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The Lions are holding the most pathetic 25th anniversary ever
Eric Edholm
Jul 14, 2016, 11:22 AM
Honoring winners is a time-honored tradition in this country, especially in sports. But when winning is so sparse, it can unintentionally turn that honor into a joke.
We present to you, dear friends, the Detroit Lions.
The franchise that has not won a playoff game since the George H.W. Bush presidency plans to honor the members of the 1991 Lions team at a game this season, per the Detroit Free Press. Those Lions, led by Barry Sanders, went 12-4 and reached the NFC championship game.
It’s a nice gesture. That was a good team. They should be honored. Lions fans love Barry. But it also was the last time the Lions won a playoff game and the franchise’s only postseason victory since Tobin Rote was quarterback in 1957. That’s depressing to see typed out.
On top of that, the ’91 Lions were drubbed 41-10 by the Washington Redskins in the conference championship game to miss a chance to go to the Super Bowl. As Shutdown Corner’s Frank Schwab might say, cue up the sad trombone for the festivities.
The Lions originally planned to honor 1991 team in the Week 7 game against the Redskins at Ford Field. But because of fears of Redskins fans chanting “41-10” scheduling conflicts with some of the players, the team instead will hold the ceremony in a game against the Los Angeles Rams the week prior at home.
Smart move for two reason: Not many Rams fans, wherever they are these days, are likely to make that trip. And it’s not like the Rams have been awash in playoff glory the past decade.
But the Lions’ current streak of futility is almost unmatched. We charted the NFL teams’ playoff droughts prior to the 2015 season a year ago, and the top two remain standing: The Bengals (last playoff win: Jan. 6, 1991) and Lions (Jan. 5, 1992) have gone an entire generation without tasting postseason success. The Lions have gone 0-7 in playoff games since beating the Dallas Cowboys at the Silverdome all those years ago.
The celebration also will open another wound. Sanders, who attends team alumni functions fairly often, is expected to attend. (After all, his picture will be on the game ticket that day.) And Sanders will be another reminder of what the Lions are facing this season, their first without Calvin Johnson since he retired.
The two biggest stars of the past half century of Lions history — one is likely to be in the house, but neither one can do a darned thing to help the Lions end this sad streak of futility.
Eric Edholm
Jul 14, 2016, 11:22 AM
Honoring winners is a time-honored tradition in this country, especially in sports. But when winning is so sparse, it can unintentionally turn that honor into a joke.
We present to you, dear friends, the Detroit Lions.
The franchise that has not won a playoff game since the George H.W. Bush presidency plans to honor the members of the 1991 Lions team at a game this season, per the Detroit Free Press. Those Lions, led by Barry Sanders, went 12-4 and reached the NFC championship game.
It’s a nice gesture. That was a good team. They should be honored. Lions fans love Barry. But it also was the last time the Lions won a playoff game and the franchise’s only postseason victory since Tobin Rote was quarterback in 1957. That’s depressing to see typed out.
On top of that, the ’91 Lions were drubbed 41-10 by the Washington Redskins in the conference championship game to miss a chance to go to the Super Bowl. As Shutdown Corner’s Frank Schwab might say, cue up the sad trombone for the festivities.
The Lions originally planned to honor 1991 team in the Week 7 game against the Redskins at Ford Field. But because of fears of Redskins fans chanting “41-10” scheduling conflicts with some of the players, the team instead will hold the ceremony in a game against the Los Angeles Rams the week prior at home.
Smart move for two reason: Not many Rams fans, wherever they are these days, are likely to make that trip. And it’s not like the Rams have been awash in playoff glory the past decade.
But the Lions’ current streak of futility is almost unmatched. We charted the NFL teams’ playoff droughts prior to the 2015 season a year ago, and the top two remain standing: The Bengals (last playoff win: Jan. 6, 1991) and Lions (Jan. 5, 1992) have gone an entire generation without tasting postseason success. The Lions have gone 0-7 in playoff games since beating the Dallas Cowboys at the Silverdome all those years ago.
The celebration also will open another wound. Sanders, who attends team alumni functions fairly often, is expected to attend. (After all, his picture will be on the game ticket that day.) And Sanders will be another reminder of what the Lions are facing this season, their first without Calvin Johnson since he retired.
The two biggest stars of the past half century of Lions history — one is likely to be in the house, but neither one can do a darned thing to help the Lions end this sad streak of futility.
