Ford Field was, as you might expect given Detroit's super awesome 2008 season, not exactly a happy place to be. Things boiled over in Week 13 when center Dominic Raiola took offense with a particularly unruly heckler and gave him the finger -- then refused to apologize, instead stating that he wished he was allowed to challenge detractors to fights.
Here's hoping that things improve in the Motor City soon, because the Lions and Raiola have agreed to a four-year deal that will keep him in Detroit through the 2013 season.
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Putting the rowdy incident aside, Raiola's been a fixture in the middle of Detroit's offensive line since the Lions drafted him out of Nebraska in 2001. He started 104 consecutive games from Week 1 of 2002 until an injury sidelined him after Week 9 last season.
He's seen a lot of Detroit losses in that time, so maybe he can be forgiven a bit for flying off the handle from time to time.
Raiola's never been a dominant center -- at 6-foot-1, 295 pounds, he's among the smallest centers in the league -- and Detroit's desire to run the ball more in 2009 could provide a challenge for him. That said, the Lions have had extreme issues trying to put together a competent offensive line, so letting their veteran linchpin walk as a free agent next summer wouldn't have made a whole lot of sense.
The Lions certainly don't have a better option at center. Assuming Raiola doesn't storm into the stands to punch obnoxious drunks in the face, Detroit probably did the right there here.
