Following a 0-16 Season. Do the Detroit Lions Finally Restore the Roar?
The Detroit Lions of the National Football League are in the record books as the first NFL team to finish with an 0-16 record. How do they match last years atrocious performance?
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A new NFL season is quickly approaching once again with teams heading into training camp. There are several exciting story lines heading into the 2009-2010 season. Leading the news, once again is the drama surrounding Brett Favre making a return to football. In New England, we have the return of Tom Brady from knee surgery. Denver is in complete disarray with the departure of Jay Cutler and a disgruntled Brandon Marshall. And who can forget the return of Micheal Vick to the NFL. For Detroit Lions fans though the scene is far too familiar entering a new season. It works a little like this; new coach takes the reigns of the train wreck, Lions fans get hyped up about the Draft, only to be let down after a dismal season and left with huge draft busts. Last year was different though, The Lions managed to hit rock bottom and become the only team in NFL history to finish with a 0-16 record. The second Matt Ryan connected with Micheal Jenkins for a 62 yard TD pass minutes into the game I knew it was going to be an ugly season. Micheal Turner turned out a career day with 220 yards and 2 TDs. This game may of been the worse display of tackling and sloppy play I witnessed from a Detroit Lions squad. It was quite comical to say the least. If there’s any high school or pee-wee coaches out there I advise you to show them this film and show them the incorrect way to tackle. It was the opposite of what Rod Marinelli proclaimed at the start of the year. Its all about in the trenches, the fundamentals of football, and tackling he stressed. Like suckers we all ate it up and thought we were going in the right direction. There is one positive to bring to that horrendous season though, the Matt Millen era is over. Millen Finished with an impressive 31-84 record and 8-50 on the road. Note the sarcasm.
May The Schwartz Be With You
2009 will mark the first season with Jim Schwartz at the helm and will be his first head coaching stint in the league. I was wishing the Lions pursued a more proven head coach in the league because they have ran this experiment before with rookie head coaches, but we will see what he can do to turn this club around. He is coming from the Tennessee Titans where they boasted one of the most dominating defenses in the NFL. The Titan finished 3rd in points allowed, 6th in rushing yards allowed, and in the top 10 in passing yards allowed. He will have to work without the likes of Albert Haynesworth and Kyle Vandenbosch. Two of the leagues elite men in the trenches. If theres one thing he has to accomplish from the get go though, its team unity. From my visit to Lions training camp last year it was clear that this team was in disarray. There were players disinterested in warmups and drills, Roy Williams walking around like hes in the twilight zone, players separated from one another, and little communication occurring. I will be quite content this year If they show any sign of a organized professional football team this year. This falls on the shoulders of Jim Schwartz and if they have any hope it’ll be evident during training camp this year.
Key Additions
In the 2009 draft the Detroit Lions addressed the quarterback position, selecting Matt Stafford from Georgia with the first pick in the draft. The consensus among Lions fans were that they should of opted to rebuild the pathetic defense and draft linebacker Aaron Curry from Wake Forest. The reaction at the draft was quite evident that Lions fans were dissatisfied with the selection, many seen the second coming of Joey Harrington standing on the stage. I may of been the few Lions fans that were in the minority in this decision. You cannot reflect back on the past and not draft players simply because it didn’t work out before. The Lions have gaping holes all over their roster but it starts at QB and the Lions cannot afford to wait another year to develop a QB. Reports out of Allen Park is that Matt Stafford is better than people expected and he is primed to be the starting QB in week 1. It will be fun to watch Stafford throwing the ball up to Megatron (Calvin Johnson). You have to take this statement with a grain of salt though, in my opinion before you play at full game speed you will never know how good he is. All is not lost at the linebacker position for the Lions though, by not drafting Aaron Curry we may be alright. They went out and acquired Detroit native Larry Foote, who has made it public he would love to finish his career wearing the Honolulu Blue and Silver. I have said it for years, this team needs a veteran who knows how to win. More than anything, I believe this gives the Lions a veteran that knows how to get respect from his teammates and has won before. He is a leader in the locker room and still has some left in the tank to help out on the field. Julian Peterson will also join the Lions line backing core, which adds another talented veteran to the roster. Maybe we will actually see some proper tackling this year?
The Curse of Bobby Layne
IS OVER! For those that believe in superstitions out there maybe this will be the big turnaround because Bobby Laynes 50 year curse is over. In the 1950’s Bobby Layne led the Detroit Lions to 3 NFL Championships and was the centerpiece of the franchise. The Detroit Lions felt though that he was on the decline of his career and they had to get some value out of him. The Lions traded Bobby Layne to the Pittsburgh Steelers and upon his departure he said that “Detroit would not win for the next 50 years”. In the next 50 years, The Lions were one of the worst professional sports. Along with the losing tradition, there were several accidents, deaths and disasters that plagued the organization. Just a brief breakdown of these: In 1960 the Lions mascot of 27 years was found dead in Detroit. The assassination of Kennedy and Bill Ford shared headlines in the Detroit newspaper in 1963. Don McCafferty was expected to bring the Lions back to winning tradition but he died in the offseason. The Lions first round draft pick in 1987 broke his neck and was convicted of negligent homicide in a crash that killed 3 teenagers. Mike Utley paralyzed in 1991 after a routine play, 1991 was their most successful season since the curse. In 1997 Reggie Brown suffered paralysis, the same game Barry Sanders broke the 2000 yard rushing mark for the year. And most recently Corey Smith died while fishing with friends in the offseason to cap off the 50 years. I recommend googling the curse and reading into a little more. A little more eerie news is that Matt Stafford went to the same High School as Bobby Layne.
Conclusion
Training camp is opening across the NFL and its a chance for Lions to start fresh. We will have new uniforms and logo, as well as a new QB and finally some veteran leadership. Could this finally be the year that the Lions are heading in the right direction? Or is it impossible until their is new ownership? Maybe Ford drafted StafFORD simply because of his name. Heck imagine the advertising possibilities? I will be attending Lions training camp and will be present at the first preseason game versus the Atlanta Falcons. I may write a new article before the season officially gets under way. Thanks for reading and lets win a game this year Lions!!
