DETROIT (AP) -Larry Foote wants to show and tell the Pittsburgh Steelers what they're missing.

``They made the wrong move,'' Foote said. ``If we get the W, it'll be even sweeter.''

It would also be surprising.

The lowly Lions (1-3) are a double-digit underdog Sunday at home against the defending champion Steelers (2-2).

Pittsburgh cut Foote in May after he asked to be traded or released because he didn't want to share time with Lawrence Timmons, who was drafted 15th overall two years ago by the Steelers.

``They knew I was a three-down linebacker,'' Foote said. ``I think it came down to a political situation. They had the first-round pick behind me, they had to get him on the field and it took some of my snaps away.''

After signing with his hometown team, Foote said he looked to see when the Steelers were on the schedule.

``I had it circled, highlighted and posted up,'' he said with an ear-to-ear grin.

Foote started every game the game for Pittsburgh the previous five seasons, including both Super Bowl victories, and left a lasting impression on and off the field with his solid play and likable personality.

Steelers linebacker James Farrior, probably Foote's best friend in Pittsburgh, said teams are always going to look to replace veteran players with younger ones. That fact hasn't made it easy for Farrior to move on without him.

``I think we all miss him,'' Farrior said. ``I definitely miss him probably more than anybody else, just having him around and him being out on the practice field knowing I'm going to see him everyday, it's been a little different for me.''

Playing for the Lions, the NFL's laughingstock for much of the decade, has been different without a doubt for Foote.

The Detroit native won almost twice as many games as he lost with the Steelers, who drafted him out of Michigan in the fourth round in 2002. He's playing for a team that celebrated as if it won the Super Bowl when it snapped a 19-game losing streak two weeks ago.

``I talked to him that night after they won their first game, he said the city was going crazy and everybody was all excited,'' Farrior recalled. ``I told him that he shouldn't be excited like everybody else because he's used to winning.''

Even if the Steelers are rolling toward a victory in the Motor City, Foote's mouth will still be running.

``There's going to be a lot of trash talking and jaw jacking of course,'' Foote said.

Foote has done more than just run his mouth with the Lions.

Detroit coach Jim Schwartz values his leadership, love of the game and Detroit, but said those assets would be moot if he was a washed-up linebacker.

``Those things don't matter if he's not a good player,'' Schwartz said. ``He backs it up on the field and that's what makes him special. That's why he's helped this team.''

Foote helped the Steelers win a Super Bowl during their last trip to Detroit on Feb. 5, 2006, when they beat the Seahawks.

The Super Bowl MVP from that game, however, doesn't plan to get too nostalgic.

``Those circumstances were totally different,'' receiver Hines Ward said. ``Millions of more people out on the field, a lot more credentials, but it was definitely a great experience. A great memory for me, playing the Super Bowl in Detroit. This week is nothing compared to the Super Bowl.''

The Lions can only dream of playing in the Super Bowl because the last time they won an NFL title, back in 1957, the league's signature game didn't yet have its iconic name.

Kicker Jason Hanson, who has played for Detroit since he was drafted in 1992, is cautiously optimistic the franchise finally is headed in the right direction after becoming the NFL's first 0-16 team last season and losing 100 games since 2001.

``I've heard some anger, which is good,'' Hanson said. ``It's a new mix of guys from Larry to the coaches, so it has a different feel. But you've got to win, or I know where it goes.''

Win or lose, Foote expects the Steelers to have another successful season because the storied franchise is led by Dan Rooney and his son, Art Rooney II.

``They have the right people at the top of the chain, making the right decisions,'' Foote said. ``It's a Class A organization and it starts with the Rooneys.''Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.