Not to bad Lions end 2010 season with four straight victories with high hopes towards next season

After four straight victories to end the season, Detroit running back Jahvid Best summed up his team’s unexpected run with a phrase that could have gotten him laughed at if he’d said it a month ago.
The Lions head into the offseason on their longest winning streak in more than a decade following Sunday’s 20-13 win over Minnesota. Despite their share of adversity this season, they finished 6-10, tripling last season’s victory total.
In another sign that Detroit is making progress, the NFL released its 2011 draft order Monday. Lions fans should prepare to wait a little longer this year to watch their team pick. Detroit has the 13th selection after making five top-three picks since 2002.
The lower spot is a direct result of the Lions’ first four-game winning streak since 1999. They’ve even won two road games in a row after losing 26 straight before that.
Three different starting quarterbacks won games for Detroit this season. Matthew Stafford played only one game start to finish because of shoulder problems, but Shaun Hill threw for 2,686 yards and completed 62 percent of his passes.
When Hill was sidelined with his own injuries, Drew Stanton stepped in and started the first two games of the season-ending winning streak.
Even kicker Jason Hanson, for so many years one of the team’s few bright spots, went down with an injury. Dave Rayner stepped in and was perfect from inside 40 yards, making the tying and winning kicks in the victory over Tampa Bay that broke the NFL-record road losing streak.