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Detroit Lions coach Jim Schwartz had nothing but kind things to say about Mike Shanahan after the Redskins shared pictures with the Lions after Detroit's cameras failed before the game.

(AP Photo)

LANDOVER, Md. -- As if the Detroit Lions weren't facing a big enough mountain to climb.

Trying to win in a place the franchise had never won, the overhead cameras that provide pictures for the players and coaches to study and make adjustments failed before the start of the game.

"When I went out there before the game, they said that they were down," coach Jim Schwartz said. "The whole first half, we were flying blind. Our coaches were doing a good job of making adjustment without being able to see the pictures."

Quarterback Matthew Stafford said it was particularly difficult because the Redskins' defensive game plan was entirely different than the Lions expected.

"To tell you the truth, they had run all trap and zone blitzes, and today it was all man-blitzes," Stafford said. "It was totally different. They played five base lineman down the whole game, five d-lineman the whole game, which was totally different than what we thought we were going to get. It was a big mix-up."

Stafford, perhaps tongue in cheek, implied it was a convenient technical failing that only affected the road team.

"I don't know what happened," Stafford said. "Maybe it was just somebody shut them off. I really don't know what it was. It's the struggles of playing on the road, but we were trying to piece together what we were seeing out there and it was a lot different than what we'd been seeing on the field."

Schwartz thought no such thing.

In fact, he made sure after the game to thank the Redskins organization for sharing pictures in the second half of Detroit's 27-20 victory, even though the team had no obligation to do so.

"I want to recognize Mike Shanahan and (general manager) Bruce Allen," Schwartz said. "They shared their pictures in the second half. They knew we were at a (disadvantage). They don't have to in that situation, but I thought it was a very sportsman-like move. That shows the class that they have, the class of the Redskins organization that they did that."

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