 14–27 3–5 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 63,813 10 November 13 Arizona Cardinals W 29–21 4–5 Ford Field 61,091 11 November 20 at Dallas Cowboys L 7–20 4–6 Texas Stadium 62,670 12 November 24 Atlanta Falcons L 7–27 4–7 Ford Field 62,390 13 December 4 Minnesota Vikings L 16–21 4–8 Ford Field 61,375 14 December 11 at Green Bay Packers L 13–16 4–9 Lambeau Field 70,019 15 December 18 Cincinnati Bengals L 17–41 4–10 Ford Field 61,749 16 December 24 at New Orleans Saints W 13–12 5–10 Alamodome 63,747 17 January 1 at Pittsburgh Steelers L 21–35 5–11 Heinz Field 63,794
Game summaries
Week 1: vs. Green Bay Packers
In their opening game of the season, the Lions hosted the Green Bay Packers. Both teams punted to begin their opening possessions. The Lions took their second drive 68 yards capped off by a Joey Harrington touchdown pass to Marcus Pollard to take the early 7–0 lead. The Packers responded with a 14-play drive that got them down to Detroit's 4-yard line. After lining up in field goal formation, the Packers ran a fake field goal that failed, ending in a fumble recovery for Detroit. The Lions would turn the ball over on downs in Packer territory. The Packers took their next drive 11 plays and 37 yards capped off by a Ryan Longwell 50-yard field goal. Three punts would end the first half with the Lions up 7–3.