Last year, the Detroit Lions had some complaints about the turf at London's Wembley Stadium during their visit across the pond.
This year -- with a Sunday date against the Chiefs looming in London -- they've taken the no more excuses approach. At least one member of the Lions thought it was appropriate to take a dig at their division rivals.
Turf heat aside, the one thing that'll be important for Detroit over these next few weeks is keeping a sense of humor and competitive edge, which is what Johnson seems to have done here.
So often with talented vets who are nearing the end -- or are at least closer to the end than the beginning -- there is a prickliness that develops when their team feels so far away from the Super Bowl they've always wanted to win.
The Lions have the worst record in the NFL and just fired their offensive coordinator, Joe Lombardi. Their new offensive coordinator is Jim Bob Cooter, and he's never been a play-caller at any level before -- which might end up working well in his favor, but certainly did not for Lombardi.
We're hoping to one day see Johnson in the Super Bowl if only because it seems like the right way for him to go out. If not, we can at least remember small moments like these, moments of ease amid some pretty serious headaches, that defined his relaxed spirit.
