Mark Craig: Odd as it sounds, Lions keep winning

For the fourth time since 1987, at least five NFL teams have won as many or more games than they did the previous season.

The Redskins (5-3) and Raiders (2-6) have matched their victory totals from last season. The Buccaneers (5-4) and Browns (5-3) have gone one better.

And then there's the Detroit Lions, the most surprising team in the league at the halfway point of the 2007 season. And, yeah, that includes the Packers, who are 7-1 and can match their 2006 total with a victory over the Vikings on Sunday at Lambeau Field.

"I think we're still a bit of a curiosity more than a surprise," Lions kicker Jason Hanson said by phone Monday. "But we're going into our ninth game and the season still means something. That's different. Practice is no longer just a character check."

The Lions are 6-2. They doubled last year's victory total Sunday when they destroyed the Broncos 44-7 at Ford Field.

That makes coach Rod Marinelli the front-runner for NFL Coach of the Year. It also makes him the first Lions coach since the leather helmet days to field the following question at his Monday news conference:

"How will you guard against your team becoming overconfident?"

The Lions? Overconfident? Have I slipped into a parallel universe?

I must have. I was talking to Hanson, and he wasn't at the Lions' Allen Park headquarters. He and his teammates were enjoying a "Victory Monday" day off. Victory Monday ... in Detroit?

"When Dick Jauron was here, he had a saying," said Hanson, referring to the former Lions assistant coach and interim head coach for the final five games in 2005. "He'd say, 'Sometimes, there's wind in your sails, and sometimes you just have to row.' For a lot of years, we were just rowing. But it seems like we finally have some wind in our sails."

Hanson has been with the Lions longer than any of his teammates, having spent all 16 of his NFL seasons in Detroit. He's 37, ranks 11th in NFL history in scoring (1,605) and yet he's still looking for his first playoff victory. He's 0-5, having never made it past the wild-card round.

The Lions haven't won more than six games since their last winning season in 2000. They haven't made the playoffs since 1999 or won a playoff game since 1991.

"It's hard to talk about how bad it's been in the past tense because we still have a lot of football to play this season," Hanson said. "But, yeah, it was bad."

The 2007 Lions are no surprise on offense, tied for sixth in scoring (25 points per game). Defensively, however, the Lions are very much a surprise. They lead the league in takeaways (24), interceptions (14) and points off takeaways (90).

Hanson credits veteran quarterback Jon Kitna's leadership and outspoken confidence for helping turn the Lions around. It was Kitna who made headlines before the season when he said the Lions would be disappointed if they didn't win at least 10 games.

"In this league, all the quarterbacks have talent," Hanson said. "But of all the quarterbacks I've seen come through here, Jon is the first true leader. And let's face it, if you look at most teams in the NFL, the good ones have a quarterback who is a leader."

Hanson also said Marinelli's leadership is the best he's seen from a coach.

"It's going to sound funny coming from a kicker, but he has the mentality of a football player," Hanson said. "He's no-nonsense in a good way. He expects a lot, and his standards do not change. I've seen us have the players and lack the coaching, and I've seen us have the coaching and not have the players. Now, the players, the coaches, the character, the talent all match."

The Lions have a long way to go. The combined record of their remaining opponents is 41-23, and includes three games against the NFC's top two teams: Green Bay twice and Dallas (7-1) once. But first, the Lions travel to Arizona (3-5) looking for their first four-game winning streak in eight years.

"We really aren't that surprised," Hanson said. "But we are excited."

Mark Craig • mcraig@startribune.com