DETROIT -- Calvin Johnson said last week it's not hard for the Detroit Lions to dislike the Chicago Bears.

The guy signing his paychecks took that to another level.

Lions vice chairman Bill Ford Jr. called the Bears a "bunch of thugs" when asked about the Ford Field atmosphere for Sunday's 40-32 win against Chicago.

"It was really alive, and it was alive when we played those same bunch of thugs on Monday Night (in 2011)," Ford said Tuesday night during a question-and-answer session during a charity dinner at Ford Field. "When this place gets going, it's electric, and we do have wonderful fans.

"Our fans are amazing and we would love to pay them back and bring home a winner. And I love the way this team is playing right now."

Ford ducked behind a curtain after the comments and did not make himself available for comment, although he said through a spokesman he was "joking."

Detroit claimed a share of first place in the NFC North with the win against Chicago, something that has happened this late in the season only once since 2005.

The Lions continue division play Sunday when they travel to face the Green Bay Packers (1-2), who have beaten Detroit 22 consecutive times in Wisconsin.

Ford, though, expects that streak to end -- which would put even more distance between Detroit and the Packers.

"Green Bay's special," Ford said. said. "Special feeling going into Lambeau Field -- always has been. And yet, I hate going up there.

"But when we win this week, it's going to feel a lot better."

The benefit dinner raised about $150,000 for Courage House. The highlight of the fundraiser was local artist Dave Santia, who painted a portrait of Burleson and quarterback Matthew Stafford.

The Burleson portrait fetched $1,400. Stafford bid back and forth with a woman over the drawing of himself before the artist agreed to make a second, with each going for $4,000.

More from Ford:

On Nate Burleson: "If we could have a whole locker room of Nates, we'd never worry again about anything and we'd be the best organization in the NFL. ... Even when we were good a few years ago, we didn't have the depth of veteran leadership like we do now, and Nate's obviously a huge part of that."

On a gift for his father, William Clay Ford: "I grew up with the Lions. I grew up with Ford too. Sometimes people ask me, 'What year did you join?' and I say, 'The year I was born.' ... This Christmas, I was wondering what I could give my father, a man who really has everything. But I found on ebay an old album a fan had put together of the training camps at Cranbrook School. And I remember those training camps. I was part of those training camps. And they were old photographs that a fan had put into an album."

On the city of Detroit: "The national media just rains down on us like a black rain sometimes, but I think it's really a tale of two cities. A lot of the pain and suffering we're going through now, it's been a long time building with multiple causes. People look for a single reason why, they can't find a single reason why and it's because it's been decades of cumulative reasons, really culminating with what we see today. But the flip side makes me very optimistic. There is an unprecedented level of business activity going on now. And you think of the startups. I have a venture capital firm that's in the city of Detroit, the lofts are virtually sold out, young people are moving into the city, bars and restaurants are opening. Everyone is pulling together finally -- the foundations, for the most part, the politicians and the business community. And I'm actually more optimistic about this city today. ... I really don't think I'm being Pollyanna when I'm saying I'm more optimistic today than I've probably been at any time in my adult life. ... Not to draw too close of a parallel, because they're very different, but again you look at GM and Chrysler. They went through crushing bankruptcies, and they came roaring back. There's no reason why our city can't either."

On his favorite memory from his life around the Lions: "The one I keep coming back to, there was a run that Barry (Sanders) made against the New England Patriots where he literally turned this one defensive back around three times before he corkscrewed himself into the turf. I don't think you can think of a highlight that probably supersedes that."