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If a football team takes on the personality of its head coach and quarterback, then the Detroit Lions are the NFL's most bipolar franchise.

On one end, the Lions are coached by an emerging sideline madman. Already this season, coach Jim Schwartz has been caught cursing at officials, taunting opposing players and creating a postgame fist-pump that has risen to cult status in Detroit.

On the other end, quarterback Matthew Stafford's unflappable steadiness has lent serenity to the huddle even as the Lions faced 20-plus point deficits the past two weeks. If his biography didn't confirm that he grew up in Dallas, I would swear Stafford spent his formative days surfing somewhere in northern California.

"We take on Matt's personality out there on the field," receiver Calvin Johnson said. "I always say that Matt is cool, calm and collected in the huddle, no matter what the situation is."

Monday night, the nation will see for itself when the Lions host the Chicago Bears at Ford Field.

To be sure, Stafford has displayed the enthusiasm of a 23-year-old during the exciting moments of the Lions’ 4-0 start. More importantly, however, he hasn't hung his head in moments of despair. After throwing an interception to end the Lions' first possession Sunday at Cowboys Stadium, Stafford simply walked off the field, slapped his hands together and checked in with offensive coordinator Scott Linehan to explain.

Asked about the pass after the game, Stafford shrugged and said: "It was the right read. Just threw a bad ball."

Asked how he handled a 27-3 deficit in the third quarter, Stafford said: "I think everyone was thinking, we've got to make some plays. That’s the way it is."

I'm sure some people would prefer a more fiery attitude from a team's on-field leader, but I tend to think that Stafford's perspective is a critical element for this team. An excitable young quarterback is far more likely to force throws and make mistakes than one who mostly avoids the emotional roller coaster of a typical game.

That's especially true, of course, when the head coach is going berserk on the sidelines. We first discussed Schwartz’s sideline demeanor after his first season with the Lions, noting he was once the epitome of sideline concentration during his tenure as the Tennessee Titans’ defensive coordinator.

Like many new head coaches who hand off play-calling duties to assistants, Schwartz filled his game-day void by berating officials and falling prey to the disappointments of his rebuilding team. At the time, Schwartz insisted that his sideline icons were Tony Dungy and Tom Landry and said: "When we get this team the way we need to be, you'll see a lot different me. Because if you look at me for all my years in Tennessee, I wasn't that guy with veins popping out of my head. But you can only do that when you have good players and you have confidence in them and they know you really well."

So much for that.

At the end of the Lions' Week 3 victory over the Minnesota Vikings, FOX microphones caught him telling referee Ron Winter’s to "learn the [expletive] rules!"

And in the third quarter last week, Schwartz took exception to Dallas Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant's trash-talking to Lions players during a break in the action while officials reviewed his 34-yard catch. Schwartz had immediately challenged it, and when referee John Parry reversed it, Schwartz took of his headset and pointed at Bryant.

His lips were easy to read.

"Hey, hey," Schwartz screamed. "How about that? Incomplete, you mother [expletive]!"

Asked about the episode Monday, Schwartz smiled and said: "I don't think Dez Bryant had a catch after about midway through the first quarter."

Actually, he caught one more -- a 6-yard touchdown in the second quarter. But the point was taken. Bryant didn’t sustain his hot start, or justify his trash-talking, thereafter.

To be clear, Schwartz’s sideline demeanor has never pushed him over the edge or left him unable to do his job. The Lions’ 4-0 start has been characterized by aggressive but sound game management.

And away from the field, Schwartz has a pretty monotone conversational style. His news conferences suggest he has a future in filibustering if he ever decides to step down from coaching. In reality, he is a young coach whose first head-coaching offer came from what was, at the time, the worst franchise in the league. Like everyone else in the Lions organization, he has taken a special measure of pride in their resurrection this season.

But that's how it has worked so far for the 2011 Lions. The coach gets 'em fired up while the quarterback keeps 'em level-headed. So far, it's been a perfect combination.

After the Detroit Lions' 45-24 loss to the New England Patriots, here are three issues that merit further examination:

Kevin SeifertAmid some backbiting following their loss to the Patriots, the Lions take their turn in the exam room.
1. The Lions have done nothing to dissuade us of this intangible but real observation: They don't know how to win. They've been within five points of their opponents in the fourth quarter of all nine of their losses this season. Nose tackle Corey Williams and cornerback Chris Houston reacted emotionally after this latest loss. But they were essentially right to point out that in critical situations, the Lions don't know what to do, how to set aside adversity or what it takes to make that final sprint to the finish line. (Houston's suggestion that the team has "little heart" was a bit over the top. I would suggest it's more a matter of "little experience at winning.") There is no easy fix here. Ultimately, what you need is a player or a group of players stepping forward and demonstrating on a consistent basis how to rise to the occasion. A sack on third down. Forcing a turnover. Breaking tackles. If you're a young player on the Lions' roster, a good place to start is by watching defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch.
2. I'm not sure if any scheme would have stopped Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, who survived a five-hit first half to finish the game with a perfect passer rating of 158.3. But it's worth noting that the Lions didn't really come after him from a blitz perspective. According to ESPN Stats & Information, the Lions were in their four-man rush on nearly 80 percent of Brady's dropbacks. In the second half, Brady completed 10 of 11 passes for three touchdowns against the Lions' standard rush. I would understand if the Lions weren't confident enough in their coverage to utilize the blitz more often, but on Thursday, it was clear their base defense wasn't up to stopping him.
3. Tight end Brandon Pettigrew caught five passes, giving him 55 for the season and a new Lions single-season record for receptions in a season by a tight end. But it was one catch he wasn't credited for that proved a huge turning point in the game. Referee Ron Winter's crew called Pettigrew for offensive pass interference after his 21-yard reception in the fourth quarter converted a third-and-5 situation, wiping out the catch and ultimately forcing the Lions to punt as they trailed 31-24. I thought the call was marginal at best, and the Patriots put the game out of reach on the ensuing drive.

And here is one issue I don't get:

Lions coach Jim Schwartz was obviously upset about the call against Pettigrew, as well as a pass interference penalty on linebacker DeAndre Levy that gave the Patriots a third-down conversion in the second quarter. Here's what Schwartz said: "The fact is, when you're a 2-9 football team, you're not going to get those calls. When you're a 9-2 team, you're going to get those calls. That's the way the NFL is. It's close games and we don't have the reputation of being a team that makes those plays. We need to make those plays and then complain about officiating." I agree with part of what Schwartz said. The Lions shouldn't expect to get marginal calls. But I don't think it's because they are 2-9 this season. It's because they continue to play sloppy, undisciplined football. Questionable calls aside, the Lions made plenty of unambiguous mistakes Thursday. If officials are inclined to be influenced in any way, it's for that reason. Penalties and mistakes beget more penalties and mistakes.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert

I’m starting to get regular requests from readers for Dirty Laundry. That’s a good thing, and I’ll do my best to expand this post as best I can. Please understand, however, that I probably won’t be able to get to every questionable/interesting call.

We’ll take a look at two calls this week, one of which is unfortunate while the other is a bit perplexing.

On the former: Some Detroit fans were upset with referee Ron Winter’s decision to penalize linebacker Julian Peterson for roughing the passer on a third down incompletion during the first quarter of last Sunday’s 17-10 loss to St. Louis.

As you might recall, the Rams were facing 3rd-and-9 at the Lions’ 27-yard line with 5:22 remaining in the first quarter. Peterson lined up as the Lions’ right defensive end and beat Rams left tackle Alex Barron around the corner. Just as quarterback Marc Bulger released the ball, Peterson reached out and hit Bugler on the top of the helmet with his right hand.

The hit wasn’t violent, but it was hard enough that Bulger’s head moved slightly. His pass fell incomplete, which would have forced placekicker Josh Brown to attempt a 46-yard field goal. But Winter immediately whistled Peterson for roughing the passer, giving the Rams a first down. Ultimately, Brown converted an easier 41-yard field goal.

Unfortunately, Peterson was just out of luck on this call. The NFL rule book warns that “referees will be particularly alert to fouls in which defenders impermissibly … use hands, arms, or other parts of the body to hit the passer in the head, neck or face.”

Peterson intended no malice but, as we discussed last month when the Lions fell victim to another weak roughing penalty, the NFL long ago decided to protect quarterbacks at all costs. Even Lions coach Jim Schwartz couldn’t argue.

“He hit him in the head,” Schwartz said. “It was a glancing blow but the rule book states you can’t hit the quarterback in the head. … That’s the definition of the rule. It’s hard on defensive players. If you go low on the quarterback you’re going to get a penalty. We had one of those a couple of weeks ago. If you go high and you hit him in the head you get a penalty. If you try to hit him in the belly and he ducks his head and you hit him in the head, it’s a penalty. It’s difficult for those guys. They just have to go play and they need to let the officials officiate. We just need to play. You hit the quarterback in the head, it’s going to be a penalty. They’re going to throw it.”

On the latter call: I received a question during Tuesday’s SportsNation chat about Minnesota’s botched snap in the first quarter of last Sunday’s game at Lambeau Field. (I didn’t address it because I wasn’t sure of the answer.) Specifically, the issue was whether Vikings quarterback Brett Favre should have been called for illegal motion because he was walking toward the line of scrimmage when center John Sullivan snapped the ball.

The NFL rulebook is pretty explicit on this issue. It reads, in part: “No player is ever permitted to be moving obliquely or directly forward toward his opponent’s goal line at the snap.”

There are no exceptions, from what I can gather. Technically, then, Tony Corrente’s crew should have called Favre for illegal motion.

We should make clear that this is nearly a moot point. Had illegal motion been called, the Packers would have declined because they recovered the ball at the Vikings’ 21-yard line. Had the Vikings recovered, the lost yardage probably would have been more than the 5 yards docked for illegal motion anyway.

Finally, here is our updated Challenge Tracker:

NFC North Challenge Tracker Team Coach Challenge Overturned Success rate Chicago Lovie Smith 7 2 28.6 Detroit Jim Schwartz 2 0 0.0 Green Bay Mike McCarthy 4 1 25.0 Minnesota Brad Childress 5 2 40.0 Source: NFL