I am a Giants fan. Right now we are the best football team in the league. I don't think anybody (unless your from Tennessee) can deny that.
Certainly, what nobody can deny is how much the Detroit Lions suck. They've embarrassed themselves on national TV once again to fall to 0-12. They truly are the worst team in football.
You don't get to 0-12 by accident. You have to really be bad to get through 12 games and not win one of them.
However, I feel their pain. I wasn't around at the time being only 17, but 30 years ago or so the Giants were the league's laughingstock.
I think we all remember Herman Edwards picking up a fumble and taking it to the house to win a game...and the burning in effigy of owner Wellington Mara.
Don't forget the ticket burnings in the parking lot and the banner that flew over Giants Stadium that said, "15 years of lousy football. We've had ENOUGH!"
- B/R Ticket Guide
It paid off for us. We won two Super Bowls in the late 80s and early 90s, and were able to rebuild our entire franchise from the ground up with players like Phil Simms, the best football player of all time, in my opinion, Lawrence Taylor, Carl Banks, Joe Morris, Harry Carson, etc.
So, it may not be all bad for the Lions. Everybody has a 2008 Lions-like season here and there. There is hope, however.
You can always rebuild the way the Giants did in the late 70s and early 80s and become a force for the next decade. When I'm at college, I can see the Lions getting out of their hole somewhat.
Another example is the Jets of the 90s. In 1996, they went 1-15, and really were a bad, bad team. But Bill Parcells came in and rebuilt from the ground up, like the Giants. Within two years, the Jets were 20 minutes away from the Super Bowl.
If you Detroit Lions fans do not listen to me when I say this, let me use a quote from Monty Python and say, "Always look on the brighter side of life!"
Detroit isn't exactly Green Bay. You have three other sports teams in the city that are REALLY good. The Red Wings won the Stanley Cup, the Pistons look really good, and the underachieving Tigers are always dangerous with their talent.
But I'm telling you this right now: In about four years, you won't need to rely on those teams to give you your thrill. Your Lions will be back to respectability.
Trust me, it happened twice over here in New York!
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about 1 month ago
Nice article and thanks for the message of hope. I really think if they can just get a respectable GM they can make some good decisions.
from about 1 month ago
The irony is that Kevin Smith and Gosder Cherilus, are actually good picks by Millen.
about 1 month ago
Great article. I've been a fan since 99 and I can't go one year without my Dad telling me how lucky I am. Even when we were 4-12 and 6-10 in back to back years he just says that I've seen nothing compared to the 70s.
about 1 month ago
I think that with enough draft picks and a decent teacher, anything is possible really.
Detroit needs to shore up that line and grab Tim Tebow in my opinion.
Why? Because A) Detroit has a history of making Heisman winners work out, and B) Daunte Culpepper can teach Tebow about how to scramble and play in the NFL.
from about 1 month ago
Tebow, would be exciting but the Lions need more of a sure thing. If I was Detroit and I had the first pick of the draft it would be more of a sure thing at the QB position. I would definitely go with a Matthew Stafford out of Georgia or Sam Bradford from Oklahoma. Then I would make sure I go straight to a DT in Derrick Marks or Terrence Cody to add something to the middle of that line to stop the run game. Actually, I would pretty much try to refurbish the entire defensive line. Tim Tebow in my opinion if far from being the QB that the Lions need. But thats just my opinion, who knows, with his attitude, he may be just what they need.
from about 1 month ago
Cross out Bradford. He's a Sophmore.
from about 1 month ago
I wouldn't even bother with a QB. I'd get a Linebacker and an O-lineman in the first round, then pick up another O-lineman in the second. Finish out the rest of the draft getting ONLY D-linemen, Corners, and Safeties, maybe a decent return guy in the mix as well. This team will not be ready for another rookie QB with the atrocious o-line and defense. We tried the QB scenario before with Harrington, and I think ruined a good QB's career with the taint of Detroit.
from about 1 month ago
Ah, but who said anything about starting that QB.
Here is my thinking: You draft a QB for the future but you put on the sidelines to learn. Then you draft o-line to help block for Culpepper and make holes for Kevin Smith. Then when the QB (preferably Tebow) learns from Culpepper (who is similar to Tebow) then that QB could be ready for it all.
Detroit drafted Gosder Cherilus, so go for another lineman. If they make a line that good, it won't matter who the QB is. What matters is protection.
about 1 month ago
Great article, but really the only reason for hope right now is to believe that the Lions cant be bad forever. In my opinion, sorry Lions fans, there really is no sparkle of hope. The only player that comes to my mind is Calvin Johnson, boy can that man put up numbers no matter who is throwing the ball. The Lions could possibly have two of the greatest offensive players to live while the rest of the team around them is just plain awful. I dont know what the future holds for Johnson, but if he can perform like this with three different QB's throwing him the ball in one season, the Lions have much to look forward in him down the road. If the Lions can make some smart moves in next years draft plus the picks they received from Dallas, maybe they can see some kind of light possibly next season. Good luck Lions fans, my heart is with you!
about 1 month ago
I understand the Lions have even lost their rightful spot on TV next Thanksgiving. That was the worst team I have witnessed in all my years of watching the NFL. I just wanted to make it stop. Even the Bucs of 76-79 didn't seem so disorganized.
This franshise needs to reboot in a big way and change everything from the uniforms to the coaches. They need an overhaul like the Pats did at the end of the 1990's. Any history or nostalgia is infected and useless now.
Get younger and faster, the two things you don't have to worry about coaching. Then get Bill Cowher to turn your team around. Open up the bank and let him load his pockets. Name a car after him and his kids.
about 1 month ago
Nice article. You didn't mention, however, that the Lions have been "re-building" since 1958. Having won one playoff game in 51 years doesn't exactly give us "fans" much hope for their future. I'll never get back those hours of my life lost while watching this pathetic franchise go down the drain. But, none the less, I'll continue to watch them and hope that some day Mr. Ford will wake up and sell this team to someone who actually wants a winner in this proud city. Go Wings, Pistons and Tigers!
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