Over the years it's never ceased to amaze yours truly how gullible fans -- and the local media that continues to lead them down the proverbial primrose path -- are for the Detroit Lions. They willingly drink the same toxic Honolulu blue and silver kool-aid every year. This one is certainly no exception.
Once again, there is talk in Motown about their beloved Lions making the playoffs. Given the puddy-tats have so far been the beneficiaries of every break imaginable through the first half of the 2016 season, it's not beyond the realm of possibility they might -- MIGHT -- indeed qualify for the post-season. More on that to follow. But let's look at how they got where they currently stand, which is at 4-4 halfway through the season.
First up they played the Arizona Cardinals. The Cards have turned out to be a pretty bad team, having given up over 60 more points than they've scored. This does not qualify as a quality win.
Then off to the NY Giants. They're flat-out terrible. Another win, but everybody clobbers the Giants this year.
The Lions caught the Minnesota Vikings, on the road, when the latter was down to their third-string quarterback. Granted, a win, but nothing to crow about.
Same with the recent game in Green Bay. Without Aaron Rodgers -- out with a broken collarbone -- and BTW his replacement Brett Hundley is almost embarrassing -- the Pack are basically floundering.
That's the Lions four wins to date.
On the flip side, the Lions have played the Carolina Panthers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Atlanta Falcons, and New Orleans Saints. All of those games have resulted in losses, three of them at home for the Lions.
Pitt, Carolina, and Nawlins have decent records, though the Falcons appear to have developed a Super Bowl loss hangover.
Nonetheless, to date, the record is clear. The Lions beat up on bad teams, or those with their starting QBs out of action, but lose to halfway decent teams.
The second half of the season finds the Lions landing in yet another rose garden.
They have a game with the always woeful Cleveland Browns, perhaps the only NFL franchise more historically inept than that in Detroit.
Two games with division rival Chicago, which has a predictably struggling rookie quarterback learning the hard way under fire.
One with the Baltimore Ravens. They haven't been any good in recent times, nor are they this year.
Another with the Cincinnati Bengals. As long as Marvin Lewis is still the head coach, those equally bumbling puddy-tats aren't going anywhere either.
[Idle thought. How does this guy, after having proven himself so incompetent for over a decade, keep hanging on to his job?]
A contest with the Tampa Bay Bucs, which are rapidly coming apart at the seams.
Another with the Vikings on Thanksgiving Day, at home in Motown. The Lions should give thanks indeed. Always a step away from the injured reserve list, pretty good QB Sam Bradford is back on it. Former starting QB Teddy Bridgewater, out over a year rehabbing a horrific knee injury, may or may not be totally physically ready to go. And even if so, no way will he be fully back up to game day speed by the time this game happens.
Then another home game with the Packers. By then, Green Bay, if they continue to struggle in Rodgers's absence, which would be no surprise, might well have decided to officially shut him down for the season.
This particular broken collarbone, a result of a cheap shot by a Minnesota linebacker, was on his throwing arm side. Even when the doctors clear him to play, how long until #12 feels totally comfortable and back in rhythm throwing his usual passes all over the field? It might be in the Packers favor to let him heal completely and hope for the best in 2018.
So in a nutshell, the Lions have had and will have a ridiculously easy schedule this year. The only four pretty good teams they've faced, or will, defeated them.
They should easily win the vast majority of their remaining games, because they'll be playing the patsies of the league. Only the Vikings even have a winning record, and their QB situation remains very much in flux. Notice they somehow escaped contests with the likes of surprising Philly, New England, the resurgent LA Rams, KC, Seattle, Da Boys in Dallas, even Jacksonville and Buffalo, which have turned out to be pretty good.
They've lived a charmed season indeed, with every possible break going their way so far.
So yes, they might actually make it to the playoffs.
But that is where the kool-aid fueled magic carpet ride in Detroit will likely crash and burn again.
Because if and when THAT happens -- guess what?
No more patsies and rose gardens.
Whoever they face will be a "for real" team.
And so far, to no objective viewer's great surprise, when the Lions have faced true adversity -- they've been drubbed.
Hey, it's just another year of Detroit Lions football. Another campaign of hype -- see the usual suckers jumping on the bandwagon -- with a spectacular crash waiting at the end of it.
One would think they'd learn, but they never do.
Alas.
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