Detroit Lions fans have been a notoriously masochistic bunch over the years.

Every Sunday they tune in to the broadcasts, hoping the Honolulu blue brigade will find a way to break through decades of mediocrity -- or worse -- and compete for, well, just compete.

This year looks like it finally might be their time. Fans think every year is that year, but experts from around the nation actually are backing a Lions turnaround this season.

Sports Illustrated's Peter King, who also appears on NBC's "Football Night in America," picked the Lions to make the playoffs in the magazine's recent NFL preview -- and even acknowledged he was tempted to put Detroit in the Super Bowl.

That may be a tad premature, but ESPN "Sunday NFL Countdown" host Chris Berman said on a national conference call this week that the giddiness is warranted, especially since the lockout threatened to wreak havoc.

"We're all excited about football, of course, every season, this one being different with the three-and-a-half months of uncertainty," Berman said. "My goodness, the excitement, you talk to people in every city, what they're going through in Green Bay and cities like Detroit and Cleveland. Hope is legitimate, we think."

There are plenty of reasons to get behind the Lions. Coach Jim Schwartz. Quarterback Matthew Stafford. Wide receiver Calvin Johnson.

But "Fox NFL Sunday" analyst Michael Strahan thinks there's one larger and angrier reason to follow Detroit this season: Second-year defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.

"Detroit could intimidate some people," Strahan said. "Before, a lot of teams looked at Detroit as just a team to get in and get out without anybody getting hurt and get your victory, and now you know you're in for a fight. A guy like Suh is one of the reasons for that."

Strahan knows how important the defensive line can be. The former defensive end was a seven-time Pro Bowl selection and won the 2001 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award before retiring and joining Fox in 2008.

Suh is gaining a reputation for his aggressive play -- he was fined for the third time in less than a year after the NFL charged him $20,000 for a preseason hit on Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton -- but Strahan said he doesn't think the 2010 Defensive Rookie of the Year is a dirty player.

"He's talented, he's aggressive and he's had some penalties, but that doesn't make him dirty," Strahan said. "He's just a guy that sets the tone for not only the defense, but for that team."

Strahan wouldn't mind if other NFL players had the same level of intensity.

"He has the motor and the mindset that you wish Albert Haynesworth had," Strahan said. "You know the talent is limitless, but you just have to have the heart and the right attitude to use it to the best of your abilities, and that's what Suh does."

Channel chatter

Rivalry pregame:

To get people ready for Saturday night's Notre Dame-Michigan game in Ann Arbor, the Big Ten Network will air a replay of the Wolverines' 1999 home win against the Fighting Irish at 8 p.m. Friday. That year, Tom Brady, Anthony Thomas and Dhani Jones led the No. 7-ranked Wolverines to a 26-22 victory against No. 16 Notre Dame. Thomas' 1-yard touchdown plunge with 1:38 to go was the final tally in a game that saw six lead changes. Thomas rushed for 138 yards and two scores in front of an NCAA-record crowd of 111,523.

Hoops on the horizon:

The Michigan State and Michigan men's basketball teams will be featured on ESPN seven and five times, respectively, according to the network's Big Ten schedule released this week. That includes the Spartans-Wolverines game Jan. 17 in Ann Arbor. MSU's other ESPN games will be Jan. 3 at Wisconsin, Jan. 21 against Purdue, Jan. 31 at Illinois, Feb. 11 at Ohio State, Feb. 16 against Wisconsin and Feb. 28 at Indiana. U-M's games are Jan. 5 at Indiana, Jan. 21 against Purdue, Jan. 31 at Illinois, Feb. 18 against Ohio State and March 1 at Illinois.

A time to reflect:

ESPN will commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks with a wide array of features throughout the day Sunday. That includes observing a moment of silence at 8:46 a.m. Eastern, a "SportsCenter" roundtable discussion featuring former New York Yankees manager Joe Torre, Mets manager Bobby Valentine and Jets coach Herm Edwards, and a "Sunday NFL Countdown" feature on Tim Coughlin, the son of New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin, who was working on the 60th floor of the South Tower and survived.

E-mail Michael Zuidema: mzuidema@grpress.com and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/michaelzuidema