When one wants to talk about the last time the Detroit Lions were actually a good team, they have to refer back to the last century. Keeping in mind that most people do not remember football before the age of seven, it would mean that any fan who has not graduated high school (or is old enough to graduate high school), would not remember the Lions in the Play-offs.
Not only has it been since 1999 that the Lions were in the Play-offs, but since the turn of the century, they have been the worst team in the NFL and arguably the history of the NFL. So it goes without saying that Detroit Lions fans know what its like to live with the shame of following bad teams.
Then came the 2010 season. The Lions won their first game of the season on a spectacular catch by Calvin Johnson as time was running down. Then had that victory snatched away from them due to a ridiculous interpretation of a rule where the NFL followed what they believed is what the rules was meant to say rather than what it actually stated. As the season continued, the fans were cheated over and over with in this writer's opinion was the worst officiated season I have ever seen. In too many games the Lions lost close games and there were blatantly bad calls that hurt them in blatantly bad situations. Most every fan can still see Ndamukong Suh being called for two different penalties that never occurred. Suh was called for elbowing Cutler in the back of the head and replays showed he never hit the helmet but shoved him with an open palm in the back to push him down when chasing him. There was also the laughable penalty where Suh was called for a horse collar penalty when it was clear as day that he had grabbed the running backs dreadlocks to drag him down. Which by the way, is a perfectly legal tackle in the NFL. Yet not only was Suh never given an apology for the bad calls, but he was actually fined for one of them. Even though it never happened. As if to rub the fans noses in the bad officiating, the NFL issued a letter of apology to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a bad call that was very controversial. That call? Came while they played the Lions.
Then things finally turned around. Drew Stanton came in to start and led the Detroit Lions two their first road game in three years as well as their first back to back victories in that same span. With Shaun Hill recovered enough from a broken leg, he came in for the last two games of the season and won both of those as well. The Detroit Lions ended the 2010 season as the hottest team in the NFL with a four game winning streak. For the first time in this current century, the Lions fans went into the off season feeling good. For the first time they would enter the new season with the respect of their opponents. Many experts picked the Lions as a team to watch out for.
For the first time this century, we look forward to the new season, not blindly hoping they might actually improve finally, but believing they will be a good team. With legitimate reasons to feel that way. .... And now there is a chance we may not even have that season to look forward to.
After all the Lions fans have been through, one would think they deserve to finally have a good season. ... And now that season might not happen? Somehow it just seems fitting! It is not enough that we have had to endure the worst football ever seen in the NFL for over a decade now, but when it finally looks like the bad is over, we are blindsided by an NFL lockout.
All I want is to see the Lions make the play-offs. Make no bones about it, if Stafford and Best can stay healthy this year, they can make it 8 wins for the season. If the defense plays like it did in the last few weeks, 9 or 10 wins is not completely out of the question. Yes there are some "IFs" here, but for once, they are legitimate IFs. It just is not fair that we are not allowed to get excited to see the season get started because there might not even be a season!
With luck... a lot of luck, there will be a season. A full 16 game season! With luck, the lockout will end soon and we can see what the Lions can do with free agency this year. But the last time the two sides locked out, some of the games were played with scab players. There is no reason to believe it cannot happen again. I don't look forward to scab football much more than NO football. I want to see the real Detroit Lions play. I want to experience again what it is like to see a winning team on the field. While much of the world talks about when the world will end, I worry about IF the season will begin.
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