Detroit Lions: Something Has to Work, Right?

So here we sit, waiting for the Super Bowl to begin.  Thoughts can only go to our Lions and wonder if we’ll ever experience the joy of our team getting there.

The Arizona Cardinals, a team for the longest time, could be considered in worst shape than the Lions.  After all, they last one a championship back in 1947…and yet they are at the precipice of atoning for all of the bad to mediocre seasons the many fans from Chicago, St. Louis and Arizona have had to endure.

I’m not jealous of the Cardinals.  In fact, I wish the best for them.  I want them to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers and be the defending Super Bowl Champions for the 2009 season. 

And then I want every single person who works for the Detroit Lions, from William Clay Ford. Sr. down to the ball boy to look at them for inspiration.  Because at the end of the game, the Detroit Lions will have yet another distinction, on top of being the first team to go 0-16 in an NFL season, to be the oldest team in the NFL never to have gone to a Super Bowl.

The Lions most exciting moments in the past eight years have not occurred on the field.  I’m sure that many will agree there has been little to cheer about regarding the product that has been trotted out in that time.  No, the Lions most exciting moments have occurred in April, during the draft.  Which is a shame since the in the last ten drafts, the Lions have been in the top ten.  How can the Lions have so many busts in that time?  Doesn’t “parity” mean the Lions would have, at the very least, had at least one winning seasons since 2001?

You know what?  We can speculate which players should be taken in the draft.  We can speculate on which free agents will have an immediate effect in the win/loss column.  We can speculate if our new coach, Jim Schwartz will be able to get this team to focus and change the mindset to a winning attitude.

In reality, we can do little except hope that whatever direction the Lions take will work.  And I think that’s all we Lion fans can hope for.  That something, anything will be the start of the Lions' journey to the Super Bowl.