Sports writers Dave Birkett and Carlos Monarrez discuss the Lions' playoffs possibilities at 4-7.
From the UFL to the Arena League to the CFL getting cut twice to the starting lineup for Detroit
The NFL was the last thing on Michael Ola's mind when he arrived for training camp with the UFL's Virginia Destroyers in the summer of 2011.
Ola went undrafted out of Hampton (Va.), got nary a sniff from NFL teams during the 2011 off-season lockout and just wanted to play football.
But when Destroyers coach Marty Schottenheimer — a longtime coach with the Cleveland Browns, San Diego Chargers, Washington Redskins and Kansas City Chiefs — called Ola into his office one day, the offensive lineman's career went rocketing in another direction.