What can we learn from today’s victory over the Cleveland Browns?

Actually, I think the better question is: What should we learn from today’s win against the Cleveland Browns?

In Detroit, we have learned never to take victories for granted, especially when we have only seen 42 in this decade. But when was the last time the Detroit Lions won a game they were supposed to win?

That’s what I thought.

I know I wasn’t the only blogger who drafted a scathing post in my head when I saw the Browns jump out to a 21-3 lead on the golden arm of Brady Quinn.

But then the Lions did something they rarely do. 

They came back.

And it wasn’t the too-little-too-late variety of comeback.

This one had fangs.

This one sounded different.

And when the Lions’ first round draft pick, Matthew Stafford, hit their other first round pick, Brandon Pettigrew, with the game-winning touchdown with zeroes showing on the clock, you would be excused if you waited for the referee to call Dominic Raolia for holding.  

But – gasp! – that flag was never thrown.

The Lions had won.  Only their second of the season, but maybe a glimpse of how potent this offense can be when everyone’s healthy.

On the other hand, there are those who will call this for what it is – a victory against a franchise that shares in our misery.  We must face the truth that the Lions were seconds away from defeat, which would have, inevitably, led to more outcry that this franchise continues to move in the wrong direction.

And there’s no excuse for giving up 37 points and 439 total yards to any team short of the New Orleans Saints.

Those numbers underscore how pathetic our defense is, and shows why so many people were unhappy with the offense-first mentality they demonstrated in the draft.

If they’re this porous against the worst offense in the National Football League, why should we have faith that this team is anywhere near contending?

If we circle back to the top of this post, I think we’ll find our answer.

When this team is healthy, they can score points.

Stafford appears to be a serviceable quarterback, we know Calvin Johnson is a stud, and Pettigrew can provide a dangerous safety valve ala Antonio Gates and Dallas Clark.

Barring a miracle, this organization will likely have a top 5 pick in next year’s draft.  Unless Martin Mayhew is a friggin’ idiot, they’ll (finally) focus on defense and the lines.

I know I’m basing most of it on today’s win, but instead of closing up shop when the going got tough, they showed us a glimpse of what an actual pro football team looks like.  I imagine this is what fans in Indianapolis and New England see on a weekly basis. 

Today’s outcome should provide a shred of hope for the faithful in this fine city.

I just hope this isn’t another one of the Lion’s tricks.

Game against Cleveland Browns is Jim Schwartz’s first ‘must-win’ as head coach.

Gather ’round, Detroit Lions fans.

I want to explain something before we get to the meat of this post.

See, your Honolulu Blue and Silver-ed pussycats are entering strange territory this sunday at The Clunker against the Cleveland Browns.

The Lions are actually considered a “favorite” by the people who determine how many points one team would give the other should two people decide to partake in a friendly wager, and want the playing field to be level.

The Lions faithful might not be too familiar with this “favorite” term, but it indicates Detroit is the better team.

We’re not saying that losing to the lowly Browns — a team currently ranked dead last in total offense and total defense — means head coach, Jim Schwartz will get the ax.  Far from it. (I mean, we know how “quickly” ownership reacts around these parts.)

But the fact of the matter is that the Browns are terrible.  Maybe even terrible-er than last year’s winless Lions.

They change quarterbacks more often than I change my newborn’s diapers.

Head coach Eric Mangini‘s own players — those manly, steely football players — are starting to complain about his tough practice regiment.

Losing breeds a lax attitude and a general unwillingness to give up one’s body when you know defeat is inevitable.

We in Detroit know this all too well.

Even with a similar record, the Lions should have to win this game.

At home. Favored. Facing a team that has given up.

In the past, the Lions usually lose this type of game, but it’s Schwartz’s first opportunity to show the fans in Detroit that his regime is different; this team is different. 

In a season when losing has, once again, become commonplace, actually winning a game deemed winnable by just about everyone would show this team has it in them, and they’re on the right path.

But if they lose?

Let’s just be thankful the game is blacked out.

The Detroit Lions still aren’t ready for primetime.

The Detroit Lions used to make regular appearances on Monday Night Football when players like Herman Moore and Barry Sanders were integral parts of the high-powered offense that the Monday Night Football schedule makers craved. Sold-out Monday night games at the Pontiac Silverdome were legendary.  The fights in the stands were just as entertaining as the product on the field.  And at that time in Lions history, that’s saying something.

But that was a long time ago.

The last time the Detroit Lions appeared on Monday Night Football was October 8, 2001 against the St. Louis Rams.

They got shellacked, 35-0.

Since then, ABC/ESPN has, understandably, shied away from placing the team in their Monday night showcase, which is also saying something.  Because according to our crack research staff, you have to be downright terrible to not be invited on the premier league showcase.  

In fact, you have to be the worst team in the league on a regular basis.

Monday Night football at-a-glance since the Lions last appeared:

• There have been 144 games total.
• Every single NFL team has appeared in at least one game (Houston Texans). 
• Two other teams — Buffalo Bills and Arizona Cardinals — have appeared three times each, the next lowest amount.
• The Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles have appeared most often (19 times each.)

Knowing that every team has played in at least one Monday Night Football game since the Lions last appeared, it’s a bit peculiar that the Lions haven’t been invited back, even if it’s to throw Detroiters a bone in tough time.

Alas, the closest we came was a preseason Monday Night Football game in 2005 against — you guessed it — the St. Louis Rams.

Of course, there is one remedy for this ailment.

Winning.

Yes, Detroit does need a football team.

In what other town in America would a team that has gone 1-24 in its last 25 games draw 40,000 people to a game?

In what other town would you see people brave bone-chilling December temperatures to tailgate in half-empty lots?

In what other town would you see fans walk through the stadium concourse dressed in the other team’s colors to management that change has to be made?

I think you would be hard pressed to find one, unless you’re talking referring to Detroit.

Like it or not, this town craves football.  I don’t know if it’s because we like to be the underdogs, or if it’s because of fantasy football, but if the Detroit Lions ever get good (and the Law of Averages dictates they will) this town will throw themselves behind the team so fast, you’ll have to convince others that they went 0-16 in 2008.

The problem right now, though, is that the owner of the current team has taken this town for granted for years because of their loyalty.  Instead of being proactive and firing Matt Millen years ago when it was obvious he didn’t have a clue, William Clay Ford, Sr. kept him around and now we are left with this – a team with a lot of heart but not a lot of talent. 

I hope the Lions do rebound shortly and put all of this behind them and become a competitor.  It would be great to see downtown Detroit filled up every Sunday with tailgaters anticipating a big game with playoff implications against the Chicago Bears or Green Bay Packers instead of the anticipation of how the Lions will lose this time. 

Until then we have to continue to deal with the local blackouts that plague this great football town.

Even though you wouldn’t know it by the way we’re portrayed, this is a city full of passionate fans.  We just need the right team to prove it.

Does Detroit need a professional football team?

There is a prevailing school of thought in Detroit that thinks the city needs a winning football team, as if victories on the field would have equaled proper protocol in the mayor’s office or less jokes on The Jay Leno Show.

My question is: Why?

In the span of time since William Clay Ford, Sr. bought the Detroit Lions, the Detroit Tigers have won two World Series and advanced to another; the Detroit Pistons won three championships while losing two Finals; and the Detroit Red Wings have appeared in eight Stanley Cup Finals, winning four of them.

The Lions? They’ve won one playoff game while wallowing in futility for a half century.

There was a brief period of time in the 90’s when the team was legitimately good, but they were never able to get over the hump. Since the retirement of Barry Sanders, they’ve been downright terrible. It was capped off by last year’s first-time-in-NFL-history 0-16 season.

Management has shown a consistent knack for drafting the wrong players and hiring the wrong coaches. The players who do don the intimidating Honolulu Blue look lost and out-of-place most Sundays. And unless you buy tickets to a game (or it’s Thanksgiving) you can’t watch the home games on television due to the NFL’s blackout rule.

In a city constantly the butt of national jokes for its shady political players and a decimated automotive industry that is sucking the lifeblood out of the region, this is supposed to lift our spirits? I don’t see the point in cheering for a team that has a habit of disappointing its fanbase. Regularly.

Removing the Detroit Lions from the equation would allow us to endure less pain and suffering on account of our local teams, and force us to appreciate the professionalism and talent that our other teams showcase.

And removing the cancer from our fandom that is the Lions might even improve our outlook.

The Week That Was in Detroit Sports – Week of Nov. 9

Every friday, the Spirit of Detroit will post our favorite Detroit links from the past week.

The week started off slow, but news of possible trades involving popular Detroit Tigers blew up the blogosphere in Detroit.  Here’s a recap.

• Bless You Boys wonders aloud (er, via typing) if the Detroit Tigers will have another chance to get J. J. Putz after losing out on the sweepstakes last year. If Rodney departs, I’m on board.
• Rumors that Edwin Jackson is available for the right price was one thing.  But Curtis Granderson and Brandon Inge? The team would take a huge PR hit if they unload their two most popular players.
• The Detroit Tiger Weblog sums up these last few days.
• In other, less-exciting news, but just as potentially outlandish, the guys at Pride of Detroit suggest, by way of real stats, that Matthew Stafford mirrors Peyton Manning through their first six games. Hold your laughter. It’s true.
• Finally, Dan Feldman of PistonPowered rails against those who think Joe Dumars wasted the Pistons’ cap space on Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva. He presents a logical argument.

The Week That Was in Detroit Sports – Week of Nov. 2

Every friday, the Spirit of Detroit will post our favorite Detroit links from the past week.

This is the first entry in what we hope becomes a regular occurrence on the blog.  Only three links this week, but it’ll get better, just as soon as Steve learns how to set up his Google Reader.

• Similar to what we alluded to in an earlier post, PistonPowered ponders whether the Pistons are better than we thought, based on other teams’ ability to perform without their two stars.
• Bless You Boys lists the top 20 prospects in the Tigers system.
• Check out this hit by  Zack Follet. Anybody catch the number on that train?

Enjoy your weekends.

Wake up, Detroit.

The date was December 15, 1991. 

I remember watching two sporting events on TV that day: the Detroit Lions visiting the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Red Wings at home against the Philadelphia Flyers.  

At that specific moment in Detroit sports history, the Lions were 10-4 (not a typo) and heading for the division title and the Red Wings were in a middle of a pretty good season which would land them in the playoffs after missing the playoffs the year before. 

I remember cheering that day with my Mom and Dad as Mel Grey ran a punt back 78 yards to seal a 24-17 victory for the Lions.  Later that day we continued our local team revelry as the Red Wings beat the Edmonton Oilers, 4-1. 

Why am I telling you this?  Because that day set in motion two things that are quite incredible in this day and age. 

The following year, the Green Bay packers acquired a quarterback by the name of Brett Farve and, for their next 18 meetings in the state of Wisconsin, the Packers would beat the Lions. (That streak is still very much alive.)

The Red Wings made the playoffs in 1991 and haven’t been on the outside looking in since. (The team with the next-closest playoff streak is the New Jersey Devils with 12.)

I was 12 the last time the Lions won at Lambeau.

I’ll be 30 in March.

I’ve seen the Wings hoist the Cup four times, win countless division titles and conference championships, and watched some of the greatest players of my generation don the Winged Wheel sweater.

In that same time frame, the Lions have gone 103-176 – a terrible run sprinkled with false signs of hope. The first winless season in NFL history aside, I watched it get so bad that our fans wore the opposing teams’ colors to send a message to management.  

While the Lions were providing fodder for Jay Leno’s monologues, the Wings once again made it to the Stanley Cup Finals, only to fall short to an upstart Pittsburgh Penguins team.

After that loss, I heard people come down so hard on the team for losing, but when the Lions won their first game in 18 attempts a few weeks ago, the word “playoffs” escaped from our desperate fan’s lips.

So what’s the point of this rant?

I want people to dump out the Honolulu Blue Kool-Aid for a few months and take note that you have a championship caliber team in town that you can watch whenever you want.

Even if you think hockey doesn’t compare to other sports, give it a shot. Tickets are readily available.

Who knows? You might enjoy watching how a well-run team performs.