Detroit Lions kicker Jason Hanson retired Thursday. He never experienced a win against the Green Bay Packers.
Raymond T. Rivard photograph

The Green Bay Packers kicking game went south last season – so far south that Packers kicker Mason Crosby was a shell of himself – the opposite of what we saw year-in and year-out by the Detroit Lions’ Jason Hanson.

Hanson, the 21-year veteran who was the model of consistency each and every year he was in the National Football League, was injured for part of last season and still managed to convert 88.9 percent of his kicks (32-of-36), while Crosby 63.6 percent (21-of-33).

Hanson announced his retirement yesterday, saying it was time. He did everything right over the past two-plus decades, making 82.4 percent of his kicks (495-of-601). He also tagged on 665 extra points. He missed only eight point-afters over the course of 21 seasons – pretty incredible statistics.

Mason Crosby’s team wins, but he hasn’t come close to duplicating the consistency that was produced by Detroit Lions kicker Jason Hanson.
Raymond T. Rivard photograph

Those are statistics that Crosby must be dreaming about. If he sticks around for 21 years, one would only hope he could recreate Hanson’s stats.

The only thing that must be sticking in Hanson’s craw is the fact that during those 21 seasons, not once did he ever – and I mean EVER- beat the Green Bay Packers in the state of Wisconsin. He tried his best. Every time he came on the field against the Packers, one knew it was an automatic make. But it wasn’t enough because – well, because he played for the Lions. He was the kicker for some pretty bad teams over the course of his career – but not all of them. He had his chances … it’s just that the Packers have had the Lions number for a very long time.

As reported on CheeseheadTv.com, Associated Press writer Noah Trister, said: “The Lions losing streak on the road against the Packers began in 1992, Hanson’s rookie season. Detroit has not won a road game against Green Bay since 1991. That includes games played in Milwaukee in 1992, 1993 and 1994.”

That’s not to say he wasn’t the best kicker in the league during that stretch of time. He was always a classy player, never boasted about his accomplishments and gave place-kickers a good name.

In making his decision to retire, Hanson said: “It was time to make a decision. It was the right time to step away. Ultimately, it’s my heel – the problem I developed last year. Now that we’re starting a new year, it’s still an issue. I have the desire. I have the determination, as I said earlier, to come back. Each time I’d start to push it, I’d kind of short-circuit. I realized that at this point of my career, I don’t want to perform in a compromised way. It’s not good for the team. I lost a little of my desire to play injured.”

Jason Hanson
Raymond T. Rivard photograph

As a Packers fan, I won’t miss watching Hanson convert kick after kick and then trying to compare the Packers’ kicking game with that of Hanson’s over the years – there is no comparison.

Hanson scored a total of 2,150 points in 327 games. To date, Mason Crosby has kicked in 96 games in six seasons. We hope his goal is to recreate what Hanson has accomplished – except for the winning part.

When thinking about it, if Crosby can convert even 70 percent of his kicks and still continue to win games, that would be OK, too.

Matt Flynn threw for 480 yards and 6 touchdowns against the Detroit Lions - franchise records. Raymond T. Rivard photograph

Matt Flynn … holy cow.

The Green Bay Packers’ backup quarterback’s name will forever be linked with that latter phrase, not only in Packers Nation, but across the NFL.

In fact, his six touchdown passes today will not only be admired by Packers coaches, players and fans, but it no doubt will lead to a big payday in the coming months. That said, it most likely will not be with the Green Bay Packers.

So, what about the game?

Well, to say the Packers’ 45-41 win over the Detroit Lions on this first day of 2012 was a shootout is a vast understatement. Flynn and Matthew Stafford, quarterback of  the playoff-bound Detroit Lions, went toe-to-toe in this one, punching and counterpunching all day long, matching touchdown for touchdown.

In the end, they combined for 1,000 passing yards and 11 touchdowns – an NFL record.

With those numbers, the impression was there was no defense in this one. You could certainly argue that, but in siding with the Packers, they played without linebacker Clay Matthews and Charles Woodson as coach Mike McCarthy reached deep into his bench on that side of the ball to give his starters time to rest and to give the backups some much-needed game experience.

For more about this incredible game, take the jump and don’t forget to Like Lombardiave.com at Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

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Aaron Rodgers and Jared Allen were both named as October Players of the Month in the NFC. Raymond T. Rivard photograph

Good gosh, is it no doubt why the Packers have been the best team in the NFL during the first half of the season and Aaron Rodgers the best quarterback?

Just take a look at the NFC North Division … The Lions and the Bears are close behind the Packers, while even the Vikings have shown vast improvement the past couple of weeks.

In essence, it’s the competition that ultimately makes a championship team and the Packers play, without question, the toughest competition within its own division.

Clearly, it makes them better.

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