On November 4, 2007 the Lions were 6-2. Up to that point in history 76 percent of NFL teams that began the year 6-2 made the post season.
“This is real,” said defensive tackle Cory Redding at the time. “This is a different team. It’s not the same-old Lions anymore.”
Then Detroit proceeded to go 3-37 from November 5, 2007 to January 5, 2010.
And the natural order of the world had been restored.
Seriously, how does someone even begin to wrap his or her mind around 3-37? Where do you even begin to explain it?
I’ve been told that in standardized tests, if you just filled the little circles blindly and with no regard to the questions, you’ll probably get about a quarter of the problems right. While football and standardized tests have nothing in common, I believe that even if you blindly left a football organization on it’s own without any leadership, it could win 25 percent of its games.
Not the Lions, though. Defying all that makes sense in the world (I mean besides the constant that the Lions suck) Detroit managed to win just seven percent of their games over a two and a half season span.
That’s seven percent with management trying to win games.
Sometimes I do wonder if the Lions were better off fending for themselves. No coaches or front office: just a group of players, a medical staff and one secretary to arrange travel and paychecks.
The 2009 season was only an improvement mathematically. While I wouldn’t put it past the Lions to accomplish it, it’s impossible to have negative wins. And while Detroit defied the odds and failed to get lucky even once during a season of futility in 2008, there was no way they were going to lose 16 straight this season.
Two wins aren’t making me hungry for the 2010 season; not with the same front office and the same owner that has proven time and time again that competent decision making, especially when it comes to the draft and free agency, is lacking. Those are pretty much the only way to build an NFL contender and the Lions are terrible at it.
Normally I’d tell myself that Rome can’t be built in a day. But this is the NFL. When competent people are in charge a team can go from worst to first. It’s a league based on parity. Does a worst to first turnaround eventually lead to years of success? Not necessarily. But does it give you a chance at years of success? Absolutely.
The Lions haven’t had that chance all decade. They aren’t the only team to not make the playoffs this decade but they are arguably the worst of those teams.
The Cleveland Browns have won eight or more games twice this decade but does have six seasons with less than six wins. They are what the Lions aspire to be; a crappy team that can get lucky every few years.
The Buffalo Bills have had just two seasons of eight wins or more this decade and two seasons with less than six wins. They are mediocre.
The Houston Texans have only existed for eight years. The last three years they’ve won eight games or more. Prior to that they had three seasons with less than five wins. They are a promising franchise.
And then there are the Lions. They finished with eight wins or more once this decade and that was in 2000. They have won less than six games seven times. They have five … FIVE … seasons with three wins or less. They are an abomination.
And looking ahead to the next decade there is no hope for the future.