ALLEN PARK -- When wide receiver Nate Burleson played at Minnesota and Seattle, he looked forward to playing the Lions.

“Playing against the Lions, to be honest, I knew I was going to have a good game. ... Every time I stepped on the field against the Lions I had some big-time stats,’’ said Burleson who is starting his eighth season in the NFL.

He said he always thought of the Lions as a big group of athletes.

“They always good athletes, they always had talent, it was just that for some reason that camaraderie or that chemistry or that gel wasn’t there. When it came down to third or fourth quarter I felt the bond I had with my team was going to sustain us to get to victory. I didn’t think the Lions had that when I played against them,’’ Burleson said. “This year and this team is a lot different.’’