Detroit Lions. Another year

And so it ends. After all the hype, feel good stories, expectations, improbable come-backs, and even a stomp or three along the way, the Lions have finally bit the dust. Again. The Honolulu blue and silver will remain the only non-expansion team (there's only 4 overall) to never have reached a Super Bowl, let alone win it. Just another year.

It appeared the Dallas Cowboys were sure trying to lose it -- especially in the first half. They ran into the Lions' punter in his own end zone which eventually resulted in a Detroit touchdown. They blew defensive coverages. Tony Romo looked to be pulling another one of his playoff swoons missing wide open receivers and hanging on to the ball far too long, resulting in sacks. Their usually reliable place kicker missed a very makeable field goal.

The Lions jumped out to a 14-0 lead while Da Boys looked to be in a state of disarray -- on both sides of the ball.

But somewhere the ghost of the SOL (Same Old Lions) lurked and waited for his chance to rain on their parade. Again.

And so it came to pass. The Lions, despite their so-called high octane offense with "weapons" every which way, would only score two measly field goals for the rest of the entire game. After taking the 14-0 lead, they were out-scored 24-6. The Cowboys move on to face the Packers. The Lions go home. Again.

It really should have come as no great surprise. After all the Cowboys were favored by about a touchdown going in, and Lions' QB Matthew Stafford had yet to win a road game in his entire career against a team with a winning record. He is now a very telling 0-18 in such contests. Eighteen chances coming away with zero wins goes far beyond coincidence, bad breaks, bad calls, or whatever. If anything, it seems an aberration he hasn't been able to win at least ONE. (Good grief, even the Washington Generals once beat the Harlem Globetrotters). Thing is, Stafford is writing his legacy and it doesn't read well to date. Sure, he's racked up all kinds of individual passing stats in recent years, but the playoff albatross around his neck is gaining weight every year.

Let's get real. Fairly or not, when a team succeeds the QB is glorified. When they lose, he'll shoulder most of the blame. It's just the way it is.

All year long we heard about how the Lions had acquired free agent Golden Tate to compliment Megatron Calvin Johnson, and picked up a hot-shot tight end (Eric Ephron) with their first round draft pick. They had shored up a glaring weakness in their secondary by signing a couple other free agents. In that respect, the Lions, at least statistically, featured one of the best defenses in the entire NFL. Their offensive line had gelled and they finally found a semi-reliable place kicker. And forget the whining about injuries. They happen to all teams. If anything, the Lions were blessed this year in that department compared to what other franchises had to suffer through. Besides, it's called "depth". Next man up and let's roll.

Throughout the year, starting with the weak schedule, the Lions had caught one break after another. Throw in the new coach (Jim Caldwell) with a long resume of playoff and even Super Bowl experience. Combine it with all the offensive weapons. Stir in a league-leading defense -- and what could go wrong?

Simple. It's the Lions, remember? Shouldn't fifty seven years in a row of ultimate futility ring a bell? HELLO?

They'll find a way.

And they did in Dallas. Again.

No biggie. It's just another year.

Besides, the Generals haven't beaten the Trotters again since 1971. That's almost twice as long as the Lions' have gone since their one and only playoff victory.

And then there's the long-suffering northsiders of Chitown. Their beloved Cubbies have gone over a CENTURY since they won a World Series. Some of those "die-hard" fans must be REALLY old by now.

Thing is, unlike the Honolulu blue and silver koolaiders, Cubs' fans (and their media) don't get their hopes up every year desperately grasping at a brass ring that is obviously destined to stay beyond their reach. They don't have unrealistic expectations, so are not disappointed when their team goes down again year after year. Lions' die-harders have yet to come to grips with reality and accept their pre-ordained cosmic fate. A difference.

But guess what's likely going to happen? Having made the playoffs, don't be surprised if the Lions bump their tickets prices next year. When the draft rolls around in a few months, their fans (whipped into yet another frenzy by their local media) will scream in jubilation over the new infusion of unbelievable talent their beloved puddy-tats were able to obtain. However -- having made the playoffs the year before, it's likely the Lions schedule will get toughed up some in 2015.

Fast forward to the pre-season games and assume a few wins. Maybe even start (or finish) the regular season on a "roll".

And the fever will be back in Motown.

Sigh. You'd think they'd learn.....

As always, in the end, they remain doomed to SOL status, in more ways than one.