1978 Detroit Lions season

The 1978 Detroit Lions season was the franchise's 49th season in the National Football League. Under new head coach and former NFL player Monte Clark, the Lions continue to struggle with mediocrity finishing in third place again with a less than stellar record of 7–9.

1978 Detroit Lions season
Head coachMonte Clark
General managerRuss Thomas
OwnerWilliam Clay Ford, Sr.
Home fieldPontiac Silverdome
Results
Record7–9
Division place3rd NFC Central
Playoff finishDid not qualify

This season would also be the swan song for starting quarterback Greg Landry's stellar ten-year career in Detroit, as in the offseason was shipped to the Baltimore Colts for a 1979 fourth round pick (#88-Ulysses Norris), a 1979 fifth round pick (#131-Walt Brown), and a 1980 third round pick (#62-Mike Friede), in a rebuilding process begun by head coach Monte Clark.[1][2]

Offseason

NFL draft
1978 Detroit Lions draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 11 Luther Bradley  Cornerback Notre Dame
2 40 Al Baker *  Defensive end Colorado State
      Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

[3]

Personnel

Staff
1978 Detroit Lions staff
Front office
  • President – William Clay Ford, Sr.
  • Executive Vice President and General Manager – Russ Thomas
  • Director of Football Operations – Monte Clark
  • Administrative Assistant – Doug Gerhart

Head coaches

  • Head Coach – Monte Clark

Offensive coaches

 Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

[4]

Roster
1978 Detroit Lions roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

 Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

 Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

 Reserve lists


Practice squad



Rookies in italics

Regular season

Schedule
Week Date Opponent Result Attendance
1 September 3 Green Bay Packers L 13–7
51,187
2 September 9 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 15–7
64,445
3 September 17 Chicago Bears L 19–0
65,982
4 September 24 at Seattle Seahawks L 28–16
60,040
5 October 1 at Green Bay Packers L 35–14
54,601
6 October 8 Washington Redskins L 21–19
60,555
7 October 15 at Atlanta Falcons L 14–0
51,172
8 October 22 San Diego Chargers W 31–14
54,031
9 October 29 at Chicago Bears W 21–17
53,378
10 November 5 at Minnesota Vikings L 17–7
46,008
11 November 12 Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 34–23
60,320
12 November 19 at Oakland Raiders L 29–17
44,517
13 November 23 Denver Broncos W 17–14
71,785
14 December 3 at St. Louis Cardinals L 21–14
39,200
15 December 9 Minnesota Vikings W 45–14
78,685
16 December 17 San Francisco 49ers W 33–14
56,674

Game summaries

Week 9: at Chicago Bears
1 234Total
• Lions 7 1400 21
Bears 3 770 17
  • Date: October 29
  • Location: Soldier Field, Chicago
  • Game start: 1:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: 48°F, wind 10 mph

Standings
NFC Central
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
Minnesota Vikings(3) 8 7 1 .531 5–2–1 7–4–1 294 306 L2
Green Bay Packers 8 7 1 .531 5–2–1 6–5–1 249 269 L2
Detroit Lions 7 9 0 .438 4–4 5–7 290 300 W2
Chicago Bears 7 9 0 .438 3–5 7–5 253 274 W2
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 5 11 0 .313 2–6 3–11 241 259 L4
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References
  1. Daytona Beach Journal, sports article April 30, 1979.
  2. 1979 NFL Draft Pick Transactions, ProSportsTransactions.com, accessed March 31, 2012.
  3. "1978 Detroit Lions Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 10, 2014.
  4. "Executive and coaching staff profiles". 1978 Detroit Lions Media Guide. pp. 3–11.
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