Now stick with me here.
The Detroit Lions were terrible this season. They lost all 16 of their regular season games (the first NFL team to accomplish this dubious feat), and are currently at a 4-26 run over multiple seasons. They lost a few close games, were blown out several times, and never really gave any other team a run this year. Despite the legendary suction, however, they went out with as much honor and class as a team possibly could given their situation. Here's a short list of reasons why their season was better than it appears on paper:
They fired GM Matt Millen. A great player in his day, and by all accounts a genuinely good guy, Millen has the business acumen of a ditch-digger's assistant and the creativity of his shovel.
They have the top draft pick. If they take another WR, retract this entire post. They also traded away an overrated troublemaker for another 1st rounder.
They didn't blame anyone but themselves: Every week's post-game interviews could have been a hen fight. Almost without exception as to player or day, these guys took the burden of accountability on themselves. The press conferences were depressing, but not the bloodbath they could have been. The players didn't blame the scheme, the weather, the officiating, or the grim and unknowable Fates. Even when a certain quarterback ran backwards out of his own end-zone the rest of the squad gritted their teeth and shouldered their share of the blame for the loss.
They played hard every single week. They got beat, but only physically. I expected to see these guys quit on their coach, which is tantamount to quitting on yourself. For the most part, it didn't happen even though they had every reason in the world to just roll over and drift aimlessly across the finish line.
By and large, this team owned up to what they did(n't do) and carried it with whatever dignity they could muster. I don't see myself winning the Super Bowl or going 0-16 this year in my own life, but whatever happens, I hope I handle it with the dignity the Lions managed to show this season.
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One last thing to add: the fact that these guys DIDN'T implode makes me think that Marinelli is an excellent locker room coach. If he has good coordinators calling plays for him, I think he's shown he can keep a team together and mentally tough through a season. He'd probably make a top-notch assistant head coach for a somewhat better team.
Now if I could just stick through the storm instead of letting myself get distracted by whatever's caught my attention most recently. And not let other discourage me when my ideals conflict with their view of reality.
I think the 'net's made me an info junkie with ADD. People just don't ... ooh! Look! A monkey!
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