1981 Detroit Lions season

1981 Detroit Lions season
1981 Detroit Lions season
Head coach	Monte Clark
Home field	Pontiac Silverdome
Results
Record	8–8
Division place	2nd NFC Central
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
Pro Bowlers	2 RB Billy Sims; DT Doug English;
AP All-Pros	2 RB Billy Sims (2nd team); DT Doug English (2nd team);
	← 1980; Lions seasons; 1982 →;

The 1981 Detroit Lions season was their 52nd in the league. The team failed to improve upon their previous season's record of 9–7, winning eight games.^[1] The Lions started off the first four games even at 2–2. In the fourth game of the season, starting quarterback Gary Danielson suffered a dislocated wrist, which ended his season. Backup quarterback Jeff Komlo finished the game and was named the starter for the next week. In the next two games, Komlo struggled. The Lions lost both of those games. Head Coach Monte Clark made the decision to give third-string quarterback Eric Hipple start on a Monday Night game against the Chicago Bears. In front of approximately 71,000 fans, Clark's gamble paid off as the Lions defeated the Bears 48–17.

Star halfback Billy Sims continued to play solid football, amassing 1,888 total yards in total offense while scoring a team-high 14 touchdowns. The Lions had a chance to win the division on the last day against Tampa Bay, but lost and finished in second place in the NFC Central with an 8–8 record. The team missed the playoffs for the eleventh straight season.

Offseason

NFL Draft

1981 Detroit Lions Draft
Draft order		Player name	Position	College
Round	Selection	Player name	Position	College
1	16	Mark Nichols	WR	San Jose State
2	46	Curtis Green	DE	Alabama State
3	72	Don Greco	G	Western Illinois
4	99	Tracy Porter	WR	LSU
5	129	Larry Lee	DE	North Carolina State
6	155	Sam Johnson	DB	Maryland
7	182	Lee Spivey	OT	SMU
8	211	Bob Niziolek	TE	Colorado
9	238	Hugh Jernigan	DB	Arkansas
9	240	Dave Martin	DB	Villanova
10	264	Andy Cannavino	LB	Michigan
11	294	Willie Jackson	DB	Mississippi State

Undrafted free agents

1981 Undrafted Free Agents of note
Player	Position	College
Bob Stachowicz	Quarterback	Michigan State

Roster

**1981 Detroit Lions roster**

	Quarterbacks 16 Gary Danielson 17 Eric Hipple 19 Jeff Komlo Running backs 24 Dexter Bussey 31 Ken Callicutt 32 Rick Kane 25 Horace King 20 Billy Sims 38 Vince Thompson Wide receivers 48 Robbie Martin 86 Mark Nichols 89 Tracy Porter 87 Freddie Scott 39 Leonard Thompson Tight ends 81 David Hill 82 Bob Niziolek 80 Ulysses Norris		Offensive linemen 76 Karl Baldischwiler T 73 Russ Bolinger G 72 Chris Dieterich T 70 Keith Dorney T 61 Homer Elias G 65 Amos Fowler C 64 Larry Lee G 55 Tom Turnure C Defensive linemen 60 Al Baker DE 77 Curley Culp DT 71 Steve Furness DT 74 Joe Ehrmann DT 78 Doug English DT 79 William Gay DE 62 Curtis Green DE 75 Dave Pureifory DE		Linebackers 53 Garry Cobb 57 Ken Fantetti 51 James Harrell 50 Terry Tautolo 59 Charlie Weaver 52 Stan White Defensive backs 40 Jimmy Allen SS 27 Luther Bradley CB 45 Jeff Delaney 26 Hector Gray 35 Alvin Hall SS 28 James Hunter FS 44 Wayne Smith CB Special teams 3 Eddie Murray K 1 Tom Skladany P		Reserve lists 67 Don Greco G (IRTooltip Injured reserve) -- DeWayne Jett WR (IRTooltip Injured reserve) 84 Jesse Thompson WR (IRTooltip Injured reserve) 54 Steve Towle LB (IRTooltip Injured reserve) 30 Ray Williams RB (IRTooltip Injured reserve) Practice squad Rookies in italics

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Attendance
1	September 6	San Francisco 49ers	W 24–17	1–0	63,710
2	September 13	at San Diego Chargers	L 28–23	1–1	51,264
3	September 20	at Minnesota Vikings	L 26–24	1–2	45,350
4	September 27	Oakland Raiders	W 16–0	2–2	77,919
5	October 4	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	L 28–10	2–3	71,733
6	October 11	at Denver Broncos	L 27–21	2–4	74,816
7	October 19	Chicago Bears	W 48–17	3–4	71,273
8	October 25	Green Bay Packers	W 31–27	4–4	76,063
9	November 1	at Los Angeles Rams	L 20–13	4–5	61,814
10	November 8	at Washington Redskins	L 33–31	4–6	52,096
11	November 15	Dallas Cowboys	W 27–24	5–6	79,694
12	November 22	at Chicago Bears	W 23–7	6–6	50,082
13	November 26	Kansas City Chiefs	W 27–10	7–6	76,735
14	December 6	at Green Bay Packers	L 31–17	7–7	54,481
15	December 12	Minnesota Vikings	W 45–7	8–7	79,428
16	December 20	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	L 20–17	8–8	80,444
Note: Intra-division games are in bold text

Week 13

	1	2	3	4	Total
Chiefs	7	0	3	0	10
• Lions	7	10	3	7	27

Date: November 26
Location: Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan
Game start: 12:30 p.m.
Game weather: Indoors (dome)
TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen

^[2]

Standings

NFC Central
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Tampa Bay Buccaneers⁽³⁾	9	7	0	.563	6–2	9–3	315	268	W1
Detroit Lions	8	8	0	.500	4–4	6–6	397	322	L1
Green Bay Packers	8	8	0	.500	4–4	7–7	324	361	L1
Minnesota Vikings	7	9	0	.438	4–4	6–6	325	369	L5
Chicago Bears	6	10	0	.375	2–6	2–10	253	324	W3

References

[1] 1981 Detroit Lions

[2] Pro-Football-Reference.com

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